Editor's Notes:

Topic of the Month:

Tips for Getting the Most Out of Life, Even in a Bad Economy

The economic news gets worse every day, and naturally it makes a body nervous. We have some recommendations for low-cost activities and alternatives for enjoying the world around you. It may be as simple as turning your attention and your entertainment budget closer to home, and finding ways to have fun without spending much money. More...

Pop Culture's Best (Fictional) Couples:  Lois Lane and Superman  Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet  Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy  Han Solo and Leia Organa (Star Wars)  Lancelot and Guinevere (Camelot)  Buffy Summers and Angel (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)  Ross Geller and Rachel Greene (Friends)  Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger (Harry Potter)  Rick Blaine And Ilsa Lund (Casablanca)  Jim Halpert And Pam Beesly (The Office) - To see the whole list of the top 26 couples, visit Entertainment Weekly http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20178000,00.html

 

News Clips:

 

Policy Update:

	PADEP announced it has extended the deadline for comments on the draft document "Policy for Consideration of Local Comprehensive Plans and Zoning Ordinances in DEP Review of Authorization for Facility and Infrastructure" until March 2.
	A New Jersey land-preservation board has voted to accept a conservation easement for Petty's Island, marking a crucial first step toward restoring and preserving one of the Delaware River's largest islands.
	The PA Climate Change Advisory Committee is inviting technical experts and members of the public to help develop recommendations that may be included in an action plan for Pennsylvania to address climate change.

What To Do and What Not To Do In Erosion and Sediment Control Have you ever seen what happens when erosion and sediment control measures are improperly installed? This Web site includes some great photo examples of good and bad erosion and sediment control practices. http://www.aztecnm.com/publicworks/stormwater/bmps.htm

NPS Encyclopedia is Online Resource for Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Info 

The NPS Encyclopedia is a free online reference guide designed to facilitate a basic understanding of nonpoint source (NPS) pollution control and to provide quick access to essential information from a variety of sources. The purpose of this online resource guide is to support the implementation and development of NPS total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) and watershed action plans with a goal of protecting high quality waters and restoring impaired waters. http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/nps/encyclopedia.shtml 

Who Will Win the Golden Snowball Award? Each year, five cities in Central New York compete for the Golden Snowball Award. The award is given to the city that receives the most snowfall during that winter season. Competing cities are Albany, Buffalo, Binghamton, Rochester and Syracuse. Last year, Syracuse was the champion. Who will win this year? Keep tabs on the competition at http://goldensnowball.com/ Photo Credit: Golden Snowball Blog

New Tools and Publications:

New Stormwater Runoff Video Produced

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Botanic Garden produced an on-line video, “Reduce Runoff: Slow It Down, Spread It Out, Soak It In,” that highlights green techniques such as rain gardens, green roofs and rain barrels to help manage stormwater runoff. The video highlights green techniques on display in 2008 at the U.S. Botanic Garden’s “One Planet – Ours!” Exhibit" and at the U.S. EPA in Washington, D.C., including recently completed cisterns. http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/lid/video.html 

Soil and Water Assessment Tool Book Published

The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) book, Special Publication IV of the World Association of Soil and Water Conservation (WASWC), is now available. The book includes an overview of SWAT, an overview of the SWAT Model, a worldwide compilation of articles on SWAT, and future research applications. To order copies, contact Samran Sombatpanit at sombatpanit@yahoo.com.

Virginia Water Resources Research Center Releases Stormwater BMP Decision Support Tool

The Virginia Water Resources Research Center (VWRRC) recently released a report entitled, "Virginia's Stormwater Impact Evaluation: Developing an Optimization Tool for Improved Site Development, Selection and Placement of Stormwater Runoff BMPs." The report describes the development of an "optimization tool" for stormwater BMP selection. The new decision support tool is based on physical site characteristics; local, state, and federal pollution control ordinances; and implementation and long-term maintenance costs. http://tinyurl.com/aac98j [3.42 MB]

Stormwater BMP Performance Verification Checklist Available

The Center for Watershed Protection has released Tool #8 of their post-construction stormwater management project, Managing Stormwater in Your Community. Tool #8 is a downloadable checklist that will help local program authorities provide a consistent set of questions for applicants proposing to use manufactured and proprietary BMPs. The goal of this tool is to provide more of a level playing field so that all applicants provide the same type of BMP performance information and data as a basis for approving particular devices. http://www.cwp.org/postconstruction 

Newsletter Editor/ Design and Layout:  Rebecca Buerkett

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