Next Meeting
The Finger Lakes Group generally meets once a month. We meet in person—often in Montour Falls—or by conference call. Please check with us to confirm the date and location of our next meeting.
Fri., Dec. 4, 2009, Finger Lakes Goup Meeting, 323 Owego Street, Schuyler County Human Services Center, Montour Falls, 6:00 pm social time, 6:30 pm meeting. We will discuss our group comments on the DSGEIS on Gas Drilling in Marcellus Shale. Comments are due Dec. 31st!
Click here for information about making your own comments on the DSGEIS and other information about gas drilling in New York State
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2010 CalendarsThe 2010 Sierra Club Calendars are here! They are beautiful! The holidays are approaching and we hope you will consider giving them as gifts to your clients, customers, coworkers, family and friends. It's a great way to help the environment while giving a classy and useful gift. All proceeds support the Finger Lakes Sierra Club group. Wall Calendars are $13.99 each (including tax). Engagement (Desk) Calendars are $15.07 each (including tax). Please leave a message for Rachel Treichler at (607) 569-2114 or rachel at ecobooks.com for delivery options. |
2009 Finger Lakes Group Elections
Tues.,
Oct.
6, 2009 – Applications
for
nomination
due
Thurs.,
Oct.
15,
2009 – Candidates
approved
by Nominating Committee announced.
Tues., Nov. 3, 2009 – Petitions
from petition candidates must be postmarked by
this date.
On or about Mon., Nov. 17, 2009 – Ballots
with candidate bios will be mailed in the newsletter.
Thurs., Dec. 31, 2009 – Closing
date of the election. Ballots must be postmarked
by this date.
The following seven nominees have been approved by the Nominating Committee (Carolyn Kreisel, Rachel Treichler and Jim Trondsen) as candidates for the seven open seats on the Finger Lakes Group Executive Committee to be elected in this fall's election:
Kate Bartholomew, Montour Falls
Patrick
Brown, Hornell
Susanne
Brown, Hornell
Blair
Hall, Cohocton
Annie
Koreman, Trumansburg
Frank
Potter, Horseheads
Lisa
Wright, Ithaca
Additional candidates may be nominated by petition. A group member may petition to be on the ballot by submitting the signatures of at least 30 group members by Nov. 3, 2009. Mail petitions to Rachel Treichler at 7988 Van Amburg Road, Hammondsport, NY 14840 or email to rache at ecobooks.com.
Recent Events
Group Picnic, Sun., Sept. 20, Trumansburg
On September 20, 2009, we met for a picnic at the home of Annie Koreman, Group Energy Chair, in Trumansburg. We did planning for the next few months and took a tour of Annie's solar panels, electric tractor, and geothermal HVAC system.
Hammond Hill State Forest Hike, Sat., July 18
Lead by Virgil Shields.
Forum on the Effects of Marcellus Shale Gas Drilling on Local Water Sources
On June 22, 2009, the Finger Lakes Group of the Sierra Club joined with the Steuben County Environmental Management Council, the League of Women Voters of Steuben County, the League of Women Voters of Chemung County, and the Bath Peace and Justice Group to sponsor a public forum on the Effects of Marcellus Shale Gas Drilling on Local Water Sources. The program was held at the Fire Hall in Bath and was attended by 114 people. The remarks of the three outstanding speakers at the forum were taped by Wilton Vought of True Colors Video and are posted on his website, http://essentialdissent.blogspot.com/2009/06/marcellus-shale-gas-drilling-and-water.html The speakers were:
Ron Bishop, lecturer in chemistry and biochemistry at SUNY Oneonta, gave an overview of natural gas extraction technology and explained how water contamination can occur during the gas drilling process.
Steve Penningroth, Executive Director of the state-certified water testing laboratory at the Community Science Institute in Ithaca, described how to test private and municipal water wells so that landowners and municipal officials can discover problems and have solid scientific baseline water data that will stand up in court should contamination occur.
Andrew Beyers, a farmer/botanist from Newfield who has been studying gas drilling issues, talked about the work of the Shaleshock Citizens Action Alliance, and described how community members can take action on gas drilling issues.
Earth Day Survey
An informal survey on environmental issues was conducted by Gene Stolfi, Katie Stroman, Robin Stroman, and Jim Trondsen at our Sierra Club Finger Lakes Group table at Corning Community College's Earth Day event on Wed., April 22, 2009. Robin De Lill Stroman, our FLG Zero Waste Chair, designed the survey and compiled the results. Interestingly, while most people think global warming is real and are worried about the harm human activity is causing the planet, most people also believe that the United States is doing enough to confront the problem and believe that global warming can be reversed. Click here for the detailed results.
District Office Lobby Day
The Finger Lakes Group participated in the Sierra Club's District Office Lobby Day on Fri., Mar. 6, 2009. We met with staff members of Senator George Winner and Assemblymember Tom O'Mara in Elmira, and with Assemblymember Barbara Lifton in Ithaca. We have a follow-up meeting scheduled with Assemblymember Lifton in May to discuss restoring authority to local governments to regulate oil and gas drilling in New York by repealing the 1981 amendments to the Environmental Conservation Law removing that authority.
Photograph
by
Sue
Heavenrich
Forum on New Gas Drilling Techniques
On Sun., Feb. 1, 2009, the Finger Lakes Group sponsored a public forum on the health and environmental impacts of new gas drilling techniques in Corning. For more information about the forum, click here.
Winter 2008 Newsletter
Many thanks to our newsletter team of Annie Koreman and Kate Bartholomew for an excellent new issue of the Finger Lakes Sierran, and to our authors:
Our New Geothermal
Heating and Cooling System by
Annie Koreman, Energy Committee Chair
Is New York Ready for
Zero Waste? by
Robin De Lill Stroman, Zero Waste Committee
Chair
Marcellus
Shale Formation—Are You Being "Fracked"? by
Gene Stolfi, ExCom
Who Wants to Save Money, Reduce Housecleaning Chores and Feel Good? by
Gene Stolfi
The Continued "Wasting" of
Rural New York by Erin Riddle
Photos of Finger Lakes Water Day, Champlin Beach, Hammondsport, June 1, 2008
Photographs by Jim Trondsen
Zero Waste Forum in Elmira, Dec. 12, 2007
The Finger Lakes Group held a very successful forum on zero waste with Lynne Pledger, a member of the national Sierra Club's Zero Waste Committee from Hardwick, Massachusetts, on December 12, 2007, at the Steele Memorial Library, in Elmira. Almost 70 people turned out on a cold winter evening to learn about the role our production/disposal cycle is playing in the Global Warming crisis, how other communities are moving forward with Zero Waste, and what we can and must do to implement Zero Waste initiatives in our area. For more information contact Robin De Lill Stroman, Finger Lakes Group Zero Waste Committee Chair at (607)529-3510 or stromanhome at earthlink.net
Chemung River Fest, Elmira - June 9, 2007
Photographs by Rich Hurley
Steuben Water Day, Hammondsport - June 3, 2007
Cohocton Paddle, Bath - June 2, 2007
