Federal acid-rain monitoring funds restored

link is here: http://www.adirondackdailyenterprise.com/page/content.detail/id/505439.html?nav=5008&showlayout=0 function validateEmailContent() { var dspError = 0; if (document.forms.emailContent.toEmailContent == null||document.forms.emailContent.toEmailContent.value == '') { document.getElementById('toEmailContent').style.border = 'solid #ff0000 1px'; document.getElementById('toEmailContentError').style.display = 'block'; dspError = 1; }else{ document.getElementById('toEmailContent').style.border = ''; document.getElementById('toEmailContentError').style.display = 'none'; }if (document.forms.emailContent.fromEmailContent == null||document.forms.emailContent.fromEmailContent.value == '') { document.getElementById('fromEmailContent').style.border = 'solid #ff0000 1px'; document.getElementById('fromEmailContentError').style.display = 'block'; dspError = 1; }else{ document.getElementById('fromEmailContent').style.border = ''; document.getElementById('fromEmailContentError').style.display = 'none'; } if ( dspError != 0 ){ return false; } }

LBJs Slipping South to the Delight of Birders

link is here: http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayReleaseContent.aspx?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/03-13-2009/0004988299&EDATE= By Joe Kosack , Wildlife Conservation Education Specialist, Pennsylvania Game Commission HARRISBURG, Pa., March 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The view out the window seems to be the same old, same old for many folks who feed songbirds over winter. But the Pennsylvania Game Commission is encouraging residents to look a little closer. Those LBJs on your birdfeeder may not be the same LBJs you usually see. Little brown jobs (LBJs) is a term some birders and biologists use to describe small, semi-brown songbirds that they see briefly but can't identify, because their markings aren't noticeable enough. It usually refers to sparrows and finches. Right now there's a new LBJ in state, and it has nothing to do with our 36th president, or his wife, Lady Bird . The latest LBJ to surface in Pennsylvania and states further south is the pine siskin. The birds have a house finch-like appearance and are related to American goldfinches, two common visitors to backyard feeders year-round in the Commonwealth. In fact, at first glance, only a trained eye is probably going to catch pine siskins at his or her feeder. But siskins are smaller than house finches, have smaller bills than goldfinches, and have distinguishing yellow wing-bars and a flash of yellow under their wings. The easiest way to pick up on their presence in your neighborhood is to intercept their distinct, rising buzzy "zzcree" call while you are outdoors. "Pennsylvania birders have been delighted by flocks of pine siskins at their feeders and winter hangouts for the past couple months," said Doug Gross , Game Commission endangered bird specialist. "They can be found just about everywhere this winter, but you'll have to look closely to identify them. They often feed with American goldfinches, landing first in birches and conifers in search of seeds. They also gravitate toward the commotion at backyard feeders when they near these activity centers. "Pine siskins are not the only boreal drifters that have been living off Pennsylvania this winter. White-winged crossbills also are about. Although these irruptive species come south only when food supplies are low in their normal northern range, each species has its own preferences and tendencies to migrate." The birds are attracted to birdfeeders with black-oil sunflower or thistle seeds. But they also can be commonly seen along roads and driveways, where they consume considerable amounts of grit or salt, or when they pick through cone-bearing conifers and birches for seeds. Siskins are more at home in the northern forests of Canada, but occasionally unfavorable winter conditions make it a matter of life or death for them to move where food is more readily available. When they head south, they don't just go on autopilot and put down in Pennsylvania. Usually, they only go until they find food. Many apparently liked what Pennsylvania offers. Ironically, Pennsylvania's fall food supplies for many of its forest species have been anything but spectacular because of gypsy moths caterpillars and other forest pests and diseases. However, since these panhandling finches are tapping unaffected seed stores and chugging roadside grit, they've stumbled into a comfortable setting with plenty of elbow room, especially since that fair-weather neotropical crowd left in the fall. "Although siskins do come enthusiastically to feeders, they also forage on birch catkins, cone seeds of spruces and other small-coned trees, and small seeds of perennial plants," Gross said. "They're opportunists like most other winter birds. Hopefully, they'll visit your feeder. But just because you're offering the right stuff - black-oil sunflower and thistle seeds - doesn't mean they'll positively come. But the opportunity to see a siskin now is greater than it has been in a long time." But don't despair if you're not attracting those Canadian LBJs. Maybe your feeders will pull in the more colorful, and unique-looking white-winged crossbills, which also currently are hanging out in Pennsylvania. They have a peculiar bill. In fact, at first glance, a crossbill looks like a bird with a case of bill malocclusion. But when other crossbills appear, with the same unique, misaligned beak, observers recognize it's natural, not supernatural. White-winged crossbills come in two conspicuous colors. Males are red; females, yellow. They should attract your attention almost immediately if they visit your feeders. They also contrast well when foraging in conifers and sometimes they can be located by listening for cone scales hitting the leaf litter beneath the trees in which they're feeding. "White-winged crossbills can be quite vocal when feeding," Gross explained. "They have a nervous, twittery trill and uprising call notes, but they're not as loud or robust as red crossbills. Males will sing in winter, but that doesn't mean they're nesting. In fact, there's never been a documented nesting of white-winged crossbills in Pennsylvania. But, they have nested in New York near the Pennsylvania/New Jersey border. They nest regularly in New York's Adirondack and Catskill mountains. Red crossbills have nested occasionally in Pennsylvania. "This could be the year that Pennsylvania adds the white-winged crossbill to our state breeding bird list. If you happen upon nesting white-winged or red crossbills, please contact the Game Commission to report your find. But, even if a few crossbills or siskins remain in Pennsylvania to nest, the vast majority of these visiting finches will head north by mid-April." Also please consider entering any crossbill and pine siskin sightings into Pennsylvania eBird, which can be accessed in the upper right-hand corner of the Game Commission's homepage (www.pgc.state.pa.us). Just follow the link to "Submit Observations," and you'll be on your way to contributing to Pennsylvania's bird conservation efforts. Since crossbills and pine siskins converge on similar habitat, you can try to look them up afield in wild and planted conifer stands. Siskins and crossbills like to hang upside-down from branches. Favored stands include native pines and spruces, larch (tamarack), douglas and concolor fir, and red and white spruce. Stands of white and black birch also should provide a decent opportunity to see these visitors from the north. If your backyard didn't attract these birds of the north this winter, it could be related to what you offer in your feeders, where those feeders are located or a dearth of trees and shrubs in your yard. You may need to spruce it up with some plantings, relocate your feeder and fill it with the right stuff. Feeders should be loaded with black-oil sunflower seeds. An additional thistle feeder is a plus. Adding a block of suet also helps to attract a wider variety of birds. Since birds cannot see glass, feeders should be located at least 15 feet away from windows. Placing feeders closer than 15 feet to windows will lead to bird collisions. It's also a good idea to clean feeders regularly and place feeders near trees or shrubs to provide cover to birds cracking seeds or waiting to grab seeds from the feeder. The Game Commission recently has received a number of reports about pine siskin mortality - and other species - at bird feeders. The cause appears to be Type B Salmonella, which is a human pathogen as well, and the young, elderly and immune-compromised are at particular risk. If you encounter sick or dead birds at or near your feeder, discontinue feeding. Clean your feeder with soap and water then a 9:1 bleach solution, remove spent seed from around the feeder, and wait a week or more before feeding again. If you find more than five dead birds at or near your feeders, please contact the nearest Game Commission region office. Contact information is available on the agency's website at www.pgc.state.pa.us. Pennsylvania bird watchers also should be aware that the Scotts Company LLC recently announced that it is voluntarily recalling specific lots of five varieties of suet wild bird food products after learning those products may contain peanut meal purchased from the Peanut Corporation of America's plant in Blakely, Georgia, because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. (For more information, please see this link to the FDA website: http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/scotts02_09.html.) Also, Kentucky-based Burkmann Feeds recently announced that it is voluntarily recalling Wild Birds Unlimited Wildlife Blend bird food after tests conducted by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services' Food and Drug Protection Division revealed the presence of Salmonella bacteria. (For more information, please see this link to news release: http://www.ncagr.gov/paffairs/release/2009/3-09recalledbirdfood.htm.) Instead of artificial feeding, Pennsylvanians are encouraged to explore the many inexpensive plantings for their yards, some of which are available from the Game Commission through its Howard Nursery. Focus on blue and white spruce for boreal birds, but consider adding Canadian hemlock and American sweet crabapple for native songbirds. An order form can be downloaded from the agency's website at www.pgc.state.pa.us, click on "Forms and Programs" in the left-hand column, then click on the "Howard Nursery Seedling Program." The deadline for orders is April 24. "Making your yard a bird paradise is an exceptional way to help songbirds at a time when habitat continues to disappear with alarming frequency," Gross said. "Remember, our wild birds can never have too many friends! "Also, if you don't catch the irruptive winter finches shouldn't feel too left out. Spring migration is just around the corner and backyards will soon be stopovers for an exceptional parade of neotropical birds making their way north or returning to Pennsylvania to nest." Note to Editors: If you would like to receive Game Commission news releases via e-mail, please send a note with your name, address, telephone number and the name of the organization you represent to: [email protected] Note to Editors: Photos to accompany this feature may be downloaded from the agency's website - www.pgc.state.pa.us - by clicking on Release #032-09 in the "News Release" section. CONTACT: Jerry Feaser 717-705-6541, [email protected]

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.

print story    back

Resorts unite on signs Complaints remain on Belleayre ticket deal   By ALAN WECHSLER, Staff writer Click byline for more stories by writer. First published: Thursday, March 12, 2009 Five ski areas in the Catskills have agreed to join forces to help woo Metro New York and New Jersey skiers away from Vermont. The resorts have chipped in for billboards that skiers will see on their way to Vermont, including one on Route 787 that says something like "If you skied the Catskills, you'd be on the slopes by now." But while Ulster County officials are calling the deal a "historic agreement," officials at several private ski areas wouldn't go that far. They say that, despite the campaign, they still think state-owned Belleayre Mountain is undermining their business with cheap tickets at taxpayer expense. "Our friends at Belleayre are very hard to trust," said Laszlo Vajtay, owner and general manager at Plattekill Mountain Resort in Delaware County. "I would use the word 'agreement' lightly." Under the new deal, visitors in March can present a lift ticket from an out-of-state mountain for a 25 percent discount at Belleayre, Plattekill, Hunter, Windham or Holiday Mountain, a small resort outside Monticello. The idea is to encourage skiers to visit the Catskills instead. "Our skiing is just as good as Vermont," Vajtay said. But Vajtay says Belleayre is undercutting even the new discount, by offering tickets at Potter Brothers, a local ski store, for $23.95 (a salesman for Potter said the tickets are now only available for Sunday). Belleayre's tickets are normally $54. Other mountains also sell discounted tickets at Potter, but the discounts are much less. Plattekill, for instance, gives $10 off a $50 ticket. "He's not playing fair," said Vajtay, referring to Belleayre's superintendent, Tony Lanza. "He's putting me out of business." Belleayre has also announced it's staying open into April after saying it was going to close at the end of March. State officials said snow conditions were better than expected. Lanza said he didn't think Belleayre was unfairly costing taxpayers. "We're just doing exactly what the rest of the ski industry is doing," he said. "We have to be competitive, and we don't believe we're undercutting anyone." Lanza said it was a good sign that local ski areas were working together. "Instead of going after each other's core markets, we're looking for new business," he said. Tim Woods, general manager at Windham, agreed that the recent marketing agreement did not address complaints against Belleayre. "There are still issues" between the ski resorts, he said. "But those issues aside, this cooperative marketing effort is good for the region." Meanwhile, he did hear some good news from the state Wednesday: Gov. David Paterson announced he would abandon plans for new taxes in the state on such amenities as soda, haircuts, cable TV, bowling — and ski resort lift tickets. Alan Wechsler can be reached at 454-5469 or by email at [email protected].

Medeski, Martin And Woods
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

Kiamesha Lake, NY - KJ Developer Scales Back for Third Time Plan to Build Sullivan Homes

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.

e-mail: [email protected]

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

MONTICELLO – Sullivan County officials Tuesday suggested to the State Department of Environmental Conservation that the county take over the operation and management of the Beaverkill Campground, which the state has announced will close this spring.

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.

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!

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.”