The Palisades Center carousel, which is leaving the mall, was one of the big bells-and-whistles attractions touted when the mall first opened in 1997. At the south side of the 3rd floor Food Court sat the carousel, and the ferris wheel was at the north end. Both can be seen at night, lights glowing, spinning around. When the mall first opened, those carnival rides, framed from windows outside, were quite a sight. Then, of course, they just became the standard view, part of the landscape, nothing special.

Nowadays, few ride it (except my daughter who always tries, but I usually say no.) So, the fact that the mall management isn’t renewing the carousel’s lease isn’t too much of  a surprise, if you think about it. But a mall official told staff writer Hema Easley that they are going to replace it with a double-decker carousel, bigger than this one, “which will be more desirable for our customers.” Um, we’ll see.

The carousel is moving out after its last day of giving rides, June 14. If you have taken a ride on the merry-go-round, holding a toddler as he grasped the golden pole, you know that it is actually a beautiful piece of craftsmanship. I spent many a day holding onto a little one, or standing on the sidelines watching a kid whiz by, waving with every turn.

In the beginning, I remember the carousel was popular even with some of those who didn’t welcome the mall (few Rocklanders did, really, though some were just resigned while others adamantly fought the developers every step of the way). Now, it, like the mall itelf, is just there — no longer a destination, maybe a convenience, or just a weekend traffic headache when trying to navigate around it as Rocklanders get on with their daily lives. I hope the carousel finds a nice home, and toddlers again can take a spin with glee, waving to Mommy with every turn.

2004 FILE PHOTOS: Top left, Eoghan McGee of Orangeburg, then 5, rides the carousel at the Palisades Center mall in West Nyack. Above right, Heaven Delgado, then 5, rides the carousel during spring break.

Rockland is a third parkland. So, is it a big surprise that our lawns and gardens are decimated by deer and our garbage cans raided by black bear?

Today, Haverstraw police are reporting the sighting of a mama bear and three baby bears around Pomona. (Story here.) And Rockland County Legislator Gerold Bierker, C-Bardonia, is proposing a county law to allow bow-hunting for deer in some of Rockland’s county parks. (Westchester is allowing  bow-hunting this fall in some of its county parks as a way to curb the burgeoning deer population.) “The goal of this thing is deer management,” he told staff writer Laura Incalcaterra.

Plenty of complexities exist with wildlife in the suburbs. Development pushes both species, and others, farther out from the safety of forested area. In the suburbs, the deer become more than garden pests — they are a danger for drivers, their proximity to people are blamed for the spread of Lyme disease and their growing numbers (in part because of dwindling natural predators) have led to damage of the forest understory, which jeopardizes other species and plant life. And bear? Well, that’s just plain scary. While Haverstraw Lt. Martin Lund told staff writer Jane Lerner that “Black bears don’t pose a threat to humans,” there are real safety issues with bear in close proximity to humans — and the smorgasboard of household trash. Check out this article from the Humane Society of the United States.

But what are the solutions? Is the best policy for bear that wander into neighborhoods to wait them out and see if they return to the parks, or tranquilize them and move them upstate, or something else? And, is deer hunting the answer for the overrun of deer?

MAY 2000 FILE PHOTO: New York State Environmental Conservation Police officers shout to chase a young male bear higher into the tree where it had spent most of the afternoon. The bear wandered through West Haverstraw before being chased up a tree on Overlook Road. They needed to chase the bear to a higher position so they could spread a net to break his fall when he was tranquilized.

I spoke with Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee, D-Suffern, this morning about Rockland’s soon-to-be permanent air monitor. Staff writer Laura Incalcaterra reported this week at after 37 years of waiting, the state Department of Conservation would be placing a permanent air monitor on county-owned land at the Orchards of Concklin. See story here.

Some have questioned whether the location will truly reflect the kind of pollution most Rocklanders deal with daily. A temporary monitor was located near the Palisades Center in West Nyack, by the Thruway, at one point, and before then at the Dr. Robert Yeager Center in Ramapo. Jaffee said she’s asked about that, but, she said, “the realities of air monitors is, they’re regional … You don’t have to be right on top of the spot to record the data.”

She pointed out that criteria for siting an air monitor include accessibility, security and cost. “The cost here is free,” Jaffee pointed out, because it’s on county land.

Jaffee said that she was originally told the air monitor would be installed in September. Now, she said, she has heard from DEC that “they will be charging it up by this weekend.”

Monitors measure ozone and fine particulate matter. Rockland’s numbers have been extrapolated from other monitors in the region, and officials say they think that Rockland’s new monitor will show similar numbers.

Time will tell, though. While Lovett, the coal-fired power generating plant in Tomkins Cove, has been torn down, and the Bowline Power Plant is used less frequently, Rockland still has significant sources of pollution, most siginficantly, the New York State Thruway that cuts through the middle. “We’ll get an idea of what’s happening here in Rockland,” Jaffee said … that’s what this is about, to find out if we have local issues.”

Both County Chairwoman Harriet Cornell, D-West Nyack, and County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef have said the monitor will help the county see if there are measurable impacts from various intitiatives by county government to reduce carbon emissions.

FILE PHOTO: From left, George Froehlich, of the Departmnent of Environmental Conservation’s Bureau of Quality Insurance, and Mark Habetter, from the department’s bureau of Air Quality Surveillance, install a temporary air quality monitor on the roof of a building at the Dr. Robert L. Yeager Health Center in Ramapo June 22, 2004. The monitor, which will measure ozone levels, is being installed as a response to questions about the air quality in Rockland County.

Want to comment in person on Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc.’s, proposed rate hike for gas delivery? Now you can, courtesy of the Rockland County Town Supervisor’s Association.

As staff writer Laura Incalcaterra explained in an article Thursday that PSC would not hold a local public input session in Rockland for the O&R hike that would cost the average ratepayer nearly $145 a year. We have an editorial today that points out that skipping personal face-to-face testimony before an administrative judge seems like an odd choice for an agency with a title that starts with “Public Service.”

Now, the Supervisor’s Association has announced it will hold a public forum on the rate hike request at 7:45 p.m. June 15 at Orangetown Town Hall. Members of the public are invited to testify and representatives of O&R are invited to answer any questions. A transcript of the testimony will be provided to O&R and PSC.

Is this the equivalent of a PSC local hearing? Nope. The administrative law judge deciding the rate case won’t be present, which is what many said was needed to help convey the emotions and opinions of those giving testimony.

And, it must be noted that Orangetown Town Supervisor Thom Kleiner, a Democrat, is running for County Executive. He’s the chair of the Town Supervisors Association, so of course, this makes sense for the organization would provide such a forum, and that the head of the group would play host. But, the political tone should be noted (and yes, all five town supervisors in Rockland are Democrats.)

So, do those two factors negate the hearing? Not in the least. It’s still the best option Rocklanders are going to get for providing local, in-person commentary on O&R’s proposed rate hike. And that has real value.

The article about a Blauvelt man who underwent a mastectomy caught plenty of attention from readers and other media. The 28-year-old man was told he had breast cancer. He then underwent a mastectomy and said he was told weeks after the surgery that he never had the disease. He is suing Nyack Hospital and three doctors, claiming negligence.

Some got stuck on the male breast cancer diagnosis. Yes, men get breast cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is about 100 times less common in men than women. That said, ACS estimates that 1,910 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in men during 2009, and this year, about 440 men will die from breast cancer.

Breast cancer in men is real. In fact, Journal News Entertainment Editor Bob Heisler wrote about his battle with the disease. He was diagnosed in 2002. Here’s a bit of his 2007 column on being a man and a breast cancer survivor:

My anger is gone, mostly. I no longer send e-mails to breast cancer fund-raising sites asking how many men they kill each year by marketing it as a ladies-only disease. …
I smile when my oncologist appointments are announced for Roberta instead of Robert A.
I look in the chemo center for men getting treatment and try to talk with them – and their families. I even look good in pink, I think.

The prognosis for men with breast cancer is quite similar to that for women—it depends on how early the cancer is diagnosed. Just like in women, men can develop various forms of breast cancer, each with different predicted outcomes.

Well, now, this makes sense. State Sen. Thomas Morahan, R-New City, sent out a press release saying that Hudson Valley state senators are proposing a regional taskforce to examine MTA services in the Hudson Valley counties of Dutchess, Orange, Putnam and Rockland. Here’s the goal:

The task force will focus on how the MTA can contribute to the economic vitality of the region and what key, specific improvements should be made by the MTA to serve the Hudson Valley.

The big issue is the 34-cent-per-$100-payroll “mobility tax” that’s been imposed on all businesses (including nonprofits) in the 12-county MTA service area. Rockland officials are talking about pulling out of the MTA because the agency gives about $40 million less in service to Rockland than it gets in financial support from the county. (My own musings on Rockland — and the other “quarter pounder” counties that share one full vove on the MTA — are outlined in this May 11 post.)

Well, the idea of a task force to examine what, exactly, MTA offers the northern suburbs, and what the region really needs from MTA, is certainly a worthwhile pursuit. Of course, it should be bipartisan and balanced with representation among regions, business, government, commuters, etc.

Speaking of transporation issues, today, I hosted an Editorial Spotlight on a plan being championed by Federated Conservationists of Westchester County to bring a Bus Rapid Transit system across the Interstate 287 corridor in Rockland and Westchester now, using existing transportation systems and infrastructure. That’s another way of looking at regional transportation issues, and like this task force, a valuable one. See the discussion by going to www.lohud.com/editorialspotlight and clicking “On Demand” then choosing “Editorial Board on Transportation.”

Today,  the Editorial Page carries an appreciation of Bob Gabrielson Sr., who died Monday at age 79.

Late yesterday, I talked with Alex Matthiessen, Hudson River Riverkeeper and president of Riverkeeper. Gabrielson was part of Riverkeeper from the get-go, and was on the Board of Directors.

Mattiessen noted that Gabrielson, a man who almost singlehandedly carried on the tradition of commercial fishing in the Lower Hudson Valley, was an example of the cost of environmental damage that’s been hurting the Hudson for decades. A Riverkeeper study showed declining numbers in 10 out of 13 signature species in the Hudson, including the shad. That fallout “forced the guys out of business,” he said of the commercial fishermen who used to make a living plying the Hudson. “Bob was no exception.”

At left, here’s a photo that tells of that tradition:The 1999 file photo from Journal News staff photographer Vincent DiSalvio shows  three generations of Gabrielsons — from left, Bob Gabrielson Sr., 17 year-old Eric Gabrielson and Bob Gabrielson Jr. — fishing the Hudson River for Blue Claw crabs.

Matthiessen also said about Gabrielson:

Bob was one of a kind. He was, truth be told, last of a dying breed. … He’s a hero of the Hudson. … we’ll miss him greatly.

Where should scientists studying such things as the impact of global warming work? In an environmentally friendly building, of course.

Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory’s Gary C. Comer Geochemistry Building fits that description. It’s just won three top architecture awards:

• The 2009 Lab of the Year prize, co-sponsored by R&D magazine and the Scientific Equipment and Furniture Association


• A 2009 Sustainable Design award, co-sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Boston Society of Architects


• An Excellence in Architecture in a New Building Award, from the American Institute of Architects and the Society for College and University Planning

That’s lots of attention. The Comber Building on LDEO’s beautiful Palisades campus overlooking the Hudson River houses more than 80 staff. Scientists in the geochemistry division “study the movements and interactions of substances in air, oceans, groundwater, biological remains, sediments and rocks,” according to a press release from Columbia University Earth Institute.

It’s a very nice-looking building, on a campus that shows why the hamlet it’s located in is called “Palisades” — perched atop riverside cliffs offering long, sweeping views of the Hudson. Go see it yourself in the fall when LDEO holds its annual open house. Learn about everything from earthquakes to climate change.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO: Gary C. Comer Geochemistry Building at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory campus in Palisades.

Today, staff writer Khurram Saeed takes a closer look at Rockland lawmakers’ threat (again) to drop out of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. (See story here.) In the past, Rockland has made noise about pulling out of the MTA and seen a boost in service for their saber-rattling.

Why does Rockland want out? The county’s leaders have long felt “dissed” by the MTA. Rockland, Orange, Dutchess and Putnam are known as “quarter pounders,” because collectively they have one vote on the 12-county/17-member board. And, Rockland puts in way more money than it gets back in services from MTA the agency’s 2005 figures show that the  county contributes $40 million more (in taxes and fees) than it gets in services from the agency. The big insult, though, is MTA’s added a 34-cent-per-$100 payroll tax on all businesses in the MTA service area. That’s the impetus for the current threats by Rockland to abandon the MTA.

If the so-called “mobility tax” is fueling the latest talk of pullout out of the MTA, then any talk to get Rockland to stay should focus on fixing that.

Since Rockland only gets a quarter of a vote, how about Rockland and the other quarter-pounder counties have their mobility tax lowered to (drumroll) a quarter? Yes, 25 cents per $100 of payroll, not even a quarter of the 34 cents the rest of the region pays. Under earlier proposals for the mobility tax, Dutchess, Putnam and Orange county employers would have paid 25 cents per $100, so there’s an actual historical basis for this.

Other “gives” by MTA that Rockland officials have floated include MTA returning its portion of sales and mortgage taxes to the county. But, doesn’t it make more sense to give employers the break? Helping them helps the county become a more attractive environment for business growth. Those businesses attract residents, who buy homes and buy stuff, boosting the county coffers.

The quarter pounders have to share a vote, and don’t get the level of service that the five boroughs, Westchester and Long Island see from MTA, officials have said (though Rockland and Orange counties are the only two that suffer the “value gap” of contributing more than the counties get in services.) Examining the mobility tax in relation to the voting power of the county, rather than the service level (which fluctuates) makes sense.

Last night, very worthy artists, and their supporters, were saluted at the 23rd annual County Executive Arts Awards ceremony.

I want to add a shout-out to the organization that won the Supporter of the Arts category, Friends of the Nyacks. They were lauded for their work with Riverspace and Rivertown Films, among other great events and programs the help foster.

But I wanted to especially point out the Mostly Music concerts that take place in Memorial Park along Nyack’s Hudson shoreline. They start up in June, and take place on summer Tuesday evenings. It’s a great way to share a picnic with neighbors (you bump into people from around the county) and listen to all kinds of music (bring the kids and they will be serenaded as they play in the playground!) Talk about a great staycation: Free concert in a lovely setting.

What a talented bunch of winners this year! (And, yes, “Titanic” on the Nyack High School stage was chilling, and “Phantom of the Opera” was stunning.)

July 2007 file photo: Melanie Rock and Greg Talenfeld of Nyack watch their daughter, Lula, 4, dance as Steven Bernstein & Orchestra performs during the Mostly Music concert series at Memorial Park in Nyack.