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 Mission The mission of the Conservation Committee is to support ADK Club and member activities and projects related to land-use, water quality, urban sprawl, reduction of pollution and the wise use of natural and other resources. Conservation, advocacy and stewardship ADK Mid-Hudson Chapter members are invited to actively participate in local and regional conservation projects organized and managed by the ADK Club, the ADK Mid-Hudson Chapter or other fellow conservation organizations. Local advocacy ADK Mid-Hudson Chapter members are urged to actively participate in their village, city or town and county Conservation Advisory Commissions or Boards with objectives to promote environmentally wise measures and regulations at the local and the regional level. Regional advocacy ADK Mid-Hudson Chapter members are invited to become actively involved with regional conservation issues and advocacy such as: Catskill Belleayre Resort Development Project The ADK and its local chapters have been actively involved with the DEC scoping process and have made a number of tangible recommendations to make the proposed development more attuned with the Catskill environment. More information about the project planning status can be found on the Catskill Heritage Alliance web site http://www.catskillheritage.org/. Shawangunk Ridge Coalition The Shawangunk Ridge Coalition is an advocacy alliance of grassroots, regional, and national organizations dedicated to creating a continuous, protected corridor along the entire 50-mile length of the magnificent Shawangunk Ridge in New York. An explosion of development proposals threatens to destroy this precious environment. Its mission is to protect the Ridge's pristine water quality, unique wildlife habitat, and biodiversity, and to provide public access to its spectacular beauty and world-famous recreational opportunities. Access link: www.shawangunkridge.org NY State conservation advocacy Environment Protection Fund Funding Restored, Tax Freeze Axed, Bottle Bill Expanded The state Senate approved the final environmental budget bill Friday afternoon (April 3), following the lead of the Assembly, which passed the budget earlier this week. Considering the state's grim fiscal circumstances, environmental programs fared well. The $132 billion spending plan restores funding to the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF), while expanding the Bottle Bill and striking a provision to cap property taxes paid on Forest Preserve and other state-owned land. Environment Protection Fund (EPF) The budget sets the EPF level at $222 million for 2009-10, a $17 million increase from the Executive Budget. The EPF includes $60 million for open space projects, which is critical when properties such as Follensby Pond and the former Finch, Pruyn lands in the Adirondacks and Hemlock and Canadice lakes in the Rochester area are available. The EPF also includes $7 million to help the Department of Environmental Conservation maintain the 4.5 million acres under its jurisdiction. This stewardship funding pays for ADK’s Professional Trails Crew contract and other projects to maintain backcountry trails. This funding also helps DEC update the unit management plans that are essential to recreational access to state land. ADK supported an expanded Bottle Bill, which will reduce litter in the Adirondack and Catskill Forest Preserves, state parks and other natural areas, but it did not support using Bottle Bill proceeds to replace the Real Estate Transfer Tax funding.. Bigger Better Bottle Bill ADK has lobbied for an expansion of New York’s Bottle Bill for 20 years, and this year we got it. As of June 1, the 5 cent deposit on beer and soda bottles will also cover water bottles, including flavored waters and vitamin waters. As of April 15, 80 percent of all unclaimed deposits, which have been going to the bottling industry, will go into the states General Fund. That’s expected to raise about $100 million a year. While the new Bottle Bill doesn’t cover all beverage containers, it is a significant improvement. The original Bottle Bill, passed in 1982, has been a great success. Over the past 20 years, the average recycling in New Yorkers has been 75 percent for these beverage containers. Since the Bottle Bill was enacted, New York has seen a 70-80 percent reduction in beverage-container litter and a 30 percent reduction in overall litter. Tax Cap Dead New York will continue to pay its fair share of local taxes on the Forest Preserve and other state-owned lands. Under the Executive Budget, state payments to local governments and school districts would have been frozen at 2008-09 levels, which would have caused double-digit property tax increases in some rural communities and hampered open-space protection statewide. The freeze would have had a significant fiscal impact on communities in the Adirondacks, Catskills and other parts of the state. It would also have severely undermined local support for state land acquisition and crippled the states open-space program at a time when so many critical parcels are available. Fortunately, Governor Paterson and the Legislature agreed to strike the proposal from the budget. More detailed information on NY State conservation issues can be found on ADK website: http://www.ADK.org.
Land Stewardship The ADK Mid-Hudson Chapter is currently involved with several projects that encourage the participation of Chapter members: 1. Maintenance of the Beaver Meadow leanto and Millbrook Ridge Trail in the Catskills Balsam Lake Mountain Wild Forest; contact: Frank Dogil - email: frankpat@prodigy.net 2. Monitoring and maintenance of the Appalachian Trail Corridor in Dutchess County; contact: Jane Geisler; tel: 1-845-677-9909 3. Maintenance of the Fanny Reese Preserve in Highland, NY; contact: Russ Faller - email: russoutdoors@yahoo.com Jean-Claude Fouere Conservation Committee Chair Tel: 1-845-462 0142 JCFouere@optonline.net |
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Contact InformationMid-Hudson Chapter Adirondack Mountain Club
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