CCFE PROGRAMS
Endangered Species and Conservation
Piping Plovers
CCFE has a long history of protecting piping plovers, endangered shorebirds that utilize Long Island shores as their breeding and nesting grounds. The Piping Plover Protection Project has become an annual tradition for CCFE, its members, and volunteers. In 2011, CCFE generated 30 volunteers on Memorial Day weekend, to protect plover nests on a day of the year when nests are particularly vulnerable to human traffic and recreational pursuits. In March of 2011 CCFE generated volunteers to help the NYS Parks Department put up protective fencing enclosures around prime plover nesting habitat. In 2011 CCFE also released a new educational four page brochure on the piping plover. The brochure is distributed at tabling events.
Advisory Committees, Task Forces and Coalitions
CCFE staff continued to serve on numerous advisory committees and task forces involved in studies of environmental problems. These included:
- Erie County Water Quality Committee: CCFE is a member of this committee, which coordinates various water quality projects throughout Erie County.
- Wind Action Group: The Wind Action Group was formed to develop information that will allow thoughtful, informed decisions on the future of wind power in the WNY region.
- Healing Our Waters Coalition: CCFE is one of more than 100 organizations representing millions of residents in the Great Lakes region that have joined the HOW coalition whose goal is to restore and protect the Great Lakes. Led by the National Wildlife Federation and the National Parks Conservation Association, the coalition seeks to secure a sustainable restoration plan and the billions of dollars of state and federal funding needed to implement it. www.healthylakes.org
- Clean Water Network: CCEFE was elected to serve on the executive committee and board of directors for the national network of local, state, and federal organizations focused on clean water. www.cleanwaternetwork.org
- NYS Water and Energy Working Group: CCFE chairs this working group of state agencies including Environmental Facilities Corporation, NYSERDA, DEC, NYPA and LIPA. The goal is to streamline opportunities for sewage treatment plant operators to obtain funding for implementing energy efficiencies and upgrades.
- Great Waters Coalition: CCFE has joined with groups nationally to work to protect our nation's great water bodies, including Long Island Sound, the Great Lakes, and Lake Champlain.
- Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency (OCRRA): Appointed to the Board of Directors in June 2005, a CCFE staff member was re-appointed and chairs the recycling committee. A public benefit corporation charged with the solid waste management of 33 of the 35 municipalities in Onondaga County, OCRRA operates the popular Household Hazardous Waste Days, coordinates Operation Separation, a countywide recycling program with a 65% recycling rate, and oversees the operation and energy generation of an incinerator.
- Onondaga Lake Partnership Outreach Committee: CCFE was appointed to serve on the outreach committee of the Onondaga Lake Partnership, which is established by federal law under the Water Resources Development Act, to help coordinate and implement solutions to improve Onondaga Lake water quality.
- New York State Great Lakes Basin Advisory Council: Appointed by the Governor, CCFE staff serves on this council charged with overseeing state’s Great Lakes Protection Fund and recommending regulatory and legislative solutions to implement the Great Lakes Compact in New York State.
- New York State Clean Water Collaborative: Named by the Governor, a CCFE staff member works the broad collective of labor, business, environmental, public health, regulatory and legislative leaders to address New York State’s clean water crisis.
- Brookhaven National Laboratory Citizens Advisory Committee: This committee evaluates and advises BNL on the ongoing environmental remediation efforts at this important laboratory.
- Suffolk County Pesticide Phase-out Committee: In Suffolk County CCFE sits on the Suffolk County Pesticide Phase-out Committee. In 2000, Suffolk County passed legislation that banned pesticides from all county-owned property. The committee was established to review progress on implementation and to approve/disapprove any proposed exemptions. In 2011, the committee met February 15, March 29, April 14, June 14, July 20, September 14, and December 13.
- Carmans River Working Group: CCFE chairs this committee comprised of New York State, Suffolk County, and Town of Brookhaven representatives as well as many stakeholder organizations. The working group is assessing remediation options for the upper and lower lakes on the Carmans River.
- Chair, Citizens Advisory Committee for the South Shore Estuary Reserve: The Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) of the South Shore Estuary Reserve Council was established in 1994 to make recommendations and provide guidance to the Council in the preparation of the Reserve Comprehensive Management Plan (CMP). Since the adoption of the CMP in 2001, the CAC has focused on implementation of CMP recommendations. It is authorized to prepare reports, recommend studies, and submit findings and recommendations to the Council.
- Citizens Advisory Committee for Long Island Sound: The Long Island Sound Study (LISS) Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) provides ongoing advice to the Federal, state, and local government Management Conference partners working on implementing the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) for the restoration and protection of Long Island Sound.
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