And travellers now within that valley,
    Through the red-litten windows, see
Vast forms that move fantastically
    To a discordant melody;
While, like a rapid ghastly river,
Through the pale door;
A hideous throng rush out forever,
    And laugh — but smile no more.

~ From "The Haunted Palace" 
by Edgar Allen Poe

Editors Note

On behalf of all the staff at F. X. Browne, Inc., our hearts go out to all of the victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Please give generously to the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, or other relief organizations to aid those who lost their homes,  livelihoods, and loved ones.

Also, don't forget that October 18 is World Water Monitoring Day. People of all ages and groups of all kinds are encouraged to collect water quality samples in their local streams, lakes, bays, or wetlands between September 18 and October 18. Visit http://www.worldwatermonitoringday.org for more information, including how to order test kits, register your test site(s), enter your data, and find out what's going on in your area and around the globe.

Topic of the Month

Katrina's Legacy

 

We have all heard how devastating Hurricane Katrina was on the people and property in the Gulf Region. But what lasting impacts has Katrina had on the non-human environment? Scientists estimate that the effects of Katrina transformed more than 30 square miles of marsh around the upper portion of Breton Sound to open water, or 20 to 26 percent of this 133-square mile area. This land loss potentially further reduces southeastern Louisiana’s natural protection from future storms. Louisiana already had previously lost about 1,900 square miles of coastal land, primarily marshes, since the 1930s.

Loss of wetlands, islands fueled Katrina’s fury

Expert: Louisiana Now More Vulnerable

Natural Buffers Took a Beating

USGS Reports New Wetland Loss from Hurricane Katrina in Southeastern Louisiana

New Orleans Floodwaters Contaminated, EPA Tests Show

Stronger Hurricanes Becoming More Numerous

The US EPA has set up a website that includes links to information for the public and all responders about the potential hazards associated with flood waters in New Orleans. For up-to-date information on Hurricane Katrina activities, go to http://www.epa.gov/katrina/. 

 

 

News Clips

 

 

Philadelphia Vacant Lot Initiative Helps Manage Stormwater

A Philadelphia initiative is being lauded as a national model for reclaiming and managing vacant urban lots. 

Although the spaces are often small, by reclaiming many sites in the same area of North Philadelphia, the abandoned lots have been converted into green corridors. The vacant land program is run by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's Philadelphia Green program. One of the key advantages of investments in greening vacant land is the increase in property values by as much as 30 percent. 

The Philadelphia program started as a greening program to renew small spaces in neighborhoods, one step at a time. Now PHS has added a stormwater management component, turning spaces that were neighborhood eyesores into places that now beautify the neighborhood and also provide shade and environmental benefits. http:// www.pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org/phlgreen/index.html 

Bush Touts 'Cooperative Conservation'

The White House is playing environmental matchmaker, encouraging odd couples such as the Nature Conservancy and the Pentagon as they team to save wild birds and military training ranges. 

"Cooperative conservation," the buzzword for the first presidential conference on the environment in 40 years, is intended to energize citizen-conservationists. For example, with about a quarter of all 1,268 endangered and threatened U.S. species residing on military bases, the Nature Conservancy has been an active partner with the Pentagon. The Nature Conservancy helps identify natural habitat that species need to survive, then sets about securing land and funding to create buffer zones. Since there are more endangered species on military facilities than on any other federal lands, the arrangement helps protect critical habitat areas. 

At the last summit on "natural beauty" in 1965, President Johnson supported a "new conservation" ethic against too much growth and industry harming the landscape. Today, Bush espouses a pro-business strategy of "new environmentalism," in which citizens' needs come before more regulations whenever possible. Agencies plan to emphasize:

• Interior Department programs that give direct financial help for conservation by ranchers and other private landowners
• Environmental Protection Agency help in commercially redeveloping waste sites.
• Agriculture Department backing for preserving farmland.
• Commerce Department aid in preserving marine habitats.

AP, Aug. 28, 2005 

Goldsboro Dam Removal: Innovative Alternatives

In June of 2005, a three-foot high dam was removed from across Fishing Creek in York County, PA, connecting the creek’s upper 18 miles to the mouth of the Susquehanna River to allow the passage of migratory fish . 

In order to appease many borough of Gouldsboro residents who were highly skeptical about the project, Goldsboro Dam was removed in such a way that preserved the town's two original purposes for the dam – a scour hole below the dam where fire trucks could fill their tanks, and a pool above the dam where a popular annual fishing derby for kids was held. This was accomplished by installing two large U-shaped cross vanes in the location of the former dam. 

Since the restoration, fishermen have been coming more frequently to the project site. Another benefit of the project was the installation of a dry fire hydrant at the site to make filling up pumper trucks easier. As a salute to the new setup, fire crews stopped to fill up their tanks several days after the project was completed and used their hoses to irrigate the newly seeded stream banks to promote germination. http://www.pawatersheds.org/WWeekly/issue.asp?ID=261#dam 

For more information on dam removal projects, contact F. X. Browne, Inc. at info@fxbrowne.com.

Pennsylvania Among First to Use Nutrient Trading to Improve Water Quality

PA Governor Rendell introduced a nutrient and sediment trading policy that he hopes will help farmers, communities, and industry meet and exceed state and federal water quality goals. 

Trading has long been a staple of state and federal air quality programs, but Pennsylvania is among the first to apply this strategy to water quality programs. Market-based programs such as trading provide incentives for entities to create credits by going beyond statutory, regulatory or voluntary obligations and goals. These programs provide a structure where environmental improvement credits can be traded to others to help them meet their obligations.

In Pennsylvania, yearly nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment discharges to the Chesapeake Bay must be reduced as part of the Chesapeake 2000 Agreement. The nutrient trading program provides a low-cost approach to compliance for significant sewage and industrial dischargers faced with the challenge of reducing their nutrient loads to meet the criteria. http://www.dep.state.pa.us/newsreleases/default.asp?ID=3634 

 the project, Goldsboro Dam was removed in such a way that preserved the town's two original purposes for the dam – a scour hole below the dam where fire trucks could fill their tanks, and a pool above the dam where a popular annual fishing derby for kids was held. This was accomplished by installing two large U-shaped cross vanes in the location of the former dam. 

Since the restoration, fishermen have been coming more frequently to the project site. Another benefit of the project was the installation of a dry fire hydrant at the site to make filling up pumper trucks easier. As a salute to the new setup, fire crews stopped to fill up their tanks several days after the project was completed and used their hoses to irrigate the newly seeded stream banks to promote germination. http://www.pawatersheds.org/WWeekly/issue.asp?ID=261#dam 

For more information on dam removal projects, contact F. X. Browne, Inc. at info@fxbrowne.com.

 

Policy Update The U.S. EPA has approved new water quality standards for Maryland to regulate nitrogen and phosphorus pollution from wastewater treatment plants in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The US EPA recently published National Management Measures to Protect and Restore Wetlands and Riparian Areas for the Abatement of Nonpoint Source Pollution, a technical guidance and reference document for use by state, territory, and authorized tribal managers  in the implementation of nonpoint source (NPS) pollution management programs. New York DEC released draft revised State Freshwater Wetland Maps for Putnam and lower Dutchess counties, which include portions of the New York City Watershed. A $1.4 million grant from the US EPA will be used to help control pollution from stormwater runoff throughout the state of Delaware. The US EPA awarded a $1.3 million grant to the District of Columbia to control nonpoint source pollution and to improve and protect water quality in its waterways. The US EPA has awarded $5,900,100 to Pennsylvania to help control pollution from stormwater runoff throughout the Commonwealth.     Grant Programs  (Click on a grant for more information)

Fish and Wildlife Program Habitat Funding

 

The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program provides financial assistance on a competitive basis to landowners interested in restoring wildlife habitat. There is no specific deadline to apply. Financial assistance is provided in the form of cooperative agreements. The Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program supports on-the-ground restoration rather than planning and research. http://www.fws.gov/partners/index.htm

 

Green Communities Initiative Program

 

The Green Communities Initiative program provides a package of tangible financial incentives and other resources to developers––both community-based organizations and private builders––who undertake green affordable housing projects integrating Green Communities criteria. Over a five-year period the Green Communities program will provide green grants, low-interest loans, LIHTC equity investments, and educational conferences.

http://www.enterprisefoundation.org/resources/green/about-essentials.asp

 

PA Wind WATCH Program

The Saint Francis Wind WATCH (Wind Assessment Technology for Communities and Homeowners) Program is an anemometer lending program for Pennsylvanians interested in testing the wind resource on their land and understanding the economic feasibility of developing a community wind-scale project. http://www.francis.edu/C3/windwatchprogrampage.shtm

Open Rivers Initiative Grants to Remove Stream Barriers 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association announced a new Open Rivers Initiative (ORI) designed to spur economic and environmental renewal and improve public safety in small towns and communities through the removal of obsolete or derelict stream barriers. The ORI will target only those small dams where community consensus and the dam owners support removal, the dam no longer serves a useful purpose, and removal will have the greatest benefit to anadromous fish like salmon, striped bass and shad. http://conservationconference.noaa.gov/case/open_river.html 

PA Codorus Creek Grants

Local nonprofit and governmental organizations are invited to apply for grants from the Codorus Watershed Endowment Fund to fund projects that improve the Codorus Watershed in York County, PA. The projects must focus on education, recreation, watershed protection, restoration and/or improvement efforts. Applications are due October 10. http://www.yccf.org/grantcom2d.htm  

NOAA Community-Based Restoration Program Grants

The Community-Based Restoration Program provides funds for individual grass-roots marine habitat restoration projects that will benefit living marine resources including anadromous fish species, commercial and recreational resources, and endangered and threatened species. Projects are selected based on their technical merit, level of community involvement, ecological benefits to marine and anadromous fish habitat, and coast-effectiveness. Proposals are due October 12.  http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/habitat/restoration/projects_programs/crp/partners_funding/callforprojects.html 

CBF Offers Free Trees & Shrubs for Stream Buffer Projects

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is providing native trees and shrubs at no cost to qualifying watershed groups and other non-profit conservation groups restoring stream buffers. CBF is now also offering financial assistance on the purchase of tree shelters to protect trees from deer, voles and other damage. Deadlines for applying are October 15 (for fall) and February 15 (for spring), but groups responding sooner will have a better chance of getting the species mix they prefer. For further information please contact Cathy Hiebert via email at chiebert@cbf.org or call 717-234-5550. 

Environmental Awareness Marketing Grants

The Temper of the Times Foundation, Inc. Advertising for the Environment Program, created by the board of directors of The Moneypaper, Inc., is offering grants that promote the use of standard marketing concepts to increase environmental awareness. Recognizing that organizations working to protect the environment in general have limited access to paid media, the Foundation provides funds to underwrite advertising designed to promote the conservation and restoration of native wildlife, plants, and ecosystems in the United States. Grants are typically between $5,000 and $15,000. The deadline is October 15. http://www.temperfund.org/

Lower Delaware Soul of a River Photography Competition

The Lower Delaware River will be the theme of the second annual Soul of a River Photography Competition, which is sponsored by the Delaware River Greenway Partnership. Photographers are invited to submit entries in any photographic medium depicting the outstanding natural, historic, scenic and recreational features that have qualified the Lower Delaware River for inclusion into the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Entries are due by October 17. http://www.drgp.org/contest.html

EPA Environmental Research Fellowship Opportunities

Approximately 100 new fellowships will be awarded for research in environmental fields of study through the U.S. EPA's Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program. Deadline for applications is October 18. The STAR program provides educational support for full-time masters and doctoral level students who plan to pursue environmental careers with a focus on developing future leaders in environmental science, education, assessment, and restoration efforts. http://es.epa.gov/ncer/fellow/

PA Coastal Zone Grants 

The PA DEP is accepting applications for 2006 Coastal Zone grants through October 24. Eligible applicants include political subdivisions, authorities, non-profit organizations, or educational institutions. Projects must be located within the defined Coastal Zone geographic areas of the state and must also support the Coastal Zone Program’s mission to protect and enhance Pennsylvania’s coastal resources. http://www.dep.state.pa.us/river/docs/czm06soli.htm 

Chesapeake Bay Environmental Education Grants

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is now accepting applications for its Chesapeake Bay Watershed Education and Training Program (B-Wet) through October 24. The program provides grants of from $10,000 to $200,000 to support environmental education opportunities for K-12 students and environmental training/professional development for K-12 teachers. http://noaa.chesapeakebay.net/education.htm

PA Lens on Litter Contest

You can win up to $1,000 for a photo of the worst example of litter in your community through the Lens on Litter contest sponsored by the Pennsylvania Resources Council. Entries are due October 31. Photos will be judged in two categories - adult and student (under 18) using the following criteria: anti-litter message, originality, photographic technique, quality of photo, originality of title and severity of the Litterbug's crime. http://www.litterbug.org/lensonlitter.htm

PA Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence

PA Governor Rendell has called on businesses, organizations, and individuals who are advancing technological innovations to protect resources while making environmental protection a driver for economic growth to apply for the 2005 Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence. This award honors those who have created or participated in the development of a project that promotes environmental stewardship and economic development in the state. The deadline to submit projects for the Award is Monday, October 31. http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/pollprev/gov-awards/default.htm 

PA Americorps State Planning/Capacity Building Grants 

The Governor’s Office of Citizen Service will target AmeriCorps planning/capacity building grants at organizations that recognize a community need for services and have an idea for meeting that need, but which have not fully developed a plan to provide the needed services. Planning/capacity building grants will fund program development rather than actual programs, but will help prepare organizations to compete for AmeriCorps operating grants that will fund their proposed program. Applications are due by November 7. http://www.dli.state.pa.us/landi/lib/landi/pennserve/grants/planning_grant_rfa_2005-2006.pdf 

NFWF Bring Back the Natives Aquatic Species Program

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation requests pre-proposals from nonprofit organizations; universities; Native American tribes; and local, state, and federal agencies interested in restoring native populations of sensitive or listed aquatic species for its Bring Back the Natives (BBN) program. The initiative funds on-the-ground efforts to restore native aquatic species to their historic range. The pre-proposal deadline is December 2. http://njfieldoffice.fws.gov/Fact%20Sheets%20PDF%20holding/bring%20back%20natives.pdf

Why I Love My Pennsylvania State Park Contest for Kids 

Jane Kirkland, naturalist and author of the award-winning Take A Walk Book series, is sponsoring the first annual, "Why I Love My Pennsylvania State Park" contest, open to children ages 8 to 12 who live in Pennsylvania.Children are invited to write an original essay, 50 words or less, about their state park and why they love it, focusing on the natural aspects in their park (plants and animals). Five First Prizes of a set of signed Take A Walk Books will be awarded-one in each age category. One Grand Prize Winner will be awarded one set of four Take A Walk Books and one pair of binoculars. The Grand Prize Winner will also help Ms. Kirkland and naturalist Kevin Loughlin lead a public nature walk or a nature program at the Pennsylvania State Park featured in the winning essay. Winners of the "Why I Love My Pennsylvania State Park" contest will be announced in March 2006. The deadline for entries is December 15. http://www.takeawalk.com/A5580D/tawhome.nsf/Contests?OpenPage 

EPA Children's Environmental Health Excellence Awards

EPA's Office of Children's Health Protection is currently accepting applications for the 2006 Children's Environmental Health Excellence Awards. The awards recognize and honor leadership in protecting children from environmental health risks at the local, regional, national, and international level. The deadline for applications is December 15. http://yosemite.epa.gov/ochp/ochpweb.nsf/homepage 

2006 National Wetlands Awards

The Environmental Law Institute (ELI) is accepting nominations for the 2006 National Wetlands Awards. Since 1989, the National Wetlands Awards Program has provided an opportunity to recognize individuals who dedicate their time and energy to wetlands protection. The 2006 Awards will be given in six categories: 1) Education and Outreach; 2) Science Research 3) Conservation and Restoration; 4) Landowner Stewardship; 5) State, Tribal, and Local Program Development; and 6) Wetland Community Leader. Nominations are due by December 15.  http://www2.eli.org/nwa/nwaprogram.htm 

PA Coldwater Heritage Partnership Grants

The Coldwater Heritage Partnership (CHP) has announced the opening of the Coldwater Conservation Grants Program. The program is designed to help develop conservation plans that identify the values and threats to the health of coldwater ecosystems that have naturally reproducing trout. Applications for grants up to $5,000 will be accepted through Dec. 16. http://www.coldwaterheritage.org

 

 

Events  (Click on an event for more information)   PA Lake Management Conference The 16th annual Pennsylvania Lake Management Conference (PALMS) will be held this year on October 18th and 19th at the Days Inn Conference Center in State College, PA.You can download a conference flyer to hang in your office here. Click here to register for this year's conference (Acrobat pdf format): PALMS_2005 Conference Brochure. Click here for more information about the annual photograph contest & awards: PALMS_2005 Photos & Awards Brochure. Click here for directions to the Days Inn at Penn State: PALMS_2005 Conference - Directions.  If additional information is required, contact: info@fxbrowne.com . PA Sustainable Living Fair  The second annual Mother Earth Harvest Fair: A Celebration of Sustainable Living will be held in Glen Rock, York County  October 1-2. The fair will feature more than 30 speakers and 100 informative exhibits from organizations and vendors in sustainable living areas including: Sustainable Food and Agriculture, Renewable and Alternative Energy, Green Building Technologies, Watershed Education, and others.   http://www.spoutwood.com/mehf.html    Walk for the Wissahickon Hike the Walk for the Wissahickon on October 2 and support the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association’s efforts to preserve open space. This unique Walkathon offers its participants a choice of three guided hikes along the Wissahickon Creek. Participants hike along the Green Ribbon Trail, a natural, wooded trail that follows the Wissahickon Creek from North Wales to the Schuylkill River. The hikes are fun and well organized. Participants are bussed back to their cars at the completion of each hike. Experienced leaders guide the hikes. All hikers receive a T-shirt and snacks.http:// www.WVWA.org   PA Test Methods for Water/Wastewater Operators Workshops     This workshop on water/wastewater testing for compliance and operational needs combines interactive lecture and test method demonstration. The workshop is designed to provide the water/wastewater professional and beginning operator the tools to choose the right test method. The workshop is approved by PA DEP for 5.0 water and wastewater contact hours and will be presented on the following dates and locations:     October 3 – Days Inn Penn State, State College, PA October 5 – Cranberry Township Municipal Building, Cranberry Township, PA    http://www.pwea.org/documents/TestMethodsOperatorsBrochure.pdf    Pennsylvania Litter Summit    Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, its member organizations, and the PA DEP have scheduled a Litter Summit for October 5 in Harrisburg. The Summit will feature a series of workshops and presentations by in-state and out-of-state experts on dealing with the many different aspects of the litter issue—education, enforcement, volunteer programs, rural dumping, and community initiatives. http://www.KeepPaBeautiful.org PA Stormwater & Wetlands Policy Workshops The Pennsylvania Professional Engineers in Private Practice are sponsoring a series of three regional Stormwater and Wetlands Policy Workshops in October to review the latest techniques and policies in those programs. The programs will review DEP’s Stormwater Management Manual, federal encroachment and wetland permitting requirements, and tools like the Natural Resources Conservation Service hydrologic evaluation model. The workshops will be held on October 5 in Monroeville, October 6 in New Cumberland and October 7 in Malvern, PA. Continuing education credits for engineers and landscape architects will be available. http://www.pspe.org/stormwater05.pdf  PA Wastewater Biology Training Courses       Penn State University is presenting its annual Wastewater Biology series designed for operators, technicians, and engineers involved in the daily operation, process control, and troubleshooting of wastewater treatment processes. Courses are approved for contact hours toward operator certification in most states. The majority of the courses will be held in   Grantville, PA, during October. http://www.outreach.psu.edu/C&I/Wastewater_Biology/      PA Stormwater Management Symposium      Villanova University will be presenting the 2005 PA Stormwater Management Symposium, “Stormwater Management Implementation - Are We Getting It Right?”, on October 12-13. The purpose of the symposium is to advance the knowledge and understanding of comprehensive stormwater management for those dealing in all aspects of land development planning, design and implementation and regulatory compliance. A pre-symposium workshop for non-engineers entitled "Municipal Stormwater Management - Strategies for Success" will be held preceding the conference. http://egrfaculty.villanova.edu/public/Civil_Environmental/WREE/VUSP_2005_Sym/Web/index.htm     National Nonpoint Source Conference    The Fourth National Conference on Nonpoint Source and Stormwater Pollution Education Programs will be held in Chicago, Illinois on October 17-20. The conference's target audiences include professional staff and volunteers at the local, regional, state and federal levels involved with education programs relating to nonpoint source, MS4 Phase I and Phase II (stormwater), watershed protection, and TMDLs—as well as environmental service groups that work closely with adult and youth education programs. http://www.chicagobotanic.org/aquatics/nonpoint/  Philadelphia Stormwater Regulations Discussion The American Water Resources Association - Philadelphia Metropolitan Area Section (AWRA-PMAS) begins its monthly lunchtime meetings for 2005-2006 on October 20. This month's meeting features speaker Christine Marjoram, Stormwater Management Program, Philadelphia Water Department’s Office of Watersheds. Her remarks are titled, "Stormwater 101: Philly’s New Regulations: A Change in Both Requirements and Process." Philadelphia has revised its approach to stormwater management through adoption of regulations that will be effective as of January 1, 2006. Local, state and federal representatives will be present for discussion of how these changes are integrated with regional, state and national program objectives. For registration information, e-mail awra-pmas@greeley-hansen.com.  PA Sewage Facilities and Land Use Conference A statewide conference titled “Sewage Facilities and Land Use: Collaborating for a Sustainable Future” will be held on October 24 in Harrisburg, PA. The event will include two newly released studies on Pennsylvania sewer and land use policies by the National Research Council and by 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania, and panels on investments, aging infrastructure, and multi-municipal cooperation. Participants will have the opportunity to discuss these issues with expert panelists, and help identify state and local strategies to support sound land use, sustainable development, and economic efficiency in Pennsylvania. http://www2.eli.org/research/pennplan/index.htm   PA Environmental Issues Forums On October 24 in Harrisburg, PA, the Joint Air and Water Pollution Control and Conservation Committee will hold an Environmental Issues Forum to hear presentations on the State Recreation Plan. Representatives of the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Pennsylvania Parks and Recreation Society are scheduled to present comments.     On November 14 in Harrisburg, PA,  Audubon Pennsylvania's Paul Zeph, director of the Kittatinny Ridge Project, will describe the project and introduce Audubon's statewide "Important Bird Area Program". The Kittatinny Ridge is the largest forest area in central and southeast PA, the state's largest Important Bird Area, and a key recreation corridor and source of drinking water. Environmental Issues Forums are open to the public. http://jcc.legis.state.pa.us/environmental_issues_forums.htm NJ Wetlands and Watersheds Workshop     The Eighth Annual Wetlands and Watersheds Workshop: Aquatic Systems and Water Quality will be held in Atlantic City,  NJ on October 25-28. The goal of the workshop is to increase dialogue and foster partnerships between federal, state, and local agencies, non-governmental organizations, the scientific community, private industry, and other stakeholders. http://www.wetlandsworkgroup.org/wetreg8/8th_workshop.htm    PA Environmental Compliance Conferences    The PA Chamber of Business and Industry is sponsoring three regional Environmental Compliance Conferences to provide businesses with the latest information on waste, water and air quality issues. They will be held on October 20 in  Pittsburgh, October 25 in Hershey and November 3 in Valley Forge. Each conference will feature a variety of speakers from the PA DEP, environmental attorneys and key consultants on the latest developments in environmental regulation. New this year is a session on how to communicate with your Regional DEP Office. http://www.pachamber.org/cp/   NJ Volunteer Monitoring Summit The NJ DEP, in cooperation with the Watershed Watch Network Advisory Council, will host the 3rd Annual Volunteer Monitoring Summit on November 4 and 5 in Edison, New Jersey. The purpose of this conference is to provide an opportunity for New Jersey volunteer watershed monitors, and those from around the nation, to meet and share information and techniques. This year's theme will be "Using Your Data to for Local Community Efforts." http://www.state.nj.us/dep/watershedmgt/volunteer_monitoring_summit05.htm  NALMS 2005 Join the North American Lake Management Society (NALMS) in NALMS' hometown of  Madison, Wisconsin on November 9-11 for a celebration of their 25th anniversary conference. The anniversary year theme is Lake  Æffects: Exploring the Relationship between People and Water. Special features of this year's program are a special track on the increasingly important issue of toxic algae and a day-long track focused on Madison's lakes, the birthplace of limnology in North America. http://www.nalms.org/symposia/madison/index.htm   MA Stream Restoration Workshop    A workshop, Integrated Restoration of Riverine Wetlands, Streams, Riparian Areas, and Floodplains In Watershed Contexts, will be held in Amherst, MA on November 15-16. The principal workshop goal will be to build state, tribal, local government, federal, and private stream, riparian, and floodplain capabilities to simultaneously restore riverine wetlands, streams, riparian areas, and floodplains in a watershed context. http://www.aswm.org/calendar/integratingrest/integratedrest.htm.

 

 

Link Of The Month

 

Green Purchasing Resources for Businesses

The Northeast Recycling Council Inc. (NERC) recently published a sequence of Web pages designed to assist businesses in their "green" purchasing programs. Green products and services, also referred to as environmentally preferable products (EPP), are products or services that have a lesser or reduced effect on human health and the environment when compared with competing products or services that serve the same purpose. By using this site, businesses will be able to identify vendors that sell green products and services throughout the Northeast region, steps to developing a green purchasing program, as well as purchasing self-assessment tools, tools for quantifying the impact of a green purchasing program and other related resources. http://www.nerc.org/GreenPurchasing/greenpurchasingresources.html 

 

 

New Publications

 

Soil Survey Information Now Available Online

The USDA recently launched a Web Soil Survey site that will provide secure public access to the national soils information system. This site is a simple yet powerful way to access and analyze soils data that contributes to every aspect of public and private land use and development. http://soildatamart.nrcs.usda.gov In Pennsylvania, soil mapping can be accessed at http://soilmap.psu.edu/. 

Clean Water Act Manual Published

The River Network recently published a new edition of a comprehensive manual that gives advice about how to use the Clean Water Act to solve real-world problems. The manual contains expanded information on Antidegradation, Stormwater permits, TMDLs and more. References, websites and other resources have been updated. The "Owner's Manual" explains crucial sections of the Clean Water Act, points out how to get involved in regulatory decisions, and tells local stories of others who've done so. The manual can be ordered from River Network at: http://www.rivernetwork.org/marketplace/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=5 .

Community-Based Watershed Management Handbook Released

The EPA has released a new handbook entitled, Community-Based Watershed Management: Lessons from the National Estuary Program. The handbook is an update to Saving Bays and Estuaries, published in 1989. While the new handbook focuses on estuaries, its principles and examples are relevant to any organization involved in watershed management. Topics covered range from starting a program, identifying problems, and solutions to plan development and action steps. http://www.epa.gov/owow/estuaries/nepprimer  

Juniata Sub-Watersheds Characterized in New Report

The Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) recently announced its 2004 findings for water quality, biology and habitat conditions in the Juniata River Subbasin. Overall, streams in the subbasin were in good health. However, agricultural operations appeared to be a large source of impairment for the polluted stream stretches, with abandoned mine drainage (AMD) pollution and urban stormwater problems also having marked effects in select areas. http://srbc.net/techreports.htm 

Life on the Delaware Documentary Distributed Nationally on PBS Stations

“Life on the Delaware,” a documentary about the Delaware River from its headwaters to the Delaware Estuary, has been accepted by American Public Television for distribution and airing by all US Public Broadcasting Stations. Check your local PBS station listings for when the documentary is airing. A DVD version of the documentary that includes an educational study guide and an accompanying website is also available through GreenTreks. http://www.greentreks.org/onlocation/delaware_river/documentary.asp

 

 

 

F. X. Browne, Inc.  – Environmental Consulting

F. X. Browne, Inc.
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For more information, call us at (215) 362-3878 or visit: http://www.fxbrowne.com.