In This Issue:

President's Message

Hudson Valley Community
Preservation Act Passes

FCWC Benefit Cocktail Party

Saturday, October 13, 2007; 5:00-7:30 p.m.

Honoring Teatown Lake Reservation
with Executive Director Fred Koontz
and long time FCWC board member
and former President, Warren Ross.

Cocktails, hors d’ oeuvres and silent auction.
Tickets start at $145 per person. Call (914) 422-4053.

At a beautiful private home
in Scarborough-on-Hudson

We welcome volunteers to help work on the party.

Get involved in Green Activities for Students along with other environmentally committed high school students from throughout the County. Help reduce school bus emissions, do hands-on environmental projects, learn about sustainability. Bring your ideas for environmental action to the Westchester Environmental Student Council and participate in this year’s environmental education program. Please call Adiel about joining in WESC activities: (914) 422-4053.

Looking Ahead - Save the Date

Wednesday, January 30- The Westchester County Global Warming Task Force will unveil an action plan to reduce Westchester’s climate change impact and implement sustainability initiatives. An all day fair and expo will be held at the Westchester County Center featuring entertainment for the family and information on how you can help reduce global warming.

FCWC President’s Message

By Cesare Manfredi

More on Flooding and Home Rule

Everyone in Westchester is aware of flooding problems after the rash of recent storms that left many of our Westchester communities under water. However it is highly unlikely that many people have given much thought or consideration to the issue of Municipal Home Rule and how it may contribute to the exacerbation of the flooding problems.

Home Rule means that the county government in Westchester has little or no legal authority to overrule a land use decision of local municipality, even if it will adversely impact other municipalities. So if there is a large project in one municipality that would cause flooding downstream in other municipalities, the County of Westchester has limited or no say in protecting those neighboring municipalities from the flooding.

It is obvious that the flow of water does not know municipal boundaries. Upstream municipalities can and have approved projects that generate more stream flow into downstream municipalities without considering the effect of the downstream flooding.

While addressing the Home Rule issue would not be a magic bullet, if the County were given legal authority to influence the land use in a local municipality, it would give the County a tool to limit additional flooding in downstream municipalities. To help begin to correct this problem, the citizens of Westchester should join FCWC in asking the County Board of Legislators to take the necessary steps to change the County Administrative Code to give Westchester County’s Planning Board the same authority available to County Planning Boards in other counties in New York State.

FCWC Board News

Long time board member Win Parker of Mt. Vernon submitted his resignation in September. Win served the Board diligently for many years and served as FCWC co-president with Nortrud Spero of Yonkers during 1997-1998. The board has reluctantly accepted his resignation and wishes him well. He will be missed.

The Board is looking for two new active Board members willing to work on FCWC’s broad agenda of county environmental issues. Anyone interested should call the office and then speak to members of the Nominating Committee

By Carolyn Cunningham

FCWC and other local environmentalists are celebrating the passage of the Hudson Valley Community Preservation Act (CPA). Now that the CPA is law, communities that wish to establish a fund to protect their natural and historic heritage can use the new authority to pass a real estate transfer fee of up to 2 percent on the sale of homes priced above the municipality’s median price. The fee affects only the buyer.

In August Environmental Advocates organized a meeting of representatives from some of the 80 environmental partner groups that worked for passage of the law to thank two of the main legislative movers of the bills. Assemblymen Adam Bradley and Senator Vincent Leibell were thanked for their efforts at this meeting held at the Bedford Audubon’s Bylane Farm in Katonah.
(See accompanying photo.)

Tom Andersen, Westchester Land Trust’s Director of Communications and Special Projects said at the meeting, “The CPA has the potential to be a great open space planning tool and a great source of money for land protection. Communities should be seriously thinking about whether it’s right for them.”

FCWC hopes its members will urge their municipalities to consider enacting this fee to help fund necessary open space acquisitions, easements, or other preservation efforts.

Carolyn Cunningham is an FCWC Board member.

WESC Helps Clean LIS Beach

By Adiel Gavish

On Saturday, September 15 a group of WESC students and parents participated in the Annual International Coastal Cleanup Day. The Cleanup, sponsored by the Ocean Conservancy in Washington, D.C., is a worldwide event in which over 100 countries and almost all U.S. states participate. Participating in the cleanup helps students see that the choices they make directly impact the environment. It also shows that they can take proactive steps to improve their local environment, such as recycling and reusing items instead of discarding them, using less plastic, and lobbying for less packaging.

Information on the debris picked up is noted on data cards by volunteers and returned to the Ocean Conservancy where it is analyzed to show trends in pollution and used to evaluate existing pollution abatement programs and develop new policies. In the 2006 beach cleanup, 10,175 New York volunteers cleaned 338 miles of shoreline, collecting over 272,157 pounds of debris on 321 sites.

Emma Landau, our WESC intern from New Rochelle noted, “The beach cleanup is a great project to get students out there and help clean our environment. I was struck by the massive number of cigarette butts and water bottles we picked up! I’ve read about the water bottle problem in our landfills, but to see so many of them lining our shores first hand has an even greater impact.”

As part of the program, students were led by WESC program director Adiel Gavish in a discussion of pollution and the concept of waste. “Waste that is thrown away is a man-made concept that does not exist in nature,” she explained. “Everything nature makes returns to the soil or to the water. It returns to natural cycles, and gets reused.” She went on to ask the students if there was really such a thing as “throwing something away.” WESC student Emma Buegeleisner of Ardsley reponded, “No, because garbage ends up either on land, in the water, or in the air as pollution. Waste stays here on the planet, it only goes “away” when it finally deteriorates usually after a long time.”

The students were introduced to the idea of re-designing products using a life-cycle analysis. This is the assessment of the environmental impact of a given product or service throughout its lifespan, starting from raw material production, to manufacturing, distribution, use, and disposal. Companies can therefore calculate each product’s environmental footprint, and can re-design it to be less harmful to humans and for the planet, as well as recyclable or re-usable by the industry or company from which it came. This concept is called “cradle to cradle” design, rather than the “cradle to grave” design most companies currently use.

Conservation Café Addresses
Flooding and Nature

By Staff

Save Nature – Reduce Flooding” was the theme of the September 28 early morning café at the Westchester County Center. It was another of the ongoing “Conversations on Conservation” series by the Westchester Department of Parks that FCWC and several other groups co-sponsor. Bill Lawyer, former FCWC president and executive director of the Greenburgh Nature Center was one of the meeting planners. He articulated the goal of the meeting as an effort to mobilize the environmental community to take a more active role in promoting environmental solutions to the serious flooding problems that we experienced in Westchester last March and April. He stated, “We need to refocus attention on how conserving critical wildlife habitat protects nature and can save us from the costly damage to people and property that comes from flooding. We need to promote watershed approaches to flooding, and we need to mobilize support for action instead of never-ending studies.”

The speakers presented various ways of working with nature to reduce flooding. Speakers were introduced by Fred Koontz, executive director of the Teatown Lake Reservation. Bill Nechamen, chief of the floodplain management section of the NYS Department Environmental Conservation, spoke about the changing nature of flooding and how maintaining natural stream corridors is an excellent tool to help protect streams and reduce flood damages. David Kvinge, of the Westchester County Department of Planning, covered a number of factors that have contributed to flooding in Westchester over the years, as well as regional approaches to flood reduction.

Ann-Marie Mitroff, director of river programs for Groundwork Yonkers/Saw Mill River Coalition, presented a “toolkit” of actions communities and citizens can take to ease flooding problems, including using rain gardens, and backyard stream management. In addition to the speakers, representatives of the Army Corps of Engineers were guest panelists.

FCWC has supported increased watershed management for years and is promoting a renewed look at the obstacles that “home rule” throws in the way.

Yonkers Has New Green Policy Task Force

By Terry Joshi

Yonkers is taking note of the dramatic ecological changes around the world that are having a direct effect on our local and regional environments. In recognition of a growing sense of global urgency, and the evident need to return to the sensible 20th century mantra, Think Globally, Act Locally, on Earth Day 2007 the Yonkers City Council created the new Yonkers Green Policy Task Force. The Task Force, comprised of all the members of the City Council, a community representative from each of their districts, and representatives of the city administration, has been given the Herculean task of defining environmental challenges for the city and moving the city toward compliance with the Conference of U.S. Mayors’ Climate Protection Agreement, which was also endorsed by the City Council on Earth Day, 2007. Over five hundred American cities have joined the CPA, which seeks to bring the cities into alignment with global warming restrictions that meet the Kyoto Accord.

The Task Force is working diligently to improve the local environmental quality-of-life. At the suggestion of the Task Force, the City Council included a professional Environmental Coordinator position in the 2007 city budget. The “Green Czar,” will coordinate the work of the Task Force with the city administration. Two successful Task Force projects include a grant application to retrofit school bus emission systems, and the new summer seasonal ban on gas-powered leaf blowers.

The Green Policy Task Force is also thinking regionally as it sent four Task Force members to the Sustainable Hudson Valley’s recent Summit on Global Warming. The Summit was an excellent networking opportunity for regional municipal leaders and proved again the need for regional cooperation in the face of global warming threats.

Terry Joshi is a member of the Yonkers Green Policy Task Force and board of Park Hill Land Conservancy

FCWC Benefit to Honor Teatown,
Fred Koontz and Warren Ross

By Staff

On October 13, 2007 FCWC will hold its annual benefit, “Autumn Twilight Celebration” at a private home in Scarborough-on-Hudson. This year’s honorees are the Teatown Lake Reservation and its executive director, Fred Koontz, and a long-time FCWC Board member and past president, Warren Ross. Teatown in Ossining is an 834-acre nature preserve and education center and an early and longstanding member organization of FCWC’s coalition. Teatown’s executive director since 2005, Fred Koontz, Ph.D, has taken Teatown in some new directions that focus on its role in the regional community of the Hudson Hills and Highlands in sustaining the diversity of wildlife, plants, and habitats for future generations. FCWC applauds their efforts in conserving biodiversity, teaching ecology, and promoting nature-friendly living throughout the region.

Warren Ross has just retired from FCWC’s board after ten years during which time he also served as president from 1998-2001. Warren has been extremely effective in advancing FCWC’s broad environmental agenda, particularly wetlands protection, clean-up of Long Island Sound, and open space protection. As a professional writer and editor, he wrote many of FCWC’s position papers, press releases, and co-edited the Westchester Environment newspaper. FCWC thanks him for his dedicated service and expertise.

All members and friends are invited. Invitations for the gala cocktail event (5:00-7:30 p.m.), sponsorship opportunities, and congratulatory ads in the Journal are still available from the FCWC office. Call FCWC at 914-422-4053 for information and directions.

New Study Promotes Bronx River Cleanup

By Warren Ross

Preventing pollution in the Bronx River watershed took a major step forward in August when two years of study and planning culminated in the completion of a regional management report.

Representatives of the Westchester Department of Planning and its two consultants on this project reported at a workshop on September 19 that the goal of the project is to improve water quality in the Bronx River and its tributaries by reducing the volume of polluted stormwater entering these streams. Also known as non-point source pollution, such runoff affects water quality not only of the Bronx River but also of Long Island Sound, its ultimate end point.

Titled “A Watershed Assessment and Management Report,” the document will serve as technical support for the watershed plan being developed by Westchester County. It specifies priority actions and identifies locations for potential retrofit and restoration projects, covering the entire Bronx River watershed, regardless of political jurisdictions. Implementation, however -- given the county’s tradition of local autonomy -- will require the cooperation of several different communities.

To achieve its ambitious goals, the report recommends 15 key actions in order of priority. They include the improvement and installation of infrastructure to treat polluted stormwater, as well as restoration of natural resources, and outreach and public education. If it proves successful, the report will serve as a model for other Westchester watersheds, with the Croton River likely to be next.

Of the 15 recommendations in the highest priority group, 11 are in Greenburgh, two in Yonkers, and one each in Ardsley and Mount Vernon.

The full report is available on the Internet at Westchestergov.com/planning under “Quick Links.” It was drafted on behalf of the Planning Department by the Center for Watershed Protection, a non-profit organization, and Biohabitats, an environmental planning firm.

Warren Ross is a former president and board member of FCWC.

Reflections on the Bio-Blitz

By Brian Bielfelt

This past June 1st through June 3rd, the Bedford Audubon Society
sponsored the first-ever Bio-Blitz conducted in Northern Westchester County. This Bio-Blitz was a comprehensive 48-hour biodiversity study made possible by the Leon Levy Foundation, Westchester Land Trust, Westchester County Parks, and 165 scientists and volunteers. We surveyed
over 2000 acres of land for all plant and animal species starting on Friday afternoon and ending Sunday afternoon. Not only did we survey more acres of land than any other Bio-Blitz ever, we also expanded the traditional 24-hour period to 48 hours in order to cover the six selected nature preserves.

Teams of scientists surveyed Angle Fly Preserve, Bedford Audubon’s Hunt-Parker Sanctuary, Guard Hill Preserve, Westchester Wilderness Walk, Leon Levy Preserve, and Ward Pound Ridge Reservation. The Trailside Museum at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation and the surrounding meadows served as a hub for the entire operation.

Some of the most interesting and unusual species we encountered included a Spotted Turtle, Marbled Salamander, Dusky Salamander, Black Bear (tracks), Blue Grosbeak, Purple Martin, Mitrula lunulatospora (fungi), Dasyschyphus virgineus (fungi), Polyporus umbellatus (fungi), Luna Moth, Fagitana litera (moth), and Abrostola ovalis (moth). The rarest finds were in the invertebrate category - a slave-making ant of the genus Temnothorax, never before recorded in the NYC region and a parasitic nematode from a caddisfly previously unknown to science. We are continuing to identify insects collected from the Bio-Blitz. Check in with www.bedfordaudubon.org for updated totals. Currently we have:

Fungi 79, Lichens 65+, Plants 557+, Birds 93, Reptiles and Amphibians 23, Mammals 15, Fish 19, Spiders/Mites 60+, Beetles 100+, Butterflies and Moths 200+, Flies 126, Wasps, Bees, and Ants 100+, Dragonflies 34, Other Arthropods 121, True Bugs 64, Worms and Mollusks 53, and Micro Invertebrates 22. To date a total of 1731+ species.

Brian Bielfelt is the overall Bio-Blitz coordinator for Bedford Audubon Society.

A marbled salamander was one of the
unique species found during the bio-blitz.

Congestion Pricing and CO2

By Maureen Morgan

Congestion pricing (CP) is really quite a simple concept. It is based on the fact that resources that are free tend to be abused regardless of the consequences. The consequences are considerable when one calculates the amount of CO2 (carbon dioxide) pumped into the atmosphere because of gridlock. CP charges drivers for using congested roads during peak periods to encourage them to use other transportation modes or to shift to off-peak periods. Pricing variables are common in modern life. Con Edison adjusts its charges for electricity based on demand in a commercial account. Cinemas frequently offer lower prices during slow periods of the day.

More than ten years ago the Thruway initiated a congestion pricing study on the Tappan Zee Bridge in an attempt to mitigate gridlock on the I-287 corridor. Time travel studies soon revealed that because of the high traffic volumes on the shoulder periods, (on either side of the peak period), there seemed to be no opportunity to make a congestion pricing scheme work without a transit alternative as an option. This study was the precursor to the current state study on the Tappan Zee Bridge/I-287 corridor, still trying to solve gridlock. A CP system was devised for trucks coming over the TZB. This is in operation today at the Spring Valley truck toll booth, resulting in more trucks during daytime hours, and fewer during peak hours. It has been a very successful strategy.

Early in 2003, Mayor Ken Livingston led the City of London into the age of congestion pricing. He was aided by strategists from New York City, including Richard Kiley, former head of the MTA. Some have related the pricing strategy to a modern-day Robin Hood scheme, taking from one group to make life better for another group. The second day after it was put in place, 60,000 fewer cars appeared in the cordon zone. Average speeds in downtown London doubled, from 12 mph. It has been touted as the greatest success in road policy to date.

Meanwhile, New York City Planners have been studying congestion pricing for years. Finally, on Earth Day 2007 Mayor Bloomberg unveiled his congestion pricing plan too late in the season for the state legislature to get its arms around the concept. However, on July 26 the state legislature did pass legislation that will enable the study and implementation of congestion pricing in New York City, but with numerous hurdles to overcome, one of which is the public’s skepticism as to where the revenue collected, supposedly for transit improvement, will be spent.

Anyone who claims that a pricing scheme hurts the poor and the middle class is unacquainted with reality. Given the cost of owning a car it is unlikely that the poor would drive into Manhattan in the first place. However, for those who must drive in the city, such as tradesmen and delivery trucks, the price is high indeed. Not because of the pricing charge, but the time lost sitting in traffic under the current system. Time is money in the lives of these people and $8 can be lost in a heart beat if one cannot move about the city in the course of performing one’s work. At present a person’s speed traveling cross-town in NYC is a third of London’s speed BEFORE congestion pricing was introduced.

Maureen Morgan is an FCWC board member; she writes a column in the Westchester Business Journal under the head “Surviving the Future”.

LISWIC Pursues Regional Stormwater Management District

Since 1998 the Long Island Sound Intermunicipal Council, comprised of the Westchester Sound shore communities plus Harrison and Scarsdale, has pursued the idea of a regional district to manage and clean up stormwater. An August report from Malcolm Pirnie commissioned by LISWIC spells out how the district might work and be funded.Included in such an agency’s duties would be developing district-wide land-use policies to limit runoff, erosion and flooding. The involved communities must decide if they will sign on to this idea, which then must be authorized by the state Legislature. It is the kind of regional planning that could be effective for flood mitigation as well as the other stormwater concerns. This Regional Stormwater Management District Report can be found on the LISWIC website: www.liswic.org.