Lily Lake and Canada Lake
Public Lands Policy
Smaller summer harmful algal bloom predicted for western Lake Erie | University of Michigan News
University of Michigan researchers and their partners are forecasting that western Lake Erie will experience a smaller-than-average harmful algal bloom this summer.
A relatively dry spring is expected to lead to a repeat of last year’s mild bloom, marking the first time in more than a dozen years that mild Lake Erie blooms have occurred in consecutive summers.
This year’s bloom is expected to measure 3—the same size as last year’s bloom—with a potential range of 2-4.5 out of 10 on the severity index, according to the annual Lake Erie forecast released today by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which funds the research. The 2021 bloom is expected to be among the smaller blooms since 2011.
Trail work is uncertain this summer, as groups await guidance
The Adirondack Explorer repeatedly sent questions to the state Department of Environmental Conservation from the ruling’s release on May 4 through May 24. Questions included what would come of the 19 or so miles of snowmobile trails already built; how the decision would affect other trail work; how the DEC was interpreting what constituted a constitutionally protected tree; whether the DEC would pursue a constitutional amendment specifically to authorize the snowmobile trail; and what guidance the department was providing to trail crews heading into their summer season.
A spokesperson wrote back on May 25 to say that “DEC remains committed to thoughtful stewardship of the Forest Preserve for the use and enjoyment of the public and protection of this resource. DEC is carefully and thoroughly analyzing the Court’s decision and determining the implications for DEC’s varied and complex work.”
The Adirondack Park Agency also did not respond to a similar list of questions, except to say that the state attorney general’s office was reviewing the decision.
Ben Brosseau, director of communications for the Adirondack Mountain Club, said last year’s DEC guidance held that trail crews were not allowed to cut trees on the forest preserve while the case was pending. By the Explorer’s press deadline, ADK had not received any updated guidance, but Brosseau said “we expect new guidance for hiking trail work to come out by mid to late summer.” josh willson of BETABETA Executive Director Josh Wilson skis in the Saranac Lake Wild Forest, where a trail project for mountain biking and skiing has been delayed by the tree-cutting lawsuit.
Court decision blocking Adirondack snowmobile trail has other outdoors enthusiasts concerned – newyorkupstate.com
I think the solution is to repeal the forest preserve language in the constitution and move the Adirondack Park either into the state's reforestation program or the state nature and historic preserve, but I'm a right wing reactionary like Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt.
NPR
A sinking cargo ship off the coast of Sri Lanka is causing an environmental disaster for the country that looks set to have long-term effects.
The X-Press Pearl caught fire on May 20 and burned for two weeks, but the fire appears to have mostly burned out. The crew was evacuated. The ship is now partially sitting on the seabed with its front settling down slowly.
Its cargo is the concern: The ship was carrying dangerous chemicals, including 25 tons of nitric acid and 350 tons of fuel oil. The ship's operator says oil has not spilled so far. But what's already having an impact on beaches nearby are the 78 metric tons of plastic called nurdles — the raw material used to make most types of plastic products.
Wave after wave of plastic pellets are washing ashore. The ship is about 5 miles from the nearest beach.
A message in ASCII hex
A message in ASCII hex …
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Court rules against Forest Preserve tree cutting for snowmobile trails
Snowmobile trails planned for the Adirondack Park violate the state constitution’s “forever wild” clause and may only be approved through a constitutional amendment, the state’s highest court has ruled. It is a rare New York State Court of Appeals decision on the constitutional provision that protects state forest preserve, which includes the Adirondacks and Catskills. Four judges ruled in favor of Protect the Adirondacks, the advocacy organization that brought the suit against the state Department of Environmental Conservation, while two judges dissented. The New York Court of Appeals decision issued on Tuesday ends nearly eight years of litigation and overturns part of a lower court ruling.