Staten Island Greenbelt habitat in jeopardy

PETITION (LEFT LOWER SIDEBAR) ---> http://www.savepouch.com/index.html


For a visual of the property on a trail map, look at Boy Scout Pouch Camp to the right of "Bloodroot Valley". The private camp lies in the heart of the Greenbelt

http://www.sigreenbelt.org/Trails/trailmap.pdf

Conjuring environmental battles of decades past, a Scout camp's proposed sale imperils a key piece of the Staten Island Greenbelt

By Karen O'Shea

November 25, 2009,

The Boy Scouts of America is looking to sell Pouch Camp.STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. --

It's the worst time to ask the city and state to pony up $30 million to buy Pouch Camp in the Greenbelt -- a unique Staten Island wilderness that has been used by thousands of Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts for nearly 60 years -- but that's precisely what the Greater New York Councils Boy Scouts of America is doing now. And if the Boy Scouts don't get government to pay for a conservation easement to preserve the campgrounds, the nonprofit will sell the 120-acre William H. Pouch Scout Camp and 20-acre Ohrbach Lake to private developers. Boy Scout executives said yesterday that the Island camp is one of only two key assets that can be leveraged to raise funds for the cash-strapped organization. "It's certainly not a threat. It's absolutely very real," William Kelly, a Boy Scouts spokesman, said of the announcement that the organization would begin marketing the wooded property off Manor Road for sale. "We don't want the outcome to be a sale of the property. We want the outcome to be a conservation easement that preserves the land for children in perpetuity, but if that doesn't happen we have to look at other options and the other options are a full or partial sale," he added. Yesterday's press release, a copy of which was obtained by the Advance hours before it was released by the Greater New York Councils, did not set a price for a potential sale, but several people said a conservation easement would cost government roughly $30 million, or half the $60 million appraised value. An easement would allow the Boy Scouts to continue to operate the camp in exchange for giving up the right to develop the property, which is zoned for housing. Kelly said the Boy Scouts executive committee voted last week to pursue a sale, and the organization is in the final stages of selecting a real estate firm to market the property. The site represents the largest and one of the only privately owned parcels in the Greenbelt, which bisects the Island and includes parks, a golf course and other city and state land. "We are not going to put a for sale sign up outside, but we are just going to quietly market it to people who might be in a position to work with us," Kelly said.

SURPRISED OFFICIALS

The timing of the announcement surprised some public officials, who spent yesterday morning working the phones, trying to drum up dollars for a purchase at a time when the state and city are facing unprecedented budget holes. But those same officials also said they had been talking to Boy Scout executives for some time about a conservation easement. "What this announcement does is it shows the urgency that we need to make sure we preserve this land," said Assemblyman Michael Cusick (D-Mid-Island). Cusick and other Island politicians met with Boy Scout executives last spring, and talks about an easement date to least three years ago. In 1992, the camp was added to the state's open space plan, a land acquisition wish list that makes it possible to purchase and preserve private lands with public money. Charlie Greinsky, vice president of relationships and intergovernmental affairs for the Staten Island Council of the Boy Scouts of America, said he was "blindsided" by yesterday's announcement. The native Islander, an Eagle Scout who earned badges at Pouch Camp and worked there as well, said he had a discussion with Kelly just Saturday -- and the subject of a possible sale never came up. "The lack of camp improvements under legislative grants was discussed and I wanted to know what were the delays," Greinsky said. "I was to have gotten a call on Monday. But I never got one." State Sen. Andrew Lanza (R-Staten Island) said he had an agreement in early 2008 to secure $15 million toward a Pouch Camp easement. But elections in November last year resulted in Republicans losing the majority in the Senate and Lanza's losing the money, he added. A devastating financial collapse on Wall Street was happening at the same time. "I'm not surprised; I am disappointed," Lanza said of the potential sale of Pouch Camp to private developers. "The time has come for us to figure out how to do this. I think it is a good use of taxpayer dollars, even in tough times," he said of an easement. But squeezing any extra dollars from state and city administrations won't be easy. The city must close a $4.1 billion budget gap and the state is facing a $3.2 billion deficit. "These are the tightest financial times we've had in years and years," said Borough President James Molinaro. "But under no conditions can we lose this. It would not be good for the Boy Scouts or for Staten Island."

SLASHED BUDGET

The Boy Scouts, meanwhile, slashed their own budget from $15 million to $10 million but still lost $5 million in charitable donations over the last 18 months. The organization purchased the first piece of Pouch Camp in 1949 from the estate of Ernest Flagg, the Island architect who famously designed the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. The second parcel was acquired from the city in 1956. The total cost to assemble the camp, which was named for a Scout and benefactor, was $113,300. Over the years, thousands of Scouts have used the summer day camp and weekend camping facilities, where they have learned to fish, build campfires, tie knots and practice other survival skills. The Boy Scouts also pay for low-income campers to attend Pouch, and the YMCA uses the camp. Assemblyman Lou Tobacco (R-South Shore), an Eagle Scout who earned several merit badges at Pouch Camp, was reaching out yesterday to the mayor's office, various state agencies and the Trust for Public Land, which helped broker the $25 million sale of Mount Loretto to the state. '

ANOTHER TODT HILL'

A staffer in Tobacco's office said Pouch Camp could become "another Todt Hill" if sold to a private developer. The site has the same restrictive residential zoning that permits only large, single-family detached houses on 10,000-square-foot lots. That notion doesn't sit well with Kathleen Vorwick, president of the Greenbelt Conservancy, which partners with the Parks Department to care for and raise funds for the Greenbelt. "The heart and soul and lungs of the Greenbelt would be destroyed," she said of a private sale of Pouch Camp. The Boy Scouts also said yesterday that they are considering "cash-producing" options at the 12,000-acre Ten Mile River Scout Reservation in upstate Narrowsburg.---twitter.com/siadvance
© 2009 SILive.com. All rights reserved.

Scenic Hudson urgent request to protest cuts to land conservation

Trouble viewing this e-mail? You can read it on-line.To ensure receipt of our e-mails, please add our address (takeaction@scenichudson.org) to your address book.
Dear Peter,
We need your help. The word from Albany is that Gov. Paterson and NY State lawmakers are proposing placing a moratorium on all state funding for land protection and acquisition. The portion of the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) dedicated to direct land protection already is less than 1/1,000th of the overall state budget -- and now they're proposing bringing it all the way down to ZERO.
We understand that NY is facing a budget crisis, but eliminating all state land preservation would be a dreadful mistake. Here are three reasons why:
1. Developers are gearing up for a post-recession wave of buildingBuilders are using their current downtime to plan and seek approvals for the next wave of residential construction. The latest estimates suggest that 100,000 new housing units have already been proposed for the Hudson Valley, many of which will eliminate farmland and mar the iconic views that have made the valley a world-famous attraction.
2. Depressed real estate prices are creating great conservation opportunitiesGiven a choice, many property owners would prefer to see their land conserved than sell it to a developer-especially in this economy, when buyers of any kind are scarce. By placing a moratorium on land purchases now, New York is turning away from some unprecedented land protection bargains.
3. State land protection programs are a proven winnerUnlike many aspects of state government, the program that makes EPF funds available for land protection projects is highly efficient. This small part of the state budget brings big benefits to New Yorkers with very little waste. Let's not mess it up!
As most of you know, the governor and lawmakers have already robbed the EPF of half a billion dollars -- this year's EPF has been reduced by nearly 25 percent from funding levels passed into law in 2007. Don't let our lawmakers cut it further by enacting this wrong-headed moratorium. Please visit this page to send them a letter today.
Sincerely,
Ned Sullivan President
P.S. I know this is a busy time of year, but sending this letter is really important. Thanks for all that you do.

This message was sent to prosbird@aol.com. To stop ALL email from Scenic Hudson, click to remove yourself from our lists.Click here to unsubscribe

Hydrofracking dangers to NYC water reservoirs

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/NY-Statewide-Ban-On-Natural-Gas-Drilling

BAN NATURAL GAS DRILLING IN NEW YORK STATE
Target:
Governor Paterson, DEC Commissioner Peter Grannis, State Senate, State Assembly, DEC dSGEIS Comments

Don't Frack New York. Geological experts claim that shale beds in New York, particularly the Utica and Marcellus Shale, contain significant amounts of natural gas. Numerous energy and gas drilling companies are now vying with one another to tap these deposits using a method known as horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracking). The recent release of the fatally flawed draft supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement on horizontal drilling and hydrofracking by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is now bringing this issue to the forefront.

Hydrofracking, a gas extraction process developed by Halliburton, pumps millions of gallons of water and 'fracking fluids' containing mixtures of up to 250 toxic chemicals under high pressure to break apart the rock, forcing the gas to the surface. With operations in 32 states, the gas industry has provided ample evidence that extracting gas from low permeable rock is environmentally unsafe. It is unlikely that this method of drilling could ever be made completely safe, regardless of regulations, and natural gas drilling in New York State has the capacity to jeopardize the health, safety and welfare of millions of New York residents. As global corporations turn our state into a sacrifice zone, reap massive short-term profits, and significantly add to greenhouse gas emissions, the true costs of drilling in terms of environmental impacts, quality of life, and long-term cleanup costs will be passed on to state residents.

Due to the inherent danger of un-natural gas drilling and the potentially massive impact on our local rural communities, we are calling for a complete ban on drilling in low permeable stone deposits in New York State. Join us by adding your signature to the petition!

NYTimes essay on connecting kids to nature

August 2, 2009
Op-Ed Columnist
How to Lick a Slug
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
MOUNT HOOD, Ore.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/02/opinion/02kristof.html?th&emc=th

State of our birds

The following is a link to the website dictating the state of our birds. IT is a must read,
necessary for every birder to be informed. It should require our attention.

http://www.stateofthebirds.org/

Proposed new Brooklyn Botanic Garden visitors center:A potential window collision bird deathtrap?

I got this email thru my subscription Brooklyn Papers.One of the links which i am attaching here, is about the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's proposed new visitor's center...Yep...it's all glass from the sketch i see ( they said the design won a green award...wondering if birds were thought of as one of the criteria) .I cant tell how high the building will be or whatever but its going to be 22,000 square feet ( so it says).

That's not good for a birding spot that potentially could see bird collisions.

http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/32/29/32_29_jk_botanic.html

if you can't open the link, go to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's website which i think is http://www.bbg.org/ ( or google it)I will be sending an inquiry to them asking for more details on the glass structure and composite of that glass.For more information about the dangers of reflective glass upon birds, see Project Safe flight or American Bird Conservancy

site:http://www.abcbirds.org/conservationissues/threats/buildings.html

http://www.nycaudubon.org/NYCASBirdWatch/TabDefault.asp

http://www.nycaudubon.org/projects/safeflight/

Birdwatchers No Featherweights in Contributions to Economy

“This U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service study further reinforces the importance of bird conservation,” said Darin Schroeder, American Bird Conservancy’s Vice President for Conservation Advocacy. “The State of the Birds report released earlier this year found that one-third of all bird species in the U.S. are in decline or facing serious threats. This report confirms that losing these species could have significant economic consequences.”





Contact: Joshua Winchell

703-358-2279

Joshua_winchell@fws.gov



Birdwatchers No Featherweights in Contributions to Economy



A new report released today by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service shows one

of every five Americans watches birds, and in doing so, birdwatchers

contributed $36 billion to the U.S. economy in 2006, the most recent year

for which economic data are available. The report – Birding in the United

States: A Demographic and Economic Analysis –shows that total participation

in birdwatching is strong at 48 million, and remaining at a steady 20

percent of the U.S. population since 1996.



Participation rates vary, but are generally greater in the northern half of

the country. The five top states with the greatest birding participation

rates include Montana (40 percent), Maine (39 percent), Vermont (38

percent), Minnesota (33 percent) and Iowa (33 percent).



The report identifies who birders are, where they live, how avid they are,

and what kinds of birds they watch. In addition to demographic information,

this report also provides an estimate of how much birders spend on their

hobby and the economic impact of these expenditures.



The report is an addendum to the 2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting,

and Wildlife-Associated Recreation. The 2006 survey is the eleventh in a

series of surveys conducted about every 5 years that began in 1955. The

survey, conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in partnership with

state wildlife agencies and national conservation organizations, has become

the reference for participation and expenditure information on fish and

wildlife recreation in the United States. The survey helps quantify how

enjoyment of the outdoors and wildlife contributes to society and promotes

a healthy economy – and further strengthens the Service’s commitment to

conserve the nation’s wildlife for the enjoyment and benefit of the

American people.



A copy of the Birding in the United States: A Demographic and Economic

Analysis can be downloaded here:

http://library.fws.gov/Pubs/birding_natsurvey06.pdf



In conjunction with the release of the birding report, the Service also

issued another similar addendum to the 2006 Survey entitled, Wildlife

Watching Trends: 1991–2006 A Reference Report. This report shows similar

trends in wildlife-watching, a broader category that includes large and

small-mammal viewing.



An overview of the Survey, and a wealth of other information, can be found

online at:

http://wsfrprograms.fws.gov/Subpages/NationalSurvey/National_Survey.htm



The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to

conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for

the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and

trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific

excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated

professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our

work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov.











Steve Holmer

Director of Public Relations

American Bird Conservancy

202/234-7181 ext. 216 or

202/744-6459 (cell)

sholmer@abcbirds.org

www.abcbirds.org



American Bird Conservancy operates the Bird News Network, which distributes the latest information about birds and bird conservation through videos, press releases, and news stories.
Video releases are available at Bird News Network Videos or view the latest news stories and subscribe to the network's RSS feed at http://www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/latestnews.html