The shareholder funding is just one of many steps that National Grid is taking to help customers navigate higher energy costs.   Last year, National Grid implemented a comprehensive campaign to educate customers on commodity price increases, as well as the financial relief and energy efficiency options for mitigating energy costs.  The outreach continued throughout the heating season and into the spring and summer.   Then, in September, we launched our 2022-23 winter preparedness communications plan.  The Winter Customer Savings Initiative  includes press releases, print and on-camera interviews, digital media posts (including promotions of HEAP/EAP), and direct customer outreach to inform both residential and business customers on their options for managing higher energy bills.  Our Consumer Advocates are an important part of our customer outreach and provide an important safety net.  Advocates offer direct counseling and referrals to customers for assistance, host financial literacy webinars, and liaise with government social services and community agencies.

National Grid is committed to providing safe and reliable service  to the millions of customers who rely on us every day while prioritizing affordability and managing bill impacts.   We will continue to be vigilant in our customer and community engagement and will closely monitor our energy procurement and hedging strategies in order to manage market price volatility.  

For more information: 

Visit the NYS Birding Trail—All Regions Now Complete!

Just in time for fall migration, DEC announced the opening of the final three segments of the NYS Birding Trail. The Adirondacks-North Country, Catskills, and Southern Tier segments bring the total number of birding trail locations across the state to over 300, with a variety of parks and other public spaces for new and experienced birders to enjoy.

The Adirondacks-North Country segment includes 41 locations and offers unique opportunities including the chance to experience historic great camps and views of the Adirondack High Peaks while observing boreal species such as loons, boreal chickadees and the Canada jay. The Catskills segments includes 23 locations from Forest Preserve lands and iconic state parks to a national wildlife refuge and the popular Ashokan Rail Trail. The Southern Tier segment includes 34 locations and is full of breathtaking scenery from the deep forests of Allegany State Park to the gorges and towering rock formations of Watkins Glen State Park, Rock City, and McCarty Hill State Forests. Visit the NYS Birding Trail website to see a Google Map, find other birding trail resources, and more! Keep scrolling for more on fall bird migration

DEC Announces Large Scale Pilot Study to Control Phosphorous Impacts in Honeoye Lake  Virtual Public Information Session Scheduled for Sept. 27 The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is holding a virtual public information session on Tuesday, Sept. 27, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. to update residents on a research project to control phosphorous in Honeoye Lake in the town of Richmond, Ontario County. Phosphorous is a critical nutrient but excess concentrations can result in poor water quality.. 

For more information about HABs, including bloom notifications, which are updated daily through fall, visit DEC's Harmful Algal Blooms webpage. The HABs Program Guide (PDF), which includes information and links to resources regarding bloom prevention, management, and control, can also be downloaded from the DEC website. Visit DOH's website for DOH's public health information.

https://www.dec.ny.gov/press/press.html

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation 
The Environmental Notice Bulletin (ENB) is now available at https://www.dec.ny.gov/enb/enb.html
Find Your Adventure - Visit the Completed NYS Birding Trail & Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month September 2022 (govdelivery.com)  For more information

What Can You Do About Spotted Lanternfly? Claim a Grid Square to Survey! 

Spotted lanternflies are out in full force, but luckily this year’s “Claim A Grid Square” survey effort is going strong. So far this summer, over 150 survey grid squares have been claimed by participants across the state, and over 850 spotted lanternfly not-detected reports have been submitted – great news! Learn more and join the effort at iMapInvasives website.

Spotted lanternfly (SLF) is an invasive insect that feeds on grapes, hops, maple trees, and other woody plants, posing a severe threat to NY natural resources. Visit the Department of Ag & Markets website for more info. SLF is not yet found in most of the state outside of NYC, but one potential pathway is SLF’s preferred host plant, tree-of-heaven (ToH), which is found in many locations across NY. We are seeking volunteers like you to look for SLF and ToH in your area a couple times throughout the year. You can help protect New York's agriculture and forests by knowing what to look for and how to report it to New York’s official invasive species database, iMapInvasives.

For More Information Go To:  iMapInvasives website. 

Riverton Day, Sunday, July 17, 2022

Celebrating the 50^th anniversary of one of America’s “planned communities”

The New York Museum of Transportation will commemorate the start of Riverton with a day of trolley rides, Sunday, July 17.

A half century ago, local work began on a revolutionary approach to suburban development and land use. “Riverton” was to include housing, commerce, and green space, all in a planned, self-governing community. The concept was based on the success of Reston, Virginia and was one of several proposals around the country supported by loans from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The economy of the 1970s impeded Riverton development and eventually forced it into bankruptcy, although many homes were built and today comprise a prosperous residential part of the Town of Henrietta.

The Riverton plan included antique trolley cars circulating through the town, but finding authentic cars proved difficult. However, in June 1972 Hurricane Agnes forced a Pennsylvania museum to close, and several Rochester related trolley cars became available there. Those cars were brought to our area and became the nucleus of the collection at the New York Museum of Transportation.

Growing from that small initial collection, the museum now contains trolley cars, a steam locomotive, highway and horse drawn vehicles, model railroads and the Midtown Plaza Monorail.

The museum's 2-mile round-trip trolley ride is a unique recreation of the interurban trolley era of a century ago. Rides depart at 11:30, 12:30, 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30, and no reservations are needed.

The family-friendly admission, including the trolley ride, is only $10 adults, $9 seniors age 65+, and $6 youths age 3 – 12.

The New York Museum of Transportation is open Sundays only, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is located at 6393 East River Road, just 20 minutes from downtown Rochester and easily reached from Exit 11 off I-390.

(585) 533-1113 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.      www.nymtmuseum.org

Monroe County has launched a survey on access to the Internet. Results will be used to ensure high-speed internet accessibility for all residents. “Nearly one-fifth of city households and one-third of rural households do not have access to high speed internet,” Monroe County Executive Adam Bello said in a news release. “In the year 2022, that is unacceptable."  The survey is designed to identify barriers that prevent access to affordable high-speed internet, and locations where Internet access is not available. The data collected will help the county structure a plan to rectify deficiencies.  “In return, better access to high speed broadband also will attract new businesses to our region, drive economic growth, support education and strengthen our community,” Bello said.

The survey is the result of a collaborationof the county’s Broadband Advisory Task Force and Magellan Advisors.

Paper copies of the survey are available at county libraries.  However, county leaders recommend residents complete the survey online from a laptop or desktop commuter that is connected to their home or business router. That will enable a speed test to be performed and help identify areas where high-speed connectivity is an issue.   If a smartphone is the only means of accessing the internet, officials ask that residents connect to Wi-Fi and not cellular data, and that the survey be taken during the peak internet usage period of 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The survey is on alchemer.com.

“High speed internet is important in bridging the digital divide,” said Monroe County Legislature President Sabrina LaMar, who serves on the broadband task force. “Students from the lower end of the economic spectrum, especially in the city of Rochester, are often further disadvantaged because of the lack of access to high quality internet.”

   pdf Rush Clean Up Arbor Day 2022 Report  
2022 was another great year for our community's annual clean-up event as part of our 15 Day of Spring and celebration of Arbor Day.  The report is filled with great pictures and review of the many activities. 

Monroe Community Power Program

TOWN OF RUSH
Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) Program – Updated Timeline

Date Posted: December 14, 2022

The Town of Rush is continuing to educate their community about the Monroe Community Power energy program and their planned participation in an upcoming bid to consider an electricity supply contract. This community choice aggregation (CCA) program would enable the Town of Rush to provide eligible residents and small businesses with the benefits of renewable electricity supply. 

Formed in partnership with Joule Community Power, a division of Joule Assets, Inc., Monroe Community Power is a Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) program that enables participating communities to pool local electricity demand in order to leverage the collective buying power of their residents and small businesses in an effort to secure more favorable terms on their energy supply, protect consumers, and support renewable generation sources.

Timeline Update

More municipalities are joining the upcoming bid. In spring 2023, the Town will be presented with prices and the option to select between a fixed-rate or a variable-rate offer. Market conditions, including price volatility and the need to maximize the availability of renewable electricity supply may lead to the variable-rate offer providing the best value to residents and small businesses.

If the Town selects a supplier and offering, all eligible residents and small businesses will be notified by letter in spring/summer 2023 of the details, their choices and how to opt-out. Participants can opt-out or opt back into the program at any time with no penalty by phone or online form. By participating in the program, residents and small businesses can access competitively priced electricity supply with no individual contract.

Public information sessions will be scheduled over the next two months.  These sessions will provide general information, explain the benefits of participation by our residents and small businesses, and answer your questions.

Additional information sessions will occur in 2023 if the Town signs a contract for CCA electricity supply. Information on upcoming information sessions can be found here:

www.monroecommunitypower.com/events

For more information about the Monroe Community Power program, please visit www.monroecommunitypower.com, call the helpline at (585) 244-0244 or email the program administrator, Joule, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  

Providing Today, Protecting Tomorrow
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE……………………..…December 27, 2021
TO: Media of Greater Rochester Area
CONTACT: Monroe County Soil & Water Conservation District
RE: 2022 Conservation Tree & Shrub Program
QUESTIONS: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 585-753-7380 for details
Plant Native This Spring
Monroe County Soil & Water Conservation District Launches
2022 Conservation Tree & Shrub Program
It’s time to do your part in helping local conservation! The Monroe County Soil & Water Conservation District has released their spring 2022 species list for their annual Conservation Tree & Shrub program. For 46 years, the District has hosted this successful program, with over 17,650 native and naturalized trees and shrubs being distributed to landowners last year alone!
With almost 40 different species including hardwoods, bare-root conifers, shrubs, wildflowers, and variety packs, The District is doing their part is making our communities green. Don’t miss out on getting your species – be sure to pre-order them, along with other products great for conservation projects including bat and bluebird houses, seed mixes, and more!
The District added 6 new trees and shrubs, 2 new conservation packs, 1 herbaceous flowering plant and 1 new mix to one of our best-selling conservation packs! Our new items are all showy, beautiful trees and shrubs, sure to liven up your yard and attract a variety of wildlife! All native, these species produce wildlife-attracting fruit and flowers, provide quite the fall scenery with their stunning foliage, and can be used for various home projects like furniture. Some of these new species include White Cedar (Arborvitae), Paper Birch, American Cranberry, and Red Osier Dogwood. By planting these native plants you can increase wildlife habitat, provide a windbreak, reduce erosion, reduce stormwater runoff, do your part in being climate resilient, and help create habitat for pollinators! Check out all the benefits of these and our other selections by visiting our website catalog (link included below).
The Conservation Tree & Shrub Program is a pre-order program with a deadline for ordering on March 4, 2022. We have a limited availability for plant stock so in order to ensure we can meet your needs, please order early! We offer mail-in, email, and online ordering. The distribution of the plant material will occur at the Monroe County ecopark on April 21-22, 2022 from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. We will also hold a first come, first serve overstock sale on April 23, 2022 from 9:00-11:00 a.m. where you can come in and purchase trees without having to preorder.
Please note that many of our tree species come as young, small rooted clumps – we do not sell full grown trees. Once planted the small seedlings should take to the soil and grow leaves once spring arrives. This year, three of the conifers we are offering are transplants, meaning they are stronger and more mature when you plant them!
Those interested in this program can find the order form and our full color catalog on the District’s website: www.monroecountyswcd.org. If you have any questions or you’d like a form sent to you, contact the Monroe County Soil & Water Conservation District at: (585) 753-7380, Monday – Friday from 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Monroe County Soil and Water Conservation District
145 Paul Road, Bldg. 5, Rochester, NY 14624
Phone: (585) 753-7380  Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

A copy of the Press Release:  pdf Monroe County Soil and Water Tree program News Release 2022