Environment

Why low Lake Ontario levels mean high St. Lawrence levels

David Sommerstein — Sat, 18 May 2013 12:34:00 +0000

For quite some time, the Great Lakes -- from Superior to Ontario -- have been at historically low water levels. So many people were surprised this week that regulators are lowering the gates at the Iroquois Dam near Ogdensburg because the St. Lawrence River is too high.

Phytofilter tech cleans air with the power of 100 plants

Take Care Staff — Sun, 12 May 2013 23:00:27 +0000

This week on Take Care, Martin Mittelmark, CEO of Phytofilter Technologies in Saratoga Springs, talks about a new developing technology that uses plants to remove germs, pollen, mold and cancer-causing chemicals from the air.

Click "Read More" to hear our interview with Martin Mittelmark.

Court decision no deterrent for gas companies

Kate O'Connell — Mon, 06 May 2013 16:08:25 +0000

New York’s second highest court upheld the right for two municipalities to ban gas drilling last week. But, that decision won’t deter gas and oil producer Lenape Resources from appealing a similar ban in the upstate community of Avon.

Rising concern about changes to Lake Ontario water levels

Kate O'Connell — Sat, 04 May 2013 09:58:00 +0000

The water levels in Lake Ontario have a significant impact on the economic and environmental viability of harbors in upstate New York and Canada. As a result, a proposed plan to change the management of those water levels has raised some concerns in waterfront communities.

Farm run-off is polluting Lake Erie, says new report

Ashley Hassett — Thu, 02 May 2013 19:19:00 +0000

A new report called Taken By Storm released by the National Wildlife Foundation is highlighting the issue of excessive fertilizer runoff into Lake Erie. The resulting algal blooms can seriously impact the health of those who rely on its water.

Pondering the value of landfills in the Finger Lakes

Sidsel Overgaard — Wed, 01 May 2013 10:27:08 +0000

Hundreds of Finger Lakes residents gathered in Geneva recently for what’s expected to be the first of several conversations about the region’s landfills.

Fight to stop proposed gas storage facility continues with activists' release from jail

Sidsel Overgaard — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 17:58:01 +0000

Three opponents of a proposed gas storage facility near Seneca Lake were released from jail early Thursday. The activists were sentenced to fifteen days after trespassing on property owned by Inergy Corporation, but were released after about a week. Inergy is seeking approval to store millions of barrels of butane and propane in an old salt cavern near Watkins Glen.

Going green still a challenge for area businesses, governments

Ellen Abbott — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 13:16:48 +0000

Central New York has a lot to be proud of when it comes to going green. That was the message at the Greening USA annual meeting in Syracuse yesterday. But there are still challenges when it comes to making the investment in green energy.

Invasion - Landscapes in Crisis

Michael S. Ameigh — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 20:33:58 +0000

Invasion: Landscapes in Crisis describes the effects of deer-browsing, buck rubbing and other environmental threats to plants and trees in and around Cornell Plantations Botanical Gardens and Arboretum at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY.

Schumer pushes for more inspection and emergency action plans for NY dams

Ryan Delaney — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 18:16:16 +0000

As spring rain showers fall, Sen. Charles Schumer is warning that more dams in the state should be inspected and have emergency action plans drawn up.

New York's forests in need of healthier regeneration

Sidsel Overgaard — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 13:28:48 +0000

Imagine a New York autumn with almost no red or orange -- just brown, brown, brown. Experts say that could be the scene 50 years from now if people don’t start paying more attention to what’s going on with the shrubs, bushes and saplings in the forest.

Dueling filmmakers dispute over fracking in Albany

Karen Dewitt — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 14:15:27 +0000

As they await Gov. Andrew Cuomo's decision on whether fracking will go forward in New York, dueling pro- and anti-fracking filmmakers held screenings and promotions for their films in Albany. At one point in their visit, the two sides confronted each other in the halls of the Capitol.

DEC may miss deadline for fracking regulations

Marie Cusick — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 04:11:00 +0000

New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joe Martens suggested Monday that the state may miss a February 27 deadline to complete its proposed fracking regulations. And that could stall a decision on gas drilling for months.

Study shows cities can impact weather over 1,000 miles away

Marie Cusick — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 21:38:47 +0000

If you’ve ever been in a big city during the summer, you may have felt the "urban heat island" effect. It's caused when heat gets re-radiated by pavement and buildings.

Forget the groundhog, scientists predict an earlier start to spring

Marie Cusick — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 12:33:00 +0000

The groundhog predicted an early spring this year -- and he isn't the only one. Scientists now say that thanks to climate climate change, spring may arrive up to 17 days earlier in U.S. forests during the next century and that, could have an unexpected silver lining.

State budget puts more focus on agriculture

Ryan Delaney — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 15:45:08 +0000

The state budget proposed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo calls for new efforts to boost sales of New York produce, a change from previous administrations, says a pro-farming group.

Madison County recycling agriculture plastics

Ellen Abbott — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 11:19:00 +0000

Madison County hopes to become a hub for the recycling of agricultural plastics. It's a waste that's created on farms that's been a problem for years.

Yoko Ono, Sean Lennon deliver letter to Cuomo on last day for fracking comments

Karen Dewitt — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 21:24:17 +0000

Anti-fracking activists, including Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon, attempted to present the state’s environmental agency with over 200,000 comments, on the last day of a public comment period on the gas drilling process. They and other anti-fracking activists also tried to deliver a letter to Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Central New York prepares for the Emerald Ash Borer

Ellen Abbott — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 10:44:00 +0000

It's only a matter of time before the ash tree population in central New York is decimated by the Emerald Ash Borer. A task force is at work getting ready for the invasion of the deadly insects, that are now in massive numbers only two counties away from Onondaga County.

Last year's Christmas tree is this spring's mulch

Ryan Delaney — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 14:11:15 +0000

If you're putting away Christmas decorations and taking ornaments off the tree, Onondaga County's recycling agency wants to make sure that old tree gets re-purposed.

Reintroducing Atlantic salmon to the Salmon River

David Chanatry — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 11:32:08 +0000

In recent years both the federal and New York state governments have been studying how best to re-introduce – salmon -- to New York’s Salmon River. That might come as a surprise to anyone who’s ever fished the river, known for its salmon of eye-popping size.

Fracking opponents respond to new fracking regulations

Matt Richmond — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 12:38:19 +0000

Helen Slottje is an Ithaca-based lawyer who helped develop town bans against drilling. She spoke to a friendly crowd on Monday night at the Unitarian Church of Ithaca.

Syracuse college students push for climate change divestment

Olivia Fecteau — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 12:29:41 +0000

When environmentalist Bill McKibben visited Syracuse in October as part of the University Lectures series, he urged students to get their schools to make more sustainable investments. His words encouraged Syracuse University and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry students to start the Fossil Fuel Divestment Campaign.

What can, and can't, be recycled this holiday season

Ellen Abbott — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 14:34:31 +0000

Central New Yorkers make the most trash over the holiday season, which only makes recycling all the more important this time of year, says one of the region's recycling agencies.

Onondaga Lake's mercury levels dropping more than expected

Ryan Delaney — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 13:55:18 +0000

Even though dredging and capping operations to clean up contamination in Onondaga Lake is in its early stages, a scientist consulting on the project says mercury levels are dropping better than expected.

Fracking water regulations leave some wanting more

Matt Richmond — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 13:46:09 +0000

The Department of Environmental Conservation recently released regulations on water withdrawals that would cover the natural gas industry in New York.

Sandy sparks belief in climate change

Karen Dewitt — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 20:27:17 +0000

A new poll finds that, in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, more than two thirds of New Yorkers say they now believe in climate change.

Lockport GM facility goes green

Kate O'Connell — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 20:26:40 +0000

A General Motors facility in western New York has announced they are going green. The site in Lockport makes heating and air conditioning components for GM radiators and is the 103rd facility for the company to become landfill-free.

Researchers work to expand Northeast's biofuel industry

Matt Richmond — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Solar and wind power have gotten a lot of the attention as promising alternative power sources. But energy extracted from plants, known as biofuels, is also the subject of ongoing research.

The Sight Of Road Kill Makes A Pretty, Data-Rich Picture

editor — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 10:58:00 +0000

Wildlife ecologist Danielle Garneau is making a habit of tracking down roadkill. She actually seeks it out, hunting for clues about larger ecological trends. Garneau records it all on a free smartphone app, EpiCollect.

Standing by the side of the road in upstate New York, phone in hand, Garneau peers down at a dead, bloody and smelly skunk.

She takes a picture of the carcass and opens the app to input data, including location, time of day, the road's speed limit and whether the carcass has been scavenged.