Activists At Chautauqua Institution This Weekend
By NICHOLAS L. DEAN
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10/14/2006 - A prime example of how water links communities together, southern Chautauqua County is a hotbed of activism this weekend as officials from throughout the state spend today and Sunday workshopping current issues as part of the 2006 Conference on the Environment.
Focusing on both fresh and saltwater issues, this year’s conference is entitled ‘‘Journeying Upstream — Charting a Course for a Healthy Watershed.’’
Topics to be discussed include local waterfront revitalization plans, watershed management, legal issues relating to watersheds and GIS as a tool for managing watersheds.
Welcoming participants to the conference during a kickoff dinner Friday evening, Joy Squires, Huntington Town Conservation Board president, explained that — though they represent many different areas of New York — those in attendance face the same problems in protecting the environment.
‘‘As we sit and we share this weekend, we can work it out,’’ Squires said. ‘‘We can’t do anything directly about North Korea. We can’t do anything about Amish students being shot. We can’t do anything about all sorts of problems in the world, but we are in the unique position — each and every one of us — of being able to do something in our county or in our municipality, a real something, that makes a difference.’’
Environmental Management Councils (EMCs) are volunteer advisory boards appointed by county governments. Their mission is to advise county government and serve as a liaison between the community and county government. New York State Association of Environmental Management Councils and New York State Association of Conservation Commissions hosted the 2006 Conference on the Environment. Municipalities in New York have the authority to establish local conservation commissions to advise the local government on all issues of environmental importance and NYSACC serves to coordinate and support the work of conservation commissions throughout the state.
The dinner Friday featured comments from County Executive Greg Edwards and William Daly, Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency director, as well as Rose Wightman, conference Coordinator, and Ruth Lundin, Chautauqua County Environmental Management Council chair. Keynote speaker Christopher Jacobs, New york Secretary of State, could not make the event due to weather conditions in Buffalo.
Appointed by Gov. George Pataki as acting secretary of state in April 2006, Jacobs was unanimously confirmed by the state Senate in May. Owner of Avalon Development, LLC, a real estate development firm active in the revitalization of Buffalo, Jacobs has received numerous awards for his leadership and civic values.
‘‘Everything is going well even though some of our key people could not make it,’’ Wightman said after Friday’s dinner. ‘‘Each and every person here is actively involved in environmental issues and though they focus on the issues unique to their county, we have found there tends to be common threads running throughout the state. The fundamentals, the core issues are the same no matter where you are in New York and so one of the main objectives this weekend is for everyone here to share what they know.’’
The kickoff dinner Friday ended with the premier screening of a new DVD from the Division of Coastal Resources on protecting and restoring watersheds.
As part of today’s activities, conference participants will construct a permanent rain garden at the Chautauqua Institution. A rainwater garden is a relatively small area of plantings near the spout of a building or paved area. Rainwater is routed to the garden and filtered naturally by the plants and soil of the garden. One drainspout can release 12 gallons per minute during a rainstorm and a one inch rain on a 20 by 25 foot roof can release 300 gallons of water. Devices such as rain barrels, swales, green roofs, porous surfaces on driveways and planted trees are efficient ways to retrain stormwater and prevent polluted runoff from fertilizers in lawns that then drain into storm sewers — posing a danger to waterways and ground water
Focusing on both fresh and saltwater issues, this year’s conference is entitled ‘‘Journeying Upstream — Charting a Course for a Healthy Watershed.’’
Topics to be discussed include local waterfront revitalization plans, watershed management, legal issues relating to watersheds and GIS as a tool for managing watersheds.
Welcoming participants to the conference during a kickoff dinner Friday evening, Joy Squires, Huntington Town Conservation Board president, explained that — though they represent many different areas of New York — those in attendance face the same problems in protecting the environment.
‘‘As we sit and we share this weekend, we can work it out,’’ Squires said. ‘‘We can’t do anything directly about North Korea. We can’t do anything about Amish students being shot. We can’t do anything about all sorts of problems in the world, but we are in the unique position — each and every one of us — of being able to do something in our county or in our municipality, a real something, that makes a difference.’’
Environmental Management Councils (EMCs) are volunteer advisory boards appointed by county governments. Their mission is to advise county government and serve as a liaison between the community and county government. New York State Association of Environmental Management Councils and New York State Association of Conservation Commissions hosted the 2006 Conference on the Environment. Municipalities in New York have the authority to establish local conservation commissions to advise the local government on all issues of environmental importance and NYSACC serves to coordinate and support the work of conservation commissions throughout the state.
The dinner Friday featured comments from County Executive Greg Edwards and William Daly, Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency director, as well as Rose Wightman, conference Coordinator, and Ruth Lundin, Chautauqua County Environmental Management Council chair. Keynote speaker Christopher Jacobs, New york Secretary of State, could not make the event due to weather conditions in Buffalo.
Appointed by Gov. George Pataki as acting secretary of state in April 2006, Jacobs was unanimously confirmed by the state Senate in May. Owner of Avalon Development, LLC, a real estate development firm active in the revitalization of Buffalo, Jacobs has received numerous awards for his leadership and civic values.
‘‘Everything is going well even though some of our key people could not make it,’’ Wightman said after Friday’s dinner. ‘‘Each and every person here is actively involved in environmental issues and though they focus on the issues unique to their county, we have found there tends to be common threads running throughout the state. The fundamentals, the core issues are the same no matter where you are in New York and so one of the main objectives this weekend is for everyone here to share what they know.’’
The kickoff dinner Friday ended with the premier screening of a new DVD from the Division of Coastal Resources on protecting and restoring watersheds.
As part of today’s activities, conference participants will construct a permanent rain garden at the Chautauqua Institution. A rainwater garden is a relatively small area of plantings near the spout of a building or paved area. Rainwater is routed to the garden and filtered naturally by the plants and soil of the garden. One drainspout can release 12 gallons per minute during a rainstorm and a one inch rain on a 20 by 25 foot roof can release 300 gallons of water. Devices such as rain barrels, swales, green roofs, porous surfaces on driveways and planted trees are efficient ways to retrain stormwater and prevent polluted runoff from fertilizers in lawns that then drain into storm sewers — posing a danger to waterways and ground water
For more information on Chautauqua Lake Real estate & Living visit: www.chautauqualakehomes.com
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