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F. X. Browne, Inc.'s
Sustainable Environments
December 2009
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DEAR SANTA
- by Del "Abe" Jones
Dear Santa, I'm older
But, still believe in you
(At least, I believe in
The things you try, to do).
Maybe, I can't ask for
A Tonka, or, a train.
(But, if you'd bring one of them
You know, I won't complain).
But, what I really wish for
Is a special present
Love that can't be "returned"
Once it has been sent.
Everybody needs a little
And some, need a lot
But, if you get a tiny bit
You still know what you got.
So Santa, drop a little
Under each Christmas tree
Then, all will get a present
From what it's 'posed to be.
And if there is no tree
For the alone, and poor
When you get, to their place
Just, drop, a little more.
http://www.theholidayspot.com/christmas/poems/poetry_page_7.htm
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Photo credit:
SubZeroConsciousness on
Flickr.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/subzeroconsciousness/3341260180/ |
Editor's
Notes:
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Happy
Holidays from
F. X. Browne, Inc.!
If you're anything like me, you still have quite a bit of Christmas
shopping to do. Here are some great ideas to make your holiday
shopping easier!
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The
Pennsylvania Fish &
Boat Commission and Game Commission Outdoor Shop has gifts
for all, including fishing licenses, posters, patches, and more.
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The
Pennsylvania Game Commission
Outdoor Shop has more great gifts like books, patches, and
collectibles. Click on the Outdoor Shop icon.
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The Chesapeake Bay
Foundation has lots of great products to support their efforts.
Click on "Shop CBF" at the bottom of the screen. You can
receive a free 2010 calendar with orders of $50 or more. Also,
become an online member and receive a 10% discount.
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The Nature Conservancy
has lots of great gift ideas, like adopting an acre or coral reef for a loved
one. Click on their Nature Gift Guide.
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Mother
Earth News offers a lot of unique gifts, from educational books
to household products.
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Inhabitat.com is a website
devoted to sustainable design, technology, and architecture.
Click
here to view their
2009 Holiday Gift Guide.
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The
Rain Garden
Network features lots of practical gifts, from rain barrels to
water saving devices.
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Shop with the National
Wildlife Federation and support wildlife.
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The National Wildlife Federation Organic Wine Club features
organic wines from vineyards committed to sustainable wine growing
practices. You can chose a 2 bottle set or a 4 bottle set.
Royalty proceeds go to the National Wildlife Federation.
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Organic
Bouquet has partnered with the National Wildlife Federation to
provide unique organic gifts including flowers, food, gift baskets,
and more. 10% of the retail purchase will be donated to the
National Wildlife Federation. From now through December 30,
you will receive a 5% discount.
~ Lisen Cummings, Sustainable Environments Editor/Designer
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News Clips:
EPA
Study Reveals Widespread Contamination of Fish in U.S. Lakes and Reservoirs
A new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) study has found
concentrations of toxic chemicals such as mercury and PCBs in fish in nearly
all 50 U.S. states. More...
Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) Releases
Findings from Four River Monitoring Programs
The SRBC has announced
results from four river monitoring programs.
More...
EPA
Report: America Needs to Invest $334 Billion in Water Projects
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released a report
entitled “Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment:
Fourth Report to Congress”.
More...
Riparian and
Wetland Buffers for Water-Quality Protection
Wetland and
riparian vegetated buffers are important for preserving and enhancing water
quality.
More...
Pennsylvania Praised for Removing Unsafe Dams
Pennsylvania is the national leader in river restoration, according to
American Rivers. A total of 20 dams will be removed in Pennsylvania this
year.
More...
Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds
Initiative
This Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative will improve
water quality and the overall health of the Mississippi River Basin. More...
Policy
Updates:
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Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) Seeks
Partners for Proposed Real-Time Water Quality Monitoring Network for
Small Streams
The SRBC is looking
for partners to help with a monitoring network to constantly record
water quality in smaller rivers and streams in the northern tier
Pennsylvania and southern tier New York. The purpose of the network
would be to provide data to agencies and the public, to establish
baseline water quality data, to monitor effects of the natural gas well
industry or other pollution sources, to enhance water supply protection,
and more. They are proposing 30 monitoring stations to monitor water
flows, temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, conductance, and turbidity.
The SRBC is seeking partners from all sectors (public and private) for
financial support, feedback, and involvement.
http://www.srbc.net/whatsnew/Newsletters/article_30.asp
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New Army
Corps Policy Forces Project Designers to Consider Rising Seas
A
new U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (US ACOE) policy is forcing project
designers to consider the impacts of climate change in flood control,
navigation, and water projects. They will factor in rising sea levels
to ensure projects are successful in the future. Scientists expect sea
levels to rise 7 to 23 inches, or a maximum of 3 feet, within this
century.
http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/11/11/11greenwire-new-army-corps-policy-forces-project-designers-7288.html
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DEP, DCNR to Furlough Or Eliminate 333
Full Time Positions
Due To Budget Cuts
Dramatic cuts in Pennsylvania’s 2009-10
budget has caused furloughs and the elimination of full time vacant
positions in the PA DEP and DCNR. In the PA DEP, 138 employees were
furloughed and 120 vacant postions were eliminated. In the PA DCNR, 9
employees were furloughed and 66 vacant positions were eliminated. The
PA DEP budget was cut by $58 million (26.7%) and the PA DEP budget was
cut by $21 million (18.5%).
PA Environment Digest, November 23, 2009
http://www.paenvironmentdigest.com/newsletter/default.asp?NewsletterArticleID=14100
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EPA Issues
Rule to Reduce Water Pollution from Construction Sites
The
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a rule which will take
effect in February 2010 to improve water quality nationwide. The final
rule requires best management practices for projects that disturb one or
more acres to prevent soil pollution of nearby water bodies. For
projects that impact 10 or more acres will be required to monitor
discharges to show compliance with specific limits on discharges.
http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/guide/construction
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Draft
Strategy for Protecting and Restoring the Chesapeake Bay:
Request for
Public Comments
The
draft strategy (Executive Order 13508) contains initiatives to restore
clean water, conserve treasured places, protect fish and wildlife, and
address impacts of climate change. The draft strategy is open for
public comment until January 8, 2010.
To view
the draft strategy, visit
http://executiveorder.chesapeakebay.net/
Instructions for
public comments can be found by visiting
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/pdf/E9-26923
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PA Trails Website
This website
allows people to search, view, map, and share information on the
thousands of miles of trails in Pennsylvania. You are invited to
help identify trail locations, give reviews, and share stories about
your favorite trails. You can find information on hiking, biking,
canoeing, state forests, rail to trails, cross country skiing,
equestrian, snowmobile, and ATV trails.
http://www.explorepatrails.com/
The picture on the right
features my favorite winter hiking trails in Ricketts Glen State
Park.
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/
parks/rickettsglen/rickettsglen_trails.aspx
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Photo credit: Steve Bate on
Flickr.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/64658368@N00/3189257688/ |
Link of the Month:
Villanova
Stormwater Symposium Presentations
The PA Stormwater Management Symposium on October 14-15 was a success for
the engineers, planners and water resource professionals who attended.
Visit this site to view the presentation web pages.
http://www3.villanova.edu/VUSP/Outreach/paswm09/index.htm
Tools and
Publications:
Stormwater
Research Report: “Flow Control and Water Quality Treatment Performance of a
Residential Low Impact Development Pilot Project in Western Washington”
This report
evaluates the performance of low impact development (LID) when integrated into a
residential stormwater management system. It features bioretention swales,
permeable concrete, amended soils, and surface flow dispersion. You can access
this free publication in the “Publications” section at
www.werf.org or
www.ndwrcdp.org.
Wetland
Plants of the Northeast: Region 1 (Prepared by The Swamp School)
This free
resource provides useful information on wetland plants and their USFWS wetland
indicators.
http://swampschool.org/
Video Blog: Transferable Development Rights,
Another Tool to Permanently Preserve Open Space
This video,
provided by the Montgomery County Lands Trust (in Pennsylvania), describes how
transferable development rights can preserve open space and meet the need for
additional development.
PA Environment Digest
http://paenvirodigestvideo.blogspot.com/2009/11/div-transferable-development-rights.html
EPA Watershed Academy
Online Module: "The Effects of Climate Change on Water Resources and Programs"
This module
educates water program managers and the general public on the possible effects
of climate change on water resources and water programs.
http://www.epa.gov/watertrain/climate_water/
NY DEC Launches New York Nature Explorer
The New York
Department of Environmental Conservation (NY DEC) provides this interactive
website of biodiversity information. You can learn about birds, reptiles,
amphibians, rare animals and plants, and significant natural communities. The
site also has lists of information, links to fact sheets, and maps.
http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/57844.html
Sustainable Sites Initiative – Landscape Rating
System
A rating
system has been released for the design, construction and maintenance of
sustainable landscapes, with or without buildings. It works on a 250-point
scale, and has levels of achievement for reaching 40%, 50%, 60%, or 80% of the
points. To view “The Case for Sustainable Landscapes” and “Guidelines and
Performance Benchmarks 2009” reports, visit
http://www.sustainablesites.org/. The Sustainable
Sites Initiative is looking for pilot projects at least 2,000 square feet in
size to test the rating system. The deadline is February 15, 2010. For more
information, visit
http://www.sustainablesites.org/pilot/.
http://www.sustainablesites.org/report/
EPA SunWise with Shade
Poster Contest
The U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) SunWise program and the
Shade Foundation of America are focused on protecting children from
excessive sun exposure, to prevent skin cancer, cataract/eye damage,
and immune system suppression. Students from kindergarten to 8th
grade can submit hand-drawn posters (8.5” x 11”) attached to an
official entry form. The posters should be original, creative, and
show how to prevent skin cancer and promote sun safety awareness.
Entries are due by April 7, 2010.
http://www.shadefoundation.org/programs/poster-contest/
To visit the
EPA’s SunWise program, visit
http://www.epa.gov/sunwise/
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Photo credit: philip.bitnar on
Flickr.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/philipbitnar/2037522285/ |
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Newsletter Editor/Design and Layout:
Lisen Cummings
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of F. X. Browne, Inc.'s Sustainable Environments is now available. To be added to our mailing list, please visit
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F. X.
Browne, Inc. – Environmental Consulting
Engineers – Planners – Scientists
31 Years of Excellence & Innovation
Corporate
Office: Lansdale, PA
Pocono Office: Marshalls Creek, PA
New York Office: Saranac Lake, NY
For more information, call us at (215) 362-3878 or visit:
http://www.fxbrowne.com
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friendly version of the newsletter, click here.
F. X. Browne, Inc. Sustainable Environments by F. X. Browne, Inc. is licensed under a
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Clipart from Microsoft
Office Online.
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