It’s not 1958 anymore. We need our governments to finish the job and implement Plan BV7 now. The Lake and River community need your help sending a strong message to Governor Cuomo and the IJC that 1950’s era water policy is not good enough.

Click Here to send a telegram to Governor Cuomo or the IJC urging support for Plan Bv7 now.

When you are on the Telegramstop™ website

Copy and paste one of these messages, or write your own:

• The science is in, Plan Bv7 essential to healthy environment, vibrant tourism economy for Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence River. No more 1958D!
• New water levels plan needed to replace 1958D. Fifty year old plan has caused Northern Pike populations to decline by 70% on Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence River. I support Plan Bv7 and ask you to support it too.
• 1958D is an old, outdated plan which is not working for anyone. Our businesses, families and communities deserve better. Tell IJC to implement Plan Bv7 today.
• It’s not 1958 anymore. We are way overdue for new, modern water levels plan for Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence River. Tell IJC to implement Plan Bv7 today.

For telegrams to both Governor Cuomo and the IJC:

• Use SAVTHERIV in the Promotion Code space to send a telegram for only $5.70 (a savings of $1.45) – a low cost investment in changing water levels policy.

For telegrams to Governor Cuomo:

Use the following information to complete the Telegram details:

• To:  The Honorable Andrew Cuomo, Governor of New York State
• Delivery Address:  NYS Capitol Building
• City:  Albany
• Zip:  12224
• State:  New York
• Country:  United States
• Category:  Other

For telegrams to the International Joint Commission:

Use the following information to complete the Telegram details:

• To:  Joseph Comuzzi, Chair
• Delivery Address:  IJC, 234 Laurier Ave W, 22 Flr
• City:  Ottawa
• Zip:  K1P 6K6
• State:  Ontario
• Country:  Canada
• Category:  Other

The current water levels plan for the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario, Plan 1958D, was developed on slide rules in the fifties. Like many policies from then, it completely ignores the environmental damage it causes year after year resulting in significant harm to the people and businesses that rely on a healthy River.

Unlike most outdated, harmful policies from the Fifties it is still in place!

We should be Mad!

Check back here Wednesday, May 15th, to see how you can help take action for a modern water levels plan, Plan #BV7NOW.

Plan Bv7 is essential to sustaining and growing tourism along the St. Lawrence River:

Plan Bv7 is essential to sustaining and growing tourism along the St. Lawrence River:

Our local tourism industry relies on the health of our region’s environment. Healthier Lake and River wetlands will support stronger populations of native fish and wildlife, improving the area’s hunting and fishing, and strengthening the recreational economies that rely upon them.

Plan Bv7 will also extend the average boating season by a few weeks, providing a boost to our River region tourism-based economy. As of mid-May 2013, River levels would be an inch and a half higher under Plan Bv7.

More than 50 organizations and over 9,100 people, including hunting and fishing clubs, Chambers of Commerce, local governments, environmental groups and recreational boaters have expressed their support for Plan Bv7.

We need our governments to finish the job and implement Plan #BV7Now.

According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, “Water Week is a time to think about how fortunate we are for the state’s abundant water resources and how we can all help protect, restore and conserve it.”

We at Save The River could not agree more and we urge the Governor to take action now on Plan Bv7 – a modern water levels plan that will help protect, restore and conserve Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, both vital waterbodies to the state and local economy.

We’ve pointed out on these pages how 1958D, developed on slide rules, is an outdated water levels regulation plan for the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario. It completely ignores the environmental damage it causes year after year resulting in significant harm to the people and businesses that rely on a healthy River.

And unlike most outdated, harmful policies from the Fifties it is still in place!

So in the week when New York celebrates “Water Week” and the Governor holds a tourism summit, we – the thousands of New Yorkers and visitors to New York who live, play and work on the Lake and River – need our governments to finish the job and implement Plan #Bv7Now.

Other things from the Fifties never worked. The difference? We moved on.

Check out our water levels information page, “Like” us on Facebook and stay tuned because next week, May 13th, we are going to announce how you can help take action for a modern water levels plan now.

Well actually, NO!

We’ve learned a lot since the 1950’s. And we’ve used all that “learning” to improve every aspect of our lives. So why are we still stuck with a water levels plan developed in the 50’s on a slide rule (or maybe an “analog” computer)?

Its time to replace Plan 1958D with a modern water levels plan.

This outdated water levels regulation plan for the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario which completely ignores the environmental damage it causes year after year is causing significant harm to the people and businesses that rely on a healthy River.

Unlike most policy from the Fifties, it is still in place!

We need our governments to finish the job and implement Plan #Bv7Now.

Check out our water levels information page, “Like” us on Facebook and stay tuned to find out how you can help take action for a modern water levels plan now.

Let’s face it some things are so good they should never be changed . . . .

but Plan 1958D is just not one of them.

This outdated water levels regulation plan for the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario causes major environmental damage year after year. Like most policy from the Fifties, it completely ignores the environment and harms the River economy.

Unlike most policy from the Fifties, it is still in place!

We need our governments to finish the job and implement Plan #Bv7Now.

Check out our water levels information page, “Like” us on Facebook and stay tuned to find out how you can help take action for a modern water levels plan now.

We are way overdue for a new, modern water levels plan for Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. Plan Bv7 will halt the environmental damage caused by the 50 year-old plan, and bring our water policy into the 21st century.

We need our governments need to finish the job and implement Plan Bv7 today.  Check out our water levels information page, “Like” us on Facebook and stay tuned to find out how you can help and take action.

Expressions of support  from Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence River community have more than quadrupled since July 2012.

Much of the new support for Plan Bv7 came from the south shore of Lake Ontario.

This updated compendium of support includes:

• 9,170 expressions of citizen support through petitions and letters in support of Plan Bv7.  Last Fall this number stood at 1,962.
  • 1,000  letters and 3,331 petition signatures from Monroe County
  • 316 letters and 885 petition signatures from Onondaga County
  • 239 letters and 828 petition signatures from Erie County
  • 115 letters and 601 petition signatures from Jefferson County
  • 52 letters and 125 petition signatures from Niagara County
  • 23 letters and 115 petition signatures from Seneca County
  • 76 letters and 127 petition signatures from Wayne County
  • 17 letters and 37 petition signatures from Cayuga County
    

PRESS RELEASE- Support for Bv7 Surges (STR)

Lee Willbanks, Save The River’s Executive Director, will be a guest on WPBS Public Eye Friday, January 11th at 8:30pm with Dave White,Recreation/Tourism Specialist and Great Lakes Program Coordinator for the New York Sea Grant Extension Program, and Greg Boyer, SUNY-ESF Chair of Chemistry and Director of Great Lakes Research Consortium discussing the recently released Great Lakes Environmental Assessment Mapping (GLEAM) Project.

The GLEAM research team built new tools to integrate spatial information for environmental management decisions on the Great Lakes.  The goal was to build maps to visualize and understand environmental impacts on the lakes and benefits humans enjoy from the lakes; many, if not most of which make their way to the St. Lawrence River.  The high resolution map of cumulative ecosystem stress the GLEAM team created will help guide future restoration, conservation, and management efforts. The map merges data for all major categories of environmental stressors to the Great Lakes, ranging from climate change to pollution to invasive species.  The interactive map can be viewed at the GLEAM website (http://www.greatlakesmapping.org/).

(The show will repeat Sunday, January 13th at 7:30am, and be available to stream on the WPBS website (http://ow.ly/gIjxn) Monday, January 14th)

Earlier this week, as part of its In the Schools program, Save The River, SUNY–ESF and local middle school students worked together on an experiment to help the students understand the effects of water levels in their own backyard.

Dr. Farrell talks to the group

Working with SUNY-ESF professor Dr. John Farrell and graduate researcher Matt Regan, 45 7th graders from Alexandria Central School engaged in a field study examining wetland responses to water levels. Students inventoried and excavated test plots at specific elevations, and monitored the effectiveness of removing the cattail mat and exposing the historic seed bank. This study is linked to efforts to get a more natural water levels regulation plan implemented – such as the currently proposed Plan Bv7.

The "Muskie" group hard at work

The experiment was designed to help students understand what River wetlands should be like (instead of wall-to-wall cattails), and indeed would be like if Plan Bv7 were implemented. The students removed the cattail mat in specific areas, and exposed the historic seed bank underneath. Over time, the species that return should be more diverse and represent a healthier mix of plants that in turn supports more fish and wildlife. The students will be able to monitor these changes over time and experience the impacts that water levels have on the River first hand.

This project was the result of a lot of hard work and collaboration. Thanks to SUNY-ESF and the Thousand Island Biological Station, Mary Mitchell and the team of 7^th grade teachers from Alexandria Central Schools, The Minna Anthony Commons Nature Center and Wellesley Island State Park and, of course, staff of Save The River Kate Breheny and Stephanie Weiss.

Alice Mills, Chippewa Bay

October 18 marks the 40th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act. This landmark environmental law protects and maintains the integrity of our nation’s waterways – including the St. Lawrence River. The Clean Water Act has become the foundation for protecting clean water across the country.

This month, Save The River, to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act and the 35th Anniversary of Save The River, wants to know — “What does a clean St. Lawrence River mean to you?”

Send us your favorite photos from the summer (or winter) and a caption explaining why a clean St. Lawrence River matters to you. We will post the best of them here and on Facebook and maybe even in next year’s calendar.

Submit your photos and captions to Save The River at: info@savetheriver.org by October 31st and check back frequently to see what a clean St. Lawrence means to you and others.

Digital images should be 3600 pixels wide by 2700 pixels high (9″ x 12″ at 300 dpi).  All photos submitted are subject to unrestricted use for any purpose by Save The River.