1.
Reducing the impact of road salt on the environment
without reducing safety. AdkAction.org has released the results of an important study we commissioned from the Adirondack Watershed Institute of Paul Smith’s College. The study contains recommendations for revised road de-icing procedures on Adirondack roads that would minimize the harmful effects of road salt, ensure safe driving and provide significant cost savings to taxpayers. You may read a summary of the important findings in this study by Daniel L. Kelting, Ph.D., director of AWI, and Corey L. Laxson, Research Associate, in our press release by clicking on this link. You may read the entire 84-page study at this link. We are providing copies of the study with its recommendations for best management practices to the New York State Department of Transportation and to local governments that provide winter road clearing services. AdkAction members and invited government officials may request a written copy of the report by using this link.2. Controlling Eurasian Water Milfoil. In early December 2009 a committee of AdkAction.org Steering Committee members and representatives of the Adirondack Council and the Paul Smith's Adirondack Watershed Institute (AWI) jointly made calls on three Adirondack congressional and both state senatorial delegations. We presented a proposal (click here for a link to the summary) that would bring Eurasian Water Milfoil under control in the 43 lakes currently known to be infested within seven years at a cumulative cost of $35 million. We are seeking a federal appropriation for these funds to be administered through the Fish & Wildlife department and implemented by the AWI.