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

Pandas, climate projects, humpbacks

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

Two important ongoing events--the major energy bill going through Congress and the climate conference in Bali--are changing to frequently for me to keep up with them in this bulletin. But you can probably keep an eye on them through whatever news source you use.


Humpbacks are a new target planned for the "scientific" Japanese whale hunt (New York Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/25/weekinreview/25revkin.html?ref=science

A group of Oregon tree growers are starting a certification system for "eco-friendly" [but not necessarily organic] Christmas trees (Associated Press)
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gsSlSkhHIEEbVDd_Vgv2Fih0kB8wD8T3KSCO0

Transcript of a Clinton-Edwards-Kuchinich forum on what each would do to curb climate change. Very long, but worth checking if you have enough time and interest. (League of Conservation Voters)
http://lcv.org/newsroom/press-releases/transcript-global-warming-and-america-s-energy-future.html

Editorial on how, in many places, carbon might be better sequestered in soil-building grasslands and wetlands, not trees. (The Ithaca Journal)
http://theithacajournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071207/OPINION02/712070306/1014/OPINION

Fatal roundworm infestations have been indicated as a major and growing threat to wild giant pandas (AOL News)
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/parasite-killing-endangered-pandas/20071205091909990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001

National Public Radio (text of broadcasts)
Florida researchers are developing turbines to generate quantities of electricity from the Gulf Stream, along with other ocean-energy projects
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16713781

On one page, two reports from the big climate conference in Bali: paying countries not to cut rainforest may return to the table as an offset option; the US still refuses to set solid emission limits. (The latter may be outdated)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16827590

Bangor Daily News
Hearings on Plum Creek have begun, with varying imput
http://bangornews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=157265&zoneid=500

Another big land deal has been made, which will purportedly benefit wilderness protection, recreation and working forest.
http://bangornews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=157214&zoneid=500

Banned bullets, water rerouted

brought to you by Sasha Paris  

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Human Ecology in Action.

A gigantic pumping system to drain wetlands in the Mississippi Delta for intensive commodity-crop farming has "re-surfaced" in federal plans. [Several envronmental groups have expressed outrage to me about this] (NY Times editorial)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/06/opinion/06tue3.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

*A decision to reduce the water flowing out of a drying lake which nourishes Atlanta has angered people in Florida, where fisheries and endangered mussels will be impacted sby the lowering of their river. (Orlando Sentinal)
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-water1707nov17,0,7413506,print.story

A new law prohibits the use of lead ammunition in areas designated for California condors, to help curb rampant, deadly ingestion of the stuff by these jeopardized birds (Defenders of Wildlife).
http://www.defenders.org/newsroom/press_releases_foldSeverer/2007/10_13_2007_calif._gov._signs_condor_bill.php