ArtRage Gallery Panel on Micron’s Environmental & Economic Impact on Syracuse & CNY

ArtRage Gallery is hosting a panel discussion on October 21 to explore Micron’s environmental and economic impacts on Syracuse and Central New York. The discussion will focus on Micron’s effects on wetlands and waterways, as well as employment and economic concerns.

Wednesday, October 21, 6:00–7:30 pm. Doors open at 5:40 pm.
ArtRage Gallery, 505 Hawley Ave.
Admission is free; drinks and appetizers will be served. Use the event link to get a free ticket.

WAER Senior Resident and Syracuse University Professor in Residence Chris Bolt will moderate the panel.

Featured panelists:
- Catherine Landis recently completed her doctorate at SUNY ESF. Her dissertation focused on the historical ecology of the Onondaga Lake watershed, including Indigenous subsistence patterns. Onondaga Lake is a major Superfund site and is sacred to the Haudenosaunee as the place where the Peacemaker came to unite the warring nations and facilitate enduring peace through the Great Law. Landis also earned a master’s degree at ESF, studying riparian plant establishment along an urban stream. She currently supports the Center’s efforts to strengthen NYS DEC’s capacity to engage Indigenous communities and incorporate biocultural resources and restoration into land planning.
- Dick Kornbluth is board chair of the Urban Jobs Task Force, a nonprofit committed to establishing and promoting community benefits agreements (CBAs) and other strategies to ensure local employment, training, contracting, and housing outcomes.
- Bonita Siegel is president of Neighbors for a Better Micron, a grassroots organization of Central New York residents working to ensure Micron prioritizes the community.
- Don Hughes, Ph.D., teaches chemistry at Le Moyne College and has over 20 years of experience in environmental investigations, remediation, public education, and scientific writing. He holds degrees in chemical and environmental engineering and a Ph.D. in chemistry from SUNY ESF. His work has included contaminated sediments, wastewater treatment, and hazardous waste sites, including pollution in Onondaga Lake and its watershed. He has produced fact sheets for citizens and planners and presented findings to policymakers. He has volunteered with the Atlantic Chapter of the Sierra Club since 2007, working on New York State energy policy, air and water pollution, and climate issues. He is currently focused on the environmental impacts of the Micron semiconductor facility planned for Clay, NY.

The exhibit currently on display at ArtRage is Katie Mulligan’s No Man Land: Reimagining the Myths of Cicero Swamp. More information about the exhibit and artist is available on the ArtRage website.