New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Attn: Mr. Daniel Whitehead
21 South Putt Corner Road
New Paltz, NY 12561

May 2, 2013

Dear Mr. Whitehead:

Andes Works! is a collection of Andes residents, both long-timers and newcomers, who have joined together to foster a sustainable economy that benefits all of our residents. We are committed to supporting area businesses, farmers, entrepreneurs, and workforce by supporting projects that build an economy that entices young families to move to the area, even as we work to protect all that we hold dear here — our clean air, our water, our quiet rural landscape, and our small towns.

While some communities have fared better economically than others in the region, the area has been in an economic decline for decades for a variety of reasons. As just one example, with the downturn in the dairy industry, Delaware County has lost $35 million a year in annual economic impact due to reduced milk production. In spite of heroic efforts on the part of local small businesses and community members, it continues to struggle. The region has seen an enormous drain of people, revenues, and opportunities, leaving it increasingly vulnerable to becoming a forgotten, throw-away part of the state, useful only as a site to extract natural resources for other areas.

We believe that the proposed Belleayre Resort is critical in the ongoing health of our community and those around us. The region needs a project that is large enough that it can shift the economic momentum in the area, and we believe that the plans for the Resort are, at this point, sustainable, and appropriate in scale and use for the region. Andes will benefit from having more people, more amenities, and more resources down the road. From development to operations, the economic impacts of the Resort will be enormous on the region, and the influx of visitors to our area will be key in the ongoing health of our tourism-based economy.

We urge our neighbors and the State of New York to join us in support of the Belleayre Resort.

The Andes Works! Committee:

Larry Breakstone            Bob Lidsky
Susan Dey                         Leigh Melander
Bill Feldman                     Mark Pezzatti
Marlene Feldman            Michael Suchorsky

 Saturday, May 25th  

Paddle the Pepacton with the Catskill Mountain Club   

Registration Required:  Contact annroberti@yahoo.com  

Join Andes Works! and Catskill Mountain Club Board Member Ann Roberti
to kick off this year’s reservoir paddling season by paddling the
beautiful Pepacton Reservoir.
Provide your own CANOE or KAYAK or rent from a local business.
We will launch promptly at 11AM at the Shavertown Bridge site on the Pepacton Reservoir.   Life jackets required. All boats must be steam cleaned prior to arrival on site and have a valid DEP access sticker. 

For more information on regulations click here to visit the NYCDEP website.

Sunday, June 1 

National Trails Day hike with Andes Works! 

On the Andes Rail Trail  – contact annroberti@yahoo.com for more info.
Meet at the train depot on Cabin Hill Road at 11:00 for a walk on our
beautiful rail trail. 

Saturday, July 13 

       2nd Annual           Andes Battle of the Bands Broadcast                                 

keeping the music live

Building on the success of last year’s event the Andes Battle of the Bands 2013 will broaden it’s scope by inviting musicians of all ages and experience to participate. First Round of competition is held from 2pm to 5pm. The 4 bands chosen from this round go on to battle in the Final Round -  broadcast  LIVE over WIOX Community Radio 91.3FM  from 6pm to 8pm. The Grand Prize:          Perform at RoxFest,NY    + $500 Musical Gear     + Your Own one hour Radio Show on WIOX!                              July 13th at the Andes Fire Department Pavilion – Free Admission

GOT BAND?        Contact  andesbobb@gmail.com  for more info.

 Annual Andes Trash Pick Up Was  April 17th and 20th  

Andes Works! and other Andes residents teamed up to pick up more than 80 bags of litter plus a few tires and other car parts and odds and ends.

This morning, he’s offered another one. We won’t ruin the punchline for you, but it brought us to tears, but here’s a taste:

Now, I know that this pattern of insistent, circular, hammer-like, repetition is dictated by a legal concern to avoid the drafting pitfalls of “overinclusion” — crafting a regulation that can be interpreted as sweeping into its ambit more than it is intended to cover — and “underinclusion” — crafting a regulation that can be interpreted as omitting a significant aspect of what it is intended to cover. But I can’t help reading the document as an imitation in words of the physical act it is trying to prevent: fracking is being pummeled on all sides and from every direction; the assault on it is relentless; the target cannot escape; it will be overwhelmed and drowned; the intention, like the intention of the physical process, is to smash it into bits. Take that, fracking!

Indeed! Take that, fracking! He goes on to mention Andes Works! (thank you, Stanley Fish) and captures a sense of what all of us are so excited about with this ban, both here in our community and also as a reflection of our country.

Read the whole thing here…

The Andes Town Board cast a momentous vote to ban heavy industry, and therefore High Volume Hydraulic Fracture gas drilling (aka fracking).  The Andes Town Board reviewed the issues and listened to the opinion of the residents of Andes and at their February meeting, passed a ban on heavy industry, making Andes the first town in Delaware County to ban this extreme form of resource extraction.

We are truly grateful to Andes Town Supervisor Marty Donnelly and all the members of the Town Board for being willing to learn about the dangers of fracking, for listening to their constituents, and for having the courage to stand up to protect our town.

Are you interested in getting a ban or moratorium passed in your town? While we recognize that each community is different, we’ve put together some thoughts about what we feel has been most helpful to our process here in Andes, in the hopes that it might be helpful to people who are working to protect their towns.  

Click here for tips from our process.

These folks have set up a truly brilliant way to post daily on different regs — an “Advent Calendar” approach to commenting. Please visit and post daily — it’s very easy, and is, we’re finding, almost a guided meditation about what we want to protect in Andes and beyond.

Please Comment! Please pass the word! This may be our last chance to stop fracking in New York and say clearly to Albany that we want New York to lead the way on renewable energy!

http://www.thirtydaysoffrackingregs.com/index.php

Farm Catskills has invited Jim Oldham of Equity Trust to come and speak on Saturday November 17^th, at 2pm at the Delhi Elementary School Cafeteria* in Delhi.  Mr. Oldham will talk about the variety of farm protection projects that they have done around the country, and the various tools that are available to communities who are interested in protecting farmland and supporting a rural economy.  The event is free and open to the public.

“We’re pleased to be able to host this event to address an issue of great importance to our community”, said Amy Kenyon, Farm Catskills’ president. “Equity Trust is a great resource for farmland protection options.  Over the past 20 years they have responded to requests for assistance from 21 states and two Canadian provinces, and provided consultations to more than 30 farmers, close to 25 land trusts and community farm groups, as well as a dozen land owners and potential farmland investors interested in partnering with farmers”

This event will be of interest to farmers and landowners who want to learn more about the range of tools available for conserving farmland as working farms, and to community members who want to know how they can help support land conservation in their area. You can find out more information about the various farms Equity Trust has been instrumental in saving by going to their website – www.equitytrust.org. Then bring your questions to the meeting.  For more information about the event, contact Kate Ryan at 607-746-6503.

This event is funded in part by a grant from the New York State Environmental Protection Fund through the New York State Conservation Partnership Program, a partnership of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Land Trust Alliance.

Directions
*The Delhi Elementary School Cafeteria is located behind and a little ways up and above the main Delaware Academy High School/Middle School Building.  It’s easiest to drive up Sheldon Drive rather than going in the entrance to the Main Building.  At the top of Sheldon Drive go right along the side of the bus garage building and then go left at the corner of the building.  (There’s a flashing red light there but it probably won’t be on since it won’t be a school day.)  This road soon goes up hill.  Keep to the left again rather than going to the Middle School building.  Parking is also up a little rise to the left as well as right up near the Elementary School building.

AW members created a new blog page for Responsible Associated Landowners of New York State. Check it out:  www.nyagainstfracking.org 

“New Yorkers Against Fracking was created when the need arose for a broad-based coalition of New York State residents to call for a ban on the dangerous and polluting practice of fracking. The coalition includes members from every part of the state and a diverse collection of consumer advocacy, health, religious, food, and environmental organizations and dozens of grassroots groups.”

The town of Andes is providing two days for residents to register to vote in the upcoming 2012 election. Residents with a 13731 home and voting zip code can register on Wednesday, October 10th from 5pm to 8:30pm, or on Saturday, October 13th from 2pm to 9pm at the Andes Town Hall – 115 Delaware Ave.  Feel free to call Kimberly Tosi our Town Clerk with any questions: 845-676-4791

 Use this link to listen to Bill’s speech.

If you haven’t done so yet, join the 2,559 landowners who have already registered their land on REALNYS.com.

For rally coverage in the news and more photos, click here.    And here for Associated Press Coverage via the Wall Street Journal Online