Farming and Climate Change

In November 2016 farmers along with environmental and agricultural scientists met in Riverhead at a conference on The Impact of Climate on Farms & Landscapes.

The conference was organized by the Cornell Cooperative Extension in partnership with several national and local groups including the American Farmland Trust, the Peconic Land Trust, and the Long Island Farm Bureau.

The conference included sessions on preparing for extreme weather, weather forecasting and modeling, and speaking out on climate change.

At the conference Francesca Rheannon spoke with Becky Wiseman of the Cornell Cooperative Extension and Mike Hoffmann of the Cornell Institute for Climate SmartSolutions.    

Listen here

More info:

The Riverhead Times-Review: Climate change creating new challenges for North Fork farmers

Sustainability at Cornell University

Cornell Institute for Climate Smart Solutions

Farming and Climate Change

In November 2016 farmers along with environmental and agricultural scientists met in Riverhead at a conference on The Impact of Climate on Farms & Landscapes.

The conference was organized by the Cornell Cooperative Extension in partnership with several national and local groups including the American Farmland Trust, the Peconic Land Trust, and the Long Island Farm Bureau.

The conference included sessions on preparing for extreme weather, weather forecasting and modeling, and speaking out on climate change.

At the conference Francesca Rheannon spoke with Becky Wiseman of the Cornell Cooperative Extension and Mike Hoffmann of the Cornell Institute for Climate SmartSolutions.    

Listen here

More info:

The Riverhead Times-Review: Climate change creating new challenges for North Fork farmers

Sustainability at Cornell University

Cornell Institute for Climate Smart Solutions

Kevin McAllister: Living on the Edge, Coastal Issues and Climate Change

We Present a talk by Kevin McAllister of DefendH2O 

"Living on the Edge, Coastal Issues and Climate Change and What Will Our Coastal Future Be?"

Climate talks are happening in Marrakesh Morocco this week. A major impact of climate disruption is sea level rise and that was much on the minds of those attending a recent talk by coastal scientist and environmental advocate Kevin McAllister at the South Fork Natural History Museum in Bridgehampton. 

During his talk “Living on the Edge, Coastal Issues, Climate Change and What Will Our Coastal Future Be?,” McAllister addressed the physical and ecological impacts of climate change on coastal communities. 

What does sea level rise mean for us and what are the appropriate responses to ensure that beaches, wetlands and other natural resources remain sustainable? 

Kevin McAllister is founding president of DefendH20 and a past Peconic Baykeeper. 

Listen to Part 1 as broadcast: 

Listen to Part 2:

illustrations by DefendH2O  

Kevin McAllister: Living on the Edge, Coastal Issues and Climate Change

We Present a talk by Kevin McAllister of DefendH2O 

"Living on the Edge, Coastal Issues and Climate Change and What Will Our Coastal Future Be?"

Climate talks are happening in Marrakesh Morocco this week. A major impact of climate disruption is sea level rise and that was much on the minds of those attending a recent talk by coastal scientist and environmental advocate Kevin McAllister at the South Fork Natural History Museum in Bridgehampton. 

During his talk “Living on the Edge, Coastal Issues, Climate Change and What Will Our Coastal Future Be?,” McAllister addressed the physical and ecological impacts of climate change on coastal communities. 

What does sea level rise mean for us and what are the appropriate responses to ensure that beaches, wetlands and other natural resources remain sustainable? 

Kevin McAllister is founding president of DefendH20 and a past Peconic Baykeeper. 

Listen to Part 1 as broadcast: 

Listen to Part 2:

illustrations by DefendH2O  

Bees Needs - Mary Woltz

Francesca Rheannon talks with beekeeper Mary Woltz who keeps bees at the Quail Hill Farm in Amagansett, New York and markets the honey they produce with the label ‘Bees Needs”.  

They talk about biodynamic beekeeping, the role of bees in what we eat, reasons for bee colony collapse and what we can do to help the survival of the bees.

Listen here

Mary Woltz offered these links to information about the topics covered in today's program:

Biodynamic farming and beekeeping 

excerpt:

Biodynamic bee keeping is an approach which respects this integrity of the colony. Its aim is to minimise stress factors and allow bees to develop in accordance with their true nature. Bees are allowed to build natural comb, swarming is acknowledged as the only way to rejuvenate and reproduce a colony, the queen is allowed to move freely throughout the hive and sufficient honey is retained in the hive to provide for the winter. A system of bee keeping that respects a colony's natural integrity will not only reduce stress and encourage healthy bees, it will also be commercially viable. ............

Scientific Beekeeping

Harvard study on honeybees dying 

Bees Needs - Mary Woltz

Francesca Rheannon talks with beekeeper Mary Woltz who keeps bees at the Quail Hill Farm in Amagansett, New York and markets the honey they produce with the label ‘Bees Needs”.  

They talk about biodynamic beekeeping, the role of bees in what we eat, reasons for bee colony collapse and what we can do to help the survival of the bees.

Listen here

Mary Woltz offered these links to information about the topics covered in today's program:

Biodynamic farming and beekeeping 

excerpt:

Biodynamic bee keeping is an approach which respects this integrity of the colony. Its aim is to minimise stress factors and allow bees to develop in accordance with their true nature. Bees are allowed to build natural comb, swarming is acknowledged as the only way to rejuvenate and reproduce a colony, the queen is allowed to move freely throughout the hive and sufficient honey is retained in the hive to provide for the winter. A system of bee keeping that respects a colony's natural integrity will not only reduce stress and encourage healthy bees, it will also be commercially viable. ............

Scientific Beekeeping

Harvard study on honeybees dying 

Managing the North Fork Coast

Goldsmith inlet on Long Island Sound in Peconic and Hashamomuck Cove, a narrow beach alongside the North Road are the focus of attempts to control the flow of sand along the North Fork coastline.  

We talk with activist Hugh Switzer and Suffolk County Legislator Al Krupski about proposed solutions.


Listen here

More information about Goldsmith Inlet is available at the Group to Save Goldsmith Inlet's web-site: goldsmithinlet.org


updates:  

The Suffolk Times reports: 

"A public meeting Monday night (Sept. 19) at Southold Town Hall was held to discuss the proposed Hashamomuck project.

Some Southold Town residents are questioning if the proposed $17.7 million beach re-nourishment project for Hashamomuck Cove will be worth it if sea levels rise.

Doug Hardy* of Southold, a retired marine science professor said “This is not a solution to the problem as long as sea levels continue to rise. The best and most recent science says that sea levels are accelerated.”

Erosion and flooding in that area also threatens additional properties and roadways, engineers have said. ACOE estimates that $32 million worth of property damage will take place over 50 years if the project is not completed.

To restore the beach, residents would also like to know if the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) will use sand dredged from Long Island Sound instead of trucking it in from a sand mine.

In addition, residents are asking for information on how a series of groins built in the water have impacted erosion.

When asked about raising Route 48 and Route 25 as a solution, ACOE representative Gene Brickman said such a project will cost far more than restoring the beach.

Kevin McAllister* of Defend H2O, an environmental protection group, said the state Department of Environmental Conservation had made sea level projections based on low, medium and high models and asked which one was used in the ACOE study.

DEC representative Sue McCormick said the stats were based on the low-end estimates."

..............

Residents can submit their comments about the proposal to:
Judith Johnson, project biologist, New England District Corps of Engineers, 696 Virginia Road, Concord, MA 01742-2751
Or via email: Judith.L.Johnson@usace.army.mil
 
The public comment period will be closed Sept. 30.

-----------------------------

* Sustainable East End spoke with Doug Hardy last December.

and Kevin McAllister in February