• Higher Ground Zero Pollutant Levels Documented
  
• Congressional Investigators Censure Firefighting Funds Transfers
  
• House Parks Budget Falls Short of White House Request
  
• Recreational Fishers Oppose White Marlin Listing
  
• Biologists Urge Protection of Rare Mojave Desert Plant Habitat
  
• Critical Habitat Designated for Endangered Mustard Herb
  
• Roadless Rule Advocates Gear Up for National Trails Day
  
• Michigan State University Grows a Green Roof
  

Higher Ground Zero Pollutant Levels Documented

Six weeks after the 2001 World Trade Center attacks, film found on windows within one kilometer of Ground Zero revealed high levels of PCBs, flame retardants and other organic pollutants.

Concentrations of the chemicals were as much as 10 times greater than New York City's normal background levels and possibly 100 times higher than surrounding rural areas.

"We were very concerned just after 9/11, as were most people in North America," said Miriam Diamond, a professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Toronto and lead author of the paper. "We were sitting around the lab shortly after the attack and said, 'Why don't we go down and use our simple method to see what the contaminant levels are like?'"

Diamond's method involved "washing a bunch of windows" in lower Manhattan and then analyzing the resulting samples for four potentially toxic organic pollutants: polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs).

The research team used a site in Brooklyn a baseline for the New York City area because of its location 3.5 kilometers upwind of the towers - they sampled window films from nine buildings in lower Manhattan.

"All the samples within one kilometer of the World Trade Center were high," Diamond said. "For the PAHs, PCNs and PCBs, they were about a factor of 10 relative to Brooklyn."

Diamond's earlier research in Toronto showed a similar factor of 10 difference between window films in urban and rural locations, so the concentrations near Ground Zero could have been as much as 100 times greater than surrounding rural areas.

The study casts doubt on earlier scientific reports that suggested the potential risk of exposure from inhaling toxic organic compounds was lower than expected.

Those studies may have detected lower levels because their samples were diluted by the large amounts of building material emitted in the initial explosion, according to Diamond.

"By the time we got there six weeks later, we were picking up the signal of the slow burn, not the catastrophic expulsion of debris," she said.

Diamond said she was surprised that concentrations dropped to background levels beyond one kilometer from Ground Zero.

"To me that is good news - I thought it would be further," Diamond says. "The flip side is that it is bad news that New York City and other urban areas have such high background concentrations of these compounds."

New York City, with a population of about eight million, had twice the background levels of PBDEs typically found in Toronto, a city of about 4.5 million people.

Beyond population differences, the higher concentrations in New York could be due to the incredible density of the "technosphere," the large mass of manmade material, Diamond said.

"This should be seen in the context of a continuum," Diamond said. "The urban areas contain the largest mass of these chemicals. They're storehouses, in effect, and we're fools to think that they're permanent storehouses."

The report is scheduled to appear in the July 1 print edition of "Environmental Science & Technology" a peer-reviewed journal of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society.

Congressional Investigators Censure Firefighting Funds Transfers

Both agencies should factor in recent changes in the costs and uncertainties of fighting wildfires, according to the GAO, and Congress should also consider alternative funding approaches such as establishing a government wide or agency specific reserve account.

The report by the investigative arm of the U.S. Congress documents how funding transfers are wrecking havoc on the efforts to combat and prevent wildfires. During the past five years, the Forest Service and the Interior Department have transferred more than $2.7 billion from other agency programs to help fund wildfire suppression.

"Transferring funds for wildfire suppression resulted in cancelled and delayed projects, strained relationships with state and local agency partners, and difficulties in managing programs," the GAO said.

The report finds the Interior Department primarily used funds from construction and land acquisition accounts.

Prior to 2001 when the Bush administration took office, the Forest Service transferred funds from a single reforestation program, a timber sale area restoration trust fund. Since then, the agency has used funds from many different programs.

On average, Congress has reimbursed some 80 percent of the amounts transferred, according to the GAO.

The report says the methodology used by the agencies is flawed because "it does not adequately account for recent increases in costs to suppress wildfires.

"Without this information, the Congress may have insufficient information to make prudent funding decisions."

In addition, the report finds the agencies have insufficient information to estimate annual suppression costs and lack insight into how the transfers are affecting their programs.

In 2003 some 3.5 million acres were burned and the Forest Service and BLM spent more than $1 billion to fight these fires. In the previous year, some seven million acres went up in flames and the federal government spent more than $1.6 billion to fight fires across 15 states.

The Bush administration's fiscal year 2005 firefighting request earmarks a total of $908 million for the Forest Service and the Interior Department to fight fires - some $118 million more than it budgeted in 2004.

House Parks Budget Falls Short of White House Request

Recreational Fishers Oppose White Marlin Listing

The organization's motion to intervene is now in the hands of U.S. District Court Judge Richard Roberts.

In January the Center for Biological Diversity and the Turtle Island Restoration Network filed suit challenging the decision by the NMFS not to list the white marlin as an endangered species.

The groups allege the federal agency's conclusion that listing was "not warranted" ignored ample evidence that the species is in trouble and in need of protection.

They note the primary threat to the white marlin is commercial fishing, which accounts for some 99 percent of the reported mortality for the species, and say some scientists estimate white marlin has plummeted to six percent of their pre-exploitation levels.

More than 90 percent of this mortality is as bycatch in longline fisheries seeking swordfish and tuna.

Federal biologists and conservationists say current harvest levels are unsustainable, but the Bush administration is reluctant to impose stricter regulations on longline fisheries.

The Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) and the American Sportfishing Association oppose listing the species under the Endangered Species Act because it would give the federal government to authority to ban recreational fishing for white marlin.

Such restrictions would be "economically and socially disastrous for many RFA members," said Raymond Bogan, counsel to the association.

Sport fishing accounts for less than one percent of the mortality to the white marlin.

"We have filed this motion on behalf of all the RFA members who fish for white marlin … build the boats used to fish for white marlin, manufacture the products used by these boat builders, operate big game fishing tournaments, run charter boat businesses, sell the bait and tackle used by white marlin anglers, operate the marinas used by white marlin anglers, and others," said Herbert Moore, Jr., RFA co-counsel.

A listing under the Endangered Species Act is "unnecessary," he said, and "is not the answer to bringing back the white marlin stock."

Biologists Urge Protection of Rare Mojave Desert Plant Habitat

The two species - the Holmgren milkvetch and the Shivwits milkvetch - were both listed as endangered by the Fish and Wildlife Service in September 2001.

Both species occur only in Utah's Washington County near the sprawling town of St. George. Habitat destruction is the primary threat to both species.

The Holmgren milkvetch is known from only three populations, the Shivwits milkvetch is known from only five sites.

"These species are truly in peril," said Dr. Renee Van Buren, a botanist with Utah Valley State College who specializes in endangered species. "Critical habitat designation will add significant strength to the mitigation of future impacts."

The Endangered Species Act requires the federal government, under most circumstances, to designate critical habitat when it lists a species and then develop a recovery plan.

But federal agencies have more often than not failed to carry out this mandate.

Of the more than 1,300 species listed under the Endangered Species Act, about one-third have designated critical habitat and only 25 percent have recovery plans.

The Bush administration contends critical habitat designations fail to protect species and sees the process as time consuming and expensive.

But conservationists believe critical habitat is vital to species protection - such designations force government agencies to ensure government actions do not adversely affect a listed species' critical habitat.

And they note the Holmgren milkvetch and the Shivwits milkvetch each included a critical habitat proposal when listed.

"Critical habitat works. It is the most important action to give wildlife a safe harbor for recovery," said Daniel Patterson, the Center's Desert Ecologist. "As wildlife habitat in the Mojave Desert is lost, so is the human quality of life."

The letter of intent to sue for protection of these plants was sent to the Fish and Wildlife Service by the Center for Biological Diversity, Utah Native Plant Society and Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.

Critical Habitat Designated for Endangered Mustard Herb

A perennial herb of the mustard family, Braun's rock-cress was listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act in January 1995.

The decision amends the federal agency's proposal last year to designate 1,008 acres of critical habitat for the endangered plant.

That initial proposal was revised to include newly discovered areas in Tennessee that had not been analyzed at first.

Of the 22 areas designated as critical habitat for this species, 14 are in Franklin County and three are in Owen County, Kentucky.

In Tennessee, the Fish and Wildlife Service is designating four critical habitat areas in Rutherford County and one in Wilson County. Each of the designated areas supports an existing population of Braun's rock-cress.

Private lands designated as critical habitat are only affected if the landowner plans to engage in an action that requires a federal permit such as a stormwater construction or wetlands dredge and fill permit.

Habitat loss is the primary threat to the species, which typically grows on wooded steep slopes with limestone outcrops. The plant flowers from late March to May, showing petals that range in color from white to lavender.

The critical habitat designation is in response to a lawsuit filed by the Southern Appalachian Biodiversity Project.

In its announcement of the critical habitat designation, the Fish and Wildlife Service took a swipe at supporters of the critical habitat provision of the Endangered Species Act.

The federal agency said "the designation of critical habitat provides little additional protection to most listed species, while preventing the Service from using scarce conservation resources for activities with greater conservation benefits."

Conservationists disagree and have increasingly relied on the courts to force the Fish and Wildlife Service to designate critical habitat for endangered and threatened species.

Roadless Rule Advocates Gear Up for National Trails Day

Environmentalists hope the day can generate greater opposition to the Bush administration's plan to relax protections of roadless areas within the national forests.

The Roadless Rule, finalized in the last days of the Clinton administration, bans road building for commercial activities within 58.5 million acres - or one third - of the national forests.

Supporters say it provides vital protection for some of the nation's last remaining wild places and wildlife, but the Bush administration sees the rule as too broad and restrictive.

In addition to lifting the rule from the Tongass National Forest - the largest U.S. national forest - the administration has proposed amending the regulation to allow individual exemptions for states.

To underscore concern about what the changes would mean, the Heritage Forests Campaign has released maps and figures showing that many of the nation's premier hiking trails run through these threatened stretches of national forests.

According to the Heritage Forests Campaign, trails that would be threatened under regulatory changes under consideration by the Bush administration include are the Appalachian Trail, the Lewis and Clark Trail, the Pony Express Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, the California Trail and many others.

"These maps make clear that some of the best trails in the nation would be endangered under changes the Bush Administration is preparing to the Roadless Rule," said Robert Vandermark, co-director of the Heritage Forests Campaign. "We would not sell Yellowstone National Park or the Grand Canyon on eBay, and the Bush administration should not let the timber industry destroy our last remaining wild forests."

Many outdoor recreation gear companies - including Nike and Adidas - have already weighed in with strong support for the Roadless Rule.

Their support helps their bottom lines. In 2001, sales of outdoor gear, clothing, footwear, and other accessories for 2001 amounted to more than $18 billion.

According to the American Hiking Society, hiking is one of America's fastest growing recreational activities - nearly one of every three Americans went hiking in 2002.

"A hike in our national forests is a simple, yet majestic, and uniquely American pleasure," said Tiernan Sittenfeld, conservation advocate for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group. "Special interest politics and campaign donations from the logging industry should not deny future generations the opportunity we have today to enjoy these forests."

The maps and figures compiled by the Heritage Forests Campaign can be found here.

Michigan State University Grows a Green Roof

The university hauled up 200 pound rolls of sedum and laid them on specially developed materials that will grow into a living flowering carpet.

The green roof requires less maintenance than shingles or asphalt sealant, nor does it need to be mowed or weeded.

The green portion of the roof is about 3,500 square feet, with the rest of the roof left covered with conventional materials for research purposes.

Workers have installed a two inch layered base that drains water, holds roots in check and provides a growing medium that nourishes the sedum without conventional soil.

University officials say the system does not wash away or create dust and is comparatively lightweight.

Brad Rowe, associate professor of horticulture, said the mixed varieties of sedum are "climate warriors," enduring extreme heat and cold, as well as surviving more than 88 days without watering.

The university says the roof is an environmental milestone that offers urban areas an effective and attractive way to reduce airborne pollution and reduce storm water runoff by greater than 60 percent, a major problem in dense urban areas.

It moderates temperatures for both the building that supports the roof and those around it by reducing the urban heat island effect. The roof reduces noise within the building and increases roof durability and longevity.

"Green roofs look great, but if this were just purely aesthetic, it would not fly," said Clayton Rugh, assistant professor of crop and soil sciences. "These additional benefits will recoup their cost and pay for themselves."

The university is keen to gather more data on green roofing projects.

In 2000, Michigan State University advised Ford Motor Co. on installing a 10.6 acre green roof - the world's largest - on a new Ford assembly plant in Dearborn, Michigan.

Officials say the new roof planting at Michigan State - on the southern two story section of the building over the horticulture preparation area and Sparty Floral shop - will be an effective on-campus lab, visible from the main building.

Green roofs are a concept embraced for years in Germany, where some 12 percent of flat roofs are green.

Xeroflor America LLC, the company that donated a portion of the supplies for the Michigan State University project, is a Lansing based green roof provider founded by the German developer of the Ford system.

Rugh said that because existing American flat roofs must be modified to convert to green, the concept has yet to take off in the United States. While green roofs are initially more expensive than conventional roofs, he said, over time energy savings, storm water runoff reduction and other benefits can make them cost effective.