F. X. Browne, Inc.'s

Lake and Watershed News

 October 2004

`Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!' I shrieked upstarting -
`Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore!
Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!
Leave my loneliness unbroken! - quit the bust above my door!
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

 From ‘The Raven’ by Edgar Allen Poe

Editor’s Note: 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 2!

Join volunteer water monitors all over the world to participate in the 2004 World Water Monitoring Day! Monitoring should take place between Sept. 18 and Oct. 18. Participants can monitor the water quality of their rivers, lakes, streams, wetlands and coastal waters using their own equipment or by purchasing a World Water Monitoring Day test kit from the website. Participants will contribute to an international database that will be used to further understanding about the world’s water resources. For instructions, ordering information, and monitoring site registration, as well as resources and information relating to this annual event, visit www.worldwatermonitoringday.org.

Feature Article

Watershed Festivals – Awareness at its Best

What do flea markets, musical entertainment, kayak demonstrations, fried dough, fly-tying instruction, historical re-enactments, storytelling, and children’s face painting have to do with watershed awareness? Everything, when included as part of a watershed awareness festival!

Ask any watershed group what the biggest hurdle to implementing watershed protection measures might be, and after “funding” you’re likely to hear things like “a lack of cooperation between stakeholders,” “apathy within the community,” and “problems with disseminating information to local stakeholders.” Holding a Lake Awareness Day or a Watershed Festival can help bring local watershed residents together and inform concerned citizens that they can make a difference in protecting their natural resources.

For example, F. X. Browne, Inc. recently designed a public outreach program for the Pennypack Watershed Partnership. In addition to public surveys, workshops, and fact sheets, a watershed festival was held at the local riverside park. The Watershed Wonders Festival included a guided nature walk down the Pennypack Creek, fish electroshocking demonstrations, cider pressing, pumpkin painting, storytelling, and other fun family-oriented activities. The overall goal was to reconnect Pennypack Creek with the people who live within its watershed. By encouraging more people to use the natural resources surrounding the creek, a vested interest in preservation will ideally be fostered. Designing the festival as a family event helped to energize children and their parents about conservation issues. Watershed festivals are also a good opportunity to involve the business community as sponsors and participants.

 Watershed awareness is especially important when the target watershed crosses municipal boundaries. Gathering stakeholders together in a fun event encourages people to work together as a watershed group. Depending on the watershed, stakeholders may include public agencies, non-profit organizations, businesses, hunting and fishing clubs, farming organizations, municipalities, chambers of commerce, sewer authorities, utilities, school and scout groups, and local citizens. Although public meetings and publications are also helpful in disseminating information, a watershed event can help to reach more people who might not normally take the time to participate. When people come face-to-face with their friends and neighbors to unite behind a cause, especially if they’re having fun and the turnout is large, it helps to spawn a greater sense of unity and responsibility.

 For information and pictures from one of the area’s largest watershed awareness festivals, the Susquehanna River Celebration, visit http://www.pacd.org/news/rcimages.htm. For more information about designing a public outreach program in your watershed, contact info@fxbrowne.com.

News Clips

New Geese Scare Tactic

 Stand back, Wyle E.! There’s a new coyote in town and he’s out to rustle up some geese!

 The Bedford (MA) Water and Sewer Department has recently employed two coyotes to help scare geese away from their water supply wells and the adjacent Shawsheen River. OK, they’re not real coyotes, but the geese don’t know that. The Department ordered the styrofoam-filled coyotes last year from a hunting magazine for $89.99 apiece. The coyotes have a foot long-spike to keep them positioned, and have been successful when placed strategically behind the fenced area around the wells. The Department has found that periodically moving the coyotes helps to confuse the geese and curious onlookers alike.

 The Boston Globe, 07/04/04

 PA DEP Advises Residents in Ivan Aftermath

 Tropical Storm Ivan wreaked havoc on Pennsylvania on September 17-18, 2004. The PA DEP offers residents some tips and assistance for dealing with the aftermath.

 Flooding, especially flooding to the extent seen during Tropical Storm Ivan, can cause unforeseen circumstances. The following are some ways the PA DEP is helping residents clean up and resume normal life in the wake of the floods:

• The Commonwealth is waiving fees that the state charges to landfill operators in order to hasten cleanup efforts. The waiver applies to any landfill that receives flood debris, regardless of whether or not the site is located in a declared disaster county.

• PA DEP recommends residents conserve water to reduce the load on local wastewater treatment plants, many of which were damaged during the floods.

• DEP is providing free water testing kits to residents who rely on water wells or springs for their drinking water in those counties that have been declared disaster areas. Flood victims with private drinking water wells are urged to properly disinfect the well before sampling if the area around the well head was flooded. Well water should not be consumed until the well has been disinfected and sample results indicate that coliform bacteria are not present.

• PA DEP has announced emergency permitting procedures and other measures to hasten the maintenance, repair, or replacement of flood-damaged bridges, highways, utility lines and other items in or near state waterways.

• Although all the major dams in the state appear to have survived the storm in good shape, DEP’s Division of Dam Safety reminds smaller dam owners that it is their responsibility to inspect for damage after major flood events. Any concerns should be reported to the PA DEP Office of Dam Safety at 717-787-8568.

For information on these programs and other flood cleanup issues, visit the PA DEP flood recovery page at http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/watermgt/general/floods/flooding.htm.

Mystery Lilies Reappear After 42 Years

The white water lilies that gave Lake Lily NJ its name have returned – but no one knows for sure how they got there. 

Fragrant white water lilies had adorned Lake Lily since Colonial times but were wiped out during a coastal storm in 1962. This summer, as a committee of local residents made plans to reintroduce water lilies to the lake, two plants showed up on their own. One theory is that the re-emergence was related to a recent lake dredging project designed by F. X. Browne, Inc. The project removed 26,000 cubic yards of sediment from the lake and uncovered a historic spring that once fed the lake with fresh groundwater. It is possible that the dredging may have allowed long-dormant lily seeds under the dredged sediments to take root. Another theory is somebody planted the two lily plants during recent months. An effort is under way to raise money to buy more lilies to be planted in the lake next spring.

http://www.fxbrowne.com/html/lake%20lily%20in%20Lake%20and%20Water%20-%202004.pdf

The (NJ) Press of Atlantic City, 8/25/2004

Photo Courtesy of the Borough of Cape May Point

 Policy Update

• A new US Interior Department rule provides electric utilities exclusive rights to appeal environmental and recreational requirements at hydropower dams.

    htttp://www.americanrivers.org/index.php?module=HyperContent&func=display&cid=2971

• PA Legislative leaders have announced their appointments to the Green Ribbon Commission, charged with shaping Pennsylvania’s environmental and economic recovery. The Commission was created as part of the 2004-05 state budget agreement to deal with environmental concerns and determine the best funding options for Growing Greener II.

    http://www.dep.state.pa.us/newsletter/default.asp?NewsletterArticleID=9253&SubjectID.

• NJ Governor James E. McGreevey recently announced nominations to the Highlands Water Protection and Planning Council. http://www.nj.gov/cgi-bin/governor/njnewsline/view_article.pl?id=2148

• NJ DEP recently announced a Raritan River initiative that requires specific cleanup work by responsible parties at five contaminated sites along the river's lower section to improve water quality. http://www.state.nj.us/dep/newsrel/2004/04_0101.htm.

• NOAA Fisheries, the federal agency responsible for restoring dwindling salmon runs in the Northwest, claims that by spending $6 billion on improvements over the next 10 years, the Columbia Basin's federal hydroelectric dams can be operated without jeopardizing the survival of threatened and endangered salmon. This opinion sets a new course for salmon recovery in the Columbia Basin by jettisoning a movement toward restoring the Columbia and Snake rivers to a more natural condition. http://www.salmonrecovery.gov/R_biop.shtml

• Interior Secretary Gale Norton has signed an agreement with representatives of Arizona, Nevada and California to protect wildlife habitat on the Colorado River and aid native species. The Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program will create 8,100 acres of riparian, marsh and backwater habitat for about 27 species, six of which are endangered. http://www.lcrmscp.org/

• President Bush recently signed an executive order instituting a policy of 'cooperative conservation' between the federal government and local parties on the broad issues of environmental protection and use of natural resources. For the article: http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/26840/story.htm. For the executive order: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/08/20040826-11.html.

• The U.S. Department of Agriculture has implemented a new Wetlands Restoration Initiative. The initiative aims to restore up to 250,000 acres of wetlands and playa lakes through the Farm Bill's Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). http://www.fsa.usda.gov/pas/publications/facts/html/nonfloodwet04.htm

• EPA Region 3, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), and the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, have submitted a protocol for assessing water quality in emergent, shrub, and forested wetlands for the state of Delaware. http://www.epa.gov/region03/ebytes/ebytes08_13_04.htm

• The EPA recently published its 2004 Effluent Guidelines Program Plan to present the results of the 2004 annual review of existing effluent guidelines required by section 304(b) of the Clean Water Act.  The notice also presents the final 2004 Effluent Guidelines Program Plan required by section 304(m). http://www.epa.gov/guide/plan.html

Grant Programs

Delaware River Photography Competition

The Delaware River Greenway Partnership invites photographers to begin shooting for the first “Soul of a River: Delaware River Photography Competition”. The purpose of the competition is to celebrate and bring attention to the Delaware River's outstanding natural and cultural resources. Photographers are invited to submit works that depict the Delaware River and its immediate environs, including the natural and human communities that are found from just below the Delaware Water Gap to Washington Crossing. Prize categories include: historic, natural, recreational, and scenic. The deadline for submissions is October 18-23. http://www.drgp.org/contest.html

Free Chesapeake Bay Buffer and Wetland Plants

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation is offering plants at no cost to non-profit groups and conservation agencies for stream buffer and wetland restoration in the bay watershed in Pennsylvania. Plants must be picked up at Black Rock Nursery in southern Lancaster County PA on October 16, 20, or 30. Species available include shrubs such as black chokeberry, gray dogwood, silky dogwood, arrowwood viburnum, and winterberry holly. Trees include silver maple, green ash, tulip poplar, pin oak, white oak, swamp white oak, scarlet oak and chestnut oak. Interested groups should contact Cathy Hiebert at 717-234-5550 or chiebert@cbf.org.

EPA Region 3 Brownfields Grants

Brownfields grants are being awarded in the following categories: Site Assessment, Cleanup Grants, Cleanup Loan Funds (RLF), and Job Training. Proposals are due by December 4, 2004. Local governments, state governments/tribal authorities, quasi-governmental entities such as industrial development authorities, state legislated entities, regional council of governments (metropolitan planning organizations), redevelopment agencies, and nonprofit organizations (for clean-up grants only) are encouraged to apply. http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/bfs/index.htm.

PA DEP Coastal Zone Grants

PA DEP’s Water Planning Office is accepting applications for Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2005 Coastal Zone grants. Applications must be postmarked by October 25, 2004. Grants are available for projects that commence October 1, 2005 and support the program’s mission to protect and enhance Pennsylvania’s coastal resources. http://www.dep.state.pa.us/river/czmp.htm

PA Community Conservation Partnerships Program (C2P2) Grants

The Pennsylvania Community Conservation Partnerships Program provides state and federal grant dollars to help fund Community Recreation, Land Trust, Rails-to-Trails, Rivers Conservation and PA Recreational Trails projects. These components are combined into a yearly application cycle and a single application format. Municipalities, municipal agencies, pre-qualified land trusts and authorized nonprofit organizations are all eligible applicants. Applications are due by October 13. http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/brc/grants/.

Johns Hopkins University Seeks Utility Volunteers

 Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH) are seeking wastewater utility volunteers to provide influent, effluent and sludge samples for a nationwide study of the fate of disinfectants and personal care products in the environment. JHSPH will provide sample containers and detailed instructions. Participants will receive data on the concentrations of selected household chemicals in the samples they provide. The study is seeking to obtain at least two volunteers from each state. http://www.wef.org/pdffiles/WEF_Sampling_Plan.pdf

Events

Lenape Park, PA Island Restoration Demonstration

A guided visit of the island in Lenape Park in Perkasie Borough will be given on October 3 by staff of F. X. Browne, Inc. who designed and managed a streambank restoration project in the East Branch Perkiomen Creek. They will explain bioengineering stabilization techniques used to address erosion problems, and native plants that were introduced to help control future erosion.  As part of the demonstration, a few small areas of the island will be re-seeded. Volunteers from the community are welcome to participate, and are invited to stay for the other activities of Perkasie’s Fall Festival.  For more information about the project, including project construction and post-construction photographs, see http://www.fxbrowne.com under Case Studies.

 Pennsylvania Lake Management Society Conference

The 15^th annual Pennsylvania Lake Management Society (PALMS) conference, “Integrated Approaches to Lake Management”, will be held on October 21- 22 in State College, PA. The conference promises to be just as informative as in past years, with several improvements based on participant feedback. Topics include algae and aquatic plant management, fishery management, GIS, on-site wastewater disposal problems, dam removal, alum application, and pesticide and herbicide application. A photo contest and lake management awards are included and credits for pesticide applicators and lake managers are available. Please visit http://www.palakes.org/calendar.htm for the agenda and registration brochure.

PA Better Site Design Workshop

The Center for Watershed Protection is holding a Better Site Design workshop on October 7 at the Penn State Cooperative Extension, in Lewistown, PA. This workshop provides an introduction to Better Site Design (BSD) and the 22 Model Development Principles. Additional topics will include the benefits of BSD, how to implement of BSD through the local site planning roundtable process, and lessons learned through other site planning roundtables. http://www.cwp.org/Mifflin-County_brochure.pdf

Academy of Natural Sciences Town Square Workshops

The Town Square Initiative is an exciting new series of discussions, workshops and public forums designed to bring together scientific and policy experts to consider critical environmental issues. Town Square is an opportunity for the public to hear and be heard by some of the most influential scientific experts and key decision makers. Programs will be held at the Academy in Philadelphia, and will also be webcast to sites around the world. All events are open to the public free of charge. http://www.acnatsci.org/townsquare/

Town Square 2004/2005 Schedule:

October 13, 2004: Urban sprawl: Human causes/environmental effects

November 17, 2004: Lewis and Clark's Legacy Part 1: Two centuries of change in the Delaware and Columbia watersheds

December 8, 2004: Lewis and Clark's Legacy Part 2: Managing the future of the Delaware and Columbia watersheds

January 12, 2005: Chemical contaminants in the Delaware River: How much is too much?

Delaware Water Forum

The 4th annual Delaware Water Forum will be held on October 13 at the University of Delaware in Newark, Del. The focus of the forum is the health and restoration of the Cristina River Basin. Register by October 8 at http://www.wr.udel.edu/publicservice/WaterForum2004/2004WaterForumBrochure.pdf. 

NJ School Garden/Native Plant Workshop for Teachers

The NJ DEP's Division of Fish and Wildlife, in cooperation with the Native Plant Society, will host a workshop entitled "Help Your School Go WILD with Native Plants" at the New Jersey Science Teachers Convention in Somerset on October 13. The class will offer an introduction to DEP's Wild School Site program, include examples of native plants specific to the geographic regions of the state, and highlight recent school projects. Participants will also find a framework and lesson plans for developing a school garden, and will have an opportunity to obtain free native plants to start their own project. http://www.npsnj.org/temp/TeachersConvention.html

NJ Landscape Project Training Sessions

Version 2.0 of New Jersey's Landscape Project, which identifies critical habitats throughout the state, is now available for download at http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/ensp/landscape/download.htm. NJ Landscape Project Training Sessions will be held at Sussex County Community College on October 13 and Mercer County Community College on October 15. Participants will learn about the Landscape Project in hands-on training sessions that are free and open to the general public. Environmental professionals and conservation-minded citizens are encouraged to attend. http://www.njfishandwildlife.com/ensp/landscape_train04.htm

NJ Watershed Institute Grant Seminar

A Watershed Institute Grant Seminar will be held on October 16 at the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Nature Reserve in Pennington, NJ. The workshop is titled “2003 Project Accomplishments” and will highlight strategies and model projects, educational opportunities, monitoring programs, festivals, and school programs. http://www.thewatershedinstitute.org.

ANJEC 31st Annual Environmental Congress

The Association of NJ Environmental Commission's (ANJEC) will be holding their 31^st annual Environmental Congress, entitled, "Beyond Home Rule: Protecting the Environment Through Regional Planning" on October 15 at Mercer County Community College, West Windsor, NJ. The Keynote Speaker will be James Florio, former governor and chair of the NJ Pinelands Commission. Topics include the Highlands Water Protection Act, New Jersey's new `Fast Track' law, regional initiatives in the Hackensack Meadowlands and Sourlands, opportunities presented by recent Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) legislation and how some environmental commissions have reached out across municipal borders. Other workshops will examine issues such as water allocation, transportation, stream protection, greenways, stormwater and biodiversity that must be addressed in the context of regional planning and cooperation. http://www.anjec.org/html/workshops.htm.

PA Groundwater Speaker Series 

The Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) and partners have announced a series of free groundwater programs to educate the public, elected officials, environmental and watershed organizations, consultants, water management agency representatives and others about groundwater issues and solutions in the Susquehanna River Basin.

Program information is as follows:

Oct. 19 -- "Introduction to Groundwater," Harrisburg, PA

Oct. 27 – “Groundwater in Pennsylvania: Practical Applications, Characteristics and Water Wells," Middletown, PA

Nov. 4 -- "Water Treatment Options for Private Well Owners," State College, PA

http://www.srbc.net/GroundwaterSpeakerSeries.htm

PA International Water Conference

The Engineers Society of Western Pennsylvania is holding its 2004 International Water Conference on October 17-21 in Pittsburgh, PA. Core technical tracks include Process Water Preparation, Cooling and Process Water, Steam Generation, and Wastewater & Recycle. An optional field trip is included. http://www.eswp.com/water/index.htm.

Society of Women Environmental Professionals of Greater Philadelphia Forum

The Society of Women Environmental Professionals (SWEP) will hold a National Forum on October 20 - 21 in Princeton, NJ: “Building for the Future - Energizing to Foster a Better Environment.” Topics will include: A Better Environment - Leadership, Innovation and Practical Approaches, Building for a Better Environment - Focus on Water Quality, The Future of the Public's Health - Focus on Human Health Effects, Can Energy Become Sustainable? - Focus on Renewable Energy and Green Buildings, Impact of the Environment on Health Issues, Environmental Regulatory Issues Today and Tomorrow, Building for a Better Environment II – Focus on Air Brownfields/Greenfield's Redevelopment and Reuse "Green" Remediation. http://www.swepweb.com/index.jsp

NJ Wetlands Workshop

EPA Regions 2 and 3 are sponsoring the Seventh Annual Wetlands Workshop, “The Protection of Aquatic Ecosystems Using Watershed-Based Approaches,” in Atlantic City, NJ on October 25-28. This year's workshop strives to increase dialogue and foster partnerships among federal, state, and local agencies, non- governmental organizations, the scientific community, private industry and stakeholders. http://www.wetlandsworkgroup.org/wetreg7/7th_workshop.htm

Wetlands 2004

The Association of State Wetland Managers will be holding their annual National Symposium, “Wetlands 2004: Protecting Wetlands of International Significance” on October 19-20, in Kansas City, Missouri.  An optional field seminar will also be held at Great Bend, Kansas on October 21-22. The symposium and field seminar will be held along the Central Flyway to help build the capacity of states, local governments, federal agencies, and others to help monitor, assess, protect and restore wetlands of international significance. The symposium will primarily focus on the protection and restoration of wetlands of international significance in the U.S., but will also cover Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. A major emphasis of the symposium will be to develop improved cooperation between wetland and bird protection groups. http://www.aswm.org/calendar/wetlands2004/agenda2004.htm.

PA Susquehanna Basin Streamside Cleanup Training Academy Workshops

The Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) and PA CleanWays will conduct several workshops through the Susquehanna River Basin Streamside Cleanup Training Academy. The workshops are part of SRBC's on-going efforts to help non-profit organizations, municipalities, and county conservation districts conduct streamside cleanup projects in the Susquehanna basin. Workshop participants will receive a free sample kit of materials to use during their cleanup. The registration deadline is Oct. 8, and workshops are being held at sites around the Basin on October 21, 26, and 27. http://srbc.net/sc-training.htm

PA Association of Conservation Districts Meeting

The Pennsylvania Association of Conservation Districts (PACD) will be holding their Watershed Specialists Training, PACD Fall Meeting, and PACD Conservation Expo in State College, PA on October 27-29. Various district and committee meetings will be held. http://www.pacd.org/events/Fall04/default.htm.

NJ Invasive Plants Symposium

A Small Green Planet Symposium on Invasive Plants of New Jersey will be held on October 29 at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum in Morris Township, NJ. Participants will learn how to identify noxious plants, what is being done nationally and here in New Jersey to combat these plant invaders, and how to use native plants effectively in residential landscapes. Symposium speakers include representatives from the federal and state Government, native plants nurserymen and the environmental community. This program is highly recommended for public and private garden professionals, landscape architects and designers, nursery staff, environmentalists, home gardeners and garden lovers. http://www.arboretumfriends.org/2004FallPgms/041029Invasive.html

EPA Green Buildings Exhibit

A new exhibit showcasing the latest innovations and methods of designing and constructing environmentally green buildings debuted last month and runs through October 29 at the U.S. EPA’s Public Information Center in Philadelphia, PA. Green buildings use a minimum of nonrenewable energy, produce a minimum of pollution, and cost a minimum of energy dollars, while increasing the comfort, health, and safety of the people who live and work in them. http://www.epa.gov/reg3p2p2/building.htm

NALMS 2004

The National Lake Management Society (NALMS) holds its annual symposium on November 3-5 in Victoria, BC, Canada. The theme for the 2004 conference is "Lakes - Habitat For Fish, Habitat For People" and will consider some of the challenges associated with the co-existence of people with fish. The program will also address topics including introduced aquatic plants and animals, lake assessment and restoration techniques, government policies and new scientific methods. Technical workshops and training are also offered. http://www.nalms.org/symposia/victoria/index.htm. Please remember to pick up an absentee ballot for the November 2 election if you plan to attend the symposium!

Stoneroller's Ball 2004

The Center for Watershed Protection will be holding its second fundraising event, Stoneroller’s Ball 2004, on November 6 at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, MD. Sip cocktails among the stingrays with the steel drums of Carribean Cocktail, and salsa the night away with Rumba Club on Pier 4. It’s all in support of the Center for Watershed Protection’s stormwater management, education, and environmental protection work across the country. http://www.cwp.org/Stonerollers_Ball.htm

Pennypack Rivers Conservation Plan Public Meeting (PA)

The Pennypack Rivers Watershed Partnership, along with Bucks County Chapter of Trout Unlimited will be holding a public meeting on November 9 at the Bucks County Court House in Doylestown, PA. Professionals from F. X. Browne, Inc., Trout Unlimited, and others will be speaking about the Pennypack Rivers Conservation Plan, open space planning, floodplain management, and streambank restoration. http://www.phillywater.org/pennypack/Events/events.htm.

PA Conference: Effects of Hurricane Isabel on Chesapeake Bay Ecosystems

The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Integration and Application Network is sponsoring “Hurricane Isabel in Perspective - Developing An Understanding Of How Storm Events Affect The Chesapeake Bay Region” on November 15 – 17 at the Maritime Institute, Linthicum Heights, MD. As the first anniversary of the hurricane approaches, this conference is being organized to discuss the many factors that exacerbated Isabel's impact on the Chesapeake Bay ecosystems and its coastal communities. http://ian.umces.edu/isabelconference.

Link of the Month

The East Coast Greenway provides muscle-powered users with a safe trail connecting the cities of the eastern seaboard. This 2,600-mile off-road trail system is 20 percent complete and being created by connecting local trails to form a continuous route. The urban sister to the Appalachian Trail, it serves as a pathway to adventure for walkers, cyclists, skaters, skiers, equestrians and persons with disabilities. The route will be at least 80 percent off-road, using waterfront esplanades, park paths, abandoned railroads, canal towpaths, and parkway corridors. The ultimate goal is to develop the entire trail from Maine to Florida. To see maps of the proposed greenway segments in your state, visit http://www.greenway.org.

New Publications

DRBC Water Resources Plan for the Delaware River Basin Complete

The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) recently celebrated the completion of the Water Resources Plan for the Delaware River Basin. The basin plan is a 30-year, goal-based framework that will serve as a guide for all stakeholders -- government and non-governmental alike -- whose actions affect water resources in the Delaware River Basin. The goal-based plan is prefaced by a set of twelve guiding principles against which all policy decisions and actions affecting water resource management should be measured, and includes five desired results. http://www.state.nj.us/drbc/basinplan.htm

On-Line Recycling Course

The PA DEP, in conjunction with the Professional Recyclers of Pennsylvania (PROP) and Penn State University, has announced the first on-line recycling class “Collection Techniques and Options,” offering Continuing Education Units (CEUs) towards certification. The three-hour course is designed to provide information on how to design an effective and efficient recyclable material collection system. The course includes information on how to effectively collect recyclables, how to choose collection equipment, how to design efficient collection routes, and much more. For more information about the online course, visit http://www.proprecycles.org/onlinecoursestartpage.html. For help with designing a recycling program, contact info@fxbrowne.com.

Vernal Pools: Natural History and Conservation

Vernal Pools: Natural History and Conservation, by Elizabeth A. Colburn, defines vernal pools, provides overviews of their formation and physical-chemical-hydrological characteristics, and presents data critical for assessing, regulating, and managing pool ecosystems. The biology of microscopic life forms such as bacteria, algae, and fungi, and the great variety of higher plants associated with vernal pools is explored. An extensive appendix identifies all animals that have been reported from vernal pools of the region and describes their habitat requirements, geographic distribution, and the life history characteristics. Vernal Pools focuses primarily on the vernal pools in Northeastern North America, but applies to vernal pools everywhere.  http://www.mwpubco.com/Vernalpools.htm

Lake Erie Management Plan 2004

The U.S. EPA's Great Lakes National Program Office is pleased to announce the availability of the 2004 Lake Erie Management Plan (Lake Erie LaMP). The Lake Erie LaMP focuses on measuring ecosystem health, teasing out the stressors responsible for impairments, and evaluating the effectiveness of existing programs in resolving the stress by continuing to monitor the ecosystem response. The role of the LaMP as a management plan is to define the management intervention needed to bring Lake Erie back to chemical, physical and biological integrity, and to further define agency commitments to those actions. http://epa.gov/greatlakes/lakeerie/2004update/index.html

Newsletter Editor:

Rebecca L. Buerkett

Newsletter Layout/Design:

Dianne Brown

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