• Legal Action Threatened to Save Columbian Sharp-Tailed Grouse
  
• Anaconda Mine Manager Files Whistleblower Complaint
  
• EPA Sets Up Permanent Homeland Security Research Center
  
• First Case of Soybean Rust Found in United States
  
• International Paper Sells Million Acres, Sustainability Pledged
  
• Fisheries Agents Seize Illegal Gear to Protect Sea Turtles
  
• Extinctions in Ocean Muds Yield Conservation Clues
  
• Price of Shrimp Ignores Environmental Costs
  

Legal Action Threatened to Save Columbian Sharp-Tailed Grouse

To give these grouse a chance at survival, a coalition of conservation groups, led by Forest Guardians, Thursday submitted a notice of intent to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, challenging its decision not to list the Columbian sharp-tailed grouse under the Endangered Species Act.

The notice comes shortly after the Forest Guardians filed a new Endangered Species Act petition to list the grouse.

“The Fish and Wildlife Service’s refusal to protect this bird will condemn the grouse to further decline. In denying listing, the Service ignored the real peril this bird faces,” said Rana Banerjee of Forest Guardians.

The Columbian sharp-tailed grouse is one of many western grouse species threatened with extinction, Forest Guardians says. Members of the coalition are actively trying to protect the greater sage grouse, lesser prairie chicken, and the Gunnison’s sage grouse - all candidates awaiting Endangered Species Act listing.

All of these species face threats similar to those affecting Columbian sharp-tailed grouse. Protecting these wide-ranging species will have beneficial effects not only on the birds in question, Forest Guardians says, but will also provide umbrella protection for the ecosystems they inhabit.

Columbian sharp-tailed grouse occupy shrub-steppe, mountain shrub, and riparian habitats in the intermountain west in the United States and British Columbia.

Currently, only isolated populations of Columbian sharp-tailed grouse exist in northern Washington, northeastern Nevada, western Idaho, south central Idaho, southeastern Idaho, northern Utah, south-central Wyoming, northwestern Colorado and central British Columbia.

Forest Guardians says that litigation is necessary "because of the Bush administration’s "hostility to the Endangered Species Act."

President Clinton listed 65 species a year during his administration, and President George H.W. Bush, the current Preident's father listed 59 species a year. Despite the fact that an overwhelming majority of Americans support strict endangered species protection, the current Bush administration has listed only 31 species over four years, all of them under court order.

Forest Guardians believes the Bush administration has demonstrated that litigation is the only feasible method of gaining federal protection for endangered wildlife.

Anaconda Mine Manager Files Whistleblower Complaint

On Thursday, Dixon filed a whistleblower complaint under several federal laws including the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Clean Air Act, Superfund, the Toxic Substances Control Act and the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

“Earle Dixon’s job was to solve the pollution problems, not disguise them,” said attorney Richard Condit, general counsel for Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), whose organization will assist Dixon’s lead counsel, Mick Harrison, in prosecuting the whistleblower claim.

“From this record, it appears BLM removed Earle Dixon simply because he did environmental compliance too well,” Condit said.

The Anaconda Mine is an abandoned copper mine covering more than 3,600 acres where acid run-off and waste rock containing low levels of uranium, thorium and other exposed metals have been disposed in unlined ponds. The mine has also had a succession of owners, including the Atlantic Richfield Company owned by British Petroleum. Today, half the site is located on public lands managed by the BLM.

Dixon’s job was to coordinate the hazardous waste management and compliance at the site with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the State of Nevada, tribes and responsible private parties.

Dixon claims in his complaint that he was illegally dismissed for pursuing worker safety, as well as radiation, air and water pollution violations.

Dixon says his superior, BLM Nevada Director Bob Abbey, was unwilling to confront mounting evidence of contamination and worker exposure because dealing with them would drive up remediation costs.

Radiation readings were well above background levels that pose risks to the health of workers onsite, Dixon claims. He documented higher than expected contamination of soil, groundwater and drinking water wells; and non-compliance with a number of federal pollution standards, including possible public exposure to radioactive and toxic metals in air-borne dust.

With Dixon’s removal, oversight of the Anaconda Mine has been moved from the BLM Carson City Office to the BLM state headquarters in Reno.

“Such a move is an unprecedented political intervention in a hazardous waste cleanup operation and reflects a retaliatory motive by the BLM State Director,” said Harrison.

Dixon's complaint triggers an immediate federal investigation and, if the matter is not resolved in 30 days, a full evidentiary hearing before a federal administrative law judge will be scheduled.

EPA Sets Up Permanent Homeland Security Research Center

For more information on the NHSRC, log on to: www.epa.gov/nhsrc.

EPA relies on quality science as the basis for sound policy and decisionmaking. EPA’s laboratories and research centers, and EPA's research grantees, are building the scientific foundation needed to support the Agency’s mission to safeguard human health and the environment.

First Case of Soybean Rust Found in United States

The distructive fungus was found on two plots associated with a Louisiana State University research farm near Baton Rouge.

Soybean rust is caused by either of two fungal species. The Asian species, the one found in Louisiana, is the more aggressive of the two species, APHIS said, and can cause more damage to soybean plants than the other species.

APHIS suspects the fungus blew into the area from South America due to the active hurricane season the Gulf Coast experienced this year. But it could also have arrived in the United States due to accidental introduction by tourists, spore-carrying materials, or intentional means, other experts have said.

The fungus can move quickly through an area planted with soybeans, leaving financial losses wherever it goes, but this year things could have been worse for Louisiana farmers, APHIS said.

"While this is the first instance of soybean rust to be found in the United States, the detection comes at a time when most soybeans have been harvested across the country. As a result of the harvest, the impact of the fungus should be minimal this year," the agency said.

Soybean rust has the potential to cause large crop and economic losses to soybean growers and associated industries, the American Soybean Association (ASA) said. Soybean rust attacks the foliage of soybean plants causing the leaves to drop early, which inhibits pod setting and reduces yield.

ASA President Neal Bredehoeft, a soybean producer from Alma, Missouri, said, "There are currently no rust-resistant or tolerant soybean varieties. Research is ongoing, but such varieties still are 5 to 10 years away. Fungicide treatments currently represent the only option for containing soybean rust by lessening the spread of spores."

Soybean rust can be managed with fungicides, but APHIS emphasizes that early detection is required for the most effective management. Monitoring soybean fields and adjacent areas is recommended throughout the growing season. Fungicide applications can reduce yield loss, depending on the plant developmental stage, the time when rust is detected, and the fungicide application method.

Fungicide information for producers is available through state university extension services.

APHIS has sent its soybean rust detection assessment team, composed of scientific experts and regulatory officials, to the site. The team will work closely with Louisiana State Department of Agriculture representatives to assess the situation and conduct surveillance around the detection site to determine the extent of disease spread.

While the harvest for this year is complete, APHIS warns that during next year's planting season, producers will need to watch for symptoms of the fungus, such as small lesions on the lower leaves of the infected plant that increase in size and change from gray to tan, or reddish brown, on the undersides of the leaves.

Last year soybean rust cost Brazilian farmers 4.7 million metric tons in lost bean production, Brazil's Agriculture Ministry research branch Embrapa reports. South America's other major soy growing nation, Argentina, has not yet been troubled with the fungus.

For more information, visit APHIS's soybean rust "hot issues" website at: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/lpa/issues/sbr/sbr.html.

International Paper Sells Million Acres, Sustainability Pledged

The companies have agreed to a long-term management contract by which International Paper will provide forest management services, including third-party certification to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Standard.

The forestlands being sold are located in an east-west strip across central Maine, with an additional 24,000 acres in northern New Hampshire.

International Paper and GMORR have agreed to a long-term wood fiber supply agreement to continue the flow of fiber to IP's Maine paper mills in Jay and Bucksport.

"Our decision to sell these forestlands is based on achieving a superior value for our forestlands while maintaining our ability to provide for the wood fiber needs of our two Maine mills," said George O'Brien, IP's senior vice president for forest products.

"We look forward to optimizing the value of this high-quality wood resource and managing the lands as a sustainable working forest," said Bob Saul, director of domestic investments for GMO Renewable Resources.

"We also hope to build upon our strong relationship with the conservation community to keep this valuable forest resource intact," he said.

GMORR plans to continue the long standing practice of open access to these forestlands for hunting, fishing, snowmobiling and other traditional outdoor activities that have historically been provided by International Paper.

The management of the land base will continue with the same or very similar rules and regulations on responsible public use that are in place today. GMORR also plans to continue the practice of cabin site leasing for the recreational lease holders on these lands and will evaluate the recreational programs on a regular basis.

"The GMORR agreement also assures that our two companies will work closely to provide continued recreational use and conservation of the land for all who enjoy the outdoors," said O'Brien.

"We have agreed with GMORR to continue managing the land to meet or exceed all requirements of sustainable forestry to ensure the protection of wildlife and fish habitat, soils, and air and water quality."

International Paper is the largest private landowner in the United States with more than eight million acres of forestland and some 19 million acres worldwide. The company is also the world's largest hardwood and pine tree seedling grower, producing nearly 400 million new trees each year.

Fisheries Agents Seize Illegal Gear to Protect Sea Turtles

Following a tip from the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries, a Coast Guard helicopter from Air Station Elizabeth City, spotted the 38 foot fishing vessel Bella D using illegal fishing gear.

The vessel was anchored in an area that has net restrictions due to sea turtle migration through the Pamlico Sound.

A Coast Guard boarding team from Stations Hatteras Inlet and Ocracoke and a NOAA Fisheries Office for Law Enforcement special agent boarded the Bella D and found the crew was using nets that are prohibited in the Pamlico Sound. The illegal nets can entangle sea turtles, which are protected under the Endangered Species Act, causing them to drown.

The Coast Guard escorted the fishing vessel to an Oracoke, North Carolina, fish house where NOAA seized the Bella D's illegal 80 pound catch of flounder.

Violation of the Endangered Species Act may result in civil penalties of up to $25,000 or criminal penalties of up to $50,000 plus imprisonment and/or seizure of the vessel and other personal property.

The Coast Guard, NOAA, and the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries will continue to monitor those restricted areas of the Pamlico Sound in order to protect the several species of sea turtles that migrate through the Pamlico Sound to lay their eggs on North Carolina's beaches.

Extinctions in Ocean Muds Yield Conservation Clues

In new research published today in the journal "Science," an international team of scientists describes how the ocean mud and the many animals that live there are used to forecast how the extinction of species alters ecological processes that sustain life at the bottom of the ocean.

"This is one of the first stabs at trying to see what will happen in ocean ecosystems as species go extinct," says Bradley Cardinale, a University of Wisconsin-Madison postdoctoral fellow in zoology and a co-author of the paper.

"What goes on in the sediment is important, not only because it affects life at the bottom of the ocean, but also because it has a big impact on the rest of the marine ecosystem," he said.

Crabs, clams, sea urchins, brittlestars and marine worms are just a few of the animals that live in the mud and sediments that have accumulated during many thousands of years at the bottom of the world's oceans. As they move, they churn up and fill the sediments with oxygen, making it possible for other forms of marine life to flourish.

The new study rests on a comprehensive survey of 139 marine invertebrates that inhabit the sediment of Galway Bay, Ireland, led by Martin Solan of the University of Aberdeen, Scotland.

By looking at how extensively the sediments are mixed there, and matching that with data on each species' size, abundance and movement through the mud, it is possible to construct mathematical models to predict the ecological consequences of losing species, Cardinale said.

Running the models, the group found that the extinction of species is expected to reduce the amount of sediment mixing, and diminish the oxygen concentrations that sustain bottom-dwelling life.

The amount of change, according to the study, depends on the reasons species are going extinct and the order in which animals disappear.

"We know certain types of species are at greater risk of extinction than others," says Cardinale. "For example, large species often go extinct first, and that is important in the marine benthic environment because the bigger you are, the more sediment you are able to mix up."

And while the creatures that inhabit the mud at the bottom of the ocean may seem remote and unimportant, Cardinale pointed out that oceans cover 70 percent of the Earth's surface, and that the productivity of the sea is intricately linked to sediments that generate nutrients and food for other organisms such as fish. In places where human activities have disrupted marine sediments, such as the enormous "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico - where excess fertilizers are dumped by the Mississippi River - nearly all life has vanished.

"One thing our study suggests," Cardinale says, "is we need to know why species are going extinct in the first place. Even though extinction leads to less sediment mixing in our models, things can be far worse or not quite as bad, depending on the particular order in which species disappear."

This suggests that "conservation efforts should focus not just on the seemingly important species, but also on the total variety of life found in an ecosystem," Cardinale says.

The team's work was funded by the National Science Foundation.

Price of Shrimp Ignores Environmental Costs

A new report by the organization details how shrimp farming harms the environment, displacing traditional communities, eliminating jobs and destroying ways of life in countries where raising shrimp for export has become a big business.

The report, "Shell Game: The Environmental and Social Impacts of Shrimp Aquaculture," is the first in a series that documents the dangers of shrimp aquaculture.

Shrimp aquaculture uses a factory farming model that results in polluted ponds, the destruction of local natural resources and the use of cheap labor in countries such as Thailand, Vietnam and Honduras.

This shrimp is destined for the U.S. market because of an increasing demand for the popular seafood at an affordable price. Shrimp is the top selling seafood in the United States, and nearly 90 percent of it is imported.

"U.S. consumers need to know the whole story behind the great bargain prices of shrimp, which used to be a delicacy but now is on every menu at a deceptively low price. But there are costs behind that low price tag that consumers deserve to know about," said Andrianna Natsoulas, field director at Public Citizen's food program.

"The shrimp cocktail you order at a restaurant comes at the expense of environmental destruction and displaced people," she said.

Shrimp farms, constructed where tropical mangrove trees once held coastlines safe from erosion, depend on antibiotics, fungicides, algaecides and pesticides.

Local communities are robbed of drinking water sources by farms that pump in fresh water and pump out wastewater. Salt marshes are destroyed, preventing local access to traditional livelihoods.

"Not only is the environment destroyed when shrimp farms move in, but so are the local communities when they are forced to move out," said Natsoulas. "Local communities are dependent on the coastal zones for their livelihood. When those areas are destroyed, so are coastal traditions."

Public Citizen urges consumers to buy wild-caught shrimp instead of farm-raised shrimp, whether in markets or in restaurants.

By spring 2005, consumers will be able to make informed decisions because a mandatory country-of-origin label for seafood will be required by law. This label will tell consumers where shrimp comes from and whether it is farm raised or wild caught.

Read "Shell Game: The Environmental and Social Impacts of Shrimp Aquaculture" at: http://www.citizen.org/cmep/foodsafety/shrimp/articles.cfm?ID=12521.