AmeriScan: February 19, 2001

ECONOMIC CRITIQUE CHALLENGES FLORIDA WETLAND PLAN

WASHINGTON, DC, February 19, 2001 (ENS) - An economic critique released by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and the Florida Wildlife Federation (FWF) refutes the claim that development is better for southwest Florida than protecting the area's natural resources.

The Bell Critique, researched and written by economist Dr. Frederick Bell, challenges a major report submitted to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers by development interests.

"The Corps may be relying on a report that is fundamentally flawed," said Kris Thoemke, manager of NWF's Everglades office. "Protecting South Florida's wetlands has a tangible economic value, which Fishkind did not recognize. In light of these benefits, the Corps must strengthen its wetland protection plans for southwest Florida."

In July 2000, the Corps issued its "Final Environmental Impact Statement" on improving the regulatory process in southwest Florida, which evaluated the Corps' dredge and fill permitting program. Its purpose was to ensure that the Corps was addressing the effects of wetland filling in growing southwest Florida.

Seeking to influence the Corps, a development interest group retained Fishkind and Associates, Inc. to evaluate the Corps' preliminary plans for wetland protection. In their study, Fishkind concluded that southwest Florida would suffer a series of economic impacts if the Corps chose to limit development in Lee and Collier counties as planned.

Citing the Fishkind Report, the Corps modified its plan to allow a greater degree of development, at the expense of wetland protection.

"It is in the community's best interest to protect wetlands," said Nancy Payton, Florida Wildlife Federation's southwest Florida field representative. "The economic future of southwest Florida is linked to clean water and healthy wild places. These are the attributes that continue to draw visitors and residents."

The Bell Critique asserts that development and conservation can coexist. Development, it says, can thrive while wetlands are preserved.

STORING WATER KEY TO STABLE SUPPLIES

OLYMPIA, Washington, February 19, 2001 (ENS) - Storing water is key to providing stable water supplies to people and fish, says Washington state's Water Storage Task Force.

With Washington on the verge of a drought this summer, the state's Water Storage Task Force has delivered to the state Legislature a report on storing water for businesses, communities, farms and fish.

The 2000 Legislature convened the temporary task force of water utility districts, agricultural associations, cities, counties, Indian tribes, legislators, the hydropower industry, environmental organizations and state agencies to evaluate various methods of storing water for times when it is most needed.

"The task force members brought good ideas to the table and did a lot to advance the discussion of water storage and how it should fit into a comprehensive water management strategy," said state Department of Ecology director Tom Fitzsimmons, who chaired the task force.

The group agreed that water storage must serve multiple purposes and that defining and getting money to storage projects is crucial.

"Water management is very controversial, with many divergent opinions about whether it is the only option or one of several options for increasing our water supply," said Fitzsimmons, adding that the task force remained split on that question.

The legislature is now reviewing the task force's recommendations, which include:

• Streamline the permit process for storage projects to reduce time and costs, and evaluate existing laws to eliminate gaps or conflicts.

• Direct state agencies to help local watershed planning efforts review storage options.

• Pursue creative funding methods, including federal monies, funds earmarked for restoring salmon, and state bonds.

• Consider establishing specific funding for designing and constructing storage projects.

WARM WEATHER ADDS URGENCY TO SPILL CLEANUP

SAN FRANCISCO, California, February 19, 2001 (ENS) - Oil spill damage to the East Fork of the Walker River in California's Sierra Nevada range must be cleaned up before warmer weather returns to avoid major downstream effects, warns a conservation group.

On December 30, a tanker truck carrying about 6,300 gallons of fuel oil overturned on Highway 182, killing the driver and dumping about 3,600 gallons of oil into the river. Three separate teams of biologists from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Nevada Division of Wildlife, and California Fish and Game were deployed to assess the degree of damage and to determine clean up strategies.

Clean up personnel recovered less than 30 percent of the oil before suspending the cleanup operation because of cold weather and safety risks. It was felt that the cold conditions were preventing the sludge from moving down river and that cleanup efforts could be delayed until March.

As of earlier this month February, the oil seemed to be concentrated in globs and did not appear to be moving. Damage to fish and wildlife so far appear to have been light.

But after a few days of warm weather, circumstances changed. Oil trapping booms across the river failed and oil began moving downstream, threatening the rainbow trout spawn and the food base of the wild trout fishery.

Last Thursday, California Trout, Inc., a statewide fisheries conservation organization, released a letter to the director of the California Fish and Game Department urging an immediate clean up of the oil spill damage. With an earlier than expected change in weather, the sludge could move down river and cause more harm, the group warns.

Starting March 1, Nevada irrigators can begin calling for water releases out of Bridgeport Reservoir, which is fed by the East Fork of the Walker River.

SAN FRANCISCO BAY OILED WILDLIFE RESCUE CENTER OPENS

CORDELIA, California, February 19, 2001 (ENS) - A new San Francisco Bay regional rescue center for wildlife injured in oil spills will open Tuesday in Cordelia.

The San Francisco Bay Oiled Wildlife Care and Education Center will be opened in a ceremony drawing officials from the University of California-Davis Wildlife Health Center, the state Office of Spill Prevention and Response, International Bird Rescue Research Center and various elected officials.

Some birds, including mallards, common murres, grebes, gulls and brown pelicans, are already being cared for at the site.

Oiled wildlife have their best chance at survival if they are cared for by trained staff in a well designed and equipped veterinary facility. This new $2.7 million facility will offer that quality of care for up to 1,000 birds affected by oil spills in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The new center is part of the state's Oiled Wildlife Care Network, the world's most advanced rescue system for oiled wildlife. The OWCN is managed by the UC Davis Wildlife Health Center and funded by the California Department of Fish and Game Office of Spill Prevention and Response.

The new Cordelia facility includes areas for animal intake, holding, washing, drying, isolation and recovery, as well as for food preparation, radiology and necropsy. The facility will also be used to train veterinarians, staff and volunteers for oil spill rehabilitation; to care for some birds with non-oil related injuries; and for wildlife and conservation education for grade school children and veterinary students.

Two other wildlife care centers, opened in 1997 at Humboldt State University and in Santa Cruz, have already been used to treat thousands of birds oiled in several spills. A third center opened in July 2000 at SeaWorld of San Diego. A Los Angeles regional center will open on March 21, 2001, in San Pedro.

FEDERAL GRANT SUPPORTS HABITAT FOR KARNER BLUE BUTTERFLY

MADISON, Wisconsin, February 19, 2001 (ENS) - Efforts to conserve the Karner blue butterfly in Wisconsin will get a boost from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) through a $1.47 million grant to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

The funds will be used to acquire lands for the conservation and recovery of the endangered butterfly. These efforts will complement similar efforts being conducted by partners to the Wisconsin Statewide Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) for the Karner blue butterfly.

Wisconsin is one of 10 states to receive funding this year through the USFWS HCP Land Acquisition program, which awarded $68 million nationwide to help acquire vital habitat for threatened and endangered species ranging from loggerhead turtles in Florida to imperiled songbirds in Texas.

The program pays up to 75 percent of the cost of land acquisition in association with established HCPs. Non-federal partners will contribute at least 25 percent.

"We are very pleased to support the Wisconsin DNR and their partners in their excellent work to help conserve and recover the Karner blue butterfly," said USFWS regional director William Hartwig. "The monies provided by the Service will be used to acquire significant parcels of land to be managed for the butterfly. That means affected HCP partners can implement habitat restoration on a landscape scale, something vitally important for the successful recovery of this species."

Under the Endangered Species Act, Habitat Conservation Plans allow landowners to take - kill, harm or harass - endangered or threatened species, in exchange for taking conservation measures that will minimize the impact of take on the species. There are more than 300 HCPs in effect nationwide, covering about 20 million acres, and another 200 are under development.

CONNECTICUT ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR OPEN SPACE

HARTFORD, Connecticut, February 19, 2001 (ENS) - Connecticut Governor John Rowland has announced a commitment of an additional $16 million for the acquisition of open space throughout the state.

The allocation is part of the governor's long term plan to preserve open space and manage development.

"My administration remains committed to the 25 year plan to preserve open space approved by the Legislature in 1998. We are well on our way to meeting the goal of preserving 20 percent of the state's acreage by the year 2025," Rowland said.

Approval of these funds is expected at next week's meeting of the state Bond Commission. About $10 million of the money will be used by the state to purchase open space. The other $6 million will aid towns, water authorities and conservancy groups in their efforts to preserve undeveloped parcels.

Earlier this month, Governor Rowland announced agreement on the largest land purchase in state history. The $98 million deal with the Kelda Group still requires legislative approval. When that process is complete more than 15,000 acres of land in four Connecticut counties will be preserved as open space.

The pre-allocation of open space acquisition funds allows the Department of Environmental Protection to move fast when valuable property comes on the market. Prior to 1998, the state was often at a disadvantage because of the lengthy process required to secure funding for land purchases.

ALASKA LEGISLATION SUPPORTS TIMBER, FISHING INDUSTRIES

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, February 19, 2001 (ENS) - Alaska Governor Tony Knowles has introduced legislation to amend the Forest Resources and Practices Act (FRPA) in Alaska's interior region, which protects fish streams and rivers while promoting timber development.

"Alaska is recognized as a world leader in protecting the streamside habitat essential for productive fisheries," Knowles said. "The bill represents a consensus of biologists, foresters, and stakeholders to improve Alaska's Forest Resources and Practices Act."

Knowles said the bill is founded on the best science available, including an extensive review of existing research and recommendations of a science and technical committee including experienced field staff from state resource agencies, the University of Alaska, and private and federal scientists.

Recommendations were reviewed by a group of timber and fishing industry representatives, Native corporations and environmental groups, Knowles said. Together, they crafted language to amend the FRPA, which the Board of Forestry endorsed.

The proposed legislation makes substantive changes for riparian, or streamside, management practices. Under the new standards, all anadromous and resident fish waters are classified and forestry standards are tailored to the fish habitat needs of each stream type.

On most waters, a no harvest buffer will be required. However, along glacial rivers where some of the most valuable timber occurs, the standards allow harvest of up to half the large white spruce in the stream buffer while requiring the immediate streamside timber be left untouched.

This would allow logging interests to profit from some streamside timber while keeping enough large trees to provide adequate habitat for fish, and essential habitat benefits for wildlife, Knowles said.

COMPUTER MODEL RATES CARBON SEQUESTRATION SOIL PRACTICES

WASHINGTON, DC, February 19, 2001 (ENS) - A new computer model developed by the Agricultural Research Service will help farmers choose management practices that store carbon in the soil.

The stored carbon plays a vital role in soil fertility and stability. In addition, carbon that is stored in the soil is kept out of the atmosphere, where it forms the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide.

The new computer model, called CQESTR (pronounced sequester) takes user defined tillage practices and time periods, and computes how much organic matter would be stored in - or lost from - the soil for a given scenario.

ARS soil scientists Marlen Eve (left) and Ron Follett are searching for ways to collect, or sequester, carbon dioxide with vegetation (Photo by Scott Bauer, courtesy ARS)

A unique feature of the model is a part that uses average air temperature, soil water and nitrogen availability to determine the rate at which microbes decompose crop residues and soil organic matter, releasing carbon dioxide.

CQESTR is undergoing final testing and should be available later this year for personal computers. Users will also need access to files from a more sophisticated program called RUSLE, or the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation.

RUSLE is sold commercially, and the files may be available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service. Many users, such as crop advisors, may have access to RUSLE already.

More information about carbon storage and its potential economic implications appears in the February issue of "Agricultural Research" magazine at: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/feb01/bank0201.htm

The Agricultural Research Service is the chief scientific research agency of the USDA.