• Infectious Diseases Exploit Changing Global Landscape
  
• U.S. Secretly Removed Iraqi Nuclear Material
  
• Two Manatee Refuges Lose Federal Designation
  
• Federal Mining Fees Raised
  
• Balancing Riverfront Development and Ecology
  
• Texas Ranch Infested With Weed From Hell
  
• New Jersey Residents Meet on Nuclear Emergency Response Plan
  
• Spacebound Instrument Aimed at Atmospheric Questions
  

Infectious Diseases Exploit Changing Global Landscape

"Many of our current activities, primarily for economic development, have some major adverse health effects," said Jonathan Patz, the lead author of the report, and a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor in the Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment (SAGE) of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies and the Department of Population Health Sciences.

Patz and his coauthors caution that as urbanization increases and people drain wetlands, build more roads and dams, and clear forests, infectious diseases are gaining new toeholds, appearing in new places and new hosts, and posing an increasing risk to human and animal health.

"Evidence is mounting that deforestation and ecosystem changes have implications for the distribution of many other microorganisms, and the health of human, domestic animal and wildlife populations," according to the report compiled by the Working Group on Land Use Change and Disease Emergence, an international group of infectious disease and environmental health experts.

The report appears in the July edition of the journal "Environmental Health."

A detailed understanding of the influence of human activities on the spread of pathogens, according to the report, is limited to only a few diseases.

In the northeastern United States, for example, studies have documented that forest fragmentation, urban sprawl and the erosion of biodiversity have contributed to the spread of Lyme disease, a tick-borne illness.

The report cites the AIDS virus as a more global example. Many scientists believe the disease may have first infected bush meat hunters given access to Africa's tropical forests by the growing network of logging roads in the continent's interior.

The authors cite a long and varied list of activities that contribute to the spread of infectious diseases, ranging from seemingly innocent pursuits like ecotourism and agriculture to war and civil unrest.

Even climate change or climate extremes, the report notes, can trigger a chain of events that manifests itself in the emergence of new diseases.

One example cited in the report is the emergence of the nipah virus in Malaysia and Singapore in 1999. Fires blamed on the El Nino weather pattern are thought to have driven fruit bats from their forest habitat to farms where the virus they carried was transmitted to pigs and humans.

"There is no single smoking gun," says Patz. "The causes are interwoven into current unsustainable development practices."

To reverse the trend, the authors recommend linking land use to public health policy, expanding research on deforestation and infectious disease, the development of policies to reduce "pathogen pollution," and the establishment of centers for research and training in ecology and health research.

"While there are many health crises around the world today, there are ongoing human activities that threaten natural resources key to sustaining the health of future generations," said Patz. "We need to look at the root causes of the spread of infectious disease, and many of these are related to habitat and ecosystem change."

U.S. Secretly Removed Iraqi Nuclear Material

The removal was completed in secret last month.

"This operation was a major achievement for the Bush administration's goal to keep potentially dangerous nuclear materials out of the hands of terrorists," Abraham said. "It also puts this material out of reach for countries that may seek to develop their own nuclear weapons."

The materials could potentially be used in a radiological dispersal device or diverted to support a nuclear weapons program.

Twenty experts from the Energy Department's national laboratory complex packaged the materials from the former Iraq nuclear research facility.

The U.S. military airlifted the material to the United States on June 23 and provided security, coordination, planning, ground transportation, and funding for the mission.

The Energy Department also repackaged less sensitive materials that will remain in Iraq. Radiological sources that continue to serve useful medical, agricultural or industrial purposes were not removed from Iraq, officials said.

The low enriched uranium will be stored temporarily at a secure Energy Department facility and the radiological sources will initially be brought to a department laboratory for further characterization and disposition. The Energy Department did not say where it will be located.

Officials said the International Atomic Energy Agency was advised in advance of the U.S. intentions to remove the nuclear materials and Iraqi officials were briefed about the removal of the materials and radioactive sources prior to evacuation.

Two Manatee Refuges Lose Federal Designation

Federal Mining Fees Raised

It has also raised the one-time location fee for each new mining claim or site from $25 to $30.

Federal law mandates that the fees must be adjusted for inflation.

"This is the first mining fee revision since August 1993 and reflects a 25 percent increase in the Consumer Price Index since that time," said Bob Anderson, deputy assistant director for Minerals, Realty and Resource Protection. "Waivers from the maintenance-fee increase are still available for qualified small miners."

The BLM says the increase should boost fee revenues from $28 million to some $35 million.

There are currently about 290,000 active mining claims on federal land - each claim covers 5 acres. Fee revenues pay for the administration of mining claims and enforcement of environmental regulations that govern mining on public lands managed by the Interior Department.

Environmentalists support the fee increase, but stress that the metal mining industry still remains one of the most subsidized industries in the United States.

The claim fee, along with a $25 fee to initially stake a mining claim, are the only return the public receives for the $1 billion dollars in minerals extracted from public lands each year, according to Stephen D'Esposito, president of Earthworks.

"This is 132 years late and billions short," D'Esposito said. "Just the cleanup of abandoned mine sites along could cost the taxpayer $72 billion."

The fees are for mining claims located on federal lands subject to the 1872 Mining Law, which has long drawn the ire of environmentalists and taxpayer groups.

The law governs all metal mining on public lands - it does not require the metal mining industry to pay any royalties on the approximately $1 billion in minerals it extracts each year.

Other extractive industries, like oil, gas and coal mining, all pay royalties, which range from 8 percent to 25 percent.

The 1872 Mining Law also contains no environmental protection or reclamation provisions and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Balancing Riverfront Development and Ecology

The report "Ecological Riverfront Design" draws lessons from more than 30 riverfront revitalization and restoration efforts across the country, including Chicago, Illinois, and Portland, Oregon.

"It makes good business sense for communities and developers to restore the river while rehabilitating properties along the bank," said Betsy Otto with American Rivers, lead author of the report. "People spend time and money in attractive environments that emphasize natural beauty and wildlife. They avoid places where they smell sewage and see only concrete and pavement."

The report covers a slew of design principles, including: preserving natural features and functions; buffering sensitive natural areas; restoring riparian and in-stream habitats; using nonstructural alternatives to manage water resources; reducing hardscapes; managing stormwater on site and use nonstructural approaches; balancing recreational and public access goals with river protection; and incorporating information about a river's natural resources and cultural history.

"Without pollution control and sewage treatment, riverfront retail and residences would be out of the question," said Katheen McCormick, one of the report authors. "Waterfront redevelopers can do their part by using landscaping techniques to reduce storm-water and trash running into the river from their properties."

The authors note that riverfront revitalization is not a new trend.

Cities have been redeveloping neglected industrial waterfronts into parks, residences, retail, and commercial spaces for more than 30 years - efforts that typically involve cooperative partnerships between local governments and developers, and a mix of tax incentives and direct investment.

Waterfront redevelopments in Chattanooga, Tennessee and Baltimore, Maryland, have become sources of both jobs and hometown pride, according to the report, inspiring other cities to imitate the formula for luring suburban residents and businesses downtown.

The report cites estimates that developers will invest half a billion dollars to revitalize riverfronts during the first half of this decade alone.

"Recycling neglected riverfronts is the cornerstone of many cities' efforts to compete with sprawling suburbs," Otto said. "When river protection and restoration are an integral part of the design, cities get a better overall result."

While urban rivers are still generally cleaner today than they were in the 1970s, cities and developers have reason to be concerned about two worrisome trends: reduced enforcement of federal clean water laws and regulations and decreased investments in sewage infrastructure nationwide.

Because funding for waste treatment is not keeping up with growing populations and aging systems, federal officials warn that sewage levels - and odors - in urban rivers could return to 1970s levels by 2016.

"Riverfront redevelopment partnerships are part of a larger watershed picture," Otto said. "Revitalization efforts will not be successful if we do not safeguard the water quality improvements that drew people back to their rivers in the first place. Communities can help ensure success by reminding their state and federal representatives about their aspirations for an attractive, inviting river."

Texas Ranch Infested With Weed From Hell

It can quickly take over pastures, first displacing the grass, then the cattle, said Dr. Mary Ketchersid, Texas Cooperative Extension pesticide safety specialist.

Ketchersid said she does not want to sound like an alarmist, but the weed has caused economic disaster for agricultural producers in other states.

Native to Argentina and central Brazil, the perennial weed produces small fruit about inch in diameter, dark green with light green stripes.

When mature, tropical soda apple can reach 6 feet in height and have a stem 1 inch in diameter.

Resembling small striped watermelons, the fruit or "apples" contain more than 100 seeds and are readily eaten by cattle and wildlife, including deer, wild hogs, raccoons and birds. The seeds, which are not digested, may be quickly distributed over a wide area.

In the United States, it was first found in Florida and infested areas there increased from a couple of thousand acres to more than a million in six years.

The weed has taken over hundreds of thousands of acres in Florida, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia and Louisiana.

"I think we need to be scared," Ketchersid said. "People need to be watching for it," she said.

The hope is, Ketchersid said, to contain the weed to the original site. But she warns that since it is a perennial, eradicating it is not likely to be easy.

"We have been trying to eradicate mesquite since before the 1960s, and it is still the subject of brush control programs," she said.

Landowners are advised to act promptly and enlist the help of specialists if they suspected they have the weed.

"The landowner told us in a meeting that he had probably brought it in with a load of Louisiana hay in 1998," Ketchersid said. "He has been trying to control it himself for years, and now it is a real mess."

Many treatments are likely to look good at first, killing most of the weed's foliage. But with perennials, if the herbicide isn't carried to the roots, the plant may soon recover by the next growing season.

"The control can look really good right now, but in the next year, if the roots have not died, the plant can come back," Ketchersid said.

By the time the task force learned about the Jasper infestation, it was too late in the season to follow these recommendations, said Dr. Paul Baumann, Extension weed control specialist and another member of the task force.

"We know what works in other states, but we do not know for certain what works here on our soils and environment," he said. "We want to find the most economical solution, one that uses the least amount of herbicide."

New Jersey Residents Meet on Nuclear Emergency Response Plan

The plan was developed by DEP and the New Jersey State Police to coordinate and implement an immediate, comprehensive state, county, and municipal action plan in the event of a nuclear emergency.

The informational sessions and public hearings are being held to increase public awareness and to seek comments regarding the adequacy and effectiveness of the state's response plan.

The first informal session led by DEP staffers was held at the the Salem County Courthouse. It began at 6:00 pm to allow participants to talk directly with individual DEP staff members.

At 7 pm, there was a joint State Police and DEP formal public hearing, a pattern that will be followed during the next two meetings as well.

The second meeting will be held Wednesday, July 14, at the Cumberland County Administration Building, 790 East Commerce Street (Route 49) in Bridgeton.

The third and final meeting will address the emergency response plan for Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station in Ocean County. This meeting will take place on Wednesday, July 21, at the Ocean County Emergency Operations Center, Route 530 and Mule Road in Berkeley Township.

The Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station, located in Lacey Township near the New Jersey shore, began operations in 1969 as the first large-scale commercial nuclear power plant in the United States. Now owned by Exelon, its single boiling water reactor produces 636 net megawatts.

The NRC's latest annual safety assessment of Oyster Creek found that the plant operated safely and met all objectives on which it was tested during 2003.

A number of safety problems have surfaced at the plant this year. In March, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) announced it would increase oversight at Oyster Creek because of an incident in May 2003 when workers failed to notice that a power line was damaged while in contact with water. The ensuing electrical failure knocked out power to about half the plant's safety systems, including security cameras, alarms, sensors, pumps and valves.

It was the third time in eight years and second time in two and a half years that a damaged power line went unnoticed by plant workers, NRC officials said.

Spacebound Instrument Aimed at Atmospheric Questions

The High-Resolution Dynamic Limb Sounder (HIRDLS) is only a cubic yard in size, but it packs a powerful technical punch.

By measuring a slew of atmospheric chemicals at a horizontal and vertical precision unprecedented in a multi-year space instrument, HIRDLS will capture the chemistry and dynamics of three layers of the atmosphere that together span a region five to 50 miles above Earth's surface: the upper troposphere, the tropopause, the stratosphere, and the mesosphere.

Using infrared radiation as its yardstick, the radiometer will look through Earth's atmosphere toward the planet's limb, or edge.

It will find and measure 10 different chemical species, characterize airborne particles known as aerosols, and track thin cirrus clouds, all at a vertical resolution of a third of a mile and a horizontal resolution of 30 miles.

"The angular resolution of the instrument's mirror position is equivalent to seeing a dime eight miles away," said principal investigator John Gille, a scientist with the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and the University of Colorado.

The information scientists hope HIRDLS will gather could help determine concentrations of the primary greenhouse gases and their height in the atmosphere - this in turn could reveal where Earth will warm or cool as the global climate changes.

Scientists at the NCAR, University of Colorado, and University of Oxford developed HIRDLS with funding from NASA and United Kingdom sources.

The U.S. space agency plans to launch the 21-channel radiometer along with three other instruments on Saturday aboard its Aura satellite from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.