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Originally airing Thursday, April 5, 2018.

WRFA’s Jason Sample talks with James Colby (GreenUp Jamestown) and Marion Beckerink (Robert H. Jackson Center) about GreenUp Jamestown 2018, including the upcoming panel discussion: “Valuing Water: A New Deal for the Environment,” scheduled for Wednesday, April 18, 2018 at 6:00 p.m. at the Robert H. Jackson Center in Jamestown.

This program ,which is free and open to the public, is part of a GreenUp Jamestown series which seeks to “collaborate and cooperate with regional organizations that support conservation and sustainability.”

In keeping with its mission, the Jackson Center will examine and share Justice Jackson’s lifelong bond with the environmental beauty of the region of the country. Growing up in Spring Creek, Pennsylvania and Western New York, Jackson appreciated from an early age the community’s responsibility to preserve the natural wonders that allowed him to fish, swim, sail, and camp in the area throughout his life.

A 6:00 p.m. reception will be followed by the formal program at 7:00 p.m. Moderator Julia Craighill is a Jackson Center board member and an environmental architect. Craighill will reflect on the involvement of her grandfather, Robert H. Jackson, as the attorney in a local environmental case in 1923 which eventually led to Jamestown’s decision to develop and execute a sewage treatment plan. She owns Ensight Consulting, which helps rejuvenate buildings and businesses with green programs and certifications.

The program will proceed with presentations by Dr. Michael Shelly of the University at Buffalo’s RENEW Institute, UB School of Law Professor Kim Diana Connolly, and Save The River Executive Director and Upper St. Lawrence Riverkeeper Lee Willbanks. Shelly is an environmental economist with over 25 years of experience. He will discuss how economists actually determine the value of water based on use, production, waste, and recreational use, among other considerations. Dr. Shelly values the environmental benefits associated with both natural and engineered systems, and has also valued the health impacts of pollution. He has analyzed a wide variety of projects on five continents. The RENEW Institute is a university-wide, interdisciplinary research institute that focuses on complex environmental issues, as well as the social and economic issues with which they are connected.

Professor Connolly will address the history of the Clean Water Act, issues related to environmental case law, and how policy is shaped by those decisions. She is the University at Buffalo School of Law’s Director of Clinical Legal Education, Director of the Advocacy Institute and Vice Dean for Advocacy and Experiential Education. Connolly also studies, writes, and speaks about environmental and animal law policies, creatively examining and sharing ideas as to how to move toward a sustainable future.

Lee Willbanks will discuss his work as a fresh water advocate and the value of water to First Nations people, among others. He has a law degree from Syracuse University College of Law and a Master of Public Administration from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. Mr. Willbanks’s diverse career has spanned from being environmental counsel for an independent power producer to serving as chief of staff to a New York State senator. Save The River is a not-for-profit, member-based environmental organization with the mission to preserve, protect and restore the St. Lawrence River, one of North America’s most important rivers. The program will conclude with an opportunity for questions and answers.
This program is made possible by Jackson Center annual fund donors and the following funds held at Chautauqua Region Community Foundation: Robert S. & Je’ Anne Barger Fund and William E. & Nancy R. Jackson Fund.

The GreenUp Jamestown initiative is being coordinated by a group of community members and local environmental activists, including James Colby and Becky Nystrom, who want to help make residents in Jamestown more environmentally conscious.

Colby said they’re hoping the events will help bring awareness and insight to both national and local issues.

“That’s one of the purposes of GreenUp Jamestown – to draw attention to local and regional issues,” Colby said. “For example, with Chautauqua Lake we are having issues that are critical. The Great Lakes are being challenged more than they have been. And also because of all the things that are going on with global warming right now. Bot to give individuals insight, which is important, but if people are not aware of what’s going on, they need to be.”

• RELATED: JAMES COLBY AND BECKY NYSTROM DISCUSS GREENUP JAMESTOWN ON COMMUNITY MATTERS

The first event in the Green Up Jamestown series will take place Wednesday night, Feb. 28 at St. Luke’s Church in downtown Jamestown with a presentation by Nystrom, who is not only an environmentalist, but also a Jamestown Community College biology professor.

She’ll deliver a presentation entitled “Earth Stewardship/Creation Care: Seeking Nature’s Truths through Science, Philosophy and Faith.”

“What I’m hoping to do is try to weave the story of live and all the gifts on this planet together – the beauty, the mystery, and the miracle across time and space – weave it all together and try to help answer the question, ‘How do we know the story? How do we know the story of life?'” Nystrom explained during a recent interview on WRFA. “So we’ll be looking at different faith stories, the scientific side, environmental ethics, indigenous wisdom, and recognize that all of those avenues are ways to discover some of these truths.”

Nystrom’s program will take place in the newly remodeled undercroft at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church at 7 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

Meanwhile the next scheduled program will be next Wednesday, March 7 at St. Luke’s, with Colby delivering a presentation entitled “Visionary Earth Stewards and Environmental Triumphs: Now, What Can We Do in Our Homes, Communities and Planet?”

That event is also free and open to the public.

To learn more about the Green-Up Jamestown initiative and to get details on all upcoming events, visit GreenUpJamestown.com.

EARTH DAY AT THE AUDUBON

Audubon Community Nature Center invites you to celebrate Earth Day by giving back.

You can join the fun on Saturday when staff and volunteers will be working hard to make Audubon’s buildings and grounds more beautiful and friendly for visitors and the wildlife residents.

After registering that morning, you choose a crew to work with on a specific project. Projects include pulling non-native plants, planting native seeds and shrubs, sprucing up the gardens, picking up trash as part of Roadside Cleanup, and more.

This program is one of several Audubon programs offered in collaboration with the GreenUp Jamestown Initiative. For more information.

ST. LUKE’S HOST EVENING EVENT

As part of Earth Day celebration locally, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Jamestown is hosting an exhibit opening entitled E.O. Wilson’s Biophilia Hypothesis: Loving Bats and Birds and Leaves. Sandra Rothenberg and Marilyn Martin are the featured photographers.

St. Luke’s Earth Day Celebration begins at 6 p.m. The Reverend Luke Fodor will offer a few inspirational Earth Day thoughts; this brief introduction will be followed by an “optional” ten minutes of meditation, reflection, or prayers for Earth Healing. The program includes music by Bill Ward and Percussion Group Cincinnati, sponsored by the Jamestown Concert Association.

Visit greenupjamestown.com (posters) for complete information and concert prices.

SHRED CENTER OFFERS FREE SHREDDING

The Shred Center will again be offering free shredding services on Earth Day. In lieu of a charge for shredding, customers will be asked to make a cash or check contribution to directly benefit Chautauqua Hospice and Palliative Care.

The Shred Center is located at  1943 New York Ave, Falconer. The facility will offer its secure shredding service to businesses and individuals on Friday, April 22^nd between the hours of 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The Robert H. Jackson Center (image from www.jamestownupclose.com)

JAMESTOWN – The Robert H. Jackson Center will host a panel discussion titled “How Vital is Corporate Environmental Responsibility?” on Wednesday, April 19.

A 6 p.m. reception will be followed by a formal program at 7 p.m. in the Jackson Center’s Cappa Theatre. Justice Jackson’s granddaughter, Julia Craighill, will open the program. She will then introduce a panel of three experts to explore business opportunities and risks inherent in environmental sustainability.

The panel includes:

• Laurie Counsel, Environmental Relations Director at Cummins International;
• Allison Robinson, Director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Environmental Initiatives;
• Matthew L. Wolford who formerly served as Regional Counsel and as Assistant Counsel for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Northwest Region;

The program is part of a “GreenUp Jamestown” series which seeks to “collaborate and cooperate with regional organizations that support conservation and sustainability.”

The program is free, though donations to the Jackson Center are welcome.

Dr. Sherri “Sam” Mason (left) and Rachel Carson

JAMESTOWN – St. Luke’s Episcopal Church and the James Prendergast Library, coordinators of the Greenup Jamestown initiative, will present Dr. Sherri “Sam” Mason, Professor of Chemistry, and Chair, Department of Geology and Environmental Sciences at Fredonia State University of New York, on Wednesday, March 8, 7 p.m. in the library’s Community Room.

• RELATED: Listen to our GreenUp Jamestown Interview

Mason’s slide lecture, “Silent Springs Eternal: A Perspective on the Life and Legacy of Rachel Carson,” will reveal Carson’s lifetime achievements as a writer, naturalist, scientist, US Fish and Wildlife Service editor-in-chief, and author. Her book, “Silent Spring” merges Carson’s poetic and scientific writing as a means to change public policy to heal Earth. “Silent Spring” has been recognized as one of the most significant nature books of all time.

A noted environmentalist herself, Dr. Mason is helping to transform public policy to heal the Great Lakes ecosystem—the largest fresh water source on the planet.

“Micro-plastics can affect fish, birds, and other wildlife if ingested, causing internal blockage, dehydration, and death in these species,” said Dr. Mason.

Fredonia State professor and researcher Dr. Sherri Mason speaking to the County Legislature in September 2015, prior to its vote on a local law banning the sale of products containing microbeads.

Dr. Mason’s team’s research spearheaded new legislation in Erie, Chautauqua County, and New York State, and contributed to Congress’s Microbead-Free Waters Act. Visit TEDx “Beads of Destruction” to hear Mason’s story.

Dr. Mason’s talk also kicks off the Prendergast Library’s county-wide Eco Read, featuring Rachel Carson’s first book, “Under the Sea-Wind (first subtitled “A Naturalist’s Picture of Ocean Life”).

The presentation provides an opportunity for grandparents, parents, and children to understand how science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) play a crucial role in understanding the nature of Nature. Critical thinking and imagining, and scientific methods are essential tools for separating truth and reality from logical fallacies and fishy facts. High school and middle school students interested in biology and environmental studies are especially welcomed and encouraged to attend this presentation and to participate in the EcoRead.

Wednesday’s event is free and open to the public. The first 50 attendees will receive a free copy of The first 50 folks to show up to the lecture get a free copy of  “Under the Sea Wind” thanks to a generous grant from the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation. 

About GreenUp Jamestown: Greenup Jamestown is a collaborative partnership of several local organizations that is intended to unite community members who support conservation and sustainability, and who advocate clean renewable energies, economies, and jobs. The group has worked to organize a series of excellent programs to optimize teaching and learning experiences and encourage citizens to make green pledges at home, school, and work. The talks, workshops, and interactive events will be held throughout the spring at a variety of locations, culminating with an “Art Happening Event” hosted by St. Luke’s and the Jamestown Concert Association and featuring the Percussion Group of Cincinnati, on Earth Day, April 22, 2017.

For more information about Greenup Jamestown, including a list of upcoming events, visit https://www.greenupjamestown.com/ or call St. Luke’s at 716-483-6405.