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F. X. Browne, Inc.'s

Sustainable Environments
May 2009

 
 

254

"Hope" is the thing with feathers—
That perches in the soul—
And sings the tune without the words—
And never stops—at all—

And sweetest—in the Gale—is heard—
And sore must be the storm—
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm—

 

   -   Emily Dickinson, an excerpt from 254                                           

  

Photo credit:  Monica R. on Flickr.com
 http://www.flickr.com/photos/monica_r/3009898934/
 

                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Editor's Notes:

 
This is a great time of the year to improve your property, business and the world by planting some native trees and plants. 

Here's some additional motivation if you live in Pennsylvania or Maryland. Pennsylvania has a goal of planting 1,000,000 trees by 2012.  You can register trees that you've planted on the TreeVitalize website.
Maryland state agencies have a goal of planting 1,000,000 trees by 2011.  They are hoping that private citizens will rise to the goal of 50,000 trees planted by 2010.  By visiting the Marylanders Plant Trees website, you can register trees that you've planted and even get some discounts for buying new trees.

Click here for a listing of local native plant retailers.  Additional native plant sales and sources can be found at http://pa.audubon.org/habitat/NewsEvents.html.

~ Lisen Cummings, Sustainable Environments Editor/Designer

                               

 

Topic of the Month:

Alum Treatment at Teedyuskung Lake a Success
by Rebecca Buerkett, Project Scientist

F. X. Browne, Inc. conducted a phosphorus inactivation project at Teedyuskung Lake in Pike County, PA in November 2007. The 2008 post-treatment monitoring results indicate that the alum treatment significantly reduced the phosphorous and algae in Teedyuskung Lake.   More...

 

News Clips:

 

Middle, Lower Susquehanna Sections Named DCNR’s ‘River of the Year’: Annual Event Salutes Community Involvement, Celebrates Waterway’s Value

The DCNR has named the middle and lower Susquehanna sections as the ‘River of the Year’ for 2009.  More...

 

Eleven Conservation Districts Oppose the DEP Gas-Oil Decision

The PA DEP has eliminated conservation districts from the permitting process for natural gas and oil drilling.  Eleven Counties (Bradford, Carbon, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Wayne and Wyoming) disagree with this decision.  More...

 

Superfund List is Growing

Nine sites have been added to the Superfund List.  There are 1,264 sites currently on the list.  More...

 

Rivers Shrinking: Flow of Many Rivers in Decline

A study of 925 major rivers around the world from 1948-2004 showed an overall streamflow decline.  More...

 

Watershed Restoration Success Stories:  Minebank Run, Upper Sligo Creek, and Ben's Branch

The Maryland Department of the Environment's (MDE) 319 Nonpoint Source Program provides grants for nonpoint source control projects.  More...

 

Self Healing Cement Flexible Enough to Withstand Earthquakes Invented

Researchers have developed a flexible, self-healing cement that can better withstand the strain of earthquakes.  More...

 

Challenges of Stream Restoration as a Stormwater Management Tool

Part 1:  A designer’s perspective

The first of a three-part series on stream restoration, this article focuses on the potential challenges of a stream restoration project.  More...

 

Structural Erosion Control Solutions

Holding fast, built to last

This article discusses environmentally friendly bioengineering and the potential applications for erosion control.  More...

 

 

Win $20,000 With Your Green Tip

SunChips and National Geographic have created the Green Effect, which will award $20,000 each to 5 people or groups that have the best green idea.  Submit a description of your idea by June 8, 2009.
 

http://greeneffect.nationalgeographic.com/?source=email_inside_20090424&email=inside
 

 

 

Policy Updates:

 


Obama Signs Public Lands Protection Bill Into Law

The Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009 was signed by President Obama and will protect two million acres of wilderness and a thousand miles of rivers. 

Environment News Service, March 30, 2009

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/mar2009/2009-03-30-093.asp
 


DEP Sets New Standards for Wastewater Discharges with High Total Dissolved Solids

The PA DEP announced that in January 2011, new discharge standards will take effect for industrial wastewater high in total dissolved solids.  These new standards will protect aquatic life and drinking water supplies.

PA DEP News Release, April 16, 2009

http://www.ahs2.dep.state.pa.us/newsreleases/default.asp?ID=5473
 
 

PA Fair Share For Clean Water Coalition Applaud Bipartisan Bills On Nutrient Credit Trading, A No-Cost Stimulus For The Economy

Senate Bill 767 and House Bill 1213 were introduced to create a Nutrient Credit Trading Bank.  This legislation would allow nutrient credits to be bought and sold, which would aid in the Clean Water Act requirements. 

Pennsylvania Fair Share For Clean Water, PAFairSharePlan.org, April 9, 2009

http://www.cbf.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pafscw_main
 


NJ Legislature Passes Site Remediation Reform Legislation

The Site Remediation Reform Act (SRRA) was passed to address New Jersey’s Site Remediation Program (SRP) case backlog.  The SRP now requires that most remediations use a private licensed site remediation professional (LSRP).

By Bruce Katcher and Christopher Ball, MGKF Special Alert, March 18, 2009

http://www.mgkflaw.com/specAlert2009/specAlert-2009-03-18.html
 


De-Fanged Growth Bill Moves Ahead

The Maryland Senate passed the O’Malley administration’s growth indicators bill, though it had been modified.  The House provision that was removed would have required counties to focus 80 percent of new development inside designated growth areas.

By Tim Wheeler, Baltimoresun.com, Bay & Environment Blog, April 7, 2009

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bay_environment/blog/2009/04/defanged_growth_bill_moves_ahe.html
 
 

Appropriations Bill Includes Millions for Bay Programs

The 2009 Omnibus Appropriates Bill was approved by Congress in March and will provide $6.6 million to NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and the Army Corps of Engineers.  The money will be spent on rebuilding habitats and restoring native oyster populations in the Chesapeake Bay.  Many other programs will also benefit from the bill with increased funding from last year.

By Karl Blankenship, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, Bay Journal, Volume 19-Number 2, April 2009

http://www.bayjournal.com/article.cfm?article=3563
 

 

 


 

 

 

Grants and Awards:
 Click on a grant for more information)
 Only currently available grants are listed on the grant page

 

Grants:

Fund for Wild Nature

Small Business Energy Efficiency Grant Program

PennVEST Infrastructure Loans/Grants

Foundation For Pennsylvania Watersheds Grants

EJ Small Grants Program

Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Electronic Grants System

Small Business Low-Interest Rate Loans

Keystone Historic Preservation Grant Program

Conservation Easement Assistance Program

Chesapeake Bay Watershed Initiative

 

Awards:

Call for Abstracts - Watershed Science and Technical Conference

Call for Stormwater BMP Projects

Call for Nominations - 2009 Northeast Annual Environmental Partnership Awards and 2009 Thomas P. Shelburne Environmental Leadership Award

Rachel Carson Sense of Wonder Contest 2009

 

 

 
 
 
$250 Grants for Growing Greener Stories

Here's your chance to share your story of how the Growing Greener Watershed Restoration Program has made a real difference in improving your watershed.  $250.00 will be awarded each month to the best article/video  between now and December 15.  The submission should describe the project, water quality improvements, education programs, and how Growing Greener helped you achieve your goals. These grants have been provided by an anonymous benefactor to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Growing Greener Program. For more information, visit
 http://www.growinggreener.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=60&Itemid=65
 
 

 

 

Will Work For Steak

Rogue, a 5-year-old Belgian Sheepdog has been trained to locate endangered plant species.  Greg Fitzpatrick, Corvallis Land Steward for the Nature Conservancy in Oregon, came up with the idea and has been working with Rogue’s owner, Dave Vesely, the executive director of the Oregon Wildlife Institute.  Dave Vesely had already been using dogs to locate endangered animal species.  Three dogs (including Rogue) were given the test to identify whether the endangered lupine was growing there.  Out of 378 plots, the dogs made five errors. 

By Margaret Guthrie, TheScientist.com, Volume 23, Issue 4, Page 28

http://www.the-scientist.com/2009/04/1/28/1/
 

Photo credit:  crow warrior44 on Flickr.com  http://www.flickr.com/photos/crowwarrior44/2776359425/

                                                


Link of the Month:

 

PA Watersheds Data System

Hosted by Penn State University.  This website provides watershed monitoring data.  Much of the data has been provided by volunteer watershed associations.

http://www.pawatershedsdatasystem.psu.edu/

 

BMP of the Month:

Constructed Wetlands

Constructed Wetlands are shallow marshlands planted with native vegetation.  They are utilized to treat stormwater runoff. This Best Management Practice (BMP) can be utilized when infiltration is not a viable solution to stormwater management.  Constructed Wetlands can decrease the peak rate of runoff, decrease the runoff volume, improve water quality, and provide plant and animal habitat.


F. X. Browne, Inc. constructed wetland located at the corporate headquarters in Lansdale, PA

 

 

FXBI Wetland Ppt
View more presentations from Frank Browne.

If you are interested in having your own constructed wetland, F. X. Browne, Inc. can help!  We can design a beautiful wetland system built especially for the unique conditions of your site.

Tools and Publications:

EPA Watershed Central and Watershed Central Wiki

Provides guidance, tools, case studies and information for successful watershed management.

http://www.epa.gov/watershedcentral/

 

“Healthy Watersheds” EPA Website

This website focuses on protecting and conserving aquatic ecosystems.  It provides information on identifying and protecting healthy watersheds. 

http://www.epa.gov/healthywatersheds/

 

Delaware DataMIL

This website provides metadata, data downloads and web mapping services.

http://datamil.delaware.gov/geonetwork/srv/en/main.home

 

Water Stories Report, provided by the Global Water Network

The Water Stories Report is a collection of stories about how water and sanitation affects the lives of people around the world.  You can also submit your own story.

http://www.globalwaternetwork.org/story

 

AlgaeBase

This database provides information about algae that includes terrestrial, marine and freshwater organisms.

http://www.algaebase.org/about/

 

Pennsylvania’s West Nile Virus Surveillance Program

This website will keep you informed about the threat of the West Nile Virus in Pennsylvania.  There were 14 confirmed cases of West Nile Virus in 2008, with one fatality.

http://www.westnile.state.pa.us/index.html

 

EPA Beach Advisory and Closing On-Line Notification

You can visit this site to check out the latest information on pollutants found in the beach of your choice. 

http://www.epa.gov/beaches/plan/whereyoulive_state.html

 

StreamStats Version 2

A new version of StreamStats is provided by the USGS for Massachusetts and Utah.

http://water.usgs.gov/osw/streamstats/index.html

EPA Compliance Assistance Center
The Compliance Assistance Centers help business owners, local government, and federal facilities by providing information on complying with federal environmental requirements.
http://www.epa.gov/compliance/assistance/centers/index.html

 

 

 Newsletter Editor/Design and Layout:
Lisen Cummings


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F. X. Browne, Inc.  – Environmental Consulting

Engineers – Planners – Scientists
31 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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