Extraordinary estuary

Mapping the Hudson Estuary's submerged lands, JW Ladd et al.

PCBs in the Hudson River: Role of sediments, EA Garvey et al.

Hudson River restoration: Role of natural resources trustees, TM Brosnan et al.

Ecosystem indicators for Lake Ontario, F Luckey et al.

Effect of lower chlorine dosage at Buffalo WWTP, KN Irvine et al.

Livestock waste management and lake rehabilitation, CB Lind

President's message

Executive director's message

Plant profiles
   Southtowns STP
   Big Sisters STP
   Lacawana STP
   Holland TP

People and places

Spring 2002 — Vol. 32, No. 1

I would like to thank the Membership and its elected leaders, the Board of Directors, for this opportunity to serve as the Association's President for the coming year. I would like to express my gratitude to the past presidents with which I have served on the Board, Fotios Papamichael, Bob Butterworth, Ron Delo, Adam Zabinski and Dave Ellis. Their leadership has enabled our Association to make important strides including initiating our scholarship program, partnering with other organizations, monitoring and influencing proposed legislation and augmenting our communications efficiency with e-commerce. I would like to extend a particular note of gratitude to Patricia Cerro-Reehil, our Executive Director, her predecessor Bob Hennigan and to Maggie Hoose and Maureen Kozol, the office staff who do such a capable job. I would like to thank the Long Island Chapter, my home chapter, which enabled me to grow in this organization and to be a part of many worthwhile challenges. I would also like to thank my Company staff, in particular my partner Joe Amato, without whose efforts my time commitment to this organization would not be possible.

And lastly, but most importantly, I would like to thank my wife Loretta and my children, Andrew and Christine for their constant support and encouragement and belief in my commitment to making this world a better place.

The world today, however, is a different place. The events of September 11th made sure of that; September 11th, the day the unimaginable became a horrifying reality. And to think that 24 years ago at this meeting, we celebrated the Association's 50th Anniversary at Windows on the World atop the World Trade Center. It's still difficult for many of us to accept what transpired.

Like it or not, the world and our country are as they are, not as we wish they were. We must deal with a changed landscape and move forward. Issues of personal safety and security have now not only moved to the forefront of individual's priorities, they have dwarfed the relative importance of many other issues, ones that prior to September 11th were atop the lists of many Americans.

This shift in priorities will naturally affect the allocation of resources including funding both from a public and private perspective. The public sector which has the greater responsibility for safety and security of the general public, will have its funding protocol impacted to a much greater degree. Whether it be focusing on the airline, rail or shipping industries or in protecting bridges, tunnels, terminals, stadia, public buildings or meeting venues or in securing the mail and postal service, the task at hand is a monumental one. This effort will certainly require billions of dollars of capital, money which was previously allocated and expended in other segments of our society. While the major source of this funding may be the federal government, state and local budgets will also be significantly impacted, albeit, to a somewhat lesser degree. The "no action" alternative is not a viable alternative. To consider that scenario, one need only look at the financial impact of the events of September 11th, with billions of dollars being lost at each of the federal, state and local levels.

This reallocation of priorities and restructuring of the funding matrix presents challenges to our industry and those of us professionals committed to its success. We will now be challenged as never before to compete for funding necessary to preserve and enhance the environment we have worked so hard to protect. We must ensure our water supply and pollution control facilities are properly protected and securitized so that public health and environmental disasters do not occur under our stewardship. We must strive to attract young professionals to our cause so that we continue to provide the foundation for future growth in science and technology necessary to produce a healthy and biodiverse ecosystem.

Our Association, the largest and premier organization of environmental professionals in the State of New York, and the Water Environment Federation, our global parent, face major challenges in the years ahead. Many of these challenges existed whether the events of September 11th had occurred or not. Those events only increased the challenges. The challenges at hand include:

A reduction in membership. In 1996, five years ago, we had over 2800 members; today we have approximately 2100, a drop of 25%.
An aging membership. The average age of a member today is approaching 50 years of age, while in the 1970s, it was the early 40s.
Reduced numbers of college graduates entering the field. In addition to the drop in graduates, many of the engineering and science graduates are being recognized for their analytical skills and recruited and hired by financial and management companies, which are able to offer higher salary and benefit packages.
Competition amongst other organizations. The numbers of professional and environmental societies and organizations have multiplied in the past three decades, thus affording individuals a much greater choice for involvement and for many a dilution of time available for any one particular organization.
Reduced funding of environmental projects. In the 1970s, when federal and state construction grants funding was in full swing, multi-billions of dollars were expended annually on water pollution control projects, far in excess of today's allocations. Operations and Maintenance Costs were actually even subsidized in New York State, as many of us recall.
Post September 11th, there has been a general change in philosophy for much of our population. The apparent "no guarantee of tomorrows" attitude with many may result in a reduced commitment of time to work or professional activities with greater emphasis on family and personal time. That change in attitude may subside over time depending upon future events or may actually grow. It is a challenge all organizations may have to face.

Recognizing the challenges at hand, I believe it is critical that we as an organization initiate action to deal with these issues. In that regard, I am proposing the following initiatives:

1. That each chapter establish both young
professionals and student chapter committees. The young professionals committee should target the 35 and under category with attention directed also toward young female professionals. The student chapter committee should actively pursue those institutions of higher learning located in the particular chapter which have programs dealing with engineering, the sciences, environmental management or related fields of study. I fully expect that with our focus this year, we will more than double the number of student chapters in the State.
2. That each chapter designate a public relations
liaison to assist the Office of the Executive Director in disseminating information regarding Association activities and programs to the general public. That individual should stay in close contact with the State's Public Education Committee, which has undergone a rebirth under the leadership of its chairman, Bob Adamski.
3. That the membership of this organization take
ownership of our Association's Scholarship Program. While a number of companies and individuals have committed to the program, the number of participants and the level of participation by various entities is, to be candid, disappointing. I am issuing a challenge to the membership that this year, we will increase our present financial commitment to the scholarship program by over 50%, thus enabling us to surpass our initial goal of $300,000. To achieve this objective, I am calling on the management of this organization to achieve 100% participation by the members of our respective boards and committees. This includes the State Board of Directors, the State Committees including the Past Presidents Committee, the Chapter Boards of Directors and Chapter Committees. We will succeed because we will lead by example.
 
I am also calling on the various major corporations, consultants, vendors, manufacturers reps, contractors, etc. to make a firm commitment to this program. For those who have made a token or modest offer, I ask you to reconsider your level of commitment.
 
To enable some of the major players in our industry and organization to demonstrate their leadership and commitment to the program, I am establishing two new leadership categories, the ($50,000 category and ( $100,000 category. These pledges can be achieved through respective $10,000 and $20,000 annual donations over a 5-year period.
 
All I ask is that we all do whatever we are able to do, nothing more - nothing less.
4. I will introduce to the Board of Directors at our
next meeting a motion to appoint an ad-hoc committee chaired by our President-Elect, Kirk Rowland, to develop criteria for State Association Committee members to be nominated to the State Board of Directors. Upon completion of that committee's report, I plan to introduce a resolution later this year which addresses the report recommendations and institutes the necessary changes to insure that the structure and makeup of the Board more accurately reflect the activities of the Association and the contributions of its various members. This action will not only strengthen the Board of Directors, it will provide a stronger liaison with the State Committees and provide an opportunity for advancement through demonstrated performance on the State Committee level.

By achieving these four objectives, I believe our organization will begin to prepare itself for significant long-term viability by more fully introducing our organization to college students, young professionals and the general public and by strengthening our commitment to serving the needs and interests of our membership; but it cannot happen without the commitment of each and every one of us.

Once again I thank you for this opportunity to serve as your President for this coming year. I commit to you to use my talents and resources to help to make this organization as vital and relevant as I possibly can. I ask your help.

God bless all of you and your loved ones. Thank you.
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This is John Cameron's acceptance speech, upon taking the office of NYWEA president, given at NYWEA's 74th Annual Meeting, February 6, 2002.