Scientists from Suffolk County’s Cornell Cooperative Extension presented an educational forum on the state of our climate system Saturday morning, as part of “Rising Waters. Receding Shorelines,” an information session led by nonprofit SoutholdVOICE. READ
Environment
A seemingly innocuous application to raise a home that sits in a flood zone turned into a debate last Thursday about frequently submerged cesspools located in that area and the harm they may be doing to the aquifer. READ
Clear waters at Laurel Lake. (Credit: Krysten Massa)
A new Trees for Tribs initiative from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, set to launch this spring, could help reforest areas surrounding Laurel Lake. READ
An approved federal spending bill will give $14 million to the Environmental Protection Agency, intended to help protect Long Island Sound, officials said. READ
Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn last month introduced a package of bills aimed at reducing plastic litter countywide. (more…)
With broad bipartisan support, the House of Representatives Tuesday voted to pass the Natural Resources Management Act, which will permanently reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
The fund is financed through revenues from offshore oil and gas royalty payments and helps protect parks, trails, wildlife refuges and recreation areas in all 50 states. READ
Town Supervisor Scott Russell is asking the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to present information to town board members about the new state-led renewable energy initiative, Offshore Wind Energy Project. READ
The New York State Legislature approved a bill to ban offshore drilling Tuesday.
The bill amends the Environmental Conservation Law to prohibit offshore oil and gas production. It would prevent the state Department of Environmental Conservation from leasing state-owned underwater coastal areas for drilling and also stop the Office of General Services from authorizing leases that would increase oil or natural gas production in federal waters. READ
Sky-gazers enjoyed a rare sight Sunday as a supermoon coincided with a total lunar eclipse. The syzygy of Earth, the moon and sun caused the celestial phenomenon, but also brought unusual tidal patterns. These tides — the highest and lowest of the year — are colloquially known as the king tides. READ
An invasive species has been discovered on the East End in the Town of Southold.
The emerald ash borer, a beetle native to Asia first discovered in the U.S. in 2002 in southeastern Michigan, was found on private property in Southold last week, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation. The beetle is responsible for the destruction of hundreds of millions of ash trees in the U.S.