FCWC President’s Message

By Oreon Sandler

The October 1st Annual Gala was a wonderful success and all of us are grateful to the many guests who came to the party. We again thank our host, Barbara Matthews Hancock, for opening her beautiful home with its spectacular Long Island Sound views for our gala.

Open space efforts continue to be a priority for FCWC. We just signed on to an appeal to preserve Granite Pointe with a number of other environmental groups. In the past we had supported efforts of those trying to stop that development by finding the resources to buy the property. We are all hoping for state action to preserve that sensitive peninsula in the Amawalk Reservoir. We also are supporting the initiative in Yorktown to commit $5 million for their open space preservation program. I got to see the Angle Fly Preserve on a hike in Somers with my grandchildren last month, and that 628 acres preserve is quite an achievement. Westchester County has participated in preserving over 1,000 acres this year, and we applaud this action.

And Davids Island just got the $882,000 commitment from NYS DEC to launch their study on the hazardous waste cleanup. I’m happy to share a recent statement to us from Congresswoman Nita Lowey, who has been a major funder of the David’s Island clean-up effort.

“I’m proud to have been able to obtain the federal funds necessary to finally begin the Davids Island clean-up. Now that work has commenced, we have to make sure that this project continues as quickly as possible.

I secured an additional $5 million in the House FY06 Department of Defense Appropriations legislation, and I will push for these funds to be included in the final bill so we can keep the momentum going and finally realize the potential of this jewel in the Long Island Sound.”

As FCWC members know, to date the Congresswoman has secured $4.1million for the clean-up of the island and we greatly appreciate her efforts. The archeology work should be completed by the end of October and building demolition should commence shortly thereafter.

Our federation effort has been launched and our first email calendar was issued last month. Hopefully, we will be publishing dates of events for our member organizations on a regular basis, as well as alerts on issues of importance.

We are now getting our goals for next year in order and will be publishing them in the near future. Our Year End appeal will be made earlier this year as we hope that our members and supporters will continue to generously support our educational, advocacy, and federation programs.

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WESC Kicks Off the Year

By Adiel Gavish

On Saturday, September 17, a group of 30 students, parents and teachers from Westchester high schools rolled up their sleeves to help clean the beaches of Croton Point Park, for the 20th International Coastal Cleanup Day, organized by the Ocean Conservancy. Participants searched the shoreline for debris to collect and track on their data cards. The information will be used to not only study what kind of trash pollutes our beaches, but more importantly, help determine where the pollution comes from. The long-term goal is to develop international programs that will prevent polluters from doing so in the first place. WESC members collected a total of 131 pounds of debris. For its next event in November, WESC will help remove invasive vines along the Saw Mill River Parkway in conjunction with the Saw Mill River Coalition’s “Free-a-Tree” program.

The beach project marked the kick off of the fifth year of FCWC’s county-wide high school environmental program, the Westchester Environmental Student Council. WESC acts as a bridge, joining students interested in environmental issues and the organizations and people that work to safeguard our natural resources. The group’s momentum continues with their monthly student-led meetings, where the nine WESC student officers meet with the FCWC program director to plan monthly events and initiatives.

This year, events will include:

1) Continued activity in their SNAP! (Students for No Air Pollution) initiative to reduce air pollution on school grounds,

2) an excursion to the Wolf Conservation Center in South Salem, where students will participate in a volunteer project in exchange for a private “Howl with the Wolves”,

3) a trip to Albany in April on Earth Day Lobby Day to meet with Senators and Assembly members on environmental legislation,

4) joining the Children’s Environmental Literacy Foundation to learn about systems thinking and,

5) a long-term project with Scenic Hudson on restoring the Saw Mill River.

For more information on WESC and SNAP! please visit www.fcwc.org or you can reach Adiel Gavish at (914) 422-4053, and at fcwc@fcwc.org

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Update on County Healthy Air Legislation
By Cesare Manfredi

Working through the County’s Board of Legislators Healthy Air Taskforce (that stemmed from an FCWC initiative), FCWC continues its efforts to achieve cleaner air in Westchester County. These efforts have produced three draft bills to reduce sulfur and particulate emissions from the burning of fuel oils.

Excessive particulates are considered a major contributor to the increase in documented asthma cases in the metropolitan area. The three draft bills are being discussed in the Legislative and the Environmental Committees of the Board of Legislators, thanks to the efforts of the respective committee chairs, Mike Kaplowitz and Tom Abinanti. One bill would reduce the permitted county idling time for vehicle diesel engines from the current five minutes to three minutes. An exception to the reduced idling time for low temperature weather will continue until January 1, 2007, at which time ultra low fuel oils will be required nationally for use for on-road diesel engines. The other two bills address the sulfur content in home heating oil and in on-road and off-road diesel engines, such as those used at construction sites. The bills also require the use of “filters” to reduce particulate emissions after the switch to ultra low-sulfur fuel in diesel engines.

Essentially the effort is aimed at reducing the sulfur content of fuel oils over a reasonable time to the level of 15 parts per million (ppm), which is called ultra low sulfur diesel fuel. Currently home heating oil contains about 2,500 ppm, while current diesel engine fuel contains 500 ppm. Thus the use of ultra low sulfur fuel dramatically reduces the emissions and ultimately will reduce the asthma linked to particulate matter. In addition, ultra low sulfur fuel burns more cleanly and efficiently, and can be used without retrofits, while some retrofitting may be required for the use of #6 oil. Such a requirement is also part of the discussions relating to the current draft legislation. When the drafts are completed by the committees, they will go to the Board of Legislators for a vote in the near future.

Cesare Manfredi is an FCWC Board member.

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New Ways to Reduce Single Occupant Vehicles
Staff Report

One of the best ways for us as individuals to clean up Westchester’s dirty air is to drive less, particularly in single-occupant vehicles. Vehicle emissions are a major source of our area’s primary air pollutants: smog forming ozone and particulates.

As a high priority of our current clear air initiative FCWC is putting renewed emphasis on public awareness of the clean air benefits of taking public transit, whether train or bus, and of car and vanpooling to school and work. Making these changes in our driving habits will reduce congestion on the roads and reap significant rewards in the quality of the air we breathe (as well as saving gasoline).

Fortunately, a number of new services are now helping to get us out of our one-person cars. One such service is Metropool, sponsored by the New York and Connecticut departments of transportation, which provides commuter services to employers and employees at no charge. Metropool will identify available commuting options, such as carpooling, vanpooling, transit, walking, bicycling and telecommuting. It will identify appropriate program strategies and services and develop customized promotional services. It will also help identify carpool groups and will help organize shuttle service from a business to nearby transit stations.

Metropool claims to have eliminated 21,000 single-occupant vehicles from the road thus far. FCWC is happy to help publicize this much needed service and hopes that more and more commuters will make use of it. For more information about Metropool, call 1-800-FIND-RIDE (1-800-346-3743) or log on to www.metropool.com. Workers or employers specifically interested in setting up vanpools can also visit www.easystreetny.com.

Another possibility is to use the NuRide network, which works with Metropool in Westchester. NuRide compares its service to that of airline travel, allowing you to plan your trips on-line. You sign into NuRide and specify a date, time, where you want to go, and other travel criteria. You can plan a trip and give it a try with no commitments. You use their network of registered users to find just the right person to share your ride, ride with friends, or meet new people. And just like earning frequent flier miles, you also earn NuRide Miles, reward points that are redeemable at various area retailers.

For more information on this service check out their website: www.nuride.com or call Butch Veronesi at Metropool (914-993-6474), or email him at bveronesi@metropool.com. FCWC also suggests that we try to set up more of our own carpools for repeat personal trips, such as children’s sports team travel, regular meetings away from home, and other repeat travel. The county’s air will benefit if we do.

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Honorees Stress Clean Air/Health Link at Gala
By Anne Gold

They generally mix like oil and water, but on Saturday, October 1, FCWC’s members and constituents and Big Oil mingled as friends at FCWC’s annual Fall benefit. This year the gala honored the achievements of three area leaders: world-renowned pediatrician, Dr. Philip J. Landrigan, his wife, long-term county Department of Health official, Mary Landrigan and Sprague Energy’s Steven Levy. Sprague Energy, which has corporate offices in White Plains, was recognized for supplying cleaner (ultra low sulfur) diesel fuel to our area. The reception took place at the private home of Barbara Matthews Hancock, on the Long Island Sound.

FCWC selected the 2005 honorees for their work in children’s and environmental health, and for advocating, among other solutions, a cleaner, healthier diesel fuel that could help reduce harmful emissions by up to 90 percent when combined with strong filters. “Their efforts exemplify a commitment to environmental stewardship and dedication to improving the quality of life for Westchester residents,” said FCWC president, Oreon Sandler.

Mr. Levy stated, “It says a lot about an organization when they can recognize a company in an industry commonly portrayed as big and bad. Environmental organizations and big oil generally don’t mix, but tonight we celebrate the joint efforts of Westchester residents who work every day to improve the air our families breathe every second.” "I am so thrilled to be honored by such giants as FCWC,” Mrs. Landrigan explained, “We’ve lived in Mamaroneck for 20 years and have been delighted to see the enthusiasm of residents for preventing environmental hazards.”

Dr. Landrigan in his acceptance speech gave an health expert’s perspective on poor air quality and the harmful impacts on children’s health. He explained that one way of gauging the effects of environmental degradation on children is by looking at the history of medical trends. It used to be that such ailments as chicken pox were the most common. Now, we have almost eradicated such diseases, but are experiencing a dramatic rise in chronic diseases such as asthma, autism, learning disabilities and attention deficit disorder.

Dr. Landrigan went on: “Children, in general, are much more vulnerable to toxic chemicals in the environment than are adults. Children breathe more air, pound for pound, eat more food and drink more water than adults, and so they suffer disproportionately greater exposures to toxic chemicals. . Additionally, children are much more susceptible than adults to toxic chemicals.

They can be injured much more severely than adults by exposures to chemicals such as lead, mercury, pesticides and air pollutants such as ozone and fine particles.”

“Early development is a very vulnerable time,” he continued. “The evidence is accumulating that environmental exposures in early life contribute to the high rates of asthma, learning disabilities and behavioral problems that we are seeing in our children today. Protection of the health and the future potential of our children is in my mind the strongest reason for taking sensible steps to clean up our environment - for establishing idle-free school zones, for using the cleanest burning diesel fuel with strong particulate filters, for reducing pesticide use in schools and playgrounds and, when possible, for eating organic foods.”

Ms. Barbara Matthews Hancock received the grateful thanks of the FCWC board and staff for providing her home for the evening, in support of FCWC’s environmental efforts.

Anne Gold is an FCWC Board member.

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What is the Future for the Tappan Zee Bridge/I-287 Corridor?

A Guest Opinion by Maureen M. Morgan

The State Study on the Tappan Zee Bridge and the /I-287 corridor, sponsored by MTA and New York Thruway Authority, has entered the Environmental Impact phase. The decision will almost surely involve new construction, essential to the improvement of our stunningly disconnected and inefficient transportation system.

FCWC became involved in the transportation wars in 1993 when it launched a campaign to halt the construction of a High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane on I-287, believing it was the wrong solution for the corridor. After four years of intense advocacy, Governor Pataki pulled the plug on the project and announced his intent to look at other solutions for the Tappan Zee Bridge and the I-287 corridor. The debate is now joined and it should be a clarion call to all environmentalists to study the issues and get involved.

Let’s look at each alternative with an eye to its physical as well as psychological practicality, and therefore its ability to reduce car travel, the source of much air pollution. All of the options contain some highway improvements which will not be detailed in this discussion:

1) Maintain existing conditions – this alternative is required in the EIS process. It is a non-starter given the conditions on the TZB, with hours-long back-ups, suicide attempts, vehicular fires, no pedestrian/biker access, no breakdown lane and no physical possibility of any transit without significant retrofitting. Endless repairs would contribute to existing gridlock.

2) Fix existing bridge - also a non-starter for the same reasons.

3) A replacement TZB with eight lanes and a bus rapid transit from Suffern to Port Chester – A new Tappan Zee Bridge will have eight unrestricted lanes plus a HOT lane in which high occupancy vehicles and those willing to pay more for a faster ride can opt in. The Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is a real contender because of Westchester Bee-Line’s involvement in the process. It would not create the desired rail network, requiring one to change modes throughout the corridor, moving from train to bus to train. With each change of mode there is a loss of riders. Buses should provide the connectors, not attempt to be the backbone of our regional transit system. Furthermore, there is little room on the corridor for a dedicated bus lane, required to make the bus ‘rapid’. (For the reader’s information the Bee-Line Bus has lost 2 1/2 million riders in the last 20 years).

4) A new bridge with a full-length commuter rail from Suffern to Port Chester, with a commuter connection to the Hudson Line from Rockland – this is the real solution, a missing rail link between five existing north/south rail lines, two in Rockland and three in Westchester. The east/west rail is the link that will allow one to travel throughout the northeast on a rail line. It would link four states - Connecticut, New Jersey, New York AND Pennsylvania, just across the Delaware River at Port Jervis. On the Tappan Zee Bridge 70 percent are traveling east and west, only 30 percent are heading to NYC. Nonetheless, there is a connection to Manhattan at Tarrytown in this alternative. It does nothing for Westchester but it is passionately wanted by Rockland.

5) A new bridge with commuter rail service to Tarrytown linking to the Hudson Line, a light rail connecting to the Tarrytown station and going to Port Chester – this bizarre alternative would demand a second rail system, requiring cross-corridor travelers to change trains twice, thus discouraging drivers from leaving their cars. Further, a light rail precludes the development of a comprehensive rail network because light rail and commuter rail cannot share the same tracks.

6) A new bridge with commuter rail service to Tarrytown with a transfer to the Hudson Line and a Bus Rapid Transit to White Plains and Port Chester – again, a non-starter because it does not address the needs of travelers going east and west, breaking up what should be a one-seat ride that could travel not only to White Plains and Port Chester, but from White Plains all the way to Stewart, an international airport, which is developing a rail connection to the existing Port Jervis Line in Orange County.

Well, there they are, the result of nearly six years of hard work by the consultants trying to create a solution that two authorities, one into rails and the other into roads, can live with. There is only one alternative that truly solves gridlock on the corridor. The fourth alternative, which connects five north/south rail lines, is the most constructive option. Without the connection, the region will continue to be choked with drivers who have no other option to get where they want to go. Environmentalists must become involved in this critical decision to make our region healthy for future generations.

Maureen Morgan is a transit advocate and FCWC Board member.

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Friends of Read Sanctuary Reports Progress at their Annual Meeting

By Warren Ross

This has been a good year for Friends of Read Wildlife Sanctuary and for the park this voluntary organization supports, president Gigi Pugh Sundstrom reported at its annual meeting in October.

Just last month, Friends started a new lecture series focusing on the flora, fauna, and ecology of Long Island Sound. Topics include research on invasive species, marine fisheries, and the Sound’s birds, as well as one on its marine mammals by board member and marine biologist Dr. Joy Reidenberg.

This series, says Sundstrom, illustrates how the Friends organization has successfully achieved most of its administrative objectives and can now concentrate on its educational and environmental programs. “This has been a 16-year effort, but we are finally at the end of a chapter,” she says.

The administrative issues she’s referring to include the residual complications of the way the sanctuary was created. Thanks to the efforts of Edith Read and Garrison R. Corwin, Jr., former president of both FCWC and Save the Sound, the park was carved out of Playland. The problem was that it had previously been used as a dumping ground, leaving disturbed soil that encourages the growth of invasive plants. Also, the only access is by way of Playland’s parking lot, and it took many years of effort to make sure that visitors find the sanctuary gates open seven days a week from dawn to dusk, and that Friends members have easy free access through the toll gates by using bar-coded membership cards. Non-members are welcome but must pay the Playland parking fee.

“With the help of Parks Commissioner Joe Stout,” says Sundstrom, “these issues have finally been resolved. And thanks to the efforts of Assemblyman George Latimer while he served on the County Board of Legislators, legislation was passed to dedicate the sanctuary in perpetuity. Special thanks are also due to vice president Marilyn Angell Borst, for her efforts in overseeing our membership needs.”.

The Interpretive Center, which was partially funded by the Friends organization, is open from 9 to 5 on Wednesday through Sunday, staffed by County curator Jason Klein, who sums up the help provided by the Friends as “a watchdog group, a supporting group, and a public advocate.” For instance, it was the Friends’ initiative to test the waters of Manursing Lake, which is part of the sanctuary, by designing a test protocol and paying for test equipment. “In 1996 there was a major fish kill,” Klein explains. “That really got the Friends going on water quality issues, and this equipment has enabled us to routinely monitor the lake’s oxygen level. Once oxygen levels fall, we ask Playland staff to open the tide gates to permit exchange of water between the Sound and the lake, and once a year I like to flush the lake to clean it out.”

Finally, Friends volunteers put in many hours maintaining trails and habitat and coping with invasive vegetation. Sundstrom pays special tribute to Ken Cook and John Mahnke for putting in untold hours year after year to make sure that visitors who come to observe the birds, enjoy the shore, or participate in educational programs find a well-run woods, marsh, and intertidal environment – one of the few along the Sound shore of Westchester still unspoiled.

Warren Ross is a member of the Board of FCWC

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County Proposes Limits on Air Taxis

By Carolyn Cunningham

More help may soon be on the way in controlling airport noise and other environmental impacts. The County administration has sent to the Board of Legislators (BOL) a proposed law that will help control some of the increasing numbers of air taxi flights at Westchester County Airport (WCA). Paid passenger flights in small planes are currently outside the reach of WCA’s longstanding “cap” on commercial airline flights.

Commercial airline flights comprise only about 25 percent of the total flights at the airport, while corporate jets and other general aviation aircraft make up the remainder. Total operations at WCA declined somewhat after September 11, 2001, as at all airports, but are rebounding now. In 2004 there were a total of 168,418 operations (down from 184,948 in 2001), of which 42,136 were commercial airline flights. Flights by small air taxis, such as flights to Nantucket this summer by Linear (using an eight- seat plane) have increased. As these flights are included within the general aviation category but not counted separately, the actual numbers of these flights are not now provided by the County.

The proposed law would add the larger air taxis (carrying more that 9 passengers) to the definition of “commercial flights” covered by the operating procedures at the terminal. These taxis would be required to operate out of the terminal like other passenger flights and be subject to the terminal limitations of the airport lottery and limitations of four flights and 240 passengers per half hour now. These limitations are now codified in the laws of Westchester County.

This is good news for all of us who oppose any expansion of WCA activity and work to control its environmental impacts on neighboring communities. FAA regulations appear to permit regulating planes with more that nine paid passengers, but not those with fewer.

At this writing, the proposed law is expected to have a public hearing by the BOL during November. FCWC strongly supports limiting the growth of all airport air traffic. Besides the impacts of noise and air pollution, water pollution in Blind Brook and possibly in the nearby Kensico Reservoir argue decisively against further growth at WCA. FCWC is considering the details and implications of the proposed legislation, and if appoved by the Board, FCWC will urge passage of this law. FCWC encourages its members to make their positions known to their legislators regarding the law. For more information contact the office at fcwc@fcwc.org.

Carolyn Cunningham is an FCWC Board member

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