U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand visited the Lake Ontario community of Oswego on Monday and urged Congress to pass new legislation to ban plastic microbeads in personal care products.

Plastic microbeads are found in personal care products like facial scrubs, body washes, hand cleansers and toothpaste. These products are designed to be rinsed down the drain, but the microbeads are too small to be captured by wastewater treatment plants. They are subsequently found in large bodies of water, such as the Great Lakes, where they concentrate toxins and can be ingested by birds and fish, posing serious environmental and health risks.

Recent reports identified thousands of plastic particles per square kilometer in Lake Erie and up to 1.1 million particles per square kilometer in Lake Ontario. This could have a devastating effect on the Great Lakes fish populations, hurting the $7 billion recreational fishing industry, tourism industry, and the general economic well-being of the entire region.

“We have to make sure that Congress passes this ban on microbeads, because microbeads have already caused significant ecological damage to the Great Lakes region, and they will continue to do so until they are removed from the marketplace,” Gillibrand said.

The state of Illinois has already banned plastic microbeads in consumer products, with legislation being considered in New York, Ohio, and California. Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman has spearheaded efforts in New York to ban the beads, and released a report finding that up to 19 tons of plastic microbeads wash down drains each year and into New York’s waterways.

They can last for decades, and when found in oceans and lakes, pose environmental and health risks because of the pollutants they can attract and carry. Wildlife and aquatic animals ingest the beads, which causes internal issues and exposure to concentrated levels of toxins.

“These plastic particles fill the water, attract pollutants, and harm not only fish and birds, but the people in this region who rely on them for food and wellbeing,” Gillibrand said. “Banning harmful plastic microbeads is the best solution to this damaging environmental problem.”

Photo by Tom Rivers – The Presbyterian Road bridge in Albion, built in 1909 over the canal when it was widened, is one of the many features of the canal that remain from the widening about a century ago.

The New York State Barge Canal was given lofty status today when the National Park Service announced the Barge Canal is now on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Erie Canal opened in 1825. The Barge Canal represents the widening of the canal between 1905 and 1918. Many of the bridges, guard gates, waste weir systems and other canal infrastructure remain in use today.

“This recognition from the highest levels of our nation reminds us once again of the essential role New York State and its waterways have played in our country’s development and prominence,” said Mike Caldwell, regional director for the National Park Service’s Northeast Region. “On behalf of the National Park Service, I am honored to recognize the New York State Barge Canal’s listing on the National Register of Historic Places as a nationally significant, historic transportation icon.”

The New York State Barge Canal National Register Historic District spans 450 miles and includes the four branches of the state’s canal system: the Erie, Champlain, Oswego, and Cayuga-Seneca canals.

The nomination evaluated 791 features and included 552 contributing structures and buildings.

Photo by Chris Busch – The lift bridge in Medina was built in 1914. It’s one of seven lift bridges in Orleans County, the most of any county on the canal.

“The Barge Canal includes some of the nation’s most recognized waterways and is a New York gem,” U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said in a statement. “Spanning the Erie Canal, Oswego Canal, Champlain Canal and Cayuga-Seneca Canal, the Barge Canal is a true historic destination. I am pleased the National Park Service has granted this designation, which will help preserve the Barge Canal and expand opportunities for local developments in the area.”

Congress in 2000 declared the canal as a National Heritage Corridor, one of 49 such areas in the country. When the 363-mile-long waterway opened in 1825, it transformed Upstate New York into an economic powerhouse, raising the fortunes of canal towns such as Medina, Albion and Holley.

When railroads started to threaten the canal in the mid- to late-1800s, state officials moved to widen and deepen the canal. In 1918, after 13 years of construction, the Barge Canal was born, and many of the structures from that upgrade remain along the system today.

The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor prepared the application for the National Register designation. The Canalway Corridor’s application was 267 pages long and identified 566 contributing structures along the canal that add to the historic significance of the barge system.

In Orleans County, the contributing structures include:

MURRAY – Bennetts Corners Road bridge from 1911; Holley Waste Weir built in 1914; Holley Embankment (the tallest on the system, rising 76 feet above the valley of the East Branch of Sandy Creek); East Avenue Lift Bridge constructed in 1911; Holley Terminal, constructed in 1915 as a 16-foot by 30-foot wood frame freight house;

Guard Gate that is west of North Main Street and constructed 1914; Telegraph Road Bridge built in 1911; Groth Road Bridge built in 1911; Hulberton Road Lift Bridge constructed 1913; Brockville Waste Weir east of Fancher Road Bridge, constructed 1911; Hindsburg Road Bridge constructed 1911; and Transit Road Bridge constructed 1911.

This photo contributed by Orleans County Historian Bill Lattin shows the canal being widened a century ago in Medina.

ALBION – Densmore Road Bridge constructed in 1911; Keitel Road Bridge built in 1912; Butts Road Bridge constructed 1912; Brown Street Bridge from 1912 (includes a sidewalk); Albion Waste Weir off State Street behind Community Action, constructed in 1910; Ingersoll Street Lift Bridge from 1911; Main Street Lift Bridge from 1914;

Albion terminal and shops for Canal Corporation, built in 1917; Lattins Farm Road bridge from 1911; Guard Gates from 1913; Gaines Basin Road bridge from 1912; Eagle Harbor Waste Weir that includes three drain gates, built in 1912; Eagle Harbor Lift Bridge, built in 1910 with a wood frame tower; Allens Bridge Road Bridge built in 1909; and Presbyterian Road Bridge from 1909.

RIDGEWAY – Knowlesville Lift Bridge from 1910 (During a 1975 rehabilitation, the tower was replaced by one-story brick control building on east side at south end of bridge.); Knowlesville Terminal, west of Knowlesville lift bridge, and built in 1910; Culvert Road (This is the only place where a road passes under a branch of the New York State Canal System. There has been a road culvert under the canal here 1823. Stone portals at either end of the enlarged Erie Canal culvert were dismantled and re-erected when it was extended to its current 200-foot length as part of Barge Canal construction, according to the Barge Canal application to the state.);

Beals Road Bridge from 1909; Bates Road Bridge constructed in 1914; Guard Gate, west of Bates Road bridge, and constructed in 1914; Pleasant Street/Horan Avenue Bridge built in 1914; Oak Orchard Creek Aqueduct, constructed in 1914. (The Oak Orchard Creek span is the only true aqueduct on the Barge Canal system. The structure consists of a concrete arch over Oak Orchard Creek at the head of Medina Falls with concrete walls on either side of the channel.)

Medina Terminal, a 24- by 70-foot frame freight house constructed in 1916; Eagle Street/Glenwood Avenue Bridge, constructed 1914; Prospect Avenue/ Route 63 Lift Bridge, built in 1914; Marshall Road Bridge from 1909; and a Guard Gate near Middleport, from 1913.

Bob Radliff, director of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, said the new recognition for the Barge Canal will boost the efforts to promote the Canal Corridor as a world-class destination and foster “vibrant communities connected by our waterways.”

Provided photo – Wildlife refuge specialist Megan Davis took this photo of a bear at the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge on Oct. 9. The bear has been spotted numerous times west of Route 63.

BASOM – A black bear has been spotted multiple times at the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge. There is even a photo from wildlife specialist Megan Davis to prove the bear has been on the refuge.

Refuge staff and visitors have seen bear tracks and some people have said they saw a bear in past years. But this may be the first time there have been multiple sightings of the same bear, said Tom Roster, refuge manager.

The bear has been spotted west of Route 63 on the Kanyoo Trail. Residents also have said they saw a bear nearby at the Tonawanda Indian Reservation. Roster said it could be the same animal.

“We’ve been getting more and more sightings,” he said this afternoon. “We’ve had multiple sightings within 10 days.”

Roster said refuge visitors should be cautious if they see the bear. The bear isn’t expected to attack, but if it feels cornered or threatened, it could be aggressive, he said.

“You should always be careful around wild animals,” Roster said.

Photos by Tom Rivers
CARLTON – This is my favorite time of the fall foliage phenomenon, when about half the leaves are still on the trees and the rest have left a colorful blanket on the ground.

I stopped by the Archer’s Club along the Oak Orchard River on Friday. A winding dirt road off Clark Mills Road leads down to the river.

Some of the trees have sprouted high by the banks of the road, letting photographers look straight up, even showing some of the roots.

There is a ravine-like formation next to the winding dirt road. I ventured into the path for this picture.

Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – After a drizzly morning, the sun came out and the temperatures warmed up after noon today.

Colleen Schwartzmeyer of Bergen was in Medina at State Street Park with her daughters, Auburn, 11, and Mabel, 5. They were visiting a friend in Medinaon the Columbus Day holiday. They had some extra time when they arrived in Medina and decided to go to the park.

Auburn and Mabel try to teeter-totter at the park.

The leaves are changing colors, from green to yellow, orange and red at the park.

Many of the leaves have already fallen off the trees.

Photo by Elizabeth Carpenter

Elizabeth Carpenter took this picture of the “blood moon” at 7:06 a.m. in Lyndonville today.

This morning there was a total lunar eclipse when the Earth was positioned between the sun and the moon. That full lunar eclipse has been called a “blood moon” because of the reddish glow.

Photo by Tom Rivers

About 12 hours later, the moon was a bright white. This picture was taken with the flag in the foreground outside Brunner International in Medina.

Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – A total lunar eclipse returned to the early morning sky today. I was out trying to get photos around 6:20 a.m., but didn’t get anything great. I’ll need an equipment upgrade. But the top photo shows the reddish glow of when the Earth was positioned between the sun and the moon. That full lunar eclpise has been called a “blood moon” because of the reddish hue.

I took the photo at the very top from the parking lot of the Crooked Door Tavern. I also tried it from the Clarendon Street bridge and took the second photo around 6:45. Anyone with better pictures is welcome to send them to news@orleanshub.com.

While trying to get photos of the eclipse I also took ones of this canal boat just east of Main Street in Albion.

This large canal boat seems to be waking up for another day on the historic waterway.

The Sun is making its way up in this photo, looking east from the Clarendon Street bridge along the railroad tracks.

Photos by Tom Rivers
HOLLEY – The leaves are starting to change near the Holley Waterfalls, making one of the area’s nicest natural attractions even more appealing.

I would highly recommend a visit during October. You can reach the waterfalls by turning onto Frisbee Terrace off Route 31 in the Public Square. Follow Frisbee Terrace past Save-A-Lot and the village’s DPW garage.

The waterfalls seem to burst out of a hill in a wooded area. The east branch of Sandy Creek flows under the canal and then tumbles down the falls in this spot.

The site includes a pedestrian bridge over the creek leading to a picnic area.

Press release, Orleans County Planning Department

KNOWLESVILLE – The Lake Ontario counties of Niagara, Orleans, Monroe, Wayne, Cayuga and Oswego, the town of Greece and the city of Oswego are jointly undertaking an update and expansion of the Lake Ontario Regional Harbor Dredging Management Plan completed in 2000.

Two Public Meetings will be held, in Orleans and Wayne counties, to review findings and receive public feedback.

The meeting in Orleans County will be 7 p.m. on Oct. 29 at the Orleans County Cooperative Extension Education Center, 12690 State Rt. 31 (4-H Fairgrounds).

The Wayne County public meeting will be held in November on a date to be announced.

This is the second and final round of public meetings before completion of the Dredging Plan. The Project Advisory Committee and its consultant will present economic impacts of business activity generated at 20 federal and non-federal harbors on Lake Ontario, review their existing conditions and need for dredging, and outline the organizational structure and long-term financing alternatives for plan implementation. A Question & Answer Session will follow.

Safe navigation through our recreational harbor channels provides access to public property, fishing resources and many other water dependent recreational opportunities. These channels also provide safe harbors for regional and international tourists.

Unfortunately, federal funding for maintenance dredging of shallow draft recreational channels has been severely limited, leaving some channels with restricted access. This Regional Plan will serve as a blueprint for efficient and sustainable maintenance of the harbors that are the lifeblood of our coastal communities and businesses.

This project is funded in part by an Environmental Protection Fund grant from the New York State Department of State.

Press release, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

BASOM – Beginning today, trapping permits will be issued for the Oak Orchard, Tonawanda and John White Wildlife Management Areas for the 2014-2015 license year.

Permit applications can be obtained weekdays from Oct. 1 to Nov. 30, by appearing in person at the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge Office on Casey Road between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., or by writing to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, Bureau of Wildlife, 1101 Casey Road, Box B, Basom, New York 14013.

Trappers who obtain a permit will be required to report their harvest and trapping efforts on each area. The Western New York trapping season for fox, raccoon, coyote and other upland furbearing animals opens Oct. 25 and closes Feb. 15, with the exception of the John White WMA. On John White WMA the upland trapping season will run from Nov. 1 to Feb. 15.

This year beaver season in this area of NY (including on Tonawanda, Oak Orchard and John White WMAs) will run from Nov. 25 until Feb. 15.

The Western New York trapping season for mink and muskrat opens on Nov. 25 and closes on Feb. 15.

However, the 2014-2015 muskrat and mink seasons at the three WMAs start later than the Western NY trapping season and will run from Dec. 6 to Feb. 15. In addition, a 25-trap limit will be in place for muskrat and mink on the three WMAs (traps set for upland trapping and beaver will not require numbered tags and will not be considered in the trap limit). The trap limit provides a more equitable distribution of the harvest and prevents trappers from monopolizing the better trapping areas.

The maximum number of traps a trapper can set for muskrat and mink on the three areas is 25. To accomplish this, the DEC issues 25 numbered tags to each trapper who obtains a permit. A tag must be attached to each trap the trapper is using on the areas. Any trap that does not have one of these tags attached is considered an illegal trap. Also, an individual trapper can only operate traps that contain tags with their assigned numbers.

Management of the muskrat population promotes prime emergent marsh habitats used by waterfowl and uncommon marsh birds such as the black tern and least bittern. The trap limit allows Bureau of Wildlife personnel to better regulate the muskrat harvest according to water availability, habitat needs and population.

Hunters and trappers are reminded that no gas or electric motor boats are allowed on Oak Orchard or Tonawanda WMAs.

Photos by Pamela Moore

The leaves are starting to change colors as fall foliage begins. Pamela Moore sent in these photos from the waterfowl overlook on Albion Road. They were taken Thursday and Friday night in Barre and Oakfield.

Environmental groups push to have plan accepted

Photo by Tom Rivers – This sign on the shore of the Golden Hill State Park in Barker warns of an eroding shoreline.

Officials from Orleans and Niagara counties continue to fight a new plan for regulating Lake Ontario water levels, fearing the lake would see more extremes in water levels, leading to an eroded shoreline during high water and parched marinas during low levels.

The two local counties were represented in a meeting on Thursday in Buffalo with board members from the International Joint Commission. That group includes representatives from the United States and Canada.

It has endorsed a plan that calls for the biggest changes in regulating water levels in the lake and St. Lawrence Seaway since 1958. Orleans and Niagara officials fear hundreds of millions of dollars of valuable property will be lost from erosion, which will force taxes to rise on every resident in the southshore counties.

Orleans County Legislator Lynne Johnson and Niagara County Legislator Dave Godfrey met with several IJC officials to again state their strong opposition to the proposal, Plan 2014. Johnson said the meeting was attended by Gordon Walker, acting chairman, Canadian Section; Dereth Glance, commissioner of U.S. Section; and Frank Bevacqua, public information officer, U.S. Section.

U.S. Rep. Chris Collins helped to set up the meeting, Johnson said. Collins issued this statement after the meeting.

“Plan 2014 is unacceptable,” he said. “It has been plagued by public backlash and flawed economic analyses from the onset. Most disturbing is that Plan 2014 shows no concern for the negative economic impact its implementation will have on the thousands of individuals, families, and businesses along the south shore of Lake
Ontario.”

Johnson and Godfrey went to Washington, D.C. in early August to meet with federal officials, including the State Department, to rail against the plan.

The six southshore counties from Niagara to Oswego have 10,025 parcels of lakefront land with a total assessed value of $3.7 billion. If they suffer a 10 percent loss, those communities would lose $370 million in value, with the difference to be made up by other taxpayers in the counties, Johnson said

Besides the potential loss of valuable shoreline, the plan could cripple fishing and recreational industries on the south shore of the lake, Johnson and Godfrey said.

Plan 2014 has a lot of support from environmental organizations. Representatives from 41 organizations signed a letter, urging U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and elected officials and representatives of federal agencies in the two countries to back the new Lake Ontario plan.

Supporters say Plan 2014 will protect against extreme water levels, restore tens of thousands of acres of wetlands, boost hydropower production, and enhance outdoor recreation and increase the resilience of 712 miles of Lake Ontario shoreline in the U.S. and Canada.

“This is a once-in-a-generation chance to restore a Great Lake, invest in New York’s recreation-based economy and prepare for climate change,” said Jim Howe, The Nature Conservancy’s Central and Western New York Chapter executive director. “We hope everyone will explore the facts about this plan, and express their support for its adoption.”

Signatories for the letter included the New York League of Conservation Voters, Ducks Unlimited, Trout Unlimited, Save The River, New York State Conservation Council, Clarkson University, Natural Resources Defense Council, World Wildlife Fund Canada, Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, Nature Quebec, the National Wildlife Federation, The Nature Conservancy and several others.

Plan 2014 follows 13 years of exhaustive study and bi-national consultation with stakeholders and the general public, supported by state-of-the-art simulation of the impacts of alternative regulation plans, according to The Nature Conservancy.

The environmental groups say the plan is an “economic winner” for the Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence River region by providing increased hunting, fishing and wildlife viewing opportunities.

Collins spoke against the IJC plan during a news conference at Oak Orchard Harbor on July 2. He has urged Gov. Andrew Cuomo to reject the plan due to its potential harm to the southshore. Collins and the local officials say they will continue to voice their concerns.

“Today’s meeting offered my colleagues and me another opportunity to reiterate our strong and continued opposition to this plan, and reaffirm our steadfast commitment to preventing its implementation,” Collins said on Thursday.