January 7, 2012    SAAS COMMENT LETTER to DEC ON HYDROFRACKING - The Revised Draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (SGEIS) on the Oil, Gas, and Solution Mining Regulatory Program. This SGEIS addresses methods and procedures to be used in hydrofracking, or simply, "fracking."  The letter can be found in its entirety here.  Additional information about the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process can be found on the DEC website.  For additional information of hydrofracking in New York State see the Riverkeeper website, the Don't Frack With NY website, and the Environmental Working Group.


6/16/2011     SENATE GIVES FINAL LEGISLATIVE APPROVAL TO BILL THAT PROTECTS NEW YORK’S WATER RESOURCES

The New York State Senate today passed a bill protecting protect New York’s environmental and economic future by improving management of watersupplies and preventing over-consumption by large-scale users. The bill (S.3798), sponsored by Senator Mark Grisanti (R, Buffalo), ensures that water supplies will be protected to meet the needs of New York’s residents, industry, agriculture and environment now and into the future.

Albert E. Caccese, Executive Director of Audubon New York, said, “Audubon New York applauds Senator Mark Grisanti and Assemblyman Robert Sweeney for championing this critical legislation to improve the management of our water resources. New York is blessed with an abundance of freshwater which is critical to the quality of life and economic well being for the state’s residents, all while providing vital habitat for birds, fish and other wildlife species . Although seemingly limitless, water is a finite resource which must be properly managed to prevent against depletion.  This legislation will ensure the state is adequately protecting our freshwater to provide millions of people with clean drinking water, and realize countless other important benefits from supporting commerce and industry to providing for recreation and tourism.”

Our thanks to Sean Mahar, Director of Government Relations for Audubon New York, Jason Goldsmith, Conservation chair for Southern Adirondack Audubon, and all who attended Audubon Lobby Day, wrote letters, or made callsto help make this possible.  It is another step toward ensuring that future generations of New Yorkers will enjoy high quality drinking water and that abundant water will be available for agriculture, industry, and the environment of New York.

Read more here...

BLUEBIRD NESTBOX BUILDING BLITZ!

Students in Pat Boire’s Tech Student Association at Bolton Central School have constructed a whopping 75 bluebird nest boxes for Southern Adirondack Audubon Society.  Six 9th and 10th grade students cut, drilled, and assembled the rough wood boxes, for the bargain rate of $2.00 each. The boxes have been placed in suitable habitat within our chapter, and will be monitored properly. Several will be placed in the Saratoga National Historical Park.

The Eastern Bluebird is New York State’s official bird.  Once declining in population, bluebirds are making a comeback. Numbers declined in part from nest competition with House Sparrows and European Starlings. Use of harmful pesticides and loss of habitat are other factors.  According to the North American Bluebird Society, the future can still be promising for the bluebird. The most important step we can take to help them is to provide nesting sites by setting out a box, or starting a bluebird trail.

SAAS is grateful to Bolton’s Central School’s Tech Student Association for their woodworking skills and community spirit.

Bolton tech class students constructing the bluebird houses		The final product!

Wood Duck Project at Carter's Pond - April 2011

Our chapter recently partnered with New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and the Waterfowl Improvement Association (WIA) to provide wood duck nestboxes at the state-owned Carter’s Pond Wildlife Management Area (WMA) in Greenwich.   Carter’s Pond is designated an Important Bird Area by Audubon New York and a Bird Conservation Area by NYSDEC.  Boxes around the periphery of the lake have been in a state of disrepair for some time. SAAS purchased 10 new boxes for this project.  Local decoy company, Dux’ Dekes of Greenwich, generously supplies the lumber, the Waterfowl Improvement Association supplies hardware, and the Greenwich tech class constructs the boxes, which can then be “adopted” for $20 each.  On Saturday, April 9, members of the three organizations met to install the boxes.  In addition to SAAS member Mona Bearor, the work crew consisted of DEC field technician, Evan Wills, and WIA members Jeff Duxbury, owner of Dux’ Dekes, Jeff’s son Nate, and Dan Spigner, also of the WIA, with his son Kiernan. Many Wood Ducks were seen and heard as the work was completed and, thanks to the late arrival of spring, the boxes were placed in time for this year’s nesting season.

Jeff Duxbury of the WIA and Evan Wills of DEC place a new Wood Duck nestbox at Carter's Pond in Greenwich.

The State of the Birds 2011


Hydraulic Fracturing in New York State 

SAAS has submitted comments on the Delaware Regional Basin Commission’s (DRBC) Draft Natural Gas Development Regulation.  Hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, has the potential to fragment over 10,000 acres and consume billions of gallons of water.  SAAS has urged the DRBC to increase regulations concerning habitat of threatened and endangered species, monitoring of flowback water when re-used at sites outside of the Basin, and other accountability measures.  To see the comment letter submitted, click here.

SAAS Opposed HR1, Federal Legislation that Devastates Conservation Funding

SAAS has rallied with 321 Audubon chapters across the country to voice its opposition to HR1.  This federal legislation would slash funding to programs that help provide for clean air, clean water, and vital natural areas for birds, wildlife, and people.  This bill would cut 90% of funding to the Land and Water Conservation Fund (which protects National Wildlife Refuges, Parks, and Forests), eliminate the North American Wetlands Conservation Fund (a critical program that preserves wetlands across the country), and remove federal funding to State Wildlife Grants (grants that help states cost-share many conservation activities).  To read the letter, including all the chapters that voiced their opposition to this bill, click here.

From the February 11, 2011 Audubon Advisory

Shell Oil Halts 2011 Arctic Ocean Exploratory Drilling Plans
Earlier this month, Shell Oil announced that it will not proceed with summertime plans to drill in the Beaufort Sea, off the coast of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Shell cited regulatory delays in obtaining an air pollution permit from the Environmental Protection Agency as one reason for their decision not to drill in 2011. Shell's decision to delay drilling in the Arctic affords a much needed opportunity to answer critical questions about oil spill response capability, containment, and search and rescue capabilities in the harsh waters of the Arctic Ocean. The chance of a catastrophic oil spill in Arctic waters is very real, and the technology to reliably clean up a large spill in remote, ice-choked waters does not exist. As the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling documented, the icy waters of the Arctic present severe challenges to oil spill response in the region where pack ice, extreme sea states, gale force winds, and darkness half the year make offshore operations especially hazardous.

An oil spill in the Arctic Ocean could devastate human and wildlife communities alike. The Arctic is home to Alaska Natives who depend on a healthy ocean to support their subsistence way of life. The Arctic Ocean also supports an abundance of wildlife, including walrus, seals, whales, polar bears, seabirds, shorebirds, and waterfowl. Audubon has long called for decisions about oil and gas activities in the Arctic Ocean to be based on sound scientific information, thoughtful planning, and a proven oil spill response plan.

Audubon Supports Gulf Spill Recovery Legislation
Over the last several weeks, Congress and the Obama Administration have been focusing on the BP oil spill that captured the nation’s attention last spring and summer. There have been important developments over the last month, all of which coincide with Audubon’s concerns and recommendations for the region and its recovery. First, the President’s Oil Spill Commission, chaired by former Senator Bob Graham (D-FL) and former President George H.W. Bush EPA Administrator Bill Reilly, released their report findings and recommendations regarding BP’s massive oil spill. The most important part of the report is the recommendation to designate 80% of the Clean Water Act Penalties that BP will eventually have to pay to the restoration of the Gulf region.

Second, two bills were introduced in the House of Representatives that both include significant new dedicated funding for Gulf restoration—HR 56 by Congressman Steve Scalise (R-LA) and HR 501 by Congressman Ed Markey (D-MA). Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) is planning to introduce similar legislation and is working closely with her Gulf state colleagues to champion her bill. Gulf Restoration and recovery continues to be a top priority for Audubon.

  Child Safe Playing Fields Act Signed into Law
Last May, Governor Paterson signed into law the Child Safe Playing Fields Act, an important measure that eliminates the use of pesticides on school grounds. This bill will save schools money while protecting children and birds from the dangers of pesticides. "Each year, millions of pounds of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers are used on schools and lawns across the state and nation, creating one of the largest sources of pollution runoff and causing the death of over 7 million birds annually. By eliminating the use of these chemicals at schools, we are now making these places safe and inviting for birds, other wildlife, and children," said Albert E. Caccese, Executive Director of Audubon New York.

With habitat loss remaining the leading threat to birds in the state, residential backyards and schoolyards are becoming increasingly more important for the survival of bird and wildlife species. In addition to creating safer habitats for birds and children at schools throughout the state, this legislation also provides an important first step toward reducing the use of aesthetic lawn care pesticides at home by building more awareness in parents of the dangers pesticides pose for children and birds alike.
-Jason Goldsmith

Proposed Killian's View sub-division in the Fort Edward Grasslands IBA

A large subdivision has been proposed in the Fort Edward Grasslands Important Bird Area.
Your involvement is needed.  More information is found here.