We’re very excited to present a packed agenda for the 23rd annual Save The River Winter Conference, on Saturday, February 4th at the Clayton Opera House.

It’s not too late to register! Registration options include: download and mail the registration form,  call Save The River at (315) 686-2010, or you may register at the door on the morning of the conference. The conference fee is $30 and includes a buffet lunch and cocktail hour.

23rd Annual Winter Conference Agenda

*Conference agenda subject to change*

9:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Registration

10:00 a.m. – Welcome to Winter Weekend. Teddy McNally, Save The River Board President, and Jennifer Caddick, Save The River Executive Director

Overview of Plan BV7, Proposed Water Levels Regulation Plan for the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario. Frank Bevacqua, Public Information Officer, International Joint Commission

12:00 p.m. Lunch (Buffet lunch included in registration fee.)

Save The River In the Schools Education Program. Kathy Morris, Save The River Education Curriculum Consultant, Maria Mesires, Case Middle School, Watertown, NY and Mary Bowman, Thousand Islands Middle School, Clayton, NY

Great Lakes Water Levels, Lake Ontario Regulation, and Implications for Wetlands. Douglas A. Wilcox, Ph.D., PWS, Empire Innovation Professor of Wetland Science, Department of Environmental Science and Biology, SUNY College at Brockport

Water for Nature, Water for People: Protecting and restoring environmental flows. Tony Maas, Freshwater Program Director, WWF-Canada

Closing Comments and Adjournment

4:00-6:00 p.m. Cocktail Reception

A Weekend Full of Events!

Save The River, the Thousand Islands Arts Center and the Thousand Island Land Trust have teamed up together to make it a weekend to remember, enjoy!

Friday, February 3, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. The Art of Winter Opening Reception

Join the Thousands Islands Arts Center and Save The River to celebrate winter for the opening of the annual exhibit, The Art of Winter. This multi-media exhibit displays artwork from regional artists who have been inspired by the North Country’s  cold weather months. The event is free, a wide selection of artwork is for sale and light refreshments will be served. To learn more about the exhibit or the Thousand Islands Arts Center visit www.tiartscenter.org

Sunday, February 5th, 9:00 – 11:00 a.m.  Eagle Watching Trek

Join the Thousand Islands Land Trust and River friends at Wellesley Island’s Thousand Islands Park for an opportunity to view wintering bald eagles. Throughout the winter, the waters around Thousand Island Park are prime areas to spot majestic bald eagles because of the many nearby unfrozen areas in the River’s ice cover caused by the River’s strong currents. The event is free but registration is requested. For more information and to register, call the Thousand Islands Land Trust at 315-686-5345 or visit www.tilandtrust.org

Be a Winter Weekend Sponsor!

It’s not too late to show your business’ support for Save The River’s Winter Conference! Learn more about conference sponsorship opportunities.

Save The River’s annual Winter Environmental Conference will be held on Saturday, February 4th at the Clayton Opera House. For those of you joining us from out of town we have compiled a list of local area accommodations that will be available during that weekend:

Islander Lodge
Discounted off-season rates
500 Theresa Street, Clayton, NY
(315) 686-5574

Bertrands’s Motel
229 James Street, Clayton, NY
(315) 686-3641

Riveredge Resort
17 Holland Ave., Alexandria Bay, NY
800-365-6987

North Star Motel & Restaurant
Alexandria Bay, NY
(315) 482-9332

Angel Rock Cottages
Cape Vincent, NY
(315) 654-2495

Additional lodging options may be found via the Clayton Chamber of Commerce or Alexandria Bay Chamber of Commerce.

We are now taking submissions for the Save The River 2012-2013 Calendar! Photos are slowly starting to come in and we are looking for your favorite River photos.

The deadline to submit photos for Save The River’s annual calendar is Friday, February 10, 2012. All images will be considered including film prints, slides, and digital images. Digital images must be 3600 pixels wide by 2700 pixels high (9″ x 12″ at 300 dpi) for use as feature photos.

If your photo is selected you will receive a complementary calendar and the honor of being in one of the most popular calendars on the River!

All photos submitted are subject to unrestricted use for any purpose by Save The River. All proceeds from calendar sales directly support Save The River’s river protection programs!

To Submit

Photos can be e-mailed to kate@savetheriver.org or mailed to Save The River,  Attention Calendar, 409 Riverside Drive, Clayton, NY 13624. Please include your name and contact information.

According to early information being released by the International Joint Commission, a new water levels plan will be released early next year – and finally – it looks like it’s the right one for the River!

Next month the public will get a look at the details of a proposed new plan that is focused on restoring wetlands and ecosystem health along Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River by changing how water flows and levels are managed.  The International Joint Commission, released a fact sheet last week on the proposed new plan showing a commitment to an open and transparent public consultation process as they work toward a new, natural regulation Plan!

The Plan, called Plan BV7 (The 7^th version of Plan B) will restore enough natural variation in levels and flows to begin to heal the damage done by stabilized water levels on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. The result will be a thriving lake/river environment that will enrich the quality of life for all citizens of the ecosystem.

Save The River will be following the release of the Plan closely and keeping the River community informed about public meetings and other opportunities to comment on the new Plan.

For over 50 years, the River’s environment has been suffering due to damaging water levels regulation. It’s time to reverse this trend and return to our children the legacy that we inherited fifty years ago – a vibrant and healthy St. Lawrence River.

Mark your calendars for an informative conference filled with information about the St. Lawrence River and how you can get involved in its protection. Save The River’s 23rd Annual Winter conference is scheduled for Saturday, February 4th at the Clayton Opera House. The conference agenda is currently being finalized and will be released in the coming weeks.

A bill being considered by Congress this week will derail progress on cleaning up ship ballast tanks and stopping aquatic invasive species introductions. Call your Member of Congress today and tell them that the St. Lawrence River needs stronger – not weaker – ballast clean up programs!

Background

Aquatic invasive species, such as zebra mussels and round gobies, are one of the most significant environmental threats to the health of the St. Lawrence River and Great Lakes. Invasive species foul beaches, wreak havoc on the fishery, clog water intake valves of cities and utilities, and harm fish and wildlife. A few invasive species facts:

• More than 60% of aquatic invasive species found today in the River and Lakes were brought in by ship ballast tanks.

• Research shows that the annual cost to Great Lakes states from invasive species introduced by oceangoing vessels may be upwards of $200 million annually.

• Recognizing this problem, in 2005 the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration warned of an impending “invasional meltdown” in the Great Lakes.

Unfortunately Congress is moving in the opposite direction. The House of Representatives is set to vote this week on the Commercial Vessel Discharges Reform Act of 2011 (Title VII of  HR2838). This bad bill would:

• Set ballast clean up standards – called the ‘IMO standard’ – that are inadequate to fully protect the St. Lawrence River and our nation’s waters from invasive species;

• Delays even those weak standards by up to 10 years;

• Prevent states like New York from implementing their own strong ballast clean up programs;

• Makes it difficult, if not impossible, to add new protections even if the US EPA or other agencies determine that the IMO standard is not doing the job; and

• Stops citizens from being able to enforce the law through the Clean Water Act.

Bottom line: This bill does not protect the St. Lawrence River or our nation’s waters; it protects the shipping industry. It will derail progress on cleaning up ship ballast tanks and stopping more aquatic invasive species introductions.

Take Action!

Contact your Representative in Congress today to ask them to defeat this bad bill so that our River is protected from aquatic invasive species introductions. (Not sure how to contact your Congressional Representative? Find your Representative.)

Talking Points for Calling or Writing Your Legislator

• I am calling/writing to urge [insert Member's Name] to oppose the Commercial Vessel Discharges Reform Act of 2011 (Title VII of  HR2838).

• Aquatic invasive species are one of the most serious threats to the St. Lawrence River. [Insert why the St. Lawrence River is important to you.] We need stronger ballast clean up programs that protect the St. Lawrence River and our nation’s waterways to prevent more damaging aquatic invasive species introductions.

• I urge [insert Member's Name] to delete the bad ballast water amendments – Title VII from HR 2838 – and to vote against the Coast Guard and Martitime Transportation Act of 2011 if those provisions remain.

• Thank you for protecting the St. Lawrence River.

Let us know what you hear! E-mail or call us to let us know how your Member of Congress responds!

Thank you for speaking out for the health of the St. Lawrence River!

Clayton, NY (September 20, 2011) - Save The River’s Beach Watch Program monitored seven popular swimming areas over a nine-week period in July and August, providing a snapshot of summer swimming water quality. Overall, the results for this year indicated that the water quality at sampled beaches was within state and federal safe swimming standards.

Water quality sampling this year did not find consistently high levels of bacteria at Wilson’s Bay in Cape Vincent and Potter’s Beach on Grindstone Island, as in previous years. Wilson’s Bay did see a spike in bacteria levels on August 22^nd, although the sample was still within safe state swimming water standards. (See fact sheet for detailed sampling results.)

Save The River Beach Watch volunteers sampled seven sites this season – Wilson’s Bay in Cape Vincent, Frink Dock in Clayton, Potter’s Beach on Grindstone Island, Lake of the Isles near Wellesley Island, Round Island near Clayton, Scenic View Park in Alexandria Bay and Waddington Town Beach in Waddington. Water samples are tested for E.coli, a bacterium found in the intestines. Test results are compared to New York State Department of Health standards for beach swimming water quality. New York State guidelines are that 235 CFUs or higher of E.coli bacteria per 100 milliliters of sample water is deemed unhealthy at swimming beaches. None of the samples taken this summer exceeded this guideline.

High levels of E.coli bacteria can cause health problems such as rashes and gastrointestinal illness, and are dangerous to the very old, very young or anyone with a compromised immune system.  Symptoms of infection include: chills, fever, diarrhea and cramping.  To reduce the risk of acquiring a bacteria-related illness, beach goers should employ the following simple safety measures: never swallow swimming water and wash hands after swimming and before eating.

Also, scientific studies have indicated that the presence of Cladophora, a type of green algae, can harbor unsafe levels of bacteria.  Save The River believes there is a strong indication that, on occasion, Wilson’s Bay experiences high levels of bacteria due to the presence of Cladophora. Save The River suggests looking for the presence of Cladophora algae before swimming at most locations on the river.

Save The River’s Beach Watch Program has been providing swimming water data to the Thousand Islands community since 1999.  All samples are taken by Save The River volunteers and analyzed by Converse Laboratories in Watertown, a state certified facility.

Several organizations provided key support to the Beach Watch program in 2011. Water samples were collected at Bowes Realty in Clayton and taken to Watertown each week through a sample collection coordination program in conjunction with Converse Laboratories. The Thousand Islands Land Trust provided staff support for the additional sampling at Potter’s Beach. And, volunteers took weekly samples at each of the seven beaches tested.

The full listing of 2011 sampling results and a summary are available on Save The River’s website www.savetheriver.org, as well as results from prior years. During the swimming season, interested beach goers can sign up for Save The River’s weekly notification of Beach Watch information. To sign up, call Save The River at (315) 686-2010 or e-mail striver@savetheriver.org.

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For more information, contact Kayla Montanye at Save The River, (315) 686-2010.

Save The River continued its nine week summer sampling season again this year and was able to extend the sampling sites to include seven different locations. The 2011 Beach Watch season was highly successful, collecting samples where samples had not been collected in the past. Sampling dates for 2011 were: July 5, July 11, July 18, July 25 and August 1, August 8, August 15, August 22 and August 29. Sampling sites included Wilson’s Beach in Cape Vincent, Potter’s Beach on Grindstone Island, Frink Dock in Clayton, Round Island near Clayton, Lake of the Isles on Wellesley Island, Scenic View Park in Alexandria Bay, and Waddington Town beach in Waddington.

Save The River continued increased sampling at Wilson’s Beach in Cape Vincent and Potter’s Beach on Grindstone Island as a result of consistently high bacteria levels in prior years. Bacteria levels did not spike above the New York State Department of Health‘s standards for safe swimming water at these or any other beaches this summer.

Why have there been high bacteria levels in the past but not this year?

Save The River continues to work on determining the cause(s) of yearly and seasonal variations in bacteria levels at the Beach Watch sampling locations. Save The River believes spikes in bacteria levels at Wilson’s Beach are due to the presence of thick mats of Cladophora. Cladophora is a native type of green fibrous algae that is able to harbor harmful bacteria. The presence of this algae can cause swimming water to surpass the bacteria standard for healthy swimming water (Visit this post for more information on this issue).

The cause of high bacteria levels at Potter’s Beach in 2010 remains unknown. Save The River worked with local partners this season to determine the possible cause(s) of increased bacteria levels at Potter’s Beach in the past. Bacteria levels remained low during the 2011 sampling season, making it difficult to identify a source.

Read our 2011 BW Fact Sheet, which includes a detailed listing of sampling results for the season.

For more information or questions, call Save The River at (315) 686-2010.

On Thursday September 1, Save The River and the Antique Boat Museum took Senator Kirsten Gillibrand on a brief tour of the River.

Save The River Executive Director Jennifer Caddick, Board President Teddy McNally, and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand discuss River issues after a tour aboard the Antique Boat Museum's classic boat, 'The Zipper'.

After a full day of meetings on regional issues, we were pleased to provide the Senator with a break to enjoy the River and learn a bit about issues impacting our waterway and local economy. During the tour, we discussed the need for stronger ballast clean-up regulations to stop the introduction of aquatic invasive species as well as the impact of water levels regulation on the River ecosystem and the need for a new, updated plan that returns the River to more natural flows. Most importantly, the Senator and her staff had the opportunity to experience a gorgeous summer boat ride on the River. We also took a moment to thank Senator Gillibrand for her strong support of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) in the Senate. The GLRI is providing much needed funding for Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River environmental restoration projects. We look forward to having the Senator visit us again.