Tarsiers, 'organic' standards, opened lands, more new rules

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

California's governor ordered his state's utilities to be using 33% renewable power by 2030, and is trying to promote development of such power by addressing obstacles to it--including environmental regulations (GreenTechMedia)
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/schwarzenegger-renewable-energy-permitting-process-too-complicated-5198.html

Pygmy tarsiers were recently seen for the first time since 1921, which could impact use of their Indonesian rainforest home [Check this out if only for the photo--they look so weird!] (LiveScience)
http://news.aol.com/article/gremlins-discovered-after-85-years/252936?icid=100214839x1213667800x1200811873

Bark beetles continue to kill off pine trees across the western US and Canada [I've seen this in New Mexico...it's really depressing.] (New York Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/18/science/18trees.html?pagewanted=1&ref=science

The BLM opened 1.9 milion acres of formerly-closed land around Bristol Bay, Alaska, to mining and oil drilling, despite the area's focus on salmon fishing (Bristol Bay Times)
http://thebristolbaytimes.com/news/show/3871

The USDA drafted rules setting minimum requirements of pasture access and grass intake for cows producing certified-organic milk. The public comment period ends Dec. 23 (Associated Press)
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2008-11-18-organic-milk-cows_N.htm

Washington Post
They also drafted standards, to which many people object, for "organic" farmed fish.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/19/AR2008111903787_pf.html

The EPA is easing restrictions on point-source air pollution near national parks.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/18/AR2008111803813_pf.html

New rules and imperiled species: lots of both

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

This week's news seemed better sorted by subject than source. I've named the publisher if it isn't evident from the URL.

The Bush Administration is making a lot of last-minute changes to environmental policies and regulations
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/11/4/105841/607

A less flagrantly biased version of the above, if you insist
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/30/AR2008103004749_pf.html

Among these changes:
Waiving requirements for pollution discharge permits to farms (including factory feedlots) that "claim" not to pollute water.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27521859/

Officially opening 360,000 more acres of eastern Utah to oil and gas leasing (Salt Lake Tribune)
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_10902372

Designating two huge new marine reserves in the south Pacific, which Cheney and some others don't like [Great political move--pleasing environmentalists without threatening the lands or livelihoods of continental Americans]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/03/AR2008110303042_pf.html

Endangered species were also discussed muchly this week:
Ten thousand smuggled sea-turtle eggs were confiscated in Malaysia, and some "may still hatch in a conservation area." [Would they just be buried and left there?] (San Francisco Chronicle/Associated Press)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/11/04/international/i000940S21.DTL

A fungal disease was blamed for winter die-offs of little brown bats in parts of the northeastern US
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/04/science/04obbats.html?_r=1&ref=science&oref=slogin

On three seriously-declining species and current attempts to save them: axolotls (giant, awesome-looking Mexican salamanders) Mississippi gopher frogs and Tasmanian devils (all from Associated Press)
http://news.aol.com/article/mexican-water-monster-nears-extinction/235275

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27502386/

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27522837/

"Big Ethanol" (to quote Grist) is struggling. [OK, not a "species" but I threw it in here anyway]
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/05/business/05ethanol.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Ivory auction, amphibians, Utah, final candidate comparison

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

The BLM proposed leasing designated-"wilderness" areas in eastern Utah for oil and natural-gas drilling (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/30/AR2008103004662.html

BBC News
*Four southern African nations are holding a huge, once-a-decade legal auction of ivory to China and Japan. Debate is ongoing on whether this will help or hurt elephant populations. [It began on Tuesday and, according to Grist, raised $1.2 million by Friday]
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7693816.stm

Study: Yellowstone's amphibians are declining rapidly as local wetlands dry out.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7693381.stm

Grist
On the impacts of corporate-driven biofuel developments in Mozambique and elsewhere.
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/10/29/71244/835

McCain (& Palin) and Obama on endangered-species issues [I'm sure you're tired of election-related news, but these topics are rarely mentioned.]
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/10/29/84235/424

eBay, electric cars, ethanol, orcas, mining, geothermal

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

Over 190 million acres of public land in twelve western states will be opened to geothermal-energy drilling [which is not pollution-free, according to some Grist bloggers] (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE49L75320081022

Plans for new, wetland-destroying phosphate mines in Florida met strong opposition, and the permits to build them were suspended for now. (St Petersburg Times)
http://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/article848584.ece

Seven orcas are missing from the Puget Sound population, which is considered distinct and endangered (Associated Press)
http://news.aol.com/article/puget-sound-missing-rare-killer-whales/225542

Editorial: A recent hearing yielded proposals for new approaches to aiding Maine's dismally-faring groundfish industry (Bangor News)
http://bangornews.com/detail/91499.html

New York Times
A California company seeks to convert Australia into a haven of renewably-powered electric cars [no local resistance expected?]
http://www.nytimes.com/external/gigaom/2008/10/22/22gigaom-better-place-goes-down-under-to-electrify-austral-13129.html

eBay announced that next year it will ban selling of ivory on its website.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/21/us/21animals.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin

Grist
McCain and Obama on "public-lands issues" (i.e. roads, parks, mining and logging)
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/10/20/174352/98

Review of an AP article on the in-viability of cellulosic ethanol, with a long comment-discussion on different kinds of alternative fuels.
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/10/17/94536/558

Sushi, scallops, "biodiversity offsets," belugas, carbon sinks

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

Another trend in green[washed] business: "biodiversity offsets" (International Herald Tribune)
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/10/13/business/rbogbio.php?page=1

New regulations were proposed for Maine scallop gathering--including three-year closures off eastern MDI and five other areas--and scallopers protested them at a recent hearing (Ellsworth American)
http://ellsworthmaine.com/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17280&Itemid=1

West African chimpanzees appear to have declined drastically in Cote D'Ivoire (National Geographic News)
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/10/081013-chimps-decline.htmlhttp://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/10/081013-chimps-decline.html

Alaska's Cook Inlet beluga population was declared Endangered, which could inhibit oil and gas drilling [and tidal power generation, according to a similar NYT article] in the area. (Associated Press)
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gJx0IzvRt6GWrUBb90Foe4URCGagD93SD23G0

Three conservation groups published sustainable-seafood guides dealing specifically with sushi [sigh...my only vice...] (Japan Times/Associated Press)
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20081016f2.html

NY Times
The WWF and the Indonesian government made an agreement to "save and conserve" Sumatra's soil-rich rainforest as a carbon sink [though it's unclear if or how they'll enforce this]
http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/09/agreement-forged-to-save-vanishing-sumatran-forests/

On "road ecology": efforts to reduce the various impacts of roads on wildlife
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/14/science/14road.html?_r=1&ref=science&oref=slogin

Warming temperatures could turn peat bogs from carbon sinks to carbon sources
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/14/science/14obpeat.html?em

Turtles, Galapagos, eco-kids, animal NGOs, pollution, paltry progress

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

The Galapagos Islands and their wildlife are being increasingly damaged by growing populations of both tourists and tourist-supported residents. The islands' government refuses to limit tourism, and is instead forcing thousands of residents to leave (Los Angeles Times).
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2008/10/galapagos-expel.html

Florida's freshwater turtles are being intensively--and legally--gathered for sale to Asia (St. Petersburg Times)
http://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/wildlife/article840320.ece

Pennsylvania's "nutrient trading" program was lauded as a successful way to reduce water pollution (Wall Street Journal/Pennsylvania DEP)
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/pennsylvanias-nutrient-trading-program-proving/story.aspx?guid=%7B2F3DFAF7-A407-4531-8155-3FE652926A04%7D&dist=hppr

Associated Press
NOAA decreed localized speed limits for large ships on the Mid-Atlantic coast, to protect endangered right whales. [This was a long time coming, though the White House made the affected areas smaller than initially proposed. And according to the Bangor News, lobstermen are pleased that someone else is sharing the blame and sacrifice for impact on the whales]
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5i2oj2Uv9pmWOyDZGFOLAj8xkzKYgD93ME0G01

After being sued by three conservation groups, the government set a deadline (June 2010!) for designating critical habitat for officially-Threatened polar bears.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ithM1iOSsGFzrqMigfhHiDoWNc1gD93LCQHO0

Washington Post
IUCN report: at least a quarter of the world's mammal species are "threatened with extinction" [though it's unclear how they define that]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/06/AR2008100600641.html

The FDA issued voluntary guidelines last month for genetically-modified animals. Product-labeling requirements were not included.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/17/AR2008091703518_pf.html

Hurricane Ike left a widespread array of released pollution on its path
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/06/AR2008100600291.html

Grist
*McCain and Obama's current stances on agricultural policy [seems like a mixed bag from both]
http://grist.org/comments/food/2008/10/03/index.html

And a rundown of their statements on energy and [briefly] climate change, from the latest debate.
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/10/7/204758/718

New York Times
Environmentalist zeal appears to be gripping many of the nation's children, who are now policing their parents. [Shock of recognition, anyone?]
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/10/nyregion/10green.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&th&emc=th

The International Maritime Organization adopted rules for reducing sulfur emissions from ships worldwide.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/10/science/earth/10ships.html

More on the mammal report, with different examples
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/07/science/earth/07mammal.html?_r=1&ref=science&oref=slogin

European Union lawmakers approved a set of carbon-emission-reduction rules...with exceptions and subsidies.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/08/business/worldbusiness/08emit.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&ref=worldbusiness&pagewanted=print&adxnnlx=1223464154-IDZw2X848ZxB8J2puWrJdA&oref=slogin

Wolffish, Tom Allen, Everglades, marine reserves, deforestation

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

California's governor signed a bill to help reduce suburban sprawl and, explicitly, its resulting greenhouse-gas emissions, though he also vetoed one to charge 'pollution taxes' on incoming container ships (San Francisco Chronicle).
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/01/BAGF139266.DTL

*The Conservation Law Foundation petitioned for Atlantic wolffish, which are "ugly," jeopardized by bottom-trawling and eat various commercially important creatures, to be listed and protected as Endangered. Unsurprisingly, this is not going over well. [Yes, the article has a distictly biased tone. Check out the CLF website if you want to see their side.] (Bangor News)
http://bangornews.com/detail/90249.html

A coalition of environmental groups proposed having 30% of Oregon's territorial sea 'enclosed' in a mix of marine reserves and limited-fishing protected areas (The Oregonian)
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/122282970711550.xml&coll=7&thispage=1

The deforestation rate in Brazil was reported to be three times what it was last year [though that could partly be due to counting of partial cuts, not just clearcuts, as described in a NYT article from May, which I'll send you if you want] with several forces blamed (Associated Press)
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jj6FM7gVo9zif1KOjAtBzGUmUn7QD93GPQD81

...And the Environment Minister will press criminal charges on the top 100 "illegal loggers," a list topped by the government's Institute for Colonization and Agrarian Reform, which has given lots o' land to farmer-settlers.
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=31&art_id=nw20080930082104253C481389

Grist
Interview with Maine Senatorial candidate Tom Allen about politics and environmental issues [rival Susan Collins allegedly couldn't be reached to give her opinions, but I'm pleased whenever Maine issues are discussed in the broader media]
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/9/25/14133/7205

In case you missed Thursday's debate: a rundown of Biden and Palin's statements about energy and climate change.
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/9/29/8245/94809

New York Times
As of Monday, Congress was in deadlock over renewing tax breaks for development of renewable energy.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/30/washington/30energy.html?ref=science

The National Research Council reported that efforts to restore the Florida Everglades aren't working.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/30/us/30everglades.html?_r=1&ref=science&oref=slogin

Monkeys, mercury, lakes, carbon trading

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

Articles marked with an asterisk (*) contain, in my opinion, a notable interplay of socioeconomic and environmental issues. I.e. human ecology.


A coalition of western states and provinces proposed beginning its own controversial carbon cap-and-trade system (Los Angeles Times).
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environment/la-na-climate24-2008sep24,0,3099901.story

European Union legislation would require industrially-used mercury to be stored after use instead of exported (eGov Monitor)
http://www.egovmonitor.com/node/21173

The Government Accountability Office reported that the EPA is shirking its duty to control pollution from factory farms (Associated Press).
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gdDdJvrh2hGb5mQ3Fbz6UHrx-gewD93CRQVG0

A Maine government panel is investigating ways for more Mainers to switch from oil to wood for home heating without bad side effects [This also made the front page of AOL News on Saturday morning--cool!] (Bangor News)
http://bangornews.com/detail/89972.html

New York Times
*How a biologist saved the white-headed langurs (monkeys) in a Chinese nature reserve by working with the nearby humans.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/23/science/23monk.html?_r=1&ref=science&oref=slogin

This summer's hurricanes destroyed numerous barrier islands in the Gulf of Mexico, and others continue eroding rapidly.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/23/science/23islands.html?ref=science

A bill currently in the House would ban most removal of Great Lakes water from the lakes' watershed, to preempt the threat of drainage by other regions.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/23/us/23lakes.html?ref=science

Grist
The first Northeastern carbon-credit auction was on Thursday, though results aren't out yet
http://grist.org/feature/2008/09/24/rggi/index.html

More discussion of the current energy bill, notably that its tax credit extensions for renewable-energy developments have stayed in so far...
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/9/23/15321/7486

...although they may still be lost [check out the "Sources" links for more detail]
http://www.grist.org/news/2008/09/26/house_tax/

Eco-News: endangered species, energy, seaweed, Chicago and more

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

Eco-News is my community service project: a weekly campus-wide email of links to environmental news articles. I find some in online newspapers--especially NY Times, Grist and Bangor News--and receive others from various environmental groups. Comments are welcome. Disclaimer: inclusion of an article here does not imply my support for, or opposition to, any action or viewpoint described within. [Bracketed] comments in summaries are my own opinions.


Gray wolves in the northern Rockies were returned for now to the Endangered Species list after their removal and subsequent killings in March prompted protests and lawsuits from environmentalists (Associated Press).
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h0YqdJtE9K1Ejlz-RuOF8RH8wl1QD9385EUO0

The EPA officially vetoed a massive pumping project proposed to drain wetlands for farming in parts of the Mississippi delta [The Gulf Restoration Network, which sent me this article, was much happier about it than some of the interviewees here.] (Wall Street Journal)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122040280744093353.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources proposed removing gray wolves and bald eagles from the state's Endangered Species List (Heartland Institute)
http://www.heartland.org/policybot/results.html?artId=23700

Many coastal residents of Washington County have protested the local harvesting of rockweed by a Canadian company, and a recent meeting of the two groups continued the debate (Bangor News).
http://bangornews.com/detail/50482.html

Los Angeles Times
Proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act would eliminate the requirement for federal agencies like the Army Corps of Engineers to consult scientists at the Fish and Wildlife Service or Marine Fisheries Service before deciding whether their activities would harm endangered species. The public comment period runs until October 14. [This is a one-sided opinion piece, but I haven't found anything more objective. Maybe you can.]
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-wetzler14-2008sep14,0,4365686.story

A federal court ruled that the EPA must set pollution standards for runoff from construction sites (Los Angeles Times).
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-cleanwater19-2008sep19,0,4915271.story

New York Times
A major energy bill under consideration by Congress would, among other things, allow offshore oil drilling around much of the nation...
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/11/washington/11cong.html?ref=science

...although, according to this biased but intelligent analysis (not from the NYT), there would still be obstacles to drilling.
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/9/11/12542/0324

A major study published in Science promoted catch-share systems as powerful means of preventing global fishery collapses [and some people are now touting them as THE solution to overfishing]...
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/19/science/19fish.html?ref=science

...although they're controversial and do have some issues
http://tierneylab.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/18/how-to-save-fish/#respond

The Nature Conservancy bought a famous 14,600-acre tract of the Adirondacks to be used for recreation and eventually preserved (and then maybe sold to the state or used for sustainable timber cutting.)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/19/nyregion/19adirondacks.html?ref=science

Ten northeastern states will begin a cap-and-trade system for carbon dioxide emissions, (the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI) but its potential for reducing said emissions is debated.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/16/us/16carbon.html?ref=science

Ambitious plans are in the making for cutting Chicago's greenhouse-gas emissions.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/19/us/19chicago.html?ref=us

European goals for increased biofuel use were revised in an effort to support renewable fuels while reducing competition for food crops.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/12/business/worldbusiness/12biofuels.html?ref=science

Offshore oil-drilling ban halfway lifted

http://news.aol.com/story/_a/bush-lifts-ban-on-offshore-drilling/20080714140209990001

Orangutans and solar panels

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

Could orangutans be the first apes headed for extinction?
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/orangutan-populations-declining-sharply/20080705090009990001

For afficionados, a debate on solar power: environmental impacts, big vs. small, rooftop vs. open-desert etc.
http://grist.org/news/2008/07/03/BLM/

Oysters, inhalers, nuclear waste, scary news

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

If you'll be returning to COA next year, I look forward to seeing you again. If you're leaving us, congratulations and good luck. The world needs you.


What I said last week is official: the USDA will stop tracking agricultural pesticide use (Associated Press)
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jOv_zmzZkXkBWLHq5KSkc7WaHZNQD90QJCA80

Bangor News
Another public comment period opened for the Plum Creek plan
http://bangornews.com/news/t/city.aspx?articleid=165236&zoneid=176

Maine could acquire a new, permanent site for nuclear waste storage.
http://bangornews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=165181&zoneid=5

New York Times
Worsening drought, increasingly water-intensive farming and resort development combine to spell bad news for southern Spain.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/03/world/europe/03dry.html?ref=europe

The Senate debate on a current major 'climate bill' might have been funny if it weren't so depressing.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/05/washington/05climate.html?ref=washington

Deforestation is serious in Papua New Guinea
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/03/science/earth/03fore.html?ref=science

Washington Post
Asthma-treatment inhalers using CFCs will be phased out in the US by the end of 2008
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/30/AR2008053002208.html

Oysters in the Chesapeake Bay have declined over the past decade for many reasons, despite costly government attempts to restore them.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/01/AR2008060102499.html

Guano, plankton, poisons, oil, mountaintop removal and more

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

"We are in a situation that could invoke a mild amount of peril if we don't do things sensibly"--Sean Todd


A California company announced that it had made chemically-authentic "crude oil" from algae, which it hopes to produce commercially within five years. (Los Angeles Times)
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-greencrude29-2008may29,1,4627837.story

A North Carolina state representative introduced a bill to ban burning of coal acquired by mountaintop-removal mining (Grist).
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/5/28/17123/6269

The USDA is apparently no longer tracking pesticide use on US crops or making information about it available (Ethicurean).
http://www.ethicurean.com/2008/05/22/pesticide-info/

Reuters
One outcome of the UN Covention on Biological Diversity: a moratorium on 'ocean fertilization' for attempted carbon sequestration through induced plankton blooms (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSL2981194420080530

The EU will make sharpish quota cuts to some of its fisheries [To read about some of the results, go to bbc.co.uk and search "fishery quotas."]
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSL3089767920080530?sp=true

New York Times
The White House (under court orders) published a report that global warming is "very likely" caused by humans and its impacts are likely to be rawther bad.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/30/washington/30climate.html?ref=science

A dam is being removed sloooowly from a Montana river to prevent release of heavy-metal-contaminated sediment built up behind it, which is also now being cleaned up.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/27/science/27dam.html?ref=science

Seabird guano, in high demand for organic fertilizer, is running out on the Peruvian islands where it's harvested. Some blame overfishing of anchoveta, which the birds eat, for livestock feed.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/30/world/americas/30peru.html?pagewanted=1

Science and politics clashed again over Brazilian deforestation
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/25/world/americas/25amazon.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=americas

DDT in Antarctic glaciers may be leaking into the sea as they melt.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/27/science/earth/27obddt.html?_r=1&ref=science&oref=slogin

Bangor News
Update on the Plum Creek saga
http://bangornews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=164947&zoneid=500

Two animal welfare/advocacy groups threatened to sue the Maine DIF&W for setting trap restrictions that haven't prevented incidental snaring of endangered Canada lynx.
http://bangornews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=164948&zoneid=500

Wales, wolves, potatoes, preserves, power

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

In Wales, ambitious plans for powering the country on a combined variety of renewable energies. (Detroit Free Press/AP)
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080518/BUSINESS07/805180584/1020

The Kansas governor vetoed plans for two new coal-power plants, which will remain vetoed (Lawrence Journal-World)
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2008/may/22/coal_battle_moves_court/

Update on international 'progress' in committing to greenhouse-gas-emission reductions (Associated Press).
http://money.aol.com/news/articles/_a/nations-urge-deep-emission-cuts-by-us/n20080525035609990014

Self-explanatory:
http://www.earthjustice.org/news/press/2008/twelve-conservation-groups-challenge-federal-wolf-delisting.html

Bangor News
Numerous groups seek to make bio-plastic from Maine potatoes.
http://bangornews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=164576&zoneid=500

342,000 acres of Downeast Maine land has been newly 'preserved' along the Canadian border.
http://bangornews.com/news/t/downeast.aspx?articleid=164620&zoneid=177

Roxanne Quimby's eviction of "camp"-leasers on her bought-up land is causing a mighty lot of controversy [including ten zillion comments below this article]
http://bangornews.com/news/t/penobscot.aspx?articleid=164689&zoneid=183

Ants, hurricanes, "saved" land, "sustainable development"

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

Plans for oil drilling in certain Alaskan wetlands appear to be on hold. (ENN/Reuters)
http://www.enn.com/top_stories/article/36444

BBC News
"Conservation refugees" in Uganda
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7390917.stm

A disputed new plan for "sustainable" development in the Amazon rainforest.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7399109.stm

Bangor News
Public discussions began for the controversial Schoodic eco-resort proposal. [I'd be glad to hear opinions from COAers who attended this meeting]
http://bangornews.com/news/t/hancock.aspx?articleid=164423&zoneid=178

Editorial: Driving tips to reduce gas consumption.
http://bangornews.com/news/t/viewpoints.aspx?articleid=164198&zoneid=34

Associated Press
Recently-arrived tropical ants are wreaking havoc for human Texans, and may also harm wildlife there.
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/crazy-ants-swarm-over-houston-area/20080514152109990001?icid=100214839x1202155990x1200077402

A meteorologist predicted that climate change would actually result in fewer (but fiercer) tropical Atlantic storms. Some other scientists disagree with his model.
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/scientist-shifts-view-on-global-warming/20080518143309990001?icid=100214839x1202272107x1200087432

As displayed in the results of a sawmill raid, illegal rainforest logging remains a pernicious issue in Brazil.
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/brazils-illegal-logging-hard-to-combat/n20080517115209990005

Crows, koalas, bugs, buses, San Francisco

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

Associated Press
Honeybees in commercial US hives continued dying off en masse in the past year.
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/a-third-of-honey-bee-hives-lost-in-2007/20080507090109990001

Study: increased CO2 concentrations in the air makes eucalyptus less edible to koalas, which eat nothing else.
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/koalas-at-risk-from-climate-change/20080507151509990001?icid=100214839x1201683254x1200063789

New York Times
Higher gas prices are straining increasingly-popular public transportation systems.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/10/business/10transit.html?pagewanted=1&ref=science

The EPA proposed new, stricter standards for lead concentrations in air.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/02/washington/02epa.html?ref=science

San Francisco's mayor proposed that recycling and composting--already advanced--be made mandatory there.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/07/us/07garbage.html?_r=1&ref=science&oref=slogin

In Japan, crow populations are rising (possibly because of more human garbage around) to plague levels and prompting big extermination efforts.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/07/world/asia/07crows.html?pagewanted=1&ref=science

Bangor News
A newly-approved bill changes the requirements for growing genetically modified crops in Maine, and protects farmers from being sued for accidental GMO contamination of their crops.
http://bangornews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=162819&zoneid=5

Introduced beetle larvae are taking a toll on lawns in parts of Maine.
http://bangornews.com/news/t/city.aspx?articleid=164110&zoneid=176

Fungi, fertilizer, land use, bison slaughter

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

Possible restrictions on development and land use in Maine's Unorganized Territory (which comprises over half of the state's land, across multiple counties) are meeting resistance in the far north (Bangor News).
http://bangornews.com/news/t/aroostook.aspx?articleid=163594&zoneid=175

New York Times
Residents of a California town are experimenting with using fungi to clean up dioxins in a former lumber mil site. [After the recent oil spill in San Francisco, some folks there had the idea of growing oyster mushrooms in oil and found the it worked...groovy.]
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/us/27bragg.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=mushrooms&st=nyt&oref=slogin

Another issue in the food-crisis saga: global shortages of petroleum-based (thus increasingly expensive) fertilizer. [If we could get it to work more efficiently, so zillions of tons weren't washed away and wasted...]
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/30/business/worldbusiness/30fertilizer.html?scp=1&sq=fertilizer&st=nyt

CNN
This year's bison slaughter around Yellowstone National Park was suspended after winter ravaged the herd, but it's expected to restart next year.
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/half-of-yellowstone-bison-herd-dies/20080429092909990001

Many scientists working for the EPA claimed that their findings had been manipulated or misused by regulators.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/04/23/epa.scientists.ap/index.html

Pigs, an ecovillage and dangerous trends

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

A Michigan farmer's successful experiment at using pigs to organically beat apple-infesting beetles. (MSNBC/AP)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23479970/

Some folks at UMaine Orono are working on developing an on-campus "Ecovillage" (Bangor News)
http://bangornews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=163393&zoneid=500

New York Times
The continuing food crisis seems to be weakening global resistence toward genetically engineered crops
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/21/business/21crop.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&ref=science&pagewanted=all&oref=slogin

Coal power--replacing oil and nuclear--is on the rise in parts of Europe
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/23/world/europe/23coal.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=science

Egypt to Australia to Louisiana to Maine...

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

To quote the sagacious Ford Prefect once again: "We don't stand a whelk's chance in a supernova."


Oil and gas companies are being blamed for the tremendous erosion of Louisiana's coastal wetlands , and called on to pay for it. (Best of New Orleans).
http://www.bestofneworleans.com/dispatch/current/cover_story.php

*On the current and predicted effects of sea-level rise in coastal Egypt (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89660898

A look at five of Maine's toxin-contaminated sites and the ongoing efforts to clean them up (Bangor News)
http://bangornews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=163249&zoneid=500

More arguing over possibilities for diverting water from Northern California to Southern California, and its effects on endangered fish (Los Angeles Times).
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-salmon17apr17,1,1938847.story

After two environmental groups planned to sue the US Forest Service over flaws in this year's fire management plans for the Southwest, the Service apparently dropped the plans altogether (Earthjustice).
http://www.earthjustice.org/news/press/2008/forest-service-scraps-fire-planning-in-southwest.html

New York Times
*Prolonged drought in grain-producing nations, probably worsened by climate change, is a factor in the current high-price-induced famines around the world: Australian rice as a case study.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/17/business/worldbusiness/17warm.html?pagewanted=1&ref=science

Contrary to some predictions voiced in articles last week, rising food prices are reducing investments--by buyers and farmers--in organic food.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/18/business/18organic.html?_r=1&ref=dining&oref=slogin

Bush's muchly-criticized "new plan" for dealing with climate change was outlined in a recent speech.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/17/washington/17bush.html?ref=science

CORRECTION: I wrote here last term that the EPA had vetoed the big Yazoo wetland pumping project in Mississippi. I believe that they haven't actually finalized that veto, but it's proposed and expected.

Salmon, methane, farming and food

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

"There's nothing that depresses me more than seeing a planet being destroyed. Except possibly being on it when it happens."--Ford Prefect

For the first time, this year's fishing season for Chinhook salmon off California and Oregon will probably be canceled due to lack of the fish in the Sacramento River. That doesn't address other threats to the fish: dams, river depletion for farming, changing ocean conditions etc. etc. (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/11/MNO6103NBB.DTL

Homeowners in part of southern Colorado have a rocky relationship with nearby methane mines. [We woudn't need to mine methane--a potent greenhouse gas--if we made better use of what our landfills and livestock produce] (Associated Press)
http://money.aol.com/news/articles/_a/homeowners-feel-heat-in-west-coal-boom/n20080412050309990005

Johnsongrass in Mississippi and Arkansas crop fields is the newest weed found to have developed resistance to Roundup as a result of the herbicide's intensive use (Delta Farm Press).
http://deltafarmpress.com/soybeans/johnsongrass-scott-0319/

New York Times
*Rising crop prices are putting pressure on farmers to re-cultivate land which the government has been paying them to leave alone for wildlife and conservation. Environmentalists, hunters, crop-consumer groups and farmers are all players in this intensifying debate.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/09/business/09conserve.html?_r=1&ref=science&oref=slogin

The delisting of gray wolves as endangered in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana, and the resulting wolf kills which have already begun, ignited a firestorm of public opinion and legal action.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/13/us/13wolves.html?ref=science
*A discussion on whether rising prices for conventional food might do some "good" by encouraging people to buy more organic and local foods.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/02/dining/02cheap.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all&oref=slogin

A Grist critique of the above article, with lots of interesting reader comments
http://www.grist.org/comments/food/2008/04/04/?source=most_popular

Trout, Maine issues and the EPA

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

The "Environmental Protection Agency" needs a new name.

18 states and 11 environmental groups have sued the EPA for still refusing to regulate carbon dioxide emissions (Associated Press).
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/states-sue-epa-over-global-warming/20080402133809990001

The EPA exempted toxic oil-refinery waste from being considered toxic if it's gasified and burned at the refineries (Earthjustice)
http://www.earthjustice.org/news/press/2008/epa-s-hazardous-waste-exemptions-no-april-fool-s-day-joke.html

A possible new "buyout plan" would aim to reduce the number of groundfishing boats in Maine [and further concentrate fishing ability with big operations]. (Kennebec Journal)
http://kennebecjournal.mainetoday.com/news/local/4927018.html

A major new "eco-resort" planned for the Schoodic Peninsula is a source of debate (Ellsworth American)
http://ellsworthmaine.com/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13889&Itemid=1

Bangor News
An editorial on this issues around said resort.
http://bangornews.com/news/t/viewpoints.aspx?articleid=162521&zoneid=35

Editorial: Some hope to get Maine lobster certified as "eco-friendly". [It mostly is, but the occasional bycatch of right whales will be an impediment]
http://bangornews.com/news/t/viewpoints.aspx?articleid=162289&zoneid=34

A European wind-energy company has plans for Aroostook County
http://bangornews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=162583&zoneid=500

New York Times
A new government rule aims to encourage developers who destroy wetlands to "restore or create" new ones elsewhere. Some environmentalists don't like it. [You can see attempts at wetland creation near a local salt marsh--it didn't work very well]
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/01/washington/01epa.html?ref=science

Warming waters and drought are threatening Montana's freshwater fish, already imperiled by water depletion for ranching.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/01/science/earth/01trout.html?ref=science

Lions, factory farms, Iceland, Kansas

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

The EPA is seeking to exempt big "livestock operations" from needing to report their emissions of toxic ammonia and hydrogen sulfide gases (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/25/AR2008022502472.html

On the tension between humans and wildlife in Kenya, highlighted by lion and elephant killings near a national park (National Geographic News)
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/03/080318-kenya-elephants.html

The legislative battle continues over new Kansas coal plants (Houston Chronicle/AP)
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/fn/5643680.html

Iceland considered whether to resume commercial whaling...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7294564.stm

..and soon decided to do so (BBC News)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6059564.stm

Drugs, toxic birds, ozone, wave power

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

A study found a variety of human-made toxins in a variety of bird eggs all over Maine (Kennebec Journal)
http://kennebecjournal.mainetoday.com/news/local/4855509.html

Although algae blooms are increasing in coastal areas, the open ocean is losing its phytoplankton fast. Climate change may be a cause. (National Public Radio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=87959035

Associated Press
A thorough look at the array of pharmaceuticals detected in drinking water across the US
http://news.aol.com/health/story/ar/_a/probe-finds-drugs-in-drinking-water/20080309184409990001

The EPA will reduce allowable levels of ozone (smog) in US air. Some people say the new rule isn't strict enough; others say it's too strict.
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/air-too-dirty-to-breathe-in-345-counties/20080313094209990001

New York Times
One more biodiesel downside: water-fouling spills of waste oil from manufacturing facilities
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/11/us/11biofuel.html?ref=science

A fully wave-powered boat will attempt to cross 3,780 miles of the Pacific Ocean.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/11/science/11boat.html?ref=science

Starlings, tiny frogs, brownfields and a dead zone

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

Rare, tiny Maud Island frogs were discovered breeding in a New Zealand sanctuary where nobody had thought they lived. (Associated Press)
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/sign-of-hope-seen-for-rare-frog-species/20080303090509990002?ncid=NWS00010000000001

As I said earlier this week: Hundreds of bison are being systematically killed as they leave Yellowstone Park, for fear of them spreading disease to cattle (Los Angeles Times)
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environment/la-na-bison26feb26,1,5519098.story

A 2001 plan to reduce the vast dead zone off Louisiana is going nowhere...and the zone keeps growing. (Times-Picayne)
http://www.nola.com/timespic/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-10/1204180301219420.xml&coll=1&thispage=1#Scene_1

New York Times
In New Jersey, developers are taking new interest in defunct, contaminated sites ("brownfields")
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/05/business/05brown.html?pagewanted=1&ref=science

Eating worms contaminated with estrogen from polluted water has interesting effects on starlings
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/science/04obbird.html?_r=1&ref=science&oref=slogin

Dugongs, lynx, coho, coal

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

The Fish and Wildlife Service proposed greatly expanding its designated "critical habitat" for Canada lynx in much of the northern US, which could affect use of public land there. (Billings Gazette)
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2008/02/29/news/state/24-lynx.txt

A renewed push to include "clean coal" in energy plans [ignoring, as usual, the environmental cost of coal-mining] (Associated Press)
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/governors-include-coal-in-energy-debate/n20080223180409990007

Legislatinve wrangling over new coal-burning plants in Kansas appears to be headed in favor of the coal companies and utilities. (Washington Post)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/22/AR2008022202878.html?hpid=moreheadlines

The URLS of these two explain themselves:
http://www.earthjustice.org/news/press/2008/federal-judge-rules-against-us-defense-department-plans-for-airbase-in-habitat-of-okinawa-dugong.html

http://www.earthjustice.org/news/press/2008/oregon-coho-salmon-regain-federal-protection.html

Glass, pythons, dolphins, menhaden

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

Lack of a market for used glass in Maine is undermining the efforts of local recycling centers (Ellsworth American)
http://ellsworthmaine.com/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12980&Itemid=31

The Texas government might set a [high] catch limit on the state's menhaden fishery (El Paso Times)
http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_8074279

Report: Warmer climates could help Burmese pythons now living in Florida spread over much of the US (USA Today)
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/warming-could-help-pythons-grow-in-us/20080221084309990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001

New York Times
Gray wolves in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho have officially lost what federal protection they had.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/22/us/22wolves.html?ref=science

In a Japanese dolphin-hunting town, reports of mercury-contaminated meat carry (somewhat) more weight than foreign protests
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/21/world/asia/21dolphin.html?_r=1&ref=science&oref=slogin

The renewed popularity of woodburning is a mixed blessing
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/19/us/19woodstove.html?ref=science

Climate Class, pesticides, Planktos, pollutants

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

The EPA authorized nighttime spraying of a certain pesticide over the urban San Francisco Bay area, starting this summer, to try preventing establishment of a certain introduced crop-damaging moth. (San Francisco Chronicle)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/15/MN99V2PMN.DTL

A bill in the California legislature would require all public-school students there to be taught about climate change. (San Jose Mercury News)
http://www.mercurynews.com/education/ci_8269190

Beijing tightened emission standards on new cars for certain pollutants (Reuters)
http://www.enn.com/pollution/article/31302

After numerous states, including Maine, sued the EPA for its plan to have a cap-and-trade on mercury emissions from power plants, a federal court voided the plan. (Bangor News)
http://bangornews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=159956&zoneid=500

New York Times
A company trying to create [theoretically] CO2-soaking ocean algae blooms for carbon offsets has been set back, partly by opposition from some environmental groups and scientists.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/14/technology/14planktos.html?ref=science

Comments: http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/13/commercial-ocean-fertilization-project-halted/index.html?ref=technology

Report: For the first time, "developing" countries have exceeded industrialized ones in growing genetically-engineered crops.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/14/business/worldbusiness/14biotech.html?_r=1&ref=science&oref=slogin

Flowers, wetlands, "clean coal", red snapper

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

I've been asked where I get my news from. For some sources, such as the NY Times and Bangor News, I regularly check the website. Several NGOs email me relevant newspaper articles; Gulf Restoration Network and Earthjustice are especially useful. Last year, I found many Reuters articles on AOL News, but those are rarer nowadays. And if all else fails, I turn to Environmental News Network (enn.com) and Grist.org.

The EPA vetoed the proposal for a huge wetland-draining project in Mississippi. [This article casts the decision as a "Green day for Bush", but activist NGOs credit their own lobbying efforts]. (Time)
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1709351,00.html

New, stricter fishing restrictions were enacted to help red snapper recover in the Gulf of Mexico (South Florida Sun-Sentinal)
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/college/hurricanes/sfl-130redsnapper,0,7414073.story

New York Times
*A look at the growing "sustainable"-flower industry
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/03/fashion/03flowers.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=science

The government cut funding for a previously well-paid plan to develop so-called "clean" coal. Lots of interesting comments.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/03/weekinreview/03revk.html?ref=science

Don't forget:
Great Backyard Bird Count!
This upcoming weekend!
http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/

Fish products, cows, imperiled areas

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

The world's largest methane-burning-and-cow-waste-recycling facility opened in China (Worldwatch Institute)
http://www.enn.com/pollution/article/30461

Russia has banned commercial harvesting or sale of sturgeon caviar...but wants an export quota. Weird. (World Wildlfe Fund)
http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/30519

L'Oreal promised to phase out use of shark-liver oil in its cosmetics (The Guardian)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jan/30/conservation.wildlife

A big tidal wetland restoration project has been underway in Southern California (San Diego Union-Tribune)
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/northcounty/20080124-9999-1mi24lagoon.html

A neat salmon-tracking project in the making (the Daily Astorian)
http://www.dailyastorian.info/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=398&ArticleID=48636&TM=2038.347

New York Times
On preservation and climate change. Most depressing.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/29/science/earth/29habi.html?_r=1&ref=science&oref=slogin

A national tax on plastic grocery bags is taking significant effect in Ireland, if not in some other places.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/02/world/europe/02bags.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=science

Gharials, cool fuels, birds, bags

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

Whole Foods is phasing out plastic grocery bags (USA Today)
http://money.aol.com/news/articles/_a/whole-foods-sacks-plastic-bags/20080122100709990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001

In the southeastern US, extreme drought may temporarily shut down 24 water-guzzling nuclear power plants (Associated Press)
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/drought-could-shut-down-nuclear-plants/20080123164209990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001

Drought is also jeopardizing Alabama's oyster industry (Birmingham News)
http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1200993320221820.xml&coll=2

Oil costs in Maine are driving investment in wood-waste heating fuels and other alternatives. (Ellsworth American)
http://ellsworthmaine.com/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12312&Itemid=1

Bangor News
Methane emanating from a Hampden landfill will very soon be used to produce lots o' electricity
http://bangornews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=159263&zoneid=500

Coverage of the final Plum Creek hearing. [sadly, no press for any COAers there]
http://bangornews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=159157&zoneid=500

New York Times
Endangered gharials have been dying off in an Indian river, possibly due to water pollution
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/22/science/22croc.html?ref=science

Avian cholera recently killed about 15,000 waterbirds on the Great Salt Lake

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/22/science/22bird.html?_r=1&ref=science&oref=slogin i7

Seafood: Europe, Africa, Maine

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

I know, I've been sending out a lot of fishery-related articles lately. Can't help it. As the sign on my room-door says: "Fish Control My Brain"


New York Times
*On the competition for the depleted fisheries off of northwest Africa, between fishermen from nearby African nations and European fleets.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/14/world/africa/14fishing.html?ref=world

On Europe's huge trade in illegal seafood and why it's so hard to curb.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/15/world/europe/15fish.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp

The EU might ban some biofuels which do more harm than good to land or air
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/14/business/14cnd-biofuels.html?hp

Bangor News
A hot issue in the Plum Creek debate is what it plans to allow on i's "conservation offset" lands
http://bangornews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=159073&zoneid=500

A new program requires certain numbers of lobstermen to report their catches, and some fear it will lead to more "regulation"
http://bangornews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=158982&zoneid=500

Jaguars, British fish and an airport

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

*In Brazil, conservationists are working to promote the coexistence of jaguars and cattle ranches (New York Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/01/science/01jag.html?pagewanted=1&ref=science

The Army Corps of Engineers suspended construction of an airport on 2,000 acres of Florida panhandle wetland, though not on surrounding non-wet land. (St. Petersburg Times)
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/12/19/State/Wetlands_get_reprieve.shtml

BBC News
*An article, with an intelligent message board, on fisheries (especially British cod): why they're failing and what must be done to revive them.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7144337.stm

The EU is being pushed to end its ban on importing genetically-engineered foods. (BBC News)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7182793.stm

'08 Candidates and "The Environment"

From the League of Conservation Voters to those of you still considering who to vote for: here's an in-depth guide to the promises and past actions of all US 2008 presidential candidates on greenhouse-gas emissions, energy and other environmental issues. Includes questionnaire answers and comparative charts.
http://www.lcv.org/voterguide/

Big Compromises and Thwarted Efforts

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

The big Energy Bill was signed into law: WITH raised fuel-efficiency standards for cars and appliances, and mandates for increased ethanol production [which the Union of Concerned Scientists says includes environmental safeguards] but WITHOUT renewable-electricity requirements or higher taxes on Big Oil. (New York Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/19/washington/19cnd-energy.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

In Bali, the US finally agreed to consider working with the rest of the world on planning how to curb greenhouse-gas emissions…provided definitive cuts aren’t in the deal. (CNN)
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/12/15/bali.agreement/#cnnSTCText

A government plan long (and quietly) in the making would pipe large amounts of water from a Mississippi river to hollow out a salt dome for storing oil, then send the very salty water to the Gulf of Mexico via lots of pipes through wetlands. This is touted as a job-creator, but certain people have a problem with it. (Mississippi Sun-Herald)
http://www.sunherald.com/278/story/220497.html

The newly-resumed Japanese humpback-whale hunt has been suspended for the next year or so under pressure from the International Whaling Commission (Associated Press)
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/japan-suspends-humpback-whale-hunt/20071221082509990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001

By a new law, Washington State denied a utility company permission to build a coal-gasification power plant until it can store the resulting carbon underground [though some say such sequestration doesn’t work]. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/341387_coalplant28.html

New York Times
California and other states hoping to set their own, stricter, car-emission standards were denied permission...by the EPA.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/washington/20epa.html?ref=science

In Canada, sea lice infestations in aquaculture pens are indicated as a major threat to juvenile wild salmon nearby.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/14/science/earth/14salmon.html?ref=science

Elk populations in Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park are deemed overpopulated and will be systematically culled annually, starting next year, until stabilized. (Legalized hunting and wolf reintroduction were considered and discarded).
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/16/us/16elk.html?ref=science