more on LNG help wanted

Governor Paterson is doing a Town Hall meeting this Thursday night in Rockaway. We need people to show up and ask about the LNG terminal.

There was an article in the local Rockaway newspaper, the Wave www.rockawave.com  recently about the LNG island.  It says the Draft EIS (Environmental Impact Statement) will be out soon.
www.rockawave.com

Can anyone help lead a protest, Thursday night from 5:30-8pm?
Call. Or. E-mail Chris Wade
C-914-573-9216
From Surfrider NYC
chrisinrockaway@gmail.com

some news from national

http://oceanswavesbeaches.blogspot.com/2010/01/winter-510-video-state-of-beach.html

Lots of plastic out there

http://oceanswavesbeaches.blogspot.com/2010/01/colbert-nation-hosts-charlie-moore.html


http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2009-11-16-plastiki16_CV_N.htm

http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2009-11-16-plastiki16_VA_N.htm

/long-island/suffolk

North Fork wineries, farms embrace wind turbines

January 12, 2010 by MARK HARRINGTON / mark.harrington@newsday.com

It's the dead of winter on the agricultural North Fork, but the first of what's expected to be an abundant new crop has just sprouted on a farm in Laurel: wind-energy turbines.

At Half Hollow Nursery in Laurel, a towering 156-foot structure was recently installed in the center of the 1,200-acre farm by Eastern Energy Systems of Mattituck. When it's officially connected to the electric grid in two weeks, it'll supply an estimated 157,000 kilowatt hours, enough to power the farm, and then some, officials said, calling it the Island's largest.

It's not the only turbine rising above the wind-rich East End. Shinn Estate Vineyards in Mattituck was recently granted approval for a 10 kilowatt turbine on a 120-foot tower. Co-owner David Page said he's already ordered the equipment and expects it to be installed by contractor Green Logic of Southampton by spring. "Once we have the wind turbine up and install additional solar we will be producing 100 percent of our power," said Page. That would eliminate a $15,000 a year LIPA bill.

Shinn received a $23,600 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and with a LIPA rebate expects to have 70 percent of the cost covered. While eager to move forward, Page said a yearlong battle to get a variance in Southold Town added unnecessary delay and costs.

"Hopefully, as more and more turbines are installed on farms in Southold Town, the people will begin to realize the benefits," Page said.

But other towns seem eager to lead the way. Tuesday, Riverhead Town councilman John Dunleavy said as many as three wind turbine projects are on the launchpad, and the town is eager to expedite the permitting process. The town itself is exploring a project to install a wind energy system to power town facilities, though Dunleavy declined to say where. In any case, he said, "I think the town should go green to make as much clean energy as we can."

Osprey's Dominion, another winery in Cutchogue, also has contracted to install a 20 kilowatt wind turbine on its property.

Albert Harsch, director of corporate relations for Eastern Energy, said Half Hollow Nursery's 100-kilowatt system, which cost around $500,000, will receive a $124,000 rebate from LIPA. (LIPA pays two-thirds of the rebate upfront, and the balance after it verifies a year's worth of production.) The system is also eligible for a 30 percent federal tax credit.

Once the system is connected, it's expected to provide power for the nursery's greenhouses, offices and other functions. Half Hollow is also expected to convert some diesel water pumps to electric, further reducing its fossil-fuel use. When it's not using the electricity, Half Hollow will sell energy back to the grid, earning credits from LIPA.

Harsch said he doesn't expect the system to generate the complaints sometimes associated with wind turbines because of noise and aesthetics. "This is a good 500 yards from the neighboring property line," he said, so the 55 decibel sound it makes likely won't be heard.

But as the new crop of turbines rises, one early experiment in wind energy has been dismantled. On Windy Acre Farms in Calverton, a $225,000 turbine installed to great fanfare in 2002 was taken down last month, LIPA confirmed.

"The demonstration project had come to the end of its useful life and the technology was no longer representative of state-of-the-art wind generation technology," LIPA spokeswoman Vanessa Baird Streeter said.

/long-island/nassau

LI granted disaster declaration for beach repairs

January 1, 2010 by JENNIFER SMITH / jennifer.smith@newsday.com

President Barack Obama issued a disaster declaration for New York State Thursday, paving the way for federal dollars to repair storm-eroded beaches in Suffolk and Nassau.

The declaration qualifies state and local governments for millions in federal aid to clean up debris and pump sand onto shorelines battered by two severe storms in November.

But local officials said some work would likely wait until next winter because the window for dredging the coastal inlets that typically supply sand for such projects closes this month, to protect spawning winter flounder populations.

"What we can do this year will be a Band-Aid approach to get as much material as we can back there" on the beaches, said Suffolk County spokesman Mark Smith.

Gov. David A. Paterson requested the federal declaration on Dec. 11. He cited an estimated $41 million in damages in Nassau, Suffolk and Queens; Queens was not included in Thursday's declaration.

Exactly how much federal aid Long Island will get depends on more detailed damage calculations to be done in coming weeks, said Dennis Michalski, a spokesman for the New York State Emergency Management Office.

"We've got a ballpark number, and that number can go up and can go down," he said. The Federal Emergency Management Agency will reimburse 75 percent of the cost, with state and local governments responsible for the remaining 25 percent, Michalski said.

"Whatever funds we get will help us in our future efforts to protect our valuable shorelines," Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy said in a statement. Levy said Suffolk was seeking a second declaration to defray costs from the blizzard that immobilized Long Island last month.

The news pleased members of the New York congressional delegation, who had lobbied the governor for the declaration. "I'm delighted," said Rep. Tim Bishop (D-Southampton).

Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand said that local governments needed help to shoulder the cost of repairing damage from flooding and heavy rains.

While there may not be enough time to coordinate contracts and equipment to dredge sand this winter, local governments have until April 1 to place sand on the beaches. The beaches become off-limits when endangered birds such as piping plovers return to nest in the spring. Smith said Suffolk was talking with the Army Corps of Engineers about using sand dredged from Shinnecock Inlet last month.

Christmas Tree Disposal to Rebuild a Dune

Unfortunately this time of year brings storms and storms bring dune erosion... And there has been a major breach in the dunes east of Gilgo Beach. And to make matters worse, 4-wheel drive vehicles have been using this breach as an illegal access point! Luckily several local community members with the help of Gordon Canary of Owen Johnson's office and Betty Wittenburger, Robert Moses State Park Manager, are doing something about it. First large poles will be placed to block the 4WD vehicles. Second is where the christmas trees come in... Here's the plan: Between Saturday Jan 9th and Sat Jan 16th, drop off your old tree at the northeast corner of the Gilgo parking lot. A truck and crew will come to pick them up and place them where the dune used to be. The trees will help to trap the wind-blown sand and rebuild the dune. Thanks for your help in the matter! Happy New Year!!!
centrallongisland@surfrider.org • Surfrider Foundation CLI

AMERICAN LITTORAL SOCIETY

AMERICAN LITTORAL SOCIETY

Dear Beach Captain:

Well, we did it again! A reported 10,000 New Yorkers participated in the 2009 International Coastal Cleanup (ICC)! Your dedication, energy, and enthusiasm in organizing your volunteer group, encouraging new participants, and explaining the need our beaches have for our help, made for another success. So many of you planned nature studies, games and refreshments, making the whole event a fun experience. Your leadership role and invaluable support strengthens our program.

In the 24 years the American Littoral Society has been coordinating this cleanup, the number of volunteers has been growing -- from 100 in 1986 at 4 sites to 10,000 in 2009 at almost 300 sites -- an indication of the strong desire of our citizens to become involved in service. All this in spite of ten canceled cleanups.

Trash is one of the most widespread pollution problems threatening our ocean and waterways - - yet it’s entirely preventable. Wherever we live we are all connected to the ocean. It drives and moderates our climate. It helps provide the water we drink and much of the oxygen we breathe. It directly feeds millions of people. Trash doesn’t fall from the sky, it falls from our hands, and what falls from human hands can be prevented.

The summary card is most important to the purpose of the ICC; it contains the essence of the event. It is the data that is collected and what we do with that information that makes the ICC different from other cleanups. The recorded items tell us about the behavior of people enjoying our beaches and coastline; it accords us the opportunity to follow trends and possibly locate the source of the trash. Your quick response in returning your reports and summary cards to me was truly appreciated.

Collected: 134,530 lbs. of trash along over 300 miles of shoreline, filling 98,000 trash bags and a number of dumpsters by 9,896 volunteers.

NEW YORK’S DIRTY DOZEN

61,260 Cigarettes/ Cigarette Filters

38,183 Caps, Lids

29,987 Food Wrappers/Containers

25,309 Plastic bags

21,596 Plastic Beverage Bottles

17,999 Straws/Stirrers

17,508 Cups, Plates Forks, Knives, Spoons

15,010 Glass Beverage Bottles

13,884 Beverage Cans

9,021 Paper Bags

6,389 Clothing, Shoes

5,740 Balloons

For the cleanup to happen, many hands are in the pie. Your assistance is key and we congratulate and thank everyone for their wonderful efforts. We recognize the importance and enthusiasm of "behind the scene" helpers, generous funders, and the Society's members and friends who answered our special appeal, allowing us to function admirably.

As with every non-profit organization, funding is always a concern. If our environment and the Cleanup are important to you and Santa has not squeezed the last penny from your pocket, you may wish to help the 2010 NYS Cleanup, celebrating its 25th Anniversary, by sending a tax deducted donation to the American Littoral Society, 9 West 9th Road, Broad Channel, NY 11693. Please indicate you are a beach captain.

DATE CHANGE: The ICC is normally held the third Saturday of every September. Ocean Conservancy has changed the official date of the Cleanup by one week to September 25 in 2010 to avoid conflict with Yom Kippur. As always, cleanups can be held on any day in September or October, weekday or weekend, to be part of the ICC data collection.

We hope this 25th Anniversary Cleanup to be our most productive. We are very proud of our volunteer numbers. We are #4 in the U.S. with the greatest number of participants after California, Florida and North Carolina. Join us again (with an even greater number of volunteers) by returning the 2010 registration today. If you are not yet sure of your date, just mark it TBD. I suggest you keep a copy of the registration for your records.

Don Riepe, Barbara Toborg, and I, as well as the citizens of our state, thank you for all you do on behalf of our environment. We wish you a very happy New Year, full of good health, good friends, lots of fun, and, so crucial -- peace in our world.

Please share this information with your volunteer group.

Sincerely,

Barbara

Attached: 2010 Registration Form. Please fax or email it back to me asap. I suggest you keep a copy for your records.

=

Barbara Cohen

American Littoral Society

New York State Beach Cleanup Coordinator
1478 Point Breeze Place
Far Rockaway, NY 11691
Tel: 718-471-2166
Fax: 718-471-0034
Email: alsbeach@aol.com
www.alsnyc.org