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Golf Love Poem
I think that I shall never see a hazard rougher than a
tree;
A tree o'er which my ball must fly if on the green it is to lie;
A tree which stands that green to guard, and makes the
shot extremely hard;
A tree whose leafy arms extend to kill the six iron shot
I send;
A tree that stands in silence there,
while angry golfers rave and swear.
Irons were made for fools like me who cannot ever miss a
tree.
Source:
www.jokes.com
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Editors Note:
Thank you to all PA residents who voted for
Growing Greener!
Residents across Pennsylvania made their voices heard in supporting the
Growing Greener II bond question on May 17. Statewide, 62 percent of voters
approved the $625 million bond question to address some of the state’s most
pressing environmental problems. The bond question carried in 47 counties
across the state, and even in those counties where it was not approved, the
margin of loss was relatively small. Way to go!
Lake
Dip-In 2005
The 2005 Great North
American Secchi Dip-In will occur this year from June 25 to July 17. The
event, where individuals in volunteer monitoring programs take a
transparency measurement on one day during the weeks surrounding Canada Day
and July Fourth, highlights the importance of volunteer monitoring programs
in protecting water quality around the US and Canada. Grab a Secchi Disk and
join in! See how at
http://dipin.kent.edu.
Topic of
the Month
Greening the Greens: Environmentally
Friendly Golf Course Management
A. A.
Milne once said, “Golf is so popular simply because it is the best game in
the world at which to be bad.” Americans, and indeed people all over the
world, have long had a love affair with the game of golf. Yet, golf courses
get a bad rap when it comes to the environment. Golf courses and playing
fields can be significant contributors to nonpoint source pollution in lakes
and streams due to the excessive amounts of fertilizers sometimes used.
However, with proper management, the amount of nutrients entering lakes and
streams from golf courses can be kept to a minimum.
More…
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Water Water Everywhere…Water Use, That
Is!
S
A typical household
uses approximately 260 gallons of water per day.
S
In the summer, the
amount of water used outdoors by a household can exceed the amount
used for all other purposes in the entire year.
S
According to the
U.S. Geological Survey, 30 percent of the daily water consumption in
the U.S. is devoted to landscaping and other outdoor uses.
S
The typical
suburban lawn consumes 10,000 gallons of water above and beyond
rainwater each year.
In light of these disturbing
statistics, the US EPA is encouraging homeowners to visit
http://www.epa.gov/owm/water-efficiency
to discover ways to reduce water use while maintaining healthy and
beautiful landscapes and saving money.
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News Clips
Chesapeake Facing One of the Worst
"Dead Zones" in 20 Years
The Chesapeake Bay’s top scientists recently delivered an ominous summer
forecast: the Bay and its rivers will most likely again suffer
record-breaking "dead zones," enormous areas of oxygen-depleted water
that harm aquatic life.
More…
Exploding Toads Baffle Scientists
More than 1,000 toads
have puffed up and exploded in a Hamburg pond in recent weeks, and
German scientists have no explanation for what's causing the combustion.
More…
Lower Delaware Municipalities Get
Planning Assistance
The Delaware River
Greenway Partnership and the Heritage Conservancy are organizing a
one-year collaborative effort to assess how the 35 local governments
between Trenton, NJ and Delaware Water Gap, PA approach natural resource
protection.
More…
Grant Program Funds Innovative Green
Roof at Nature Center
Construction has begun
on an innovative green roof that will help promote stormwater education
for visitors to the Asbury Woods Nature Center in
Millcreek Township, Erie County, PA.
More…
Lake Abducted in Russia
A Russian village was
recently left mystified after its lake literally disappeared overnight.
More…
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Policy Update
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Under a
new bill proposed by New York Governor Pataki, wetlands of less than
12.4 acres that are no longer subject to federal protections would be
regulated by the NYS DEC or the local jurisdiction.
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NJ DEP released
new regulatory standards for the implementation of the Highlands
Water Protection and Planning Act. The new regulations, which involve
issues including septic density and the permit application review
process, take effect immediately.
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The U.S. EPA has backed away from but not abandoned a proposed
policy change that would have allowed sewage treatment facilities to
legally discharge partially treated sewage into rivers during rain
storms or snow melts.
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Voters surveyed for a
public opinion poll commissioned by river and watershed conservation
groups say clean water is a top concern. According to results of the
poll, 85 percent of voters prefer cleaning up polluted waters to
drinking bottled water.
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Over 50 national, state, and local conservation organizations announced
the formation of
Healing Our Waters - a Great Lakes restoration coalition aimed at
securing a sustainable restoration plan for the Great Lakes and
obtaining the billions of dollars needed to implement the plan.
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One of the most fascinating things about
golf is how it reflects the cycle of life. No matter what you shoot -
the next day you have to go back to the first tee and begin all over
again and make yourself into something.
~Peter Jacobsen |
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Long ago, when men
cursed and beat the ground with sticks, it was called witchcraft. Today,
it's called golf.
~ Anonymous
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Link Of
The Month
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.
F. X. Browne, Inc. can assist golf course managers with Audubon Cooperative
Sanctuary Program application preparation and implementation. Please
contact us at info@fxbrowne.com.
Information about the program can be found at
http://www.auduboninternational.org/programs/acss/golf.htm
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Golf appeals to the
idiot in us and the child. Just how childlike golf players become is
proven by their frequent inability to count past five.
~John Updike |
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New
Tools and Publications
New Book Teaches Wetland Plant Propagation
Environmental Concern, Inc.
proudly announces its newest publication, Propagation of Wetland Plants:
Herbaceous Plants, Shrubs and Trees. This resource covers more than 100 species
and contains over 200 illustrations. The authors offer detailed tables that
contain flowering periods, seed ripeness indicators, and seed collection times.
In addition, the book includes a glossary of terms, and an index of botanical
and common names.
http://www.wetland.org/ecpubs.htm#GUIDE
Report Provides Lessons in Large-Scale
Ecosystem Restoration
The Northeast-Midwest
Institute has released a report: "Large-Scale Ecosystem Restoration: Lessons for
Existing and Emerging Initiatives." The report explores the unique challenges of
implementing large-scale restoration projects by examining seven case histories
- Chesapeake Bay, Coastal Louisiana, Columbia River, Great Lakes, San Francisco
Bay-Delta, South Florida Everglades, and Upper Mississippi River. The project's
overall goals were to inventory these restoration initiatives, compare and
contrast them, and evaluate them for lessons relevant to existing and emerging
restorations across the country.
http://www.nemw.org/restoration_products.htm
Book Describes One School’s Successful Shad
Restocking Project
A new book, Let the River Run
Silver Again! How One School Helped Return the American Shad to the Potomac
River – And How You Too Can Help Protect and Restore Our Living Waters, is now
available. The book documents the participation of Bethesda, Maryland's
Westbrook Elementary School in the restoration of the American shad to the Great
Falls area of the Potomac River. The story, told through the eyes of students
and their mentors, follows the progress of the successful shad restocking
program over a period of eight years. The book also outlines steps to create a
successful watershed project anywhere, including a list of helpful resources and
contact information.
http://www.mwpubco.com/LetRiverRunSilver.htm
New EPA Watershed Academy Module Encourages
Smart Growth
A new on-line, distance
learning training module called ''Growth and Water Resources'' has recently been
posted on EPA's Watershed Academy webpage. The training module explains how
changes in land use affect water resources. The module presents national data on
trends in development patterns that have become increasingly significant
challenges for achieving water quality standards. The module describes a
combination of approaches to accommodate future growth in a way that benefits
the economy and the environment while helping meet water resource goals. The
module also includes a ''tools'' section with links to on-line resources.
http://www.epa.gov/watertrain/smartgrowth/
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