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Besides
the Autumn poets sing
A few prosaic days
A little this side of the snow
And that side of the Haze --
~ Emily
Dickinson |
Editors
Note
According
to VoteWorks.org, in 2000, more than 75 million people who were
eligible to vote stayed home during an election decided by 537 votes.
Please
join F. X. Browne, Inc. in encouraging your staff, colleagues, and others you
know to register to vote. We who care about the environment have an opportunity
at each election to choose our elected officials who will be good stewards of
our natural world. Whatever your opinions about the presidential election,
don’t forget that we also choose our elected representatives for Congress, our
state capitols, and local communities, and there are often local ballot
questions that let our voices be heard about environmental-related issues and
funding approvals.
Whatever
your political motivations, please make sure you are registered to vote by your
state’s registration cutoff date. To determine when that is, visit your state’s
Department of State Board of Elections website – a list of these is provided at
http://www.workingforchange.com/vote/vote_center.cfm?itemid=15678. For most
states, the deadline is only a few weeks away. For example, in PA and NJ, the
deadline for registrations to be received is October 4, and in NY it is October
13. Don’t forget to order an absentee ballot if you will be out of town on
Election Day. For online voter registration forms for each state, visit
http://www.voteworks.org/servlet/vw/customers/customerToolKit7.htm. These
forms can be printed from the Internet and mailed to the voter registration
office in your state (addresses are included on each form). Alternatively, you
can visit
https://www.workingforchange.com/vote/faq.cfm to register to vote online.
Your Vote Matters will fill out the forms and mail them in for you! Please make
sure to register before your deadline and vote on November 2!
Feature Article
Hydroseeding: The Most
Bang for your Buck
Hydroseeding, also known as hydromulching, is
increasing in popularity as a way to quickly and cost-effectively stabilize
disturbed areas and prevent erosion along roadsides and at construction
projects.
More…
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Fishing
Etiquette
Summer may be over, but there’s still plenty of good fishing out there.
Below are some tips to teach the younger set or anyone new to the sport
the ins and outs of being a fish-friendly and nature-friendly angler.
| ► |
If
you are planning on releasing the fish you catch, never let it flap on
the ground. Underwater, gravity has less impact so fish are not used
to pounding. Hold the fish with a wet hand or wet rag (never dry) and
gently remove the hook. |
| ► |
Although there is a wide range of tolerance from catfish to trout,
fish should never be kept out of the water for more than about 15
seconds. Even though we anglers see fish swim away, researchers show
that often they do not survive more than a few minutes. Fish out of
water for long periods of time may be revived by moving the animal
frontward and backward in the water to allow oxygen flow through the
gills. |
From
Fishing 101 – By David E. Wilson, Jr.
at
Watersheds.tv
Fore
more tips, see the full article at
http://www.greentreks.org/watershedstv/intheflow_test.asp |
News
Clips
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Reports Detail Impacts of
Agriculture on Chesapeake Bay Water Quality
According
to two new reports by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF)
and PennFuture, farm animal manure is the largest
source of pollution damaging local rivers, streams, and the Chesapeake Bay.
More…
Clean Water Advocate Makes Historic 315-mile
Swim of Hudson River
On July 28, 2004,
Christopher Swain stroked under the
Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and out into the Atlantic
Ocean, becoming the first person in history to swim the entire length of the
Hudson River.
More...
Plankton Change Weather to
Suit Their Needs
A
recent study funded by NASA's Earth Science Department shows that ocean
phytoplankton release high quantities of cloud-forming compounds on days when
the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays are especially strong.
More...
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Policy Update
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Pennsylvania Governor Rendell announced the appointments of Kathleen
McGinty, Secretary of the Department of
Environmental Protection, Michael DiBerardinis,
Secretary of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and
Roy Kienitz, Deputy Chief of Staff to the
Governor, to the Growing Greener II Green Ribbon Commission – a
commission established by the Legislature to examine and develop
recommendations to fortify the commonwealth’s environmental investment
programs. For more information, visit
http://www.growinggreener2.com/. |
 |
NJ
Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) recently announced the
start of a public comment period on soil cleanup standards for use at
contaminated site remediation projects across the state. The draft soil
standards take into account the risk of exposure to contamination from
ingestion, skin contact and inhalation based on residential and
nonresidential settings. The draft soil standards also measure how soil
contamination impacts ground water quality based on the protection of
aquifers suitable for use as a drinking water source.
http://www.nj.gov/dep/srp/regs/srs/.
|
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The PA
Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and State Conservation
Commission (SCC) recently awarded $3.53
million to conservation districts across Pennsylvania as part of the
dirt and gravel road program to help municipalities fund environmentally
sound maintenance practices that can prevent water pollution caused by
erosion, sedimentation and dust. Funds are available to municipalities
through the county conservation districts.
http://www.dep.state.pa.us/newsletter/default.asp?NewsletterArticleID=9066.
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The US
EPA will be able to approve pesticides without consulting wildlife
agencies to determine if the chemical might harm plants and animals
protected by the Endangered Species Act, according to new Bush
administration rules. The streamlining by the Interior and Commerce
departments represents 'a more efficient approach to ensure protection
of threatened and endangered species,' officials with the two agencies,
EPA and the Agriculture Department said in a joint statement. It also is
intended to head off future lawsuits, the officials said.
http://www.enn.com/news/2004-07-30/s_26320.asp. |
|
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The
Council of Great Lakes Governors last month announced a 90-day public
review period on a draft agreement that would set standards and
procedures governing any proposed diversion from the world's largest
surface freshwater system. It would also provide for conservation
measures for current use. While there are no proposals to divert massive
amounts of water from the lakes, there have been fears that the growing
demand for water in the U.S. West - where a multiyear drought has
exacerbated a natural scarce water condition - could fuel such plans.
http://www.cglg.org. |
|
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Pennsylvania has released its Draft Chesapeake Bay Tributary Strategy,
outlining the state’s plan to address nutrient and sediment pollution in
the 13 sub-basins that make up the Susquehanna and Potomac Watersheds.
The draft tributary strategy organizes and calculates the water quality
benefits of multiple best management practices—from improved stormwater
management and urban street sweeping in our towns, to forested
streamside buffers and phosphate-reducing livestock feeds in our rural
communities. The focus is on reducing nonpoint source pollution,
although point source dischargers in Pennsylvania’s portion of the
Chesapeake Bay Watershed also will be challenged with reducing nutrient
loads delivered to the Bay by more than 3 million pounds.
http://www.dep.state.pa.us/hosting/pawatersheds/chesapeakebay/. |
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After
months of debate, New Jersey Governor James E.
McGreevey signed the landmark Highlands Water Protection and
Planning Act last month that preserves nearly 400,000 acres of
environmentally sensitive land in New Jersey's Highlands region and
protects the source of clean drinking for water 5.4 million New Jersey
residents.
http://www.nj.gov/dep/highlands/ |
|
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Pennsylvania Governor Rendell unveiled the Agriculture, Communities and
Rural Environment initiative, or ACRE. The initiative includes changes
to farm-management regulations to strengthen key water quality
requirements for concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs),
concentrated animal operations (CAOs) and
manure-importing farms, and makes Pennsylvania among the first states to
require odor mitigation.
http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/watermgt/wqp/wqp_wm/cafo_home.htm. |
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Water Purification Pod
(aka
Bioretention Facility)
by Dave Hirschman, as
inspired by the spa menu of the Grove Park Inn, Asheville, NC
An
invigorating mélange of lush vegetation, concrete pipes, and the finest
Carolina red clay available, this water purification pod provides deep
cleansing and healing for au de storm. Relax as the aura of the incoming
water is purified. Essential oily wastes, mud, and
nutrifying phosphorus undergo hydrotherapy, resulting in a sparkling
discharge that will gently massage the receiving stream. |
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Link
Of The Month
Want to see some good before
and after photos of wetland restoration projects? The new Massachusetts Wetlands
Restoration Program (WRP) web site provides in-depth coverage of wetland
restoration activities in the Commonwealth. Restoration advocates will find
the interactive maps, pictures, and summary
descriptions of over 70 active and completed restoration projects
particularly informative. Maps and
summaries are also provided for all wetlands restoration plans and coastal tidal
restriction atlases. An extensive list of links to federal, state, and
non-profit restoration resources rounds out the offerings. CZM and WRP intend
for this site to serve as a virtual hub of wetland restoration information in
Massachusetts, but much of the information is applicable to other states or
regions.
http://www.mass.gov/czm/wrp/index.htm.
For more information about wetland creation and wetland restoration, contact F.
X. Browne, Inc. at
info@fxbrowne.com
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Suburbia is where the developer bulldozes out the trees,
then names the streets after them.
~
Bill Vaughan |
 |
A Field Guide to Sprawl
Dolores Hayden has authored
this visual lexicon of colorful slang, from alligator investment to
zoomburb,
that defines sprawl in America. Duck, ruburb,
tower farm, big box, and pig-in-a-python are among the dozens of zany terms
invented by real estate developers and designers today to characterize the
physical elements of sprawl and land use practices. Sprawl in the environment,
based on the metaphor of a person spread out, is hard to define. This concise
book engages its meaning, explains common building patterns, and illustrates the
visual culture of sprawl. Seventy-five stunning color aerial photographs, each
paired with a definition, convey the impact of excessive development and provide
the verbal and visual vocabulary needed by professionals, public officials, and
citizens to critique uncontrolled growth in the American landscape. ISBN:
0393731251, W.W. Norton & Company (2004).
PA Nutrient Management, Water Quality
Regulations Publications
Two new publications by Penn
State’s Cooperative Extension highlight important proposed revisions to state
nutrient management and water quality regulations. “Shaping New PA Nutrient
Management Act Regulations: A Guide to the Proposal" and "Comment Process and
Make Your Voice Heard: Commenting on Proposed Water Pollution Regulations for
CAFOs and Other Agricultural Operations” summarize
proposed changes affecting concentrated animal operations (CAOs),
concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) and
other agricultural operations. The State Conservation Commission and the
Environmental Quality Board have coordinated release of these proposed
regulation changes. Citizens have until Nov. 5 to comment on the State
Conservation Commission's proposed revisions to the Nutrient Management Act
regulations and/or the Environmental Quality Board's proposed revisions to water
quality regulations affecting agriculture (Chapters 91 and 92). Both
publications are now available at:
http://agenvpolicy.aers.psu.edu.
Riparian Buffer Publications
The South Carolina Department
of Health and Environmental Control’s Ocean and
Coastal Resources Management (OCRM) Planning
Division staff recently reviewed and compiled current literature on vegetated
buffers. The review resulted in two easy-to-read informative booklets: one for
both local government officials and citizens of South Carolina, entitled
Vegetated Riparian Buffers and Buffer Ordinances (http://www.scdhec.net/ocrm/pubs/buffers.pdf
), and a second for homeowners, entitled Backyard Buffers for the South Carolina
Lowcountry (http://www.scdhec.net/ocrm/pubs/backyard.pdf
). Although written for South Carolina, these documents present information
applicable to a wider audience. To further assist local government officials and
the public, OCRM also offers A Model Riparian Buffer
Ordinance (http://www.scdhec.net/ocrm/pubs/model.pdf
), which lists suggested components of a buffer ordinance.
For help with reviewing and
designing new protective ordinances for your municipality, contact
info@fxbrowne.com.
PA Green Business Publications
Two new publications are now
available to help Pennsylvania governments and small businesses save energy and
money by improving their environmental performance. “Environmental Management
Systems: A Guidebook for Improving Energy and Environmental Performance in Local
Government” is aimed at helping local governments and municipalities walk
through the implementation process of an Environmental Management System (EMS)
with a minimum of outside support. The implementation of an EMS provides
organizations with a systematic framework to address the ongoing management of
their environmental issues such as waste generation, energy efficiency,
pollution prevention, consumption of natural resources, etc. By using the
guidelines, as well as the tools and templates available in this manual, an
organization can implement a complete EMS.
“Steps for Improving Your
Business and the Environment” is a workbook aimed at helping small- or
medium-sized businesses manage environmental issues at their facilities and
enhance their energy, environmental and economic performance. By answering a
series of questions, the workbook directs users to a number of valuable tools to
review and decide how best to use them in their business. In addition, an
accompanying document was developed entitled “Sample EMS Manual: Environmental
Management System Model Manual Specific to Pennsylvania Municipal Operations.”
This manual may be used in conjunction with the guidebook—or by itself—by
organizations desiring to develop and implement an EMS with a minimum of
external support. To download visit
http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/pollprev/Iso14001/EMSGuides.htm.
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F. X. Browne, Inc. –
Environmental Consulting
Corporate Office: Lansdale, PA
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F. X. Browne, Inc.
Engineers – Planners – Scientists
27 Years of Excellence & Innovation
Our team of
civil and
environmental engineers, land planners, and environmental scientists
offer a full range of services, including: Stormwater Management & BMP
Design; Low Impact Development & Site Design; Lake Management, Restoration
& Dredging; Stream Restoration & Bioengineering; Watershed Management &
Planning; Open Space & Greenways Planning; Water Quality Monitoring &
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For more information, call
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