Subject: ECOLOG-L Digest - 15 Apr 2001 to 16 Apr 2001
There are 13 messages totalling 598 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. gw: Solid Evidence 'Greenhouse Gas' Heating Up Earth (2)
2. gw: Prairie is healthier for Earth, new study finds (4-12-2001) (2)
3. The Ecological Society of America's job page has recently been updated
4. gw: Ancient climate excursion linked to a rare anomaly in Earth's orbi
5. Position Opportunity in Florida
6. gamma-irradiation facilities (2)
7. Graduate Assistantship: GAP analysis, Kentucky
8. Environmental Job Openings from EnviroNetwork
9. 2001 Geospatial and Natural Resource Workshops
10. Coaster BRook Trout Graduate Research Assistantship
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2001 21:52:47 -0400
From: Karen Claxon <kclaxon@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: gw: Solid Evidence 'Greenhouse Gas' Heating Up Earth
In reports published in the journal Science today, two teams of
researchers using different computer models conclude that greenhouse
gases such as carbon dioxide and methane play a major role in "forcing"
the Earth's surface temperature higher and higher.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2001/0
4/13/MN211246.DTL
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2001 22:18:35 -0400
From: Karen Claxon <kclaxon@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: gw: Prairie is healthier for Earth, new study finds (4-12-2001)
As carbon dioxide and nitrogen build up in the Earth's atmosphere, the
gradual replacement of native forests and grasslands with monocultural
landscapes such as crops and lawns is making the world a less resilient
place.
That's the conclusion of a study led by the University of Minnesota that
appears in today's issue of Nature.
http://www.pioneerplanet.com/news/mtc_docs/041005.htm
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2001 10:30:19 -0400
From: Steve Clough <Stephen_Clough@UML.EDU>
Subject: Re: gw: Solid Evidence 'Greenhouse Gas' Heating Up Earth
Taking neither pro nor con in the GW debate, I don't see how one can
describe "evidence" as "solid" using a model.
"All models are wrong. Some are useful"
G.E.P Box
Karen Claxon wrote:
> In reports published in the journal Science today, two teams of
> researchers using different computer models conclude that greenhouse
> gases such as carbon dioxide and methane play a major role in "forcing"
> the Earth's surface temperature higher and higher.
> http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2001/
> 4/13/MN211246.DTL
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2001 15:51:31 -0400
From: "David W. Inouye" <di5@umail.umd.edu>
Subject: The Ecological Society of America's job page has recently been upda
ed
The Ecological Society of America's job page has recently been updated with
many new job announcements.
To view the page, visit the ESA website at: << http://esa.sdsc.edu/job
.htm >>
If you are seeking to fill a position and would like information on posting
a job with the ESA, you'll find instructions, contact info and rate
information on this same page.
___________________
Alison Gillespie
Public Affairs Officer
Ecological Society of America
1707 H Street NW
Suite 400
Washington, DC 20006
202-833-8773 ext 211
alison@esa.org
fax: 202-833-8775
http://esa.sdsc.edu
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2001 12:31:23 -0400
From: Karen Claxon <kclaxon@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: gw: Ancient climate excursion linked to a rare anomaly in Earth's
orbit
http://www.eurekalert.org/releases/ucsc-ace040901.html 12 APRIL 2001 AT
14:00 ET US
Contact: Tim Stephens
stephens@cats.ucsc.edu
831-459-2495
University of California, Santa Cruz
Ancient climate excursion linked to a rare anomaly in Earth's orbit
SANTA CRUZ, CA--About 23 million years ago, a huge ice sheet spread over
Antarctica, temporarily reversing a general trend of global warming and
decreasing ice volume. Now a team of researchers has discovered that
this climatic blip at the boundary between the Oligocene and Miocene
epochs corresponded with a rare combination of events in the pattern of
Earth's orbit around the Sun.
In a paper published in the April 13 issue of the journal Science, the
researchers show that the transient glaciation and other climatic
variations during a period from about 20 to 25.5 million years ago
correspond with variations in Earth's orbit known as Milankovitch
cycles. Although the concept of such relationships is not new, some of
the results were surprising, said James Zachos, a professor of Earth
sciences at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and lead author of
the paper.
"When we began examining the temporal relationship of the orbital
oscillations relative to the oscillations in the climate record, we
never suspected that the transient glaciation at 23 million years ago
had anything to do with orbital anomalies," Zachos said.
The astrophysicist Milutin Milankovitch first proposed that cyclical
variations in certain elements of Earth-Sun geometry can cause major
changes in Earth's climate. The main variables are eccentricity,
obliquity, and precession. Eccentricity refers to the changing shape of
Earth's orbit around the Sun, which varies from nearly circular to
elliptical over a cycle of about 100,000 years. Obliquity refers to the
angle at which Earth's axis is tilted with respect to the plane of its
orbit, varying between 22.1 degrees and 24.5 degrees over a 41,000-year
cycle. And precession is the gradual change in the direction Earth's
axis is pointing, which completes a cycle every 21,000 years.
"Because there are several components of orbital variability, each with
lower frequency components of amplitude modulation, there is the
potential for unusual interactions between them on long timescales of
tens of millions of years," Zachos said. "What we found at 23 million
years ago is a rare congruence of a low point in Earth's eccentricity
and a period of minimal variation in obliquity."
The result of this rare congruence was a period of about 200,000 years
when there was unusually low variability in the planet's climate, with
reduced extremes of seasonal warmth and coldness. Earth's orbit was
nearly circular, so its distance from the Sun stayed about the same
throughout the year. In addition, the tilt of Earth's axis, which gives
rise to the seasons, varied less than usual. In other words, the tilt
doesn't always vary between the same extremes in its 41,000-year cycles;
the obliquity cycle itself varies in amplitude over a longer period of
about 1.25 million years. Similarly, the eccentricity cycle peaks every
400,000 years.
The combination of a low-amplitude "node" in the obliquity cycle and a
minimum in eccentricity would have caused only several degrees
difference in summer temperatures at the poles, but it was probably
enough to allow the Antarctic ice sheet to expand, Zachos said.
Zachos's collaborators on the paper were Nicholas Shackleton and Heiko
P=E4like of Cambridge University, Justin Revenaugh of UC Santa Cruz, and
Benjamin Flower of the University of South Florida.
The researchers obtained detailed climate records for the late Oligocene
and early Miocene by analyzing sediment cores drilled out of the ocean
floor. Cutting through layers of sediments laid down over millions of
years, such cores contain a chronological record of past climates
written in the chemistry of fossilized shells left behind by tiny marine
organisms. Oxygen isotopes in the shells, for example, reflect ocean
water temperatures and the amount of ice trapped in glaciers.
In the 1970s, scientists using these techniques obtained the first good
evidence in support of Milankovitch's theory, almost 50 years after he
had proposed it. According to Zachos, researchers are still trying to
get a handle on the relationships between climate cycles and orbital
variations. Since most of the research has focused on the past 5 million
years, the new paper is valuable because it looks at a more distant
window in time when conditions on the planet were different.
In the period they examined, the late Oligocene and early Miocene,
Zachos and his collaborators found evidence of several climate cycles
with frequencies corresponding to the Milankovitch cycles. But the
correspondence of the orbital anomaly with the transient glaciation
event at the boundary between the two epochs is especially interesting,
Zachos said. The climate system seems to have undergone a fundamental
shift at this boundary, which also marks a major break in the
paleontologic record.
"I'm not sure everyone will be convinced that the orbital anomaly alone
is responsible," Zachos said. "But the congruence of those orbital
cycles is a very rare event, and the fact that it exactly corresponds
with this rare climatic event is compelling."
###
Editor's note: Reporters may contact Zachos at (831) 459-4644 or
jzachos@es.ucsc.edu.
This release is available electronically at the following web site:
http://press.ucsc.edu.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2001 13:32:49 EDT
From: Melissa McCanna <Parmeliamm@AOL.COM>
Subject: Re: gw: Prairie is healthier for Earth, new study finds (4-12-2001
Does anyone know the equivalent acres of tropical or temperate climax forest
needed to create one barrel of crude oil?
Just curious,
-melissa m.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2001 10:30:21 -0400
From: Charmae Hillman <chillman@SFWMD.GOV>
Subject: Position Opportunity in Florida
This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
--------------D9DE6CBAFF19C850A4CFA57E
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTIST
Kissimmee Department
South Florida Water Management District
West Palm Beach, FL
Assume lead responsibility for the river channel vegetation component of
the Kissimmee River restoration evaluation program. Primary
responsibilities include biannual (winter and summer) sampling of river
channel vegetation throughout Pools A and C of the Kissimmee River
system, data entry, statistical analysis, and reporting on the status
and change of vegetation communities as they respond to the first phase
of the restoration project. Other responsibilities will include
participation in the development of the field and aerial photographic
interpretation key for the Kissimmee River vegetation classification
system; completion of a baseline primary productivity project for Pool
D; and assistance with other vegetation related field and office tasks.
The qualified applicant must be familiar with central and south Florida
flora, vegetation-sampling techniques, and have at least 1-2 years
experience with spreadsheet and statistical software. Must be able to
operate boats and four-wheel drive vehicles and work in remote locations
under adverse conditions including extreme heat, humidity, and rain and
in areas occupied by alligators, snakes, and biting insects. General
knowledge of Global Positioning Systems (GPS), Geographic Information
Systems (GIS), remote sensing, and photo interpretation technologies is
desired. Individual must possess a current State of Florida Class D
driver's license, a bachelor's degree in a natural sciences program, and
1-4 years of qualifying experience. This is a time-limited,
leased-worker position subject to a contract with SCI, a licensed
employee leasing company. Position is due to expire 11/30/2003, and is
subject to renewal. Job reference number 201192.
Apply to hrproweb@sfwmd.gov, include job reference number
Please visit our website at www.sfwmd.gov
South Florida Water Management District
6520 Human Resources
P.O. Box 24680
West Palm Beach, FL 33416
FAX 561-682-5100
--------------D9DE6CBAFF19C850A4CFA57E
Content-Type: text/x-vcard; charset=us-ascii;
name="chillman.vcf"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Content-Description: Card for Charmae Hillman
Content-Disposition: attachment;
filename="chillman.vcf"
begin:vcard
n:Hillman;Charmae
x-mozilla-html:FALSE
url:www.sfwmd.gov
org:Human Resources Dept, South Florida Water Management District
adr:;;P.O. Box 24680;West Palm Beach;FL;33416-4680;
version:2.1
email;internet:chillman@sfwmd.gov
title:Senior Human Resources Representative
fn:Charmae Hillman, SPHR
end:vcard
--------------D9DE6CBAFF19C850A4CFA57E--
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2001 12:59:42 -0600
From: Kurt Reinhart <Reinhart@SELWAY.UMT.EDU>
Subject: gamma-irradiation facilities
I'm interested in sterilizing soil by either gamma-irradiation (40 kGy)
or autoclaving. Irradiation appears to be the preferred technique and
I'm trying to weigh the costs and benefits of each technique. Do any of
you know of facilities that are capable of doing gamma-irradiation? Any
additional comments regarding sample quantities and costs would be
helpful. I've read about this sterilization technique being used with
soil and believe it is also used in plant pathology, horticulture,
medical, and other fields. Thanks in advance.
Kurt
--
:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
Kurt Reinhart
The University of Montana
Division of Biological Sciences
Missoula, MT 59812
Office: (406) 243-5935
Fax: (509) 756-8036
E-mail: reinhart@selway.umt.edu
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2001 16:40:40 -0400
From: "David W. Inouye" <di5@umail.umd.edu>
Subject: Graduate Assistantship: GAP analysis, Kentucky
GRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANTSHIP
One graduate research assistantship is available for a student working
towards a Master of Science Degree at Murray State University,
Kentucky. The research involves assisting with the Kentucky Gap Analysis
Project and applying GAP data to questions of concern to the Kentucky
Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. The research is part of a
larger project involving the Mid-America Remote Sensing Center, the
Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, and staff in the areas
of botany, ecology, conservation, wildlife biology, and
geosciences. Knowledge of ArcView, ArcInfo, and use of databases is
required. Experience with AML is desirable. Additional qualifications
include a B.S. in wildlife biology, zoology, or related field, GPA > 3.0,
and GRE (M+V) > 1000. Starting date is July 1, 2001. Stipend will be
$12,000 for 12 months plus $3,000 to cover the costs of tuition.
Information on the KY-GAP project can be found
at: HTTP://WWW.KFWIS.STATE.KY.US/kygapweb/index.htm
Interested students should e-mail a letter of interest and CV to
terry.derting@murraystate.edu. Instructions for applying will follow
receipt of letters of interest.
--
Howard H. Whiteman
Assistant Professor
Department of Biological Sciences
Murray State University
Murray, KY 42071-0009
Phone: (270) 762-6753
FAX: (270) 762-2788
http://campus.murraystate.edu/academic/faculty/Howard.Whiteman/whiteman.htm
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2001 16:00:46 -0400
From: EnviroNetwork@NATURALIST.COM
Subject: Environmental Job Openings from EnviroNetwork
Title: Chief of Party/Industrial Pollution Specialist
Company: ARD, Inc.
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3511
Title: Clean Production Specialists
Company: ARD, Inc.
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3512
Title: Municipal Solid Waste and Wastewater Management Sp
Company: ARD, Inc.
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3513
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2001 16:00:03 -0500
From: Holly Nelson <holly_nelson@USGS.GOV>
Subject: 2001 Geospatial and Natural Resource Workshops
2001 TRAINING WORKSHOPS
U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
NATIONAL WETLAND RESEARCH CENTER &
MID-CONTINENT MAPPING CENTER
IN COOPERATION WITH THE
UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA AT LAFAYETTE
700 CAJUNDOME BLVD.
LAFAYETTE, LA. 70506-3154 PHONE (337) 266-8699
TRAINING/WORKSHOP FACILITY IS THE NWRC-ANNEX
CONTACT: pat_o'neil@usgs.gov WEBSITE: http://www.nwrc.usgs.go=
v
The U.S. Geological Survey of the Department of the Interior is present=
ing
a series of topical workshops pertaining to mapping, vegetation,
photo-interpretation, remote sensing and Geographical Information Syste=
ms.
The workshops are part of an effort to exchange information and provide=
access to spatial technologies developed at the center for natural reso=
urce
survey. The workshops are available to the general public educators, s=
tate
and federal agencies. Workshop participation by the international
community is also greatly encouraged.
Most of the workshops are 3 days long, creating compact presentation of=
materials. No previous experience in any of the topical workshop is
assumed, except for advanced workshops. Appropriate handouts, photos,
maps, and other forms of distributed materials are provided to the work=
shop
participants. Some workshops will have scheduled field exercises.
Hands-on exercises are utilized to involve workshop participation.
Specialized workshop topics and transient workshops can be arranged bas=
ed
upon consultation and number of workshop participants. Scheduled works=
hops
are subject to change. Please contact the workshop coordinator at the
listed phone number for workshop information.
February 6-8 Introduction to National Wetlands Classificati=
on
System
March 13-15 Introduction to Desktop GIS (ArcView) for Natu=
ral
Resources
April 24-26 Hydric Soils and Wetland Delineations
May 12 WETMAAP (Wetland Education through Maps and Aerial
Photography)
May 15-16 Introduction to the Identification of Wetland Fores=
t
Trees
June 13 Introduction to Geospatial Control Information for
Natural Resources
June 19-21 Introduction to Desktop GIS (ArcView) for Natu=
ral
Resources
July 17-18 Metadata for Geospatial Data
August 14-16 Introduction to Desktop GIS (ArcView) for Natu=
ral
Resources
September 18-20 Introduction to GPS for Natural Resources
October 24-26 Introduction to Wetland Remote Sensing and Map=
ping
October 29-31 Advanced Wetland Photo-Interpretation
December 4-6 Introduction to Desktop GIS (ArcView) for Natu=
ral
Resources
=
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2001 14:48:03 -0600
From: Gregory Colores <colores@GEMINI.OSCS.MONTANA.EDU>
Subject: Re: gamma-irradiation facilities
We used Cornell's facility for some samples. It was cost effective,
however we did have some growth in some samples and we had to send them
back for re-sterilization. Contact Scott Lassell: <sl31@cornell.edu> f
r
information, he runs the facility.
Greg Colores
Gregory M. Colores
Land Resources and Environmental Sciences
334 Leon Johnson Hall
Montana State University
Bozeman, MT 59717-3120
Phone 406-994-6589
FAX 406-994-3933
http://www.homepage.montana.edu/~colores/
On Mon, 16 Apr 2001, Kurt Reinhart wrote:
> I'm interested in sterilizing soil by either gamma-irradiation (40 kGy)
> or autoclaving. Irradiation appears to be the preferred technique and
> I'm trying to weigh the costs and benefits of each technique. Do any o
> you know of facilities that are capable of doing gamma-irradiation? An
> additional comments regarding sample quantities and costs would be
> helpful. I've read about this sterilization technique being used with
> soil and believe it is also used in plant pathology, horticulture,
> medical, and other fields. Thanks in advance.
>
> Kurt
> --
> :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
> Kurt Reinhart
> The University of Montana
> Division of Biological Sciences
> Missoula, MT 59812
> Office: (406) 243-5935
> Fax: (509) 756-8036
> E-mail: reinhart@selway.umt.edu
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2001 17:51:54 -0500
From: Lucinda Johnson <ljohnson@NRRI.UMN.EDU>
Subject: Coaster BRook Trout Graduate Research Assistantship
Graduate Research Assistantship
University of Minnesota Duluth
A graduate research assistantship in Biology or Water Resources at the
University of Minnesota Duluth, will become available 6/1/01. We are seekin
an MS student to study critical elements of brook trout habitat in Lake
Superior. Restoration of indigenous species remains a goal of the Great Lak
s
Fishery Commission. Coaster brook trout are a potadromous form of brook tro
t
which spawn in tributary streams, but also spend large portions of time
residing in the coastal waters of Lake Superior as juveniles and adults.
Coaster brook trout were once ubiquitous to the tributaries and coastal area
of Lake Superior, but are now found only in isolated areas along the Minneso
a
north shore, the Canadian north shore, and Isle Royale. The coastal habitats
required by coaster brook trout are unknown. Preliminary radio-telemetry
studies have shown that coaster brook trout congregate in specific areas, bu
these areas have not been described in terms of potential habitat needs such
as
substrate types, food resources, or predator abundance. This project will
involve two summers of intensive field work in the Nipigon Bay, Ontario regi
n
and Isle Royale, MI and will integrate hydroacoustic mapping techniques, rad
o
telemetry, traditional limnological biological sampling, and a geographic
information system (GIS) to quantify fish habitat.
Contact:
Lucinda B. Johnson
ljohnson@nrri.umn.edu
Natural Resources Research Institute
5013 Miller Trunk Highway
Duluth, MN 55811
Jeffrey A. Schuldt
jschuldt@nrri.umn.edu
Natural Resources Research Institute
5013 Miller Trunk Highway
Duluth, MN 55811
------------------------------
Subject: ECOLOG-L Digest - 16 Apr 2001 to 17 Apr 2001
There are 8 messages totalling 657 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. PhD and M.Sc. opportunities - wild Atlantic salmon
2. Scientific Spanish
3. Answer - methane in Human flatulence
4. wetland terms (4)
5. Environmental Job Openings from EnviroNetwork
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2001 08:03:58 -0300
From: rick cunjak <cunjak@UNB.CA>
Subject: PhD and M.Sc. opportunities - wild Atlantic salmon
The production dynamics of Atlantic salmon and cohabiting fish species in
rivers of eastern Canada.
Opportunities for graduate student research on the production dynamics of
Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and cohabiting species of fish in rivers of
eastern Canada are available at the Canadian River Institute
(www.unb.ca/cri/), University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB. Graduate
projects will be available in both Ph.D and M.Sc. programs. Successful
candidates will work closely with researchers from the Department of
Fisheries and Oceans (St. John's, Newfoundland and Burlington, Ontario).
Ph.D: The objective of this applied research project is the assessment of
production rate as the quantitative measure for determining productive
capacity of fish habitat in two rivers with populations of wild Atlantic
salmon. The project will involve both field work and population modelling.
Field work will be carried out over 2 or 3 years to estimate the production
rate of juvenile Atlantic salmon in different habitats (riffle, run and
pools), and collectively for the entire stream. Instream estimates of
production will be compared to net production as estimated from smolt
counts (counting-fence data). Salmon production for the entire stream will
be modelled for all age groups of salmon from eggs to smolts using existing
(or modified) salmonid models calibrated with the field data. Production
will be compared in two systems that differ in physical and biotic
attributes Catamaran Brook, New Brunswick and Northeast Trepassey Brook,
Newfoundland. Results from 2 or 3 field seasons will be used to calculate
and calibrate estimates of production for 11 years of historic data that
are available for both rivers. Emphasis will be placed on identifying
mechanistic or functional links between the habitat and population
production. Results will be useful to habitat and fisheries managers for
validating biotic and physical surrogates of habitat productive capacity,
for identifying critical habitat, and for assessing the carrying capacity
of salmon streams for stock assessment. Tentative start date - September,
2001 or January, 2002)
M.Sc.: The objective of the M.Sc. program will be to estimate for 2 field
seasons the production rate of freshwater species of fish that cohabit the
stream reaches with Atlantic salmon (see above project description).
Examples of candidate species are Salvelinus fontinalis, Cottus cognatus
and Rhinichthys atratulus. Estimates of fish production by co-habiting
species will provide insight into fish community energetics, and the
potential influence of competing species on total stream production. The
estimation of the production rate of non-salmonid fish species has rarely
been done in rivers of eastern Canada. Emphasis will be placed on
developing regression models that link fish production to biomass ratios
(P/B) to fish size. P/B ratios of these cohabiting species can then be
applied to historic biomass data to estimate production during a number of
years. There will be strong linkages and collaboration between the Ph.D.
project (above) and M.Sc. project(s). The M.Sc. work will be applied
research, and provide valuable information for fish and habitat managers.
Tentative start date - September, 2002
These projects form part of a collaborative research program between the
Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the Canadian Rivers Institute
(www.unb.ca/cri/)
For further information, contact Dr. R.A. Cunjak, Director, Canadian Rivers
Institute (cunjak@unb.ca).
________________________________________
Richard A. Cunjak, Ph.D.
Canada Research Chair in River Ecosystem Science
Director, Canadian Rivers Institute (http://www.unb.ca/cri/)
Meighen-Molson Professor of Atlantic Salmon Research
Department of Biology, and the Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Managemen
University of New Brunswick
Bag Service 45111
Fredericton, New Brunswick, CANADA. E3B 6E1.
ph - 506-452-6204 ; fax - 506-453-3583
email - cunjak@unb.ca
http://www.unb.ca/departs/science/biology/Faculty/Cunjak.html
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2001 08:20:20 -0400
From: Vicente Sanchez/NE/USDAFS <vsanchez@FS.FED.US>
Subject: Re: Scientific Spanish
Saludos a Todos,
Perhaps it goes without mention, but much of the modern Spanish her=
e in
America's versus that of the Iberian peninsula, ie. Spain, is dissimila=
r in
that common usage here may not be part of the Real Academia of Spain,
equivalent of Webster's in US, or Oxford's in England. Clearly, the
purpose of the writing should determine the 'jargon' used, so that a
technical assistance publication for a particular area should use words=
common for that region (see Paolo Fierri).
Another reference for Spanish scientific vocabulary, particularly i=
n
Forestry and Ecology is:
Alvin Leroy Medina, 1988. An english-spanish glossary of terminology =
used
in forestry, range, wildlife, fishery, soils, and
botany. USDA Forest=
Service, General Technical Report RM-152.
This pub is from the Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Stati=
on
in Fort Collins, Colorado 80526. It uses many of the terms commonly us=
ed
throughout Central and South America, not sure of how common is its usa=
ge
is in Caribbean.
Also, a helpful website with a wealth of translation resources is
http://www.spanishtranslator.org/
Now for the puzzler, 'cuchiplancha'. Well, 'cuchi' where I'm from
implies pork (pig trimmings mostly), and 'plancha' is an ironing board.=
So, of course, we are talking about the board where we iron pigs, hence=
the
origin of bacon! (Why, don't I think this is so?)
Regards,
Vicente
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed are neither mine or those of my
employer.
Vicente S=E1nchez, PhD, Entomologist
USDA, Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station
51 Mill Pond Road, Hamden, Connecticut 06514-1777, USA
(E) vsanchez@fs.fed.us
=
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2001 11:42:06 -0400
From: Adam M Wilson <amwilson@HOPPER.UNH.EDU>
Subject: Answer - methane in Human flatulence
Whew,
I had no idea how many people would have guesses and word of mouth
estimates of Methane emissions from the human body. There were
several estimates of the amount of gas (between 100mL and 3,790 mL)
(E.N. Marieb "Human Anatomy and Physiology" 5th ed. -- humans produce
about 500 ml of flatus per day) (www.fart.com -- estimated higher
amounts, up to a gallon - but they also encourage eating beans and
cabbage, I wonder if they used themselves as the sample population :)
There was only one noted published source that estimated percentage of
Methane (Merde : excursions in scientific, cultural, and sociohistorical
coprology / Ralph A. Lewin, Random House, c1999 - Very interesting
book) from 0% for some to 25% for others.
So to estimate Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Humans I took the
500mL of gas (from the noted Anatomy book), assumed 12.5% methane
(the middle of the range from Merde), to get a VERY ROUGH average of
62.5 mL of methane per person, per day. This equates to 4.23 x 10^ --5
kg CH4 / person / day (.0000625 m3 x 0.67606 kg CH4 / m3). Multiplied
by 6,000,000,000 people and 365 days / year =
92,528,000 kg CH4 from humans per year.
The global amount of anthropogenic CH4 emissions are about 350
Million metric tonnes
(http://www.unfccc.int/resource/ccsites/senegal/fact/fs034.htm)
which means that human emissions total about:
0.026% of global CH4 emissions
I wonder if Bush would go for a a global treaty banning Beans and
Cabbage (or mandating use of Beano?) as an alternative to Kyoto.
Anyone want to start an advocacy group?
SAY NO TO CLIMATE CHANGE! BAN BEANS! BAN CABBAGE!
Thanks for your help.
Adam
**********************************************************************
Adam Wilson
Climate Change Assistant - Clean Air-Cool Planet
Office of Sustainability
University of New Hampshire
603.862.5040
amwilson@hopper.unh.edu
**********************************************************************
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2001 11:44:13 -0700
From: Zi Wang <scienceone@US.SINA.COM>
Subject: wetland terms
Dear colleague,
What are the differences among the bog, wetland, swamp, marsh, peatland,
everglade?
Thanks,
_______________________________________________________________
http://www.SINA.com - #1 Destination Site for Chinese Worldwide
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2001 13:22:12 -0700
From: Gerry Key <key@NOSC.MIL>
Subject: Re: wetland terms
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news
> [mailto:ECOLOG-L@UMDD.UMD.EDU]On Behalf Of Zi Wang
> Sent: Tuesday, April 17, 2001 11:44 AM
> To: ECOLOG-L@UMDD.UMD.EDU
> Subject: wetland terms
>
>
> Dear colleague,
>
> What are the differences among the bog, wetland, swamp, marsh, peatland
> everglade?
Here are two sources you might check
http://www.epa.gov/OCEPAterms/
http://www.britannica.com
--Gerry Key
Computer Sciences Corporation
San Diego, CA
gkey@csc.com
key@nosc.mil
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2001 16:00:00 -0400
From: EnviroNetwork@NATURALIST.COM
Subject: Environmental Job Openings from EnviroNetwork
Title: Recycling and Administrative Services Manager (Man
Company: Fairfax County Division of Solid Waste and Recycling
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3523
Title: Media Affairs Specialist
Company: Appalachian Mountian Club
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3527
Title: Environmental Education Assistant
Company: City of St. Louis Refuse Division/Recycling Office
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3528
Title: Summer Camp Counselors
Company: The Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3530
Title: New York Program Associate
Company: Land Trust Alliance
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3531
Title: Executive Director
Company: Durango Nature Studies
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3532
Title: Sun Run Apprenticeships
Company: Sun Run Centre for Sustainable Living
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3533
Title: Programme Assistant, Climate, Energy and Pollution
Company: World Resources Institute
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3534
Title: Executive Director
Company: Political Ecology Group
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3535
Title: Senior Consultant
Company: Paladino Consulting
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3537
Title: Associate Consultant
Company: Paladino Consulting
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3538
Title: Staff Consultant
Company: Paladino Consulting
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3539
Title: Environmental Consultant
Company: Clayton Group Services
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3546
Title: Environmental Project Manager
Company: Clayton Group Services
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3547
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2001 16:52:32 -0400
From: Terry McTigue <Terry.Mctigue@NOAA.GOV>
Subject: Re: wetland terms
This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
--------------19B7A1685315440C23809FC7
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; x-mac-type="54455854";
x-mac-creator="4D4F5353"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Zi Wang wrote:
> Dear colleague,
>
> What are the differences among the bog, wetland, swamp, marsh, peatland
> everglade?
>
> Thanks,
>
The following web pages contain the information you need:
http://www.epa.gov/OWOW/wetlands/facts.html
http://h2osparc.wq.ncsu.edu/info/wetlands/
http://www.sws.org/education/
Terry McTigue
--------------19B7A1685315440C23809FC7
Content-Type: text/x-vcard; charset=us-ascii;
name="terry.mctigue.vcf"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Content-Description: Card for Terry McTigue
Content-Disposition: attachment;
filename="terry.mctigue.vcf"
begin:vcard
n:McTigue;Teresa
tel;fax:301-713-4389
tel;work:301-713-2989 ext 115
x-mozilla-html:FALSE
org:National Ocean Service;Office of Response and Restoration
adr:;;1305 East-West Highway, Station 10411;Silver Spring;Maryland;20910;USA
version:2.1
email;internet:Terry.McTigue@noaa.gov
title:Environmental Scientist
x-mozilla-cpt:;3
fn:Teresa McTigue, PhD
end:vcard
--------------19B7A1685315440C23809FC7--
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2001 16:35:17 -0500
From: "Eggers, Steve D MVP" <steve.d.eggers@MVP02.USACE.ARMY.MIL>
Subject: Re: wetland terms
This message is in MIME format. Since your mail reader does not understand
this format, some or all of this message may not be legible.
------_=_NextPart_001_01C0C786.4B5E7300
Content-Type: text/plain;
charset="iso-8859-1"
Some ideas for definitions of the wetland terms:
The terms bog, swamp, marsh and peatland are subsets or types of wetlands.
"Wetlands" have been defined variously. An excellent text is Mitsch and
Gosselink (2000) titled, Wetlands -- Third Edition, published by John Wiley
and Sons. One of the regulatory definitions of wetlands, that used by the
Federal agencies working with the Clean Water Act, is stated as:
"The term "wetlands" means those areas that are inundated or saturated
by surface or ground water at a frequency and duration sufficient to
support, and that under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of
vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions.
Wetlands generally include swamps, marshes, bogs and similar areas." (33
Code of Federal Regulations 328.3(b))
This definition has been in use since 1977 and has been scrutinized in legal
cases. The federal manual used for delineation of wetlands for Clean Water
Act purposes can be found at:
http://www.wes.army.mil/el/wetlands/pdfs/wlman87.pdf
The following are some generalized definitions of the wetland types:
1) The term "marsh" is generally applied to wetlands frequently or
continually inundated that support emergent, herbaceous vegetation
(cattails, bur-reeds, etc.)
2) The term "swamp" is generally applied to wetlands that are dominated
by trees or shrubs (e.g., black ash, red maple, speckled alder, willows).
3) "Bogs" are generally acidic peatlands, typically associated with
Sphagnum mosses (both living and decomposing as fibric peat), that have no
significant inflows or outflows. Direct precipitation is the principal
source of nutrients. A distinct assemblage of plants tolerant of acidic,
nutrient-poor conditions is associated with bogs (e.g., certain sedges,
heath shrubs, many orchid species).
4) The term "fen" wasn't mentioned in the query, but applies to this
discussion. Fens are also peatlands, but in contrast to bogs have an inflow
of surface water or ground water containing minerals.
5) "Peatland" is a term typically applied to wetlands composed of
organic soils (Histosols: the peats and mucks). Vegetation, soil chemistry
and water chemistry can vary greatly. Here in Minnesota, we have acidic,
Sphagnum-dominated peatlands as well as alkaline, calcareous peatlands that
support a rare assemblage of plants: the calcareous fen plant community.
Peatlands can occur on slopes, in closed depressions, and on flats.
Color photographs and brief descriptions of the above wetland types, and
characteristic plant species (in Minnesota and Wisconsin), can be found at:
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/1998/mnplant/MNPLANT.HTM
Steve Eggers
Wetland Ecologist
Regulatory Branch
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
St. Paul, MN
steve.d.eggers@mvp02.usace.army.mil
-----Original Message-----
From: Zi Wang [mailto:scienceone@US.SINA.COM]
Sent: Tuesday, April 17, 2001 1:44 PM
To: ECOLOG-L@UMDD.UMD.EDU
Subject: wetland terms
Dear colleague,
What are the differences among the bog, wetland, swamp, marsh, peatland,
everglade?
Thanks,
_______________________________________________________________
http://www.SINA.com - #1 Destination Site for Chinese Worldwide
------_=_NextPart_001_01C0C786.4B5E7300
Content-Type: text/html;
charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN">
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<META HTTP-EQUIV=3D"Content-Type" CONTENT=3D"text/html; =
charset=3Diso-8859-1">
<META NAME=3D"Generator" CONTENT=3D"MS Exchange Server version =
5.5.2652.35">
<TITLE>RE: wetland terms</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2>Some ideas for definitions of the wetland =
terms:</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2>The terms bog, swamp, marsh and peatland are s
bsets =
or types of wetlands. "Wetlands" have been defined =
variously. An excellent text is Mitsch and Gosselink (2000) =
titled, Wetlands -- Third Edition, published by John Wiley and =
Sons. One of the regulatory definitions of wetlands, that used by =
the Federal agencies working with the Clean Water Act, is stated =
as: </FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2> </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2> "The term =
"wetlands" means those areas that are inundated or saturated =
by surface or ground water at a frequency and duration sufficient to =
support, and that under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence =
of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil =
conditions. Wetlands generally include swamps, marshes, bogs and =
similar areas." (33 Code of Federal Regulations =
328.3(b))</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2>This definition has been in use since 1977 and
has =
been scrutinized in legal cases. The federal manual used for =
delineation of wetlands for Clean Water Act purposes can be found =
at:</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2><A =
HREF=3D"http://www.wes.army.mil/el/wetlands/pdfs/wlman87.pdf" =
TARGET=3D"_blank">http://www.wes.army.mil/el/wetlands/pdfs/wlman87.pdf<
/=
A></FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2>The following are some generalized definitions
of the =
wetland types:</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2> 1) The term =
"marsh" is generally applied to wetlands frequently or =
continually inundated that support emergent, herbaceous vegetation =
(cattails, bur-reeds, etc.)</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2> 2) The term =
"swamp" is generally applied to wetlands that are dominated =
by trees or shrubs (e.g., black ash, red maple, speckled alder, =
willows).</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2> 3) "Bogs" a
e =
generally acidic peatlands, typically associated with Sphagnum mosses =
(both living and decomposing as fibric peat), that have no significant =
inflows or outflows. Direct precipitation is the principal source =
of nutrients. A distinct assemblage of plants tolerant of acidic, =
nutrient-poor conditions is associated with bogs (e.g., certain sedges, =
heath shrubs, many orchid species).</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2> 4) The term "fen
quot; =
wasn't mentioned in the query, but applies to this discussion. =
Fens are also peatlands, but in contrast to bogs have an inflow of =
surface water or ground water containing minerals. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2> 5) "Peatland&quo
; is a =
term typically applied to wetlands composed of organic soils =
(Histosols: the peats and mucks). Vegetation, soil chemistry and =
water chemistry can vary greatly. Here in Minnesota, we have =
acidic, Sphagnum-dominated peatlands as well as alkaline, calcareous =
peatlands that support a rare assemblage of plants: the calcareous fen =
plant community. Peatlands can occur on slopes, in closed =
depressions, and on flats.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2>Color photographs and brief descriptions of th
above =
wetland types, and characteristic plant species (in Minnesota and =
Wisconsin), can be found at:</FONT></P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2><A =
HREF=3D"http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/1998/mnplant/MNPLANT.HTM" =
TARGET=3D"_blank">http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/1998/mnplant/MNPLAN=
T.HTM</A></FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2>Steve Eggers</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>Wetland Ecologist</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>Regulatory Branch</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>U.S. Army Corps of Engineers</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>St. Paul, MN</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>steve.d.eggers@mvp02.usace.army.mil</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2>-----Original Message-----</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>From: Zi Wang [<A =
HREF=3D"mailto:scienceone@US.SINA.COM">mailto:scienceone@US.SINA.COM</
>=
]</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>Sent: Tuesday, April 17, 2001 1:44 PM</FON
>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>To: ECOLOG-L@UMDD.UMD.EDU</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2>Subject: wetland terms</FONT>
</P>
<BR>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2>Dear colleague,</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2>What are the differences among the bog, wetlan
, =
swamp, marsh, peatland,</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2> everglade?</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=3D2>Thanks,</FONT>
</P>
<BR>
<P><FONT =
SIZE=3D2>_______________________________________________________________=
</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=3D2><A HREF=3D"http://www.SINA.com" =
TARGET=3D"_blank">http://www.SINA.com</A> - #1 Destination Site for
=
Chinese Worldwide</FONT>
</P>
</BODY>
</HTML>
------_=_NextPart_001_01C0C786.4B5E7300--
------------------------------
Subject: ECOLOG-L Digest - 17 Apr 2001 to 18 Apr 2001
There are 13 messages totalling 922 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. Registration Second Symposium on Marine Conservation Biology
2. Smithsonian Scientists Protest Planned Cuts (washingtonpost.com)
3. mist nets needed
4. Post-Doc -- Birds, Butterflies and Land Use
5. Job: Landscape Ecology, UNR
6. field safety tips
7. Post-doc in Conservation Ecology
8. soil respiration measurement methods
9. Entry Biologist Position with Maryland DNR
10. Environmental Job Openings from EnviroNetwork
11. Job: Hydrologic / Hydraulic Modeler
12. Forestry Internship in the Ecuadorian Rainforests
13. International Trade and Forests
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2001 17:04:25 -0700
From: Lance Morgan <lance@MCBI.ORG>
Subject: Registration Second Symposium on Marine Conservation Biology
--=====================_91946847==_.ALT
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
Apologies for Cross postings - Please Distribute to Colleagues
Second Symposium on Marine Conservation Biology
June 21-26, 2001, San Francisco State University (California)
Hosted by Marine Conservation Biology Institute (MCBI), the Second
Symposium on Marine Conservation Biology will feature invited and
contributed papers and posters, a participatory forum on marine policy
issues, a science media workshop, area field trips, a program of research
videos, and more. Keynote and plenary speakers will include , Michael
Soule, Leon Panetta, Margaret Leinen, Assistant Director of the National
Science Foundation, and Congressman Sam Farr (invited).
Invited papers will focus on oceanography, climate change, and marine
biodiversity; classification and mapping of marine ecosystems; extinction
risk in marine species; marine reserves; marine environmental history;
jellyfish explosions; effects of fishing on ecosystems; social and ethical
perspectives on marine protected areas; recovery of marine populations; and
zoning as a marine management tool.
Attendance limited to 700. Early registration with discounted fees until
May 1. For online registration and additional details, visit the MCBI
website at: www.mcbi.org
Marine Conservation Biology Institute: 15806 NE 47th Court, Redmond WA 98052
425 883-8914/425 883-3017 (fax)
Invited Papers
Marine environmental history: Shifting baselines and conservation targets
Chair: James T. Carlton, Williams College, USA
Presenters:
James T. Carlton
Robert Francis, University of Washington, USA, "HMAP: History of Marine
Animal Populations"
Daniel Pauly, University of British Columbia, Canada
Richard C Hoffmann, York University, Canada, "Deep history in some marine
coastal environments"
Oceanography, climate change, and marine biodiversity
Chair: Vera Alexander, University of Alaska-Fairbanks, USA
Presenters:
Elbert Friday, National Academy of Sciences, USA, "Global Climate Change;
the Science and the Concerns."
Robert Francis, University of Washington, USA, "The atmosphere, the ocean,
and the northern California Current."
Janice Lough, Australian Institute of Marine Science, Australia, "Climate
Change and coral bleaching: Past, present and future."
Vera Alexander, "Climate change, regime shifts, and biodiversity in
high-latitude marine ecosystems."
Effects of fishing on marine ecosystems
Chair: Larry Crowder, Duke University, USA
Social and ethical perspectives on marine protected areas
Chairs: Carrie Pomeroy, University of California, Santa Cruz, USA and
Dorinda Dallmeyer, University of Georgia, USA
Presenters:
Dorinda Dallmeyer, "MPAs: What's ethics got to do with it?"
Carrie Pomeroy: "Social and economic considerations for MPAs: Why bother?"
John Smiley, Manager of Big Creek Reserve, Big Sur, California USA,
"Creating and managing a marine reserve: An on-site perspective."
Dr. Daniel Suman, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, USA:
"Public participation and the designation of marine reserves."
Why depleted marine populations don't always recover
Chair: Stuart Pimm, Columbia University, USA
Presenters:
Jeffrey Hutchings
John Steele, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, USA
Callum M. Roberts, Harvard University, USA, "Gone but not forgotten: Why
some coral reef species fail to recover from depletion."
Stuart Pimm
Ocean zoning: Designated use areas in the EEZ
Chairs: Dr. John Ogden, Florida Institute of Oceanography, and Jon Day,
Great Barrier Reef Marine Authority, Australia
Presenters:
John Ogden, "Ocean zoning: Scientific considerations and conservation
implications."
Robert Repetto, Yale University and University of Colorado, USA, "The
Policy Basis for Designated Use Areas in the Oceans."
Jon Day, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Australia, "Zoning:
Lessons from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park."
Ghislaine Llewellyn, World Wildlife Fund, USA, "Setting priorities and
building a conservation action plan: Lessons from East Africa, the
meso-American Reef, and the Sulu-Sulawesi Sea."
Peter Shelley, Conservation Law Foundation, USA, "Sunset on the Wild Wet:
Bringing EEZ Management Into the 21st Century."
Interlocutors, Tundi Agardy, Dr. Robert Warner
Classification and mapping of marine ecosystems
Chair: James Maragos, US Fish & Wildlife Service, Hawaii, USA
Presenters:
Mark Monaco, NOAA,
Rebecca Allee, NOAA,
Don Potts, University of California, Santa Cruz.
Mike Field, USGS
Extinction risks in marine fishes and invertebrates: Evidence and modeling
Chair: Ransom Myers, Dalhousie University, Canada
Marine reserves as source areas
Chairs: Rom Lipcius, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, USA, and Callum
Roberts, University of York, UK
Presenters:
James A. Bohnsack, NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center, USA, "Benefits
of no-take reserves in Florida for recreational fishing"
Fiona R. Gell, " Fishery effects of a network of marine reserves in St
Lucia, West Indies"
Steven A. Murawski and Michael J. Fogarty, National Marine Fisheries
Service Northeast Fisheries Science Center, USA, "Closing large areas of
ocean habitat to fishing: Effects of the Georges Bank closures and
considerations for future marine protected areas."
Jellyfish explosions: Dominance shifts and fisheries effects
Chairs: Harriet Perry, Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, USA, and Claudia
Mills, University of Washington, USA
Presenters:
Claudia Mills - overview of global jellyfish blooms
Tamara Shiganova, Russia- "Mnemiopsis in the Black and Caspian seas"
TBA - Jellyfish in the Bering Sea
Monty Graham - "Year 2000: Jellyfish in the Gulf of Mexico"
Ron Leucens - "Fisheries consequences in the Gulf of Mexico"
--=====================_91946847==_.ALT
Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
X-MIME-Autoconverted: from 8bit to quoted-printable by smtp.nwlink.com id
RAA20226
<html>
<font size=3D3>Apologies for Cross postings - Please Distribute to
Colleagues<br>
<br>
</font><font size=3D4><b>Second Symposium on Marine Conser
ation
Biology<br>
</font><font face=3D"Garamond" size=3D4>June 21-26, 2001, San Fr
ncisco S=
tate
University (California)<br>
</b></font><font face=3D"Garamond" size=3D3>Hosted by <
>Marine Conservat=
ion
Biology Institute</b> (MCBI), the Second Symposium on Marine Conservat
on
Biology will feature invited and contributed papers and posters, a
participatory forum on marine policy issues, a science media workshop,
area field trips, a program of research videos, and more. Keynote and
plenary speakers will include , Michael Soule, Leon Panetta, Margaret
Leinen, Assistant Director of the National Science Foundation, and
Congressman Sam Farr (invited).<br>
</font>Invited papers will focus on oceanography, climate change, and
marine biodiversity; classification and mapping of marine ecosystems;
extinction risk in marine species; marine reserves; marine environmental
history; jellyfish explosions; effects of fishing on ecosystems; social
and ethical perspectives on marine protected areas; recovery of marine
populations; and zoning as a marine management tool. <br>
<font face=3D"Garamond" size=3D3><b>Attendance limited to 700. E
rly
registration with discounted fees until May 1. For online registration
and additional details, visit the MCBI website at:
</font><a href=3D"http://www.mcbi.org/" eudora=3D"autourl"><f
nt face=3D"=
Garamond" size=3D3 color=3D"#0000FF"><u>www.mcbi.</a><a hr
f=3D"http://ww=
w.mcbi.org/" eudora=3D"autourl">org</a></u></b></fon
><font face=3D"Garam=
ond" size=3D3>
<br>
<b>Marine Conservation Biology Institute:</b> 15806 NE 47th Cour
,
Redmond WA 98052 <br>
425 883-8914/425 883-3017 (fax)<br>
<br>
Invited Papers<br>
</font><font size=3D3 color=3D"#000080"><b>Marine environm
ntal history:
Shifting baselines and conservation targets<br>
</font><font size=3D3 color=3D"#800000">Chair: James T. Carlton,
Williams
College, USA <br>
</font><font size=3D3>Presenters:</b> <br>
James T. Carlton<br>
Robert Francis, University of Washington, USA, "HMAP: History of
Marine Animal Populations"<br>
Daniel Pauly, University of British Columbia, Canada<br>
Richard C Hoffmann, York University, Canada, =93Deep history in some mari=
ne
coastal environments=94 <br>
<br>
</font><font size=3D3 color=3D"#000080"><b>Oceanography, c
imate change, =
and
marine biodiversity<br>
</font><font size=3D3 color=3D"#800000">Chair: Vera Alexander, U
iversity=
of
Alaska-Fairbanks, USA<br>
</font><font size=3D3>Presenters:<br>
</b>Elbert Friday, National Academy of Sciences, USA, "Global
Climate Change; the Science and the Concerns."<br>
Robert Francis, University of Washington, USA, "The atmosphere, the
ocean, and the northern California Current."<br>
Janice Lough, Australian Institute of Marine Science, Australia,
"Climate Change and coral bleaching: Past, present and
future."<br>
Vera Alexander, "Climate change, regime shifts, and biodiversity in
high-latitude marine ecosystems."<br>
<br>
</font><font size=3D3 color=3D"#000080"><b>Effects of fish
ng on marine
ecosystems<br>
</font><font size=3D3 color=3D"#800000">Chair: Larry Crowder, Du
e
University, USA<br>
<br>
</font><font size=3D3 color=3D"#000080">Social and ethical persp
ctives o=
n
marine protected areas <br>
</font><font size=3D3 color=3D"#800000">Chairs: Carrie Pomeroy,
niversit=
y of
California, Santa Cruz, USA</b></font><font size=3D3>
</font><font size=3D3 color=3D"#800000"><b>and Dorinda Dal
meyer, Univers=
ity
of Georgia, USA<br>
</font><font size=3D3>Presenters: <br>
</b>Dorinda Dallmeyer, "MPAs: What's ethics got to do with
it?"<br>
Carrie Pomeroy: "Social and economic considerations for MPAs: Why
bother?"<br>
John Smiley, Manager of Big Creek Reserve, Big Sur, California USA,
"Creating and managing a marine reserve: An on-site
perspective." <br>
Dr. Daniel Suman, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science,
USA: "Public participation and the designation of marine
reserves."<br>
<br>
</font><font size=3D3 color=3D"#000080"><b>Why depleted ma
ine population=
s
don't always recover<br>
</font><font size=3D3 color=3D"#800000">Chair: Stuart Pimm, Colu
bia
University, USA<br>
</font><font size=3D3>Presenters:</b> <br>
Jeffrey Hutchings <br>
John Steele, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, USA <br>
Callum M. Roberts, Harvard University, USA, "Gone but not forgotten:
Why some coral reef species fail to recover from depletion."<br>
Stuart Pimm <br>
<br>
</font><font size=3D3 color=3D"#000080"><b>Ocean zoning: D
signated use a=
reas
in the EEZ<br>
</font><font size=3D3 color=3D"#800000">Chairs: Dr. John Ogden,
lorida
Institute of Oceanography, and Jon Day, Great Barrier Reef Marine
Authority, Australia <br>
</font><font size=3D3>Presenters: <br>
</b>John Ogden, "Ocean zoning: Scientific considerations and
conservation implications."<br>
Robert Repetto, Yale University and University of Colorado, USA,
"The Policy Basis for Designated Use Areas in the=20
Oceans."<br>
Jon Day, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Australia,
"Zoning: Lessons from the Great Barrier Reef Marine=20
Park."<br>
Ghislaine Llewellyn, World Wildlife Fund, USA, "Setting priorities
and building a conservation action plan: Lessons from East Africa, the
meso-American Reef, and the Sulu-Sulawesi Sea."<br>
Peter Shelley, Conservation Law Foundation, USA, "Sunset on the Wild
Wet: Bringing EEZ Management Into the 21st Century." <br>
Interlocutors, Tundi Agardy, Dr. Robert Warner<br>
<br>
</font><font size=3D3 color=3D"#000080"><b>Classification
nd mapping of
marine ecosystems<br>
</font><font size=3D3 color=3D"#800000">Chair: James Maragos, US
Fish &am=
p;
Wildlife Service, Hawaii, USA<br>
</font><font size=3D3>Presenters:<br>
</b>Mark Monaco, NOAA, <br>
Rebecca Allee, NOAA, <br>
Don Potts, University of California, Santa Cruz. <br>
Mike Field, USGS<br>
<br>
</font><font size=3D3 color=3D"#000080"><b>Extinction risk
in marine fis=
hes
and invertebrates: Evidence and modeling<br>
</font><font size=3D3 color=3D"#800000">Chair: Ransom Myers, Dal
ousie
University, Canada<br>
<br>
</font><font size=3D3 color=3D"#000080">Marine reserves as sourc
areas<b=
r>
</font><font size=3D3 color=3D"#800000">Chairs: Rom Lipcius, Vir
inia
Institute of Marine Science, USA, and Callum Roberts, University of York,
UK<br>
</font><font size=3D3>Presenters:<br>
</b>James A. Bohnsack, NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center, USA,
"Benefits of no-take reserves in Florida for recreational
fishing"<br>
Fiona R. Gell, " Fishery effects of a network of marine reserves in
St Lucia, West Indies"<br>
Steven A. Murawski and Michael J. Fogarty, National Marine Fisheries
Service Northeast Fisheries Science Center, USA, "Closing large
areas of ocean habitat to fishing: Effects of the Georges Bank closures
and considerations for future marine protected areas."<br>
<br>
</font><font size=3D3 color=3D"#000080"><b>Jellyfish explo
ions: Dominanc=
e
shifts and fisheries effects<br>
</font><font size=3D3 color=3D"#800000">Chairs: Harriet Perry, G
lf Coast
Research Laboratory, USA, and Claudia Mills, University of Washington,
USA<br>
</font><font size=3D3>Presenters:<br>
</b>Claudia Mills - overview of global jellyfish blooms<br>
Tamara Shiganova, Russia- "<i>Mnemiopsis</i> in the Black a
d
Caspian seas"<br>
TBA - Jellyfish in the Bering Sea<br>
Monty Graham - "Year 2000: Jellyfish in the Gulf of
Mexico"<br>
Ron Leucens - "Fisheries consequences in the Gulf of
Mexico"<br>
</font></html>
--=====================_91946847==_.ALT--
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2001 20:45:45 -0400
From: Karen Claxon <kclaxon@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: Smithsonian Scientists Protest Planned Cuts (washingtonpost.com)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A25117-2001Apr16.html
Scientists at the Smithsonian Institution registered a rare formal
protest yesterday against proposed cutbacks at the institution, telling
Secretary Lawrence M. Small that his plans had "seriously damaged
morale."
The memorandum to Small was signed by more than 70 members of the Senate
of Scientists, which is composed of professionals at the Smithsonian's
National Museum of Natural History (snip).
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2001 21:28:18 -0500
From: "Kevin D. Matson" <kdm50c@ADMIRAL.UMSL.EDU>
Subject: mist nets needed
Hello-
My name is Kevin Matson. I am a graduate student in the Department of
Biology at the University of Missouri--Saint Louis. Currently, I am
planning a pilot field study in Missouri and Hawaii. This summer I will be
mistnetting birds in both locations and quantifying and comparing their
immunocompetence. In particular, I hope to compare those species that are
native to the continental U.S. and introduced to the islands (Oahu and
Hawaii) in order to gain insight on the loss of immune function in isolated
ecosystems. In an effort to make the most of my modest funding, I am
hoping that some readers of this list may have used nets (either intact or
repairable) they no longer need. A particular net length is not important,
but the mesh should be able to catch a large range of sizes (sparrows to
jays, approximately 38mm). I am willing to pay fair market value and
shipping for these nets. A permit number is available.
If anyone is able to assist, please email me at kdm50c@admiral.umsl.edu.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2001 10:53:39 -0400
From: "Robert B. Blair" <blairrb@MUOHIO.EDU>
Subject: Post-Doc -- Birds, Butterflies and Land Use
--============_-1224516875==_ma============
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed"
A postdoctoral position examining the effects of land use on native
biodiversity is available in the Department of Zoology, Miami
University, Oxford, Ohio. The position is not tied to any particular
grant and thus the successful applicant will have considerable
latitude in choosing his/her project as long as they are active and
willing to contribute to the research of others in our lab group.
Individuals with expertise in population, community, and ecosystem
approaches to bird and butterfly diversity are encouraged to apply.
Expertise in GIS and spatial analysis would be particularly useful.
Any combination of field, lab and/or modeling approaches is possible.
Research in our laboratory centers on the effects of land use on
native biodiversity with a particular emphasis on birds and
butterflies. Current projects include examining source-sink dynamics
of bird populations along a gradient of urban land uses, determining
the effects of golf courses on bird and butterfly communities in the
Midwest, and evaluating the validity of using birds and butterflies
as surrogate taxa in conservation assessment. We are also involved
in developing an Index of Biotic Integrity for upland terrestrial
systems and algorithms for selecting umbrella species.
Finally, our lab has a strong education and outreach component. We
currently sponsor the NSF-funded LABS program (www.muohio.edu/LABS)
which works with high-school and middle-school teachers in the areas
of conservation biology, teaching science by inquiry, and teacher
leadership. We are also working on the second edition of a
high-school level textbook in conservation biology.
The ecology group at Miami is an active and growing group. This
position is one of four ecology postdoctoral positions in the
Department of Zoology, a department that includes 15 ecology faculty
(5 of whom work with spiders or insects) and approximately 25 ecology
graduate students. In addition, several ecologists from other
departments interact regularly with those in Zoology. Miami
University has an Ecology Research Center with a wide range of
natural and planted habitats that can be manipulated.
This is a one-year appointment beginning in the Summer and/or Fall
of 2001 with the possibility of renewal for an additional year. For
more information explore the Zoology Department web site at
http://zoology.muohio.edu/ and contact Robert B. Blair, Department of
Zoology, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 45056, Phone: 513-529-3190,
Fax: 513-529-6900, email: blairrb@muohio.edu
Miami University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer
______________________________________________________
Rob Blair
Dept. of Zoology
Miami University
Oxford, Ohio 45056
(513) 529-3190 (W)
(513) 529-6900 (F)
blairrb@muohio.edu
______________________________________________________
--============_-1224516875==_ma============
Content-Type: text/enriched; charset="us-ascii"
A postdoctoral position examining the effects of land use on native
biodiversity is available in the Department of Zoology, Miami
University, Oxford, Ohio. The position is not tied to any particular
grant and thus the successful applicant will have considerable latitude
in choosing his/her project as long as they are active and willing to
contribute to the research of others in our lab group. Individuals
with expertise in population, community, and ecosystem approaches to
bird and butterfly diversity are encouraged to apply. Expertise in GIS
and spatial analysis would be particularly useful. Any combination of
field, lab and/or modeling approaches is possible.
Research in our laboratory centers on the effects of land use on native
biodiversity with a particular emphasis on birds and butterflies.
Current projects include examining source-sink dynamics of bird
populations along a gradient of urban land uses, determining the
effects of golf courses on bird and butterfly communities in the
Midwest, and evaluating the validity of using birds and butterflies as
surrogate taxa in conservation assessment. We are also involved in
developing an Index of Biotic Integrity for upland terrestrial systems
and algorithms for selecting umbrella species.
Finally, our lab has a strong education and outreach component. We
currently sponsor the NSF-funded LABS program
(<color><param>0000,0000,00FF</param>www.muohio.edu/LABS<
/color>) which
works with high-school and middle-school teachers in the areas of
conservation biology, teaching science by inquiry, and teacher
leadership. We are also working on the second edition of a high-school
level textbook in conservation biology.
The ecology group at Miami is an active and growing group. This
position is one of four ecology postdoctoral positions in the
Department of Zoology, a department that includes 15 ecology faculty (5
of whom work with spiders or insects) and approximately 25 ecology
graduate students. In addition, several ecologists from other
departments interact regularly with those in Zoology. Miami University
has an Ecology Research Center with a wide range of natural and planted
habitats that can be manipulated.
This is a one-year appointment beginning in the Summer and/or Fall of
2001 with the possibility of renewal for an additional year. For more
information explore the Zoology Department web site at
http://zoology.muohio.edu/ and contact Robert B. Blair, Department of
Zoology, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 45056, Phone: 513-529-3190,
Fax: 513-529-6900, email: blairrb@muohio.edu
Miami University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer
______________________________________________________
Rob Blair
Dept. of Zoology
Miami University
Oxford, Ohio 45056
(513) 529-3190 (W)
(513) 529-6900 (F)
blairrb@muohio.edu
______________________________________________________
--============_-1224516875==_ma============--
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2001 13:18:04 -0400
From: "David W. Inouye" <di5@umail.umd.edu>
Subject: Job: Landscape Ecology, UNR
POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT
Title: Assistant or Associate Professor of Landscape Ecology, tenure-trac
12-month appointment in the Department of Environmental and Resource
Sciences, University of Nevada Reno. -- See attached Position Description.
Contact: Ms. Jean Freestone, 775-784-4020 freeston@ers.unr.edu or Dr.
Robert S. Nowak, Search Committee Chair (775-784-1656) nowak@cabnr.unr.edu.
Information is also available from http://www.ag.unr.edu/naes/employ.htm and
from http://www.jobs.unr.edu/.
**********************************************************************
NOTE: New email address starting March 26, 2001
Robert S. Nowak, Professor
Department of Environmental & Resource Sciences / MS 370
University of Nevada, Reno
Reno, NV 89557
USA
Voice: 775-784-1656
FAX: 775-784-4789
email: nowak@cabnr.unr.edu
web: http://www.ag.unr.edu/ers/nowak.html
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2001 10:19:05 -0400
From: kerry.manire@DC.GOV
Subject: field safety tips
Thank you all for your responses to my request for safety protocols for
field work. I received many many requests to see what everyone sent me,
so here are the tips I received. Apologies for taking so long to send it
out.
Equipment to bring along:
Cell phones preprogrammed with 911 (and a lock button so no accidental
calls go in to 911). We are looking into cell phones here with
walkie-talkie abilities so we can be in contact at all times with home
base. One person who worked along the California coast used coast guard
radios because they were powerful and effective.
loud noise makers (whistles, fog horns personal alarms, etc.) Develop a
code system to communicate with others.(ex. two blasts for help)
Mace or pepper spray
Uniforms
First Aid kits
Habits/Training:
CPR/First Aid training
self-defense training
Leave field work plan with supervisor (destination, return time, etc.)
Work in groups
Also, on a health note, because we are working in urban streams
contaminated with raw sewage my doctor recommended hepatitis A and B
vaccinations and keeping up to date on tetanus boosters. Know if your
field crew has any allergies.
Overall, the best defense is to leave threatening situations. If anyone
makes you at all uncomfortable, and you do not feel safe as a result,
leave immediately, get to a safe place
and call 911.
wishing you all the best this field season,
--
Kerry Manire
Environmental Specialist
DC Department of Health
Environmental Health Administration
Watershed Protection Division
51 N St., NE, 5th Floor
Washington, DC 20002
(202) 535-2961
Fax 535-1364
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2001 10:32:19 -0700
From: Jay Diffendorfer <jdiffen@SUNSTROKE.SDSU.EDU>
Subject: Post-doc in Conservation Ecology
Post Doctoral Research in Conservation Ecology.
San Diego State University offers a 2-year position with a strong chance of
extension to investigate responses of Coastal Sage Scrub (CSS) to varying
levels of human disturbance. The project will develop an Index of
Biological Integrity for CSS while simultaneously conducting basic research
on the response of CSS communities and food webs (plants, small mammals,
insects, avifauna, and herpetofauna) to human
disturbance. Responsibilities include organizing and implementing
fieldwork as well as performing data analysis. Strong statistical skills
are desired to assist in analyzing a number of pre-existing data sets and
design optimal sampling protocols. This position offers a unique
opportunity to work closely with both academic and agency (USGS-BRD, USFWS,
CDF&G, USFS, and TNC) research labs and personnel. We are an active,
highly collaborative and motivated group. This California Department of
Fish and Game/USGS-BRD funded project begins May 15, 2001. A PhD in
population or community ecology and strong statistical skills are required,
particularly in areas of sampling theory and experimental design. The
ability to make work happen is a must. Field experience sampling any
combination of the above taxa is helpful and familiarity with Southern
California biota considered beneficial.
Please send a letter (or email) of interest, curriculum vitae, reprints and
the names of three references (with addresses, e-mail addresses and
telephone numbers) to:
Dr. Jay Diffendorfer
Department of Biology
San Diego State University
San Diego, CA 92182
Phone: 619-594-0311, Fax: 619-594-5676
E-mail: jdiffen@sunstroke.sdsu.edu
San Diego State University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employ
r.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2001 13:01:46 -0700
From: Zi Wang <scienceone@US.SINA.COM>
Subject: soil respiration measurement methods
I need any information about separating root and soil microbial respiration
o
soil respiration
Thanks
Z. Wang
_______________________________________________________________
http://www.SINA.com - #1 Destination Site for Chinese Worldwide
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2001 15:54:31 -0400
From: Ken Yetman <KYETMAN@DNR.STATE.MD.US>
Subject: Entry Biologist Position with Maryland DNR
POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT
JOB TITLE: Natural Resource Biologist I -
Contractual Position
Watershed Restoration Division
SALARY: $25,921 (No benefits)
CLOSING DATE: May 7, 2001
JOB DUTIES: This position is in the Watershed
Restoration Division of the Chesapeake and Coastal Watershed Services,
Department of Natural Resources, Annapolis. This is an entry-level position
that will work with other natural resource professionals on watershed
assessment and stream restoration projects. Position is based in Annapolis,
Maryland; however, applicant will be involved with fieldwork throughout the
State.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Possession of a bachelor's degree from an
accredited college or university in the biology, biochemistry, environmental
sciences aquaculture, natural sciences, natural resources management,
botany, marine biology, marine ecology, physical oceanography, ichthyology,
fisheries management, wildlife management, zoology or a natural resources
related field of study. Professional experience may be substituted on a
year-for-year basis for the required degree.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:
Applicant must have a valid drivers license,
and willing to work outdoors in all types of weather. Job involves some
strenuous fieldwork. Knowledge of data base management and GIS is a plus.
CONTACT: Interested parties should send resumes to
Betty Chambers, Watershed Restoration Division, MD Dept. of Natural
Resources, Tawes State Office Building E-2, Annapolis, MD 21401.
TTY (410) 260-8835
AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
###########################################
This message has been scanned for viruses.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2001 16:00:03 -0400
From: EnviroNetwork@NATURALIST.COM
Subject: Environmental Job Openings from EnviroNetwork
Title: Organic Farmer
Company: Licking Creek Farm
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3552
Title: Environmental Engineer
Company: Newport News Shipbuilding
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3553
Title: Environmental Scientist/ Environmental Engineer
Company: Balloffet-Entranco
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3554
Title: Environmental Specialist
Company: FPL Energy, Inc.
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3555
Title: Marine Education Internships
Company: University of Georgia Marine Education Center and Aquarium
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3556
Title: Environmental Engineer, Entry Level
Company: Oldcastle Precast, Inc.
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3557
Title: Civil Engineering Intern
Company: MTA New York City Transit
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3558
Title: Environmental Scientist/Policy Analyst
Company: Tetra Tech EM Inc.
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3560
Title: Environmental Project Managers
Company: Tetra Tech EM Inc.
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3561
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2001 14:47:56 -0700
From: Emily Clifton <emily_clifton@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Job: Hydrologic / Hydraulic Modeler
Canaan Valley Institute is currently seeking applicants for
the position of Hydrologic/ Hydraulic Modeler to be based
in our Thomas, WV office. Qualified candidates must have
at minimum a master s degree (or equivalent professional
experience) in Hydrology, Engineering, or the Natural
Sciences (with an emphasis on Hydrologic and Hydraulic
Modeling).
Preference will be given to candidates demonstrating strong
verbal/written communications skills and professional
experience in following:
1. Collection, Analyses, and Interpretation of Stream
Hydrology, Hydraulics, and Fluvial Geomorphology
2. GIS and GPS-based Landscape Survey Techniques and
Mapping
3. Hydrologic, Hydraulic, and Water Quality Modeling
(Mike 11, Mike SHE, HEC-HMS, HEC-RAS, etc.)
4. Knowledge of River Restoration and Natural Stream
Channel Design
Duties/Tasks:
1. Conduct Stream and Watershed Hydrologic, Hydraulic,
and Water Quality Data Collection
2. Evaluate Flood Inundation Through Hydrologic and
Hydraulic Modeling
3. Perform Water Quality and Sedimentation Modeling
4. Integrate Model Results with GIS-based Information
This position requires travel throughout the Mid-Atlantic
Highlands region. Compensation package is commensurate
with experience and ability and includes full benefits.
Interested applicants may submit resume and cover letter,
postmarked no later than April 23, to:
Hydrologic/Hydraulic Modeler
Canaan Valley Institute
#1 Creative Place
NorthGate Business Park
Charleston, WV 25311
Or send electronic applications to: personnel@canaanvi.org
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Auctions - buy the things you want at great prices
http://auctions.yahoo.com/
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2001 15:54:23 -0700
From: Jonathan Greenberg <greenberg@UCDAVIS.EDU>
Subject: Forestry Internship in the Ecuadorian Rainforests
Forestry Internship in the Ecuadorian Rainforests
The Center for Spatial Technologies and Remote Sensing (CSTARS)
Laboratory at UC Davis is offering an internship working in tropical
forestry, remote sensing, and human land use issues in the rainforests
of eastern Ecuador.
Interns will work in the Yasun=ED National Park, the most botanically
diverse area on record, at the Yasun=ED Research and the Tiputini
Biodiversity Stations in eastern Ecuador for 1 to 2 months (August -
October). Interns will assist in surveying, identifying and measuring
growth and successional parameters of tropical trees. Furthermore,
students will assist in household surveys of local indigenous people to
determine land use parameters such as crop type, farm size, and fallow
time. Interns will be trained in the use of GPS, surveying equipment,
spectrophotometry, remote sensing techniques, as well as many forestry
techniques including canopy access, successional dynamics, and plant
growth determination.
Interns will be expected to cover all of their travel and living
expenses. Round trip air tickets to Quito from the US are about $1000,
travel to and from the field stations about $200 and per diem costs
around $20 (includes housing, 3 meals per day, laundry and full access
to all station facilities-for comparison, most ecotourist lodges in
Ecuador are $100/day). Conversational Spanish and a BA/BS in Biology,
Ecology or a related field are strongly recommended. Send a resume and
a short email to: greenberg@ucdavis.edu or snail mail to:
Jonathan Greenberg
3592 Shelter Creek Drive
Napa, CA 94558
(707) 252-1535
The full research proposal can be found at
http://www.anthro.ucdavis.edu/~greenberg.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2001 21:58:59 -0400
From: "Joshua D. Berkowitz" <jberkowitz01@MAIL.WESLEYAN.EDU>
Subject: International Trade and Forests
To Ecologgers,
I am sending this message along to any interested parties who might want
to subscribe to this list. The information on the politics of trade and
forests that they send out is very comprehensive and well presented. It is
a very good resource for anyone interested in the subject of ecological
impacts of free trade. -Josh Berkowitz
---------------------------------
Greetings!
My name is Jason Tockman, and I have joined American Lands as the new
director of the International Trade Program, previously held by Antonia
Juhasz. As Antonia did, I will be forwarding to you periodic postings about
issues related to trade and forests. These will be informative and
action-oriented. If you have any friends or fellow activists that you would
like to have also receive this information, please send me their contact
info.
Please feel free to get in touch with me about trade and forest issues that
are of concern to you. I can be reached at p: 750-594-5441; f: 740-594-3842;
tockman@americanlands.org
Jason Tockman, Director, International Trade Program
American Lands Alliance
------------------------------
Subject: ECOLOG-L Digest - 18 Apr 2001 to 19 Apr 2001
There are 14 messages totalling 898 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. Temperature Data Loggers: information requested
2. Bushwhacking Science & the Environment (4)
3. Reply: Fw: Peer Review, anyone?
4. Cartographic Aid position, Forest Service, IITF, Puerto Rico
5. replies to request for database design book suggestions
6. nonmajors text
7. International Trade and Forests Subscribe
8. Naturally high levels of arsenic
9. conference call for papers: Experimental Approaches to Conservati on
Biology
10. Summer Courses at Flathead Lake Biological Station, Montana
11. Interactive Internet course on Ecological and Environmental Modeling
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2001 09:02:29 +0200
From: "Peter J. Weisberg" <weisberg@FOWI.ETHZ.CH>
Subject: Temperature Data Loggers: information requested
For an analysis of plant community composition along environmental
gradients in the Swiss Alps, we require long-term, repeated (several times
daily) measurements of air temperature, 1-2 m above the ground surface,
often in a forest understory. We are in the process of deciding which
temperature data loggers to order. Cost is an important issue, as of
course is reliability, data quality, and ability to obtain reliable
measurements for long time periods (> 5 years) in a wet, foggy environmen
.
To cut costs, we have even considered using an indoor temperature logger
(e.g., HOBO H8 Temp), placed inside a wooden rainproof case (although then,
condensation would still be an issue, as might measurement biases
associated with the protective box).
If you have had previous experience with temperature data loggers, and have
particular models or methods you would like to either recommend or advise
against, we would be thankful to hear of it!
Cheers,
Peter Weisberg
********************************************
Dr. Peter J. Weisberg
Mountain Forest Ecology Group
Department of Forest Sciences
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
ETH-Zentrum HG F21.5
CH-8092 Zurich
Switzerland
phone: +41 1 632 0901
fax: +41 1 632 1146
email: weisberg@fowi.ethz.ch
web: http://www.fowi.ethz.ch/~weisberg/
********************************************
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2001 21:46:45 -0600
From: Vicki Watson <txtrky@SELWAY.UMT.EDU>
Subject: Bushwhacking Science & the Environment
The following letter was sent to our local papers & read over our local
radio station. But before sending it off to my Congressional reps, I wanted
to get feed back from fellow scientists as to whether you feel there are
any factual errors. The sources used are at the end of the note.
Bushwhacking Science & the Environment 4-16-2001
by
Dr. Vicki Watson, Univ. Montana Environmental Studies (for identification on
y)
(comments to txtrky@selway.umt.edu)
During his campaign, George W. Bush often said:
"Efforts to improve our environment must be based on sound science, not
social fads."
But it's not clear what 'sound science' sounds like to Bush.
When the country's most respected body of scientists, the National Academy
of Science, weighed 60 years of evidence and recommended tightening the
old drinking water standard for arsenic because it could cause 1 in 100
people exposed to get cancer, Bush couldn't hear that sound science. When
the world's climatologists organized the Interagency Panel on Climate
Change, and after evaluating the evidence, stated there is sufficient
evidence to conclude human-caused global warming is occurring, Bush
couldn't hear that.
But despite Bush's deafness, apparently, the sounds made by scientists are
starting to get on the nerves of some folks in the Bush administration
because they decided to silence that sound by cutting funding for science
that addresses the environment. The Bush budget whacks many environmental
science and information programs. Research programs in every environmental
and natural resource agency are taking big hits, some crippling. Any
apparent increases are simply transfers of funds from related programs and
always represent an overall loss to science & environmental protection.
EPA & Agriculture (including the Forest Service & the Natural Resource
Conservation Service) will have less science on which to base their
environmental decisions. So will Interior's BLM and Fish & Wildlife
Service. Surprisingly, Bush is also cutting noncontroversial science
agencies considered to provide objective information--agencies like
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, the Smithsonian, the
National Science Foundation and the US Geological Survey. The cuts to the
USGS are particularly telling. This most respected of natural resource
science programs is slated to lose almost 1/10 of its budget. And the cuts
are concentrated in their water and wildlife programs (1/5 of these budgets
would be cut). All across the nation people rely on the USGS to predict
flood, drought, earthquake & other hazards. Decision makers rely on their
stream flow and water quality records, their studies of toxic substances,
their natural resource mapping. But under the Bush budget, many will have
to look elsewhere for sound science.
The dollars cut from these agencies are infinitesimal drops in the federal
budget. They are not to save money -- they are to silence the pesky
scientists who keep making it hard for big corporations to say that there
is insufficient evidence that we are depleting our resources, poisoning
ourselves and driving many species to extinction. And that there are
alternatives to doing this.
In addition to cutting environmental science, the Bush budget cuts programs
to protect the environment and public health and to conserve natural
resources. These programs are being cut 7% (11% after inflation). So that's
less funding for clean water programs, for renewable energy and
conservation, for habitat protection and restoration. Citizens and
scientists agree that we need these programs. But not President Bush.
So what does sound science sound like to Bush? (sound of jingling change)
Sources:
http://www.cnie.org/Updates/96.htm
http://www.usgs.gov/budget/2002/
http://www.nrdc.org/legislation/abushbud.asp
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2001 08:54:23 -0400
From: Frederick W Stoss <fstoss@ACSU.BUFFALO.EDU>
Subject: Reply: Fw: Peer Review, anyone?
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <Mccormick.Frank@EPAMAIL.EPA.GOV>
> To: <ECOLOG-L@UMDD.UMD.EDU>
> In an ironic punctuation to the thread of discussion related to the ANW
> caribou maps, my mailbox contained the Agency's new Peer Review <MAN
AL>
> (EPA 100-B-00-001). It is 80 pages long plus 80 pages in 7 appendices.
> Peer review by scientific journals merits all of 1.5 pages. The
> morbidly curious should contact the USEPA Office of Science Policy,
> Washington, DC 20460.>> Frank H. McCormick> Research Ecologist
> US
> Environmental Protection Agency> National Exposure Research Laborato
y
> 26 W. Martin Luther King Drive> Cincinnati, OH 45268>>
> mccormick.frank@epa.gov > 513 569 7097
>
> or.... FULL-TEXT ONLY AS PDF
Science Policy Council Handbook
United States Office of Science Policy EPA 100-B-00-001 Environmental
Protection Office of Research and Development December 2000 Agency
Washington, DC 20460 www. EPA 100- B-00- 001 December 2000 U. S.
URL: http://www.epa.gov/ORD/spc/prhandbk.pdf
>
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2001 08:07:19 -0400
From: Eileen Helmer/IITF/USDAFS <ehelmer@FS.FED.US>
Subject: Cartographic Aid position, Forest Service, IITF, Puerto Rico
A 1-year temporary Cartographic Aid position, GS-1371-04 is open for
application until May 9, 2001, at the USDA Forest Service International
Institute of Tropical Forestry in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. Major Duties:
Develops vectorized maps of geographical boundaries, such as
land-use/land-cover types and ownership boundaries, from hard-copy maps
using various mapping sofware programs and utilities. Develops figures for
oral and written presentations related to geographic elements. Works with
spreadsheet programs to organize geographic data. Develops and archives
meta data for digital geographic data. Develops figures from satellite
imagery and performs some on-screen editing of satellite-image derived
maps. Assists with limited field work. For more information, look on the
OPM jobs site (http://www.usajobs.opm.gov) under Clerical and Technician
positions, Atlantic and overseas.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2001 09:03:05 -0600
From: Kris McCleary <kris.mccleary@TELUSPLANET.NET>
Subject: replies to request for database design book suggestions
Hello list:
I had quite a few requests to post replies to my call for database design
book suggestions. Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. I have
used"Database design for mere mortals" and I found it to be quite useful
and readable. Here are the suggestions:
> 1. We used one in a database class that was not too bad. It is:
> >
> > McFadden, Hoffer and Prescott. Modern Database Management. 1999.
> > Addison-Wesley.
> >
> > I hope you find it useful.
> >
> > Debby Williams Andreadis
> > dka@utk.edu
> >
2. One book I like is Data Warehousing: Concepts, Technologies,
Implementations, and Management by Harry S. Singh (Prentice Hall, New
Jersey,
1998).
I'm not sure what your applications are; this book probably has more detail
than you want, and is fairly business-oriented, but it is at least thorough
and covers structural information for building a data warehouse, or a
"database of databases" - which is what I find is necessary in
environmental
projects with many kinds of data sets coming from different subsets of the
project and different people....
Good luck!
Ouida Meier
3. A book that is solely about database design, and not implementation,
that
I found quite helpful (although not so much for scientific databases in
particular) is "Database Design for Mere Mortals." It's cheap, very basic,
and a good introduction to the concepts of databases.
*****************************
Doug Nutter
University of Chicago
Department of Ecology and Evolution
1101 East 57th Street
Chicago, IL 60637
773-702-9477
danutter@uchicago.edu
4. I found
Ecological data : design, management, and processing / edited by
William K. Michener and James W. Brunt
Publisher Oxford ; Malden, MA : Blackwell Science, 2000
to be a good book on databases and their design, without going into
programming details.
hope that helps
tom giermakowski
5. A short article entitled "Best Practices for Preparing Ecological Data
Sets
to Share and Archive" was just published in the April 2000 issue (pages
138-141) of the Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America. The authors
briefly discuss a number of important issues and considerations dealing
with
the creation and maintenance of databases, such as assigning file and
variable names, quality assurance and documentation. More importantly, the
article lists more detailed references on the subject, some of which are
available on-line. Hope this helps.
Mike Chimney
6. A "laymen's book" I have recommended to others is
Simsion, Graeme. 1994. "Date Modeling Essentials: Analysis, Design, and
Innovation." International Thompson Computer Press.
I see there is a new version:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1576108724/o/qid=986409675/sr=8-1
/ref
=aps_sr_b_1_1/002-7376924-7720826
--Gerry Key
Computer Sciences Corporation
San Diego, CA
key@nosc.mil
7. "Database Design for Mere Mortals", Michael Hernandez. You can find it
at
Amazon.com
Beth Vining - mere botanist - not programmer
8. don't know what database you are using, but I have used (and continue
to
reference) _Access 97 Unleashed_ by Dwayne Gifford, et al, SAMS publishing.
I am sure they have a new one out for the newest version of Access. It has
a lot of really good basic database design coverage, as well as excellent
coverage of MS Access. Honestly, I found it to be an outstanding
reference, but probably only if you are using MS Access. Good Luck!
Rebecca
*************************************************
Rebecca J. Bilodeau
Shepherd Miller, Inc.
3801 Automation Way Suite 100
Fort Collins, CO 80525
Phone 970-223-9600 rbilodeau@shepmill.com
**************************************************
Kris McCleary
Bandaloop Landscape Ecosystem Services
Foothills Model Forest
P O Box 6330
Hinton, AB T7V 1L8
Canada
phone 780.865.8218
fax 780.865-8331
website www.fmf.ab.ca
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2001 10:31:08 -0500
From: "D. Liane Cochran-Stafira" <cochran@SXU.EDU>
Subject: nonmajors text
Hi all,
I teach a regional (Great Lakes) natural history course for nonmajors. I'm
still looking for a text for this class. I tried it last year with just
handouts and web readings, but that didn't work as well as I had hoped.
Has anyone come across a introductory level field biology text that they
like? I've already eliminated a few (Smith, Molles, and the more advanced
eco texts like Ricklefs etc.). I'd like to incorporate some basic ecology,
but I spend lots of time on local geology and natural history, so I don't
want the students to buy a standard ecology text that we won't fully
utilize. Brewer has lots of Great Lakes examples, but it's still a bit
much for the freshmen who usually take this course.
Thanks in advance,
AAAAHH SPRING - the time when field ecologist's hearts turn to "Playing in
the Dirt!"
Liane
***************************
Liane Cochran-Stafira, Ph.D.
Department of Biology
Saint Xavier University
3700 West 103rd Street
Chicago, Illinois 60655
phone: 773-298-3514
fax: 773-779-9061
email: cochran@sxu.edu
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2001 11:46:21 -0400
From: Steve Clough <Stephen_Clough@UML.EDU>
Subject: Re: Bushwhacking Science & the Environment
There new "science" behind the arsenic standard (if you can call risk assess
ent
a
science) may indicate that the drinking water criteria needs to be "tightene
",
but
10 ug/L, which is starting to approach "background" levels for natural water
,
is
sheer strangulation.....one that, without careful thought about what we are
doing,
would require small and large muncipalities alike to install very expensive
treatment systems (natural levels of arsenic are very difficult to remove fr
m
the
water column.....your local water bill could double). Christine Whitman is
ll
for
it, but both she and Bush realize the environmentalists are overreaching and
recognize that the "science" needs to be robust (BTW, this standard has been
in
effect for 30 years....w.r.t. skin cancer, I'm more worried about UV exposur
).
I practice what I preach....I live in NH and am moving to Bedford, NH, which
has
notoriously high levels of As in groundwater. I am quite comfortable with
he
old
standard and would vote for no less than 25 ug/L as a new one. Imposing an
extremely conservative standard, championed primarily by activists who are u
ing
the "dread" factor ("Arsenic and Old Lace") to instill fear (false evidence
appearing real) in the public, is not "sound science". My answer would be t
identify the regional hot spots and treat at the local level.
Regards,
Stephen R. Clough, Ph.D., DABT
(personal opinion)
Vicki Watson wrote:
> The following letter was sent to our local papers & read over our local
> radio station. But before sending it off to my Congressional reps, I wa
ted
> to get feed back from fellow scientists as to whether you feel there ar
> any factual errors. The sources used are at the end of the note.
>
> Bushwhacking Science & the Environment 4-16-2001
> by
> Dr. Vicki Watson, Univ. Montana Environmental Studies (for identificati
n
only)
> (comments to txtrky@selway.umt.edu)
>
> During his campaign, George W. Bush often said:
> "Efforts to improve our environment must be based on sound science, no
> social fads."
>
> But it's not clear what 'sound science' sounds like to Bush.
>
> When the country's most respected body of scientists, the National Acad
my
> of Science, weighed 60 years of evidence and recommended tightening th
> old drinking water standard for arsenic because it could cause 1 in 100
> people exposed to get cancer, Bush couldn't hear that sound science. Wh
n
> the world's climatologists organized the Interagency Panel on Climate
> Change, and after evaluating the evidence, stated there is sufficient
> evidence to conclude human-caused global warming is occurring, Bush
> couldn't hear that.
>
> But despite Bush's deafness, apparently, the sounds made by scientists
re
> starting to get on the nerves of some folks in the Bush administration
> because they decided to silence that sound by cutting funding for scien
e
> that addresses the environment. The Bush budget whacks many environment
l
> science and information programs. Research programs in every environmen
al
> and natural resource agency are taking big hits, some crippling. Any
> apparent increases are simply transfers of funds from related programs
nd
> always represent an overall loss to science & environmental protection.
>
> EPA & Agriculture (including the Forest Service & the Natural Resource
> Conservation Service) will have less science on which to base their
> environmental decisions. So will Interior's BLM and Fish & Wildlife
> Service. Surprisingly, Bush is also cutting noncontroversial science
> agencies considered to provide objective information--agencies like
> National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, the Smithsonian, the
> National Science Foundation and the US Geological Survey. The cuts to t
e
> USGS are particularly telling. This most respected of natural resource
> science programs is slated to lose almost 1/10 of its budget. And the c
ts
> are concentrated in their water and wildlife programs (1/5 of these bud
ets
> would be cut). All across the nation people rely on the USGS to predict
> flood, drought, earthquake & other hazards. Decision makers rely on the
r
> stream flow and water quality records, their studies of toxic substance
,
> their natural resource mapping. But under the Bush budget, many will ha
e
> to look elsewhere for sound science.
>
> The dollars cut from these agencies are infinitesimal drops in the fede
al
> budget. They are not to save money -- they are to silence the pesky
> scientists who keep making it hard for big corporations to say that the
e
> is insufficient evidence that we are depleting our resources, poisoning
> ourselves and driving many species to extinction. And that there are
> alternatives to doing this.
>
> In addition to cutting environmental science, the Bush budget cuts prog
ams
> to protect the environment and public health and to conserve natural
> resources. These programs are being cut 7% (11% after inflation). So th
t's
> less funding for clean water programs, for renewable energy and
> conservation, for habitat protection and restoration. Citizens and
> scientists agree that we need these programs. But not President Bush.
>
> So what does sound science sound like to Bush? (sound of jingling ch
nge)
>
> Sources:
> http://www.cnie.org/Updates/96.htm
> http://www.usgs.gov/budget/2002/
> http://www.nrdc.org/legislation/abushbud.asp
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2001 12:08:04 -0400
From: "Joshua D. Berkowitz" <jberkowitz01@MAIL.WESLEYAN.EDU>
Subject: International Trade and Forests Subscribe
Dear Ecologgers,
I'm sorry for the confusion. I have received numerous inquiries
about the international trade and forests email I sent out yesterday. In
order to be put on the email list contact Jason Tockman
<tockman@americanlands.org>, (740-594-5441). Do not reply to me- I am
only passing on the message to interested parties.The original message is
pasted below. Thanks,
Josh Berkowitz
-------------------
Greetings!
My name is Jason Tockman, and I have joined American Lands as the new
director of the International Trade Program, previously held by Antonia
Juhasz. As Antonia did, I will be forwarding to you periodic postings about
issues related to trade and forests. These will be informative and
action-oriented. If you have any friends or fellow activists that you would
like to have also receive this information, please send me their contact
info.
Please feel free to get in touch with me about trade and forest issues that
are of concern to you. I can be reached at p: 740-594-5441; f:
740-594-3842;
tockman@americanlands.org
Jason Tockman, Director, International Trade Program
American Lands Alliance
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2001 10:32:18 -0700
From: Noah Greenwald <ngreenwald@BIOLOGICALDIVERSITY.ORG>
Subject: Re: Bushwhacking Science & the Environment
Steve,
Dr. Watson's article specifically states that tightening arsenic standards
was supported by the National Academy of Sciences, yet your response states
that "overreaching environmentalists" were behind the new standards. Do
you believe that the NAS is an environmentalist organization or are you
simply not comfortable with their conclusions and would rather shift blame
to a target that you can more easily attack the credibility of?
Noah
At 11:46 AM 4/19/01 -0400, Steve Clough wrote:
>There new "science" behind the arsenic standard (if you can call risk
>assessment
> a
>science) may indicate that the drinking water criteria needs to be
>"tightened",
> but
>10 ug/L, which is starting to approach "background" levels for natural w
ters,
> is
>sheer strangulation.....one that, without careful thought about what we
re
> doing,
>would require small and large muncipalities alike to install very expens
ve
>treatment systems (natural levels of arsenic are very difficult to remov
from
> the
>water column.....your local water bill could double). Christine Whitman
>is all
> for
>it, but both she and Bush realize the environmentalists are overreaching
and
>recognize that the "science" needs to be robust (BTW, this standard has
>been in
>effect for 30 years....w.r.t. skin cancer, I'm more worried about UV
>exposure).
>
>I practice what I preach....I live in NH and am moving to Bedford, NH,
>which has
>notoriously high levels of As in groundwater. I am quite comfortable
>with the
> old
>standard and would vote for no less than 25 ug/L as a new one. Imposing
an
>extremely conservative standard, championed primarily by activists who a
e
>using
>the "dread" factor ("Arsenic and Old Lace") to instill fear (false evide
ce
>appearing real) in the public, is not "sound science". My answer would
e to
>identify the regional hot spots and treat at the local level.
>
>Regards,
>
>Stephen R. Clough, Ph.D., DABT
>(personal opinion)
>
>Vicki Watson wrote:
>
> > The following letter was sent to our local papers & read over our
ocal
> > radio station. But before sending it off to my Congressional reps,
I wanted
> > to get feed back from fellow scientists as to whether you feel the
e are
> > any factual errors. The sources used are at the end of the note.
> >
> > Bushwhacking Science & the Environment 4-16-2001
> > by
> > Dr. Vicki Watson, Univ. Montana Environmental Studies (for identif
cation
> only)
> > (comments to txtrky@selway.umt.edu)
> >
> > During his campaign, George W. Bush often said:
> > "Efforts to improve our environment must be based on sound science
not
> > social fads."
> >
> > But it's not clear what 'sound science' sounds like to Bush.
> >
> > When the country's most respected body of scientists, the National
Academy
> > of Science, weighed 60 years of evidence and recommended tighteni
g the
> > old drinking water standard for arsenic because it could cause 1 i
100
> > people exposed to get cancer, Bush couldn't hear that sound scienc
. When
> > the world's climatologists organized the Interagency Panel on Clim
te
> > Change, and after evaluating the evidence, stated there is suffic
ent
> > evidence to conclude human-caused global warming is occurring, Bus
> > couldn't hear that.
> >
> > But despite Bush's deafness, apparently, the sounds made by scient
sts are
> > starting to get on the nerves of some folks in the Bush administra
ion
> > because they decided to silence that sound by cutting funding for
cience
> > that addresses the environment. The Bush budget whacks many enviro
mental
> > science and information programs. Research programs in every envir
nmental
> > and natural resource agency are taking big hits, some crippling. A
y
> > apparent increases are simply transfers of funds from related prog
ams and
> > always represent an overall loss to science & environmental protec
ion.
> >
> > EPA & Agriculture (including the Forest Service & the Natural Reso
rce
> > Conservation Service) will have less science on which to base thei
> > environmental decisions. So will Interior's BLM and Fish & Wildlif
> > Service. Surprisingly, Bush is also cutting noncontroversial scien
e
> > agencies considered to provide objective information--agencies lik
> > National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, the Smithsonian, th
> > National Science Foundation and the US Geological Survey. The cuts
to the
> > USGS are particularly telling. This most respected of natural reso
rce
> > science programs is slated to lose almost 1/10 of its budget. And
he cuts
> > are concentrated in their water and wildlife programs (1/5 of thes
budgets
> > would be cut). All across the nation people rely on the USGS to pr
dict
> > flood, drought, earthquake & other hazards. Decision makers rely o
their
> > stream flow and water quality records, their studies of toxic subs
ances,
> > their natural resource mapping. But under the Bush budget, many wi
l have
> > to look elsewhere for sound science.
> >
> > The dollars cut from these agencies are infinitesimal drops in the
federal
> > budget. They are not to save money -- they are to silence the pesk
> > scientists who keep making it hard for big corporations to say tha
there
> > is insufficient evidence that we are depleting our resources, pois
ning
> > ourselves and driving many species to extinction. And that there a
e
> > alternatives to doing this.
> >
> > In addition to cutting environmental science, the Bush budget cuts
programs
> > to protect the environment and public health and to conserve natur
l
> > resources. These programs are being cut 7% (11% after inflation).
o that's
> > less funding for clean water programs, for renewable energy and
> > conservation, for habitat protection and restoration. Citizens a
d
> > scientists agree that we need these programs. But not President Bu
h.
> >
> > So what does sound science sound like to Bush? (sound of jingli
g
> change)
> >
> > Sources:
> > http://www.cnie.org/Updates/96.htm
> > http://www.usgs.gov/budget/2002/
> > http://www.nrdc.org/legislation/abushbud.asp
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2001 11:46:54 -0600
From: Vicki Watson <txtrky@SELWAY.UMT.EDU>
Subject: Naturally high levels of arsenic
In reply to Steve Clough's concern about the cost of treating water that is
naturally high in arsenic--
I agree that we should identify the hot spots and treat at the local level
-- but that's what setting a more protective health-based standard could be
used to bring about. If the standard is left at 50, no one's going to
identify any hotspots between 10 & 50 and provide alternate drinking water.
I think where As is naturally high, local communities should get federal
assistance to provide alternate drinking water (perhaps bottled water) for
those who want it. The natural groundwater could be used for all other
purposes (you dont have to treat all of it). Just because some communities
have naturally high As in their water is no reason to allow higher quality
water to degrade elsewhere, but that's what happens when you pretend that
50 ppb is OK because it would be costly to achieve it everywhere.
One area's natural hazard should not be used as justification for allowing
a human-caused hazard elsewhere. Here in Montana where mining companies are
allowed to increase arsenic in our water,arguing that it's naturally high
elsewhere, we object to that. Vicki
-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dr. Vicki Watson, Professor txtrky@selway.umt.edu
Environmental Studies, 101 Botany
Univ. of Montana, Missoula, MT, 59812
406-243-5153 fax 406-243-6090 http://www.umt.edu/evst
Clark Fork River Symposium: http://ibscore.dbs.umt.edu/clarkfork
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<@))))>< ~~
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2001 10:48:44 -0700
From: "Steyermark, Anthony" <ASteyermark@MEDNET.UCLA.EDU>
Subject: conference call for papers: Experimental Approaches to Conservati o
Biology
Call for Contributed Papers and Posters
Experimental Approaches to Conservation Biology
University of California, Los Angeles
September 11-14, 2001
The University of California Los Angeles, Institute of the Environment and
the International Commission on Comparative Physiology of the International
Union of Physiological Sciences invite scientists, students, government
officials, policymakers and interested others to contribute to a three-day
conference (September 11-14, 2001) subtitled "The roles of experimental
biology in the protection of biodiversity and the control of exotic
species". Topics include, but are not limited, to:
Comparative physiology of endangered and exotic species in the wild
Comparative physiology of captive breeding of endangered species
Genetic engineering for species survival and exotic species control
Microbiological and endocrinological approaches to control of exotic species
Integrating experimental scientific results into policy making for
protection of endangered species and control of exotic species
The intent of this conference is to provide an opportunity for academics,
researchers, government officials and policymakers to discuss major recent
findings and current research directions for both basic and applied
experimental biological approaches to the protection of world biodiversity.
Contributed Paper and Poster Abstract Submission Instructions and Deadlines
Abstracts will be accepted either through the online submittal process
(<http://www.ioe.ucla.edu/Biodiversity/abstract_submittal.html>html
<http://www.ioe.ucla.edu/Biodiversity/abstract_submittal.html>) or by
ail
on a floppy disk in text format (see web page for details). Abstracts should
be written in English and run no longer than 250 words (not including title
and author information). Please include all of the authors' names and
affiliations. Also include the contact information for the presenting author
(mailing address, phone number, and email address). The presenting author
must be registered for the conference in order to submit an abstract. Please
indicate your preference for either oral or poster presentation, of
flexibility for either.
All abstracts must arrive at this office by May 15, 2001 by 5 pm PST.
If mailing abstract on floppy disk, send to:
Biodiversity Abstracts
c/o Soraya Moein Bartol,
1652 Hershey Hall, Box 951496
University of California
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1496
Questions? Contact Soraya Moein Bartol at 310-825-7755 or ioereg@ucla.edu.
Anthony Steyermark
Department of Physiology
UCLA School of Medicine
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1751
Phone: (310) 825-6076
Fax: (310) 206-5661
email: asteyermark@mednet.ucla.edu
url: http://www.bol.ucla.edu/~asteyer/
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2001 13:58:54 -0400
From: "David M. Bryant" <dmbryant@CISUNIX.UNH.EDU>
Subject: Re: Bushwhacking Science & the Environment
>10 ug/L, which is starting to approach "background" levels for natural
waters,
> is
>sheer strangulation.....one that, without careful thought about what we
re
> doing,
>would require small and large muncipalities alike to install very expens
ve
>treatment systems (natural levels of arsenic are very difficult to remov
from
> the
>water column.....your local water bill could double).
Steve,
These are good points, and with regard to policy, risk assessment is more
of an art than a science. Prediciting what level of cost people are
willing to pay for any percieved benefit is, at best, a matter of
conjecture. Personal risk assessment also is impacted by the ability to
pay. To use your tradeoff analogy, does $5 suntan lotion offset the
percieved risk of skin cancer? Probably. Absolute cost however, should
never be taken at face value in an economic analyses. I pay somehwere
between $40-$50/mo for water. To double that would bring my cost to
$100.00. I spend more than that on espresso. True I may be alone in this
comparison. So what about dog food, beer, gas? At the poverty level this
amounts to < 5% of taxable income. Wouldn't it be worth an extra $50 to
make sure our drinking water is safe?
David M. Bryant dmbryant@cisunix.unh.edu
Dept. of Natural Resources 603-862-4433
215 James Hall
University of New Hampshire
Durham, NH 03824
"Not all that is counted counts
and not all that counts can be counted"
A. Einstein
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2001 14:28:16 -0600
From: Sue Gillespie <sgill@SELWAY.UMT.EDU>
Subject: Summer Courses at Flathead Lake Biological Station, Montana
<html>
<b>Join us at the Flathead Lake Biological Station of The University o
Montana for our 102nd Summer Session!<br>
<br>
Check out our web page at
<font color="#0000FF">www.umt.edu/biology/flbs<br>
<br>
</font><font color="#000000"><u>2001 Course Offerings<b
>
<br>
</font></b></u><font face="TIMES" size=3>The Flathea
Lake Biological
Station (FLBS) is a Center of Excellence of The University of
Montana. Operated year round as a research facility and community
information center, the Station offers an outstanding summer academic
program for advanced undergraduate and graduate students.
Researchers and students live and study together in a pristine, mountain
setting on the shores of Flathead Lake, 85 miles north of Missoula,
Montana.<br>
<br>
We emphasize hands-on learning outside under the open sky, as opposed to
traditional college courses in lecture halls and stuffy
laboratories. Each course involves multiple field trips to relevant
sites within the Flathead Basin, including Glacier National Park and the
National Bison Range. Hiking, boating and outdoor scholarly fun are
an everyday part of these novel courses. Some overnight camping,
often in backcountry settings, is done in most classes.<br>
<br>
Students and faculty live in cabins or in a modern dormitory on the
Biological Station grounds, where the mountains merge with the cool clear
waters of Flathead Lake. Our facilities are fantastic!!!!! <br>
<br>
Backpacking into the wilderness areas and Glacier National Park typically
occupies most of the spare time of students and staff. The area is
a photographer's paradise and superb fishing delights the angler.
Visitors enjoy swimming and boating on Flathead Lake and kayaking and
canoeing on the rivers.<br>
<br>
</font>We offer 2-week and 4-week courses from June 11 - August 3, 200
,
for 3-5 semester credits each. <br>
<br>
Our courses are great for traditional and non-traditional students.
Courses may be taken for undergraduate or graduate credit or for audit
(no credit).<br>
<br>
<u>2-Week Courses (Monday-Friday)<br>
</u>BIOL 453 Lake Ecology (6/11-6/22)
<dl>
<dd>BIOL 455 Groundwater & Riparian Ecology (6/25-7/6)
<dd>BIOL 454 River Ecology (7/9-7/20)
<dd>BIOL 456 Aquatic Vertebrate Ecology & Conservation
(7/23-8/3) <u>
</dl>4-Week Courses (Monday-Thursday)</u><b>June 11-July 5
</b>(classes
will be held July 4)<br>
BIOL 340-341 Ecology and Ecology Lab <br>
BIOL 355 Ecology of Mammals <br>
BIOL 495 Animal Behavior <br>
<font size=3><b>July 9-August 2<br>
</font></b><font size=3>BIOL 495 Field Ecology <b
>
BIOL 448 Terrestrial Plant Ecology<br>
BIOL 449 Plant-Animal Interactions <br>
<br>
<u>8-Week Course<br>
</u>BIOL 494 Seminars in Ecology and Resource Management <br>
<br>
<u>Independent Research and Other Offerings at FLBS (Four or Eight
Weeks)<br>
</u>BIOL 497 Research in Ecology (UG) <br>
BIOL 499 Undergraduate Thesis (Senior Thesis) <br>
BIOL 596 Research in Ecology (Grad) <br>
<br>
Tuition and fees are $235 per credit for residents and
nonresidents. Room and board is about $155 per week (all rates
subject to change). <br>
<br>
For additional information about our summer academic session, please
contact<br>
<br>
Sue Gillespie<br>
Assistant Director/Operations<br>
Flathead Lake Biological Station<br>
The University of Montana<br>
311 Bio Station Lane<br>
Polson, MT 59860-9659<br>
406-982-3301<br>
sgill@selway.umt.edu<br>
<br>
or visit our web page at
<a href="http://www.umt.edu/biology/flbs"
eudora="autourl">www.umt.edu/biology/flbs</a><br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
</font></html>
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2001 19:40:24 -0400
From: "David W. Inouye" <di5@umail.umd.edu>
Subject: Interactive Internet course on Ecological and Environmental Modelin
http://www.enviromod.subnet.dk/
There is a fee: 380 Euros.
------------------------------
To: ESANEWS@UMDD.UMD.EDU
Subject: Science and Environmental Policy Update - April 20, 2001
Science and Environmental Policy Update - April 20, 2001
A Bi-Weekly Publication of the Ecological Society of America
INTERIOR SECRETARY WOULD HAVE SOLE DISCRETION OVER ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT
The Bush Administration has announced plans to give the Secretary of the
Interior (DOI) sole discretion over which species will qualify for federal
protection under the Endangered Species Act. Officials in the White House
and at DOI have said that the proposal is aimed at alleviating a backlog of
lawsuits which have been lodged against the Department by environmentalists
seeking protection for certain species. Bush's proposal would exempt the
Department's Fish and Wildlife Service from complying with lawsuits in what
the Administration has called a "more rational system" of overseeing
administration of the Endangered Species Act. Bush has proposed cutting
the budget for endangered species by $9.1 million. This would leave $112
million for management of the program which is currently responsible for
507 animals and 736 plants which are already on the Endangered Species list
and 250 other species which have no legal protections. Critics of the
proposal say it may be unconstitutional, and charge that alleviating the
lawsuit logjam currently faced by DOI will not alleviate the problems long
associated with the Act itself.
The Endangered Species Act was enacted in 1973 under President Richard
Nixon. It has been due for reauthorization since 1991, but sharp
disagreements over how the Act should or should not be changed have
prevented any reform or revision to its mandates. On April 11, House
Resources Committee Chair James Hansen (R-UT) announced the formation of a
bipartisan Endangered Species Act Working Group. The group is charged with
proposing reforms to the Act and its members were selected by Hansen and
Representative Nick Rahall (D-WV). "The Endangered Species Act has been
due for reauthorization since 1991," Hansen told reporters. "We haven't
reauthorized it because no one could agree on how to reform and modernize
the law. Everyone agrees there are problems with the Act, but no one can
agree on how to fix them."
CANADIAN ENDANGERED SPECIES
Once again, the proposed Canadian Species at Risk Act (Canada does not
currently have an endangered species law) is under consideration. Canadian
scientists who believe the Bill suffers from two fundamental flaws are
circulating an open letter gathering signatures from both Canadian and U.S.
scientists. Since a Canadian endangered species Act would also affect U.S.
endangered species, the goal is to show Canadian and U.S. scientific
support for a bill that is stronger. In particular, according to the
organizers of the letter, the Bill would not ensure protection of
endangered species' habitat and the decision of whether or not to list an
endangered species would be based on policy, not on science. To learn more
or to sign on to the letter, visit www.scientists4species.org.
NEW CHIEF NAMED FOR USFS
On April 12 Dale Bosworth was named as the new Chief for the US Forest
Service (USFS). As Chief he will oversee the management of some 30,000
people, 192 million acres of land, and a budget of more than $4.6
billion. Bosworth has been at the USFS for 35 years, and was born to a
family of foresters. He has stated that he supports the contentious ban on
road building in National Forests which was put into place by his
predecessor, Michael Dombeck. Before taking his new post, he served as the
USFS Regional Forester based in Missoula, Montana and oversaw 25 million
acres of land in four western states. His previous work has been praised
by outspoken timber industry officials and several western Republicans,
including Senator Larry Craig (R-ID). Dombeck has called Bosworth a "great
choice" and noted that he played a key role in developing parts of the ban
on road building. The ban was supposed to go into effect on March 13 of
this year, but has been delayed by Bush Administration officials until May 1
.
US ARMY CORPS REFORM ACT INTRODUCED
On March 30, legislation was introduced in both the House and the Senate
which would direct the Corps of Engineers to act in accordance with both
economic concerns and ecological principles when initiating new
projects. Known as the Army Corps of Engineers Reform Act, the bill was
introduced by Russ Feingold (D-WI) in the Senate (S 646) and Ron Kind
(D-WI) in the House (HR 1310). The legislation was drafted in response to
criticism from the Army's Inspector General and the National Academy of
Sciences which have stated that the Corps is biased in favor of large-scale
structural projects. Critics have also charged the Corps with disregarding
environmental data and impacts on areas near to projects, and have
questioned the Corps' economic record keeping and data. The Act would
require the establishment of stakeholder advisory committees to assist with
the development of projects, and would require that large projects be
subject to review by an independent panel of experts.
SMITHSONIAN CENTER TO CLOSE
Smithsonian Institution Secretary, Lawrence Small recently announced plans
to close the Smithsonian's Conservation and Research Center, a 3,200-acre
field station near Front Royal, Virginia. Closure of CRC will eliminate
most of the science at the National Zoo, including programs in marine
mammal biology, molecular genetics, small population genetic management,
migratory birds, field ecology, GIS and remote sensing, animal behavior,
monitoring and assessment of biodiversity programs, and conservation
biology (including long-term ecological field studies in the US and abroad).
The science reorganization is being lead by the Undersecretary for Science,
Dr. Dennis O'Connor. Although CRC received strong endorsements from three
external peer reviews conducted during the past 10 years, no such review
took place before the announcement to shut down the field station, and no
information was provided on the scientific criteria used to evaluate CRC's
conservation and science programs. Restructuring of the Smithsonian's
science programs will be a focal point of the upcoming meeting on May 8,
2001 of the Institution's Board of Regents.
Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) has written Director Small urging him to reverse his
decision and questioning how research conducted at the sprawling CRC
facility could take place at the Zoo's limited space in Washington,
DC. House Science Committee Chair Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) has also
written Director Small strongly arguing against closing the Center. The
Ecological Society of America and numerous other societies and
organizations have also stated their opposition to closure of the Center.
BUDGET UPDATE
Budget season started about two months late this year, as the new
Administration unfurled its broad budget plans in March and detailed plans
in April. Given plans for a large tax cut, among other Administration
priorities, there is little room for expanded discretionary spending and
thus competition for funding in the appropriations bills is likely to be
especially strong this year. For a refresher on the budget process, please
visit ESA's website: http://esa.sdsc.edu/budgetprocess.pdf.
The Bush Administration's proposed budget would cut $2.3 billion from a
range of environmental programs including research on global warming (a 4
percent reduction). Bush is calling for $26.4 billion for federal natural
resources and environment programs, down from the $28.7 billion approved
for the current fiscal year. His plan calls for management reforms within
the National Park Service to improve the nation's increasingly stressed
parks, which receive some 287 million visitors annually. The President's
budget plan also targets improving federal management of wildfires, for
which the government has been criticized in recent years. Bush's
preference for state control is evidenced in several agency plans,
particularly in the Environmental Protection Agency and the Interior
Department where EPA would give the states much more latitude to enforce
federal standards, and Interior would direct 50 percent of the Land and
Water Conservation Fund to the states. This program uses oil and gas
revenues from off-shore drilling to purchase federal and state lands.
On April 9, 2001, President Bush's detailed budget plans were presented by
the federal agencies. Below are selected agency summaries:
U.S. Geological Survey
This agency is slated for a $70 million decrease with geology down by 5
percent; biology down by 7 percent, mapping down by 5 percent, and water
down by 21 percent. The National Biological Information Infrastructure
Program would be discontinued and the start-up data collection for the
National Water Quality Assessment Program would be suspended.
www.doi.gov/budget/2002/02hilites/toc.html.
U.S. Department of Agriculture
The Agriculture Department calls for a budget of $17.9 billion, compared to
$19.3 billion in fiscal year 2001. The National Forest System ($1.3
billion) and forest and rangeland research ($235 million) are slated for
essentially level funding. Within the National Forest System, inventory
and monitoring would decrease by 3 million while most other programs, such
as wildlife and fisheries management (up $3 million to $132 million) would
increase. The agency's National Research Initiative Competitive Grants
Program would stay at $106 million in fiscal year 2002.
www.usda.gov/agency/obpa/Home-Page/obpa.html.
Environmental Protection Agency
The proposed budget for this agency is $56 million more than last year's
request, but $500 million less than the amount Congress appropriated for
fiscal year 2001, largely for earmarked projects benefiting members' states
and districts. The budget includes $25 million for a new state grant
program to help states enforce environmental laws. Clean air programs
would be funded at $565 million, $25 million less than the current fiscal
year. Grants for water infrastructure include $850 million for the clean
water state revolving fund (less than the $1.3 billion appropriated for
fiscal year 2001) and level funding for the drinking water state revolving
fund at $823 million. www.epa.gov/ocfo/budget/budget.htm.
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
NOAA's budget, proposed at $3.1 billion for fiscal year 2002, would be 50
percent higher than five years ago and would include $284 million for
coastal conservation programs and increased funding for the coastal zone
management program and national marine sanctuaries. The National Ocean
Service would receive $364 million; the National Marine Fisheries Service
$598 million; and the Ocean and Atmospheric Research program is slated for
$330 million. www.doc.gov/bmi/budget/.
National Science Foundation
The NSF would receive only a 1.3 percent increase to its fiscal year 2002
budget, putting "on pause" efforts to double the agency's budget over five
years. Highlighted in the $4.5 billion request are a math and science
education partnership, interdisciplinary math research, and greater
financial support for graduate students. Four priority areas would receive
increased funding: biocomplexity in the environment ($16.9 million);
nanoscale science and engineering, information technology research, and
learning for the 21st century. Biological Sciences would decrease by $2.3
million to $483 million for fiscal year 2002. Environmental Biology would
increase by 1.7 percent to $111.7 million. www.nsf.gov/home/budget/start.ht
.
**********************
Sources: Associated Press, Environment and Energy Daily, Environmental News
Network , Lyco's Environmental News Service, New York Times, Reuters News
Service, US Forest Service press release, Thomas the Library of Congress
website (http://thomas.loc.gov/) and Washington Post.
Send questions or comments to esahq@esa.org
If you received this SEPU from a friend and would like to receive it
directly, please email the command "sub esanews {your first name and last
name}" to listserv@umdd.umd.edu
Visit our Homepage, including the SEPU Archive at: http://esa.sdsc.edu/
Subject: ECOLOG-L Digest - 19 Apr 2001 to 20 Apr 2001
There are 17 messages totalling 1150 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. Naturally high levels of arsenic
2. field safety tips
3. Question on ecology text by Molles
4. Bushwhacking Science ... (long) (2)
5. DSU Scholarships available
6. Bushwhacking Science ..the economy
7. Bushwacking Science...(long)
8. Job listing to post to listserv
9. Message Formatting Please (2)
10. Bushwhacking? No just oil business
11. Shannon obituary
12. Environmental Job Openings from EnviroNetwork
13. Landscape Ecology Contents 16/1
14. Golf Course Water Consumption?
15. gw: the big thaw
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2001 21:13:01 -0400
From: "E. Ann Poole" <eann@JUNO.COM>
Subject: Re: Naturally high levels of arsenic
What Steve didn't mention is that 90% of Bedford, NH's, population
depends onsite wells and septic systems where there is no public water or
sewer. Drinking water standards (i.e., arsenic) apply only to _municipal
and public_ water supplies.
Ann
E. Ann Poole, Ecologist & Environmental Planner
Concord, NH
SBE / DBE, CAGE 1QFD5
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
- Helping Communities Meet the Challenges of Growth -
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
On Thu, 19 Apr 2001 11:46:54 -0600 Vicki Watson <txtrky@SELWAY.UMT.EDU>
writes:
>In reply to Steve Clough's concern about the cost of treating water
>that is
>naturally high in arsenic--
And......
David M. Bryant said
"Wouldn't it be worth an extra $50 to
make sure our drinking water is safe?"
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 09:36:20 -0400
From: Alison Gillespie <Alison@ESA.ORG>
Subject: Re: field safety tips
Thanks, Karry, for gathering this info. =20
One other tip for working in urban areas... actually, this is a good tip =
for working anywhere I suppose. =20
A Maryland state patrol officer and neighbor once advised me to learn =
where all of the nearest police buildings and/or precinct offices were =
located. This information can come in handy if someone starts to follow =
you in their car... rather than driving home or back to your lab or =
office, you should drive to the precinct office.
Most of the time, my neighbor says, the person following you will go away =
once you reach the precinct parking lot.
Also, it is helpful to introduce yourself to the local police if you =
intend to make repeated visits to a particular area. They often appreciate=
the head's up and can give you crime reports or warn you about people or =
places to avoid. Sometimes you can repay the favor by reporting activities=
that you witness or trouble spots that you identify during your work.
Good luck.
Alison
___________________
Alison Gillespie
Public Affairs Officer
Ecological Society of America
1707 H Street NW
Suite 400
Washington, DC 20006
202-833-8773 ext 211
alison@esa.org
fax: 202-833-8775=20
http://esa.sdsc.edu
>>> <kerry.manire@DC.GOV> 04/18/01 10:19AM >>>
Thank you all for your responses to my request for safety protocols for
field work. I received many many requests to see what everyone sent me,
so here are the tips I received. Apologies for taking so long to send it
out.
Equipment to bring along:
Cell phones preprogrammed with 911 (and a lock button so no accidental
calls go in to 911). We are looking into cell phones here with
walkie-talkie abilities so we can be in contact at all times with home
base. One person who worked along the California coast used coast guard
radios because they were powerful and effective.
loud noise makers (whistles, fog horns personal alarms, etc.) Develop a
code system to communicate with others.(ex. two blasts for help)
Mace or pepper spray
Uniforms
First Aid kits
Habits/Training:
CPR/First Aid training
self-defense training
Leave field work plan with supervisor (destination, return time, etc.)
Work in groups
Also, on a health note, because we are working in urban streams
contaminated with raw sewage my doctor recommended hepatitis A and B
vaccinations and keeping up to date on tetanus boosters. Know if your
field crew has any allergies.
Overall, the best defense is to leave threatening situations. If anyone
makes you at all uncomfortable, and you do not feel safe as a result,
leave immediately, get to a safe place
and call 911.
wishing you all the best this field season,
--
Kerry Manire
Environmental Specialist
DC Department of Health
Environmental Health Administration
Watershed Protection Division
51 N St., NE, 5th Floor
Washington, DC 20002
(202) 535-2961
Fax 535-1364
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 10:07:57 -0400
From: Laurie Anderson <lja3@PSU.EDU>
Subject: Question on ecology text by Molles
Dear Colleagues,
I am considering textbooks for an introductory, general ecology class. I
am particularly interested in "Ecology: Concepts and Applications" by
Molles. If you have used the book in one of your classes, I would be very
interested in hearing your impressions of it, particularly feedback you
have gotten from your students.
I will summarize and post responses. Thanks very much for your time.
Sincerely,
Laurie Anderson
Laurie Anderson (Laurel J. Anderson)
Department of Horticulture
Pennsylvania State University
103 Tyson Building
University Park, PA 16802-4200 USA
Phone: 814-865-0697
Fax: 814-863-6139
lja3@psu.edu
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 08:19:18 -0700
From: Mark Kubiske <kubic3@GO.COM>
Subject: Re: Bushwhacking Science ... (long)
Dear Vicki,
You asked for comments regarding factual errors. I believe I found several=
I'm no expert on arsenic or the federal budget, but from the documents t=
hat I've seen, they do not support a number of your claims. Please see my =
specific comments to your article below. If I'm misreading the budget docu=
ments, I'd be happy to be set straight on it.
--=20
My views are not intended to represent my employer.
Mark E. Kubiske
Assistant Professor
Forestry Department
Box 9681
Mississippi State University
Mississippi State, MS 39762
Phone: 662-325-3550
Fax: 662-325-8726
on 4/18/01 10:46 PM, Vicki Watson at txtrky@SELWAY.UMT.EDU wrote:
> The following letter was sent to our local papers & read over our local
> radio station. But before sending it off to my Congressional reps, I wa
t=
ed
> to get feed back from fellow scientists as to whether you feel there ar
> any factual errors. The sources used are at the end of the note.
>=20
> Bushwhacking Science & the Environment 4-16-2001
> by
> Dr. Vicki Watson, Univ. Montana Environmental Studies (for identificati
n=
=20
> only)
> (comments to txtrky@selway.umt.edu)
>=20
> During his campaign, George W. Bush often said:
> "Efforts to improve our environment must be based on sound science, no
> social fads."
>=20
> But it's not clear what 'sound science' sounds like to Bush.
>=20
> When the country's most respected body of scientists, the National Acad
m=
y
> of Science, weighed 60 years of evidence and recommended tightening th
> old drinking water standard for arsenic because it could cause 1 in 100
> people exposed to get cancer, Bush couldn't hear that sound science. Wh
n
> the world's climatologists organized the Interagency Panel on Climate
> Change, and after evaluating the evidence, stated there is sufficient
> evidence to conclude human-caused global warming is occurring, Bush
> couldn't hear that.
As for the arsenic situation, there is at least one factual error and the r=
est is misleading. The 1999 NAS annual report suggested that current EPA s=
tandards could lead to 1 in 1000 males developing bladder cancer, not 1 in =
100 <http://www.nationalacademies.org/annualreport/hlth99.htm>. I've
ot p=
oured over the NAS report at the center of this issue <http://books.nap.e
u=
/books/0309063337/html/index.html>, but in the Executive Summary it state
=
that the study, "...focused on populations exposed to arsenic concentration=
s in drinking water of at least several hundred micrograms per liter. Few d=
ata address the degree of cancer risk at lower concentrations of ingested a=
rsenic." The current EPA standard is 50 ug/L. In fact, the 1999 annual re=
port indicates that there are no studies that have addressed this issue in =
the US. The recommendations laid out in the Executive Summary call for stu=
dies investigating the dose-response relationships of various forms of arse=
nic in drinking water with different forms of cancer, particularly at low c=
oncentrations that would be relevant to lowering the EPA standard. The Sum=
mary also called for certain guidelines around studies investigating benefi=
cial effects of low doses.
As for the greenhouse gasses, I was disappointed in Bush's stance on regula=
ting greenhouse gas emissions. However, I think his position is prudent gi=
ven the present state of the economy, which is mostly a response to high en=
ergy prices. Now is a terrible time to impose more regulations on energy p=
roducers. In my opinion, the unprecedented prosperity we enjoyed during th=
e last eight years presented an ideal opportunity for a supposedly "green" =
administration to really make progress. Unfortunately, we still have the s=
ame old concerns regarding fossil fuels, lack of alternative energy sources=
, dependence upon OPEC, air pollution, etc.
> But despite Bush's deafness, apparently, the sounds made by scientists
r=
e
> starting to get on the nerves of some folks in the Bush administration
> because they decided to silence that sound by cutting funding for scien
e
> that addresses the environment. The Bush budget whacks many environment
l
> science and information programs. Research programs in every environmen
a=
l
> and natural resource agency are taking big hits, some crippling. Any
> apparent increases are simply transfers of funds from related programs
n=
d
> always represent an overall loss to science & environmental protection.
If any increases are not really increases because they are simply transfers=
from other programs, then the cuts in THOSE programs are not really cuts f=
or the same reason. Frankly, I do not believe your assertion that the tran=
sfers "always represent an overall loss ..." This is a very key part of yo=
ur argument because its intended to discount any budget lines that would ru=
n counter to your main point. The statement is a very difficult one to fac=
tually refute, but its equally difficult to factually support. We're expec=
ted to simply take this key part of your argument on blind faith and I am n=
ot willing to do that. What is your source of information for this claim?
> EPA & Agriculture (including the Forest Service & the Natural Resource
> Conservation Service) will have less science on which to base their
> environmental decisions. So will Interior's BLM and Fish & Wildlife
> Service. Surprisingly, Bush is also cutting noncontroversial science
> agencies considered to provide objective information--agencies like
> National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, the Smithsonian, the
> National Science Foundation and the US Geological Survey. The cuts to t
e
This is not true. Budget Function 250 (General Science, Space and Technolo=
gy) funds NASA, NSF, and parts of DOE. According to the budget resolution =
passed by the House (<http://www.budget.house.gov/thebudget.htm#n198>=
0
overall, closer to Bush's request than the Senate version), increases this =
Budget Function by a total of 5.7%. NSF will receive an increase of $56 mi=
llion. Not a large increase in a budget of $4.6 billion, but certainly not=
a cut as you state. It also matches the FY 2002 NSF budget request <htt
:=
//www.nsf.gov/home/news.html#story1>.
Budget Function 300, Natural Resources and Environment, which funds the For=
est Service, will receive a 7.3% decrease from 2001, but will still be fund=
ed at nearly 5% more than in 2000. More than half of the 7.3% decrease is =
accounted for by one-time funding of natural disaster relief. =20
Under Budget Function 500, Education, Training, Employment, and Social Serv=
ices, the Smithsonian Institution will receive an increase of $40 million (=
9%) over 2001.
> USGS are particularly telling. This most respected of natural resource
> science programs is slated to lose almost 1/10 of its budget. And the c
t=
s
> are concentrated in their water and wildlife programs (1/5 of these bud
e=
ts
> would be cut). All across the nation people rely on the USGS to predict
> flood, drought, earthquake & other hazards. Decision makers rely on the
r
> stream flow and water quality records, their studies of toxic substance
,
> their natural resource mapping. But under the Bush budget, many will ha
e
> to look elsewhere for sound science.
According the USGS press release (from the USGS source you provided), "The =
President has proposed a budget of $813 million for the Interior Department=
=92s U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in Fiscal Year 2002. This budget request=
provides the same level of funding as 2000. The 2002 budget is approximate=
ly $70 million below 2001. The 2002 budget focuses resources on core USGS p=
rograms, such as mapping and hazards, and those that directly support bette=
r land and natural resource management by the Department of the Interior (D=
OI). "=20
Note that the 2002 budget decreases by 8.6%, not 10%. 8.6% is NOT almost 1=
/10. Notice also that the budget FOCUSES RESOURCES on mapping and hazards =
programs, which is exactly opposite from what you state in your article. F=
inally, the USGS press release indicates that, "...said USGS Director Charl=
es Groat. 'The President=92s budget enables USGS to continue its critical m=
ission in monitoring for these and other hazards. At the same time, we are =
working with the other DOI bureaus to better identify and provide the scien=
ce needed for informed land and resource management decisions.' "
> The dollars cut from these agencies are infinitesimal drops in the fede
a=
l
> budget. They are not to save money -- they are to silence the pesky
> scientists who keep making it hard for big corporations to say that the
e
> is insufficient evidence that we are depleting our resources, poisoning
> ourselves and driving many species to extinction. And that there are
> alternatives to doing this.
This is entirely speculation. You asked for factual errors -- other than t=
he first sentence, there is nothing factual in this paragraph.
> In addition to cutting environmental science, the Bush budget cuts prog
a=
ms
> to protect the environment and public health and to conserve natural
> resources. These programs are being cut 7% (11% after inflation).=20
What Programs???
>So that's
> less funding for clean water programs, for renewable energy and
> conservation, for habitat protection and restoration. Citizens and
> scientists agree that we need these programs. But not President Bush.
Again, this is not true. A small section from the 2002 House Budget Resolu=
tion document under Budget Function 300 (URL cited above) indicates that:
"Included in the resolution=92s assumptions are the following recommendatio=
ns
by the President:
* Fully funding the Land and Water Conservation [LWC] Fund
at $900 million starting in 2002, an increase of $356 million
over 2001. This funding, ... is used by Federal and State governments for l=
ocal conservation projects, natural resource protection, and outdoor recrea=
tion. This is the highest LWC budget request in history.
* An additional $20 million for the National Parks to accelerate
biological resource inventories, control non-native species, and
preserve endangered and threatened species habitat on park
lands.
* More than $1 billion in EPA grants for States and tribes to administer
environmental programs, the highest level in the
EPA=92s history.
* A total of $3.7 billion in funding for the EPA=92s Operating Program,
which comprises the agency=92s core regulatory, research,
and enforcement activities. This is the second highest level of
funding for the program ever, and higher than 2001 if
unrequested projects are excluded.
* A level of wastewater grants to States $500 million higher
than requested by the previous administration for 2001. The
President has recommended directing a portion of these funds
to newly authorized sewer overflow control grants."=20
>=20
> So what does sound science sound like to Bush? (sound of jingling ch
n=
ge)
>=20
> Sources:
> http://www.cnie.org/Updates/96.htm
> http://www.usgs.gov/budget/2002/
> http://www.nrdc.org/legislation/abushbud.asp
___________________________________________________
GO.com Mail =20
Get Your Free, Private E-mail at http://mail.go.com
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 11:34:39 -0500
From: MICHAEL W PALMER <carex@OSUUNX.UCC.OKSTATE.EDU>
Subject: Re: Bushwhacking Science ... (long)
On Fri, 20 Apr 2001, Mark Kubiske wrote:
>
> As for the greenhouse gasses, I was disappointed in Bush's stance on re
ula=
> ting greenhouse gas emissions. However, I think his position is pruden
gi=
> ven the present state of the economy, which is mostly a response to hig
en=
> ergy prices. Now is a terrible time to impose more regulations on ener
y p=
> roducers.
I'm no economist, but this seems backwards to me. A time with a fossil
fuel crunch seems the best possible time to encourage alternative energy
sources, strong conservation measures, and restrictions on fossil fuel
consumption. It is finally getting cost-effective to produce electricity
by alternative sources - the solution is to give clean(er) energy a boost,
and ween us off of our fossil fuel addiction.
________________________________________
Michael W. Palmer
Department of Botany 104 LSE
Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, OK 74078 USA
carex@osuunx.ucc.okstate.edu
Office phone: 405-744-7717 FAX: 405-744-7074
ordination web page: www.okstate.edu/artsci/botany/ordinate
________________________________________
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 13:27:05 -0400
From: mreiter@DSC.EDU
Subject: DSU Scholarships available
One undergraduate (B.S. in Environmental Science or Wildlife
Management) and one graduate (M.S. in Natural Resources) scholarship
available for students interested in wetlands research at Trap Pond State
Park, DE (a Bald Cypress wetland). Scholarships are renewable with evidence
of progress toward degree. For information contact Dr. Michael A. Reiter,
Dept. of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Delaware State University, 1200
N. DuPont Hwy, Dover, DE 19901-2277 (mreiter@dsc.edu; voice (302)
857-6412; fax: (302) 857-6455). Review of applications ongoing;
scholarships available until awarded.
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 12:51:14 -0500
From: "Henshel, Diane S." <dhenshel@INDIANA.EDU>
Subject: Re: Bushwhacking Science ..the economy
It seems to me that the best way to both promote energy savings and
contribute to our energy resources economically is to mandate that every
single energy/electric utility allows its customers to implement net
metering. I would imagine a good proportion of the country who lives in
their own home would take advantage of the opportunity to contribute their
portion to the grid, at a phenomenal cost savings to the nation as a whole.
It could even stop the brownouts this summer in California, if they
implemented such a policy quickly enough and allowed people to take a
partial tax credit for their energy collectors (windmill, hydro, solar
panels, whatever is appropriate for your home). Certainly the products are
on the market already.
Diane Henshel
-----Original Message-----
From: MICHAEL W PALMER [SMTP:carex@OSUUNX.UCC.OKSTATE.EDU]
Sent: Friday, April 20, 2001 11:35 AM
To: ECOLOG-L@UMDD.UMD.EDU
Subject: Re: Bushwhacking Science ... (long)
On Fri, 20 Apr 2001, Mark Kubiske wrote:
>
> As for the greenhouse gasses, I was disappointed in Bush's stance
on regula=
> ting greenhouse gas emissions. However, I think his position is
prudent gi=
> ven the present state of the economy, which is mostly a response
to high en=
> ergy prices. Now is a terrible time to impose more regulations on
energy p=
> roducers.
I'm no economist, but this seems backwards to me. A time with a
fossil
fuel crunch seems the best possible time to encourage alternative
energy
sources, strong conservation measures, and restrictions on fossil
fuel
consumption. It is finally getting cost-effective to produce
electricity
by alternative sources - the solution is to give clean(er) energy a
boost,
and ween us off of our fossil fuel addiction.
________________________________________
Michael W. Palmer
Department of Botany 104 LSE
Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, OK 74078 USA
carex@osuunx.ucc.okstate.edu
Office phone: 405-744-7717 FAX: 405-744-7074
ordination web page: www.okstate.edu/artsci/botany/ordinate
________________________________________
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 13:19:57 -0500
From: Laurie E Kellogg <lkellogg@ND.EDU>
Subject: Bushwacking Science...(long)
This is rather long. This is a general response to Mark Kubiske's analysis
f
the energy issue and the Bush proposed budget (In the April 13 issue of
Science, there is a break-down of research funding).
Kubiske writes:
>As for the greenhouse gasses, I was disappointed in Bush's stance on
regulating >greenhouse gas emissions. However, I think his position is pr
dent
given the >present state of the economy, which is mostly a response to hi
h
energy prices. >Now is a terrible time to impose more regulations on ener
y
producers. In my >opinion, the unprecedented prosperity we enjoyed during
the
last eight years >presented an ideal opportunity for a supposedly "green"
administration to >really make progress. Unfortunately, we still have the
same
old concerns >regarding fossil fuels, lack of alternative energy sources,
dependence upon >OPEC, air pollution, etc."
I disagree with these points for numerous reasons. 1) There are alternative
energy sources right now. The federal government could follow Californiaand
others by offering tax incentives and rebates to better equip a home or
business with the latest in alternative sources. 2) Conservation of energy
needs to be a priority and an increase in price will motivate folks towards
this. We need to realize that energy costs have been subsidized in this
country for so long, we forget what energy really costs in terms of
environmental damage, citizen and cultural exploitation, actual shipping and
extraction costs, etc. Very little of this is factored into the true costs
because of government subsidies here and abroad. 3) Blaming the past
presidency does nothing to help the problem. This is a major problem in mos
political arenas. I was unhappy with Clinton on many of his decisions on th
energy question, but now that he is gone, I am focused on what Bush is doing
and, unfortunately, he doesn't seem to be doing much. Drilling in ANWR is t
e
worst solution, not only because of environmental problems, but this is oil
that will not even come on-line for another 10-15 years. Why not use the
alternatives now such as hybrid cells, solar, geo-thermal, wind, and waste
incineration. Why is no one speaking of waste incineration which could make
a
large impact in both the waste stream and energy consumption. These can be
built and brought on-line within three years.
Kubiske writes:
>This is not true. Budget Function 250 (General Science, Space and Techno
ogy)
>funds NASA, NSF, and parts of DOE. According to the budget resolution pa
sed
by >the House (<http://www.budget.house.gov/thebudget.htm#n198> ove
all,
closer to >Bush's request than the Senate version), increases this Budget
Function by a >total of 5.7%. NSF will receive an increase of $56 million
Not
a large >increase in a budget of $4.6 billion, but certainly nota cut as
ou
state. It >also matches the FY 2002 NSF budget request
><http://www.nsf.gov/home/news.html#story1>.
>Budget Function 300, Natural Resources and Environment, which funds the
Forest >Service, will receive a 7.3% decrease from 2001, but will still b
funded at >nearly 5% more than in 2000. More than half of the 7.3% decrea
e is
accounted >for by one-time funding of natural disaster relief.
>Under Budget Function 500, Education, Training, Employment, and Social
>Services, the Smithsonian Institution will receive an increase of $40 mi
lion
>(9%) over 2001.
Again, I disagree with most of what he stated, not because it is incorrect,
but it doesn't detail where the spending is going. Yes, the "science" behin
decisions will be crippled because:
Research in:
NSF -0.5%
DOE 0.0
NASA
Earth -13.9
Life -7.0
NIST -22.8
NOAA -4.3
EPA R&D -6.8
USGS -7.8
USDA 0.0
There are parts in each of these agencies that get increases but most of the
research offices are going to be cut. To ignore or disptue the fact that Bu
h
is cutting research merely means that attention is not being paid to the
details.
Respectfully,
Laurie Kellogg
Laurie Kellogg, Ph.D Candidate
Ecosystem Ecology
Department of Biological Sciences
University of Notre Dame
P. O. Box 369
Notre Dame, IN 46556-0369
Phone: (219)631-9644
Fax: (219)631-7413
Email: "kellogg.6@nd.edu"
"Who the h*** wants to hear actors talk?" -- H.M. Warner, Warner Brothers, 1
27
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 11:31:33 -0700
From: Bette Nicotri <nicotri@U.WASHINGTON.EDU>
Subject: Job listing to post to listserv
We'd like to post the following job listing to the ECOLOG-L
listserv. Thanks for your help!
LECTURER. Biology Program, University of Washington. New, non-tenure
track appointment to coordinate/develop field, laboratory, & computer
modules for a variety of ecology/evolution upper and lower division courses
in several depts. Full-time, 9 mo., starting Sept. 16, 2001; renewable for
subsequent academic years. At least a Masters in ecology, evolution or
related field required; Ph.D. preferred; 2 years experience teaching
college-level biology. For more information, see <www.
biology.washington.edu/assocpos.html>. Applications including a curricul
m
vita, statement of interest, and three letters of recommendation should be
sent to Dr. Bette Nicotri, Biology Program, Box 355320, University of
Washington 98195 by May 20, 2001. The University of Washington is building
a culturally diverse faculty and strongly encourages applications from
female and minority candidates. The University is an Equal
Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer.
Bette Nicotri, Ph.D.
Associate Director
Biology Program
Box 355320 Phone:206-543-9621
University of Washington Fax:206-685-1728
Seattle, WA 98195
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 14:23:27 -0400
From: Dan Davis <DAVIS@LBERGER.COM>
Subject: Message Formatting Please
Hello all,
I have noticed that folks posting to the list seem to be a little =
"geo-centrist", "confre-centrist", or "institutio-centrist" in their =
posts. As much as I would like to say that I am familiar with every =
acronym, geographic area, and institution mentioned on the list, I am not. =
If I could just ask that folks include the full name of their conference, =
congressional act, organization, school, term, etc. I think that it would =
benefit us all. We have a diverse group of folks out there who may not =
have the same familiarity with a subject than the poster does. So please, =
lets try to include as many folks as possible in the conversation by =
spelling things out. I don't know how many times I have had to look at a =
mailing address or footer information to find out information that has =
been assumed in the body of the message, particularly in job postings. =
For those, putting the organization, position name and geographic location =
(town/state) would be very useful.
This is not meant as a dig at anyone in particular, but as a general =
thought on how we can get our message out in the best way.
Thanks to everyone who participates whether actively or by just sitting =
in. The list has proven to be a valuable resource for me, and I know for =
others as well. Keep up the good work!
Thanks and take care,
Dan Davis
Fisheries Biologist
The Louis Berger Group
Needham MA (Boston)
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 14:17:44 -0500
From: istu36746 <dthomson@SELU.EDU>
Subject: Bushwhacking? No just oil business
I have read some good arguments about Bush and the environment but nothing
stands out as much as his disregard of the international community and the
Kyoto Protocol. Many have argued that we cannot jeopardize the economy for
environmental regulations. Since the jury is out on the truth of global
warming I would think it prudent to err on the side of life on earth, or at
least protecting half of the human population and untold investment that lin
s
the world's shorelines.
But that is not even necessary. None of this is necessary. For example: I
read a response by a Duke Energy official (a California Energy producer) to
the proposed relaxation of environmental regulations for increased energy
production in the Fresno Bee (newspaper). He stated that it was completely
unnecessary because all of the regional energy producers are able to meet
local guidelines (I think stricter than Fed guides) and run at peak
efficiency! (please re-read that last sentence) If the guidelines were
tightened (i.e. Kyoto) I think they would still make money (maybe less than
the disgusting amount they are making right now but still...).
Now there are many more examples and arguments but if the power producers
don't need the environmental guides relaxed, even to make more money than wh
are we discussing it?
David Thomson
Restoration Ecologist
(In California)
>===== Original Message From Vicki Watson <txtrky@SELWAY.UMT.EDU> =
===
The following letter was sent to our local papers & read over our local
radio station. But before sending it off to my Congressional reps, I wanted
to get feed back from fellow scientists as to whether you feel there are
any factual errors. The sources used are at the end of the note.
Bushwhacking Science & the Environment 4-16-2001
by
Dr. Vicki Watson, Univ. Montana Environmental Studies (for identification
only)
(comments to txtrky@selway.umt.edu)
During his campaign, George W. Bush often said:
"Efforts to improve our environment must be based on sound science, not
social fads."
But it's not clear what 'sound science' sounds like to Bush.
When the country's most respected body of scientists, the National Academy
of Science, weighed 60 years of evidence and recommended tightening the
old drinking water standard for arsenic because it could cause 1 in 100
people exposed to get cancer, Bush couldn't hear that sound science. When
the world's climatologists organized the Interagency Panel on Climate
Change, and after evaluating the evidence, stated there is sufficient
evidence to conclude human-caused global warming is occurring, Bush
couldn't hear that.
But despite Bush's deafness, apparently, the sounds made by scientists are
starting to get on the nerves of some folks in the Bush administration
because they decided to silence that sound by cutting funding for science
that addresses the environment. The Bush budget whacks many environmental
science and information programs. Research programs in every environmental
and natural resource agency are taking big hits, some crippling. Any
apparent increases are simply transfers of funds from related programs and
always represent an overall loss to science & environmental protection.
EPA & Agriculture (including the Forest Service & the Natural Resource
Conservation Service) will have less science on which to base their
environmental decisions. So will Interior's BLM and Fish & Wildlife
Service. Surprisingly, Bush is also cutting noncontroversial science
agencies considered to provide objective information--agencies like
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, the Smithsonian, the
National Science Foundation and the US Geological Survey. The cuts to the
USGS are particularly telling. This most respected of natural resource
science programs is slated to lose almost 1/10 of its budget. And the cuts
are concentrated in their water and wildlife programs (1/5 of these budgets
would be cut). All across the nation people rely on the USGS to predict
flood, drought, earthquake & other hazards. Decision makers rely on their
stream flow and water quality records, their studies of toxic substances,
their natural resource mapping. But under the Bush budget, many will have
to look elsewhere for sound science.
The dollars cut from these agencies are infinitesimal drops in the federal
budget. They are not to save money -- they are to silence the pesky
scientists who keep making it hard for big corporations to say that there
is insufficient evidence that we are depleting our resources, poisoning
ourselves and driving many species to extinction. And that there are
alternatives to doing this.
In addition to cutting environmental science, the Bush budget cuts programs
to protect the environment and public health and to conserve natural
resources. These programs are being cut 7% (11% after inflation). So that's
less funding for clean water programs, for renewable energy and
conservation, for habitat protection and restoration. Citizens and
scientists agree that we need these programs. But not President Bush.
So what does sound science sound like to Bush? (sound of jingling change)
Sources:
http://www.cnie.org/Updates/96.htm
http://www.usgs.gov/budget/2002/
http://www.nrdc.org/legislation/abushbud.asp
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 16:25:54 -0400
From: "David W. Inouye" <di5@umail.umd.edu>
Subject: Shannon obituary
There's a nice obituary in 12 April issue of Nature for Claude Shannon
(1916-2001), whose name most ecologists will recognize because of the
Shannon-Weiner Index. I wasn't aware that he is given credit also for much
of the digital revolution.
Nature 410:768
Dr. David W. Inouye, Director
Graduate Program in Sustainable Development and
Conservation Biology
Room 1201, Biology/Psychology Building
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742-4415
301-405-6946
di5@umail.umd.edu
FAX 301-314-9358
For the CONS home page, go to http://www.umd.edu/CONS
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 16:00:28 -0400
From: EnviroNetwork@NATURALIST.COM
Subject: Environmental Job Openings from EnviroNetwork
Title: Project Manager
Company: Resource Management Group, Inc.
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3569
Title: Executive Assistant - Project Assistant
Company: Resource Management Group, Inc.
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3572
Title: Environmental Scientist
Company: Resource Management Group, Inc.
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3574
Title: Energy Efficiency Specialist
Company: The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3575
Title: Executive Director
Company: Partners in Population and Development
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3576
Title: Co-ordinator: Community Development (2)
Company: Earth Care Consultants (P) Ltd.
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3577
Title: PostDoc, Risk Assessment
Company: Food and Drug Administration, Center for Veterinary Medicine
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3578
Title: Program Communications Officer, US Ecoregions
Company: World Wildlife Fund
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3579
Title: Internships, Young Canadian Leaders for a Sustaina
Company: International Institute for Sustainable Development
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3580
Title: Sustainable Transportation Program Associate
Company: ICLEI
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3581
Title: Full-Time Community Forestry Specialist
Company: New England Forestry Foundation
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3583
Title: Executive Director
Company: Pacific Crest Trail Association
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3584
Title: Research Assistant, Chesapeake Bay Program
Company: International City/County Management Association
For more information click below:
http://www.naturalist.com/eco-jobs/index.cfm?temp=job&job=3585
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 15:04:15 -0500
From: "Mladenoff, David J." <djmladen@FACSTAFF.WISC.EDU>
Subject: Landscape Ecology Contents 16/1
Landscape Ecology
Table of Contents
Volume 16, Issue 1, January 2001
=B7 =B7 Note from the Editor-in-Chief
David J. Mladenoff
pp. 1-1
=B7 =B7 Changes to the landscape pattern of coastal North Carolina
wetlands=
=20
under the Clean Water Act, 1984=961992
Nina M. Kelly
pp. 3-16
=B7 =B7 Respective roles of recent hedges and forest patch remnants in
the=
=20
maintenance of ground-beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) diversity in an=20
agricultural landscape
Elisabeth Fournier, Michel Loreau
pp. 17-32
=B7 =B7 The ecology of urban landscapes: modeling housing starts as a=
0
density-dependent colonization process
William F. Fagan, Eli Meir, Steven S. Carroll, Jianguo Wu
pp. 33-39
=B7 =B7 Analysis of land-cover transitions based on 17th and 18th
century=20
cadastral maps and aerial photographs
Sara A.O. Cousins
pp. 41-54
=B7 =B7 A landscape-level assessment of understory diversity in upland
forests=20
of North-Central Wisconsin, USA
Beth A. Sweeney, James E. Cook
pp. 55-69
=B7 =B7 A comparison of satellite data and landscape variables in
predicting=
=20
bird species occurrences in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, USA
Erika Hasler Saveraid, Diane M. Debinski, Kelly Kindscher, Mark E.=
Jakubauskas
pp. 71-83
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------
David J.=20
Mladenoff Editor-in-Chief, Landscape=
Ecology
Associate=20
Professor www.wkap.nl/journals/landscape
Forest Landscape Ecology Lab http://landscape.forest.wisc.edu
djmladen@facstaff.wisc.edu
Department of Forest Ecology & Mgmt., University of Wisconsin-Madison
1630 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706 USA
http://forest.wisc.edu/=20
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 17:42:48 -0400
From: Kristie Liptak Gianopulos <kgiano@CHUMA.CAS.USF.EDU>
Subject: Re: Message Formatting Please
As one looking for a job right now, and restricted to my
local area, I strongly second the note on placing the
geographical location of the open job position announced in the
message, preferrably in the subject line of the message.
Thank you!
Kristie Gianopulos
Dept. of Biology, SCA110
University of South Florida
4202 E. Fowler Ave
Tampa, FL 33620
(813)974-3250
***************************
> Hello all,
>
> I have noticed that folks posting to the list seem to be a little =
> "geo-centrist", "confre-centrist", or "institutio-centrist" in their =
> posts. As much as I would like to say that I am familiar with every =
> acronym, geographic area, and institution mentioned on the list, I am n
t. =
> If I could just ask that folks include the full name of their conferen
e, =
> congressional act, organization, school, term, etc. I think that it wou
d =
> benefit us all. We have a diverse group of folks out there who may not
=
> have the same familiarity with a subject than the poster does. So plea
e, =
> lets try to include as many folks as possible in the conversation by =
> spelling things out. I don't know how many times I have had to look at
a =
> mailing address or footer information to find out information that has
> been assumed in the body of the message, particularly in job postings.
=
> For those, putting the organization, position name and geographic locat
on =
> (town/state) would be very useful.
>
> This is not meant as a dig at anyone in particular, but as a general =
> thought on how we can get our message out in the best way.
>
> Thanks to everyone who participates whether actively or by just sitting
=
> in. The list has proven to be a valuable resource for me, and I know f
r =
> others as well. Keep up the good work!
>
> Thanks and take care,
>
> Dan Davis
> Fisheries Biologist
> The Louis Berger Group
> Needham MA (Boston)
>
***************************
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 16:23:11 -0700
From: Adolf Ceska <aceska@VICTORIA.TC.CA>
Subject: Re: Golf Course Water Consumption?
I asked my colleague, George Douglas for the numbers and here is his
answer. - Adolf Ceska, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2001 21:08:45 -0700
From: George & Sylvia Douglas islandnet <dougeco@islandnet.com>
Water consumption at lower Fraser Valley and Vancouver Island golf courses
ranges from 18,000,000 to 25,000,000 U. S. gallons/ year. This figure is
probably fairly accurate for golf courses west of the Cascade Mountains
south to Oregon. George Douglas
Original question:
>
>Does anyone know of any reliable data on irrigation water consumption
>for golf courses in western Washington or Oregon, USA, or British
>Columbia, Canada?
>Thanks,
>-Steve Erickson
>Frosty Hollow Ecological Restoration
>Box 53, Langley, WA 98260
>(360) 579-2332
>wean@whidbey.net
>
>
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 21:22:04 -0400
From: Karen Claxon <kclaxon@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: gw: the big thaw
Naval Science and Technology News
THE BIG THAW
April 2001
There is momentous news inside the Arctic Circle. It's getting warmer.
and in the world of polar science (where everyone knows that ice affects
the Earth's temperature) the experts are getting restless. As more and
more ice melts, there is less of it around to reflect the Sun's rays
back into space. The more sunlight that gets in, the warmer we get. And
the warmer we get, the greater the frequency of major storms, and the
greater the impact on the way the ocean circulates. (Ironically, global
warming could lead to a shutdown of the Gulf Stream Extension that warms
Europe.)
And that's just the issue of global warming. As the ice thaws and ice
edge shifts and moves around, there are also politics, geographical
boundaries, and business commerce to start wondering about. Over the
past century, the extent of the winter pack ice in the Nordic Seas
(consisting of the Greenland, Norwegian, Barents and Kara seas) has
decreased by about 25%. The overall pattern of ice loss has led to
projections that both the ("Canadian") Northwest Passage and the
("Russian") Northern Sea Route may soon be open to commercial shipping
for at least part of the year. Changes in the Canadian Arctic have led
recently to opening of some far northern ports to commercial shipping,
such as Churchill on the Hudson Bay. Spring meltback of the pack ice in
the western Arctic Ocean is proceeding earlier and over a greater extent
than in the past.
But, ice conditions during this most recent winter season were even more
exceptional than that. The extent of the pack ice in the Nordic seas
near mid-winter was at a near-record minimum. At the same time, the
Bering Sea was effectively ice-free, which is unprecedented. Further,
Bering Sea water temperatures were several degrees higher than normal
for mid-winter.
"If this current Arctic thaw rate continues, there will be drastic
changes in the Arctic Ocean. One published paper predicts a complete
melting of the permanent ice pack by 2050," says Dr. Dennis Conlon,
Program Manager for Arctic Science at the Office of Naval Research. "The
implications for commerce would be staggering."
For more information on this story, or to interview Dr. Conlon if you
are working media, contact Gail Cleere with ONR Corporate Communications
at 703-696-4987, or email: Gail_Cleere@onr.navy.mil
------------------------------
Subject: ECOLOG-L Digest - 20 Apr 2001 to 22 Apr 2001
There are 2 messages totalling 200 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. Bushwhacking Science--Watson response to Kubiske
2. Shannon obituary
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 21 Apr 2001 18:05:04 -0600
From: Vicki Watson <txtrky@SELWAY.UMT.EDU>
Subject: Bushwhacking Science--Watson response to Kubiske
Mark K-- Sorry to be slow getting back to you. UM's internet server went
down for a day or so.Below I try to respond to your comments (sorry it gets
confusing but I tried to indicate which was my original statement, which
was your comment and which was my response to your comment). First let me
say that my letter to the editor had to stay within the word limits of our
local paper--so I had to boil down a lot of information and concentrate on
the big picture.
I responded to your comments on arsenic earlier, but for more on Arsenic see
:
>Hung-Yi Chiou et al.: "Incidence of Transitional Cell Carcinoma & Arsen
c
>In Drinking Water: a follow-up study of 8,102 residents in an
>arseniasis-endemic area in N.E. Taiwan', Amer J Epidemiology:153:5:411-1
>(1 March '01) (see also the very supportive invited (expert) commentary
>and response
>following, p's 419-23) This study was judged to have overcome the proble
s
>in the earlier SW Taiwan study.
> See also (P. Kurio et al 'Arsenic concentrations
>in well water & risk of blader and kidney cancer in Finland', Env Health
>Perpectives 107:705-10 (9/'99). and
> A.H. Smith et al. 'Cancer Risks from Arsenic in Drinking Water' Env
>Health Perspectives:97:259-67 ('92
About your comment:
>If any funding increases in environmental programs are not really
>increases because they are simply transfers from other programs, then th
>cuts in THOSE programs are not really cuts for the same reason.
If you cut one clean water program by $20 million and increase another by
$5 million, you've cut clean water programs by $15 million overall. Even if
your PR people only tell the press about the $5 million increase. Of
course, Bush is not the first to practice such spin doctoring (nor will he
be the last).
I saw some of the same budget summaries that you mentioned. The federal
budget is a big complicated critter and lots of ways of summarizing it and
evaluating what it does. If you see two summaries that seem in
contradiction, you either have to read & summarize the budget yourself
(hard to do while carrying on your own job & life responsibilities), or you
have to decide which source you consider more trustworthy. I chose to trust
the sources that I cited at the end of my letter. You have chosen to trust
a different source that provided a different summary.
>About your comment:
>Note that the 2002 USGS budget decreases by 8.6%, not 10%. 8.6% is NOT
>almost 1/10.
The source I read said the cut was over 9% which I do consider to be almost
1/10.
About your comment:
>Notice also that the budget FOCUSES RESOURCES on mapping and hazards
>programs, which is exactly opposite from what you state in your article.
Once again, I mentioned USGS's mapping & hazards program only to help
identify the USGS for the average citizen (many of whom don't know what the
USGS is). I then said specifically that the cuts were focused in their
water & wildlife programs which is true. I had no intention of misleading
anyone, but only to stay within my word limit. I've asked others if they
thot the passage implied cuts in the mapping & hazards program, and no one
else read that into it.
>About my statement:
> > The dollars cut from these agencies are infinitesimal drops in the
federal
> > budget. They are not to save money -- they are to silence the pesk
> > scientists who keep making it hard for big corporations to say tha
there
> > is insufficient evidence that we are depleting our resources, pois
ning
> > ourselves and driving many species to extinction. And that there a
e
> > alternatives to doing this.
>You pointed out:
>This is entirely speculation. You asked for factual errors -- other tha
>the first sentence, there is nothing factual in this paragraph.
Right, the letter was an op ed piece, and I feel these statements are
clearly opinion statements.
About my statement
> > In addition to cutting environmental science, the Bush budget cuts
programs
> > to protect the environment and public health and to conserve natur
l
> > resources. These programs are being cut 7% (11% after inflation).
>You asked:
>What Programs??
Once again, I cant identify them all in a short letter to the editor. I
referred interested readers to 3 web sites for more detailed info (the
NRDC web site provided most of this analysis).
>about my statement:
> > So that's less funding for clean water programs, for renewable ene
gy and
> > conservation, for habitat protection and restoration. Citizens a
d
> > scientists agree that we need these programs. But not President Bu
h.
>You stated:
>Again, this is not true.
and you referred to another web site with budget summaries.
Once again, the sources you quote appear to disagree with the sources I
quote. Most likely they summarize the budget differently (one focusing on
the areas of cuts while the other focuses on the areas of increases). The
sources I quoted contend that given the way they summarize the budget
(lumping together programs with similar goals), the overall effect of the
combination of cutting and increasing generally resulted in a net reduction
for support of many environmental efforts. While it's probably impossible
to summarize something as complex as the federal budget without making some
mistakes, I'm confident the sources I quoted genuinely tried to provide an
honest assessment of the overall effect of budget changes. And I tend to
trust these sources more than those trying to make the new administration
look good. My bias.
By the way, I just sent the president a note thanking him for signing the
Persistent Organic Pollutant treaty (always thank them when they do
something you agree with) and hoping that he'd reconsider certain cuts to
specific environmental & science programs. I argued that many of the energy
conservation & renewable energy programs would save Americans money & make
our industries more competitive, and many of the other programs would save
them money in the long run.
Thanks again for your comments. Vicki
> >
> > Sources:
> > http://www.cnie.org/Updates/96.htm
> > http://www.usgs.gov/budget/2002/
> > http://www.nrdc.org/legislation/abushbud.asp
>
>
>___________________________________________________
>GO.com Mail
>Get Your Free, Private E-mail at http://mail.go.com
>
-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dr. Vicki Watson, Professor txtrky@selway.umt.edu
Environmental Studies, 101 Botany
Univ. of Montana, Missoula, MT, 59812
406-243-5153 fax 406-243-6090 http://www.umt.edu/evst
Clark Fork River Symposium: http://ibscore.dbs.umt.edu/clarkfork
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<@))))>< ~~
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 21 Apr 2001 18:04:07 EDT
From: WirtAtmar@AOL.COM
Subject: Re: Shannon obituary
David Inouye writes:
> There's a nice obituary in 12 April issue of Nature for Claude Shannon
> (1916-2001), whose name most ecologists will recognize because of the
> Shannon-Weiner Index. I wasn't aware that he is given credit also for
uch
> of the digital revolution.
>
> Nature 410:768
Because I am also a practicing design engineer as well as someone who dabble
in evolutionary ecology, I am of course well aware of Shannon's contribution
to electrical and computer engineering. If you wish, the following is one of
the postings I put on a Hewlett-Packard computer users/designers mailing lis
a month ago regarding the death of Claude Shannon. The obituary I quote is
from the NY Times:
http://raven.utc.edu/cgi-bin/WA.EXE?A2=ind0102D&L=hp3000-l&D=0&P=35332
Shannon's master's thesis dealt with sampling theory and channel
communications bandwidth -- and more than a little bit of that work rides
with every image and sound file that you download off of the internet. But t
greatly top that work, Shannon more or less singlehandedly invented
information theory during the earliest part of his tenure at Bell Labs. The
profundity of that work simply can't be exaggerated.
In that, I've always disagreed with Pielou when she says that the
"information theoretic" measure of species diversity has no real relevance t
ecology. Rather, I have believed for some time that it is relatively easy to
demonstrate that apparent species diversities of communities are reasonably
intimately tied to the heterogeneities of their respective landscapes, and
therefore to the landscapes' intrinsic "information" metrics.
For more information on Shannon, see:
http://www.bell-labs.com/news/2001/february/26/1.html
Shannon later did work in artificial intelligence, machine learning and
cryptography. He was an extraordinary person who simply thought extraordinar
thoughts and made them simple.
Wirt Atmar
AICS Research, Inc.
Las Cruces, NM USA
atmar@fieldmuseum.org
atmar@aics-research.com
wirtatmar@aol.com
------------------------------
End of ECOLOG-L Digest - 20 Apr 2001 to 22 Apr 2001
***************************************************
ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ
Thanks to discussion with TVR, I have decided to put a link to back files of the discussion group. This months back files.
The link to complete archives is available elsewhere.
This text was originally an e-mail. It was converted using a program
RUPANTAR- a simple e-mail-to-html converter.
(c)Kolatkar Milind. kmilind@ces.iisc.ernet.in