March 13, 2009, Adirondack Daily Enterprise: Federal acid-rain monitoring funds for Catskills restored
Federal acid-rain monitoring funds restored
link is here: http://www.adirondackdailyenterprise.com/page/content.detail/id/505439.html?nav=5008&showlayout=0POSTED: March 13, 2009
Three acid rain-monitoring programs in the Adirondacks and Catskills received a federal boost Thursday, according to Rep. John McHugh, R-Pierrepont Manor, after there was some worry among environmental advocacy groups that two of the programs were in jeopardy of having their funding cut entirely.
While the restored funding in the Omnibus Appropriations legislation passed the House of Representatives Thursday, it still must go through the Senate and the president.
The Clean Air Status and Trends Network (CASTNET), Temporary Integrated Monitoring of Ecosystems (TIME) and Long-Term Monitoring (LTM) programs, as currently funded in the appropriations before the Senate, will continue to receive their historic levels of funding of $3.9 million for CASTNET and $800,000 combined for TIME/LTM. The Committee on Appropriations allotted $3,951,000 in funding for CASTNET and $720,000 combined for TIME/LTM in the Fiscal Year 2009 Interior and Environment Appropriations Bill.Additionally, unlike last year, the bill specifically appropriates funds for these programs.
"This was an important victory in the continued fight against acid rain, which has historically had a severe and detrimental impact on large parts of the United States, particularly in New York," McHugh said in a press release."We need to continue to take action to understand and fight this problem, which these three acid rain programs do."
March 13, 2009, Press Release: Little brown jobs (LBJs) Slipping South to the Delight of Birders
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March 12, 2009, Poughkeepsie Journal: DEC chief: License fee increases are inevitable

March 12, 2009
DEC chief: License fee increases are inevitable
link to complete article is here:
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/article/20090312/SPORTS06/903120316/1002/RSS03
By Bill Conners
Outdoors columnist
The message: Additional revenues are needed. The messenger: Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Pete Grannis.
In a meeting Monday afternoon with outdoors writers from across the state, the commissioner confirmed again that the Conservation Fund is millions of dollars in the red and that license fee increases are inevitable.
While the commissioner was meeting with the writers on the 14th floor of DEC headquarters - 625 Broadway in downtown Albany - the Conservation Fund Advisory Board was meeting on the 5th floor. One of the issues on the board's monthly agenda was how much of an increase is needed to get the fund operating in the black again and how long will it keep it there.
Early this year, Gov. David Paterson announced that the Reynolds Game Farm was going to be closed, and that there were no plans to continue with a pheasant stocking program. Because there is very little natural propagation, pheasant hunting here in New York would have been all but eliminated, except on hunting preserves.
The commissioner noted that in retrospect the governor's announcement could have been handled better, but that there was a silver lining of sorts that has come out of it. Grannis said: "The sportsmen have come alive and are letting us know what it is they want."
While the governor may have backed off from the decision to close the farm, the commissioner made it clear that it is just for the next year, "pending the development of alternative revenue sources." The stakeholders will have to work with the DEC to decide what those sources will be.
Fish, Wildlife and Marine Resources Division Director Patricia Riexinger said that there will be a new requirement for a salt water fishing license for the marine district and when fishing the Hudson River for migratory species such as striped bass. When fishing for non-migratory species, a fresh water fishing license will be required. This marks the fist time that a license has been required for recreational anglers on the Hudson.
Currently, there is no way to know how many anglers are using the marine district or the Hudson River because there is no license requirement. Migratory fish stocks are monitored by federal agencies.
If the state does not impose a license requirement, the feds will impose one and most likely keep the revenue. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission monitors migratory fish stocks and the impacts that commercial and recreational anglers have on them - a difficult task, given the fact that in New York no salt water license is required. Riexinger said that the revenues from salt water license sales will be used in the marine account and in support of marine fisheries programs.
Jeremy Hurst, the DEC's big game biologist, said that there seems be a growing interest in antler restrictions. "There is no biological need for the restrictions, but there is a social interest," he said. Many deer hunters would like to be able to hunt deer with heavy, well-formed antlers.
There has been a antler restriction pilot program going on in four Catskills Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) for a few years and Hurst said there are a number of areas where interest seems to be growing.
Because there is no biological need, the DEC has taken the position that the imposition of restrictions must be entirely voluntary. A survey was conducted in WMUs 3A, 4G, 4O, 4P, 4R, 4S, 4W and 4X, which produced a mixed result.
Before the program can be implemented, a survey must show that at least 67 percent of the hunters in an area must be generally in favor of the program and no more than 20 percent are strongly opposed. The most recent survey in the areas above produced a mixed result and came in at about 95 percent of the required thresholds, but no clear mandate emerged. Hurst said that the DEC will continue to evaluate hunter attitudes in those areas.
Grannis reported that budget cuts will take their toll on staffing. The DEC anticipates that 240 people will leave the DEC this year via normal attrition either through retirements or people leaving state government for other jobs. Those positions will be left vacant, including 40 that are anticipated in the Division of Fish, Wildlife and Marine Resources.
The DEC also plans to make changes to the Wildlife Management Areas around the state - in some cases consolidating them, redoing lines in others to make them easier for hunters to understand.
A lot of what is going on by way of program and planning within the DEC is dependent on the anticipated license fee increases. They might be the heaviest we've seen in recent times. The last across-the-board fee increase was in 1992. The fees the Conservation Fund Advisory Board are recommending right now would bring additional revenue to the fund of about $14.762 million. A basic resident hunting or fishing license would go from $19 to $29 each. A Super Sportsman would go from $68 to $88. Turkey permits will cost $10, up from the current $5.
As of the meeting with the commissioner, no final decision has been made on the new fee structure.
March 12, 2009, Albany Times Union: Resorts on Signs, Complaints remain on Belleayre Ticket Deal
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March 11, 2009, CMJ: Medeski, Martin And Wood are accepting applications to Camp MMW, to be held in the wild Catskill Mountains
Mar 11, 2009
http://prod1.cmj.com/articles/display_article.php?id=121547864
Story by: Krista N. Levy
Jazz phenom trio, Medeski, Martin And Wood, are currently accepting applications to their second annual Camp MMW, to be held in the wild Catskill Mountains of Big Indian, NY, August 4 to August 9. After great success last summer, Camp MMW has returned for an encore in hopes of teaching musicians of all skill levels about creativity, rhythm, and musical exploration through workshops, seminars and lectures. Anyone age 16 and up with varying experience in any instrument are encouraged to apply by April 1 for one of the limited 80 spots.
Competition will be fierce as the attendee is given the opportunity to augment their knowledge of music through intensive learning as well as interactions with other attendees and the camp’s namesake post-rock jazzbos.
Set at the Full Moon resort, which is quaintly tucked within the vast 80,000 acres of New York’s Catskill Mountain forest-scape, Medeski, Martin and Wood teach many of the workshops themselves in addition to delivering exclusive performances. The camp also incorporates a plethora of guest speakers and special performances that embody the camp's "breaking boundaries" attitude.
www.mmw.net
January 8, 2009, Vos Iz Neias: Kiamesha Lake, NY - KJ Developer Scales Back for Third Time Plan to Build Sullivan Homes
Kiamesha Lake, NY - KJ Developer Scales Back for Third Time Plan to Build Sullivan Homes
Link to complete article is here:
https://www3.vosizneias.com/25381/2009/01/08/kiamesha-lake-ny-kj-developer-scales-back-for-third-time-plan-to-build-sullivan-homes/
News Source: Recordonline
Simon Gelb, an area investor with an office in Monroe, initially proposed more than 1,300 homes in Mamakating and Thompson on 2,000 acres, and later scaled it back to 999 homes.
He said he has revised the project a third time at the request of the Department of Environmental Conservation and town officials.
The two-family homes will sit on half-acre lots on a total of 87.5 acres on Wild Turnpike Road on the Thompson side, where he owns 727 acres.
He plans to leave more than 600 acres as open space, officials say. The project has been renamed from Kingwood to Parkwood.
Gelb says he is transferring about 200 acres of his Mamakating property to Camp Lakota, pending a lot line approval from Mamakating.
He said he also wants to transfer some Mamakating land to the state.
"We are negotiating with the DEC right now," Gelb said. "The reason is for protecting natural resources."
Gelb did not make it clear if he will build on any of his Mamakating land.
With the scaling back of the project, the DEC dropped its role as the lead agency in the environmental review, and the Thompson Planning Board has taken the lead.
Supervisor Tony Cellini said that while he opposed the size of the former project, town officials have since had good talks with the developer.
"Simon Gelb is a decent person to deal with," Cellini said.
"It makes much more sense than it did before."
The public scoping session is Jan. 28.
March 10, 2009, The Buffalo News: Senecas, legislators huddle over casino for Catskills
Senecas, legislators huddle over casino for Catskills
ALBANY -- Seneca Nation negotiators met with state legislators today in their bid to develop a $1.3 billion casino in the Catskills resort area just 90 minutes from Manhattan.
"Our formula is proven," said Seneca Councilor Michael John, referring to the nation's three casinos currently operating in Western New York.
The Senecas see the Catskills -- approved for Indian-owned casinos in 2001 -- as a major financial prize. But federal Interior Department officials have put the stops on such off-reservation casino deals in recent years, and it is unclear what the Obama administration's approach might take.
Robert Porter, senior policy adviser to the Senecas, said the strategy is to build support for the project among state officials, including Gov. David A. Paterson, then get a law through Congress permitting the off-reservation development deal.
For the state, Porter said, the casino could mean $160 million annually in revenue-sharing payments -- more than the Seneca Nation gives Albany in shares for its three casinos now.
With a Michigan-based partner, the Senecas are proposing the casino at a 63-acre site off Interstate 86 in Sullivan County. By the project's second phase, the plan envisions 5,000 full-time jobs. When the project is complete, it calls for 9,000 slot machines, 11 restaurants, retail and convention space and a 5,000-seat showroom.
The delegation of Seneca representatives met Tuesday in the Capitol with lawmakers from the Catskills, Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith and staff from the Paterson administration.
"We're not making this up. People know our results," Porter said of the tribe's gambling business experience.
The Catskills have seen a number of Indian casino plans come and go, halted by tribal infighting, legal problems or dead ends with the federal government.
Asked about the Paterson administration's reaction to the Seneca plan, Porter said, "They're listening very carefully."
As for the state linking the casino issue to ending the dispute over uncollected cigarette taxes, the Seneca representatives said that idea appears to be waning.
John, who heads the Seneca's Catskills casino committee, said there was such talk when the tribe first raised the casino plan. But he said they have been "weaning" officials from the idea.
March 10, 2009: Mid-Hudson News: Sullivan County makes offer to state to run Beaverkill
Sullivan County makes offer to state to run Beaverkill
link to complete article is here:
http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2009/March09/10/Beaverkill_SC-10Mar09.htm
The county proposed to operate the facility in much the same way as the current arrangement with the Palisades Parks Commission to operate and manage Lake Superior Park.
County Legislator Elwin Wood, in whose district the campground lies, said he is pleased that “through creative thinking and some initiative from the county legislature, the DEC is willing to consider a lease with the county to keep the facility open.
The county would not seek to take title to Beaverkill Campground and the long-term ownership and improvement options would remain with the DEC. The county’s proposal does not seek any state funding to run the facility and the county expects to break even or generate modest income through its management. Sullivan would hope to open the campground on May 1 as been the tradition.
Supporters of the campground, including Catskill Mountainkeeper and local chamber of commerce in Roscoe and Livingston Manor, have said the region benefits from the tourism dollars brought in by people who stay at the campground.
March 10, 2009: Albany Times Union Blog: Peace returns to the Catskills
Peace returns to the Catskills?
link to complete blog post is here:http://blogs.timesunion.com/outdoors/?p=494
The lions may not be lying down with the lambs just yet, but it appears private ski resorts in the Catskills may be declaring a cease-fire after several years of complaints that Belleayre Ski Resort was undercutting their ticket prices.
As you may recall, Windham, Hunter and Plattekill ski areas have complained that the state-owned Belleayre was not operating the mountain profitably — that taxpayers, in essence, were paying for super-cheap tickets at Belleayre and helping the mountain snatch skiers from the other resorts.
Anyway, today we got word that a press conference is being held in Kingston tomorrow afternoon announcing “a historic agreement between the five Catskill Mountain Ski Areas to promote spring skiing.”
We’re not sure what the five areas are. Assuming the above resorts are all included, other options include one of the two diminutive ski resorts, Holiday Mountain and Sawkill Mountain. Trust us: neither of those resorts are going to be stealing business from Windham or Hunter anytime soon. There’s also Catamount, but that’s not technically in the Catskills.
It’s even possible that Belleayre isn’t included in this agreement, although “the five Catskill Mountain Ski Areas” in the press release would seem to indicate that it is. We weren’t able to reach anybody on Tuesday at the mountains to discuss the issue, but we’ll have more info tomorrow. In the meantime, now that they’ve apparently made peace with each other, perhaps they can make peace with the weather gods and get us some more snow!
March 5, 2009, Mid-Hudson News: Sorensen questions closing of Beaverkill Campground
link to complete article is here:
http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2009/March09/05/BvklCmp_Sorensen-05Mar09.html
Sorensen questions closing of Beaverkill Campground
MONTICELLO – Sullivan County Legislator Alan Sorensen Wednesday urged his fellow county legislators to fight the closing of the Beaverkill DEC campground.
Sorensen called the DEC campground an “important segment of Sullivan County’s ecotourism business” and feared its closing could have a large economic effect on all of county residents.
The DEC announced the closing of the campground last week claiming that it was underutilized.
The Roscoe Chamber of Commerce argued in turn that the usually busy campground was not utilized by tourists last year because of severe flooding in the area.
Sorensen said he wants not only to stop the closing of the campground by the DEC, but to apply to the state for stimulus dollars to fund other dormant eco-tourism projects like the O&W rails-to-trails initiative, enhancements to the D&H canal linear park and the Upper Delaware Scenic Byway.
“Our County Government needs to build upon the attractiveness of our area by applying for stimulus funding to build our ecotourism infrastructure - making our community a more inviting place to visit,” he said. “We must propose projects that build our ecotourism base, said Sorensen.”
Sorensen said that the county should continue to work in partnership with the DEC to exploit Sullivan County’s natural beauty for eco-tourism. The DEC controls much of the best hiking and camping sites and we need to recognize them as not only a regulatory agency, but as our economic partner as well.
“The fight to close the Beaverkill campground should also be used as a start to actually expand our efforts to build our ecotourism industry in conjunction with the Bed and Breakfast industry, Bethel Woods, and even our farming industry.”