“The Pre-Earth Day Summit provided a great opportunity for students to learn how to make their communities more environmentally friendly. The summit brought together experts from diverse fields, who were able to shed light as to what problems face Westchester, and how the community can effectively combat these problems.” said Sapan Goel from Scarsdale High School. “I learned so much throughout the day and was so happy to meet and talk to representatives from surrounding nature preserves and parks!” concluded Chrissy Greco from Pelham High School.

The second annual Pre Earth Day Summit was co-sponsored by the Westchester Earth Service Corps, a high school student environmental council, which is a branch of FCWC and Scarsdale High School’s Eco-Saver Club. The event was a grand success as students from ten high schools from all over Westchester County gathered on March 10th. The afternoon was devoted to learning about current environmental issues in Westchester and how to improve the school environment.

Student Leaders

Krys Tendy, Vice President of WESC and a senior at Yorktown High School addressed the crowd and emphasized the importance of student involvement in environmental issues. Tendy highlighted the contribution WESC can make in saying that “too often in our society the call of one voice is too easily drowned out, especially if that voice is from a teenager. By grouping together and forming a large network we are making a statement and forcing our voices to be heard.” Jeff Licitra, a junior at Blind Brook HS and the next president of WESC, invited students form all over the county to join him in making next year even better for this fledgling student organization. As Licitra observed “ the opportunity to interact with students from all over the county is essential. Sometimes students cannot find others with like interests in their home communities. WESC gives everyone a chance to work together and to share ideas for the environment across the county.”

Workshops

Workshops were the highlight of the summit. Students spent the afternoon participating in interactive, hands-on, dynamic workshops which included such current subjects as how to preserve and conserve water, improve recycling and reduce use of hazardous chemicals in schools as well as broader subjects such as site planning and determination of ecological footprints. Kaori Fujita from Woodlands High School found the workshops useful, saying that “We learned a lot from the recycling and storm water workshops. We have ideas on how to bring these issues back to our schools.”

Inspiring speeches

County Executive Andy Spano and Michael Kaplowitz, Chair of the Environment Committee of the Westchester County Board of Legislators, provided their perspectives on some of the central environmental issues facing Westchester today including open space, water quality and Indian Point. They encouraged the students to take action and talked of their personal attachment to the environment. Marissa Piazza from Ossining High School was very appreciative of the input given remarking that “it was great that Mr. Spano and Mr. Kaplowitz cared enough about young people and the environment to come and speak.”

Upcoming events

WESC has two events scheduled for Earth Day. On April 22, WESC students will travel to Albany to lobby with Environmental Advocates on Earth Day Lobby Day. On May 5th students will restore a meadow habitat to preserve the biodiversity of Ward Pound Ridge in Cross River.

To register for events, contact Amy Parekh at 422.4053.

Amy Parekh is project coordinator for WESC at FCWC

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By Edna Sussman

While the debate continues over an Indian Point shut down, it is essential that we focus on the many issues relating to Indian Point on which all views converge. All agree that the irradiated spent fuel rods stored at Indian Point, and which will be there for at least 10 more years if not forever, must be secured more safely as quickly as possible. All agree that we need an effective evacuation plan (even though many believe it can never work in the event of a catastrophic radiological event). All agree that we must move towards a sustainable energy future with conservation, efficiency and renewable energy. Expeditious progress on these matters should not take a back seat while the public debate as to Indian Point’s future goes forward. At the same time, the importance of the debate over the shut down of Indian Point mandates that it not be deferred while these issues are pursued. We can and must move forward on multiple tracks. The area of divergence boils down to a very simple equation - it pits those that are not willing to take the risk, concededly small, of a catastrophic radiological release from a plant with a long and continuing history of serious problems in this densely populated region against those who are. While we all take risks every day when we get into our car or board an airplane, those risks jeopardize only a few. The risk here is of dramatically different proportions in a world in which terrorist groups commit acts of war and mass destruction. It is in this context that the decision must be made.

Here are some of the issues relevant to this debate:

Population density

At the time the decision was made to site Indian Point in its current location the Nuclear Regulatory Commission ( NRC) , the federal agency that regulates the nuclear industry, had not yet issued the siting guidelines now in effect. Over 20 million people live within 50 miles of Indian Point, an area which includes virtually all of New York City. With that population density no nuclear power plant could be sited in Westchester County today. Robert Ryan, NRC’s former Director of the Office of State Programs summed it up: “I think it is insane to have a three unit reactor on the Hudson River in Westchester County 40 miles from Times Square…Its a nightmare from the point of view of nuclear preparedness.” Indian Point’s Safety Record The NRC has a five-category system that rates the performance of nuclear plants and determines the level of federal control needed to ensure that they are run correctly. Indian Point 2 has been given a red designation, one step away from the “unacceptable performance” rank which requires a plant to close. Indian Point has had a troubled history and has continued to have both plant and personnel problems even during the last several months. In February of this year, Indian Point reported small leaks of radioactive coolant into the clean water in the power generating system. Also in February, Entergy reported small areas of rust in the steel lining of the containment building, an example of the kinds of unexpected problems aging nuclear plants can have, and of particular concern in the wake of the finding last month of corrosion in the Davis-Besse nuclear reactor in Ohio, which left less than half an inch of the original six inches of stainless steel to protect the top of the reactor. Also, in relicensing exams conducted last fall, four of Entergy’s seven control room operating crews failed the exam.

Risk of an Incident

President Bush, in his state of the union address in January, said that diagrams of American nuclear power plants were found in the al Qaeda camps. Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld told the county in January to be prepared for surprise attacks that would be “vastly more deadly” than the September 11 catastrophe. According to the NRC, nuclear power plant containment domes were not designed to withstand the crash of a large fuel laden jumbo jet such as we had at the World Trade Center. In October of 2000 an NRC report stated that one out of two commercial airliners would penetrate 5 feet of concrete 45% of the time. The Indian Point containment dome has 3.5 feet of concrete at the top and the spent fuel rod pools at Indian Point have only 5-8 inches of concrete in their roof. Nor can the risk of human and mechanical failures be totally discounted. The Three Mile Island incident was the result of a sequence of mechanical failures in several different safety systems and repeated human errors. Last month’s possible meltdown in Ohio was attributed by the NRC to the operator’s failure to properly perform required programs which would have identified the corrosion problem as much as four years ago. Such occurrences could be of special concern in an old plant like Indian Point with a backlog of over 2000 required repair items.

Health Consequences

Releases of radioactive isotopes can cause changes in DNA, death, cancer and other injuries. According to a 1982 study performed by Sandia Labs for the NRC (“the CRAC-2 study”), a meltdown at the Indian Point Unit 2 reactor could cause “46,000 Peak Early Fatalities, 141,000 Peak Early Injuries, [and] 13,000 Peak Deaths from cancer.” A meltdown of the Indian Point Unit 3 reactors could cause “50,000 Peak Early Fatalities, 167,000 Peak Early Injuries, [and] 14,000 Peak Deaths from cancer.” This data assumes a “successful” evacuation, does not include the increase in the population since 1982 within the two radius zones (17.5 and 50 miles) and only refers to first year impacts.

Economic consequences

The CRAC-2 study also estimated economic damage. It estimated peak property damages from a meltdown of Unit 2 as $274 billion and from Unit 3 as $314 billion. Adjusting the $588 billion in 1982 dollars for inflation leads to a number twice as high. That number does not include potential damage from the spent fuel rods. The NRC now rejects the CRAC-2 study it had commissioned but has no plans to conduct a new one. Any property damage would not be recoverable by individuals as insurance companies refuse to insure against nuclear incidents. Home owners insurance policies explicitly exempt the carrier from liability in the event of damage resulting from nuclear hazards. Federal legislation caps the liability of nuclear power plants operators for accidents or attacks at $9.4 billion nationwide.

The Evacuation Plan

The NRC and the Federal Emergency Management Agency ( FEMA) require that nuclear facility emergency evacuation plans “adequately protect health and safety”. State assemblyman Richard Brodsky, who conducted hearings on the matter as Chair of the State Assembly Committee on the Environment, concluded that the Indian Point evacuation plan fails to meet that standard. The deficiencies and questionable assumptions in the plan, according to Brodsky, include the following: The Plan relies on outdated population data and calculates estimated travel times using old data which fails to take into account new developments and our congested road conditions.

The Plan assumes no spontaneous evacuation by people outside the 10 mile zone, while at Three Mile Island an evacuation of 3,400 people was expected based on the advisory but 144,000 people actually fled. The plan assumes that parents will not go to pick up their children from school. The Plan assumes that emergency personnel will reenter the zone repeatedly to evacuate people, even if faced with conflicting personal obligations. The Plan assumes that there will be several hours of lead time between the activation of the emergency operations and the actual release of radiation. It is undisputed that there are scenarios that would not afford that time. In addition, only a ten mile radius is covered while NRC studies extend to 17.5 and 50 miles.

Electricity Supply and Pricing

The Indian Point Nuclear Plants produce approximately 2000 megawatts of electricity when both of its units are operating at capacity. An analysis of the impact of a shut down, should include the following facts: An impact on pricing and reliability due to a shut down of Indian Point would be limited to the summer months of peak demand. There is plenty of electricity the rest of the year. Even during the summer, there is the desired cushion of 18% available supply over demand. A shut down of Indian Point would lead to that reserve margin being reduced to 11% according to the NYS Independent Systems Operator, the overseer of the state’s wholesale power market. There are already new power plants coming on line, which will replace the power now provided by Indian Point by the summer of 2004. The impact of an Indian Point shut down can be mitigated by consumer behavior.

Any short term impact occasioned by tight supply can be avoided by a combination of energy efficiency, conservation and load management. California successfully used energy efficiency, conservation and load management to reduce its peak demand by 12.2 percent between June of 2000 and June of 2001, after adjusting for weather. If state and local authorities, Con Ed and its customers work together to promptly develop and implement effective programs, the same can be done in New York. The electricity price spikes of 25- 40 percent mentioned as possible in the press are wholesale prices and are based on prior demand with no conservation measures. The impact on the average customer’s electric bill would be considerably lower. Wholesale energy prices constitute only 30-50% of the retail electric bill during the summer, so a 25-40 per cent increase in wholesale prices translate into a 8-20 per cent increase in the average summer electric bill. Taking the highest of these projections shows that an average monthly bill of $100 would increase by $20 per month for the summer months or $40 for the whole year.

Safer Closed?

Several facts are relevant to an analysis of whether there is any point to shutting the plants down in the face of the continued presence on site of the irradiated spent fuel rods, the byproduct of the fission process. First, several of the radioactive isotopes produced by the fission reaction that pose the greatest health risk have very short half lives. For example, Iodine 131, the principal contributor to thyroid cancer, has a half life of 8 days. As a rule of thumb radioactive materials are considered hazardous for 10 half lives. So three months after the plant is shut down and the fission reaction process terminated, health risk from exposure to iodine 131 is effectively eliminated. Based on a preliminary analysis by the Nuclear Control Institute, after a shut down of 20 days the number of fatalities from a core melt down and breach of containment could be reduced by 80% and the number of long term cancer deaths by 50%. Second, soon after the reactor is shut down the risks of a reactor melt down are significantly reduced and our concerns about the adequacy of the containment dome become moot. Third, with a shut down, the production of additional spent fuel rods will cease and attention can be devoted to storing the existing spent fuel rods more safely.

Conclusion

Ultimately the question to be addressed is whether we should take the risk of a radiological incident to preserve the energy afforded by Indian Point. Indian Point will shut down some day as all plants have a finite useful life. The operating licenses expire in about ten years and have not been renewed to date. Thus the question is not whether Indian Point should be closed, but when. Federated Conservationists of Westchester County, Inc. has concluded that Indian Point should be decommissioned now; in the current international climate we must move rapidly towards a safer future.

Edna Sussman is the Executive Director of the Federated Conservationists of Westchester County, Inc.

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The Riverkeeper effort to shut down Indian Point pending a review of safety at the plants commenced with the filing of a petition by the Clinic on Riverkeeper’s behalf with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) requesting a proceeding to modify, suspend or revoke the operating license for Indian Point. The petition identified the threat of a terrorist attack as a new site-specific hazardous condition not previously considered in licensing Indian Point. Many environmental groups and politicians joined in the petition.

More recently, the clinic filed a motion with the NRC, in the wake of the discovery of rust in the steel lining of Indian Point’s containment dome, to intervene in response to the application of Indian Point for a five-year extension of a containment integrate leak test. At this time both of these applications are pending.

While the Indian Point work is particularly captivating, the Clinic offers many wonderful opportunities for students to work on exciting legal matters related to the environment. The clinic offers a rare opportunity to develop a strong camaraderie with others with like interests and a sense of being a contributor in the real world.

Michelle Moore and Delight Wilson are interns in the Pace Environmental Law Clinic

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by Will Adams

The following statement was written and read by 17 year-old Yorktown resident and Yorktown High School senior William Adams on December 13, 2001 at the Westchester County Center in White Plains to the Westchester County Board of Legislators.

I am Will Adams, the President and Founder of the Westchester Earth Service Corps, a recently formed organization dedicated to promoting environmental awareness and action.

This past spring we first convened and with the partnership of Edna Sussman, the Executive Director of the Federated Conservationists of Westchester County, we now stand as a council of over 90 students from 19 high schools scattered around this county.

I speak for this council of students and in addition as a 17- year-old resident of Yorktown Heights that not only is the evacuation plan for Indian Point, implausible, unfeasible, and inadequate for social reasons, but in plain truth as a member of this society it is simply frightening.

Should some catastrophe occur, how should I, a high school student, react? Standing in the parking lot, holding the keys with my car in sight and watching students scream and cry as they are herded into a school bus, watching some be left behind, I would react just as all of the other hundreds of students who drive to school, just as every other adult would in the same situation. I would drive my sister and myself home. Do I wait for my father to return from New York City, which he might never do, or do I blindly drive north until gas runs low?

Even if every student was forced on a bus in our school district, the buses might make four or five trips, taking hours. They might as well make two and leave the rest since it will be too late anyway.

Indian Point is simply in the wrong place. The filed plan for evacuating one of the densest regions in the nation is poorly written, and truly does kindle a fear within each one of us. In the past, we have survived on denial.

This past September our denial past away and only that fear is left. Even if the evacuation plan was followed verbatim, I do not wish to be morbid, but so many of us would die. As the President of the Westchester Earth Service Corps, and as a seventeen-year-old high school student, I cannot watch Indian Point continue to be a threat.

Thank you for your time.

William Adams is the President of the WESC, a High School project sponsored by the Federated Conservationists.

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State and local authorities, working with Con Ed and Con Ed’s customers, should begin to develop and implement a plan that will reduce peak demand. The plan should have three basic components:

1. a conservation program to encourage behavioral changes that will result in short-term reductions of energy use;
2. load management programs that will provide incentives for customers to shift their demand from peak to off-peak periods such as night and early morning; and,
3. energy efficiency programs that through incentives and education help customers receive the same cooling, heating, lighting and mechanical services while using less energy.

Behavioral Changes

Behavioral changes are the cheapest, quickest and easiest to implement. Obvious examples include:

1. keeping the air-conditioner at a higher thermostat setting, particularly during the day when many residential customers aren’t even home;
2. turning off unnecessary lights;
3. shifting the use of major residential appliances like dishwashers, washing machines and pool pumps to off-peak periods; and
4. turning off air conditioners for ten minutes at hour. The cumulative effect of these behavioral changes and others will be a significant reduction in peak demand.

Load Management

Load management programs developed by the New York State Independent System Operator and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (“NYSERDA”) already provide incentives to large customers to shift demand from peak to off-peak and, in some situations, to use on-site generation. These programs should be expanded to maximize the potential peak demand reductions.

Energy Efficiency

While energy efficiency improvements will dramatically reduce peak demand, some require time for implementation while others can be implemented immediately. Replacing an incandescent bulb with a compact fluorescent bulb will result in an immediate 75 percent reduction in energy use. Tuning up air conditioners can result in an easy 10 % reduction. Purchasing ENERGY STAR© appliances can make a tremendous difference:

Refrigerator and clothes washers are 50 percent more efficient than those sold a decade ago and, given the current drought, note that Energy Star washers can save 7,000 gallons of water in one year for a typical family, a 40 percent reduction in consumption;

An ENERGY STAR© torchiere lamp is cooler and safer than a halogen lamp and pays for itself in a year or two with its 50 percent energy savings; and ENERGY STAR© air conditioners are at least 15 percent more efficient than the federal minimum standard and far more efficient that the air conditioners in most homes.

NYSERDA has already developed an excellent set of programs to help New Yorkers save energy. More funding for NYSERDA programs and more NYSERDA marketing downstate would lead to major energy savings. To take advantage of NYSERDA’s Home Performance Analysis through the ENERGY STAR© program, to learn how to realize energy cost savings of up to 40 percent, check out:

www.GetEnergySmart.org and www.EnergyStar.gov.

Dan Rosenblum is a Senior Attorney with the Pace Energy Project

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The Westchester County Trailway system is not only a green treasure, but a hidden treasure. I discovered the system by chance a few winters ago, when I was driving up the Saw Mill River Parkway. I happened to glance out of the window and noticed what looked like a trail running along the parkway. I had never even seen it before, which isn’t surprising: During the summer, trees and foliage obscure the trail almost completely from view. The trail appeared to be somewhat elevated, and I realized it must be a long-abandoned railway bed, piquing my fascination with the history of Westchester County.

My curiosity led me to investigate, and with subsequent trips along the parkway and hunting around, I learned more and more. At some point, the rails had been removed and the trail, paved. I saw a few people walking here and there — but not too many.

That particular year served up a particularly cold winter! Well, as I eventually learned and as readers know from the story above, what I saw was the South County Trailway. Indeed it sits upon the Putnam Division Railroad, once affectionately known as the “Old Put,” railway bed. This was a great discovery for me. I’m an avid cyclist as well as historian. Since my discovery, I have taken my bicycle on all the trails: The North County, South County, and the segment in Eastview near the Tarrytown Lakes and up along Route 9A, which to my delight is soon to be linked to the North County Trailway. The trails provide a unique mix of exercise and local history that is truly fascinating. The trailway is not only for bicycles; people may walk, jog, and use inline skates on the path as well.

The Trailway provides spectacular views of the New Croton Reservoir and other sites, and the trail provides interesting history by way of old railroad stations that still stand. For example, the old railroad station in Yorktown has been restored and is part of a small park adjacent to the path, and the old Millwood station, while in a woeful state of disrepair, nevertheless still stands today. In addition, there are signs along the path that detail the history of the Trailway at various points, and recall the travels of “Old Put,” which used to run upon it.

Typically, my trips tend to fall into two categories, scenic or educational.On a “scenic” trip on the North County Trailway, I was riding alone on the path. No other bikers in sight. The silence was interrupted by the sound of branches rustling and a general commotion. I stopped my bike, and looked into the woods. I spotted a group of about a dozen deer running through the woods. I have to admit, although I have seen one or two deer in the woods or in a backyard, I had never seen anything so amazing. What was even more incredible was that the deer seemed unfazed by sharing a path so close to their woods with me.

Another memorable time came on one of the first rides on the South County Trailway from the Elmsford entrance off of Route 119. As it turned out, this trip provided me with an unlooked-for history lesson. As I rode down the path, I came to the place along the Saw Mill River Parkway I always considered “the place where the Cantina restaurant used to be.”

Perhaps others remember the Cantina on the northbound side of the Saw Mill, just south of Interstate 287. Woodlands Lake is located at this site, but did you know that the Lake was created from a dam that was constructed there, and that the location once featured a lodge popular with vacationers from New York City?

One of the signs along the path conveyed this news to me, and as I paused to look at the dam and lake, I tried imagining the activities that took place there many years ago. The Trailways are a way to preserve old memories and collect new ones — a great place to get exercise and some local history at the same time.

John Poakeart is a Pace Law student graduating in May 2002

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This year’s drought makes us sensitive not only to the need to preserve the quality of our water but also the quantity of our water. With the tremendous water usage in maintaining the many yards and gardens in Westchester we inquired as to what you can do in your yard and garden to save water.

Here is what Sarah Bruce, a horticultural extension educator at the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Westchester County, had to say on the subject. In a nutshell, the advice for this drought year is to limit new plantings, and employ as many principles of Xeriscape gardening as possible.

Xeriscape gardening

Xeriscape, as a low water landscape is called, is an attractive permanent landscape that is able to withstand little water. Creating and maintaining a low water usage landscape can be done in virtually any terrain, as such a garden can be adapted to suit the individual conditions of the region. Contrary to what many may believe, a xeriscape garden need not be composed of cacti and rock gardens. In Westchester a pleasant mix of perennials, flowering bushes and trees, lawn grasses and concentrated annuals can be arranged to create a most pleasing landscape that does not require the level of water now typically used. While low water plants are a better choice, especially this year, it must be remembered that even low water plants require concerted watering in the first two years until they get established. Xeriscape landscaping incorporates seven basic principles which lead to saving water:

Plan and Design

A landscape design created with water efficiency in mind is essential. Design your garden so that plants are grouped by their water needs. Plants that require the most water, such as annuals, should be grouped together in one bright bed or placed in pots. Similarly, plants that require medium or little water should each be grouped together.

Plant Selection

Select plants based on their adaptability to your region’s soil and climate and their water demands. The table accompanying this article provides a list of just some of the low water plants that can be successfully grown in Westchester. Many of these are familiar and well loved species.

Many other beautiful plants commonly used in this area are also drought tolerant and can be identified by using available sources such as your local 4H or Cornell Cooperative Extension office.

Soil Analysis and Preparation

Adding organic matter to the soil increases the soil’s ability to absorb and store water in a form available to the plant. Such organic material as peat or compost can dramatically increase retention and penetration.

The Ashokan Reservoir in April 2002

Mulching

Mulches of organic materials such as pine bark, compost and woodchips; or inorganic materials, such as limestone or permeable plastic, not sheet plastic, conserve water by significantly reducing moisture evaporation from the soil. Mulch also discourages weeds and moderates soil temperatures.

Irrigation

Much of the water used in irrigation is lost to runoff by being applied too rapidly and some water evaporates from exposed, unmulched soil. Plants should be watered only when needed and then watered thoroughly to produce deep-roots which are more water efficient and drought enduring. Drip irrigation, which slowly applies water to soil, offers increased watering efficiency and plant performance. However, if using a sprinkler system, make sure the sprinkler heads are adjusted properly to avoid watering sidewalks and driveways.

Try to avoid a fine mist which is more susceptible to evaporation. and wind drift. Always water after 7 PM and before 9 Am to avoid excessive evaporation. The drought regulations in effect at the time of this writing limit watering even more to 7-9 AM and 7-9 PM on alternate days. The county is recommending that we not start watering our lawns this year but let the lawns be dormant.

It is even more damaging to the lawn to start watering and then stopping, a measure which may be necessary if more stringent drought measures are invoked in the coming months.

Turf Grass

Turfgrasses generally require more frequent watering and maintenance than most other landscape plants. Reducing the areas devoted to turf grasses should be the first step to reduce water demands. Carefully selecting grass seeds is also helpful.

For sunny areas, tall fescues are recommended. Fine leaf fescues, such as the more drought resistant varieties Discovery, Reliant II, Osprey, Scaldis, Ecostar, do well in shadier areas. If buying a mix, one more heavily weighted towards the fescues will require less water. The popular bluegrass and perennial ryegrass are less drought resistant and their use should be minimized.

Maintenance Techniques Mowing grass at the proper height and applying fertilizer to the lawn at the proper time and in the proper amount saves time, effort and money through reduced mowing and watering. Taller grass at 3 inches will retain water better. Minimizing fertilization will reduce growth and the need for water to sustain it. In this drought year, skipping the spring fertilization is recommended.

Source Materials

An excellent new resource for gardeners in the New York metropolitan area is the “The Water Saver’s Guide to Landscaping and Gardening” published by the Water-Wise Council of New York, Inc., in conjunction with New York City Department of Environmental Protection, and with extensive support from the Hudson Valley Regional Council and Cornell Cooperative Extension. Any inquiries about the book can be faxed to:  (845) 429-8667.

For horticultural questions, call the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Westchester from 9 AM to 12 PM at (914) 285-4640

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By Richard Ruge

Inspired by information provided by the American Water Works Association about xeriscape gardening (low water use) and demonstration gardens established by water companies across the United States, the Westchester Joint Water Works (WJWW) is developing a xeriscape garden using plants suitable to this region at its facility at 1625 Mamaroneck Avenue. The garden will be open to the public starting in mid-June.

Water is Precious

While this year’s drought conditions make every one more conscious of the need to save water today, water is always a precious commodity and must be conserved even under normal rain conditions. This demonstration garden was begun by WJWW last year, long before the drought, in order to demonstrate how beautiful and varied a low water garden can be. WJWW provides water for the Town and Village of Mamaroneck and most of Harrison. Water is also wholesaled to the Village of Larchmont. Many customers in these areas have large properties that are 100% landscaped which require large amounts of water to maintain. Many landscape designers are not familiar with the planting choices available to save water and dismiss suggestions to put in low water plants on the assumption that they would be limited to plants akin to yucca and sedum. Many golf courses use grass varieties with tremendous watering needs when lower water species are available. Some of these species are also slow growth which lessens the maintenance required to keep them trim.

The demonstration garden

The Westchester Joint Water Works xeriscape demonstration garden is developed around a gazebo which serves as the focal point for the garden. The garden contains four patches of grasses that are of the slow growth, low water varieties as well as a butterfly garden, a Westchester section that uses native plants, an ornamental grass section and other perennials. The butterfly bushes, coneflower, guara, aster, smokebush and rhododendron produce a spectacular display of color and textures. Birch, crabapple and cherry trees have also been incorporated into the garden. Several different low water irrigation methods will be installed to demonstrate how easily water can be saved by forgoing the typical sprinkler system. These elements combine both to create an extraordinarily lovely setting and to demonstrate a variety of plantings and techniques to reduce water use.

Inspiring others

The Water-Wise Council of New York and the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Westchester County has worked jointly with us to develop the garden, which has been received enthusiastically and has been assisted by many other individuals and organizations. The garden is intended to demonstrate what is possible in every person’s back yard. It is our hope that the demonstration garden will inspire many to design their landscape and employ practices that reduce water usage. For more information about the garden and to find out when it is open to the public, call 914 698-3500 ext . 614

Richard Ruge is the General Superintendent of the Westchester Joint Water Works and chair of the Xeriscape Project Committee.

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by Michael W. Klemens, Ph.D.

Across the County local decision makers, developers, property owners, and conservationists are joining forces, working together to protect the rich diversity of wildlife and natural areas that are Westchester’s heritage. Westchester lies at the crossroads of several major routes used by plants and animals to travel back into New England after the last glaciation, 12,000-18,000 years ago. The legacy of our geographical location is a remarkable diversity of plants, animals, and habitats, collectively referred to as biodiversity.

Many small Animals crawl into storm drains and are unable to get out again

A Variety of Innovative Projects Lead the Way

The following projects are representative of activities across the County where the Metropolitan Conservation Alliance (a program of the Bronx Zoo-based Wildlife Conservation Society) has worked with stakeholders to create land use plans that balance ecosystem and wildlife conservation with other land uses. Although widely separated geographically, these projects have much in common. All are built upon public-private partnerships that recognize the legitimacy of a variety of competing uses for land. They all use scientific information to inform conservation and development options, and they all operate on the principle that conservation choices are made at each and every step in the local land use review process. Fundamental to this approach is an understanding that communities don’t have to choose either development or preservation. Instead, communities need to focus development in appropriate locations and, in a complementary fashion, identify those areas that are important for conservation. Delineation of where to develop and where to conserve should be determined by scientific criteria, and be part of a community’s articulated planning goals (i.e., placed within a community’s development master [or comprehensive] plan).

Cortlandt: At Valeria: a 730-acre parcel of woods, fields, and wetlands—RPA Associates and the town’s planning board are factoring box turtles, vernal pool amphibians, and forest-interior breeding birds into the design of a residential community. Several miles away, Wilder Balter Partners is redesigning portions of a planned golf course along Peekskill Hollow Brook to accommodate critical foraging and nesting habitat of one of the last remaining populations of wood turtles in the County.

Taxter Ridge: Protection of this several hundred-acre tract of land will save one of the largest intact blocks of forest south of Interstate 287. Taxter Ridge encompasses portions of Greenburgh and Tarrytown, as well as the Irvington school district. This project brings together a diversity of not-for-profit groups, including the Westchester Land Trust and the Trust for Public Land, as well as government agencies. It is home to a diversity of birds, including nesting pileated woodpeckers, and is one of the last remaining sites for wood frogs and spotted salamanders in southern Westchester County.

Wood Frog

Irvington: Led by the village’s Open Space and Land Use Committees, Westwoods Parcel “B”, containing a rich assemblage of vernal pools, has been slated for acquisition. This is part of a focused development and preservation plan for the entire Westwoods property. Joined with the Taxter Ridge property to the north, surrounded by the Irvington Reservoir properties, V. E. Macy County Park to the east, and open space in Dobbs Ferry to the south, a large wildlife corridor has been assembled along the ridgeline that parallels the western edge of the Saw Mill River Parkway.

Eastern Westchester Biotic Corridor: This multi-town planning strategy, developed by North Salem, Lewisboro, and Pound Ridge, in concert with the Metropolitan Conservation Alliance, has proposed heightened sensitivity and innovative development practices in an overlay zone. This overlay zone, or biotic corridor, has been scientifically determined to provide core habitat for many rare and declining wildlife species. In Pound Ridge, activities are underway to secure the future of watershed properties owned by the Bridgeport Hydraulic Company that lie within the proposed biotic corridor.

Rye City: Projects that restore and reconnect habitat are increasing in number, especially in urbanized portions of the County. A wetland restoration planned at the old Rye Nursery site will not only create wildlife habitat, but will reconnect wooded swamps and other wetlands that have been separated for nearly a century from the Blind Brook Estuary. This will be accomplished by removing several acres of fill, and recreating a stream corridor and natural wetland habitats.

Broadening our Understanding of Ecosystems

Home Rule: Westchester County, like the rest of New York and New England has deferred most land use decision-making to the local level. This creates challenges as well as opportunities for conservation. At its worst, home rule creates habitat fragmentation, because most ecosystems span multiple political jurisdictions and exist at a scale (often thousands of acres) far greater than local authority, and certainly greater than any one development proposal. Projects such as the Eastern Westchester Biotic Corridor and the Taxter Ridge initiative recognize that effective ecosystem planning relies upon inter-municipal cooperation, adding value and ecological principles to local land use reviews.

Corridors: The term wildlife corridor has often been used interchangeably with the greenway concept. While trailways and narrow strips of forest provide important areas for human recreation, they rarely provide sufficient habitat for wildlife habitation and dispersal. Wildlife needs are addressed by maintaining large blocks of contiguous habitat at relatively low densities of development. This approach is illustrated in Irvington’s efforts to link blocks of natural open space together, thereby joining similar areas of natural habitat to the north in Greenburgh and to the south in Dobbs Ferry.

Wetland/Upland Zones: The majority of Westchester’s municipalities have adopted some form of wetlands protection through adoption of a local ordinance. These laws protect wetlands and watercourses, as well as areas of adjoining upland called the “wetland buffer”. This upland zone protects water quality to some degree, but is usually far too small to effectively protect wildlife that require a complex of both wetland and upland habitat, including many species of amphibians, reptiles, birds, and small mammals. Effective protection of wildlife habitat around wetlands requires much larger areas of open space and reduced development. This creates challenges at the local level, as decision-makers attempt to assess the relative merits of various wetlands and whether (or not) these wetlands require additional upland habitat protection beyond that provided

for in municipal ordinances. MCA Technical Paper No. 5, Best Development Practices (BDPs) For Conserving Pool-Breeding Amphibians in Residential and Commercial Developments, provides a tool to assess the relative values of small wetlands and recommends best development practices around these wetlands in accordance with the assessment results.

Wood Turtle

Restoration: Traditionally, concern for wildlife and biodiversity has focused on the more rural areas of the County. This has resulted in missed opportunities to retrofit ecosystems, undoing damages of past, poorly-informed decisions, and creating improved habitats for native wildlife in our urban areas. The Rye Nursery project is an example of an undertaking that will restore several species of amphibians that have been lost to the area, improve water quality entering Long Island Sound, and increase passive recreational opportunities.

Although it will not be possible to restore the full range of species to the site, as it once existed, this project provides an excellent opportunity to regain a more diverse and balanced ecosystem. The same goal could be attained within many of the County’s degraded habitats.

Stormwater and Erosion Management: Many of the current practices to manage sedimentation, erosion, and stormwater severely impact small animals at certain sites around the County. Silt fencing, if left in place for extended periods of time, will impair movements of animals across the landscape. High curbs impede wildlife movement, and systems of curbs, catch basins, and hydrodynamic particle separators kill hundreds of thousands of small mammals, salamanders, frogs, and invertebrates in Westchester every year. Fortunately, through proper siting and the selected use of alternative treatment technologies, many of these impacts can be avoided.

All of these challenges require communities to develop an understanding of wildlife at two scales. The ecosystem scale focuses on the habitat connectivity in increments of 1,000 acres or more.

This requires inter-municipal cooperation and a vision for what is possible through more informed land use planning. The second scale incorporates the design of any individual project. At this smaller scale, attention to details of structural design, lot clearing, roadways, and stormwater management will have a profound effect on the survival of Westchester’s biodiversity. For more information about the Metropolitan Conservation Alliance, please call (914) 925-9175 or email mca@wcs.org.

Michael W. Klemens, Director of the Metropolitan Conservation Alliance

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