www.tompkinsweekly.com Locally Owned & Operated Your source for local news & events Volume 9, No. 4 • November 17-23, 2014 FREE ALSO IN THIS ISSUE… Seneca Lake Protesters Arrested By Lori Sonken in the Crestwood salt cav- us are particularly brave. scholar in residence at erns is incompatible with It’s just that we are more Ithaca College, Steingraber Nine activists participating the rapid growth of our scared of ‘storage cavern and six others were arrest- in a civil disobedience wine and tourism indus- collapse’ than we are hand- ed for trespass and disor- blockade on Oct. 29 at the tries,” Lou Damiani, co- cuffs circling our wrists. We derly conduct for reported- gates of a natural gas stor- owner of Damiani Wine are more terrified by ‘leaks, ly attempting to block a age project on the shores of Cellars in Burdett, said. He migrations or losses of nat- truck’s entrance into the Seneca Lake are scheduled spoke at the rally attended ural gas’ than we are a ride north gate at the storage to return to the Town of by about 150 people outside in a squad car. We are more facility. Also cited were Admiral pays tribute to Reading court, outside the Reading courtroom alarmed by ‘environmental Colleen Boland, retired Cornell’s ties to the mili- Watkins Glen, this Wednes- prior to the activists’ Nov. 5 pollution, including drink- master sergeant in the U.S. tary........................................page 2 day, Nov. 19. Another pro- court appearance. ing water contamination,’ Air Force, of Elmira; tester, also arrested on Oct. Opponents also question than we are breakfast in Patricia Heckart of 29, is in jail. the geological stability of jail,” Sandra Steingraber Trumansburg; Jeanne Organized by the environ- the salt caverns. “None of said at the rally. Judson of Burdett, and her mental group We Are us are fearless, and none of A biologist, author and son, Patrick Judson; Nancy Seneca Lake, the ongoing Casper of North Rose; and blockade began Oct. 23 to Monastery Masterpiece Roland Micklem of Geneva. raise awareness of the po- Three demonstrators at tential environmental risks the south entrance of the associated with plans by natural gas storage site are Arlington Storage Comp- accused of trespass only. any to convert a plant for- They are Cornell professor merly used to store liquified Charles Geisler of Ithaca; Merchants plan holiday petroleum gas to a natural Katherine Rossiter of scavenger hunt............page 3 gas storage facility and Sayre, Pa.; and A. Dwain expand its capacity in salt Wilder of Rochester. caverns on the west side of “In my view, a large-scale Seneca Lake. trespass is going unnoticed, Arlington is a subsidiary and small-scale trespass is of the Texas-based corpora- going to court. Corporate tion Crestwood Equity ris personhood appears to stop Partners. The Federal Ener- when corporations trespass gy Regulatory Commission their duty to fully divulge (FERC) approved the proj- the risks pertinent to their ect earlier this fall. operations,” said Geisler in Scientists and others con- an email. “Buddies” learn together tend that storing pressur- All 10 individuals partic- with KDT ........................page 4 ized natural gas in the cav- ipate in a civil disobedience erns could force brine into Photo bycampaign Kathy Mor to stop the proj- the lake and pollute the Visitors to Du Khor Choe Ling, the new Tibetan Buddhist monastery off ect. They appeared in court drinking water source for Route 96B in the Town of Ithaca, listened to Mary Humphrey, left, without counsel for their Letters, opinion ..........page 6 an estimated 100,000 people. describe the iconography of the recently-completed sand mandala on individual arraignment There also are concerns display in the meditation hall. Humphrey is on the board of directors hearings before Town about the potential for of the Namgyal Institute of Buddhist Studies, and was on hand for the Justice Raymond Berry on explosions and fire at the public meditation and tour of the new facility during an open house Nov. 5. The defendants site. event on Nov. 7. The buildings took five years to complete and houses declined the judge’s offer to “Dangerous gas storage the monks, a library, shrine and community room. Please turn to page 10 Plan Touts Agriculinary Tourism By Clara MacCarald making up a word,” explained Tom tion came the brainstorming session A call to curb violence Knipe, senior planner and tourism with participants broken up into 12 Tourists visiting Tompkins County coordinator for Tompkins County.The groups, each of which had one facili- ..........page 8 against women spend more money on food and bever- term is meant to cover the farm-to- tator. People were asked to generate ages than on any other category, table spread of the local food industry, specific actions the committee could including lodging. which includes farms, U-picks, cheese pursue to strengthen agriculinary Kristy Mitchell, an integrated mar- makers, bakeries, breweries, cideries, tourism. keting manager at the Ithaca/ wineries, restaurants and everything Individuals were chosen by each Tompkins County Convention & Vis- in between. group to share the two to three most itors Bureau, offered this information Hugs and handshakes were ex- appealing ideas from that group. to those attending last week’s launch changed as friends, old and new, met Many suggestions included maps and of the Tompkins County Agriculinary during the launch event held Nov. 10 apps that help consumers find farms Tourism Implementation Plan. in the Space at Greenstar. More and other producers, as well as their The Tompkins County Strategic than100 people came to help the products. These and other suggestions Tourism Planning Board, which over- Agriculinary Tourism Task Force of envisioned journeys that tourists Inner spirituality discov- sees the use of county hotel-room the Strategic Tourism Planning Board could take, mediated by people or ered in outer space page 9 occupancy tax dollars, has identified strategize about local agriculinary technology. Other ideas included agricultural and culinary tourism as tourism. telling a story about local food her- a key focus area for local tourism “Why have a meeting when you can itage, or about local food producers, to development, she noted. have a party?” said Rita Rosenberg, an give visitors a richer experience. “The potential is exponential for agricultural representative on the Many more ideas were written food and agricultural tourism,” Strategic Planning Board, to the down at each table than were shared Mitchell said, and people outside the crowd after 45 minutes of mingling with the whole group. Knipe said the region are paying attention. She cited over local food and beverages from materials would be recorded by the recent accolades, such as Wine over a dozen sponsors. committee and added to the planning Enthusiast Magazine declaring New Invitees included local farmers, process. Ethan Ash, a board member York the 2014 Wine Region of the Year, chefs, restaurateurs, lodging part- of the Tompkins County Strategic and a recent New York Times article ners, wine and craft beverage makers, Tourism Planning Board, said that about Finger Lakes Cider Week. tourism entrepreneurs, tastemakers the board would prioritize the com- Mitchell noted assets such as the and community decision makers. ments over the coming weeks before Ithaca Farmer’s Market and the The aim of the discussion was not soliciting more feedback. Cayuga Lake Wine Trail. just to talk to attendees but also to Peter Messmer, a cheese maker at “When we say agriculinary, we are elicit their ideas. After the presenta- Please turn to page 10 Admiral Notes Cornell’s Ties to Military By Sue Smith-Heavenrich activists Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton for their Michelle Howard, the U.S. Navy’s unwavering work toward equal first female four-star admiral, rights. thanked military veterans for their They didn’t serve in the military, perseverance and selflessness dur- Howard said, but they understood ing Cornell University’s Veterans the meaning of duty and service. Day celebration on Nov. 11. Howard “In advancing their claim that the graduated from the Naval Academy Declaration of Independence was a in 1982 and was the first black document that spoke for women as woman to command a ship, the USS well as for men, they drove change Rushmore, in 1999. to our Constitution,” she says. She moved up the ranks and in “They are heroes of American his- 2009 was appointed commander of tory whose perseverance in the a counterpiracy task force. Just social battles of their day have con- days after taking command, Somali tributed to our understanding of pirates hijacked the container ship freedom.” Maersk Alabama. Admiral Howard Howard then recounted military coordinated the rescue of the ship’s contributions from Cornell alumni. captain, Richard Phillips. On July 1 Dawn Seymour, who graduated in she assumed the role of Vice Chief 1939, loved to fly.She got her private of Naval Operations. pilot’s license, and in 1943, when Howard is familiar with fielding she heard about Jackie Cochran questions about Navy life, but the and the WASP program (Women most interesting questions come Airforce Service Pilots) she left her when she visits schools. “They’ll by Sue Heavenrich job to join. Seymour knew she ask why all our ships are painted could use her love of flying to serve, gray,” she says. But one day a child said Howard. She was trained to fly Photo asked, “How can you serve? You’re Admiral Michelle Howard thanks a veteran for his service at Cornell University’s Veterans the B-17, and in her book she so …” As he fumbled for the right Day celebration. remembered such adventures as word, Howard worried that he doing figure-eights when one of the would question her gender or her could command a ship.