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Editor's
Notes:
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Don’t forget to order an absentee ballot if you will be out of town on Election Day.
Please make sure to vote on November 4!
This month we've come up with some 
news stories for you! Giant trout invade!
Swarms of insects! Evil invaders! Read at your
own risk.....and remember, there may be dragons...
Have a fun and safe
Halloween!
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Topic
of the Month:
Scary Facts
about Stormwater
It's scary how
many tons of sediment each year enter our lakes and rivers via stormwater
runoff, not to mention nutrients and other chemicals that impair water
quality. More...
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Join the Zombie Squad
Zombie Squad is an elite zombie suppression task force ready to defend
your neighborhood from the shambling hordes of the walking dead. They provide trained, motivated, skilled zombie extermination professionals
and zombie survival consultants.
According to the Zombie
Squad, when the zombie removal business is slow
they focus their efforts on educating the community about the importance of
disaster preparation. Their goal is to educate the public about the importance of personal
preparedness and self reliance, and to increase community readiness to respond
to disasters such as earthquakes, floods, terrorism or Zombie
Outbreaks. They want to make sure communities are prepared for any crisis
situation that might come along, including
having your face eaten by the formerly deceased.
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News Clips:
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Evil Invaders Investigated
It sounds like the makings of an ecological disaster: an epidemic of
invasive species that wipes out the delicate native species in its path.
But a paper in The Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences points out that not all invasions have led to mass
extinctions. More...
North American
Freshwater Fish Eerily Disappearing
Nearly 40 percent of fish species in North American streams,
rivers and lakes are now in danger of disappearing, according to the most detailed
evaluation of the conservation status of freshwater fishes in the last
20 years. More...
The 'Killer' Wasps Are Back
Summertime hasn't
been the same in Upper
Macungie Township since the invasion of the killer wasps. More...
Beware! Giant Land Trout Invade the
Poconos!
All around
Stroudsburg, the fish were seen out of water! Giant trout, each one approximately 5 feet tall and
weighing at least 75 pounds were skulking around Pocono area businesses,
just biding their time....More...
New Biosolids Facility May Help Reduce
FRIGHTENING Sewage Costs
A small Pennsylvania business is
constructing a biosolids operations that will allow it to avoid a
FRIGHTFUL doubling of the rate charged to
customers due to a need to comply with Chesapeake Bay pollution
reduction standards. More...
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Policy
Update:
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EPA is issuing
a new rule that will provide financial incentives for states to
use fees when administering a clean water permit program. EPA can give
up to a total of $5.1 million to states that have adequate permit fees
for their NPDES
programs. |
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PADEP
is seeking comments on two TMDL
plans:
· Sinnemahoning Creek Watershed, Elk County: public meeting October
16
· Newport Creek Watershed, Luzerne County: public meeting October 7
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In
a landmark ruling, a Washington state appeals board ordered
use of low-impact building techniques to reduce stormwater runoff
in the western part of the state, which includes Seattle, Tacoma, and
three counties. |
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The
US Congress passed the Great
Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact. |
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Scariest Movie Villains of All Time |
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According to Moviefone, the top ten scariest movie villains of all time
include:
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Voldemort, Harry Potter Series (2001-)
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Darth Vader, Star Wars Series (1976-2005)
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Wicked Witch of the West, The Wizard of Oz (1939)
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Hannibal Lecter, Silence of the Lambs (1991)
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The Joker, The Dark Knight (2008)
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Goldfinger, Goldfinger (1964)
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Chigurgh, No Country for Old Men (2007)
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Hans Gruber, Die Hard (1988)
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Max Cady, Cape Fear (1991)
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The Queen, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (1937)
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Were Dragons Real?
The dragon is a central
feature in Chinese art
and culture.
Quite a number of historical
maps include depictions of dragons or sea serpents.
And countless stories
and myths glorify or horrify with dragon lore.
But are they real? Are
they merely a representation of our worst human fears or did dragons
once roam the earth and seas? You be the judge...
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New ASWM Wetland Mapping Site
The Association of State
Wetland Managers has a new webpage on wetland mapping that will serve as a
jumping-off point for people involved with mapping projects around the
country. The site includes helpful
wetland mapping program links, publications, news articles, and other
resources. Future plans for the site include an online forum for those involved
with wetland mapping projects to find out what other
folks are doing in their programs. http://www.aswm.org/swp/mapping/index.htm
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PA Energy Conservation, Green Building Events On Tap in October
Pennsylvania residents can learn about energy
conservation, renewable energy and green building benefits at a variety of
upcoming community events in October including:
- Green Buildings Open House - Oct. 4
- open houses in Lancaster County and the Lehigh Valley
- Sustainable
Energy Field Day/Homeowner’s How-To Reduce Energy Costs workshop - Oct. 16 in
Westmoreland County
- “Conservation
is Survival”- Oct. 24 - Energy Coordinating Agency’s annual Energy
Services Conference in Philadelphia.
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New Tools and
Publications:
Podcast Introduces EPA's New Problem-Solving
Tool
EPA's latest audio podcast "Magic MIRA Tells All" introduces EPA Region
3's new Multi-criteria Integrated Resource Assessment (MIRA) problem-solving
tool devised to assist in the environmental decision making process. MIRA's
analytical toolbox takes a hard look at environmental problems and seeks
improvements using the right mix of programs. http://www.epa.gov/region3/multimedia/
CWP Releases Street Sweeping/Stormdrain
Cleanout Study
In 2005, the Center for Watershed Protection
collaborated with a number of agencies to quantify the pollutant reduction that
can be achieved by street sweeping and storm drain cleanouts. This research
study had three phases: a literature review, a survey, and a monitoring program.
All of the information was used to provide locally-derived pollutant removal
reductions for street sweeping and storm drain cleanout practices for Chesapeake
Bay communities. The final report, entitled Deriving Reliable Pollutant Removal
Rates for Municipal Street Sweeping and Storm Drain Cleanout Programs in the
Chesapeake Bay Basin, as well as GIS field forms, are available now on the
Center's website. http://www.cwp.org/#sweeping
Stormwater BMP Maintenance Report Available
A report on the Survey of Post-Construction
Stormwater BMP Maintenance and Enforcement in North Carolina, which Triangle J
Council of Governments and the UNC Environmental Finance Center jointly
conducted with funding assistance from NCDENR, is now available online. The
survey asked stormwater program managers about basic program components, BMP
review and approval, tracking BMPs and inspections, performance guarantees,
enforcement mechanisms, and lessons learned. http://www.efc.unc.edu/projects/stormwater.htm#research
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Newsletter
Editor/ Design and Layout:
Rebecca
Buerkett
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Engineers – Planners – Scientists
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Corporate
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permission.
Clipart from Microsoft
Office Online and Heather's
Animations.
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