March 2012

March 26, 2012

Beczak Environmental Education Center 3rd Annual Fishing The Hudson April 9th -13th 2012

http://www.westchester.com/news/westchesternews/sports/16483-3rd-annual-fishing-the-hudson.html

3rd Annual Fishing The Hudson

Yonkers, NY - Experience the thrill of fishing on the Hudson River aboard a 50’ fishing vessel. Island Current II returns to Yonkers for Beczak Environmental Education Center’s third annual Fishing the Hudson during school’s spring break.

The week features daily fishing excursions Monday, April 9 through Friday, April 13 for ages 8 and up, as well as group reservations for Striped Bass Fishing Charters on April 9, 10 and 11, and, new this year, Singles Night on the Island Current II on Thursday, April 12.

Programs are sponsored by Jack’s Bait and Tackle and Island Current Charters.

For information or reservations, contact vgarufi@beczak.org / (914) 377-1900 x 12. Beczak Environmental Education Center, 35 Alexander Street, Yonkers, NY 10701. www.beczak.org

SIGNS INDICATE GREAT SPRING FISHING

Hudson River striped bass season opened on March 16. Fishermen up and down the river are talking about how this year’s catch is going to be good—and early—because of the winter’s unseasonably warm temperatures. Striped bass travel north up the Hudson and other rivers to spawn, or lay their eggs, when water temperatures reach approximately 58 degrees.

John Vargo, a 76-year old resident of Verplanck who has been fishing on the Hudson for his entire life, sums it up: “It’s going to be fabulous – in fact it’s already great. The fish are three weeks ahead of schedule.”

Bob Gabrielson, Jr., a Stony Point resident who was one of the last commercial fishermen on the Hudson before he retired three years ago, says, “This is going to be a better year. We haven’t had winter melt so the water is more brackish. That’s what stripers like. We’ve been catching 20” – 26” striped bass already, and the herring are even early—that’s a good sign.” Gabrielson predicts, “The season should peak just around April 10.”

Chris Cullen, Captain of Island Current Charters, agrees. “We have had such a mild winter the bait concentrations are already in motion and looks to be a solid early run for spring fishing.”

Vargo, who runs the website boatingonhudson.com, says, “Some lucky person is going to win $100,000 for his or her striper this year.” He’s referring to the Hudson River Fishermen’s Association Striped Bass Derby, held on April 28 and 29 this year, with prizes ranging from $25 for seventh place to $100,000 for “Catch of a Lifetime.” His tip: “Fishing at night will increase your odds of catching larger striped bass by a factor of 50%.”

FISHING THE HUDSON APRIL 9 – 13

- Daily Excursions April 9 -13, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM daily, ages 8 and up (including adults), $300 for five day program / $75 a day; Yonkers Public School Students Special: $250 for five day program / $65 a day; reservations with vgarufi@beczak.org / (914) 377-1900 x 12

- Evening Charters / Group Reservations Only: April 9, 10, 11, 6:30 – 9:30 PM / $1200 per evening, reservations with vgarufi@beczak.org / (914) 377-1900 x 12

- Singles Night on the Island Current II / April 12, 6:30 – 9:30 PM, online reservations only athttp://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/234917

There’s nothing else like Fishing the Hudson in the lower Hudson Valley for hands-on, on the water adventure and learning. It was created by Beczak Environmental Education Center to show children the magnificent river in their backyard and introduce them to the life in its waters. Beczak’s staff work with Capt. Chris, a third grade teacher in Irvington, NY, who operates Island Current, a fishing fleet in City Island.

Fishing the Hudson participants gather at Beczak Environmental Education Center, a nature center along the Hudson River in Yonkers, NY. From there, it’s a short walk to Yonkers’ historic pier, a stately, century-old structure that is in daily use by commercial tugboats. There, children and Beczak’s educators board Island Current II, a 50’ United States Coast Guard certified fishing vessel that’s fully equipped withfishing gear, safety equipment, heated cabin and head and the latest navigational tools. Experienced crew helps people bait their own rod and reel. The day also includes setting and hauling up trawl nets—to see what’s living at the bottom of the river—and opportunities to take the helm and blow the horn.

“Kids love being on the boat, and especially catching fish,” says Captain Chris, the owner of Island Current Charters.

Vicky Garufi, Director of Education for Beczak Environmental Education Center, is equally delighted to be taking children out onto the river. “There’s no better way to see how rich the Hudson’s aquatic life is than by boat.”

Garufi adds, “Beczak is always thinking about river programs that young adults would be interested in. That’s why we created Singles Night on the Island Current II this year. It’s a great value--$60 for an evening on a boat. And you just never know what you’ll catch!”

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Millions Of Pounds Of Toxic Chemicals Dumped In New-York WaterWays In 2010

http://www.dredgingtoday.com/2012/03/25/usa-5-7-million-pounds-of-toxic-chemicals-dumped-into-new-yorks-waterways-report-says/

USA: 5.7 Million Pounds of Toxic Chemicals Dumped into New York’s Waterways, Report Says

Industrial facilities dumped more than 5.7 million pounds of toxic chemicals into New York’s waterways in 2010, making the Hudson, Genesee, and Seneca Rivers among the 40 worst in the nation, according to a new report released by Environment New York.

“Despite the great progress in cleaning up the Hudson River, industries are still dumping millions of pounds of toxic pollution into it,” said David VanLuven, Director of Environment New York. “More than 1.6 million pounds were discharged into it in 2010, which is simply unacceptable. We must stop the flow of toxic pollution by restoring Clean Water Act protections to our waterways and making polluters clean up their processes.”

“Clearwater applauds Environment New York for sharing the truth about our Toxic releases into the Hudson River,” said Clearwater Executive Director Jeff Rumpf. “Many people who love the river will be surprised to see how poorly we are doing adhering to the Clean Water Act. We must do more to stem toxic and sewage releases on the river. It is time for the swim-able fish-able, potable and boat-able river we all want!”

“This report spells out in stark detail how our environmental regulators are failing to make real progress toward achieving the ‘fishable, swimmable’ goal of the Clean Water Act,” said Phillip Musegaas, Hudson River Program Director for Riverkeeper. “While the Hudson River is much cleaner than it was forty years ago when Riverkeeper was founded, it is clear New York State must do much more to address industrial discharges. After forty years, the public deserves better from our environmental regulators.”

Environment New York’s report documents and analyzes the dangerous levels of pollutants discharged to America’s waters by compiling toxic chemical releases reported to the U.S. EPA’s Toxics Release Inventory for 2010, the most recent data available.

Major findings of the report include:

- The Finch Paper facility in Glens Falls discharged more than 1.4 million pounds of toxic pollution into the Hudson River in 2010, making the Hudson the 24th most polluted river in the country (compared to more than 1,800 rivers and lakes analyzed).

- The Genesee and Seneca Rivers are also among the nation’s dirtiest, ranking as the 32nd and 33rd worst in America, respectively.

- In 2010, more than 18,000 pounds of cancer-causing toxins were discharged into Lake Champlain.

Environment New York’s report summarizes discharges of cancer-causing chemicals, chemicals that persist in the environment, and chemicals with the potential to cause reproductive problems ranging from birth defects to reduced fertility. Among the toxic chemicals discharged by facilities are arsenic, mercury, and benzene. Exposure to these chemicals is linked to cancer, developmental disorders, and reproductive disorders.

In order to curb the flow of toxic pollution into New York’s rivers and lakes, Environment New York recommends the following:

- Pollution Prevention: Industrial facilities should reduce their toxic discharges to waterways by switching from hazardous chemicals to safer alternatives.

- Protect all waters: The Obama administration should finalize guidelines and conduct rulemaking to clarify that the Clean Water Act applies to all of the waterways – including the 45,533 miles of streams in New York– for which jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act has been called into question as a result of two polluter-driven Supreme Court decisions in the last decade.

- Tough permitting and enforcement: EPA and state agencies should issue permits with tough, numeric limits for each type of toxic pollution discharged, ratchet down those limits over time, and enforce those limits with credible penalties, not just warning letters.

“The bottom line is that New York’s waterways shouldn’t be a polluter’s paradise, they should just be paradise. We need clean water now, and we are counting on the state and federal government to act to protect our health and our environment,” concluded VanLuven.

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Dredging Today Staff, March 25, 2012; Image: hudsondredging

Posted at 10:44 PM in Environment | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

New York Harbor WebCam Records UFO Hovering Over Battery

http://news.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474981219103

UFO Caught on Hudson River Web Cam (Video)

by Tom Rose

A UFO was caught on a web cam trained on lower Manhattan as it hovered in the sky before zooming out of view. What is it?

The unidentified flying object suddenly appears at the 2:00 minute mark on the 4 minute video, casting a reflection in the waters around the Battery Park section of lower NYC. It hovers, motionless, for another minute before flying off out of camera range in the westering sky.

While the object may be a helicopter, the enlarged image doesn't match up with that profile. Also, the object flashes multi-colored lights, some of which are not the standard running lights for aircraft flying over the city.

The UFO suddenly appears on what looks to be a condensed, time-lapse outtake from the webcam video and seems to change shape and color as it floats in the sky. It makes for a spooky, mysterious sighting.

Here's the video: