AmeriScan: March 5, 2002

OIL DRILLING CONTAMINATES KENAI REFUGE

WASHINGTON, DC, March 5, 2002 (ENS) - Oil drilling in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska has resulted in more than 350 spills, explosions and fires, according to government studies released by the National Audubon Society and Defenders of Wildlife.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) studies also found that oil drilling is linked with high numbers of deformed wood frogs.

The groups' report, "Toxic Tundra," details a contaminants study and a frog study, which was obtained through the Freedom of Information Act. The studies point to the need for further study of damage caused by oil production in Kenai and other National Wildlife Refuges, as well as the importance of keeping industrial development out of the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the groups say.

"In spite of all the industry's promises, oil drilling in Kenai and other national wildlife refuges has left behind a disgraceful legacy of contamination, toxic chemical spills, and lasting damage to wildlife and wildlife habitat," said Robert Dewey, vice president for government relations at Defenders of Wildlife. "With such a sorry record, does anyone honestly believe the oil companies' fatuous claims that they'll do better next time, if we just throw open the doors to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge?"

Established in 1941 by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to protect the large population of moose on the Kenai Peninsula, the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge provides habitat for 200 species of birds and wildlife, including bald eagles, trumpeter swans, brown and black bear, caribou and wolves.

Industrial oil development within the refuge includes almost 200 wells within three oil and gas fields that total 30 square miles. The wells are supported by 46 miles of oil and gas feeder pipelines, a 3,500 foot airstrip, 44 miles of roads and more than 60 individual well pads.

"More than 270,000 gallons of oil, produced water and other contaminants have been released into the wildlife refuge," the report notes. "Groundwater in some areas of the wildlife refuge shows contamination at 10 times the legal limit established by the Environmental Protection Agency."

"Oil drilling in a national wildlife refuge is simply an awful idea," said Lois Schiffer, Audubon's senior vice president for public policy. "There can be no question, in light of these studies, that oil drilling would be a disaster for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge."

The analysis by Audubon and Defenders of Wildlife is available at: http://www.defenders.org/habitat/toxictundra.pdf

WASTE OF MARINE LIFE PUTS OCEANS AT RISK

WASHINGTON, DC, March 5, 2002 (ENS) - The conservation group Oceana has filed a formal, rulemaking petition with the National Marine Fisheries Service, requesting it uphold laws aimed at reducing destructive fishing and bycatch.

Oceana, a new international group dedicated to protecting the world's oceans, has launched a campaign, OceansAtRisk.com, to end the waste of marine life, the "bycatch" of U.S. fishing operations.

"Our oceans are at risk. Around the world, each year, 44 billion pounds of fish plus hundreds of thousands of other marine animals are thrown overboard, dead and dying," said Steve Roady, Oceana president. "Bycatch in U.S. waters is a key part of the problem but the U.S. government has failed to enforce laws to protect ocean wildlife unintentionally caught during fishing. This petition holds the Bush Administration accountable for its delay and inaction on illegal and wasteful fishing practices."

Four federal laws require the U.S. government to reduce the bycatch of marine mammals, sea birds, endangered species, and fish - yet the government's last report admitted it has not acted in an overwhelming majority of cases.

The government has delayed and ignored bycatch solutions - for instance taking 15 years to require pingers on gillnets to protect porpoises - and still has not required Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) big enough to save threatened adult sea turtles, Oceana charges.

In addition, the government admits it has no accurate picture of the extent of the problem. On the east coast, less than two percent of fishing trips carry observers required to record data on bycatch.

Oceana's petition calls on the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to implement a program that would count, cap, and control wasteful fishing practices in U.S. fisheries. Should NMFS not respond in a timely manner, the group will consider legal action.

Oceana has released a report, "Oceans at Risk: Wasted Catch and the Destruction of Ocean Life," which exposes the waste of marine life in U.S. fisheries, and the failure of the government to take action.

The Oceana report details how large scale commercial fishing operations use vast fishing nets that strangle, drown and crush billions of other fish, sea turtles, whales, sharks, dolphins and seabirds. Other fishing gears such as bottom trawls bulldoze the ocean bottom for fish, scraping up everything in their path.

"Industrial fishing vessels strip mine the ocean of life. From disappearing sea otters in Alaska to dying coral reefs in Florida, our oceans and the circle of life are clearly more at risk than ever," said Dr. Michael Hirshfield, Oceana vice president for science. "When we take too much life out of the oceans, we put our food supplies, our coastal economies, and even ourselves at risk."

RESCUERS HELP 11 OF 14 STRANDED DOLPHINS OUT TO SEA

YARMOUTH PORT, Massachusetts, March 5, 2002 (ENS) - Fourteen dolphins stranded themselves on the shore of Cape Cod this morning, prompting an immediate response from the Cape Cod Stranding Network and its co-founding organization the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).

Twelve of the stranded animals were white-sided dolphins, while two were harbor porpoises. The animals stranded around the Chequesset Neck and Great Island areas of Welfleet near Welfleet harbor, where strandings take place yearly.

Twenty-five volunteers, some equipped with dry suits and stretchers, worked to load seven of the stranded dolphins onto stretchers, for transport by truck to Herring Cove near Race Point in Provincetown. The volunteers were members of IFAW, the Cape Cod Stranding Network, the New England Aquarium, and the International Wildlife Coalition

Six of the dolphins were released back into the ocean, while one was euthanized due to its deteriorating health. Two other dolphins were badly attacked by gulls and were euthanized on-site due to do the extent of their injuries.

Five of the remaining dolphins were carried out by rising tides, leaving rescue workers concerned that they may re-strand by morning, so members of the Cape Cod Stranding Network will monitor local beaches.

"This is the second successful response this year, and is a wonderful example of team work between the organizations that came together to establish the Cape Cod Stranding Network," said IFAW Associate Director of AID, Becky Brimley. "It was also a great to see the community rallying together to save these animals and illustrated the overriding desire for people to help animals in distress."

While experts are not certain of the cause of these marine mammal strandings, it is thought that feeding patterns, tidal variations, and the geography of the area, which includes tidal flats, inlets, and marshlands, may come into play.

ENERGY DEPARTMENT SUPPORTS CLEAN COAL, NUCLEAR POWER

WASHINGTON, DC, March 5, 2002 (ENS) - The Department of Energy (DOE) has launched initiatives aimed at supporting so called clean coal research and encouraging the construction of new nuclear power plants.

The initiatives were outlined in President George W. Bush's national energy plan, unveiled last year.

The initial stage of the $2 billion, 10 year clean coal technology initiative began with the DOE offering $330 million in federal matching funds for industry proposed projects. Industry has until August 1 to submit proposals, and winning projects will be selected by late December.

"This solicitation signals our willingness to begin a new partnership with the private sector to enhance our energy supply," said Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham. "Technologies like this will help us preserve our environment while we strengthen America's energy security."

Clean coal technologies represent a new class of pollution control and power generating processes aimed at reducing air emissions from coal burning plants. Some of the technologies promise to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by boosting power plant efficiencies and releasing carbon gases in a form that can be captured and prevented from entering the atmosphere, Abraham said.

The DOE is seeking projects that demonstrate or accelerate the commercial deployment of any technology advancement that "results in efficiency, environmental and economic improvement compared to currently available state of the art alternatives."

More information is available at: http://www.fossil.energy.gov

The DOE also announced the latest phase of the Nuclear Power 2010 initiative, aimed at establishing public-private partnerships to share in the cost of selecting U.S. sites for new nuclear plants and for submitting formal applications to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for early site approval.

"This is a critical step in paving the way for deploying more nuclear power in the United States," Abraham said. "Identifying and obtaining NRC permits for acceptable sites will answer the question of where we will build new plants and thereby remove a major hurdle to building a new U.S. nuclear plant by 2010."

The DOE will match industry investments of as much as $48.5 million over the next two years to explore sites that can host new nuclear plants; make licensing of new plants more efficient and predictable; and conduct research into advanced nuclear plant technologies.

More information on the Nuclear Power 2010 initiative is available at: http://www.nuclear.gov

BISON ACTIVISTS ARRESTED

HELENA, Montana, March 5, 2002 (ENS) - Four women who locked themselves together in the office of Montana Department of Livestock (DOL) executive director Marc Bridges in a protest against the slaughter of wild buffalo were arrested Monday.

Abbi Dunlap, Emily Kodama, Julia Piaskowski and Jennifer Schneider called for a moratorium on the slaughter of the last wild buffalo. They demanded that the DOL end their role in buffalo management because of their failure to uphold basic environmental protection standards.

"The DOL has consistently shown that they will not obey the rules they helped to write and they refuse to be honest with the public about their actions. I am fed up," wrote Kodama in a statement. "These are the last wild buffalo in America and if the government won't do its duty to protect the buffalo, then I believe we have a moral obligation to act on their behalf."

To keep Montana cattle free of the abortive disease brucellosis, which some bison may carry, the DOL hazes them if they leave Yellowstone National Park. The hazing is allowed under the Interim Bison Management Plan agreed to by state and federal agencies.

Bison that will not return to the park are captured and tested for the antibodies of brucellosis, and some are slaughtered. This winter, 26 bison have been killed. Nineteen of these were bulls, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture says pose a low risk of disease transmission.

Critics of bison hazing note that there is no evidence of the transmission of brucellosis from bison to cattle under natural conditions. Cattle are not in the area during the winter and spring months, the peak times when bison migrate out of Yellowstone in search of food.

Last month, the DOL captured and slaughtered the first pregnant bison of the year. A group of nine yearlings and pregnant females was captured and five were killed. The activists say no attempt was made to move them back into the park.

"The DOL is clearly demonstrating its intention to slaughter as many buffalo as it can. This causes great concern as the spring months are approaching and major migration of the mixed herds is imminent," said Schneider.

Prior to Monday's protest, the women wrote letters expressing their concerns.

"I have tried writing and talking with the DOL about the bison/brucellosis issue. They don't care what I have to say," Piaskowski explained. "They have lied to me and disregarded my concerns. All I have left is my body and my convictions and I feel deeply compelled to take nonviolent action to prevent the bison slaughter. My hope is that by locking my body in the DOL's headquarters, they can no longer ignore their shameful role in slaughtering bison."

VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS COULD DAMAGE OZONE LAYER

GREENBELT, Maryland, March 5, 2002 (ENS) - Future volcanic eruptions, creating sulfuric acid clouds, may add to the ozone destroying power of polar stratospheric clouds, say researchers from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

An ozone hole could form over the North Pole after future major volcanic eruptions, argues the cover story in today's edition of the "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences."

Since the 1980s, a seasonal ozone hole, characterized by severe loss of ozone, has appeared over the continent of Antarctica. However, scientists have not yet observed, on an annual basis, as severe a thinning of the protective ozone layer in the atmosphere over the Arctic.

The ozone layer shields life on Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation. A northern ozone hole could be significant since more people live in Arctic regions than near the South Pole.

"A 'volcanic ozone hole' is likely to occur over the Arctic within the next 30 years," said Azadeh Tabazadeh, lead author of the paper and a scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center.

"If a period of high volcanic activity coincides with a series of cold Arctic winters, then a springtime Arctic ozone hole may reappear for a number of consecutive years, resembling the pattern seen in the Antarctic every spring since the 1980s," Tabazadeh added. "Unlike the Antarctic where it is cold every winter, the winter in the Arctic stratosphere is highly variable."

NASA satellite and airborne observations show that significant Arctic ozone loss occurs only following very cold winters, according to Tabazadeh.

Large volcanic eruptions pump sulfur compounds into the Earth's atmosphere. These compounds form sulfuric acid clouds similar to polar stratospheric clouds made of nitric acid and water. The clouds of nitric acid and water form in the upper atmosphere during very cold conditions and play a major part in the destruction of ozone over Earth's poles.

Following eruptions, volcanic sulfuric acid clouds would boost the ozone destroying power of polar stratospheric clouds, the researchers said.

"Volcanic aerosols also can cause ozone destruction at warmer temperatures than polar stratospheric clouds, and this would expand the area of ozone destruction over more populated areas," Tabazadeh said.

"Nearly one-third of the total ozone depletion could be a result of volcanic aerosol effects at altitudes below about 17 kilometers (11.5 miles)," the researchers wrote.

"Climate change combined with aftereffects of large volcanic eruptions will contribute to more ozone loss over both poles," Tabazadeh concluded. "This research proves that ozone recovery is more complex than originally thought."

EPA PROPOSED COOLING WATER RULES

WASHINGTON, DC, March 5, 2002 (ENS) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing new rules to help reduce impacts on aquatic life from the withdrawal of cooling water for power plants.

EPA Administrator Christie Whitman signed the proposed regulation that would reduce the number of fish, shellfish and other aquatic creatures harmed or killed by the effects of the withdrawal of cooling water from rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs, estuaries and oceans.

The rule would apply to certain existing power producing facilities that use large amounts of water to cool power producing machinery.

"This proposed regulation offers a broad range of options to protect our aquatic resources from cooling water intake structures," said Whitman. "This is not a one size fits all regulation. It allows local decision makers discretion to determine the best course of action to solve potential problems."

The regulation would establish requirements based on the best technology available for minimizing the effects of cooling water withdrawals. However, if factors at certain sites make using the best technology too expensive, or so expensive that the costs outweigh the benefits, the rule would also allow for local decision making to determine how to minimize the effects of cooling water intakes.

Waterbodies that are more sensitive or that have more extensive aquatic resources would receive increased protection under the regulation. The proposed rule also provides that facilities may use restoration measures in addition to, or in lieu of, direct controls on the cooling water intake to protect aquatic life.

The proposed regulation fulfills part of the EPA's obligation to comply with the terms of a court order in a lawsuit brought against the agency by a coalition of environmental groups and individuals.

More information on the proposal and public comment opportunities is available at: http://www.epa.gov/ow

RESTORED SALT MARSHES MEASURE UP

NARRAGANSETT, Rhode Island, March 5, 2002 (ENS) - Research by the University of Rhode Island (URI) suggests that restored salt marshes can perform many of the same ecosystem functions as natural marshes.

The restoration of salt marshes is a common way to help repair past environmental damage caused by dikes, roadways and other manmade structures that restrict water flow and alter ecosystems.

URI Graduate School of Oceanography (GSO) researcher Mary-Jane James-Pirri, along with GSO alumnus Kenneth Raposa of the Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and John Catena of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), compared the diets of salt marsh predators in restored and undisturbed marshes to help determine the success or failure of a restoration project. The results of the study, funded by the NMFS Restoration Center, were published in a recent issue of the journal "Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science."

James-Pirri studied the mummichog, an abundant salt marsh fish and an important component in the food structure of salt marshes. Mummichogs are predators that forage in the intertidal areas of salt marshes, feeding on worms, small crustaceans, insects and snails. They are also prey for larger fish and crustaceans.

The scientific team conducted its study at Sachuest Point salt marsh in Middletown, Rhode Island. Two-thirds of the salt marsh had been restricted by a road and causeway constructed across the main tidal creek in the 1950s.

This restriction reduced tidal flow into the southern region of the marsh, impounding fresh water, and changed the existing salt marsh into a brackish system. The salt marsh restoration began in 1998, resulting in an increase in tidal flow, desirable vegetation and species density.

After collecting 465 fish from 91 stations, James-Pirri compared the diet and growth parameters of mummichogs from undisturbed and restored marshes to determine if the restored marsh provided similar food resources as the site that had not been damaged. The researchers found that lengths, weights, gut fullness and diet composition of mummichogs were similar within habitats between restored and undisturbed salt marshes.

This indicates that the semi-restored marsh is providing similar energy resources and functioning as an unrestricted marsh.

"Results from this study show that restored wetlands can respond quickly to tidal restoration," said James-Pirri. "Furthermore, evidence from diet composition indicates that restored wetlands are able to provide food resources for fish, suggesting that the community structure of salt marshes may become established within one year after restoration."

LIZARDS, SALAMANDERS USE LUNGS TO HEAR

COLUMBUS, Ohio, March 5, 2002 (ENS) - Certain species of salamanders and lizards can hear through their lungs, according to a new study at Ohio State University.

The research extends previous studies showing that some types of earless frogs and toads use their lungs to pick up sound vibrations, said Thomas Hetherington, an associate professor of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology at Ohio State.

A gecko rests on the arm of study author Thomas Hetherington (Photo by Jo McCulty, courtesy OSU)

"This primitive system of hearing may have been the auditory system for the first animals that lived on land," Hetherington said. "And it appears that it may still be important for some species today, particularly ones that lack middle ears."

Hetherington examined four species of salamanders and three species of lizards to determine if the lungs might play a role in their hearing. Although salamanders lack middle and external ears, both groups of animals have inner ears that can process sound.

In his studies, Hetherington found that sound causes the animal's chest to vibrate, and the vibrations are carried by air from the lungs to the animal's inner ear where it is processed as sound.

The experiments make clear the importance of the lungs for hearing - one species of salamander that lacked lungs did not show the chest vibrations that the others did. When the lungs of the other species were filled with oxygenated saline instead of air, the animals' chests no longer showed vibrations.

The study appears in the "Journal of Comparative Physiology A: Sensory, Neural and Behavioral Physiology."

Hetherington put the animals on a table in a soundproof chamber. He bounced a beam of laser light off of each animal's skin to measure the skin's movement when exposed to various sound frequencies emitted from a speaker inside the chamber.

To determine how dependent the animals were on their lungs for hearing, Hetherington filled the lungs of three red-spotted newts and three green anoles with oxygenated saline solution - the oxygen in the solution allowed the animals to keep breathing. Sure enough, the response to sound - the vibrations - dropped.

"It practically disappeared," Hetherington said. "While sound may get in through other routes, the lungs are clearly the most sensitive to sound waves."

CATARACT SURGERY APPLIED TO THREATENED STURGEON

WARM SPRINGS, Georgia, March 5, 2002 (ENS) - Last month, two Gulf sturgeons underwent successful cataract surgeries performed at North Carolina State University's College of Veterinary Medicine in Raleigh.

The operations on the sturgeons, from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (USFWS) Warm Springs Regional Fisheries Center in Georgia, were performed to allow the threatened fish to participate in a research project aimed at protecting wild fish.

"Although North Carolina State has been doing animal cataract surgeries for several years, we believe this is the first time nationwide anyone has ever conducted cataract surgeries on fish," said Robert Bakal, veterinary medical officer of the Warm Springs Regional Fish Health Center.

Dr. Brian Gilger, associate professor of ophthalmology at North Carolina State's College of Veterinary Medicine, and his staff performed the surgeries.

First, a healthy Gulf sturgeon, without cataracts, was examined to determine how a normal sturgeon's eyes appear. Then, an electroretinogram (ERG) was conducted, both on the healthy sturgeon and the other two sturgeons, to measure their retinas' ability to respond to light.

Never before had ERGs been performed on sturgeons. The results indicated that the retinas were healthy in all three fish, which meant that removing cataracts for the impaired fish would improve their vision.

The ERG also showed that Gulf sturgeons potentially might have the ability to see color and that they see better in lighter conditions.

Both fish were anesthetized, using a special fish anesthesia machine, for the surgical procedures, which each lasted about an hour.

The cataracts were removed by making a small incision in the cornea and then using phacoemulsification to remove the lens. Using ultrasonic energy, phacoemulsification breaks the eye lens into small pieces that are sucked out of the eye. The procedure takes place under a surgical microscope.

The cataract surgeries on both fish appear to be successful. However, when mammals' eye lenses are removed, the procedure leaves them slightly far sighted. This is often correctable with prosthetic lenses, but these are not available for fish.

"The sturgeon cataract removal went very well," said surgeon Dr. Brian Gilger. "We had to modify the standard surgical procedure slightly to accommodate the fish's hard lens and small eye. As with any surgical procedure, as we got more experience the procedures went smoother. The fourth eye went much quicker and easier than the first eye. All eyes looked fine after surgery, and I think they will do quite well."

The fish will be implanted with radio and sonic transmitters and released into the Apalachicola River system of Florida and Georgia. USFWS and Georgia Department of Natural Resources biologists will track the fish for about a year to determine if they behave like wild fish.

If they do, this technique of releasing sentinel fish will be used to evaluate potential habitats and locate remnant wild populations in this and other river systems.

The surgeries were filmed for the Discovery Channel's Animal Planet and will be aired on April 16.