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https://www.newyorkalmanack.com/2025/04/finger-lakes-national-forest/
UPDATE ON THE ADMINISTRATION’S EXECUTIVE ORDER FOR INCREASED TIMBER LOGGING IN THE FINGER LAKES NATIONAL FOREST:
On April 23, an area resident spoke with a Wildlife Biologist at the Finger Lakes National Forest Ranger Station, and had the following to share:
.
As of Friday, April 18, 2025, 60 percent of the staff was let go, leaving only three staff remaining. As a result, the office is open only on Wednesdays.
ABOUT THE RECENT LOGGING ON BURNT HILL ROAD:
This project was conceptualized 10 years ago as a three-fold approach to remove out-of-range species, reduce the impact of ash bore infestation and provide wildlife habitat.
There was also a plan to replant with hardwoods and other native species, but with the staff cuts, COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED. If interested, please sign up on this volunteer form, and we will get it to the station. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd7fKpwCmQ3tNbpqUgKJwCTwtcbnwnp0jMw66DFNAOBf6P8Ug/viewform?usp=sharing
Through a stewardship program with the National Turkey Federation, this project to complete: it took 7 years to find a local company - Tree Masters out of Tompkins County- And another 3 years for project to start (which was in the fall of 2024). Any money generated from the sale will stay local for habitat work on the hill.
WHAT MIGHT PROTECT THE FINGER LAKES NATIONAL FOREST FROM THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION’S INCREASED 25 PERCENT FOREST GRAB:
There is currently a logistical gap when it comes to milling the trees in this forest. There is a lack of quantity high value trees, and what we do have is either too big or too small for local milling operations – so the machines would have to be reset/retooled specifically.
At present there is no further logging on the books for this forest. Nothing is under contract from our local managers or from the current administration.
BRIEF HISTORY OF THE FLX NATIONAL FOREST:
The land that we call The National Forest was originally given as payment to soldiers for their participation in the Revolutionary War.
When the Great Depression hit and landholders moved to the cities, the land was sold back to the Federal Government.
The government then attempted to quickly stabilize the depleted soils - they gave the project over to the School of Conversation which became the NRCS (national resource conservation service). Unfortunately, many species that are not within their natural ranges - like Table Mountain Pine, Virginia pine, Jack Pine and others, were planted.
The forest we see today is a result of this miscalculated effort to quickly manage erosion and soil depletion.
WHAT WE CAN DO MOVING FORWARD:
Volunteer to help our forest BY COMPLETING THE INFORMATION IN THIS FORM
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd7fKpwCmQ3tNbpqUgKJwCTwtcbnwnp0jMw66DFNAOBf6P8Ug/viewform?usp=sharing
UPDATE ON THE ADMINISTRATION’S EXECUTIVE ORDER FOR INCREASED TIMBER LOGGING IN THE FINGER LAKES NATIONAL FOREST:
On April 23, an area resident spoke with a Wildlife Biologist at the Finger Lakes National Forest Ranger Station, and had the following to share:
.
As of Friday, April 18, 2025, 60 percent of the staff was let go, leaving only three staff remaining. As a result, the office is open only on Wednesdays.
ABOUT THE RECENT LOGGING ON BURNT HILL ROAD:
This project was conceptualized 10 years ago as a three-fold approach to remove out-of-range species, reduce the impact of ash bore infestation and provide wildlife habitat.
There was also a plan to replant with hardwoods and other native species, but with the staff cuts, COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED. If interested, please sign up on this volunteer form, and we will get it to the station. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd7fKpwCmQ3tNbpqUgKJwCTwtcbnwnp0jMw66DFNAOBf6P8Ug/viewform?usp=sharing
Through a stewardship program with the National Turkey Federation, this project to complete: it took 7 years to find a local company - Tree Masters out of Tompkins County- And another 3 years for project to start (which was in the fall of 2024). Any money generated from the sale will stay local for habitat work on the hill.
WHAT MIGHT PROTECT THE FINGER LAKES NATIONAL FOREST FROM THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION’S INCREASED 25 PERCENT FOREST GRAB:
There is currently a logistical gap when it comes to milling the trees in this forest. There is a lack of quantity high value trees, and what we do have is either too big or too small for local milling operations – so the machines would have to be reset/retooled specifically.
At present there is no further logging on the books for this forest. Nothing is under contract from our local managers or from the current administration.
BRIEF HISTORY OF THE FLX NATIONAL FOREST:
The land that we call The National Forest was originally given as payment to soldiers for their participation in the Revolutionary War.
When the Great Depression hit and landholders moved to the cities, the land was sold back to the Federal Government.
The government then attempted to quickly stabilize the depleted soils - they gave the project over to the School of Conversation which became the NRCS (national resource conservation service). Unfortunately, many species that are not within their natural ranges - like Table Mountain Pine, Virginia pine, Jack Pine and others, were planted.
The forest we see today is a result of this miscalculated effort to quickly manage erosion and soil depletion.
WHAT WE CAN DO MOVING FORWARD:
Volunteer to help our forest BY COMPLETING THE INFORMATION IN THIS FORM
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd7fKpwCmQ3tNbpqUgKJwCTwtcbnwnp0jMw66DFNAOBf6P8Ug/viewform?usp=sharing
VOLUNTEER TO HELP THE FINGER LAKES NATIONAL FOREST
If you are interested in volunteering, please provide the following information and we will share it with the FLX Ranger station.
Earth Day
Earth Day
Trump Seeks Increased Logging of Finger Lakes National Forest - New York Almanack
The Trump regime is planning to cut down more of the Finger Lakes National Forest to increase United States timber production by 25%.
🔴 Toxic Sludge is Polluting Our Land — It’s Time to Act!
For years, sewage sludge has been sold as a "sustainable" fertilizer. The reality? It’s loaded with PFAS ('forever chemicals’), microplastics, and industrial toxins that poison our soil, food, and water.
🚨 Join us on April 30, from 2-3 PM ET, for the official launch of the Coalition for Sludge Free Land — a powerful movement of farmers, scientists, and advocates working to ban the land application of toxic sludge. Join our webinar to hear from experts leading the fight.
🎤 Speakers:
🌱 Adam Nordell – Sludge-impacted farmer & advocate
🏛 Bill Pluecker – Maine State Representative & organic farming advocate
⚖️ Erica Kyzmir-McKeon – Environmental attorney
🔬 Laura Orlando – Senior Scientist at Just Zero & wastewater expert
Together, we’re exposing the dirty truth about sludge and fighting for a cleaner, safer future.
📅 Sign up today and be part of the solution:
For years, sewage sludge has been sold as a "sustainable" fertilizer. The reality? It’s loaded with PFAS ('forever chemicals’), microplastics, and industrial toxins that poison our soil, food, and water.
🚨 Join us on April 30, from 2-3 PM ET, for the official launch of the Coalition for Sludge Free Land — a powerful movement of farmers, scientists, and advocates working to ban the land application of toxic sludge. Join our webinar to hear from experts leading the fight.
🎤 Speakers:
🌱 Adam Nordell – Sludge-impacted farmer & advocate
🏛 Bill Pluecker – Maine State Representative & organic farming advocate
⚖️ Erica Kyzmir-McKeon – Environmental attorney
🔬 Laura Orlando – Senior Scientist at Just Zero & wastewater expert
Together, we’re exposing the dirty truth about sludge and fighting for a cleaner, safer future.
📅 Sign up today and be part of the solution:
Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Dirty Secrets, Clean Soil: A Movement to Ban Toxic Sludge. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.
For decades, sewage sludge – a byproduct of wastewater treatment – has been promoted as a safe, sustainable fertilizer. But striking evidence shows that spreading sewage sludge on land is poisoning our farmland, food, and water with toxins like PFAS (‘forever chemicals’), microplastics, and ...
Finger Lakes Times: New York's highest court dismisses SMI appeal of Seneca Falls' Local Law 3-2016
Louise Hoffman Broach
April 11
SENECA FALLS — The New York State Court of Appeals has dismissed Seneca Meadows Inc.’s latest effort to get the town’s Local Law 3-2016 rescinded, a measure that requires that the landfill close by the end of this year.
The decision, dated April 10, was made public by environmental groups Friday morning. It means the closure requirement for the state’s largest landfill stands, although the town voted 3-2 in March to give the landfill a local operating permit through 2040. The town also agreed to a new host community agreement with SMI, provided the Department of Environmental Conservation OK’s the landfill’s application to expand.
The laws that are seemingly diametrically opposed to each other aren’t something that Town Supervisor Frank Schmitter said he wanted to untangle without discussions that include the rest of the town board and the town attorney.
“We are reviewing the decision to determine what it means,” he said. “We have to see what the town’s options are. I don’t know anything more at this point.”
Kyle Black, SMI’s district manager, did not return a request for comment from the Finger Lakes Times asking what the Texas-based owner of the landfill, Waste Connections, will do next. The April 10 decision has dead-ended the company’s state appeals path.
A local citizens’ group called the Court of Appeals’ action “a major legal victory for home rule, clean air and water,” and a major turning point in the long-running fight to shut down SMI.
“The highest court in New York has declined to disturb Seneca Falls’ right to determine its own future,” Glen Silver of Concerned Citizens of Seneca County said in a news release. “For years, the people of Seneca Falls have demanded an end to the pervasive odor, pollution, and injustice of hosting a landfill that never should’ve been allowed to grow this large and out of control in the first place. Today, the court made clear what we’ve known all along: Local Law 3 is the law of the land. The town board has not only the authority but the responsibility to protect its residents and enforce this law. This is a huge win for our community and the Finger Lakes region.”
The makeup of the town board in 2016 was different than the council seated now. Since that time, there has been much back and forth in the courts, and with DEC, regarding SMI’s future.
SMI most recently asked the seven-judge Court of Appeals to hear its arguments against the 3-2 decision issued by the Rochester-based New York State Supreme Court Appellate Division, Fourth Judicial Department. On Dec. 20, 2024, that court reversed a June 8, 2023, ruling by State Supreme Court Justice Dan Doyle invalidating the local law that mandated the closure of the SMI landfill by Dec. 31, 2025.
The five-judge Rochester court majority said SMI did not have standing to challenge the local law on the basis of an alleged violation of the State Environmental Quality Review Act. SMI claims the town board of 2016 did not take the required “hard look” at possible environmental impacts of the law. Three of the five Appellate Court Division judges said SMI did not prove any environmental harm from passage of the local law, although the company presented evidence to the contrary.
The town board did not appeal Doyle’s decision. However, Doug Zamelis, the attorney representing neighboring property owner Dixie Lemmon of Waterloo and Concerned Citizens of Seneca County, filed an appeal.
It was expected SMI would appeal the Rochester court’s ruling, given the Appellate Division was not unanimous, which is a requirement for the Court of Appeals to hear a matter.
SMI has applied to DEC to expand the Route 414 landfill upward in the valley infill area of the property, creating enough new disposal space to allow the facility to stay open until 2040.
Concerned Citizens of Seneca County and Seneca Lake Guardian are calling on the DEC and Gov. Kathy Hochul to reject SMI’s permit application outright in light of the Court of Appeals’ decision.
“For all intents and purposes, this ends a decade of litigation,” Zamelis said in the news release. “Seneca Meadows took its best shot, and Local Law 3 is still standing. If the valued partner, trusted neighbor now thinks it can thumb its nose at this law, it’s in for several more rounds.”
Louise Hoffman Broach
April 11
SENECA FALLS — The New York State Court of Appeals has dismissed Seneca Meadows Inc.’s latest effort to get the town’s Local Law 3-2016 rescinded, a measure that requires that the landfill close by the end of this year.
The decision, dated April 10, was made public by environmental groups Friday morning. It means the closure requirement for the state’s largest landfill stands, although the town voted 3-2 in March to give the landfill a local operating permit through 2040. The town also agreed to a new host community agreement with SMI, provided the Department of Environmental Conservation OK’s the landfill’s application to expand.
The laws that are seemingly diametrically opposed to each other aren’t something that Town Supervisor Frank Schmitter said he wanted to untangle without discussions that include the rest of the town board and the town attorney.
“We are reviewing the decision to determine what it means,” he said. “We have to see what the town’s options are. I don’t know anything more at this point.”
Kyle Black, SMI’s district manager, did not return a request for comment from the Finger Lakes Times asking what the Texas-based owner of the landfill, Waste Connections, will do next. The April 10 decision has dead-ended the company’s state appeals path.
A local citizens’ group called the Court of Appeals’ action “a major legal victory for home rule, clean air and water,” and a major turning point in the long-running fight to shut down SMI.
“The highest court in New York has declined to disturb Seneca Falls’ right to determine its own future,” Glen Silver of Concerned Citizens of Seneca County said in a news release. “For years, the people of Seneca Falls have demanded an end to the pervasive odor, pollution, and injustice of hosting a landfill that never should’ve been allowed to grow this large and out of control in the first place. Today, the court made clear what we’ve known all along: Local Law 3 is the law of the land. The town board has not only the authority but the responsibility to protect its residents and enforce this law. This is a huge win for our community and the Finger Lakes region.”
The makeup of the town board in 2016 was different than the council seated now. Since that time, there has been much back and forth in the courts, and with DEC, regarding SMI’s future.
SMI most recently asked the seven-judge Court of Appeals to hear its arguments against the 3-2 decision issued by the Rochester-based New York State Supreme Court Appellate Division, Fourth Judicial Department. On Dec. 20, 2024, that court reversed a June 8, 2023, ruling by State Supreme Court Justice Dan Doyle invalidating the local law that mandated the closure of the SMI landfill by Dec. 31, 2025.
The five-judge Rochester court majority said SMI did not have standing to challenge the local law on the basis of an alleged violation of the State Environmental Quality Review Act. SMI claims the town board of 2016 did not take the required “hard look” at possible environmental impacts of the law. Three of the five Appellate Court Division judges said SMI did not prove any environmental harm from passage of the local law, although the company presented evidence to the contrary.
The town board did not appeal Doyle’s decision. However, Doug Zamelis, the attorney representing neighboring property owner Dixie Lemmon of Waterloo and Concerned Citizens of Seneca County, filed an appeal.
It was expected SMI would appeal the Rochester court’s ruling, given the Appellate Division was not unanimous, which is a requirement for the Court of Appeals to hear a matter.
SMI has applied to DEC to expand the Route 414 landfill upward in the valley infill area of the property, creating enough new disposal space to allow the facility to stay open until 2040.
Concerned Citizens of Seneca County and Seneca Lake Guardian are calling on the DEC and Gov. Kathy Hochul to reject SMI’s permit application outright in light of the Court of Appeals’ decision.
“For all intents and purposes, this ends a decade of litigation,” Zamelis said in the news release. “Seneca Meadows took its best shot, and Local Law 3 is still standing. If the valued partner, trusted neighbor now thinks it can thumb its nose at this law, it’s in for several more rounds.”
New York's highest court dismisses SMI appeal of Seneca Falls' Local Law 3-2016
SENECA FALLS — The New York State Court of Appeals has dismissed Seneca Meadows Inc.’s latest effort to get the town’s Local Law 3-2016 rescinded, a measure that requires that
Trump officials quietly move to reverse bans on toxic ‘forever chemicals’
EPA bids to change chemical risk evaluations, which could expose public to higher levels of PFAS and other pollutants
From Bluesky
Welcome to Seneca Lake Guardian
Our Lakes Need a Good Guardian
Seneca Lake Guardian is a New York State Not-for-Profit Corporation with 501(c)(3) and is dedicated to preserving and protecting the health of the Finger Lakes, its residents and visitors, its rural community character, and its agricultural and tourist related businesses through public education, citizen participation, engagement with decision makers, and networking with like-minded organizations.