May - Town of Danby, NY

Fracking Authors Speak
Submitted by Kathy Halton
Two authors of recently published books dealing with
gas drilling came to Cornell University during April,
and talked about their books and their experiences with
gas drilliing.
Tom Wilbur, the first speaker, writes for the Binghamton
Press and Sun Bulletin, and has been writing about gas
drilling for several years. His book is called Under the
Surface. He was not a very good speaker, but the message
he wanted to get across to the audience was a very important
one. Our experience with the natural gas industry
here has had one important result: to make us all
much more aware of the costs and risks of energy
extraction, and to force us to consider the whole
process of drilling for gas and its possible impact
on local communities.
Up until now, drilling has occurred in distant
places where we could ignore the costs and benefits
of it. Now it’s in our backyards, and we are
much more engaged. More importantly, we are thinking
more about the larger energy questions of our day.
is is a good thing, Wilbur argued. I have not read his
book yet, but plan to soon. A copy of it will soon be in
Danby Community Library for anyone else to read.
Seamus McGraw was more entertaining as a speaker and
his book, End of Country, is also quite easy to read. His
mother lives near Dimock, PA, and has leased her farmland
to the gas industry. He described the various people
who have become active in working on the gas drilling
impacts in that area, and has written very well on the industrialization
of this hardscrabble farming community.
McGraw’s book has a good section on the development
of natural gas in this country. He tries to be impartial
about whether it is a good thing or not, but does not
hesitate to describe the mistakes made and damage done
to the land in and around Dimmock. He draws a good
picture of the background of the residents of this area,
and the financial stresses that these farmers are facing
due to the decline of small farming in the Northeast.
e book’s narrative ends around 2009/10, so there are
recent events that occurred that we don’t hear about. is
book will also be in the Danby Community Library.
Anyone who is interested in reading about this topic,
and is tired of the stridency of some of the discourse in
the last few years will appreciate these two authors, who
are attempting to present a more neutral approach to
the question.
Dotson Park News
Submitted by Julie Clougherty
May 2013• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
By the time you read this, the newest addition to the
park will be finished: a kiosk for maps and information.
e kiosk was funded by a Sustainable Tompkins
Neighborhood mini-grant and built by volunteers,
many of them students from Ithaca College’s Service
Saturday program. e April 20 work party utilized
locally-harvested locust that was donated and milled by
longtime Danby residents! Come check it out, and take
a walk or play some disc golf while you’re there.
Anyone
who is…tired
of the stridency
of some of the
discourse…will
appreciate these
two authors
We’re looking for a working, but not fancy,
push lawnmower to keep the trails weedfree
this summer. If you have an unused
mower sitting around, taking up space
in your garage or barn, please consider
donating it to the park—it’s tax-deductible!
We need board members! We’re currently
running on a skeleton crew of just three
directors. Board elections will be held during
our annual meeting on June 15. Terms are three years
and require attendance at monthly meetings. ose
who utilize the park are especially welcome. We’re all
busy, but please consider making a commitment to
our community park by serving a term on the board.
Contact me for more information at 607.272.7189 or
[dotsonpark@gmail.com].
All Danby residents, 18
and older, are voting
members of the Danby
Community Park Association.
Come to our Annual
Meeting on Saturday, June
15 to be part of the action.
New Board member elections
will be held, as well as a report of the past year’s
activities. Next month’s issue of the Danby Area News
will have more details.
Many thanks to the volunteers who came out on April
20 to help with the kiosk and other park work. And
many thanks to those of you who have pitched in money
to help pay our insurance bills for the year so that we
can keep the park open and growing! We are an all-volunteer
organization and rely on grants and donations,
as we are not a municipal park and receive no funding
from the Town of Danby. Please contact us about making
a donation or volunteering!
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