The following are environmentally related resources on the Internet selected for their potential to be of interest to a wide range of environmental professionals and the interested lay public. 

LINK OF THE MONTH

LINK MENU

Link of the Month - Lake and Watershed News

August 2005 -

NEMO Impervious Surfaces Web Page

The Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials (NEMO) at University of Connecticut website provides educational material on impervious surfaces and offers techniques for measuring, estimating and mapping impervious surfaces. This is a one-stop website for literature and information about impervious surfaces. Land cover data is available for Connecticut. http://nemo.uconn.edu/impervious_surfaces

July 2005 -
The Local Government Environmental Assistance Network (LGEAN) is a "first-stop shop" providing environmental management, planning, funding, and regulatory information for local government elected and appointed officials, managers and staff. LGEAN enables local officials to interact with their peers and others online. http://www.lgean.org

June 2005 -
The Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program provides golf course members and superintendents with information about environmentally-friendly golf course management. Program members become certified after developing a management program that incorporates fertilizer management practices, integrated pest management plans, vegetative buffer installation, habitat enhancement, stormwater management, and other techniques. Becoming involved with the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program is an excellent way for a golf course to show the community its commitment to protecting the local environment. Information about the program can be found at http://www.auduboninternational.org/programs/acss/golf.htm

May 2005 -

The Stormwater Authority, http://www.stormwaterauthority.org/, is a new resource designed to assist professionals in making educated and environmentally sound decisions about stormwater management and treatment. Comprehensive in scope and interactive in nature, the site serves the commercial, residential, municipal and industrial construction markets by offering news, articles, leading technology updates, and state by state regulatory updates. Specific links for engineers, site developers, owners, contractors, and regulators can help users stay up to date on key business happenings in the industry.

April 2005 -
A new Chesapeake Bay Program website is providing a holistic view of public education by encouraging viewers to adopt a “Chesapeake Lifestyle.” The Chesapeake Club is an online magazine that shows how to entertain, decorate, maintain a lawn, tour, and cook in ways that protect the Chesapeake Bay and take advantage of its resources. The food section provides the basics of cooking crab, traditional recipes, and guides to restaurants that are part of the Chesapeake Club. The site also includes tips on yard care that emphasizes proper fertilizer use and planting native species, a guide to decorating tips and entertaining, and recommendations for good spots for day trips around the Bay. http://www.chesapeakeclub.org/

March 2005 -

National Recycling Coalition Online Library

Wouldn't it be great if all those consulting studies and reports paid for by recycling agencies around the nation were online for everyone to share?  Now they are! The National Recycling Coalition’s Recycle Library consists of hundreds of reports, fact sheets, and studies from organizations nation-wide.  You can search more than 500 reports in categories such as market development, source reduction, collection techniques, economics, and much more. The library also includes an assortment of Pennsylvania’s Recycling Technical Assistance Reports. These reports cover a wide range of topics including evaluating and improving recycling and composting programs, developing new facilities, and establishing Pay-as-You-Throw programs. http://www.recyclelibrary.com

February 2005 -
The US EPA is implementing a multi-year project to scan copies of major National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits and make them easily available to the public on their website.  Over 2000 NPDES individual and general permits can be found at http://www.epa.gov/npdes/permitsearch. 

January 2005 -
The US Geological Survey (USGS) developed a new Nonindigenous Aquatic Species (NAS) Alert System to track the spread of invasive species nationwide. Users can report nonindigenous and invasive aquatic species, automatically receive email alerts, or perform searches on aquatic species. The system is flexible, allowing the user to search by geographic region or by nonindigenous species. http://nas.er.usgs.gov/AlertSystem

December 2004 -

If you’re looking for a way to brighten the smile of a youngster in your life this holiday season, visit http://www.santalovesme.com/. You can order online a personalized letter from Santa that will be sent to the child of your choice in early December, complete with “North Pole Snow” and other goodies. No two letters are alike. Santa will mention friends' names, family members, pet's names and even the special treats left on the plate for him last year. Plus, ten percent of profits from the site are used to buy hats and mittens for the Crombie Street Church homeless shelter in Salem, MA.

November 2004 -
Do you love loons? Have you ever wondered where they go in the winter once they leave your favorite pristine lake? The USGS Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center has an intriguing animated website highlighting the results of their loon migration studies in 1998-99 and 2003-04. Viewers can follow a satellite-marked loon from Minnesota, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, or the Adirondack Park of New York State through its migration south to its wintering area and again north in the spring. Beginning this fall, viewers will be able to track tagged loons in real time through their fall migration. Loon facts and visual displays on the effects of weather systems on loon migration are included. Visit this fun interactive site at http://www.umesc.usgs.gov/terrestrial/migratory_birds/loons/migrations.html. To learn more about Adirondack loons, visit the Adirondack Cooperative Loon Program website at http://www.adkscience.org/loons/index.htm.

October 2004 -
The East Coast Greenway provides muscle-powered users with a safe trail connecting the cities of the eastern seaboard. This 2,600-mile off-road trail system is 20 percent complete and being created by connecting local trails to form a continuous route. The urban sister to the Appalachian Trail, it serves as a pathway to adventure for walkers, cyclists, skaters, skiers, equestrians and persons with disabilities. The route will be at least 80 percent off-road, using waterfront esplanades, park paths, abandoned railroads, canal towpaths, and parkway corridors. The ultimate goal is to develop the entire trail from Maine to Florida. To see maps of the proposed greenway segments in your state, visit http://www.greenway.org.

September 2004 -
Want to see some good before and after photos of wetland restoration projects? The new Massachusetts Wetlands Restoration Program (WRP) web site provides in-depth coverage of wetland restoration activities in the Commonwealth.  Restoration advocates will find particularly informative the interactive maps, pictures, and summary descriptions of over 70 active and completed restoration projects.  Maps and summaries are also provided for all wetlands restoration plans and coastal tidal restriction atlases. An extensive list of links to federal, state, and non-profit restoration resources rounds out the offerings.  CZM and WRP intend for this site to serve as a virtual hub of wetland restoration information in Massachusetts, but much of the information is applicable to other states or regions. http://www.mass.gov/czm/wrp/index.htm. For more information about wetland creation and wetland restoration, contact F. X. Browne, Inc. at info@fxbrowne.com

August 2004 -
EPA's Office of Water has just released a new version of EnviroMapper for Water at http://www.epa.gov/waters/enviromapper/. EnviroMapper for Water provides a Web-based mapping connection to a wealth of water data. It can be used to view and map data such as the uses assigned to local waters (fishing, swimming, etc), a list of impaired waters, the reasons why waters are impaired, water quality monitoring information, closures of swimming beaches, and the location of discharges. Maps can be viewed at the national, regional, state or local levels. This latest release of EnviroMapper for Water (Version 3.0) features several new layers of water data including EPA's national water quality database STORET, National Estuary Program study areas, and the location of nonpoint source projects.  Other enhancements make it easier to locate and view these data, and instructions are included describing how to incorporate the resulting map into your own web page.

July 2004 - 
Baltimore Ecosystem Study
When people think of ecology, they usually imagine studies out in the country. People and cities usually don't come to mind when ecology is mentioned. The Baltimore Ecosystem Study (BES) aims to understand metropolitan Baltimore as an ecological system. The program brings together researchers from the biological, physical, and social sciences to collect new data and synthesize existing information on how both the ecological and engineered systems of Baltimore work. In spite of the fact that a majority of the US population lives in metropolitan areas, ecologists have not studied cities and their surrounding suburban and rural lands as ecological systems. Some isolated studies of specific factors have been performed, but the integrated studies to examine biodiversity, nutrient and energy flow, ecological structure, and dynamics of all these things through time, have not been done. This study is cutting edge research to investigate the social, hydrological, atmospheric, and built components of the metropolitan ecosystem for a complete ecological understanding of an urban area. Visit the website at http://www.beslter.org.

June 2004 - 
The Environmental Advisory Council Network (EAC Network) a project of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC) is proud to announce the launching of a new Municipal Open Space Financing Website, http://www.fundingopenspace.org. Municipalities have an important role in open space protection and this website explains the financial tools available to municipalities. The website also includes current efforts, an explanation of funding options, an extensive resources section and an explanation of how an EAC can contribute to open space protection.

May 2004 - 
Why should we protect our nation’s rivers? Rivers provide essential habitat, clean water, recreational opportunities, drainage, and economic vitality, making them a community asset with quantifiable economic value. Visit the American Rivers website at http://www.americanrivers.org/economicbenefitsofriverprotection.html for a series of articles and links related to the economic benefits of river protection.

April 2004 - 
Now that spring is upon us, thoughts may be turning to gardening and yardwork. Audubon At Home, a new program made possible in part by the US Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), is bringing conservation home through an interactive website designed to give guests useful information on making their backyards more bird-friendly, and their homes healthier and safer for their families. It accomplishes this by helping users identify the natural characteristics of their property and its role in local ecology. As the centerpiece of this year’s Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), the new Audubon At Home website gives users the tools they need to create backyards that will attract birds and safeguard them as well. Information organized under the Five Simple Actions outlined on the website (reduce pesticide use, conserve water, protect water quality, remove exotic plant pests, and plant native species) will not only help birds, but will also improve habitat for other wildlife and help protect local water resources as well. Visit the site at http://www.audubon.org/bird/at_home/index.html. 

March 2004 - 
Do conservation buffers make economic sense?  Can landowners earn income on buffers after cost-share programs are completed? Does removing an existing buffer make economic sense? Answering these questions is now easier with a new tool called Buffer$, a simple spreadsheet-based application to assist landowners and planners in analyzing the cost-benefits of conservation buffers. Buffer$ can be downloaded from the National Agroforestry Center’s Web site, http://www.unl.edu/nac/conservation/. It requires Microsoft Excel to run. Developed by the NAC in Lincoln, Nebraska, with input from Natural Resources Conservation Service personnel, Buffer$ can calculate potential income from a buffer using cost-share programs, growing agroforestry specialty products, and incorporating other income opportunities. To aid in decision-making, the buffer alternative can then be compared to the potential income generated from a cropping alternative using this tool.

February 2004 -
One person’s trash is another person’s treasure, so they say. One grassroots movement is trying to incorporate the old adage into a recycling effort. The Freecycle Network was initiated in May 2003 to promote waste reduction in Tucson's downtown and help save the desert landscape from being taken over by landfills. The movement has gained so much success it has gone national with many local groups listed on the website. At http://www.freecycle.org/, individuals and non-profits are provided with an electronic forum to "recycle" unwanted items. The only rule: everything posted must be free. Whether it's a chair, a fax machine, piano, or an old door to be given away, it can be posted on the network. People looking to acquire an item can respond to the posting directly and set up a pickup time for passing on the treasure. Even the membership is free!

January 2004 - 
A new interactive website showcases watershed restoration projects from five watersheds around the US. Virtual 3D explorations of these watershed areas are possible at www.interactivewatersheds.net with the use of 360-degree panoramas, accompanied by explanatory text outlining the restoration activities taking place in the watershed. In addition, digital terrain maps give users the choice of many sub-watershed areas, including views that span great distances or examine riverside microenvironments. Users can move the 360-degree panoramic views side to side and up and down to find additional descriptive text, photographs, and audio-video sequences of people talking about natural resource issues. Activities include efforts to improve water quality, restore upland and riparian vegetation and wetlands, and rehabilitate fish and wildlife habitats. The Interactive Watersheds web site also features Watershed Community Centers, in which watershed groups and interested individuals can engage in real-time interaction about ongoing restoration work.

December 2003 -
If you are wondering what kind of holiday celebrations take place in other countries around the world, we have the sites for you. Christmas WorldView is a great site for learning about Christmas traditions, including recipes, songs, and customs, as well as how to say Merry Christmas in several different languages. The information is accessed via a clickable global map at http://www.christmas.com/worldview. If you are interested in other cultural holidays, http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson246.shtml has information about many different December holidays, including Ramadan, Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa. The links provide information about the holidays and their customs, recipes, songs, lesson plans, and educational projects.

November 2003 - 
For anyone who works on environmental projects in Pennsylvania, The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) now has an interesting new feature available through their Bureau of Planning and Research - GIS/Cartography unit. A new web application features video logs consisting of digital photos at regular intervals along Pennsylvania roads, along with right and left shots. The videos are tied into a GIS-based interface for picking roadway segments, so the user can essentially “drive” down a chosen roadway stretch and get a quick view of existing features adjacent to state roadways without having to actually travel to the site. The system is available online at: http://164.156.5.83/ividlog/video_locate.asp.

October 2003 - 
All I can say is, you have to see RoboCow to believe it! I highly recommend visiting http://www.agr.gc.ca/pfra/flash/robocow/en/robocow_e.htm (someone had a little too much time on their hands…)

September 2003 -
Anyone who has ever searched for funding for a watershed project knows how daunting a task it can be. If you’re tired of wading through booklets and Internet searches, check out EPA’s new on-line searchable federal funding program database at www.epa.gov/watershedfunding. The database allows the user to narrow down search criteria to simplify the process. Visitors to the site can search by financial assistance source (grants, loans, cost-sharing), type of organization (e.g., non-profit groups, private landowner, state, business), keywords (e.g., nonpoint source pollution, wildlife habitat), or simply by title. For additional assistance with seeking funding for watershed projects, contact info@fxbrowne.com.

August 2003 -
Are you a Link-of-the-Month fan? Have you ever seen a link or new publication listed in the Lake and Watershed News, but not been able to remember where you saw it? You don’t need to search through every newsletter to find what you are looking for – just go to the F. X. Browne, Inc. website and look under the “Links” or “Publications” tabs to find the items from past newsletters. Of course, if it’s the poetry you’re after, you can always go to the “Newsletters” tab and peruse past versions of the newsletter. As always, we are open to suggestions from our readers for ways to improve the Lake and Watershed News, or topics you would like to see covered. Please e-mail newsletter@fxbrowne.com with any feedback. We appreciate your interest!

July 2003 -
Are you fascinated by lakes? Visit LakeNet’s archive of Amazing Lakes at http://www.worldlakes.org/lakeprofiles.asp?anchor=amazing to see pictures and interesting facts about lakes in exotic locations all over the world, including Antarctica, Africa, and Iceland.

June 2003 -
Looking for information about recreational opportunities in the Delaware River Basin? Check out "i-Map DelBasin," an Internet GIS mapping project that identifies sites to launch boats, gauging stations that provide river flows, locations where recreational boaters can safely pump out marine heads, state and federal parks, and state and federal fish consumption advisories. You can even find directions to get you to your location of choice. Under the i-Map DelBasin application, dissimilar reference maps from the four states in the Delaware Basin- New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware - are customized into one standardized map, with a uniform scale. I-Map can be found on the DRBC web site at www.drbc.net or on the Delaware Estuary Program (DELEP) web site at www.delep.org. Specialized GIS software is not needed to run the application.

May 2003 -
Is your community a Green Community? Do you want to find out more about how to make your community more environmentally sustainable? Visit the EPA’s Green Communities website at http://www.epa.gov/greenkit/index.html for more information. The website includes a toolkit that provides a step-by-step guide for planning and implementing sustainable actions, case studies, links to existing Green Communities, links to books and articles about Green Communities, official Green Community registration guidelines, and teacher resources.

April 2003 -
Earth Day is coming up on April 22. This is the perfect time to plan or attend a celebration or event in your favorite watershed. For information and ideas for Earth Day celebrations or activities, visit http://www.dep.state.pa.us/earthdaycentral/03/links.htm. For those looking to organize an Earth Day event, an Earth Day Organizer’s Guide is available at http://earthday.envirolink.org/organizers.html. For a listing of events taking place near you, visit http://www.earthday.net/events/.

March 2003 -
Starting on March 10, 2003, operators of Phase II regulated small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s) and small construction activities will be required to obtain National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) stormwater permits. The US EPA provides information about the new Phase II Stormwater regulations, including fact sheets, a list of eligible MS4s, maps, information about best management practices, and more, at http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/home.cfm?program_id=6. For a comprehensive list of links to Phase II stormwater regulations in each state, visit the F. X. Browne, Inc. website. Click on your state of interest at www.fxbrowne.com.

February 2003 -
A new tutorial is available online from McGraw-Hill Companies, entitled “Groundwater and Wetlands.” Although designed as an educational activity, the site provides comprehensive information to students and laypeople alike. Topics include the hydrologic cycle, rock properties, groundwater systems, high plains aquifer, human modifications of groundwater systems, and wetlands information. Each well-designed section contains creative illustrations, diagrams, and photographs, as well as non-technical text. In addition, a series of quizzes and exercises are provided in order to test the user’s knowledge, along with links to informative websites. The tutorial can be accessed at http://www.mhhe.com/earthsci/geology/mcconnell/demo/index.html.

January 2003 -
A new user-friendly GIS tool is available online for accessing information about Pennsylvania watersheds. “What’s In My Watershed?” provides watershed groups and the general public with useful information about Pennsylvania watersheds, including facilities, mines, caves, PA 104 watersheds, municipal boundaries, discharges, flood plains, surface waters, EPA toxic release inventory data, landslide susceptibility, and other pertinent information. To access the site, visit http://www.emappa.dep.state.pa.us/emappawebsite/emapWIMN/, or click on the “My Watershed” icon on the PA DEP homepage. 

December 2002 -
The NBC4 Weather Net4 web site has a new section on "Forests Matter."  This interactive educational resource includes descriptions of the role of trees and forests in protecting water quality, drinking water, clean air, climate, and wildlife habitat, and information on forest fires. Check out the six new chapters at (Sorry, link no longer available.)  By clicking on the NBC4 Watershed Project Home page, one can view an interview with USDA Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth discussing the role of forests and trees in providing healthy watersheds and clean water and the threats to the nation's forests from urbanization, fire, drought, and other factors. The home page also includes information about the Chesapeake Bay watershed, media features, environmental news archives, and a watershed community involvement calendar.

November 2002 -
The new USGS Water Watch website (http://water.usgs.gov/waterwatch) provides real time information about the status of rivers and streams around the country. A color-coded map - green for normal, blue for wet, and red for drought-parched streams – allows visitors to click on their state and then on the nearest stream to access current streamflow conditions as computed at USGS gaging stations. The colors represent real-time streamflow compared to percentiles of historical daily streamflow for the day of the year. Clicking on a stream station delivers weekly and current stream discharge and gage height graphs, as well as data about the station and equipment. The site can provide critical information to citizens and emergency managers during times of flood, and to local water managers during times of drought at a click of the mouse.

October 2002 -
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources recently launched a comprehensive web site that utilizes new monitoring technologies and the Internet to provide a better picture of the health of the Chesapeake and Coastal Bays and assess progress in meeting Chesapeake 2000 goals. The web site, accessed at www.eyesonthebay.net, provides real-time information on a wide spectrum of the data, including salinity, temperature, levels of dissolved oxygen, pH, water clarity, algal levels and chlorophyll concentrations. In addition, the web site provides extensive, easy-to-understand background material to help the public to understand why the data is relevant, how to interpret it, and what Maryland is doing to restore the health of the Bays and their tributaries.

September 2002 -
It is currently estimated that over half of the United States is experiencing drought conditions. The American Rivers Drought Toolkit is a website overflowing (ok, sorry!) with information on water conservation and drought management strategies for both homeowners and municipalities. Other topics include how drought can affect rivers and the effects of sprawl on water supply. This excellent resource can be found at www.amrivers.org/instreamflowtoolkit/droughttoolkit.htm. 

August 2002 -
EPA has announced the winners of its 2002 Wetlands Photo Contest. The purpose of the photography contest was to encourage photographers to appreciate and capture on film the myriad functions and values of wetlands in the United States. The winning photographs will be featured on an EPA poster illustrating how protecting and restoring the natural resources and functions of wetlands in your community, as well as your watershed, will have both economic and environmental benefits. To view the grand prize winning photo of a black tern feeding its chick, and additional impressive photos from the remaining finalists visit http://www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/photocontest2003.html. 

July 2002 -
Whether you like history, watershed information, maps, or beautiful pictures of the Green and Adirondack Mountains towering over Lake Champlain, this website has something for you. The Lake Champlain Basin Atlas has information and links pertaining to the Lake Champlain basin in New York and Vermont, including more than 40 full-color maps, resources, history, and Lake Champlain Basin Program data. The website also has many useful fact sheets about nonpoint source pollution, zebra mussels, phosphorus, and much more that pertain to regions outside the Lake Champlain watershed. Visit the site at www.lcbp.org/atlas/HTML/intro.htm.

June 2002 -
Have you ever looked for a picture of an eagle, a duck, or just a kid fishing? Now you can find what you need in over 2000 photographs now available via the Internet from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This unique collection of photographs is dedicated solely to fish and wildlife, wildlands, and wildlife conservation efforts. The public domain (copyright-free) images have been digitized and loaded into a searchable database and are available for downloading in high and low resolutions from the new web site: http://images.fws.gov.

May 2002 -
A new interactive website by the National Geographic Society explores alternatives to sprawl in suburban communities. Visitors to the site navigate a virtual “New Urbanist” development, which is based on the Old Main Street model, featuring a web of pedestrian-friendly streets cradling a mass-transit-served town center surrounded by a mix of housing alternatives. Find out how new urbanism can save open space, reduce car dependence and pollution, and strengthen community ties by visiting www.nationalgeographic.com/earthpulse/sprawl.

April 2002 -
In honor of Earth Day, our Link of the Month provides plenty of ideas about how to reduce the water usage in and around your home. The H2Ouse Water Saver Home website from the California Urban Water Conservation Council takes you on a virtual tour of a house, from the kitchen to the patio and everywhere in between, providing tips on water saving strategies along the way. Also available are do-it-yourself maintenance and repair tips, landscaping information, and drought tips, which could come in very handy in many parts of the country right now. Visit the site at www.h2ouse.net.

March 2002 - 
Watershed monitoring groups and other concerned citizens now have an online database and community action tool they can utilize to help store, analyze, and share information about their watersheds. The GREEN (Global Rivers Environmental Education Network) website provides access to interactive maps, calendars, and resources, project tracking to monitor progress toward solving a watershed problem, a display board for pictures and stories of watershed groups in action, a checklist system and action tips for watershed monitoring, and curricular resources for educators. The site can be found at www.green.org.

February 2002 -
If you are looking for a site with lots of links to stream corridor restoration information, visit (Sorry this link is no longer active 7/04). The site, maintained by the USDA, provides links to research projects around the country, techniques and practices of stream corridor restoration, and river management organizations. You can even add a link to your own stream restoration project website.

January 2002 -
What is your Ecological Footprint? The Redefining Progress website, at http://www.redefiningprogress.org/programs/sustainabilityindicators/ef/, has developed an Ecological Footprint quiz calculator that includes questions about individual food choices, transportation use, and housing. The website then calculates the viewer’s ecological impact on the planet for an individual living in the United States. The average American needs approximately 31 acres to support his or her level of resource consumption. How do you measure up?

December 2001 -
Wondering what the jolly fat guy in red is up to this month? Log on to the official NORAD Santa-tracking website for up-to-the-minute details on Santa’s activities in his preparation for the big day. Visit www.noradsanta.org to track Santa as his deliveries begin!

October/November 2001 - 
The Environmental Protection Agency has launched its WATERS (Watershed Assessment, Tracking and Environmental Results) web site at http://www.epa.gov/waters. The site features access to information about water quality listed by geographic area. It incorporates the U.S. Geological Survey's National Hydrographic Dataset, and provides unified access to water quality information from several state and EPA databases, including EPA's Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Database and its new National Water Quality Standards Database. Users can find information on waters classified by states as impaired (those waters not attaining water quality standards and on the purpose or use of each waterbody (such as whether or not it is designated for protection as a drinking water supply, for recreational use, or for fishing). Users can also search for water quality information for a particular body of water by clicking on an interactive map, which is currently available for 11 states. EPA will update WATERS as new information becomes available, eventually covering all 50 states, and will add links to data on ambient water quality, drinking water quality, polluted runoff, fish consumption advisories, facility discharge outfalls, and other information.

September 2001 -
The New Jersey Lake Restoration and Management Advisory Task Force has been established within the NJ Department of Environmental Protection. The Task Force was created to examine the causes of lake eutrophication, the types of measures necessary to restore and properly manage freshwater lakes, and ways to finance such work. The website includes information about Task Force officers and activities, an inventory of New Jersey Lakes, a children’s section, and links to other lake related websites, as well as a form for interested participants to fill out concerning their local lake. The Task Force website can be found at. Sorry!  this link is no longer active!

August 2001 -
The US EPA has posted its online database of watershed groups, volunteer monitoring organizations, schools and others working to protect and restore our nation’s water resources. The Adopt Your Watershed database is a searchable database of over 3,000 organizations. The goal is to provide citizens with an easy way to learn about opportunities to get involved in their watershed and to provide a network for groups to share information, tools and resources. Watershed organizations can sign up online to be included in the database. Visit the EPA website at www.epa.gov/adopt to view the database. 

July 2001 - 
EPA's popular River Corridor and Wetland Restoration Web Site now offers a biweekly update that provides current information on wetland and river corridor restoration projects, recognizes outstanding restoration projects, and provides a forum for information sharing. To view the update, go to http://www.epa.gov/owow/restore/ and click on "biweekly restoration update."

June 2001 -
The Nation’s Invasive Species Information System has a comprehensive informational website designed to facilitate access to invasive species data and resources. The site can be found at www.invasivespecies.gov, and is guided by the Invasive Species Council. The site describes the impacts of invasive species and the federal government’s response. It also provides select species profiles and links to other related sites.

May 2001 - 
The Smart Growth Network was developed to encourage development that better serves the economic, environmental, and social needs of communities. The Smart Growth Network website has an extensive bibliography of articles and publications on both sides of the sprawl issue, and lists news, events, announcements, and presentations related to smart growth initiatives. Smart growth invests time, attention, and resources in restoring community and vitality to center cities and older suburbs. New smart growth is more town-centered, is transit and pedestrian oriented, and has a greater mix of housing, commercial and retail uses. It also preserves open space and many other environmental amenities. Visit the website for more information at http://www.smartgrowth.org/.

April 2001 - 
The Center for Neighborhood Technology has designed a new website to inform people about simple ways to reduce their energy use and improve the quality of our air. At www.AirHead.org, viewers fill out a simple questionnaire and the emissions calculator determines how much air pollution the viewer creates as an individual, and how that amount compares with the national average. In addition, the site offers educational information about simple ways to reduce the impact of day-to-day activities on the environment. A product search ranks 70,000 household products by their energy-use emissions, and a discussion forum provides an opportunity for connecting with other concerned citizens.

March 2001 -
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality has an excellent Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) web page describing their program and providing links to other TMDL resources. The website can be found at http://www.deq.state.va.us/tmdl/homepage.html. Of particular interest is a table in the VA DEQ’s Big Otter River Basin Fecal Coliform TMDL report, outlining several fecal coliform TMDLs that detail fecal coliform production rates for a variety of animals, including pets, humans and wildlife. The data can be found in Table 2.4, on page 52 of the Big Otter River report at http://www.deq.state.va.us/tmdl/drftmdls/bigotter.pdf.

February 2001 - 
A new EPA website provides links to water-related environmental education resources for students and teachers. The site includes comprehensive links to EPA and other government environmental education sites with video/interactive materials, top-rated water curriculum ideas and other resources. Visit the EPA student/teacher educational resources site at www.epa.gov/adopt/education.html. For more children’s environmental education links, click on the Kids Page on the FXB website.

January 2001 - 
The new Stormwater Manager’s Resource Center website is up and running. The site, supported by an EPA Office of Wastewater Management grant, can be found at http://www.stormwatercenter.net/. Available tools featured at the site include a searchable stormwater library, a manual builder, an ordinance selector, more than 50 fact sheets on virtually every topic necessary for a community to implement Phase 1 or 2 stormwater requirements, and fully downloadable articles from “The Practice of Watershed Protection.” Especially interesting are the 10 browsable slideshows on topics such as the design of stormwater ponds and wetlands and the impacts of urbanization. Sorry!  this link is no longer active!

December 2000 - 
The USDA Agricultural Research Service has developed a website with information about Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs). The site includes background information and definitions, frequently-asked-questions, links to EPA sites, state-specific TMDL information, tools for developing TMDLs, and articles about recent congressional hearings. http://www.nal.usda.gov/wqic/TMDL.html.

November 2000 -
Determine the emission benefits of using solar energy for your state with the EPA's Environmental Benefits of Solar Energy calculator.  http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/egrid/index.html.