(News Briefs November 24, 2006)

More Hunters?
After years of steady decline, deer hunting is once again a popular sport. At least in the Greene County Town of Windham, where the town supervisor says more hunting licenses have been sold this year than the last several.
The subject came up at a meeting of the executive committee of the Coalition of Watershed Towns where Windham Supervisor/Committee President Patrick Meehan complained about the difficulties hunters are having understanding the do’s and don’ts of hunting on land owned by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection.
He said that he witnessed several hunters trying to figure out how to proceed. He expected trouble to follow.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if they ended up in jail by the end of the week,” he added.
On November 17, the day before opening day of deer season, DEP Commissioner Emily Lloyd announced that 39,543 acres of City water supply lands would be available in 2006 for deer hunting during the season. This includes almost 3,000 acres of land opened to the public for the first time this season.
“The number of hunters on City lands has increased remarkably, from less than 4,500 in 2002 to over 11,000 last season.” said Commissioner Lloyd. “And this year they’ll have more acres available to them than ever before. That follows an expansion of the hunting program earlier this year, when we opened land to small game and turkey hunting for the first time….We’ve also made it easier than ever to get a free Access Permit, now available instantly on the Web.”
Included in the almost 40,000 acres open for deer hunting are 15 areas comprising 5,823 acres that will also be open in the West of Hudson watershed for bear hunting—the first time that bear hunting will be allowed on City water supply lands.
Applicants for a free DEP Hunt Tag must also have a valid DEP Access Permit, which are available instantly on the Web for the first time at www.nyc.gov/watershedrecreation. Access Permits allow the holders to hike and fish on available City lands, and are also free. All New York State laws and additional DEP conditions apply while on City water supply land.
Meehan’s notion of resurgence in hunting is not shared by everyone.
In the Delaware County town of Middletown, Town Clerk Russell Schebesta said Tuesday that the licenses he’s issued this year are on par with the last several, which is a smidgen compared to the good old days when hunting season was one the biggest tourist events of the year in the Catskills.
In Shandaken, Town Clerk Laurilyn Frasier said hunting license sales continues to a dribble compared to years ago. As for Meehan’s report, Frasier said it is possible there are other reasons for the upswing.
“Maybe there’s more deer up in Windham,” Frasier joked. “I was up there Saturday and heard lots of shooting.”

County Budget
Ulster County could retain all 27 positions slated for layoffs in the tentative $300 million county budget without raising taxes, according to an analysis of the spending plan by the local unit of the Civil Service Employees Union (CSEA). The Legislature is considering a tentative budget, which contains a 7.5 percent property tax increase, down from a 39 percent increase in 2006. The 27 proposed layoffs would be part of a downsizing that would reduce the county workforce by 58 positions, for a 3 percent overall reduction. The proposed spending plan is about $156,000 less than the approved 2006 budget. The proposal includes a fund balance, or budget surplus, of some $13 million, roughly equal to the state comptroller’s recommended minimum surplus for a county with a $300 million budget.
In an address to the county Legislature November 8, CSEA local president Kevin DuMond said legislators and county financial officials could avoid layoffs if they subjected spending in the proposed budget to tighter scrutiny. He said there is already money in the budget to retain all the jobs slated for layoffs. DuMond said there are other examples of unnecessary expenses that should be investigated and corrected before layoffs are implemented. The CSEA represents 1,600 county workers.
DuMond presented legislators with an analysis done by CSEA research analyst Stephen J. Keith, a six page document which estimates Ulster County budgeted approximately $4.35 million more money in the 2006 budget than it will actually spend on salaries for personnel services this year.
Keith wrote that, while Ulster County initially estimated it would have a $5.45 million fund balance, or budget surplus, from 2005 going into 2006, when final figures were received, the fund balance, actually totaled $11.8 million. He suggested that a similar dynamic may play out in 2006 heading into 2007.
Keith further noted that the Ulster County Legislature has approved tax increases to go into effect in 2007 to create a larger hotel room tax, and a new mortgage tax. If approved by the state legislature, these measures could bring in perhaps as much as an additional $4 million next year, revenues which are not included in the tentative budget.
He said that while roughly $3 million was budgeted for contingency in 2006, no money has been expended from that fund thus far. Therefore, he said, the county may be over budgeting by setting aside $2.5 million for contingency in 2007. Overall, Keith said, he believes the county is in a better financial position than has been acknowledged by the legislature.
After the meeting, Legislative Chairman David Donaldson said that the object of the proposed layoffs is not only to save money, but to restructure, or “right size” the county government. “We are going after savings, yes, but when the administrator put together the tentative budget he was also looking for consolidation and efficiency. The positions are being cut because we don’t need those positions anymore.”
A vote on the budget is expected next month Any subsequent layoffs are not slated for implementation until April 1, providing workers and county officials time to ease into whatever transition may be needed.

US Budget
Republicans vacating the Capitol are dumping a big spring cleaning job on Democrats moving in with GOP leaders having decided to opt to leave behind almost a half-trillion-dollar clutter of unfinished spending bills, plus a failure to pass a multibillion-dollar measure to prevent a cut in fees to doctors treating Medicare patients.
The bulging workload that a Republican -led Congress was supposed to complete this year but is instead punting to 2007 promises to consume time and energy that Democrats had hoped to devote to their own agenda upon taking control of Congress in January for the first time in a dozen years.
The decision to drop so much unfinished work in Democrats’ laps demonstrates both division within Republicans ranks and the difficulty in resolving so many knotty questions in so short a time. GOP leaders promised their House and Senate members the December lame duck session would last no more than two weeks, or until Dec. 16 at the latest. Now, with the agenda shrinking, a session that will be the last for 45 retiring or defeated House members and senators should be wrapped up by Dec. 8.
The incoming Democratic majority has yet to develop a plan to cope with the more than $460 billion in unfinished budget business. The Democrats’ problem is made even more complicated because President Bush in early 2007 will send Congress a bill that could exceed $130 billion for continuing the war in Iraq , according to Capitol Hill aides.

Watershed $$$
New York State has awarded over $455,000 in master plan and zoning awards to 17 communities in the New York City watershed in the Catskills and Hudson Valley regions. The funds will be used to develop land use plans and identify economic development opportunities that protect water quality and encourage development consistent with the 1997 New York City Watershed Memorandum of Agreement.
Grants include $25,000 each to the town of Putnam Valley, North Castle, Lewisboro, Pound Ridge, Kortright, Middletown, Masonville, and Village of Tannersville. The Town of Kent received three grants totaling $75,000, the Town of Carmel received $50,000, the Town of Hurley received just under $25,000, the Town of Denning received $24,000, the towns of Gilboa, Conesville and Jefferson received a total of $55,000 for one project, and the Town of Halcott received $1,600.
Maybe someone in Ulster County should apply next?

Beyond Marriage
A proposal to extend health benefits for Ulster County employees to domestic and not just marriage partners is being aided, but also possibly threatened, by a possible lawsuit from the Civil Service Employees Association and three county employees who have filed a class-action against the county claiming that gay and lesbian county employees do not enjoy the same health-care benefits as their heterosexual colleagues.
A proposed county legislative amendment to current benefits coverage states that gay, lesbian and heterosexual couples who have lived together for at least a year and are financially interdependent would be eligible for benefits. The CSEA calls for an extension of benefits as well as payment of damages since 2003, the year the state law took effect.
In addition to pressure from the pending lawsuit, legislators are considering the financial impact of extending the health benefits. County Administrator Michael Hein said he did not have a clear understanding of the cost, although studies by UCLA Law School estimates an enrollment increase of between 1.4 to 2.1 percent with cost increases in the same range. For Ulster’s $17 million health coverage expenses, that could mean a projected extra cost of $238,000 to $357,000. However, some legislators and the president of the local CSEA say the move actually could decrease expenses.
“I’ve been contacted by enough county employees to be led to believe this may save us money because you have, right now, a number of domestic partner county employees who have two policies,” said Legislator Brian Shapiro, D-Woodstock. “Having a domestic partner policy would reduce that to having a single policy.”
“It’s my opinion there would probably be a net savings to the county,” said Kevin DuMond, president of the local unit of the CSEA. The full Legislature is to discuss the issue during a joint caucus on Dec. 6.

EPA Decisions
EPA Regional Superfund Director George Pavlou has finally issued a final decision on technical matters long disputed by General Electric Company in relationship to EPA’s comments on mandated dredging operations in the upper Hudson River. Countering the position of former Congressman John Sweeney, ousted by a Democrat earlier this month, EPA reaffirmed its original position that GE must incorporate into its Remedial Action Community Health Safety Plan contingencies for protecting public water supplies. The provision of alternate water sources and/or treatment are designed to protect the community from the potential hazard of consuming water that contains elevated levels of PCB as a result of the dredging… and was countered by GE and Sweeney as exceedingly expensive.
The final decision reaffirms EPA’s requirement for GE to place backfill from the river in a manner that maintains the configuration of the pre-existing shoreline and river bottom. EPA’s final decision also defines those near-shore areas in which GE is required, after dredging, to restore the pre-dredging river bottom. Restoring the shoreline configuration is expected to be beneficial to the replacement of habitat, and will also help limit the impacts of the dredging on property along the shoreline.
On August 18, 2006, with Sweeney’s help, GE invoked dispute resolution with respect to several other issues that are not addressed in EPA’s November 9 final decision. Those additional issues, also related to the Phase 1 Final Design Report, are currently under discussion between EPA and GE. If they are not resolved through those discussions, GE has the option of requesting a determination from EPA on the issues.
Sweeney, in addition to becoming chummy with EPA Regional Administrator Alan Steinberg in recent months also came out in support of Dean Gitter’s proposed Belleayre Resort project for the central Catskills in late August.
But that’s all history now.

Buy Halliburton?
Looking to put your money where everyone else’s mouths have been? Recently, KBR, which runs almost every aspect of the Iraq war except the fighting, started trading as a separate stock after an initial public offering. Although not a household name, it’s the unit of Halliburton that handles everything in Iraq ranging from operating cafeterias for soldiers to providing fuel, laundry and other services. Vice President Cheney used to be CEO of Halliburton.
For investors, “KBR is the demon spawn of Halliburton,” says Ben Holmes, publisher of MorningNotes.com, a market and IPO research firm. “That will have some effect.” He cites several points:
Revenue at risk… due to the fact that KBR gets 56% of its revenue from efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, and 65% of its $10.1 billion annual revenue from U.S. government contracts. With Democrats in charge, the windfall will likely dwindle.
Potential for investigations. In June 2005, for instance, the Defense Contract Management Agency recommended withholding $55 million until KBR further documented billings for housing soldiers. Another $95 million in bills have been questioned regarding dining facilities in Iraq. KBR’s procurement matters are being investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice.
On the other side, though, KBR has noted that it has been broadening its business base outside Iraq, although it’s unclear whether that means other possible war spots.
Be careful…

Pesticide Laws…
Speakers were evenly divided at a November public hearing on a proposed law that would require commercial pest control companies to notify adjacent property owners before spraying certain pesticides on a property. One critic noted that the law requires notification only of properties that directly abut the property to be sprayed, a property across the street would not get notification, even though the distance could actually be shorter. The law also would not apply to private homeowners, golf courses and cemeteries.
Craig Artist, area Lawn Doctor representative, pointed out other loopholes, including applying only to liquid, not granular, pesticide. He also prefers a voluntary notification. “Let’s notify people who truly want to be notified.” Artist made a point of the cost, claiming that in the course of a typical season, he could spend $24,000 just on the mail notification the law would require.
Rosemary Williams had another cost concern. “What is the cost of health care.”
The legislature likely will vote on the local law in December.

Well Employed
New labor department statistics released this month by the state show the economies of the Hudson Valley and Catskills are doing well. DOL analyst John Nelson said year over year in October, the economy appears to be strong.
“Our job numbers reflect a very health economy,” he said. He said the private sector added about 6,700 new jobs for a growth of just under one percent. Some of the new jobs are seasonal with October being one of the months where seasonal hiring takes place, he said.
The Rockland-Putnam-Westchester area picked up 4,200 new jobs; Dutchess-Orange gained 2,500; Ulster County gained 500 new jobs; Greene and Sullivan counties each picked up 300 jobs; while Delaware County gained 200 jobs. Columbia County was the only one in the region to lose jobs, at 200.
Unemployment rates year over year in October fell by a few tenths of a percent in all counties in the region.

Shook Baby
The Ulster County Family Violence Unit and the New York State Police in Kingston arrested Roger Rotella, 28 of West Shokan, and charged him with injuring a three-month-old baby on November 9, when he allegedly shook the child to a life-threatening degree. He was charged with assault in the first degree, reckless assault of a child and endangering the welfare of a child. Rotella was arraigned in Town of Olive Court and remanded to the Ulster County Jail without bail pending a future court appearance. The child was admitted to Albany Medical Center for treatment of his injuries.
Roger Rotella, a former sergeant with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection Police Department and a former Shandaken police officer, was previously indicted last month on charges that he accepted a bribe with a promise to make a drunk driving charge against another man “disappear.” Rotella had been suspended from his job as a police officer for the Department of Environmental Protection for 30 days and then quit after the suspension was completed.
Rotella later confessed to police about the bribing incident.

One Headed…
Members of the Ulster County Legislature’s Public Works Committee have endorsed a return to a single commissioner to oversee the Buildings and Grounds and Highways and Bridges departments, rather than the current setup that requires separate commissioners. Since the mid-1990s, the two departments have been led independently by commissioners assisted by small administrative staffs, with a third department, Public Works Administration, overseeing financial aspects of the county’s public works operations. County Administrator Michael Hein has proposed a single commissioner and a consolidation of administrative staffs to cut duplication of services.
A motion to request a public hearing on the restructuring - which would require overriding local laws from 1995 - was adopted 6-3, with the understanding that the county administrator would first present legislators with a rundown on costs. If the proposed setup is approved by the full Legislature, David Sheeley, the commissioner of highways and bridges, will serve as acting commissioner of the Public Works Department, replacing GOP appointee Harvey Sleight, whose term expires at the end of the year.
The full Legislature will decide next month whether to bring the issue to a hearing.

Onteora Cleanup
Onteora school district officials estimate that up to $30,000 was saved through a joint effort between Hurley, Woodstock and Olive crews to remove years of accumulated garbage and debris from school district property. The figures were provided by interim district Superintendent Jack Jordan, who said about 9 tons of material was taken off property along Van Dale Road behind the former West Hurley Elementary School.
School district officials last month were given an Ulster County Health Department violation notice for the site and said police are investigating how the items were dumped. Hurley town Supervisor Michael Shultis credited highway officials in his town, Woodstock, and Olive for contributing toward the one-day cleanup project that removed about 30 cubic yards of material… a project he initiated.

Tourism Shifts?
Richard Remsnyder, who has been on the job as acting director of tourism since the untimely death of former Freeman reporter Hallie Arnold last summer, was given the county position permanently by a recent legislative action. But because of current budget problems, it is now looking that he will be forced to run a significantly scaled down operation, adapted to both county budget constraints and the changing needs of an internet-based tourism industry.
“Sounds like pie-in-the-sky to call Robert De Niro and ask him if he would be willing to speak about Ulster County, but he lives here, and that’s something we’re certainly going to do, and try to contact people like that,” Remsnyder said, brainstorming possible ways of stretching his funding.
The $266,173 budgeted in the tentative 2007 county spending plan drastically streamlines the Tourism Department from 2006’s adopted budget of $742,822, and proposes more of an Internet-based structure. The cut includes the elimination of two positions as well as a vacant position, leaving only one employee and a director.
County Administrator Michael Hein said his office recognizes the incredible value that tourism has in the county, but had to make extremely difficult decisions in light of financial constraints.
“No matter what budget it is finally determined for this department to work with, we’ll make it work,” Remsnyder said. “Whatever I’m given, we will utilize the funds and do the best possible job to promote Ulster County.”

Dropout Scourge
A recent study by the Department of Education found that 31 percent of American students were dropping out or failing to graduate in the nation’s largest 100 public school districts. It is estimated that about 2,500 students drop out of U.S. high schools every day.
The implications from dropping out of high school are enormous, including a higher risk of poverty and even an abbreviated life span. Why is a high school diploma so important?
Consider this: High school dropouts have a life span that is nine years shorter than people who graduate. Dropouts are more likely to face poverty, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, with typical high school dropouts earning $19,000 a year as compared to high school graduates earning $28,000 a year on average. Furthermore, on a national basis, 68 percent of state prison inmates are dropouts.

Septic Talk?
The Catskill Watershed Corporation (CWC) will host a one-day course on installing residential septic systems Friday, Dec. 8 at CWC offices, 905 Main Street (NYS Route 30), Margaretville, Delaware County. “Installation of Residential Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems” is especially designed to support contractors doing work in the New York City Watershed, according to CWC Executive Director Alan Rosa. The CWC will cover the course fee for contractors living and/or doing business in the NYC Watershed West of the Hudson River. All others will be charged the $225 fee. All participants will be required to pay $10 for lunch.
To register, call SUNY Delhi’s Office of Business and Community Services, (607) 746-4545. Registration deadline is December 1.

New At FV…
Frost Valley YMCA has announced a $1 million gift from Helen Geyer to benefit the camp’s Build Strong! Capital Campaign by funding the renovation of the old girls’ dining hall into Geyer Hall. Mrs. Geyer, a Montclair, NJ resident, was a model and actress in the 1940s. She modeled for more than 39 magazine covers, including the cover of a Norman Rockwell original Saturday Evening Post, multiple covers of Collier’s, and was the Red Cross Poster Girl during World War II. She was featured in the 1944 film Covergirl, with Rita Hayworth and Gene Kelly. Presently a Trustee Emerita at Frost Valley, Mrs. Geyer began serving on Frost Valley’s Board of Trustees as its first female member in 1962. She was instrumental in forming a girls’ camp at a time when camps like Frost Valley were all-male.
The $1 million gift from Mrs. Geyer, will be directed towards the renovation of Geyer Hall which includes a large banquet and dining area, multiple conference rooms, an updated kitchen and a large activity room. Geyer Hall is home to Frost Valley’s growing day camp program during the summer months, and provides activity and meeting space for students, families and campers year round.
The Build Strong! Campaign seeks to raise funds to build a new wellness center and family center. In addition to serving traditional guests, Frost Valley works with a number of special children each year through its partnership with the Ruth Gottscho Kidney Foundation. Frost Valley is home to the nation’s first camp-based dialysis center, which is still unique in its ability to mainstream children with kidney disease into camp-life with other children, allowing them participate in a traditional residential camp experience while gaining confidence and independence, in what may be their first time away from home. The dialysis unit is staffed under the supervision of Children’s Hospital at Montefiore Medical Center. The new Guenther Family Wellness Center will encompass three areas: a health care wing, a kidney dialysis wing and a program and education center. It is named in recognition of a lead gift provided by Paul B. Guenther, Frost Valley’s Chairman of the Board.
Those seeking more information about Frost Valley YMCA and The Build Strong! Campaign may call Lea Kone, Director of Development at (973) 744-3488 or visit Frost Valley’s website at www.frostvalley.org

Gitmo Protest
The U.S. military on Friday has announced it plans to build a $125 million compound at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base where it hopes to hold war-crimes trials for terror suspects by the middle of next year. But Olive-based Michael Ratner, president of the New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights, which represents dozens of Guantanamo detainees, is having none of it.
“This is a huge waste of taxpayer money,” said Ratner in press accounts of the matter this past week.”They’ve been trying to try people for five years, and until they try somebody according to the Constitution, nothing’s going to happen there.”
The project, which has not yet been submitted for congressional approval, represents one of the largest upgrades to the detention center since it began taking in suspected enemy combatants in January 2002. The U.S. government is drafting new rules for the trials under the Military Commissions Act, which President Bush signed last month. The Supreme Court had declared that previous efforts to try Guantanamo detainees were unconstitutional.
Defense lawyers, and Ratner, have challenged the validity of the new law, which bars detainees from using the civilian court system. If a federal appeals court or the Supreme Court rules in their favor, it could strike down the military trials.

Stream Studies...
The elegant expression “benthic macroinvertebrates” translates as “creatures without spines that live on the bottom of a stream and are large enough to be seen without a microscope”. Scientists and watershed dwellers study these critters because the relative quantities of different species indicate the health of a stream, since each variety is more or less sensitive to pollution.
The Catskill Center for Conservation and Development (CCCD) in Arkville offered a workshop on Friday and Saturday, November 17 and 18, in which teachers, outdoor educators, and other interested watershed residents learned how to collect, identify, and catalog macroinvertebrates living in local streams. Besides teaching students about the ecology of streams and forests and offering a means of gathering data on the state of our water, the process is fascinating and fun for anyone with an interest in nature. To learn about future CCCD leaf pack workshops, visit www.catskillcenter.org.

Who’s On First?
New criminal enforcement data from the Justice Department document that in July 2006, U.S. federal white collar crime prosecutions reached their lowest number (498) in the last five years. In fact, not since May 2000 (when there were 446 prosecutions) has the number been lower. In addition, criminal prosecutions in July were down from the previous month in all of the following categories: white collar crime (down 15%), immigration (down 10.3%), illegal drugs (down 20%) and weapons (down 13.5%). Moreover, all four enforcement areas show declines in prosecutions from the previous year.
So who’s been getting all the attention? Foreign terrorists and, surprisingly, government leaks. And those, similar tracking has found out, have led to a prosecutorial batting record of less than .200, as compared to pre-War on Terror records that saw three quarters of all prosecutions proving successful.

Bushland Update
Jenna Bush paid a secret diplomatic visit to Paraguayan President Nicanor Duarte and U.S. Ambassador James Cason this month, according to South American newspapers, for the purpose of discussing a new “land trust” created for Bush via nearly 100,000 acres purchased by the First Family near the town of Chaco.
The Paraguayan Senate voted last summer to “grant U.S. troops immunity from national and International Criminal Court (ICC) jurisdiction.” Immediately afterwards, 500 heavily armed U.S. troops arrived with various planes, choppers and land vehicles at Mariscal Estigarribia air base, which happens to be at the northern tip of Paraguay near the Bolivian/Brazilian border… near Chaco.
Why might the president and his family need a 98.840-acre ranch in Paraguay protected by a semi-secret U.S. military base manned by American troops who have been exempted from war-crimes prosecution by the Paraguyan government… which former US Defense chief Donald Rumsfeld secretly visited in late 2005?
It is reported that Rev. Sun Yung Moon has bought 1,482,600 acres himself in the same place, which sits atop the one of the world’s largest fresh-water aquifers, large oil supplies, and adjacacent to what Interpol calls one of the key drug cartel headquarters in the world.
Go figure…