Photos by Tom Rivers
This is generally an ugly time of the year. The snow melts and leaves a muddy wake. At the tail end of winter, the houses, front yards and community look like they have been through a battle.

Yesterday’s sunset felt like a gift. I don’t recall one more spectacular with the colors and clouds for dramatic effect. I stopped several times on my drive from Albion to Carlton. The top photo shows a field on Route 98 with a snow fence. This is south of Route 104.

The scenes are a reminder of the beauty of Orleans County.

My drive started on East Park Street, looking towards St. Joseph’s Catholic Church and the First Baptist Church.

I climbed the stairs on the Main Street lift bridge to get this photo.

This one was taken from the walkway on the bridge.

Here is one of the front of the lift bridge.

There were about a dozen deer together in the field on Route 98, south of 104. I zoomed in for this photo of six of them.

The waning sunset bathes Stillwater Road in Carlton.

Photos by Pamela Moore
SHELBY – Pamela Moore sent in these photos of a family of bald eagles at the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge.

Moore spotted a family of four bald eagles, including two babies, last year at the refuge. She has been traveling through the refuge this week and spotted three bald eagles on Wednesday. The group grew to five bald eagles by Friday.

“A total of 5 and I was just in Awe!!” Moore said in a Facebook message.

Photos by Tom Rivers
HOLLEY – The Holley Waterfalls, one of Orleans County’s most scenic spots, is covered in snow and ice, except for an open spot at the bottom of the falls where the water is still roaring.

The snowy photos were taken on Friday. I’ve contrasted them with photos taken from similar angles in early October 2014.

The water flows under the Erie Canal from the east branch of Sandy Creek.

The falls appear frozen but they are still very much alive and moving under the ice.

This spot is popular in the fall and summer for wedding pictures and senior portraits.

A pedestrian bridge stretches across the creek.

After about 10 weeks of bitter cold, the temperatures will warm up this week with highs in the upper 30s through Friday.

Provided photo

It was Christmas Eve at about 4:30 p.m. when Mike and Jaime Beach of Albion saw a rainbow stretch out over Lake Ontario. The Beaches were visiting Jaime’s parents by the lake, just east of the Albion Water Treatment Plant.

“In lieu of snow, how about a Christmas Eve rainbow at the lake?” Mr. Beach wrote in a message.

Provided photo

Burton Howell looked out behind his house at 2 Brown Ave. in Medina on Saturday and saw what he thinks is a Red Shouldered Hawk.

“It sat for a while and gave me time to go get a camera,” he said in an email.

ROCHESTER – Leaders from six southshore Lake Ontario counties joined for a news conference in Rochester on Monday to once again press against a new plan for regulating lake levels.

The county officials fear a new plan by the International Joint Commission could lead to more lake level fluctuations, causing erosion and flooding for southshore homeowners.

“The only special interest group I hold myself accountable to is the local taxpayers,” said Maggie Brooks, Monroe County executive. “Homeowners and businesses along the south shore of Lake Ontario have invested a great deal into protecting their properties against 50 years of fairly steady lake levels. Under Plan 2014, higher levels could leave our lakeshore susceptible to significant flooding and increased erosion, resulting in millions of dollars in damages to both private properties and public infrastructure, with no recourse for compensation.”

The leaders from the six counties joined for the news conference after recent ads by the “Support Plan 2014” Coalition and Nature Conservancy. They want the United States and Canadian governments to both endorse the plan.

Critics from the southshore counties say the “Support Plan 2014” Coalition has claimed that shoreline property owners face no significant additional threat from the proposed new water management plan. That claim is directly refuted by the IJC which estimates Plan 2014 will increase the annual cost of shoreline protection by 13 percent and increase annual damages by $2.2 million. That number is considered low by many experts because it does not account for losses by local businesses and damages to bays and inlets, according to the counties.

“As the voice of residents on the southern shore of Lake Ontario and representatives elected by the taxpayers of our respected counties, our joint-opposition to Plan 2014 should not take a back seat to the opinions of well financed special interest groups,” said Jim Hoffman, chairman of the Wayne County Board of Supervisors. “Whatever environmental benefits may accrue in some parts of the lakeshore, Wayne County property owners on Lake Ontario and its embayments will suffer increased damages due to more frequent flooding and higher lake levels.”

The Village of Sodus Point stands among the hardest to be hit if Plan 2014 is implemented. The low-lying village has been endangered by past high water levels and Plan 2014’s call for more frequent and sometimes higher water levels only furthers the risk for damages.

“Plan 2014 offers three very devastating affects to the residents of Sodus Point. Erosion, flooding of homes and businesses, infiltration of surface water into wastewater lift stations forcing the shutdown of the water system, making Sodus Point 75 percent uninhabitable and devaluation of property values,” said Village of Sodus Point Mayor Chris Tertinek.

The Niagara Orleans Regional Alliance (NORA) is a collaborative partnership between Niagara and Orleans counties. The organization has been a staunch opponent of Plan 2014 and has brought attention to the devastating economic impact the plan would have on the surrounding area.

“The devastation caused by Plan 2014 will not stop at the shoreline; every taxpayer in our counties will pay the price,” said Niagara County Legislator David E. Godfrey, who also serves as Co-Chair of NORA. “As the proposed higher lake levels erode our shorelines, property values will depreciate resulting in high property taxes for everyone. Conversely, as the proposed lower lake levels drain our harbors, the loss of sales tax revenues from sport fishing and recreational boating will have to be made up by another property tax increase. Plan 2014 is an economic disaster that has to be sunk once and for all.”

Orleans County Legislator Lynne Johnson, co-chair of NORA, also spoke at the news conference.

“The role of government should not be to harm the very citizens it is charged to protect,” she said. “Here we have two federal agencies, the US Army Corps of Engineers who recently spent millions of dollars to dredge our local harbors, and on the other hand we have a federally commissioned agency, the International Joint Commission, supporting Plan 2014 that will result in damages exceeding $3.5 million to our counties shorelines. This is government at its worst.”

Oswego and Cayuga Counties represent the southeastern shore of Lake Ontario and have a combined 57 miles of at-risk shoreline. Both counties have concerns about how the fluctuations in lake levels would affect the tourism, fishing, and boating industries.

“The region must stand together on any changes to water levels, considering the impact on property and commerce far into the future,” said Cayuga County Legislature Chairman Michael Chapman.

Plan 2014 was announced as the preferred option for regulating water levels and flows by the IJC in June 2014 despite heavy opposition from the communities along the southern and eastern shores of Lake Ontario. Before the plan can be implemented, it must be approved by Secretary of State John F. Kerry. All six counties have passed resolutions in opposition to Plan 2014 and leaders from each of the respected counties have written Secretary Kerry to voice their concerns.

File Photos by Tom Rivers – The Oak Orchard Rivers draw anglers from many states to Orleans County.

Press Release
Genesee County Chamber of Commerce

BATAVIA – The Genesee County Chamber of Commerce and Orleans County Tourism are pleased to announce the launch of a new tourism initiative designed to bring more out-of-state visitors to the 2-county area in 2015 and beyond.

The Genesee County Chamber of Commerce has been working with Orleans County Sportsfishing Coordinator Mike Waterhouse and recently retired County Tourism Director Wayne Hale to develop overnight, full and half day charter and fly-fishing packages. The program is up and running and packages can now be booked. You can view them online at www.FishingPackages.Net.

Orleans County is a year-round fishing mecca for charter fishing adventures on Lake Ontario, as well as fly fishing on Oak Orchard River, one of the United States top tributaries for Salmon, Brown and Steelhead trout. Many who come to fish in Orleans County stay overnight in Batavia area hotels, due to the limited inventory of guest rooms in Orleans County.

Given the Genesee Chamber’s success at developing and booking golf packages for the area, as well as the regional marketing approach it takes in attracting visitors, it was a win-win for both counties to partner in packaging fishing.

“This is yet another program where the individual strengths of two counties are combined for the betterment of both,” Waterhouse said.

The Oak Orchard River is considered a top fishing spot for Brown Trout, Steelhead and Chinook Salmon.

Visitors have their choice of seven different packages with options for full and half day guided excursions and each includes choice of overnight accommodations in Batavia, breakfast and boxed lunch in Point Breeze, $25 towards dinner at their choice of restaurants in either county, and $50 Batavia Downs Gaming FreePlay.

The tourism representatives are finalizing a new print brochure of the packages and each will take them to upcoming consumer shows. Waterhouse has a full slate of fishing shows scheduled, and the Chamber will also bring them to their golf shows to cross-promote to their golf visitors, who return each season through our packages. A targeted online marketing campaign and TV commercial to run in select Pennsylvania markets is scheduled for February.

“Genesee and Orleans tourism offices have for years pooled resources as we market our areas to visitors,” said Kelly Rapone, Tourism Marketing Director for Genesee County. “Fishing wasn’t an obvious next step, but it certainly was a step in a new direction that made a lot of sense the more we thought about it. The participating charter captains and fly-fishing guides are excited about this, as are our hoteliers, and that’s what makes it exciting for us.”

Packages can be booked by calling the Genesee Chamber office at 585-343-7440 (Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) and a tourism representative will organize the entire trip. Questions may be emailed to visit@geneseeny.com as well.

Photos by Tom Rivers

LYNDONVILLE – I’ve posted quite a few pictures of the Lyndonville waterfalls since the Orleans Hub started in April 2013. It’s a can’t miss spot.

These waterfalls plunge about 11 feet along Johnson Creek. I’ve been trying to come up with angles and vantage points for some of the familiar local spots.

Today I tried some pictures of the waterfalls looking through the bridge on Main Street. Sometimes I can’t decide which is the best picture. I asked my wife for help and she liked the photo above.

I like this one best of the waterfalls, looking under the bridge.

I also took this one from near the top of the waterfalls looking towards Veterans Park where there are 43 Christmas trees decorated. They will be up until a little after New Year’s Day.

KENDALL – Readers have been sending photos of Snowy Owls to Orleans Hub in the last two weeks after sending many last winter when Snowy Owls were here in a historic migration, perhaps the biggest in a half century.

All of those photos included one Snowy Owl, until Thursday when Vince Flow of Kendall saw three in a corn field on Lakeshore Road in Kendall.

Flow snapped the picture of two Snowy Owls in the top picture.

This Snowy Owl was near the other two.

“This morning I found three all in the same cut corn field,” Flow said in an email on Thursday. “Awesome sight.”

Pam Moore of Barre also got a photo of a Snowy Owl late last month in Batavia at the Genesee County Airport. Moore said she saw two owls at the same time in Batavia.

“The one would not come out of the fence and hung close to the runways but the other one came outside of the fence for a few minutes and I was able to snap a few pictures!”

Peggy Barringer of Albion took this picture of a Snowy Owl at the airport in Batavia late last month.

“It was way off in the distance and I zoomed as much as I could,” she said. “It sat there on an orange cone for a long time, though, looking to and fro.”

Photo by Tom Rivers

GAINES – Orleans Hub shot its first deer today at about 4:45 p.m. The deer season kicked off at the break of dawn on Saturday and continues until Dec. 7.

I’ve had my Nikon camera next to me in the passenger seat in case I encountered any deer in my travels. These two were close to the road on the west side of Route 279 in Gaines, just south of Route 104. They held still for a few seconds before scampering away in the field and heading into the woods.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – The Erie Canal completed its 190th season on Wednesday. Many tugboats, tenders, barges and other canal equipment will spend the winter in Albion between the two lift bridges on Main Street and Ingersoll Street.

The top photo was taken on Tuesday and shows two of the tenders in Albion.

This photo was taken this morning looking west towards the Allen’s Bridge Road canal bridge in Albion.

Photos by Katlyn Moore

BARRE – Katlyn Moore was astonished this morning in Barre when a baby Red-tailed Hawk landed on her front porch only about 3 feet away. She snapped these photos at about 10:20 a.m.

“It only stuck around for a few seconds and left,” she said. “One of the most amazing things I have seen.”

Photo courtesy of Henrietta Helsdon

YATES – Last winter there were numerous sightings of Snowy Owls in Orleans County. At least one has already been sighted with a new winter looming.

Henrietta Helsdon took this photo of a Snowy Owl today in the Town of Yates on Route 63 in the area known as the Shadigee.

The owl has a wingspan of five feet. It nests in the Arctic tundra and winters south through Canada. Usually there aren’t too many sightings in the United States.

File photo by Tom Rivers – This photo was taken in October 2013 from a sailboat on Lake Ontario.

KNOWLESVILLE – One of the members of a binational board charged with managing the water levels in Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River system believes a proposal backed by the majority of the board will result in flooding on the southshore.

Frank Sciremammano, a professor of mechanical engineering at Rochester Institute of Technology, has voiced his concerns about Plan 2014 and what he sees as an unfair burden put on southshore property owners.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea and I’ve been fighting it,” Sciremammano said Wednesday when he was in Orleans County. He has been hired as a consultant to help six southshore counties come out with a dredging and harbor maintenance plan.

Sciremammano said the International Joint Commission, which is tasked with regulating the water levels, should ensure that no one group or geographic area bears a disproportionate loss. The new plan would concentrate damage to the south shore of the lake, he said.

“Quebec said no more damage so the damage and flooding will shift to the southshore,” Sciremammano said.

Orleans and other southshore counties are trying to thwart the plan. It has been approved by the IJC, but needs the backing from both countries.

“Where it goes, no one knows,” Sciremammano said.

For more on the IJC, visit www.ijc.org.

File photo – The dredging barge is near the breakwall at the end of the Oak Orchard channel when the harbor was dredged in August for the first time in 10 years.

KNOWLESVILLE – For much of the last five years Orleans County officials waited and begged to have the Oak Orchard Harbor dredged of silt and sediment. The harbor was finally dredged in August, when federal funds from Superstorm Sandy were directed to the Oak Orchard Harbor.

Congress hasn’t set aside money on a regular basis to clean out recreational harbors like the Oak Orchard. During low lake level years boats can run aground in the harbor. That happened to the Oak Orchard in 2012.

A clogged harbor makes the county’s fishing and recreational boating industries vulnerable. The harbor generates $7,087,101 in economic activity for the county, resulting in 117 direct and indirect jobs. It also yields $283,484 in sales tax revenue for the county with the same sales tax for the state, according to a consultant, Frank Sciremammano of FES Environmental and Marine Consultants.

Sciremammano has worked with six southshore counties on a plan for regular harbor maintenance and dredging. The Army Corps of Engineers has been dredging the Genesee River and the Port of Oswego, which are both commercial harbors, but the recreational harbors have languished.

To ensure regular dredging, Sciremammano is suggesting the counties form an authority or local development corporation that would buy dredging equipment, apply for dredging permits and get the work done.

The Army Corps would still do the Genesee River and Oswego, but the other 17 harbors would be handled by the counties.

That plan would require $522,403 annually with the Orleans County share at $23,655. Sciremammano suggested counties pay half of the costs out of county budgets with increased boater registration fees covering the other half. Vessels up to 16 feet would pay $3.13 more a year for its boater fee, while boats 17 to 26 feet would pay $10.42 more and boats over 26 feet would pay $15.63 annually.

“I don’t think it’s excessive,” Sciremammano told about a dozen officials during a meeting about the dredging plan. “I think boaters wouldn’t mind paying it if they knew their harbor would be open.”

Photo by Tom Rivers – Frank Sciremammano, a consultant for the southshore counties with a dredging plan, discusses scenarios for keeping 19 harbors open during a meeting Wednesday at the Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension. Orleans County Legislator Ken DeRoller, left, and Niagara County Legislator David Godfrey attended the session.

Orleans and Niagara officials have already started pursuing help from the federal government for the upfront costs of purchasing equipment. Buying a suction dredge, a barge with a shovel or crane, plus a scow to haul away the sediment could cost about $1.2 million.

The counties could pursue buying the equipment, or they could opt to manage the permits and hire contractors for the work, but that would be at a higher cost about $650,000 to $900,000 annually, rather than the $522,403 if the authority or LDC did the work.

The total economic impact of the 19 harbors is $94 million and supports 1,350 jobs, according to the report.

The Genesee River and Oswego should have annual dredging, but other harbors, such as Oak Orchard, need to be done about once every six years, Sciremammano said. If the counties owned the equipment or hired contractors that schedule could be accelerated if needed.

The southshore counties have been working on the dredging plan since 2010. The state Department of State provided a $35,000 grant for the project, with Wayne Hale of Orleans County taking the lead in the effort.

“We want a sustainable maintenance plan for the harbors,” said Hale, the county’s tourism and planning director.

There will be another meeting about the dredging plan at 7 p.m. on Nov. 19 at the Sodus Point Village Hall.

“The goal is for a sustainable ongoing plan that we can count on,” Sciremammano said. “We’re trying to head those problems off.”