Subject: ECOLOG-L Digest - 18 Jun 2003 to 19 Jun 2003 (#2003-156)
There are 5 messages totalling 287 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. Report by the E.P.A. Leaves Out Data on Climate Change (NYT 6/19/03)
2. June and July GPS Certified User Workshops
3. Post-doc position at University of South Florida, plant-animal
interactions
4. Postdoctoral Position Available
5. 'sampling' zooplankton with digital camera
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Date: Thu, 19 Jun 2003 08:42:40 -0700
From: Jonathan Greenberg <greenberg@UCDAVIS.EDU>
Subject: Report by the E.P.A. Leaves Out Data on Climate Change (NYT 6/19/03
>From today's New York Times...
Report by the E.P.A. Leaves Out Data on Climate Change
By ANDREW C. REVKIN with KATHARINE Q. SEELYE
The Environmental Protection Agency is preparing to publish a draft report
next week on the state of the environment, but after editing by the White
House, a long section describing risks from rising global temperatures has
been whittled to a few noncommittal paragraphs.
The report, commissioned in 2001 by the agency's administrator, Christie
Whitman, was intended to provide the first comprehensive review of what is
known about various environmental problems, where gaps in understanding
exist and how to fill them.
Agency officials said it was tentatively scheduled to be released early next
week, before Mrs. Whitman steps down on June 27, ending a troubled time in
office that often put her at odds with President Bush.
Drafts of the climate section, with changes sought by the White House, were
given to The New York Times yesterday by a former E.P.A. official, along
with earlier drafts and an internal memorandum in which some officials
protested the changes. Two agency officials, speaking on the condition of
anonymity, said the documents were authentic.
The editing eliminated references to many studies concluding that warming is
at least partly caused by rising concentrations of smokestack and tail-pipe
emissions and could threaten health and ecosystems.
Among the deletions were conclusions about the likely human contribution to
warming from a 2001 report on climate by the National Research Council that
the White House had commissioned and that President Bush had endorsed in
speeches that year. White House officials also deleted a reference to a 1999
study showing that global temperatures had risen sharply in the previous
decade compared with the last 1,000 years. In its place, administration
officials added a reference to a new study, partly financed by the American
Petroleum Institute, questioning that conclusion.
In the end, E.P.A. staff members, after discussions with administration
officials, said they decided to delete the entire discussion to avoid
criticism that they were selectively filtering science to suit policy.
Administration officials defended the report and said there was nothing
untoward about the process that produced it. Mrs. Whitman said that she was
"perfectly comfortable" with the edited version and that the differences
over climate change should not hold up the broader assessment of the
nation's air, land and water.
"The first draft, as with many first drafts, contained everything," she said
in a brief telephone interview from the CBS studios in Manhattan, where she
was waiting to tape "The Late Show With David Letterman."
"As it went through the review, there was less consensus on the science and
conclusions on climate change," Ms. Whitman said. "So rather than go out
with something half-baked or not put out the whole report, we felt it was
important for us to get this out because there is a lot of really good
information that people can use to measure our successes."
James L. Connaughton, chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality, a
White House advisory group, said, "It would be utterly inaccurate to suggest
that this administration has not provided quite an extensive discussion
about the state of the climate. Ultimately, E.P.A. made the decision not to
include the section on climate change because we had these ample discussions
of the subject already."
But private environmental groups sharply criticized the changes when they
heard of them.
"Political staff are becoming increasingly bold in forcing agency officials
to endorse junk science," said Jeremy Symons, a climate policy expert at the
National Wildlife Federation. "This is like the White House directing the
secretary of labor to alter unemployment data to paint a rosy economic
picture."
Drafts of the report have been circulating for months, but a heavy round of
rewriting and cutting by White House officials in late April raised protest
among E.P.A. officials working on the report.
An April 29 memorandum circulated among staff members said that after the
changes by White House officials, the section on climate "no longer
accurately represents scientific consensus on climate change."
Another memorandum circulated at the same time said that the easiest course
would be to accept the White House revisions but that to do so would taint
the agency, because "E.P.A. will take responsibility and severe criticism
from the science and environmental communities for poorly representing the
science."
The changes were mainly made by the Council on Environmental Quality,
although the Office of Management and Budget was also involved, several
E.P.A. officials said. It is the second time in a year that the White House
has sought to play down global warming in official documents.
Last September, an annual E.P.A. report on air pollution that for six years
had contained a section on climate was released without one, and the
decision to delete it was made by Bush administration appointees at the
agency with White House approval.
Like the September report, the forthcoming report says the issues will be
dealt with later by a climate research plan being prepared by the Bush
administration.
Other sections of the coming E.P.A. report ^Ë on water quality, ecological
conditions, ozone depletion in the atmosphere and other issues ^Ë all start
with a summary statement about the potential impact of changes on human
health and the environment, which are the two responsibilities of the
agency.
But in the "Global Issues" section of the draft returned by the White House
to E.P.A. in April, an introductory sentence reading, "Climate change has
global consequences for human health and the environment" was cut and
replaced with a paragraph that starts: "The complexity of the Earth system
and the interconnections among its components make it a scientific challenge
to document change, diagnose its causes, and develop useful projections of
how natural variability and human actions may affect the global environment
in the future."
Some E.P.A. staff members defended the document, saying that although pared
down it would still help policy makers and the agency address the climate
issue.
"This is a positive step by the agency," said an author of the report, who
did not want to be named, adding that it would help someone determine "if a
facility or pollutant is going to hurt my family or make it bad for the
birds, bees and fish out there."
--
Jonathan Greenberg
Graduate Group in Ecology, U.C. Davis
http://www.cstars.ucdavis.edu/~jongreen
http://www.cstars.ucdavis.edu
AIM: jgrn307 or jgrn3007
MSN: jgrn307@msn.com or jgrn3007@msn.com
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 19 Jun 2003 15:33:35 -0500
From: "Cary D. Chevalier" <cchev@MWSC.EDU>
Subject: June and July GPS Certified User Workshops
Folks!
We are offering two Introduction to GPS for Mapping and Navigation
Certified User workshops. One at end of June, and the other beginning of
July They are as follows:
25 - 27 June 2003 (Jun 25 & 26, noon - 8p; Jun 27: 8a - 5p). 5 SPOTS LEFT
HERE.
9 - 11 July 2003 (Jul 9 & 10, noon - 8p; Jul 11: 8a - 5p).
We will train on Trimble Geoexplorer 3 or CE-XT units, depending upon
availability and participant demand.
For details of workshop content, visit our webpage at:
http://www.mwsc.edu/conteduc/gps.html
Please pass the word.
I hope to see you at one of these workshops!
Cary
I APPOLOGIZE IF YOU RECEIVE MULTIPLE POSTINGS OF THIS MESSAGE. IT IS
LIKELY DUE TO YOU BEING MEMBER OF MULTIPLE LISTSERVS OF SIMILAR INTEREST
BASES. PLEASE FORGIVE ME, AND SIMPLY DELETE. AGAIN SORRY FOR ANY
INCONVENIENCE CAUSED BY MULTIPLE POSTINGS.
Cary D. Chevalier, Ph.D.
Department of Biology
Missouri Western State College
4525 Downs Dr.
St. Joseph, MO 64507
Ph: 816.271.4252
Fax: 816.271.4252
Email: cchev@mwsc.edu
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 19 Jun 2003 16:47:06 -0600
From: David Inouye <inouye@UMD.EDU>
Subject: Post-doc position at University of South Florida,
plant-animal interactions
Postdoctoral position in plant-animal interactions for recently funded NSF
grant. Start date flexible, September/October preferred but
November/December OK. Funding available for 3 years. Work involves research
on population ecology of Florida salt marshes, especially plant-insect-enemy
interactions but experience in other habitats or other fields of ecology is
acceptable. Applications should include cover letter, CV, at least two
letters of reference, representative reprints and a brief (1-2 page)
statement of future directions to Peter Stiling, Department of Biology SCA
110,University of South Florida, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, Tampa, FL 33620 or
to pstiling@chuma1.cas.usf.edu or call to discuss (813) 974-3754. I will be
at ESA in Savannah in August.
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Date: Thu, 19 Jun 2003 20:12:55 -0400
From: Matt Olson <ffmso@UAF.EDU>
Subject: Postdoctoral Position Available
POSTDOCTORAL POSITION IN PLANT ECOLOGICAL GENETICS AT
THE UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA AT FAIRBANKS
An NSF-funded postdoctoral position is available to study the
fitness consequences of genes controlling sex expression in Silene
vulgaris, a gynodioecious plant with cytoplasmic male sterility. The goal
of the project will be to perform a rigorous experimental test for the cost
of restoration on 3 CMS/restorer systems that have been identified through
marker and crossing studies. The research will provide a deeper
understanding of the maintenance and resolution of the genetic conflict
between cytoplasmic and nuclear genes in gynodioecious plants and provide a
framework with which to interpret issues such as the interactions between
cytoplasmic diseases and autosomal resistance genes and the evolution of
complex genetic sex determination and transmission systems. Further
information on this study system can be found in:
Olson, M.S. and D.E. McCauley. 2002. Mitochondrial DNA diversity,
population structure, and gender association in the gynodioecious plant
Silene vulgaris. Evolution, 56: 253-262.
The position will involve greenhouse crossing studies, field experiments,
and molecular marker screening in the laboratory. Opportunities will be
available to participate in and develop additional crossing, molecular,
and/or theoretical projects related to the overall goals of this study. The
successful applicant will interact with an active group of faculty,
postdocs, and graduate students at the Institute of Arctic Biology
http://mercury.bio.uaf.edu/iab/index.html.
The position can begin as early as August 15, 2003 and will remain open
until filled. Candidates should have a strong background in population
genetics and an earned Ph.D. Candidates with molecular experience are
encouraged to apply. To obtain further information or apply sending a
statement of research interests and experience, CV, and the names and
contact information for 3 references to Matt Olson by email
(matt.olson@uaf.edu) or post (Dr. Matthew Olson, Institute of Arctic
Biology and Department of Biology and Wildlife, University of Alaska
Fairbanks, P.O. Box 757000, Fairbanks, AK 99775-7000).
The University of Alaska is an equal opportunity/affirmative action
employer.
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Date: Thu, 19 Jun 2003 14:43:34 -0700
From: Erin Scheessele <erin@SOMEWHEREINCYBERSPACE.COM>
Subject: 'sampling' zooplankton with digital camera
Hello All,
Does anyone on this list have experience "sampling" zooplankton =
abundance and size using digital cameras? I'm working with populations =
of Daphnia in small mesocosms (270mm deep, 570mm diameter) and would =
like to estimate abundance and rough size distribution without having to =
remove water and animals. It seems I should be able to take snap shots =
and count, but I will need to work out issues such as depth of field and =
such.
Looking for experienced advice,
Erin Scheessele
Zoology Dept
Oregon State University
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End of ECOLOG-L Digest - 18 Jun 2003 to 19 Jun 2003 (#2003-156)
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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