Morning, folks.\u00a0 I’m checking in from New Orleans, where I’m just arriving for a weekend journalism conference.\u00a0 But no Big Easy day for the In Box.\u00a0 Here’s the latest weekend opinion.<\/p>\n
The Glens Falls Post Star responds<\/a> to environmentalist concerns that towns and private citizens might be cutting too many corners when it comes to dredging streams and rivers.<\/p>\n Their solution?\u00a0 Extend the emergency declaration — the period when no permits are required — for another month.<\/p>\n An extension would allow crews to slow down a bit and to make sure the work they’re doing doesn’t create more problems than it solves.<\/p>\n They need to make sure not only that the water is rerouted back to its original channels, but that the surfaces they create on the stream beds and shorelines adequately control the speed of the water and catch sediment…<\/p>\n It’s got to be done quickly. But it’s also got to be done right.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The Burlington Free Press<\/a> sounds a similar note, suggesting that it’s time to start thinking about the long-term structure of the Irene recovery.<\/p>\n Efforts to repair damages and better protect communities from future storms must consider the impact over the long term and on areas beyond the immediate vicinity of the work. People are already worried about stream work to protect one town merely pushing the threat of severe flooding further down stream.<\/p>\n Shortcuts to environmental protections necessary in the immediate aftermath of the storm have raised concerns about work that may permanently alter the character and ecosystems of our waterways.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n