Matt Butler

The long-waiting redevelopment of the Ithaca Gun site has taken a step forward, albeit a small one, despite the persistence of questions about the site's current and future health.

Local environmental activist Walter Hang holds a jar of used shotgun shells he collected along the face of the cliff next to the Ithaca Falls Gorge, left over from the Ithaca Gun Factory.

New York State officials outlined a final remedy for the Ithaca Gun Factory site adjacent to Ithaca Falls, probably the most notoriously polluted remnant of the city's bygone industrial era.

Photo: Matt Butler

"We need a political campaign. We need to wage the same kind of battle against Governor Cuomo that won the fight against shale fracking [...] I implore you: help protect the lake. If you rely on the DEC to help protect this lake, they're just not going to do it."