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Editor's
Note:
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July is Lakes Appreciation Month
To draw attention to the value and
importance of lakes and reservoirs, The North American Lake Management
Society (NALMS) sponsors an annual Lakes
Appreciation Month. The event is celebrated throughout the United
States and Canada, typically coinciding with Independence Day (July 4)
in the U.S., Canada Day (July 1) in Canada, and the Great North
American Secchi Dip-In. Have a fun and safe holiday weekend - get out
there and enjoy
your favorite lake!
Happy Birthday,
NAWMP!
This year marks
the 20th Anniversary of a historic turning point in wildlife
conservation -- the creation of the North
American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP), a partnership designed
to reverse alarming declines in waterfowl populations and their
wetland habitats that were then occurring.
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Lake Champlain, Charlotte, VT
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Join in the Annual Secchi Dip-In!
The 13th Annual Great North American
Secchi Dip-In is taking place across the country from June 24 -
July 16. The goal of the Dip-In is to encourage volunteers to
participate in monitoring and take a transparency measurement on one
day during the Dip-in. Volunteers may monitor any type of waterbody
including lakes, reservoirs, estuaries, rivers or streams. There
are now five or more years of data on more than 6,000 waterbodies in
the US and Canada.
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Topic of
the Month
Spotlight on Porous Pavement
It
is an increasingly well-known fact that the volume and velocity of
stormwater increases as the amount of impervious surface expands in
developed areas. However, a number of innovative stormwater Best Management
Practices (BMPs) are available that facilitate the infiltration of
stormwater into the ground, thereby reducing stormwater runoff. One example
is porous pavement, which is part of a new demonstration project at a set of
basketball courts in Philadelphia. More...
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The Science of
Splatology
A trip in
the car this summer could provide a lesson in splatology as well as
some sightseeing, according to University of Florida entomologist
and self-proclaimed "splatologist" Mark Hostetler. He
drove 11,000 miles around the country with a net strapped to the top
of his '84 Honda Accord to conduct environmental research. He also
visited Greyhound stations at night to examine the front of more
than 50 buses. His mission: to determine how insect habitats vary
across the country. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06155/694988-115.stm
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Pennsylvania is home to 59 species of
mosquitoes
Photo: Wikipedia
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News Clips
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Green Streets Program Reduces Stormwater
Runoff
In Portland, Oregon, drivers are
seeing more stormwater management features popping up, although many
might not recognize them for what they really are. More...
Dam Removal Funding Gets Federal Boost
Efforts to remove obsolete dams may get a big boost as
Congress considers record-setting appropriations for national
programs that promote the removal of aging structures to improve
fish passage. More...
Study Finds Bulkheads Hurt Barnegat
Bay
Barnegat Bay biologist Paul R. Jivoff
has completed a study that compares the amount of
underwater life in front of Barnegat Bay artificial bulkheads to what he finds
off natural salt marsh shorelines, and the difference is stark.
More...
Delaware River Resources Study Funded
The Philadelphia District of the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers will receive $1 million in federal funds to
collaborate with the Delaware River Basin Commission in a study of
ways to enhance the use and management of water resources in the
Delaware River Basin. More...
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Policy Update
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The Pennsylvania 2006
Integrated Water Quality Monitoring and Assessment Report is open
for public comment through mid-August. According to DEP, more than 80
percent of Pennsylvania's 80,000 stream miles are considered in
compliance with standards. |
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The PA Game Commission is expanding the
agency's Barn
Owl Conservation Initiative into its Northwest and Northeast regions
by seeking information about active and historic barn owl nest sites. |
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EPA has proposed a rule that clarifies that permits are not required for
transfers of water from one body of water to another. Such transfers
include routing water through tunnels, channels, or natural stream
courses for public water supplies, irrigation, power generation, flood
control, and environmental restoration. |
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EPA has posted a draft of the Agency Strategic Plan for 2006 - 2011
for public review and comment. Comments on
the draft plan are due July 17.
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In what conservationists are calling a
"huge victory for clean water," the House of Representatives
voted to accept an amendment to the FY 07 Interior/EPA
Appropriations bill that will force the U.S. EPA to stop using a
policy that has put millions of acres of wetlands, streams, lakes and
ponds at risk across the nation. |
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EPA
has finalized revisions
to stormwater permitting program regulations to clarify that
uncontaminated storm water discharged from oil and gas field
activities does not require a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination
System permit. |
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EPA
is releasing the draft Long
Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule Implementation Guidance
for public comment.
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PA
DEP certified the first
two nutrient trading proposals under PA DEP's Interim Policy
on Nutrient Trading to help reduce nitrogen and
phosphorus inputs to the Chesapeake Bay. |
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The
PA Game Commission recently finalized its urban/suburban
deer management plan to more effectively manage deer in developed
areas of the state |
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In
an update of EPA's Permit Compliance System (PCS), all NPDES
permitting and enforcement information that a state or EPA would have
entered into PCS is being migrated into the new ICIS-NPDES. |
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A
new rule
proposed by EPA would revise the National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System (NPDES) permitting requirements and Effluent
Limitations Guidelines and Standards for Concentrated Animal Feeding
Operations (CAFOs). Public comments will be accepted until August 2
and public meetings times are posted
on EPA's website. |
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On May 27, the U.S. Postal Service unveiled a Chesapeake Bay stamp as part of a new 50-stamp series
entitled "Wonders
of America." The stamp features a blue heron
flying across a sunset sky and denotes the bay as the nation's largest
estuary.
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On June 3, the Northern Forest Canoe Trail officially opened with
ceremonies across New York and New England. The canoe trail is a
740-mile water trail that follows Native American travel routes from Old
Forge, New York, across Vermont, Quebec and New Hampshire, to Fort
Kent, Maine. In addition to being a paddling route, the Trail celebrates
the history of the Northern Forest. Paddlers will be able to explore
both the natural beauty of the rivers and lakes as well as the
communities through which the trail passes. Maps of
the route are available. http://www.northernforestcanoetrail.org/
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Link Of
The Month
EPA has recently completed a significant revision of the National Menu of
Best Management Practices (BMPs). The new menu has been redesigned
to make it easier to browse and search, and also includes a comment feature so that
stormwater practitioners and experts can provide suggestions, new
data, and additional references. To keep pace with the rapidly
developing field of stormwater management, approximately 20 new fact sheets have
been developed to highlight innovative practices. http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/stormwater/menuofbmps/index.cfm
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Independence Day Celebrations
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The Declaration of
Independence was first read publicly at a celebration on July 8, 1776 the
first Independence Day celebration after the signing of the Declaration on
July 4, 1776.
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The first organized
celebration of Independence Day occurred in Philadelphia on July 4, 1777.
This event had all of the elements of typical future celebrations--the
discharge of cannon, one round for each state in the union, the drinking
of toasts (it would subsequently be traditional to have one toast for each
state in the union), "loud huzzas," a parade, fireworks, and the
display of the nation's colors on "armed ships and gallies" in
the harbor.
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In Washington D.C. on July 4,
1848, the laying of the cornerstone of the Washington Monument took place
with President James Madison and other persons of distinction in
attendance.
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Fourth of July was declared a
legal holiday in 1941.
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The Fourth of July ceremony at
the Monument Grounds in Washington, D.C. was televised for the first time
in 1947.
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http://www.american.edu/heintze/fourth.htm#Beginning
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New
Tools and Publications
Turning the Tide – Documentary on New Jersey’s Urban Wetlands
The tide is turning for urban
wetlands, and this change in attitude has
inspired a new documentary created by NJ Public Radio and Television. Shot in High Definition video,
this half-hour documentary showcases the hidden beauty of the tidal areas in and
around the Hackensack Meadowlands of northern New Jersey and the Hamilton
-Trenton Marsh just south of the state capital of Trenton. http://www.njn.net/community/specialinterest/turningthetide/
New CWP Wetlands Article
The most recent article in the Center For
Watershed Protection's Wetlands & Watershed Article Series, Article 2: Using Local Watershed
Plans to Protect Wetlands, is now available for free download. The article briefly describes a proposed framework for integrating wetland
management in the context of local watershed planning efforts. It outlines:
the rationale for managing wetlands at the watershed scale, the basics of the
watershed planning process, and 11 recommended watershed planning elements that
relate to wetlands. http://www.cwp.org/wetlands/articles.htm
NJ Highlands Council Preliminary Technical Information
for Master Plan Released
The Highlands Council is making
publicly available preliminary technical information which supports the Regional
Master Plan, which is currently being developed. The documents represent samples of
the types of maps, technical reports and data that are being utilized to develop
and support the Regional Master Plan. Public releases of additional data, reports, and maps will follow over the
coming weeks. http://www.highlands.state.nj.us/njhighlands/june_2006_release.html
Environmental Literacy Report
The National Environmental Education and
Training Foundation has released a report, Environmental Literacy in
America, that examines the results of more than a decade's worth of
environmental literacy research. On the positive side, the research has
found that most people believe environmental education is valuable.
The report also finds that many people are aware of environmental topics
that are relatively simple to understand. However, the average American
adult, regardless of age, income, or level of education, generally fails to
grasp more complex environmental subjects, essential aspects of
environmental science, important cause-and-effect relationships, or certain
basic concepts such as nonpoint source runoff pollution, power generation
and fuel use, or water's natural drainage patterns. The report examines
reasons for the environmental knowledge gap and explores recommendations for
improving environmental education and outreach. http://www.neetf.org/pubs/ELR2005.pdf
EPA Brownfields Report
EPA Region 3 has posted the Region 3 Hazardous
Waste Cleanup sites Land Use & Reuse Assessment Report on their website. It
is a comprehensive review of land use occurring on hazardous cleanup sites in
the Mid-Atlantic region. The report's results serve as a baseline from which the
region can better evaluate trends in the reuse of cleanup sites. http://www.epa.gov/region03/revitalization/index.htm#report
For more information on brownfields and land
reuse, please contact info@fxbrowne.com.
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Editor/ Design and Layout:
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