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F. X. Browne, Inc.'s Sustainable Environments December 2011
December Leaves The fallen leaves are cornflakes that fill the lawn's wide dish. The night and noon, the wind a spoon and stirs them with a swish.   The sky's a silver sifter, a-sifting white and slow that gently shakes on crisp brown flakes the sugar known as snow.   -Kaye Starbird		Photo credit:  itsjed on Flickr.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/itsjed/4664617091/

Happy Holidays from F. X. Browne, Inc.!

 

“One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. 
Don't clean it up too quickly.”

~Andy Rooney

 

 

Bat-Killing Culprit Identified by Scientists White-Nose Syndrome was first identified in 2005 and has killed over a million bats in the U.S.  Researchers have confirmed that the disease is produced by the fungus Geomyces destructans.  The disease leaves a white dust on the bat’s muzzle, causing them to starve to death during hibernation.  Now that the cause has been determined, it will be easier to develop management strategies to preserve remaining bat populations.  The disease is not airborne, but is likely spread when they fly in closer formation and brush against each other.  By Jeremy Hance, mongabay.com, October 31, 2011 http://news.mongabay.com/2011/1031-hance_wns.html

	EPA Announces Schedule to Develop Natural Gas Wastewater Standards/Announcement is part of administration’s priority to ensure natural gas development continues safely and responsibly The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it will initiate a rulemaking to regulate wastewater discharges associated with natural gas extraction from underground coalbed and shale formations.  Currently, shale gas extraction wastewater is prohibited from being directly discharged into waterways.  Some of this wastewater is transported to treatment plans, many of which are not equipped to treat this kind of wastewater.  The EPA will consider standards and cost-effective steps for pretreatment of this wastewater.  EPA News Release, October 20, 2011 http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/91E7FADB4B114C4A8525792F00542001
	US Forest Service Takes Action to Confront the Threat of Invasive Species The U. S. Forest Service released the first ever national-level direction on the management of invasive species of aquatic and terrestrial areas of the National Forest System.  This policy adds new requirements for agency-wide integration of invasive species prevention, early detection and rapid response, control, restoration, and activities across National Forest System lands.  U.S. Forest Service News Release 1150, December 5, 2011 http://www.fs.fed.us/news/2011/releases/12/invasive.shtml
	DEP to Issue Technical Guidance on Wastewater Treatment Permitting The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) will soon provide new technical guidance for updated wastewater treatment regulations.  The guidance requires new or expanded sources of natural gas wastewater to treat it to the federal drinking water standards of less than 500 milligrams per liter of total dissolved solids (TDS) prior to discharge.  The technical guidance document will assist DEP staff in implementing the new TDS effluent standard for discharges of treated natural gas wastewater.  Facilities that accept shale gas extraction wastewater that has not been fully pre-treated must also implement a radiation protection plan and monitor for radium-226, radium-228, uranium and gross alpha radiation in their effluent.  PA DEP News Release, November 3, 2011 http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/newsroom/14287?id=19146&typeid=1

 

 

Grants and Awards: To view our list of available grants, click here.   New grants added this month include:   Agricultural Land Conservation Assistance Grant Program PA PHMC – Keystone Historic Preservation Project and Construction Grants TreeVitalize Metros Grant Sustainable Chesapeake: A Community-Based Approach to Stormwater Management Using Green Infrastructure Urban Waters Small Grants Program

 

“He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree.”

~Roy L. Smith

Tools:

Penn State Water Resources Website

The Water Resources website provides a variety of information on water-related issues including water conservation, pond management, and private water systems.  This is a go-to site for learning more about water; from how to manage algae in your pond to what to do if you identify pollutants in your drinking water.   The site provides information, videos, publications, FAQs, and more. 

http://extension.psu.edu/water

 

Practical River Restoration Appraisal Guidance for Monitoring Options (PRAGMO)

The River Restoration Centre in the UK has published this guidance document to provide monitoring protocols for river and floodplain restoration projects.  The guidance was written for a wide range of organizations and abilities.    This document will be updated as new information and methods are available.  PRAGMO provides a way to compare results and the value for money of different restoration projects. 

http://www.therrc.co.uk/rrc_pragmo.php

 

Conservation Subdivision Handbook:  A guide for North Carolina communities in the use of conservation design for land use planning

The North Carolina Extension has released this new publication to guide communities in conservation Low Impact Development in land use planning.  Conservation subdivisions (CSDs) are deigned to reserve undivided tracts of land as communal open space.  The guide recommends 50 to 70 percent of the buildable land as open space by grouping homes together. 

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/forestry/pdf/ag/ag742.pdf

 

PA DEP – Land Application of Manure:  A supplement to Manure Management for Environmental Protection

The PA DEP has released this Manure Management Plan to guide farmers on how to utilize manure for high-yielding crops while protecting local streams and rivers from pollution.  The new guidelines require every farm that produces or uses manure to have a Manure Management Plan.  The manual recommends manure application setbacks of 100 feet from streams, maximum winter application rates, and best management practices.  The DEP has also provided a workbook to help farmers through the steps of creating a customized plan. 

http://www.elibrary.dep.state.pa.us/dsweb/Get/Document-86014/361-0300-002%20combined.pdf

 

 

“The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree:  the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.” 

 ~Burton Hillis

 

 

 

 

 

 

F. X. Browne, Inc.  – Environmental Consulting

Engineers – Planners – Scientists
34 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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