Environment

Water levels on Seneca Lake have surged this spring, raising concerns about flooding, shoreline damage, and the region’s ability to manage increasingly volatile conditions. The Seneca Lake Pure Waters Association says recent rainfall and saturated ... more

New York officials are urging residents and businesses to turn off non-essential lighting overnight as part of a statewide effort to protect migrating birds this spring. The state Department of Environmental Conservation and Office of ... more

New York officials are pointing to the state’s long-running brownfield cleanup efforts as a key driver of housing development and community revitalization. The Department of Environmental Conservation announced that its Brownfield Cleanup Program marked its ... more

Across the Finger Lakes, communities rely on annual water quality reports to tell them if their lake is healthy. Often, these reports come back with passing grades - the water looks relatively clear, and the ... more

In our previous articles, we explored how the loss of deep-water oxygen – hypoxia - creates a dead zone at the bottom of our lakes. But hypoxia is only the trigger. The real engine driving ... more

A pair of neighboring landowners in Tompkins County have teamed up to permanently protect a stretch of Taughannock Creek, preserving key natural features and wildlife habitat along one of the region’s most important waterways. The ... more

New York officials just cut water withdrawals from Cayuga Lake by nearly 100%, according to the Finger Lakes Times, in a major environmental decision. The state Department of Environmental Conservation reduced Cayuga Operating Company’s limit ... more

New York officials want hunters to take more female deer as the population surges and crashes into cars rise, according to Spectrum News. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is proposing changes to ... more

A fierce backlash erupted in Albany as lawmakers and activists warned a climate rollback could cost New Yorkers thousands, according to WSYR. Critics say Gov. Kathy Hochul’s plan to delay emissions rules by a decade ... more

A proposed delay to New York’s climate goals is drawing sharp pushback, according to WETM. Lawmakers and advocates warn the move could raise costs and slow the clean energy transition. Governor Kathy Hochul wants to ... more

Municipal leaders across New York’s Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River regions will have a new opportunity to strengthen local planning efforts through a free training series focused on turning long-term visions into tangible results ... more

State policymakers are weighing competing priorities as debate over New York’s climate agenda intensifies during budget negotiations. As featured by a recent episode of WXXI’s Connections with Evan Dawson, advocates and industry leaders discussed proposals ... more

A quiet cemetery in Ithaca has become the unlikely home to one of the largest known populations of ground-nesting bees in the world, according to new research from Cornell University. Scientists estimate that roughly 5.5 ... more

For many Finger Lakes residents, the summer season brings a familiar and frustrating anxiety. You look out at the water, and everything seems fine on the surface. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a toxic algae ... more

Energy leaders are urging swift action as economic and geopolitical pressures intensify concerns about affordability and grid reliability. As featured by a recent episode of WXXI’s Connections with Evan Dawson, former federal energy official Jigar ... more

New York is committing $17.5 million to expand the use of advanced heat pump technology in residential buildings, aiming to cut energy costs and reduce emissions as part of its broader climate strategy. Gov. Kathy ... more

A backlash over solar and wind projects on public land forced New York lawmakers to rewrite a major energy bill, according to WETM. Critics warned the plan could open forest land to development and harm ... more

A state senator is renewing concerns over New York’s push to electrify school buses, arguing the timeline and costs tied to the mandate could create significant financial and logistical challenges for local districts. In his ... more

Have you ever reviewed a lake management plan that sounded incredibly promising, only to watch your lake continue to deteriorate year after year? You are not alone. Across the Finger Lakes region, communities are spending ... more