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WINTER
QUARTERLY MEETING - Thursday, March 20, 2008
PLACE: Rockland
Center for the Arts (RoCA)
27 S. Greenbush Rd., W. Nyack NY 10994
Directions to Rockland Center for the Arts
(follow the blue Center signs) For more information, please call
(845) 358-0877
From Nyack via Route 59:
Exit on right for Route 303 South (soon after Stop & Shop).
Turn right onto Route 303 South. Go immediately under an overpass
and turn right onto Route 59 East. Make the next right at the
Route 303 North exit. You will be on a service road. Take very
first left off service road onto South Greenbush Road. The Center
is 2/10 of a mile, on the left.
From the Palisades Interstate Parkway:
Exit #8E (if you are coming from the North) onto Route
59 East. Proceed east about 2 miles to Route 303 North exit.
Turn right onto service road. Take first left off the service
road onto South Greenbush Road. The Center is 2/10 of a mile
on the left.
Exit #5N (if you are coming from the South)
onto Route 303 North for about 3 miles and turn right at the
Route 59 East exit which will put you on a service road. Take
the first right off the service road onto South Greenbush Road.
The Center is 2/10 of a mile on the left.
From the New York Thruway:
Exit #12 (West Nyack). Follow signs for Route 303 South.
Turn right onto Route 303 South. Proceed about 1/4 mile and
make immediate right onto Route 59 East. Make first right off
59 East at the sign reading Route 303 North. You will be on
a service road. Take the first left off service road onto South
Greenbush Road. The Center is 2/10 of a mile on the left.
10:30 A.M. Environmental
Reports
11:15 A.M. Program:
presentation by: Daly Flanagan, School Director, RoCA
Art & Nature
Join us at the Rockland Center for the Arts (RoCA) for an informal
presentation on Art & Nature. This visual program will present
artists, both local and international, who create contemporary
art inspired by the realm of natural phenomena. The presentation
will range from traditional artists interpreting the natural world,
to contemporary artists making work based on environmental issues
and the rapidly changing landscape.
___________________________________________________
Refreshments will be provided by
the Board of Directors
Newsletter-Dorice Madronero Distribution-
Faith Leigh, Betty Hedges
A
Decade of Children's Environmental Health Research: Highlights
from EPA's Science to Achieve Results Program Highlights
The introduction
of the report reads as follows. "Scientists are finding increasing
evidence that exposure to some environmental factors jeopardizes
children's health and may relate to large increases in the number
of children diagnosed with asthma, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity
Disorder (ADHD), autism, and developmental impairment. Evidence
is also strong that environmental health risks disproportionately
affect children. Their nervous, immune, digestive, and other bodily
systems are still developing while they receive disproportionately
greater exposure to pollutants. They eat more food, drink more
fluids, and breathe more air in relation to their body weight
than adults do".
Some of
the major findings of this research include:
People
metabolize pesticides differently based on their genotype; some
faster, others slower. This finding is of particular concern during
pregnancy, as many babies do not develop the ability to metabolize
some pesticides during the first two years of life, putting them
at greater risks of health effects.
"There
is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature-the
assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter."
The Sense of
Wonder Rachel Carson
Sacrifices
in the Bitter Fall and Winter of 1779 in the Ramapough Clove
By
Geoff Welch
During
the American Revolutionary War, from mid November - mid December,
1779, the American army attempted to more with more than 10,000
troops from stations in the Ramapo and Hudson Highlands, from
both sides of the Hudson River, through the Ramapough Clove or
across its mouth at the "Point of the Mountain" (in
Suffern) on their way to winter camps in Morristown and other
locations.
As Richard
J. Koke states his fascinating book, Corridor Through the Mountains,
published by the Orange County Historic Society: "The shifting
of the army was starting at the beginning of what was to be the
worst winter ever remembered by the oldest inhabitants. Repeated
blustery snow squalls occurred in a persistent cold." Soldiers
lacked clothing, many were without shoes and they were on only
half rations, some were without any food, blankets or tents. In
the Diary of Enos Hitchcock D.D. A Chaplain in the Revolutionary
Army, is given an account of a 2,030 man Maryland division marching
through the Smith (the clove along the Woodbury Creek) and the
Ramapough Cloves:
he
recorded "Our march lasted six days and traversed a county
almost unpeopled; it proved fatal to many of the soldiers,
in consequence of the cold, the bad weather, the horrid roads,
the necessity of spending the night in the open air and our
want of protection against snow and rain."
General
William Heath commanded The Highland posts on both sides of the
Hudson River at the time, by the end of the war he was the highest
ranked officer next to Washington, in his Memoirs written almost
two decades later, he recalled:
"The
troops were moving to their different places of cantonment;
many of the soldiers (as fine men as ever stood in shoes)
were marched barefooted over the hard frozen ground and with
astonishing patience. Remember these things, ye Americans,
in future times!"
Some of
the American troops who died in that bitter winter march may be
buried in an 18th century cemetery related to the Van Deusen tavern
in the Ramapo Pass outside of Sloatsburg. This location now has
a proposed surrounding development of 263 condo units called the
Ramapo Hills Mixed Use Development project. The Smith House (ca.
1815) on the project site is probably built over some parts the
Van Deusen tavern. This was the earliest settlement in the Ramapo
Pass area of New York State. During the Revolutionary War, the
tavern, then know as Sidman's tavern, served as headquarters for
all the officers stationed at Camp Ramapough guarding the Ramapo
Pass. The related 18th century cemetery and the historic dirt
Old Clove Road where the troops marched combine to make this a
very important Revolutionary War historic setting that would best
be preserved intact for the people of New York State. The area
of historic importance also contains important NYS Threatened
species timber rattlesnake foraging and breeding habitat which
have not - so far - been well protected by the DEC review process
for this project. Much of the historic site area is also within
the Ramapo River New York State Recreational River Corridor which
presents a vital opportunity for the DEC to protect the area within
the recreational corridor from inappropriate development thereby
providing some protection for both the threatened species habitat
and the historic sites.
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Smith
House
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Photo
by Geoff Welch
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Tappan
Zee Bridge: Traffic and Transit Stakeholders Advisory Working Group
Update
and general comments by Julius Levine
When the
responsibility for the TZ Bridge and the 287/Thruway corridor
was transferred to the NYS Dept. of Transportation, the ability
to design an effective regional transportation system was put
into realistic perspective. The Thruway Authority was given a
"repair or replace" task. However, much of the Rockland
and Westchester communities requested a transportation system
for the future. This included mass transit capability to reduce
personal auto congestion and allowed for regional growth for the
next 50 to 100 years.
Consider
the problem. The engineers assigned to the job came from other
areas with little knowledge of the region that they were required
to modify. They started with maps and a variety of transportation
concepts. To aid in finalizing the concepts they established a
number of working groups to play, in a sense, devils' advocate
for the final concept refinements. The following is a summary
of these alternatives, including improving air quality and reducing
energy usage.
- Repair
only. This would have been suitable if we were designing for
the past.
- The following
modes of transportation
a. Bus Rapid Transit (BRT).
b. Commuter Rail Transit (CRT).
c. Light Rail Transit (LRT).
- The build
alternatives were as follows.
a. Bridge Rehabilitation with transport Demand Measures/System
Management Measures.
(Traffic density would modify measures taken)
b. Full corridor BRT with Bridge and Highway improvements.
c. Full corridor CRT with Bridge and Highway improvements.
d. Manhattan bound CRT with LRT in Westchester County with a
new Bridge and highway
improvements in Rockland County.
e. Manhattan bound CRT with BRT in Westchester County with a
new Bridge and highway
improvements in Rockland County.
Each of
the alternatives in turn included many optional variants requiring
attention to: environmental protection, local development accommodation,
as well as, safety, security, and political considerations.
Key Milestones
include:
Identifying
preferred transit mode in May 2008
Draft Environmental Impact Statement June 2009
Public hearings for above September 2009
Publication of the Record of Decision April 2010
Historical
note: The Journal News December 15, 1980 reports: Spanning
an era
...But,
for better or for worse, the state can't afford another bridge,
much as it would like one. "The cost would just be astronomical,
"Doug Druchunas, senior transportation analyst at the state
Transportation Department's regional office in Poughkeepsie."
"You
can't say anything is totally out of the question, but it's unrealistic",
he said.
New York
State Transportation Commissioner William Hennessy scared Rockland
witless then, when he warned that a planned connection in Suffern
with a New Jersey section of I 287 would flood the bridge (and
the Rockland stretch of the Thruway) with traffic from points
West on I 80, bound for New England.
Farewell Photo
by Dorice
Indian
Point
Under the leadership of
Susan Shapiro, Esq., RCCA, along with Westchester Citizens' Awareness
Network, Public Health and Sustainable Energy and the Sierra Club
has filed comments to oppose renewing Indian Point Nuclear Power
Plant's operating license. Hearings begin Monday, March 10, 2008.
Leading the opposition for New York State at the hearings will
be Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo, who will be joined by five
other states attorneys general from Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois,
Kentucky and Vermont. Also presenting testimony is Westchester
County and the State of New York, the Town of Cortlandt, the State
of Connecticut, Riverkeeper, Hudson River Sloop, Clearwater and
Connecticut Residents Opposed to Relicensing of Indian Point (CRORIP).
Under NRC regulations,
concerns about the evacuation plan, population density, high-level
radioactive waste and terrorism are not considered topics for
contentions. As well, radioactive water leaking into the Hudson
is not on the agenda because "it has already been entered
into the company's corrective action program." Only two categories
for complaints are allowed under current rules: Environmental
Concerns and Aging Equipment. We submitted several contentions,
of which we feel one of the strongest issues presented is fire
safety.
We are grateful to Susan
Shapiro and Assemblyman Richard Brodsky for their untiring commitment
in putting forth a strong legal case. Both are representing us
[pro bono], in this hearing process. Additional funds are still
needed for legal costs and expert witnesses. Our ability to participate
meaningfully in the process is derived through your contributions.
We look forward to the continued, generous support of our members
to enable such efforts.
Dorice Madronero
RCCA
MEMBERSHIP 2008
Since
1930, the Rockland County Conservation Association has been working
to protect and conserve our natural resources. Dues and donations
from members and friends have made it possible for RCCA to carry
on its work for so many years.
We hope that you will continue to support the
efforts of this volunteer organization. We need you.
Thank
you very much.
The
Rockland County Conservation Association is a not-for-profit
organization with a 501(c) (3) status. All contributions
are deductible as allowed by law.
| Artist Type A |
Stand (fall)
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Photo
by Lynn Stein
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Save
the date: The Ramapo River Watershed: A Highlands Watershed
Ramapo Watershed Conference
is to be held on Friday April 25, 2008. 10:00 AM until 4:00
PM with a reception to follow. Student Center -room 136. Conference
will again be held at Ramapo College of New Jersey, 505 Ramapo
Valley Road, Mahwah, N.J. Presented by The Ramapo River Committee
and The Institute for Environmental Studies at Ramapo College
with sponsorship by RCCA and other groups and individuals. For
more information or to make reservations email Geoff Welch at:
geoffwelch@gmail.com
or call (845) 712-5220.
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