Environment
Local News: December 4, 2023
– New report says New York can’t reach climate goals by 2030 – A newly released report says that New York State won’t meet its 2030 climate goal. The legislature passed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act in 2019. It requires the state to get 70% of its energy from renewable sources by 2023.…
Read MoreCALL-IN SHOW: “1000 Conversations,” Ithaca’s Green New Deal w/ Luis Aguirre-Torres
Dan Burgevin’s Mural, “Sunrise on the Green New Deal,” located on the corner of West Buffalo Street and North Fulton Street in downtown Ithaca, NY. (Ithaca Murals) Two years ago, the City of Ithaca passed the Green New Deal resolution, promising that whatever it does to fight climate change will benefit the whole community, especially…
Read MoreEPA Built a Lead Containment Wall at Ithaca Falls. Will it be Enough?
Walter Hang has been calling for a complete remediation of the lead pollution at the Ithaca Falls Natural Area for almost 20 years now. Behind him, people enjoy the falls, stepping into the water. They are seemingly unperturbed by, or unaware of, the lead pollution at the site. (Jimmy Jordan / WRFI) UPDATE: The EPA…
Read MoreInvasive Box Tree Moth Found in Western New York
(Boxwood plants grown to form a hedge / Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture) (Box Tree Moth / New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets) ITHACA, NY — The Box Tree Moth has been found in parts of Western New York. This invasive pest is a serious threat to boxwood plants, which are important in the…
Read More4000 Feet of Cayuga Lake Shoreline Conserved in Lansing
Arial view of the tract of the shoreline and forests conserved by the Finger Lakes Land Trust. (Sharon Heller/Finger Lakes Land Trust) ITHACA, NY — The Finger Lakes Land Trust has acquired a 200 acre property along Cayuga Lake. The parcel features 4,000 feet of shoreline along a forested cliff in Lansing The shoreline is designated…
Read MoreSpotted Lanternfly has Finger Lakes on Edge
Grape vines infested with spotted lanternfly. (Heather Leach) ITHACA, NY — The Spotted Lanternfly is raising alarm bells in the Finger Lakes. The invasive pest is a threat to the region’s wine industry with a serious appetite for grapes. The lanternfly has devastated vineyards in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, but it also poses a larger ecological…
Read MoreCayuga Lake’s HABs Season is Booming, Health Department Issues Warning
A harmful algal bloom that occurred on the southwest shores of Cayuga Lake on July 13th, 2019. (Community Science Institute) ITHACA, NY — Cayuga Lake is leading New York state in Harmful Algal Blooms this season, prompting a call for caution at the Tompkins County Health Department. Cayuga Lake has had over two dozen toxic blooms…
Read MoreNew York Bans Pesticides Containing Nervous System Damaging Chlorpyrifos
Farmer in Watsonville, California spraying crops with pesticides. (EPA) ITHACA, NY — Pesticide products containing the active ingredient chlorpyrifos are completely prohibited in New York State. Governor Cuomo made the announcement Wednesday. Research has shown that chlorpyrifos can harm nervous system development in infants and young children. The pesticide can also kill insect pollinators, which…
Read More