STATE BRIEFS
State sends trail crews to Adirondacks, Catskills
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) » New York state is dedicating trail crews to work on rehabilitation and construction projects in the Catskills and the Adirondack High Peaks.
Environmental Commissioner Basil Seggos said a five-person crew will complete three projects in the heavily used High Peaks region of the Adirondacks. Trails, ladders and bridges will be repaired in Avalanche Pass and campsites will be relocated in the Lake Colden-Flowed Lands area and around Marcy Dam.
A five-person crew in the Catskills will complete work including two bridge replacements and construction of connector trails at Overlook Mountain and Elm Ridge.
State invests in clams, oysters to fight harmful algae along coast
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) » New York is using clams and oysters to combat harmful algae threatening coastline ecosystems.
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has announced $2 million in funding to support research on Long Island that would increase clam and oyster populations to fight brown tide.
Brown tide occurs when certain phytoplankton species grow to high concentrations and color the water brown along the eastern coast of Long Island.
The condition can decrease the amount of sunlight that penetrates the water and limits survival of other plants and algae.
Clam and oyster populations have been shown to filter and improve water quality. The money would go toward seeding programs and other initiatives at Stony Brook Research Center in ocean health research.
Former mayor pledges $15M to climate change battle
NEW YORK (AP) » Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg will donate up to $15 million to support United Nations effort to implement the Paris climate accord standards.
The announcement Friday comes after President Donald Trump said the U.S. would withdraw from the agreement. Nearly 200 countries joined the landmark deal forged under Trump’s predecessor. Now the U.S. stands with only Syria and Nicaragua as countries on the sidelines.
Bloomberg said the funds will make up the gap lost by money from Washington.
Dozens of cities have said they are committed to upholding the accord. At least 86 mayors signed a statement saying they will adopt the agreement’s goals.
Motorcyclist dead after striking deer
MENDON, N.Y. (AP) » Police say a motorcyclist has died after he collided with a deer and then a guardrail along a western New York road.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office says the man was traveling on Boughton Hill Road in the town of Mendon, just south of Rochester, when he hit a deer around 8 p.m. Thursday. Deputies say the bike then crashed into a guardrail. He died at the scene. Police on Friday morning identified the victim as 28-year-old Thomas Mincer, of Clifton Springs in neighboring Ontario County.