Beware the Ides of March Julius Caesar's bloody assassination marked March 15, or the Ides of March, as a day of infamy. For ancient Romans living before that event, however, an ides was merely one of several common calendar terms used to mark monthly lunar events.
The ides marked the appearance of the full moon. But the Ides of March assumed a whole new identity after the events of 44 B.C. The phrase came to represent a specific day of abrupt change that set off a ripple of repercussions throughout Roman society and beyond.  http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/03/0311_040311_idesmarch.html

News Clips:

Where does your food come from? Some Middlebury College students recently completed a geography project that helps people find out how far the components of a typical meal have to travel.

The project maps where the college's dining services acquires food for three different meals, including the annual Thanksgiving dinner, a chicken parmesan dinner, and a locally-grown farm breakfast. Users can click on a link in Google Earth that begins the journey with Middlebury’s main food suppliers. Each successive click adds a colored line connecting to the next supplier. Before long a spaghetti-like web of lines stretches from Middlebury to Arkansas to Indiana to Italy, providing a glimpse into how much effort was required to get that humble chicken parmesan dinner to the plate.

Low Impact Urban Design and Development (LIUDD) Policy Website

From New Zealand comes a report that provides an overview of a variety of policy mechanisms to promote Low Impact Urban Design and Development (LIUDD). It is intended to act as a starting point for discussion for Councils across New Zealand (and around the world) who are starting to think more creatively about their policies in an aim to achieve more innovative approaches to urban development and stormwater design. http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/research/built/liudd/policy.asp

Indoors or out, no one relaxes In March, that month of wind and taxes, The wind will presently disappear,  The taxes last us all the year.  - Ogden Nash

New Tools and Publications:

Urban BMP Performance Tool 

EPA has created a new web-based tool to provide stormwater professionals with easy access to approximately 220 studies assessing the performance of over 275 stormwater BMPs. The Tool provides access to studies covering a variety of traditional and low impact BMP types, including retention and detention ponds, biofilters, grassed filter strips, porous pavement, wetlands, and others. Users will also find a series of essays aimed at improving understanding of BMP performance and the importance of volume reduction/infiltration in these assessments. EPA plans to add more studies to this Tool over the coming year, focusing on expanding the collection of studies of low impact development or green infrastructure BMPs. http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/stormwater/urbanbmp/bmpeffectiveness.cfm 

Rain Gardens: The Mini-Series

For anyone considering planting a rain garden, a new series of short videos provide tips on designing and siting a backyard rain garden. Gary Belan (Director of Healthy Waters Campaign), and Patricia Pennell (West Michigan Environmental Council) have posted the how-to videos on the American Rivers blog. Topics such as rain garden soils and winter rain gardens are included. http://blog.americanrivers.org/wordpress/index.php/2008/01/25/rain-garden-how-to-video-series/ 

Municipal Wastewater Technology Fact Sheets

EPA has developed four new fact sheets for innovative municipal wastewater technologies. The new fact sheets are entitled: "Denitrifying Filters" (EPA 832-F-07-014), "Side Stream Nutrient Removal" (EPA 832-F-07-017), "In-Plant Wet Weather Peak Flow Management" (EPA 832-F-07016), and "Membrane Bioreactors" (EPA 832-F-07-015). These fact sheets, along with other previous municipal wastewater technology fact sheets on Combined Sewer Overflow Treatment, Biosolids Management, Wastewater Treatment, Storm Water Management, Decentralized Wastewater Systems, Collection Systems Rehabilitation and Replacement, and Energy Conservation and Green Power Generation can be viewed on the EPA web site at http://www.epa.gov/owm/mtb/mtbfact.htm

Guidebook to PA Environmental Laws and Regulations 

The 2008-09 Guidebook to Pennsylvania Environmental Laws and Regulations is now available from the PA Chamber of Business and Industry. Written by leading experts in the field, the guidebook is a step-by-step comprehensive working resource designed to help easily determine which environmental regulations apply at your facility, and find and implement the compliance strategies that work.  It combines practical strategies and detailed compliance information on the major environmental compliance areas: residual and hazardous waste; clean air; water; SPCC plans; underground and aboveground storage tanks; and surviving DEP and EPA inspections. http://www.pachamber.org/www/products/publications/details.asp?ID=158 

CWP Urban Stream Repair Manual

The Center for Watershed Protection is now making Manual 4: Urban Stream Repair Practices of the Urban Subwatershed Restoration Manual Series available permanently for free download. Released in 2004, this manual focuses on practices used to enhance the appearance, stability, structure, or function of urban streams. It includes guidance on how to set appropriate restoration goals for your stream, and how to choose the best combination of stream repair practices to meet them. http://www.cwp.org/PublicationStore/USRM.htm