Regulators have granted a controversial permit for a natural gas drilling project in the Delaware River water shed.

An unregulated drilling technique is putting the water supply for Trenton, Phillipsburg and many South Jersey towns at risk and we need your help to protect it. (Click this link to send an e-mail message and to take other actions!) Natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale (PA & NY) is threatening to pollute New [...]

Walton Reporter (no website) June 30, 2010 By Glenn Graves DELHI – Delaware County Commissioner of Watershed Affairs Dean Frazier is notifying county residents that a public hearing for comments on New York City’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) and Complete Water Supply Permit will be held on Monday, July 12, at 6 p.m., at [...]

From The Walton Reporter (no website), May 26 On Monday, June 7, at 6:30 PM, the Walton Theater will host one stop of Josh Fox’s 20-stop tour of Pennsylvania and New York, as a run-up to the June 21 HBO premiere of his new film, “Gasland,” winner of this year’s Sundance Special Jury Prize. The [...]

From The Walton Reporter (no website), May 19, 2010 The Drill, the Spill, and the Pill By Nick Albaugh Last Wednesday the Reporter published Joan Tubridy’s timely piece, “Gas Drilling: Economic Boom or Bust,” that concisely countered a number of economic beliefs by drilling advocates and raised cautions about the real costs to affected communities. [...]

Walton Reporter (no website) May 19, 2010 By Robert A. Cairns DELHI – The Delaware County Board of Supervisors wants the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) to hurry up and approve regulations for natural gas drilling. At last week’s board meeting, supervisors adopted a resolution, calling on the DRBC to “expedite the promulgation of rules [...]

Walton Reporter (no website) May 19, 2010 Letter to the Editor: Last week there was an article in The Walton Reporter on page 3 quoting pro-drilling Colchester Supervisor Bart (sic) Homovich, whose position is that because Delaware County sits on top of the New York City watershed, the residents are being denied the rights to [...]

Walton Reporter (no website) May 12, 2010 By Glenn Graves DOWNSVILLE – Colchester Supervisor Robert Homovich has informed the town council that New York City may not be content with the recent decision made by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) that greatly reduces the chance any natural gas drilling will occur [...]

From The Walton Reporter (no website), May 12, 2010 On Jan. 19 2010, New York State Oil and Gas industry lobbyist Brad Gill stated that because of gas drilling, Pennsylvania is “thriving with tens of thousands of jobs and tremendous economic vitality.” We must closely scrutinize the widely-held assertion that the economic benefits of unconventional [...]

Acid Rain Impacts Topic of Program From The Walton Reporter (no website), April 14, 2010 Two U.S. Geological Survey scientists will share the results of their research on the effects of acid deposition on trees and streams of the Catskills at a program to be held Thursday, April 29, at 4:30 P.m. in the Seelig [...]

The Trail Conference is pleased to announce the new, digitally-produced ninth edition of our Catskill Trails map set has arrived at their office and is now available for purchase! At $16.95 ($12.71 for Trail Conference members), the Catskill Trails map set is a must-have for anyone who wishes to explore the many trails and protected [...]

I have no idea what this is. The above photo is a close-up. The object is about two inches long. It is not wet or slimy, was stuck to the grass, doesn’t have a smell, feels like soft plastic. I’m sure it is produced by something common. Any ideas?

Blizzard Day 3 Driveway Drift, originally uploaded by Sandy*S – off to nebraska for a bit. From The Walton Reporter (no website), March 17, 2010 Here’s a item highlighting rural charm, plucked from the pages of a town’s council meeting report. The photo is from Nebraska.       Ronald Tippet had requested the town (Harpersfield, NY) highway department continue to [...]

West Kill Spring Scenic 2, originally uploaded by Anton de Flon. From The Walton Reporter (no website), January 27, 2010 By Glenn Graves WALTON – The Delaware County Soil and Water Conservation District (DCSWCD) will administer a new incentive of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to protect and manage stream banks [...]

This post may seem to stray from the environment, but it’s right on the money. In good times and bad, environmental programs are never fully funded. The poster child for this is the Land and Water Conservation Fund, created in 1964. In over 40 years, the program has rarely been funded, its funds siphoned off to [...]