Sierra Clubs Children’s books on Climate Change

The Sierra club publishes a list of books to help talk to children about climate things. This is a list I can really get behind as I am trying to raise little environmentalists! Check it out here https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/cool-schools-2018/top-20-coolest-schools-2018?utm_source=insider&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter

Sierra club rates colleges!

The Top 20 Coolest Schools 2018

Here's why the greenest colleges of 2018 rank at the top of their class

GREEN MOUNTAIN COLLEGE STUDENTS WORKING ON RIVERINE FLOODPLAIN FOREST RESTORATION PLANT AN AMERICAN ELM ALONG VERMONT’S POULTNEY RIVER. | COURTESY OF GREEN MOUNTAIN COLLEGE

BY KATIE O'REILLY | AUG 27 2018

The Top 20 | The Complete Ranking: All 269 Schools | Methodology | FAQ | More Cool Schools

In the 12 years since Sierra began highlighting the best environmental practices of colleges and universities, the competition to be the ecofriendliest in all of academia has gotten fierce. This year, we received a record 269 responses from qualified institutions, which now include Canadian schools and community colleges. Our annual Cool Schools Rankings assess colleges' performance in everything from what they teach to how they obtain their electricity to their sources of cafeteria food and how they manage their water. Please join Sierra in congratulating the very green—and diverse—schools that are mastering the art and science of campus sustainability.

*read the article here https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/cool-schools-2018/top-20-coolest-schools-2018?utm_source=insider&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter

Happy Earth Day! - 3 days late....

ok so I'm a terrible environmental blogger. My cleaning and home blog is up to date, does that count? No?! I agree.

I work a compressed schedule at work so Earth Day was my pass day, which sound like a vacation day every other week but its really physical therapy, doctors appointments, vet appointments, house work, toddler play time, and so on.

 I love earth day and normally I make baked goods for work and my husband celebrates it with a hanging basket or begonias for my garden or something but this year he forgot which really made me sad.
None the less this morning when I finally checked my email I found this message from Sierra Club with fantastic news for NY and I thought I'd share:

It’s official! An Earth Day decision by Gov. Cuomo!

 

 

For Immediate Release: 04/22/16

Contact: Sean Mahar | (518) 402-8000

Press Office | PressOffice@dec.ny.gov

 

 

New York State Department Of Environment Conservation Denies Water Quality Certificate Required For Constitution Pipeline

                                                                             

Today, officials from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation announced the denial of the Clean Water Act Section 401 Water Quality Certification for the proposed Constitution Pipeline. Although DEC has granted certificates for other projects, the application by Constitution for these certificates fails to meet New York State’s water quality standards. The full decision is outlined in a letter by John Ferguson, Chief Permit Administrator with DEC’s Division of Environmental Permits and Pollution Prevention. That letter can be viewed here.

The Constitution proposal involved construction of approximately 124 miles of new interstate natural gas piping in northeastern Pennsylvania, proceeding into New York State through Broome, Chenango, Delaware, and Schoharie Counties, terminating at the existing Wright Compressor Station in Schoharie County.

            In New York State, the project proposed to include new right-of-way construction of approximately 99 miles of new 30-inch diameter pipeline, rather than co-locating within existing rights-of-way. Although DEC requested significant mitigation measures to limit affecting the state’s water bodies, this new right-of-way construction would impact approximately 250 streams across New York State. Many of those streams are unique and sensitive ecological areas, including trout spawning streams, old-growth forest, and undisturbed springs, which provide vital habitat and are key to the local ecosystems.

DEC had repeatedly requested that Constitution provide a comprehensive and site-specific analysis of depth for pipeline burial to mitigate the project’s environmental impact – but the company refused – providing only a limited analysis of burial depth for 21 of the 250 New York streams. Pipes can become exposed in stream beds if not buried deeply enough, and corrective action can further damage the stream and impact water quality. 

Additionally DEC received reports that landowners, possibly with Constitution's knowledge, clear cut old-growth trees along the right-of-way for the pipeline, including trees near streams and water bodies, even after the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ruled that Constitution could not cut trees in the right-of-way. 

State officials conducted a rigorous review of Constitution’s application, all supporting materials, and more than 15,000 public comments on the project before reaching this decision.

###

Connect with DEC on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube

 

Tracy Carluccio

Deputy Director

Delaware Riverkeeper Network

925 Canal St., Suite 3701

Bristol PA 19007

Phone:  215.369.1188 ext 104

Cell: 215.692.2329

Fax:  215.369.1181

www. delawareriverkeeper.org

 

Remember the River

To remind us  all to Remember the River in every decision we make;
And to hold our elected officials accountable to do the same.

 

I love the Earth Day Network

Earth day is next month, one of my favorite holidays ! And I love the Earth Day Network! their campaigns are always on point and I like that they disclose their financials.
They have stuff for teacher, cities, international and women and children efforts. Check them out here.: http://www.earthday.org/campaigns/education/
They also have a tree goal for earth day! Every dollar donated equals a tree planted!

Coalition Against Pilgrim Pipelines-NY

This is NOT original content. This is an email I received. Interestingly, I had no idea this was even proposed so I wanted to share.  

 

           Join the Coalition Against Pilgrim Pipelines-NY in saying NO to Pilgrim Pipelines

Urge Governor Cuomo to deny Pilgrim’s use of the Thruway Right of Way to build its dangerous new pair of proposed crude oil and refined products pipelines:

CALL THE GOVERNOR THIS WEEK! Today through March 4th! 

Dear Friends and Neighbors:

Dangerous Bakken shale crude oil could be transported alongside the New York State Thruway, but Governor Cuomo can deny Pilgrim Pipeline’s use of the Thruway's right of way and can stop this project. Please urge him to deny their request. Now!

Pilgrim Pipeline Holdings, LLC, is trying to build the first pipelines to transport volatile fracked Bakken shale oil and possibly tar sands crude oils through New York State. And Pilgrim wants to use the New York State Thruway right-of-way to build them! These twin pipelines would carry fracked Bakken and possibly Canadian heavy crude from Albany, NY, to Linden, NJ, and flammable refined products back from Linden to Albany.

The pipelines would be drilled under and through two hundred and thirty-two (232) waterways. New pipelines fail at a higher rate than older ones. The proposed Pilgrim pipelines would threaten our communities' public health, safety, and water – including millions of people’s drinking water.

Governor Cuomo committed to moving New York to a renewable energy future, to cutting our emissions by 80% by 2050, and to investing in a climate-resilient future. Pilgrim’s pipelines directly conflict with this vision of New York: they would worsen climate change, increase emissions, and lock us into a dangerously fossil-fuel-reliant future.

Call Governor Cuomo now and urge him to deny Pilgrim’s use of the New York Thruway Authority’s right of way.

HERE IS A SUGGESTED SCRIPT:

Governor Cuomo, you have pledged to be a climate leader. I urge you to deny Pilgrim Pipeline Holdings' use of the New York State Thruway Authority right of way to construct its proposed pipelines. They would be the first pipelines to transport dangerous fracked Bakken Shale and possibly Canadian heavy crude oils in New York, threatening our communities' public health, safety, and water.

Governor Cuomo, protect New York and New Yorkers: stand with all the communities along the proposed pipelines' route that oppose this project and deny Pilgrim's use of the right of way!

GOVERNOR CUOMO'S OFFICE- 518-474-8390  

____________________________________________________________________________

Still want more background before making that call? More basics:

These two proposed pipelines, plus 5 laterals, 4 pump stations, over 100 new access roads (35 of them permanent), and 7 construction zones, would put drinking water for millions at risk, while harming climate, land, public health and safety. Two hundred and thirty-two (232) waterways would be drilled under or through, including the Hudson River, Catskill Creek, Coeyman/Hannacroix Creek Complex, the Rondout, Wallkill, Moodna, Esopus, Ramapo, and other streams. Pilgrim pipelines should be strongly rejected.

Between 2004 and 2012, pipelines spilled three times as much oil as oil trains, according to the International Energy Agency. 

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) issued a safety alert on Jan. 2, 2014 regarding the volatility of Bakken crude oil. According to PHMSA data, pipeline operators reported 1,880 crude oil pipeline incidents nationwide between 2003 and 2013 resulting in over 44 million gallons of oil being spilled, fouling groundwater, surface water bodies, farmland and woodland, and resulting in over $2.5 billion in property damage. In only 5% of all cases were spills detected by leak detection equipment.

These pipelines would not replace rail and barge transport of crude oil in New York. Instead, they would increase "bomb train" traffic into Albany and increase the flow of crude oil in the state to refineries and export terminals in New Jersey for production and export. Such a long-term investment in fossil fuel infrastructure directly conflicts with New York State’s goal of reducing carbon emissions by 80% by 2050 to reduce the threat of the climate crisis to present and future generations. 

Further background: the one-hour "Pilgrim Pipelines 101 Webinar" is authoritative, excellent, and provides a wealth of information. The two speakers are Kate Hudson and Jen Metzger. Here it is on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/embed/qVBnLy5FoA8

Please make sure to make that call today and to convince at least one person per day to make that call every day this week: 

GOVERNOR CUOMO'S OFFICE- 518-474-8390  

(Downstate office, if you like, is: 212-681-4580)

Thanks for all you do!

--

Iris Marie Bloom

Director, Protecting Our Waters

Organizer, Coalition Against Pilgrim Pipelines-NY

Phone: 845-687-7810 / Mobile: 215.840.6489
Email: protectingourwaters@gmail.com
Web: protectingourwaters.com

Facebook: facebook.com/ProtectingOurWaters

Twitter: @POW_no_fracking

"Water is the driving force of all nature."

    -- Leonardo Da Vinci 1452 - 1519

Shake it like a salt shaker

This is a good NPR article on the new NYC salt warning laws. They go into effect next week. I love that NYC is continuing to try to make its residents and visitors healthier. Now, if the rest of the state and the eastern part of the country would get on board. (The western part seems to be progressive on issues of health and environmental safety). Read it here

Zika and Rio 2016

http://commonsensesavvy.blogspot.com/2016/02/what-does-zika-mean-for-olympics.html

I posted this on my other blog. Its original content and I think a topic we really need to talk about more with Rio 2016 fast approaching.

Message from American Farmland Trust

Conference Track Focuses on Building Local Support
and Funding for Farmland Conservation

 

Since the 1980s, New York has lost nearly half a million acres of farmland to development, an area equivalent to 4,500 farms. Once farmland is paved over, it’s gone forever. We cannot get it back.

But, we can help the family farmers who remain -- caring for the land and growing our food.  

Please join us at the Harvesting Opportunities in New York 2015 conference, November 4th at the Empire State Plaza in Albany. Participants will discuss how farms benefit communities of all kinds -- urban, suburban and rural -- and will learn how to work with New York State and other partners to generate support for the permanent protection of our disappearing agricultural land.

Save Farms in Your Community workshops include:

• Farming in the City & the Country-- Land, Economics, & Public Benefits
• Eminent Domain: Strengthening Protections for Farmland in Your Community
• Growing Resources for Farmland Conservation Funding

To learn about our other conference tracks and details of the event, please visit our conference webpage. Register now to reserve your spot at this special event for New York agriculture.

Sincerely,

David Haight New York State Director American Farmland Trust *Please note this is not my original content

The Forest Is Good for your Health (article on BBC)

"A study conducted in 24 forests across Japan found that walking among trees lowered blood pressure, the pulse rate, and levels of the hormone cortisol, which is released in response to stress."

This is something I learned long ago. I didn't need a study to tell me this but, if this is what it takes to green up our cities/ towns and to better preserve our open space then I'm all for it.  Read about it here: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-33368691

A message from a religious leader on our enviroment.

Below is an email I received from Saveourenvironment.org. I have to say that I like this Pope. I am not a religious person but, if your into organized religion you can't deny this guy is on to something. He recently has taken some very modern positions from tolerance for sexuality and now has taken a stance on climate change. I love it!  People who tend to listen to ever word the Pope says tend not to be so modern, so this could really help reach a group that otherwise would have ignored the issue(s). (And for the sake of the catholic church maybe help people feel less alienated from the church but that's not the point of this post) See below:

 

Recently, Pope Francis took a stand on climate change – calling it  "the greatest ecological threat we face." His encyclical “Praised Be: On the Care of the Common Home” is a milestone moment for the faith community, uniting voices across the globe in the call to protect our environment.

Join us in thanking Pope Francis for his leadership on climate change.

A papal encyclical is rare – and it’s one of the highest levels of a pope’s authority. By making climate action a pillar of his encyclical on ecology, Pope Francis wants everyone to know that acting on climate change is a moral priority for the faith community.

This encyclical underscores our moral obligation to address climate change and its impacts on communities around the globe. Taking steps to tackle climate change will help protect the environment for future generations.

Pope Francis understands the threat of climate change. He knows that we’re already seeing the impacts on our ecology and that now is the time to act. As a faith leader representing more than one billion people worldwide, his call for climate action is a big deal!

Add your name to say you stand with the Pope and people of faith who have pledged to address climate change.

Together, we can help protect our common home for future generations.

Kevin Curtis
Director, SaveOurEnvironment.org
info@saveourenvironment.org

Making New York a National Leader - From American Farmland Trust

Governor Cuomo Proposes Important Step to Making New York a National Leader in Growing Farm Economy and Ensuring Food Security

Last week, Governor Cuomo released his proposed 2015-16 State Budget.  The Governor’s 2015 Opportunity Agenda is big – literally – more than 550 pages and proposes in excess of $141 billion in state spending. In it, is big news for the state’s farm and food economy and every New Yorker that cares about their food and where it comes from.  Governor Cuomo has proposed to make the state’s largest investment ever in permanently protecting farmland - placing New York in the Top Five in America in state funding for a Farmland Protection Program.  Investing in New York’s Farm and Food Economy The connection between Governor Cuomo’s proposed capital investment in protecting farmland and New York’s economy is pretty simple.  New York is a farm state that is packed with 19 million eaters, and millions more people just beyond our borders.  For generations, New York’s economy has been tied with growing, processing, distributing and selling food and other farm products.  Farmers hit a record high with nearly $5.7 billion in sales of farm products in 2013.   READ MORE Ensuring Food Security for All of New York’s Eaters But, protecting farmland is good for more than just farmers and New York’s economy – it matters to all New Yorkers that are thinking about their food and food security.  Nationally, more than 90% of the fruit grown in the United States, 80% of our vegetables and 70% of our milk is produced in urban edge counties – places where farms are under pressure from real estate development. These threats to our food production are very real in New York where the equivalent of 4,500 farms have been lost to real estate development since the 1980s.  And, according to a Cornell University study, New York’s 7 million acres of land currently in farming can produce only enough food for 6 million people – 30% of the state’s population.   Record State Investment in Protecting Farmland Governor Cuomo’s budget proposal includes $14 million for New York’s Farmland Protection from the state’s Environmental Protection Fund as well as a special allocation of $20 million for permanently protecting farms in the Hudson Valley and $30 million for farms and agricultural economic development in the state’s Southern Tier.  Such state investment would put New York near the top of the nation in farmland conservation funding – along with Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. READ MORE

Will Congress make our work illegal?- Email from Food and Water Watch

New York's announcement in December to remain frack-free was a game-changer for the movement to protect our drinking water and other precious resources. We give thanks to people like you, because together, we can protect public health and our environment.

However, now our opponents will likely intensify their efforts to silence and discredit our concerns about fracking, and with help from anti-environment members of the new Congress, we can expect radical actions trying to strip away current protections. That's why we need you to send the message right way that we're not going to stand for industry favors.

This week, the new Republican-controlled Congress is rushing to push through the Keystone XL pipeline approval, and we can surely expect more attacks on science like we saw in November when the House passed a bill forbidding scientists from advising the Environmental Protection Agency on their own research.¹

Even worse, paid lobbyists and industry-backed politicians have launched very deliberate and coordinated attacks on groups and individuals that champion environmental protections.² ³ They call us extremists in an attempt to thwart our growing movement. But we're not environmentalists for the sake of the environment. We aim to protect our environment because it has a direct affect on our health. We cannot live without clean drinking water, and we cannot grow healthy food without a healthy ecosystem.

Email your members of Congress to tell them that you support environmental protections, and that it shouldn't be illegal to stand up for safe drinking water and a healthy food system.

Now that Republicans have control of the Senate, a key committee — the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee — will be chaired by James Inhofe (R-Okla.), a notorious climate change denier and an unabashed champion for the fossil fuel industry. It was under his lead last year that, not just one, but two reports were released targeting environmental groups and their funders in an attempt to silence groups working in the public interest. Will you tell your Members of Congress that they shouldn't be using taxpayer dollars to fund attacks on groups trying to protect our environment?

We're being attacked in an attempt to draw attention away from what matters most: our food, our water, our health and our communities. But we won't be silenced. Instead, we'll gather all the support we can to show media and influencers that these attacks lack credibility. Will you stand up for environmental protections for our food and water?

Thanks for all you do,

Wenonah Hauter
Executive Director
Food & Water Watch
act(at)fwwatch(dot)org

NYS BARS HIGH-VOLUME FRACKING!- excerpt email from Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy

CUOMO NIXES HIGH-VOLUME FRACKING

In a historic victory for environmental activists, Governor Cuomo has said he will bar high-volume hydraulic fracturing (HVHF) in New York State. This decision means that New York's shale gas reserves are likely to remain in the ground for the foreseeable future.
Before announcing his decision, the governor called on Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Joe Martens and Department of Health Acting Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker to report their findings. Commissioner Martens said that fracking could have major impacts on air quality, water resources and communities, while Dr. Zucker reported that his department's two-year review found that the process could pose "serious health risks." He concluded that he wouldn't want to live in a community where fracking takes place, and wouldn't let his child play in a school field nearby.

THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE DECISION

New York's Department of Health didn't conduct original research of its own; instead it reviewed the existing literature in the field. Yesterday it released its findings in this 176-page report. PSE Healthy Energy also surveyed the more than four hundred peer-reviewed scientific studies that consider the impacts of unconventional oil and gas extraction on air quality, water quality, and human health. While there are still significant data gaps, the emerging trend is unmistakable. In every area, the preponderance of scientific studies point to either significant risks or to adverse impacts associated with fracking.

All charts courtesy of PSE Healthy Energy
And last week saw the release of another important study, NRDC's Fracking Fumes: Air Pollution from Hydraulic Fracturing Threatens Public Health and Communities, which links air contamination with respiratory and neurological problems, blood disorders, cancer and birth defects.

Cuomo's Promise: from: food and water watch

Governor Cuomo was just re-elected to another term. He has yet to make a decision on fracking but there are signs he may do so soon. It is imperative that we hold Cuomo accountable to his commitment to respect the science — and the science shows that fracking is dangerous to our health and must be banned. Send a message to Governor Cuomo: Ban fracking!




I've visited fracking sites in Pennsylvania, and seen the harm that fracking can inflict on communities.

I've met families suffering from health problems and dealing with hardship brought on by fracking.

I've smelled the dirty water, and watched the endless stream of trucks carrying water, sand and chemicals.

And I've spoken with parents frightened about the health of their children. Tell Governor Cuomo to protect the health of New Yorkers by banning fracking!

Despite growing scientific evidence of fracking's harms, we're concerned that Cuomo may allow a "pilot project" in the Southern Tier. With Governor Cuomo's re-election, it's essential that we keep the drum-beat going and continue to send him the message: Not one well!


Thanks for taking action,

Eric Weltman
Senior Organizer
Food & Water Watch
eweltman(at)fwwatch(dot)org

SAVE THE BEES

Bees are incredibly valuable — we need them to pollinate and grow our food. But too many pesticides designed to kill pests end up killing our bees too.

More and more people are seeking ways to help bee populations by purchasing "bee-friendly" garden plants. But more than half of these plants sold at Home Depot and Lowe's actually contain a toxic pesticide that can harm or even kill bees!

Sign the petition to Lowe's and Home Depot: Stop selling bee-killing plants marketed as "bee-friendly."

Our allies at Friends of the Earth recently released a groundbreaking report that exposes the truth about many "bee-friendly" plants. They tested these garden plants from Home Depot, Lowe's and Walmart in 18 cities across the U.S. and Canada and found that more than half of the plant samples tested contained pesticides at levels that could harm or kill bees — with no warning to consumers. So, instead of helping bees in our gardens, we may unknowingly be poisoning them.

It is downright shameful that companies like Home Depot and Lowe's are trying to take advantage of concerned people seeking out "bee-friendly" plants by selling them the very pesticides they are trying to avoid.

Will you take a moment to tell Lowe's and Home Depot to stop selling plants that mislead the public into thinking they're helping bees?

With bee populations at an all-time low, our food crops are threatened. Bees help crops to grow and reproduce by flying from plant to plant dropping pollen. We need to be doing everything we can to help bees, not hurt them.

Thousands of people across the country have signed petitions, sent letters and taken to the streets asking retailers including Home Depot and Lowe’s to stop selling bee-killing pesticides. These and other garden retail giants have yet to publicly commit to removing bee-harming products from their shelves. We need more people speaking out and demanding action.

Sign our petition today; activists around the country will be delivering cards, letters and petitions to Lowe's and Home Depot a few days before Halloween.


Thanks for signing,
 Meredith Begin
Organizer, Education & Outreach
Food & Water Watch
mbegin(at)fwwatch(dot)org

An interesting article about the decline in monarchs- from the wildflower center

Royal Blues - Fall 2014

Written by Bibi Wein

Above: Monarch butterflies only migrate during the day. At night, they gather in clusters called roosts.

Monarch butterflies are in trouble. Recently their numbers have dropped so precipitously that conservationists are sounding the alarm. Last winter, far fewer monarchs than ever showed up at their Mexican overwintering grounds, where scientists have been monitoring them since 1994 – only half as many as in 2012-13 and a mere 10 percent of the 20-year average.
“It’s a disturbing trend that’s been going on for most of the past decade,” says veteran monarch watcher Dr. Craig Wilson, senior researcher at Texas A&M University. “This year, monarchs have faced several threats including lingering drought, unusually cold winter temperatures and lack of milkweed, the only plant eaten by monarch caterpillars.” In addition, on the steep mountainsides of central Mexico, illegal logging continues to decimate old-growth oyamel firs, the only trees in which the overwintering butterflies roost. In 2013-14 they occupied only 1.65 acres of their winter habitat, compared to 2.47 acres the previous season.
“For what was once one of our most common butterflies, this decline is dramatic,” says Sarina Jepsen, director of the endangered species program at The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. “Twenty years ago, North America was home to more than a billion monarchs. Sixty million were estimated in 2012-13. Today’s estimate is fewer than 35 million.”
The monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus, has long fascinated humans, from scientists to toddlers. It is large, with distinctive orange and black markings that make it easy to identify, and the mystery of what Wilson calls its “magical migration” teases the imagination.
“It is a wonder of the world that a butterfly can fly 2,000 miles from as far north as Canada to an area where it has never been,” says Wilson. The monarch is the only butterfly known to make such a journey. And while there are small populations of monarchs in many parts of the world, only North American monarchs migrate. How do they do it? We know only that they fly south or southwest when temperatures cool in late summer or early fall and that they are probably guided in some way by the sun and the earth’s magnetic field. “Recent research suggests they have magnetic compasses in their antennae,” says Jepsen. “But the individuals that make this journey are at least four generations removed from the butterflies that flew north the previous spring. We know so little about how they find and roost in the exact trees where their great-great-grandparents roosted the previous winter.”
No single butterfly makes the round-trip. The butterflies that leave Mexico in early spring mate and lay their eggs on milkweed leaves in Texas, then continue north, mating and laying eggs until they die of old age, usually within weeks of leaving Mexico. The eggs develop into caterpillars that devour the milkweed leaves, then form a chrysalis or pupa from which a butterfly emerges. About a month after the eggs were laid, the new adult flies north to repeat the process. This happens several times until the fourth or fifth generation begins the long migration south. The adult butterflies of these middle-breeding generations live two to six weeks. The migrating generation will live eight to nine months, spending more than half their lives in Mexico, clinging in tight clusters to the bark and branches of oyamel firs, from which they get the warmth they need to survive in semi-dormancy. Monarchs can’t fly until the temperature reaches 55-60 F. When it does, they take off for Texas and begin the cycle all over again.

Above: Antelope horn (A. asperula)

By current estimates, some 33 million monarchs emerging east of the Rockies make this journey, while fewer than half a million that emerge in the west migrate to small wooded areas in coastal California. We’ll be talking primarily about the larger group, which appears more severely threatened.
A monarch’s life is hazardous at every stage of this complex cycle. Many things can go wrong at any point and, recently, many have. Among them, Wilson cites the effects of climate change. “Extreme heat can desiccate their eggs laid on the journey north in the spring, and wildfires have destroyed wildflowers that provide nectar for the adults. Monarchs are one of the canaries in the coal mine,” asserts Wilson. “They’re telling us climate change is happening.”
Jepsen points to other concerns. “More and more, we’re seeing declines in widespread and abundant species like the monarchs. I think this means we’re changing the landscape at an unprecedented scale.” These changes include loss of habitat to development and agriculture, resulting in a dramatic loss of milkweed, which has been catastrophic to the monarch.
What is best understood about monarchs is their link with milkweeds (Asclepias spp.). The butterfly and the plant apparently evolved together. The female lays her fertilized eggs nowhere else. Milkweed leaves are the caterpillars’ only nourishment, and the toxins they contain protect monarchs from many predators throughout their life cycle. When a caterpillar pupates, the gem-like green and gold chrysalis attaches itself to the underside of a milkweed leaf until the butterfly emerges. There the exclusive relationship ends. Adult monarchs sip nectar from milkweed flowers and help pollinate the plant, but they feed from many other wildflowers as well.
Until recently, milkweeds were plentiful in the Corn Belt of the Midwest. That changed dramatically in 2006, when the push for ethanol production raised the demand for corn and soybeans. Corn and soy crops planted today are almost universally genetically modified to tolerate glyphosate herbicides that are sprayed on these fields by the millions of gallons. “The spray kills off all weeds and wildflowers, including milkweed that would have previously survived at field edges,” says Wilson. Between 1999 and 2009, 90 percent of common milkweed (A. syriaca) vanished from the field margins of Iowa alone. Making matters still worse, intensive farming practices reduce the area between field edge and road, and excessive mowing of roadsides nationwide destroys more milkweed habitat.
A 2012 study estimated a 58 percent loss of milkweed from 1999 to 2010 in the Midwestern landscape, where half of monarchs are believed to begin their migration south, and a corresponding 81 percent decline in the butterflies. The disappearance of milkweeds in agricultural areas makes their presence in other habitats all the more important. One of these habitats could be your garden.
Texas gardeners are in a unique position to give monarchs a boost. “Milkweeds in Texas are critical for monarchs, as this is the second generation’s first stop after leaving Mexico,” Wilson points out. “But everyone throughout the country – especially in Iowa and the rest of the Midwest, all the way up through Wisconsin and Minnesota – can help by planting milkweed and other nectar flowers to provide a food source for the adults to give them energy to breed and to migrate, both north and south.”
Most milkweeds thrive in full sun, well-drained soil, and are drought-tolerant and unappealing to deer. They can provide height, color and structure in the garden and once established need little attention. Their sturdy stalks bear large umbels in a variety of colors, often so subtle they defy simple names like pink, white or green. The more milkweed species you can grow, with varying bloom times, the more monarchs your garden will support. The seedpods add interest when flowers and foliage die back. Brown when ripe, they’re 2 to 3 inches long and filled with silky white floss that helps the seeds fly off on the wind when pods burst.
“Milkweeds can be hard to get going,” cautions Wildflower Center director of horticulture Andrea DeLong-Amaya, but a little extra care at the start will produce long-lasting, problem-free perennials. Be sure to choose a locally native species, and avoid all pesticides and herbicides in the garden. When purchasing plants or seeds, look for an organic or “monarch-safe” label to avoid herbicide or pesticide contamination.
Seedlings, prone to damping off, may do best when planted communally in a tray rather than in pots. Choose a tray 5 inches deep to give taproots room to develop, then transplant to a larger pot to gain strength (until they are fully rooted in the pot). Transplants fare best when they’re pretty big – the bigger the better. “A plant in a gallon pot should do fine,” says DeLong-Amaya. “They like heat,” she adds, so get them in the ground in spring or summer depending on where you are gardening. Mulch to reduce weeds and avoid water loss. Because most milkweeds have taproots and appreciate good drainage, add compost to keep soil loose. First-year plants should be watered in dry weather, especially if they’re hosting monarch caterpillars ringed with yellow, black and white.

Above: Butterflyweed is frequently grown from seed in home gardens.

Fall is best for planting directly from seed, according to Xerces. Winter’s cold temperatures and moist conditions will stimulate germination. A scarcity of milkweed seeds native to some regions, including parts of Texas and Florida, has frustrated some gardeners, but in collaboration with the native seed industry, USDA and others, Xerces continues to develop new seed sources. Look for them under Project Milkweed at www.xerces.org.
Some caveats. The stems and leaves of all milkweeds except A. tuberosa produce a milky latex. This gooey substance is poisonous to many creatures and can be a skin irritant for some people. If you are new to handling milkweeds, wear gloves.
“Aphids are an issue with all milkweeds,” says DeLong-Amaya, “but they don’t jump to other plants. If you see an aphid on your plant, it’s not a big deal. Ladybugs take care of them. You can spray with soapy water every week or so. Make sure it makes direct contact with the aphids, and don’t worry if it doesn’t kill them all.”
Obviously, success with milkweeds in the garden means the leaves will be chewed to tatters by hungry caterpillars, so choose a low-profile location. If you don’t have a sunny one or you want to make the flowers a focal point, DeLong-Amaya suggests mixing milkweeds with other perennials of the same height so the chewed-up leaves won’t show as much. She recommends warm-season, mid-height grasses that won’t overpower milkweed flowers. Side-oats grama grass, for one, works well with A. tuberosa.
“Naively perhaps, I do believe that if you plant it, they will come – ‘it’ being milkweeds,” says Wilson. “Perhaps, taking a literal leaf out of Lady Bird Johnson’s playbook, the north-south interstates could be planted with milkweeds and become corridors to aid the migration.” He has a proposal in the works seeking corporate support.
This is a big idea, and experts are convinced it will take large-scale, well-funded projects to keep monarchs even at current population levels, much less bring them back. But there is an upside to this dilemma: Monarchs are the rock stars of the insect world, with huge numbers of fans. Long before the term “citizen science” became familiar, volunteers were helping to count and tag the butterflies, developing data for valuable studies. Today, thousands of non-scientists of all ages are studying and helping monarchs through programs such as that run by Dr. Wilson at Texas A&M; Journey North; and Monarch Watch. Most of these groups emphasize the planting of milkweed and offer creative ways to involve children. If one child is inspired by the sight of a monarch caterpillar munching on the milkweed she helped plant, who knows how far her mind and heart may soar and where her dreams, ephemeral today as the butterflies themselves, may ultimately take the world?
Bibi Wein authored the award-winning memoir “The Way Home: A Wilderness Odyssey” (Tupelo Press). She lives in New York, and her work has appeared in numerous magazines and literary journals.

Fracking Message from Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy

STUDY: FRACKING DOESN'T CONTAMINATE DRINKING WATER, SHALE GAS WELLS DO

A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences examined eight clusters of drinking water contamination (seven in Pennsylvania and one in the Barnett Shale in Texas) and determined that in each case the underground injection of fracking fluid was not responsible for the elevated levels of methane, ethane, and propane in the drinking water. Instead, the contamination was traced to problems with the construction of the gas wells themselves. These problems include defective cement jobs, defective steel casing, and in one case, well failure. Lead author Thomas Darrah of The Ohio State University characterized this finding as "relatively good news," because improvements in well integrity could potentially reduce the number of contamination incidents.

But this raises an important question—does the industry know how to ensure the integrity of horizontally drilled shale gas wells? Maybe not. Another study (also published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences), examined compliance reports for the tens of thousands of gas wells drilled in Pennsylvania between 2000 and 2012 and found that shale gas wells had cement and casing problems far more often than conventional wells. It "predicted cumulative hazards exceeding 40%."

Another caveat: A single study of several water contamination clusters doesn't prove that fracking per se never contaminates drinking water. In the areas of Pennsylvania and Texas that were studied, the fracked gas formations are more than a mile underground. In other parts of the country where there have also been water contamination incidents, fracking has occurred within just a few hundred feet of nearby water wells. For example, in Pavillion, Wyoming, fracking occurred within 1,000 feet of the surface near water wells that are over 750 feet deep. Stanford University's Robert Jackson, coauthor of the water contamination study, told the Billings Gazette "Pavillion is a much more complicated place than where we looked at. The biggest difference is how near the surface the fracking occurred, and how close to people's water it was."

Read more about well integrity.

WHAT'S FRACKING? LOOK IT UP

The oil and gas industry has been using the term fracking for more than fifty years, but it has only recently found its way into dictionaries. In fact, it took Merriam-Webster until this month to include the word, along with hashtag and selfie. Fracking, of course, is the abbreviated form of hydraulic fracturing and is defined as "the injection of fluid into shale beds at high pressure in order to free up petroleum resources (such as oil or natural gas)." Merriam-Webster doesn't recognize the term as shorthand for the entire process of unconventional oil and gas extraction, which also includes wellpad construction, drilling etc. Words such as fractivist, which clearly connote opposition to all aspects of unconventional drilling, have not yet found their way into the dictionary.

BRIEFLY NOTED:

• The effect of natural gas supply on U.S. renewable energy and CO2 emissions, a study conducted by University of California, Irvine, Professor Christine Shearer and others and published in Environmental Research Letters, concludes that "increased natural gas use for electricity will not substantially reduce U.S. GHG [greenhouse gas] emissions, and by delaying deployment of renewable energy technologies, may actually exacerbate the climate change problem."


• Peter Mantius reports on a little-known loophole that permits corporations to avoid paying taxes on their fossil fuel investments. Because these structured investments, known as Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs), are only available for income derived from "depletable" natural resources, wind and solar energy are ineligible. For that reason, Mantius calls MLPs a "reverse carbon tax." The combined market value of these MLPs is now more than $500 billion.


• At the end of August, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection released a list of 243 private water wells that were damaged by oil and gas extraction.

Please donate to
Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy,
an all-volunteer grassroots organization.

A message from a family friend and downstate NY rep: Senator Larkin

Dear Friend(s):

The autumn season is a great time to take advantage of some of the best things the Empire State has to offer, including fall foliage, football and apple farms.

Did you know that New York is the #2 apple producer in the country? Or that New York grows more varieties of apples than any other state?

There are over 600 apple orchards around the state offering a variety of apple products, including cider, doughnuts, wine and, of course, apples. To find the nearest u-pick orchard, visit www.nyapplecountry.com/pick.php. 

I encourage all New Yorkers (and tourists!) to visit a local apple orchard this autumn. It’s great family fun, great for our health and a great way to support for our local farmers.
Sincerely,
Senator Bill Larkin

More on Climate Change- an email from SaveOurEnvironment

On September 21st, one of the largest rallies on climate change ever took place in New York City. An estimated 400,000 people took to the streets as part of the People's Climate March. Even if you couldn't be there, you can still call for climate action by submitting a public comment to cut carbon pollution.

With the UN summit in New York City approaching, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is urging governments to take action to reduce global warming pollution. As the world watches, our community is taking action by showing our strength in numbers.

Over 1,000 businesses, unions, faith assemblies, schools, social justice groups, and environmental organizations are there this week telling our world leaders to address our climate crisis. Support them by submitting a public comment now to set strong limits on carbon pollution.

Via flickr/Moms Clean Air Force

Even if you couldn't make the rally, you can still make your voice heard. Supporters like you have already submitted over six million public comments in support of the EPA limits on carbon pollution – now is the time to show our strength again.

When future generations look back at the battle to fight climate change, they'll look at this moment to see who stood up to protect the future – and who refused to act.

We know which side we have to be on.

Make your voice heard: join the more than 400,000 activists that took to the streets this Sunday and tell our world leaders they need to address our climate crisis.

Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Kevin Curtis
Director, SaveOurEnvironment.org

Climate Change- a message from the Earth Day Network

This is an email I received from the Earth Day Network. It says to share it - where better than on my environmental blog! See below:

Dear Friend,

Right now, hundreds of world leaders including President Barack Obama and UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon are gathered at the UN to discuss global climate change, leading up to the UN Climate Summit in Paris in 2015. Their agenda: negotiate new emission cuts, achieve solid financial commitments, and build momentum for a binding international agreement to be enacted in 2015.

At 8 AM to open today’s climate summit, they are viewing Louie Schwartzberg's remarkable short film, What’s Possible. Narrated by Morgan Freeman and scored by Hans Zimmer, What's Possible shows that we are all inextricably united by one common goal – a sustainable planet – and that for the very first time, renewable energy technologies offer a viable path to get us there.

Please see What’s Possible and help us build momentum by pledging an Act of Green and sharing this video with all your friends.
We have everything we need to wake up to a different kind of world. All we need now is a concerted effort. Make today the day we chart a new course together. Thank you for helping to secure our future.

-- The Earth Day Network Team

DEMAND A STATEWIDE BAN ON FRACKING- email from Catskill Citizens for Safe Energy

DEMAND A STATEWIDE BAN ON FRACKING

We know fracking is dangerous and destructive. The only thing we don't
know is what Governor Cuomo will do
if he's reelected. Demand a ban now!

FRACKING ON THE BALLOT IN NYS

Photo by Diana Robinson courtesy of Flickr Andrew Cuomo

Photo courtesy of Chae Kihn Zephyr Teachout

For the first time since fracking became a concern to many New Yorkers, it's emerged as a top-tier issue in a major race. On Tuesday, September 9, Democrats will get to choose between incumbent Governor Andrew Cuomo and challenger Zephyr Teachout.

Governor Cuomo hasn't had a lot to say about the issue in recent months. The official position of his administration is that he's waiting for the Department of Health to complete its review before making a determination as to whether or not to permit fracking in New York State. No decision is expected before next year.

Fracking and renewable energy are at the very heart of Fordham Law Professor Zephyr Teachout's campaign. She says she will impose a statewide fracking ban on her first day in office and immediately set about studying the feasibility of moving New York to 100 percent renewable energy by 2050, along the lines suggested by the Solutions Project. Teachout has been pressing her campaign in a number of visits to upstate New York, including an appearance in Ithaca, where she was given a rousing introduction by Helen Slottje.

The Candidates at a Glance

Click image to enlarge.

Polls open noon to 9 PM Tuesday September 9

Only registered Democrats will be allowed to vote. Voters who will be unable to vote in person should apply for an absentee ballot immediately.

CONNECTICUT BANS FRACKING WASTE

August 18 ~ Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy signed into law a bill that would prohibit the importation of fracking waste for three years. Malloy declared that the moratorium "must become a permanent ban" unless the industry fully discloses both the chemicals used in fracking and the naturally occurring chemicals found in waste products. One legislator who was instrumental in shepherding the bill through the legislature said the law was necessary because it was unclear what Cuomo would do after the election. "We're concerned that being so close to New York we would be bombarded with fracking waste," said state Senator Ed Meyer.

NEW JERSEY'S CHRISTIE VETOES FRACK WASTE BILL

August 12 ~ Claiming it would violate the U.S. constitution, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie vetoed a bipartisan bill that would bar the importation of frack waste. The measure had passed both houses of the legislature by wide margins, so an override of the veto is possible.