A Wrap-Up of 2016 County Budget

On December 18^th, 2015 the County Executive signed the 2016 County Budget, setting the course for spending this year. Hotly contested, the County Executive’s original proposal for the 2016 budget included deep slashes to many public services, with conservation being one of the biggest targets.

The original proposed plan laid out cuts to 14 positons between the Department of Conservation and Department of Planning, including all of the county park curators and five members of the planning staff; and it reduced support for environmental organizations such as the Greenburgh Nature Center. Additionally, the plan would jeopardize groups offering legal services for Westchester’s poorest residents and county-supported art programs by drastically cutting funding.

91 Years of Citizen Science

Bronx-Westchester Christmas Bird Count

By Kate Munz, FCWC Member Relations Coordinator, and with special help from Michael Bochnik, Hudson River Audubon Society President

Did you know that the Audubon Christmas Bird Count is one of the oldest examples of citizen science? Beginning in 1900, Dr. Frank Chapman, founder of Bird-Lore – which later became Audubon magazine – suggested an alternative to the holiday “side hunt,” a competitive bird-hunting event, and sparked the tradition for the annual Christmas Bird Count.

Each year, the Audubon Christmas Bird Count mobilizes over 72,000 volunteer bird counters in more than 2,400 locations across the Western Hemisphere. The Audubon Christmas Bird Count utilizes the power of volunteers to track the health of bird populations at a scale that scientists could never accomplish alone.

Canvasback

Chart: What’s Happening to our Canvasbacks? Data from http://www.hras.org

To date over 200 peer-reviewed articles have resulted from analysis done with Christmas Bird Count data.

Bird-related citizen science efforts have been critical to understanding how birds are responding to a changing climate. This documentation enabled Audubon scientists to discover 314 species of North American birds that are threatened by global warming as reported in Audubon’s groundbreaking Birds and Climate Change Study. The tradition of counting birds combined with modern technology and mapping is enabling researchers to make discoveries that were not possible in earlier decades.

Bronx-Westchester Christmas Bird Count

The Bronx County Bird Club brought the tradition of the Audubon Christmas Bird Count to our region in 1924, fostering a full history of bird data. Over the last century rare species such as Rufos Hummingbird and Tufted Duck have been spotted on this annual counts.

Clay-colored Sparrow, Gail Benson

Prairie Warbler, Andrew Baksh

Results from each count are published with National Audubon Society and on the Bronx-Westchester Christmas Bird Count website. On the Bronx-Westchester website you can find an excel spreadsheet titled “All the Birds,” a complete record from 1924 to present), a summary of birds seen over the past 91 years, and directions for how you can participate.

Counts are conducted between December 14th and January 5th each season. Each area or count circle is a 15-mile diameter circle. Participants break up into small groups and cover pre-assigned areas and identify and count all the birds they see or hear. The numbers are compiled later, usually at a “Countdown” dinner or meeting. Our local counts occur on different dates.

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Join a Christmas Bird Count!

December 27th, 2015

Team up with a regional leader on this group outing. There are group leaders for: Rye, Scarsdale (including Bronxville, Tuckahoe, Larchmont, New Rochelle, Mt. Vernon), Yonkers, Hudson Valley (includes Hastings, Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry), East Bronx and West Bronx.

It is FREE to participate!

Learn more at http://www.hras.org/count/89thbw.html

Algonquin Pipeline: IN THE NEWS

Spectra Energy’s Algonquin Incremental Market (AIM) pipeline expansion project involves new high-pressure 42″ diameter gas pipeline sections slated to run from Stony Point in Rockland County, NY under Hudson River into Westchester and Putnam Counties in NY through Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.

The new pipeline expansion is routed next to homes, schools, houses of worship,through sensitive parkland, eco-systems and watersheds; and is planned to go through Westchester County Park, Blue Mountain Reservation – and construction has started.

Algonquin Pipeline Expansion opponents gain media traction

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View: Don’t give parkland

Journal News, Opinion
Written by FCWC Co-President, Carole Griffiths

“Enlarging this pipeline and the expansion of the easements will have negative impacts on the park. There will be permanent destruction of trees and habitat for animals. New edges will be opened a few hundred feet into the forest on either side of the expansion, which will allow invasive species to further infiltrate the park.”

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Opponents Block Construction

Journal News, Algonquin pipeline opponents arrested after blocking construction

“We all know that we have to do everything we can to keep all the fossil fuels in the ground and switch to renewable energy, wind and solar,” Rubin said. “We’re concerned about our children’s future.”

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Trees Protest Pipeline Expansion

Blog Post, Waking Up on Turtle Island

“A grove of trees in Westchester County’s Blue Mountain Reservation in the Town of Cortlandt is staging a protest in an effort to save their fellow trees from being cut down along the 1½ mile Spectra Energy AIM pipeline route through the reservation.”

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Video: High Pressure in NY

The Guardian, High pressure: the pipeline that could destroy New York state

“In December 2014, Governor Andrew Cuomo outlawed fracking in New York, citing the method as unsafe for both the health of his citizens and their surrounding environment. However, the ban did not take into account the transportation of fracked natural gas liquids through the state.”

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Video: 9 Protesters Arrested

Democracy Now!, at 5 minutes, 9 Arrested Protesting AIM Pipeline in Westchester County

“Following the defeat of the Keystone XL oil pipeline, environmentalists continue to oppose other oil and gas pipelines across the country.”

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Letter from Bobby Kennedy

Riverkeeper, December 1st, 2015

“I write to bring your attention to significant issues regarding the Algonquin Pipeline expansion in New York and to seek your immediate attention and intervention in the application process…”

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NYers fear gas pipeline

Al Jazeera America, NYers fear gas pipeline near nuclear reactor could spell disaster

“Whistleblowers and experts allege safety violations, inadequate oversight surrounding new project near Indian Point”

 

Getting the Facts on the AIM and Biodiversity

The Algonquin Pipeline and the Effects of ROW: A Summary of the Hudsonia, Ltd. Assessment

By Kate Munz, Member Relations Coordinator

Hudsonia Ltd., a non-advocacy not-for-profit institute for research, educates and assists decision makers in the environmental sciences by providing objective, accurate, up-to-date, site specific information – and Hudsonia has conducted studies of the proposed Algonquin Pipeline expansion.

Early this year, Hudsonia Ltd.’s Executive Director, Dr. Erik Kiviat, prepared a “Preliminary Biodiversity Assessment of the Algonquin Gas Pipeline at Reynolds Hill and Blue Mountain Reservation, City of Peekskill and Town of Cortlandt, Westchester County, New York.” The scope of the assessment was to examine the possible risks to biodiversity as related to the proposed gas pipeline expansion, which is of the utmost concern as the trajectory goes through Blue Mountain Reservation, a county-owned park.

Keep Conservation in the Budget

FCWC Position Statement: Westchester County Budget 2016

Dear Westchester Board of Legislators:

Federated Conservationists of Westchester County (FCWC) is a 501(c)(3) environmental and educational organization that, since its founding in 1965, has actively promoted environmental conservation in Westchester County. Along with our nearly 50 member organizations and partners, and hundreds of individual members, FCWC has long been an advocate for Westchester County’s parks, conservation, and sustainability throughout the County.

We are writing today with very serious concerns associated with County Executive Astorino’s budget. As a representative of the environmental community, FCWC sees the proposed budget as a statement against the importance of environmental conservation within Westchester County and one that threatens the quality of life of Westchester residents.

My Week with an Electric Vehicle: ‘Driving on Energi’

By Alicia Molloy, Program Director FCWC

During the last week of September I had a weeklong opportunity to participate in a new program sponsored by the United States Department of Energy and chosen partner Empire Clean Cities called ‘Driving on Energi.’

For one week the program gave me a Ford Fusion Energi, electric vehicle, to test drive; the aim being to get electric vehicles (EVs) in the hands of social media influencers and spread the word about EV practicality and feasibility.

After my seven days and many miles spent traveling all over Westchester county (with only about 20 of those miles using traditional petrol) with the Ford Fusion Energi, here’s a little about my experience with new and upcoming technology.

While driving the Fusion Energi around, I began thinking about what obstacles or misconceptions are out there regarding EVs, and tried to see if my experience driving one helped to dispel some of these myths.

Driving on Energi

Last week, our friends at Empire Clean Cities dropped off a brand new 2016 Ford Fusion Energi for me to ‘test drive’ for a week. They have a new initiative through the Department of Energy going called Driving on Energi. It is designed to put electric vehicles (EVs) in the hands of a select group of social media influencers (EV ambassadors) to help dispel the myths surrounding EVs. By focusing on targeted vehicle demonstrations and driver experiences in the Northeast U.S., consumer will come to better understand the benefits these vehicles and technologies offer. Empire Clean Cities thought that with our member organizations and network, that I might be able to spread the word about EVs a bit in Westchester. Let’s see how this little social media influencer experient goes.

Building a Green Legacy: An Indiviudal Environmentalist

Dr. Cynthia Rosenzweig, advancing the scientific truth about climate change

FCWC’s Announces its Three Honorees for its 50th Anniversary Gala on September 26, 2015

On September 26, 2015, Federated Conservationists of Westchester County (FCWC) will be holding its 50th Anniversary Gala to celebrate its achievements over the past five decades. The evening will be held at a private estate in Sleepy Hollow, and will be filled with music, hors d’oeuvres, and good company. We will be marking this milestone event by honoring three of Westchester’s most influential environmental leaders, Pace Law School, Bedford 2020, and Dr. Cynthia Rosenzweig.

FCWC took care in the selection of its honorees, as it was important to represent its three founding pillars: Education, Advocacy, and Science. Additionally, due to the significance of this occasion, FCWC wanted to honor an institution, a nonprofit, and an individual. We are delighted to award these outstanding environmental leaders with our Green Legacy Award; we thank them for their environmental contributions to our Westchester community and the world.

We are proud of what our honorees have accomplished in the realm of environmental progress, so would like to provide a little background on each of them.

Dr. Cynthia Rosenzweig

Dr. Cynthia Rosenzweig, a Westchester resident, is a leader in the field of climate change research, and richly deserves FCWC’s Green Legacy Award. Currently she is a Senior Research Scientist at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, where she heads the Climate

Building a Green Legacy: A Local Nonprofit

Bedford 2020 is making waves in local environmental planning

FCWC’s Announces its Three Honorees for its 50th Anniversary Gala on September 26, 2015

On September 26, 2015, Federated Conservationists of Westchester County (FCWC) will be holding its 50th Anniversary Gala to celebrate its achievements over the past five decades. The evening will be held at a private estate in Sleepy Hollow, and will be filled with music, hors d’oeuvres, and good company. We will be marking this milestone event by honoring three of Westchester’s most influential environmental leaders, Pace Law School, Bedford 2020, and Dr. Cynthia Rosenzweig.

FCWC took care in the selection of its honorees, as it was important to represent its three founding pillars: Education, Advocacy, and Science. Additionally, due to the significance of this occasion, FCWC wanted to honor an institution, a nonprofit, and an individual. We are delighted to award these outstanding environmental leaders with our Green Legacy Award; we thank them for their environmental contributions to our Westchester community and the world.

We are proud of what our honorees have accomplished in the realm of environmental progress, so would like to provide a little background on each of them.

Bedford 2020

A local nonprofit, Bedford 2020 has been a trailblazer for community outreach and grassroots environmental activism. Their mission has been to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by the year 2020 in the town of Bedford, NY. Bedford 2020 has identified a five-part action plan to achieve this goal, the areas include: Energy, Food & Agriculture, Transportation, Waste & Recycling, and Water & Land Use. FCWC is appreciative of their many accomplishments and progress this group has made. We are delighted to have selected Bedford 2020 as one of this year’s Honorees, as they represent the importance of grassroots organization.

This year, one the group’s most successful events was an Environmental Summit & Solar Action Day; an event that had over 550 attendees and over 88 sign-ups so far for Solarize Bedford – Mt. Kisco. An inspiring day of action, there were workshops, speakers, and expo to showcase the great green businesses and community groups in the area.  The Summit  brought great environmental visionaries all under one roof, and really jump-started (funny electricity pun!) the community into environmental action.

From one nonprofit to another, FCWC truly respects all the hard work Bedford 2020 has done to make their hometown a better, greener place. This group has become a community hub, and a respected institution in Bedford and all of Westchester. We are pleased to be presenting this Award to this outstanding group.

Learn More:

• www.bedford2020.org
• Environmental Summit & Solar Action Day webpage
• Bedford 2020 Facebook Page

Building a Green Legacy: A Westchester Institution

Pace Law School creating the environmental legal leaders of the future

FCWC’s Announces its Three Honorees for its 50th Anniversary Gala on September 26, 2015

On September 26, 2015, Federated Conservationists of Westchester County (FCWC) will be holding its 50th Anniversary Gala to celebrate its achievements over the past five decades. The evening will be held at a private estate in Sleepy Hollow, and will be filled with music, hors d’oeuvres, and good company. We will be marking this milestone event by honoring three of Westchester’s most influential environmental leaders, Pace Law School, Bedford 2020, and Dr. Cynthia Rosenzweig.

FCWC took care in the selection of its honorees, as it was important to represent its three founding pillars: Education, Advocacy, and Science. Additionally, due to the significance of this occasion, FCWC wanted to honor an institution, a nonprofit, and an individual. We are delighted to award these outstanding environmental leaders with our Green Legacy Award; we thank them for their environmental contributions to our Westchester community and the world.

We are proud of what our honorees have accomplished in the realm of environmental progress, so would like to provide a little background on each of them.

Pace Law School

In 1980, Pace Law School became a pioneer in the world of environmental law; and in 2015, it has risen to become one of the premiere institutions for environmental legal studies. Pace Law School’s prestigious Environmental Law Program is consistently ranked among the top four environmental law programs nationally. Adding to the many accolades this program has received, FCWC has selected Pace Law School as one of our 50th Anniversary Honorees for its commitment to bettering environmental law and the world’s environment.