disgusted, down and out in upstate NY

I am not quite sure the real reasons I stopped posting here... the subject line may or may not be exaggerated. It is not complete.

So why have I stopped posting? Those of us that live in Central NY are saying just "why?". Why do we live here?

The year 2006 statistically meant that over 250,000 NY people left the state. Oh but from where, it is asked. The city of New York has been increasing in population, so it is not from there. The suburbs of NY are upbeat and although people are thinking the big real estate boomlet is over, they are reluctant to beat it out of town.

So where is the people drain and where are they going?

Central NY -->>>>>>>> North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia. Any state but NY and anyplace but central NY.


Goodbye NY.

binghamton rates! in the best environment category

In Friday's paper it was printed that Binghamton rated 9nth as one of the greenest (eco friendly) cities in the US. Hooray, I said-- we get some recognition beyond our early St. Patrick's day parade!

It is from the magazine Country Living. Does anyone read this magazine? Actually, I subscribe to this magazine and never noticed Binghamton being mentioned in the pages. Most of the magazine is about the great second homes that dot the country from New England to Montana to the Hamptons. Yes, mostly second homes. If they are first homes, then they are the homes of people that no longer need to work for a living. I like reading the magazine, despite the focus on the wealthy. "Living in the Country for the Rich and Sometimes Famous" could be the title of the magazine.

So, why does Binghamton make the list? I would expect them to say "Burlington, Vermont" or "Ithaca, NY for the most obvious reasons. But Binghamton?

Now, I know we have some things going on here that are good for the earth -- like our great recycling programs. But, Oh shucks... I mean why would Country Living notice?

I am hoping to find out a little more about it!

Does anyone from Country Living want to stop by my house? I am a long term subscriber. I would like to tell you more about the NYRI powerlines that threaten our area and neighboring areas. I would like to tell you about the RR trains that are parking in Chenango Forks along RT 12 -- they certainly look like they are full of deadly chemicals.

I would like to show you some good stuff, too. But really, how did you make the decision? We ranked 9 out of 379?




THE TOP 10 'GREEN PLACES'
Country Home magazine will publish a list of the "Best Green Places" in its April edition. The top rankings among 379 metropolitan areas are:



1. Burlington, Vt.

2. Ithaca

3. Corvallis, Ore.

4. Springfield, Mass.

5. Wenatchee, Wash.

6. Charlottesville, Va.

7. Boulder, Colo.

8. Madison, Wis.

9. Binghamton

10. Champaign-Urbana, Ill.

Too few transmission lines to generators outside the state limits access to renewable power

The subject says it all! NYRI is using just this in their public relations campaign in Washington for the 200 mile HVDC electrical transmission line they plan on building from Utica to Orange County. And now they are saying their powerlines are green and will carry renewable power, like power from wind farms.

It turns out there is some truth to the reality that wind farms may need more electrical transmission lines if they are to deliver the power to urban areas (like Los Angeles or New York City). The target areas may not be capable or willing to generate their own wind power. There have been offshore projects that propose generating wind out in the ocean, requiring some kind of transmission lines to be built in the ocean to the shore. These projects are very controversial on Long Island and Massachusetts. Mostly they are controversial on the grounds that wind towers will spoil the waterfront and spoil recreational ocean use. I have not read too many objections to the transmission lines to land, but maybe these are secondary concerns.

In the meantime, Central NY has a power line project on the table. NYRI wants to build a new powerline that will start in Marcy near Utica) and end up in Orange County. Its purpose is to bring power to the northern suburbs on NY. They may need more power to continue their suburban growth.

NYRI is using some studies that show the metropolitan region will need more power within the next 10 years. Since this area has been incredibly slow building power generating plants, this investment group sees an easy profit in providing a quicker solution. Money can be made in the short term selling energy to this growing market of electrical hogs. (NYRI calls the city one of the largest users of electrical power in the world).

Will NYC care about where the electricity is generated or mind paying too much for it? Probably not, if no other sources are available. Will they build their own power generation plants if they can get the power from upstate or Canada via transmission lines? The incentive of building their own plants will be lessened if they can just buy the power.

Buying the power from Canada or outside the region has its risks for NY. But then again, NYC has taken these very same risks with their water supply. They have allowed all their water to be supplied by upstate NY and they are not concerned by their lack of resources. They will sleep well in their air conditioned apartments with power from upstate NY, too.

NYRI is smart to make the wind power tie in. I tip my hat to their logic.

But, in reality, NYRI is not supporting wind power, coal, hydro power, tire burning, methane gas or any particular means of generating power. They are just building a power line and their bottom line is the price they buy to the price they sell at. The profit margin is what they care about. Is their investment profitable?


The subject line for this rant was taken from an article about wind generation and power lines in a different state -- California. It is interesting only for the comparison, which is scary.

A patchwork of powerlines to cities in the US is just a bandaid. Cities need to start solving their future energy needs with more than a 10 year plan. Building transmission lines long distances to pull in energy generated by another area or another country will be creating more future problems for the next generation to solve.

LA needs powerlines from distant places to solve their local energy consumption needs. Because the local power grid is a mess, and the utility companies are irresponsible, solve the problem with transmisson lines and buy power from profit making investment firms that build them. (Not exactly a summary -- but one of the points made in the article)

War with Iran?... US supporting terrorists to promote more war in the Middle East?

I am trying to keep up with the developments in the Middle East. Although I am doing this daily, I am not posting much of it here -- most of the stories are covered well in the news sites (not the network new sites).


I am very worried about the neocon plan to involve Iran in the conflict -- we are in Afganistan, Iraq, next is Iran and Syria according to the long range plan I have read about for a number of years. Sure, we are not winning yet -- but maybe winning a clear war is not the strategy of our current administration. Stirring things up so we have the most influence in the region is a goal in itself.

I am disturbed by Dick Cheney's talk in Australia saying that war with Iraq is an option. I am concerned with the comment of Prez Bush that nuclear war could be an option with Iran if they try to develop their nuclear weapons. Did you know that Nobel Laureates from Cornell have petitioned congress for a binding resolution to prohibit the use of nuclear weapons against a country that does not have nuclear weapons? This petition came about after Prez Bush's comments about the possibility of a nuclear strike.

Here is another disturbing link in today's paper. I will go out and buy this week's New Yorker to read the whole article but it is posted at the New Yorker web site.

Here is a link to a summary of one of the issues in Seymour Hersh's article. Watch the video and read the transcript. If you are still interested, visit the New Yorker web site.
Cornell Physicists against Nuclear Weapons use against non-nuclear nations
U.S. Funds Being Secretly Funneled To Violent Al Qaeda-Linked Groups
The New Yorker original article The Redirection by Seymour Hersh

lots more snow on the east coast

I was thinking the area was like the North Pole this morning as I drove along Rt 79 W to Ithaca, NY. Here is proof from the scientists.

The picture is from the NASA observatory.
The link for the original is here

is the end of winter near?

The news of the week was the I-76 fiasco that held up traffic. The road looked like a very bad version of rush hour (for 14 hours) or the traffic to a music festival (The phish concert in Florida comes to my mind).

Years ago, I travelled on Easter Sunday from Virginia. When I reached Harrisburg, Pa on Rt 81 the air became "foggy" with light snow. Travelling on Rt 81 North out of Harrisburg is a long hill of miles, changing altitude and weather patterns. No snow plows in sight, but the road became deeper and deeper with the powdery stuff.

Mentally, I was thinking about the length of the drive to Binghamton and feeling fatigued. Suddenly, traffic slowed down and all cars cautiously passed 3 or 4 vehicles that were 180 degrees the wrong way. Breathing a sigh of relief, I thought I needed a break. The snow appeared to be 12 inches deep and no plows yet. Maybe if I get off at the next rest area, it will give the plows some time to make the road passable.

The exit was Ravine, Pa. The little rest area is aptly named as it feels like it is a little low spot in the mountains. The snow was coming down like a blizzard at this time. I gratefully get on line to buy a soda at the truck stop. Suddenly someone is talking to me on the line. He is saying "
Which way are you going?". I mumble, "North to Binghamton". He says very quietly, "Don't try it as all the cars are at a standstill. You cannot get through". He said this so quietly I almost did not get it. Almost.... Then, I went into robot mode. To the phone booth and call home and say " I will be home tomorrow as I am staying overnight". I get in the car and drive on the side road along Rt 81 down hill. I do not see any place to stay. Back on Rt 81 South to the nearest Hershey, Pa exit. At last, an exit with hotels. I arrive in the Hotel (I think it was a Days Inn) and breathlessly request a room. It looks empty. The room is $45. It is definitely off season. I say to the staff "Get ready! All the Easter Sunday traffic will be here shortly". The staff does not believe me.

My daughter is with me and we quickly go to our rooms. We cross the road and have a nice dinner at the Holiday Inn across the street. We observe the dining room filling up. We get our check and hear the waitress saying they are running out of food. We go out to the lobby -- People are being told "no more rooms". The hotel graciously provides the lobby as the people have no place to go.

Thanks to that quiet spoken trucker in the rest stop at Ravine! I wish I got your name.

It turns out, the people on Rt 81 North of Ravine all drove into a massive traffic jam. The snow plows could not plow the road that day. The people sat in their cars the entire night with whatever they had with them to keep warm and eat. (Did people even have water bottles then?) No rescue came and only a helicopter came through looking for anyone waving them down for medical emergencies.

The next day, the pay loaders and heavy duty equipment dug their way in. People were taken out. Later, their vehicles were dug out, too.

I drove home via Allentown and Rt 76, too. It was open that time although abandoned cars were still on the shoulder.

Lessons were learned by me! Bring blankets and water when travelling in Pa. And most important of all -- don't keep going!!! No one may be coming to get you for a long, long time.

Turn around when you can.

You might think the Interstate should be better than this -- but don't test it unless you are prepared for a long night in your car.

Mr. Foxman -- If Tupper Lake does not glitter, come to Broome for gold

Mr. Foxman:

I have been reading the news articles about your company of venture capitals (I mean, investors) that are purchasing a large tract of logging land in Tupper Lake to reinvent into a recreational hideaway for the rich. You are a resourceful group with a good idea, but you are taking the idea to the wrong area of NY.

In case you have not noticed, the history of the Adirondacks and state politics will both combine into failure for your plans. There is just too much opposition. Do you know your plans are akin to what Walt Disney did to Orlando? Except Orlando was not the vacation homeland for generations of Rockefellers and other wealthy New Yorkers. Disneyworld would have never been started in the Adirondacks and you won't get there either.

Alternatively, I am welcoming you to the Broome County, NY area. We have many of the same qualities of the Adirondack mountains but we can go one step further -- we are a 3 hour drive from NYC and New Jersey and we are connected by the US interstate system (I-88, I-81, and soon to be name, I-86). That spells "WEEKEND RETREAT".

The actual city of Binghamton may not be attactive to your investors because of its urban character. It is improving but it is not what your clientele of people are looking for. The people you want to attract are more interested in skilled hunting, boating, restaurants, night clubs, hiking, snow shoeing, skiiing, bicycling, wine tasting..... Broome County and surrounding areas have large tracts of lands (former farms rather than logging tracts) that can be purchased. True, you probably can't buy 6,000 acres in one piece -- but really, maybe you don't need the size of Rhode Island to get started with your project? Here in Broome County, there are plenty of rural areas with farms to buy. And some of the land is beautiful.


We do not have the large lakes that the Adirondacks have. That could be a problem if people are looking for water experience. Tupper Lake is not very large, however so the water is not the biggest attraction. I noticed that your plans include building a pool and a rec center. You must realize that people from the metro area like swimming pools rather than swimming in lakes that are tinted brown or are not clear to the bottom. If you are going to build pools and a fitness center, you can do that here in Broome County, too. One of the most desirable places in the country is Boulder, Colorado -- a city with little water and no lakes or rivers to swim in. Its fitness centers are primo and are augmented by a wonderful trail system for hikers and bicycles.

I would say that Broome County can be the next Boulder of the East Coast. It has the highway system to get here. It has restaurants. It has a University. It has music (Binghamton Symphony, the Night Eagle, the Tri Cities Opera, lots of bars with good music). We have woods and fields, and farmland. It is beautiful here and there are miles of country roads to drive on. There are deer and some bear. We have eagles and perigrine falcons.

And most importantly, we have alot of people here that would want you to come. We could use a ski area if you wanted to build one -- but I doubt people would make you promise to keep it open for 50 years. We would hope it would be profitable to do so.

In Broome County, we do not get alot of attention from the NYS DEC and we do not have an APA. None of our land is in the plan called the Open Space Plan for New York State. The government of NY has largely ignored us and has not included our area in their preservation plans. Despite that, we have some beautiful land, much of it private.

Someone in Tupper Lake said that poverty is not beautiful. I agree with that sentiment. Our towns can use beautificaton and more than just cosmetics. Broome County is officially part of the Appalachian (Appalachian Counties of New York: Allegany, Broome, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Otsego, Schoharie, Schuyler, Steuben, Tioga, and Tompkins) I do not really understand why Tupper Lake wants to claim to be the poorest area of the state. For years, the people of the Adirondacks have wanted to claim this title. Possibly, an official designation of poverty means more funding or locating state facilities such as prisons.

Broome County has had many economic setbacks for the last 25 years. We did not lose a ski area as Tupper Lake did as we never had one here. (There was a small ski area that served the Town of Binghamton that has been closed for 25 years). Our economic setbacks were due to changes when manufacturing plants closed, shrunk or relocated. Many people left and others stayed on. For those that stayed on, the next generation left for better jobs.

Broome County has lost population. Besides manufacturing, the changes have come to the farms in the last 25 years. There are very few farms that are self supporting in Broome County. There is lots of farmland and woods. There is a movement back to farming again and some people are moving here and trying to make a go of dairy farming and organic farming. It is tough to do this and most need another non-farming income to keep their efforts going.

The land is cheap here as compared to the rest of the East Coast. Houses are inexpensive. We are one of the affordable housing areas in the US.

As in the rest of NY, property taxes are outrageous. They are probably not too different that what you are getting in Tupper Lake.

I am sorry about that last statement. Your development will not be paying any property taxes in Tupper Lake because of the deal you are making with Franklin County and the Town of Tupper Lake. That might be an important difference in the Adirondacks, as I am not sure Broome County would just let you come here without paying any taxes at all. I am not sure of that - but nothing is impossible. Just recently, the City of Binghamton acquired the Regency Hotel as the company (Sarbro) did not pay back their federal loans. It turned out the City of Binghamton had backed that loan. If the company defaulted, then the City of Binghamton has to pay back. Now, the city owns the Regency Hotel. (Maybe you would like to purchase that hotel? It is for sale. It has a nice pool, too)

I hope you will come to visit this area. Even if you would not pursue all the opportunities here, I would be happy to show you around. And if you don't come, I will continue to enjoy the swimming pools, rural roads, local wineries, farms and produce, local arts and crafts and just the general upstate feeling that we have here.


And that is the difference between us and Tupper Lake. If things did not work out for a development here, I would not be blaming you, the environmentalists, the towns people or anyone. I would just wait and enjoy what I can from this great area. I would not hate my neighbors or blame some government agency.


So, if things don't work out for you in Tupper Lake, you might want to take a look at the Appalachian Counties in NY.

And one last thing I should mention. I love Tupper Lake and visit there as much as possible in the summer. But if I lived there year round, I would say the same thing to you. I would invite you to come visit and show you around. I would not be begging you to come and develop the land. If you wanted to do that, I would consider very carefully your offer. I would not be pleading and I would not be getting you to sign agreements to keep ski areas open. (Of course, those agreements will be void once your company does not exist). I am not sure how smart it would be for any county or town to promise tax exemptions for your development when they are responsible for roads and infrastucture after construction is complete. We might not have an APA here, but people do not want to be taken for a ride. I hope we can play the game smarter, but I am not certain of that.

I wishing to hear from you *if* you are still interested.

And if you get permission to develop the 6000+ acres of Tupper Lake, please keep in mind that not all the the visitors to the town are rich or even want to be.

And although I think it unlikely, I hope you keep your roads ungated. (Gates seem to be an adirondack tradition brought by the whitneys, litchfields, rockefellers...) Please break with this Adirondack tradition.


If you want gates, stay in the metro area, PLEASE! We don't need them in Central NY either.

Night Eagle Cafe is moving to Bingo (binghamton)

There is a coffee house in the little town of Oxford (Rt 12 near Norwich) that has been the one of my favorite places for over 10 years. It's name is the Night Eagle (another name for the owl). I started going there to see Vance Gilbert -- a folk/comedian. I know, folk musicians are supposed to be sad creatures -- how did the folk scene end up with a comedian?). Vance sings original folk music which is very serious, but his performances are peppered with his quips and jokes. He is great and he is appearing there this month (December 22) for the last show in Oxford, NY.

I am glad Ken has found a new home in a bigger town. The cafe needs the exposure and the audience. But I am feeling a little nostalgia towards Oxford and the performances I have attended there.

It is a bittersweet announcement.

NYRI may be in trouble if they are going to depend upon Ferc

The newspaper(Middletown) printed a story about how the Feds may be getting too much pushback from the states (and maybe the incoming democrats?) about the provision in the Federal Energy Act of 2005. This provision would allow FERC to override the state process to oversee the building of new power transmission lines if the "national interest" is involved.

Not much has been in the news lately about NYRI. Indirectly, the appointment of Pataki of a new PSC chair is being discussed. Generally, this is seen as a bad thing for a lame duck governor to be appointing someone to this position. Spitzer can change this apppointment under some conditions -- but wouldn't it be a nicer gesture if the position is just left vacant until the new governor takes his position? The Governor wants a crony appointed now.

the troll bridges

An unusually warm morning is prompting me to think "spring". Instead, I am thinking of the trolls.

The trolls always live by bridges and collect tolls from passerbys. You can't pass over the bridge unless you pay them. They are frightening creatures and I would pay just to get away from them.

Today, I was thinking of the trolls that may live under the bridges of the RR track. These are human trolls and probably live in the area or are just passing through. Normally, they are not around on the first of December or the end of November. The trolls do not wander in the freezing temperatures.

One day this week I was walking near one of the two troll bridges. This one is an overpass. The underside is frequently used by teenagers in the evening and the trolls when vacant.

The troll was there. Unseen. He did not come out and ask for anything. He was a watching troll only and was hiding in the fog and shadows.


I knew the troll was there. My dogs knew he was there.

His one mistake -- the troll wears a digital watch that chimes on the hour. Amazing how piercing this sound is in the early morning hours. It must have startled the troll, too.


Hey troll, come on out and let us see you.

NY times offers suggestion for "helping" upstate NY

In Sunday's op ed section of the NY Times, I found this piece. The NYT is giving advice on economic development that will "help" upstate NY.


Jobs would just be automagically generated when all the people are settled in!

Hopefully, the Spitzer team will come up with a plan that includes an approach that does not depend upon low income housing developments.

Didn't we just do the same thing with Pataki? -- my mistake, that was the prison building plan for upstate NY.


link (which will disappear soon but you still need a login to use)
**********************************************************************
November 19, 2006
Op-Ed Contributor
Building Prosperity
By ROLAND LEWIS

GAZING from his office in Albany in January, Gov. Eliot Spitzer will look out over two distinct states. Downstate, including New York City and the surrounding suburbs, is enjoying the best of times. Real estate and businesses are booming from Westchester to Long Island, population continues to grow, and the unemployment rate in New York City dipped below the national rate in September and hit 4.1 percent in October, its lowest level in 30 years. Downstate is reaping the rewards of sustained economic growth.

Upstate is another story. Amid an unrelenting economic downturn, towns and cities are crumbling, and residents are fleeing in search of steady jobs. The economic challenges facing the two regions of the state differ radically. But if Mr. Spitzer looks back, he will see a strong resemblance between the upstate of today and the downstate of yesteryear. He may also see the seeds of renewal.

In the mid-1970s, New York City was in deep fiscal trouble. Businesses were pulling up stakes and taking their jobs and taxes with them, middle-class people were moving away in droves, buildings were abandoned, neighborhoods were decaying.

That’s when a bold new chief executive stepped in. Like Eliot Spitzer, Mayor Ed Koch, elected in 1977, faced tough economic challenges. He wisely pursued a course that helped end the fiscal crisis, rebuild vibrant neighborhoods and pave the way to prosperity for New York City and its suburbs. His policy: leveraging the economic power of thousands of abandoned buildings and parcels of vacant land.

The Koch administration created the largest affordable housing program in city history, investing $5.1 billion to create 150,000 homes. We are enjoying the results today, with revitalized neighborhoods flourishing from East Tremont to East New York. That renaissance helped fuel a regional economy that is the largest and most vibrant in the nation.

That’s a key lesson for Mr. Spitzer: Housing development begets economic development.

When dollars flow into the construction trades, their economic benefits are multiplied many times over as construction drives up the demand for goods and services. In turn, new homeowners require additional goods and services, fostering still more business growth. Public revenue is generated throughout, with income taxes, property taxes and sales taxes all feeding public coffers.

In a study released this year, the Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy at New York University found that subsidized housing investments lead to tax revenue in excess of the original subsidies. Indeed, subsidies “aimed at distressed urban properties can deliver significant benefits,” the study said. “Thus, cities may be able to use housing subsidies to serve two purposes — to create new, affordable housing units for qualified recipients and to revitalize urban neighborhoods.”

Other experts agree that housing development spurs economic gains. Nationally, a $5 billion investment in housing would directly create 184,300 jobs and almost $5 billion in wages, according to a 2001 report by the Center for Community Change, which based its findings on a federal Department of Commerce model.

Similarly, the National Association of Home Builders estimates that building 100 single-family homes in a typical metropolitan area will generate, in its first year, $16 million in local income and $1.8 million in taxes and government revenue like permits and fees. In addition, such construction would create 284 jobs in year one.

Eliot Spitzer has a unique opportunity to create a substantial housing development program that will return New York State to the best of times. This is an initiative that will work in every corner of the Empire State.

Decent housing for working New Yorkers is desperately needed everywhere. New York City has nearly 10,000 homeless families living in shelters. On Long Island, average rent for a two-bedroom apartment exceeds the monthly income of many seeking apartments.

Upstate, housing development will lead to economic revival. Downstate, by providing significant affordable housing, the Spitzer administration can help alleviate an overheated market across the metropolitan region, one that continues to squeeze out low-income New Yorkers and even the working and middle classes.

Mr. Spitzer should use New York’s capital to create a community development legacy that will benefit all New Yorkers.

Proposal for Developing Adirondacks/Tupper Lake unchanged

I have been quiet lately about this issue but it is back in the news in the Adirondack region. Last week, another application was submitted to the Adirondack Park Agency to develop the 6,400 (approx) acres around Mount Morris in Tupper Lake.

The proposal is amazing and so ridiculous that I CANNOT believe the Mr. Foxman (what an appropriate name!) can submit it with a straight face.

The unbelievable part is the man expects to be funded by public bonds for 20 years. In fact, these public bonds will be the money that finances the project while Mr. Foxman and friends take in all the initial profits of the land sales. Those profits will be for the sale of 740 single residences (homes and townhouses) at exorbitant New York City real estate prices. The scheme is to sell these properties to dim witted downstaters that mistakenly believe that recreational property in the North Country is worth the same price as beachfront! (but oh, they are told -- no hurricanes or high insurance!). These dummies will line up to buy into these tax free havens that will feature motor boating, ski mobiling, ATV'ing, and snowboarding and skiing.

As they are lining up with their cash down, Mr. Foxman will be slyly taking the bond money in to build the roads and infrastuctures that are required to get this going. The taxpayers will be fronting all of this part of the development. And what will the taxpayers be getting for this? A promise that in 20 years, the new homeowners will just start paying property tax.

This real estate scheme seems to be played over and over -- just the characters change. Will people ever learn? How many more Poconos need to be developed and then abandoned. Will all you people that bought into these developments on the PA/NJ border and Poconos PLEASE step forward and say "This has happened to us. We were left with worthless homes, unfinished golf courses and manmade lakes with no swimming areas. Our investments are worth nothing. The developer is bankrupt and we own a house in an unfinished resort".

This is what is happening to Tupper Lake.


I feel sorry for the people of Tupper Lake. They want to believe. But they cannot afford to believe.

Wake up.


Please see these my biased choice of links (you should do more of your own research)
Project status today November 15
Mr. Foxman's criminal record (ahh... give the guy a break!)
Commentary from one organization against the project

New york state parks underfunded

The title says what is obvious. New York State has alot of state parks. The newer ones might be in the best shape. Others have become a maintenance problems despite efforts of staff and even volunteers. Our local park (Chenango Valley) has a golf course, beach area, campground and about a 1000 acres of woodland to maintain. Many of the buildings were erected in the days of the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps). Chenango Valley State Park was visited by the team during the study.

Financing and staffing the park system is a problem.

I spotted the headline today and heard a short report on the radio this morning.

Another new environmental type group named Parks and Trails New York has caught the attention of today's news stories.
The report on state parks is a mid-sized pdf file.


I had never heard of this group but they have been active and based in Albany. They have numerous and interesting publications.


And what about taking care of new state parks? Just last year, Pataki announced plans on adding another new park near Waverly, NY. Pataki has been great in acquiring new public land around the state. It will be harder to develop and staff another new state park.

Developing the public lands and parks means creating infrastructure. NY has never been so great about maintenance, even when charging entrance fees (or tolls, too).

Maybe the state parks department needs a new master plan? I have not investigated what is out at their website. The timing of the report by this group cannot be just a coincidence, can it? One week after the election results are announced, so is the report. The timing is fortunate for the Spitzer team to look at the state park system and how it is supported. Some fresh ideas are needed. (Hopefully, the Spitzer brains will not suggest doing the hospital thing -- "close 'em down!")

Another upstate blogger has posted some comments about volunteers helping out. I would rather see a real plan in place, which might include a real plan for what volunteers realistically can accomplish. As an old school board member, I heard alot of tall stories about all the good volunteers can do. They can do alot of good, but realism must prevail. I have done a number of volunteer activities and in this area of NY, most volunteers are grey haired and retired. And these are not the retirees that still need to hold down paying jobs! Much of the work in parks requires some brawn and sweat. If volunteers can be used, maybe something like Americorps on a state scale can be done. Young and old can participate, but young people may be drawn to the style of Americorps team work.

And who said the CCC was just for the depression years! It just morphed to Vista/Americorp and whatever next comes along doing the same thing with a different name.

NYT article -- Adirondack/Tupper Resorts threaten Park

Today's article highlights the development of the Adirondacks. The article pulls together a summary of several large scale developments proposed in the Adirondacks. One of the largest one is in Tupper Lake.

The Adirondacks is threatened by the continued real estate boom. So far, the real estate slump has not hit the area. Timber companies are divesting large tracts of land to whomever wants them. They are being sold in large parcels. The state can only buy a small portion for the forest preserve. The rest is up for grabs.

Because the economy is not thriving, the local people are willing to develop recreational properties. They need something to support them. As in the rest of upstate NY, the young people are leaving the area. Local people feel the beauty of the region coupled with a ski resort or a conference center might attract people back to their small towns and villages.

The Adirondack Park agency is ill equipped to protect the Park. They are used to dealing with smaller scale development and permits (ie on the scale of a dock or garage). They are underfunded and undersupported by the state and the local governments.

the article from the Times
printable link that needs no login
North Country Public Radio audio report on how Preserve Associates "rammed" their proposal into quick acceptance from the zoning board and town board in Tupper Lake

living in NYC -- we need the power

I was talking to my brother on the phone about the NYRI powerlines. He suggested that in NYC they really do need the power. He lives in Queens and has been reading news articles claiming the demands on electrical power in New York City will overtake the supply.

He suggested I put my house on the market right away and not tell anyone about the power lines.

I hope you don't know where I live. Buyer Beware.

I plan on selling to someone from downstate for alot of money.

and why is New York different than Wisconsin?

This is a photo I took a couple of weeks ago on Rt 79 in Chenango Forks, about a half mile from Rt 12. The RR corridor cannot be seen but is nearby -- the branch to Syracuse just lies across the river, and the branch to Norwich is about a half mile. The scene is so bucolic, why would it ever change?

Dairy farming is big in NY and Wisconsin and so are electric transmission lines.

an electrical transmission project in wisconsin -- can we learn something from them?

When I first spotted the controversy in building a 220 mile transmission line in Wisconsin (American Transmission Company), I thought there were differences. It appeared that public support was there and the company was a state owned company.

But the American Transmission Company does look like NYRI in some ways. The are a group of investors and their only business is building transmission lines, not power generation. The suggestion was made (on a blog) the lines would eventually bring power from Canada to the Chicago area. And many people were convinced the transmission lines are not needed. Environmental groups wanted to look at other options than a proliferation of old technology power lines.

The thing is -- this line is being built right now and they will be done very soon.
And they are not stopping at just this one line. They plan on continuing building transmission lines. (I wonder if this is just the first of NYRI's projects, too?)

The similarities are very eerie. See for yourself.

The 220 mile project is nearing completion
American Transmission Site
Stop ATC site
Wake up Wisconsin
This is a link to a recent news article about another new line

strong coalition is needed to fight nyri powerlines

I like to read about the history of social movements, one being the environmental movement. One of my favorite subjects is reading about the preservation movement in the Adirondacks. Most people agree, the groups have done a good job but they can never rest. And they do not see eye to eye. In fact, some groups will pretend another does not exist if they disagree on a topic. An example of this is the Adirondack (ADK) mountain club will not put a link on its page to the Adirondack Council. They disagree over the Bush administration's Clear Skies legislation. Both groups support preserving wilderness and likely agree on many other issues.

Occasionally, there will be some big issue that will pull together these groups into a coalition or at least a loosely organized special interest. Usually it is something perceived as a threat to them all.


The NYRI project faces opposition from many localized grass roots organizations and a few environmental organizations. When the threat of the powerlines is great, they will pull together and meet. This seemed to be happening on a regular basis on a local level.

The NY state legislature did their bit to fight NYRI. The governor made a ceremony out of signing the bill and declaring NYRI powerlines dead in NY. I thought the statement would do us a disservice as it meant there was no more war. He declared victory before the issue has been resolved.

NYRI is fighting its battle on the federal level. The state of NY has done it a favor by codifying their opposition to the powerlines. Now, they can say that NY is not cooperating in solving the energy needs of its downstate population. They are asking the federal government to step in and overrule the Public Service Commission and the Legislature. They are asking for a special designation from the DOE to be declared an NIETC -- National Interest Electrical Transmission Corridor which will allow FERC to direct and smooth the way for the power lines.

In their letter to the DOE, dated 10/10/2006, NYRI asks for this designation for their proposed route *OR* a wider corridor that includes the alternate route. They are asking for either to be designated. See page 591 in the very large pdf file. It is very worthwhile to read this letter.

NYRI plans will override what the legislature and Governor has done so far. They can override the Public Service Commission if they have this designation.

It might still all end up in a courtroom -- but it will be a federal court. The battle will not be fought at the state level any longer.

Let's see where all are regional groups are standing on this. I really don't know what is in the works. The events are still happening at a local level with state legislators contributing their effort. This is all we have right now. Really, we are just a bunch of citizen groups with some legislators helping. And we have the county and town legislators, too.

And we may have our Senators, too. But the heat is on at the federal level now. Will either of our 2 senators be coming to any of the meetings we are having? Will they be holding their own meetings about NYRI?

Hillary and Chuck -- I hope you will be attending this week and participating. Or send one of your aides but let us know someone is there!

Please don't let the fact that moderator is a Republican stop you from participating in an event that should be non-partisan.

A coalition is needed to fight the next battle.



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Crouch to moderate at NYRI info meeting Oct. 25

By: Michael McGuire, Sun Staff Writer

Published on: Monday, October 16, 2006

NORWICH – With an apparent lull in activity, opponents of the New York Regional Interconnection have momentarily focused their aim away from the Albany power purveyor, and set their sights on the local citizenry.

Local experts along with county and state officials are planning to meet Oct. 25 at Norwich High School for an informational meeting to update the public, take questions and provide answers on the current status of the $1.6 billion power line proposal. NYRI will not be invited to formally speak at the event.

“People need to understand where we are at this point,” said Assemblyman Cliff Crouch (R-Guilford), the meeting’s organizer and scheduled moderator. “This issue hasn’t gone away ... we need to stay focused and we need the people focused with us.”

The decision to hold a public forum in Chenango County comes in response to two earlier local hearings – one held by NYRI in May, the other by the state’s Senate Energy Committee in June that fostered little to no constructive public interaction

hunting near residential homes

Last year, a man and his son were hunting on the RR tracks and close to the back of my property. The RR tracks are private property, of course and you can only hunt there with permission.

In the meantime, here is the NY DEC regulation for hunting and the distance from residential houses. I did not give consent to hunt in my backyard and I do not have to post my property as the line is not more than 500 feet from my residence.

I hope the guy with the gun does not come back this year. I do not live in the middle of the country. I live in a suburban area and close to a school campus. I should not have to worry about someone shooting in my backyard.

It is too bad that some hunters can't follow the rules. The majority know the rules and follow them.




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Discharge of Firearms and Bows

It is illegal to discharge a firearm or bow:

* so that the load or arrow passes over any part of a public highway,
* within 500 feet of any school, playground, or an occupied factory or church,
* within 500 feet of a dwelling, farm building or structure in occupation or use unless you own it, lease it, are an immediate member of the family, an employee, or have the owner's consent.
* You may hunt waterfowl, over water, within 500 feet of a dwelling or public structure as long as neither are within 500 feet in the direction you are shooting.

Boreal wild land in northern NY -- motorized access will be encouraged if DEC plan adopted

There is no classified "boreal" area in the Binghamton area. When I think of this term, I think of the northwoods in Canada.

There is a boreal region in upper NY which is not far from the Canadian border. The region is largely unknown to many in the Southern Tier. I can get you there by road -- it is north of Tupper Lake on Rt 56 to Potsdam. (And Potsdam just follow Rt 56 to Sevey's Corners -- you will be passing by the boreal region). From Binghamton, take Rt 81 N to Watertown and Rt 3 East to Rt 56 and drive just north -- you will be there.

This is a special area of NY. It is the watershed area drained by the Raquette River which begins around Long Lake, NY and travels north to the St. Lawrence River. Much of the river is known to canoists in the Long Lake and Tupper Lake regions. North of Tupper Lake, the Raquette is a series of dams and reservoirs controlled by the Brookfield Corporation of Ontario, Canada. The land surrounding this area is the "boreal region" that is now being considered by the NYSDEC for a new management plan. Most of these forests were logged and owned by logging companies. The logging companies have been divesting their holdings and NY state has been acquiring the properties through purchases and easements. (Sorry for the sad summary as the land purchases and easements are much more complicated than a blogger can explain in this format)

The management plan document makes noises about preserving the area for boreal birds and forest. The trouble with all this -- politics is interfering with the best interests of the forest and boreal habitat.

The north country is also used by recreational interests and they are not the snowshoers and canoeists of the Long Lake/Tupper area. The recreational interests are the motorized recreational vehicles -- gas powered racing machines that patrol the groomed trails further south. ATVs in the summer, spring and fall, and snowmobiles in the winter months when the snow depth is too deep to traverse the trails.

The problem with the north country is access. Road and trails might be ok but rivers are a problem. A "bridge to nowhere" needs to be built. The term nowhere has meant various things in US history --- once nowhere was anywhere where there were no settlers and now it means anywhere where there are no motorized vehicles. So, a bridge is need to traverse the Raquette River with snowmobiles and ATVS. The boreal forest will be quiet no longer. A bridge will make it easy for the motorized vehicle to enter the area.


Please read about one of the last rare regions in NY state. If you think we should ride over the area in motorized "off the road" vehicles, then you will be satisfied. If you are concerned that this is one of the "last great places in NY" you will write to the DEC and anyone in the State Legislator and tell them -- save the wilderness character of the land.

We are getting too crowded here in the US and we need this land for what is left of the wildlife in the Eastern United States. How much wilderness can be left now that we are a country of 300 million? And we will reach 400 million in 40 years or less if our demographers are correct.

It is important not to trample the boreal forest with our motorized recreational vehicles.

Please send the DEC your comments!

DEC will be accepting public comments until October 20, 2006. Written comments should be sent to:
Keith Rivers
New York State DEC
7327 State Route 812
Lowville, NY 13367
or e-mailed comments can be sent to: r6ump@gw.dec.state.ny.us


Here are some other related links
The DEC Raquette River Draft Unit Management Plan Web Page
The Adirondack Conservancy
The Adirondack Council web page on the Raquette River Boreal region
Land reclassification from 2005 APA -- see the champion and lassiter section relating to the Raquette River area (boreal forest)
Sierra Club Web Page describing the importance of boreal forests
Boreal Birds
Cornell University Lab of Orinthology Boreal Wildlife