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Hawaiian Marine Wilderness Surveyed by New Federal Ship HONOLULU, Hawaii, October 20, 2004 (ENS) - A new federal research vessel has completed a survey of the last large-scale wilderness coral reef ecosystem on the planet - the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve.Homeported in Hawaii to support coral reef ecosystem mapping and habitat activities in the greater Pacific, the Hi'ialakai began her maiden voyage on September 13 and returned to port on Monday. This was a collaborative, multi-agency venture involving the NOAA Ocean Service, NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Program, NOAA Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve, NOAA Fisheries, Bishop Museum, the State of Hawaii and the University of Hawaii. The NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Program manages 13 national marine sanctuaries. The agency is conducting a sanctuary designation process to consider incorporating the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve into the National Marine Sanctuary System. "One of the difficulties of working up in those waters is simply getting there," said Randall Kosaki, chief scientist and research coordinator for the reserve. "Now we have a highly capable dive ship that greatly improves our ability to monitor the health of our remote coral reef ecosystems." "This capability helps us to conduct research that will produce new insights into how these complex ecosystems function," said Kosaki. "Ultimately, this knowledge will enable us to improve the management and conservation of these unique and precious resources." During the 35 day cruise, 18 researchers conducted assessments, monitoring and mapping operations throughout the waters and reefs within the reserve as well as in adjacent waters managed by the state of Hawaii and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Researchers collected data on the abundance and diversity of fish, algae, corals and other invertebrates on these reefs, while remote tethered camera arrays recorded habitat types in deeper waters. Coral biologists documented the present condition of some of these reefs since a major coral bleaching event was first detected in 2002. They also monitored a syndrome afflicting coral reefs in the French Frigate Shoals detected by researchers last year and found the syndrome in two additional reefs during this cruise. The vessel is designed and equipped to support diving operations and multi-beam sonar mapping of the ocean floor. Outfitted with a recompression chamber and having mixed gas diving capabilities, Hi'ialakai enables the reserve and its research partners to extend their scientific exploration of the vast region. At nearly 120,000 square nautical miles, the 84 million-acre Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Reserve is the largest Marine Protected Area in waters under U.S. jurisdiction and the second largest protected area in the world, second in size to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. It is inhabited by more than 7,000 marine species, half of which are unique to the Hawaiian archipelago. The endangered Hawaiian monk seal, threatened green sea turtles and endangered leatherback and hawksbill sea turtles live within the reserve. Threats to the reserve include intensive campaigns by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council to weaken protections, open new fisheries and reestablish the lobster fishery. Lobsters are an primary prey species for the monk seals, but they are now depleted and the seals are going hungry. Ecotourism, cruise ships, military use, deep sea dumping, researchers who disturb monk seal colonies, and poaching of protected species all are threats to the reserve. The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are important to the Native Hawaiian people for the cultural resources they hold that inform us about the origins of Hawaii’s first people and for their enormous biodiversity. The Department of Commerce, of which NOAA is a part, has not yet issued regulations required by the U.S. Coast Guard for enforcement purposes.
Former Maui Sugar Companies Accused of Dumping Scarce Water HONOLULU, Hawaii, October 20, 2004 (ENS) - The Maui Department of Water Supply is asking consumers to conserve water, but former sugar plantations are wasting millions of gallons of water diverted from four major stream systems in central Maui, according to a complaint filed by two Maui community groups.Represented by an Earthjustice attorney, the two groups - Hui o Nä Wai `Ehä and Maui Tomorrow - took their complaint to the Hawaii Commission on Water Resource Management on Monday. The complaint alleges that, even though Wailuku Agribusiness and Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar have reduced the acreage in cultivation and switched to crops requiring far less water than sugar, they continue to drain the streams dry as they did at the height of sugar cultivation. The complaint includes photographs documenting numerous examples of illegal dumping, indicating that the companies prefer the water go to waste rather than return to the streams of origin. “This evidence confirms Wailuku Ag’s and HC&S’s dumping of stream water that belongs to the public trust,” said farmer Burt Sakata, president of Hui o Nä Wai `Ehä. “It highlights what we know is happening statewide, but the former plantations have refused to admit – that they are wasting our water instead of leaving it in the community streams where it belongs.” Nearly four months ago, the Maui groups filed a petition with the Commission seeking an increase in Nä Wai `Ehä’s “instream flow standards,” or the minimum flows necessary to sustain beneficial instream uses such as ecological protection, traditional and customary Native Hawaiian practices, recreation, and scenic values. The petition observed that the decline of large-scale sugar operations on Maui justified returning flows to streams and communities deprived of water for nearly a century. In response, Wailuku Agribusiness and HC&S submitted comments categorically denying any waste of water. The photos filed in Monday's complaint, however, show water waste, the groups say. “We’re extremely disappointed that decades after the end of the plantation era, the plantations still believe they need not answer to the community,” said Earthjustice attorney Kapua Sproat. “The idea that Wailuku Ag and HC&S can not only commit such waste, but refuse to disclose it, in a time where Maui faces a water crisis and public streams run bone dry, is an outrage.”
Wild Jaguars Captured on Film in Arizona TUCSON, Arizona, October 20, 2004 (ENS) - Rarely seen in Arizona, two jaguars have been caught on film in the wild lands near the Mexican border."This is a great step in the continuing efforts of a multi-agency jaguar conservation team in Arizona," says Bill Van Pelt, head of the Arizona Game and Fish Department nongame mammal program. "Until now, we had no full body photos of jaguars in the wilds of our state. Now, the public will get to see these photos through the media." Jaguars have never been common in Arizona and New Mexico, but they have been spotted here more than 50 times since the mid-1800s. By the 1900s, they nearly disappeared from the United States because of development, trophy hunting, and shooting to protect livestock. In 1997, the jaguar was listed as endangered species. That year a team of landowners, ranchers, citizen groups, scientists, and state and federal agencies was formed to develop a jaguar conservation plan, which appears to be working. "A bare-bones monitoring program shows the continued presence of these magnificent native cats in Arizona," says Terry Johnson, the department's nongame branch chief, who chairs the conservation team. "We thank other agencies and our private partners for their hard work. The new jaguar photos were taken with equipment maintained by a private citizen, Jack Childs, and a Humboldt State University graduate student, Emil McCain." State and federal agencies are currently coordinating a Jaguar Borderlands Recovery Strategy that recognizes the success of the jaguar in the United States is dependent on conservation efforts in Mexico. "Conservation works best when it is founded on collaboration," says Dale Hall, regional director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Southwest Region. "It's great to see success come from efforts such as this that engage local participation." The four new jaguar photos were taken using remote motion-sensing cameras south of Tucson. At least two different jaguars are in the new pictures. "We had a few photos from the years 2001 and 2003, where you could only see part of a jaguar, so the new pictures mark a milestone," says Van Pelt. Each jaguar has a unique pattern of markings. Using these markings, scientists have confirmed that one jaguar in the new photos was also in the 2001 photos from the same area. Jaguars are far-ranging animals with recorded movements of up to 500 miles. They can live in the wild for more than 11 years and breed year-round. Litters range from one to four cubs. Jaguars' prey includes more than 85 species, including javelina, armadillos, turtles, and fish. With deer season beginning statewide on October 29, the Arizona Game and Fish Department is reminding hunters to be aware that jaguars range in parts of southern Arizona, and they should not be disturbed.
Ohio Landowners Offered $207 Million to Plant Streamsides CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio, October 20, 2004 (ENS) - A $207.3 million Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) is being established to improve water quality in Ohio's Scioto River Watershed, the main source of drinking water for the city of Columbus."This partnership among USDA, the state of Ohio and local groups will result in cleaner drinking water for nearly two million Ohioans," said Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman on Tuesday. "The program will have widespread benefits, and improve water quality as far away as the Gulf of Mexico." Planting grass filter strips, riparian buffers and hardwood trees through the CREP will reduce agricultural pollution, soil erosion and the risk of downstream flooding throughout the watershed. These actions will improve drinking water quality for Columbus and surrounding communities, Veneman said. Landowners who participate in the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program will receive incentive payments and cost-share assistance from the USDA's Farm Service Agency for installing approved conservation practices. The agency will also provide annual rental payments for the life of the contract. Landowners can offer eligible cropland and marginal pastureland in 31 central and southern Ohio counties in the watershed to be planted, an area of roughly 6,500 square miles. The Scioto River and its tributaries, such as Big Darby Creek, are the habitat of more than 30 threatened and endangered species of fish and mussels. Through the CREP, agricultural producers can protect habitat, and species such as ducks, songbirds, pheasants, and rabbits. USDA Deputy Secretary Jim Moseley participated in the signing ceremony in Circleville with Ohio Department of Natural Resources Director Sam Speck. "Ohio's natural resources and the communities around them will greatly benefit through the establishment of long-term and permanent conservation practices on 70,000 acres along 231 miles of the Scioto River and 3,000 miles of streams within the Scioto River watershed," said Moseley. Other partners include the City of Columbus, which will help secure easements; the Nature Conservancy, which will provide financial assistance; Ducks Unlimited, which will provide financial resources and technical expertise; and Pheasants Forever, which will provide seed, seed drills and volunteers. Additional partners include the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation and Ohio State University Extension, which will help promote the project to farmers and landowners. Signup for the Ohio Scioto River Watershed CREP will be announced later by the state and will continue until enrollment goals are attained, or through December 31, 2007, whichever comes first. Land enrolled in the program will remain under contract for a period of 14 to 15 years, as specified in the contract. The total cost over a 15 year period is estimated at $207.3 million, with FSA contributing $151.3 million and the state of Ohio and other partners funding $56 million. More information on the Ohio Scioto River Watershed CREP is online at: www.fsa.usda.gov/dafp/cepd/default.htm and on the Ohio Department of Natural Resources website at: www.dnr.state.oh.us/soilandwater.
Chemical Signatures Illumine 1980 Eruption of Mount St. Helens EUGENE, Oregon, October 20, 2004 (ENS) - New tools for monitoring volcanoes may be developed with help from a study on Mount St. Helens by an international team of geoscientists, including University of Oregon volcanologist Katharine Cashman.The study on geochemical precursors to volcanic activity leading to the cataclysmic eruption of the southwestern Washington mountain in 1980 yields new insight about volcano behavior. "We're looking at chemical signatures - chemistry that's related to volatile, or gas, phases in the eruptive cycle," says Cashman, a professor of geological sciences. "We've learned that the magma that erupted on May 18, 1980, had probably begun degassing for a minimum of five years before the eruption," she explains. "Then, throughout the summer of 1980, what we see is evidence that gas from the deeper magma storage system had been interacting with the magma at a shallower level." The data shows that ascending magma stalled and was stored at a depth of three to four kilometers beneath the surface. Cashman's in depth knowledge of Mount St. Helens began when she served as the U.S. Geological Survey spokesperson before, during and after the 1980 eruption. Since then, she's become an authority on volcanoes from Hawaii to Italy, where she had intended to spend the current academic year working with Italian volcanologists to compare eruptive styles at Etna, Stromboli and Vesuvius with those of the Cascades. She flew back from Italy last weekend to rejoin colleagues at Mount St. Helens where her role is to "be eyes and corporate memory from the '80s so we can make comparisons between then and now." Cashman, whose research interests include volcanology, igneous petrology and crystallization kinetics, joined the University of Oregon faculty in 1991. Her work is funded by the National Science Foundation. This research appears online in the current issues of the journal "ScienceExpress." In February, Cashman and Richard Hoblitt of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported in "Geology" magazine that the ash Mount St. Helens emitted in the months before its 1980 eruption contains tiny crystals that show an explosive eruption was likely. Co-authors are: Kim Berlo and Chris Hawkesworth of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Bristol, UK; Stuart Black, Department of Archaeology, University of Reading, UK; and Jon Blundy, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Macquarie University, Australia.
Stormwater Runoff Addressed in Pennsylvania PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania, October 20, 2004 (ENS) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded $6.7 million to help control stormwater runoff throughout Pennsylvania.The EPA grant, which was matched with $4.5 million from the state, supports the state’s nonpoint source water pollution control program. Stormwater projects designed to protect Pennsylvania waterways are part of this program. Stormwater pollution – sometimes called non-point source pollution – is caused by rainfall or snowmelt moving over or through the ground and carrying natural or human-made pollutants into lakes, streams, rivers, and other water bodies. In Pennsylvania, the major causes of nonpoint source pollution are farming, mining and land development activities. Projects supported by the program will help improve farm management practices to reduce nutrients and sediment from entering nearby water bodies, aid in the treatment of streams affected by acid mine drainage from active or abandon coal mines, and reduce stormwater runoff from urban and suburban development. “EPA is pleased to be a partner in Pennsylvania’s aggressive approach to cleaning up waterways that have been impaired by storm water related runoff," said Donald Welsh, administrator for EPA’s mid-Atlantic Region. "The projects supported by this funding are vital to protect and improve water quality for drinking water, recreational activities and to preserve the natural habitat."
California, Nevada Waste Companies Warned on PCBs SAN FRANCISCO, California, October 20, 2004 (ENS) - Eleven waste transportation companies in California and one in Reno, Nevada were warned Monday by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that they must notify the agency before transporting waste containing polychorinated biphenyls (PCBs) or pay a fine.The companies must comply within one month or possibly face a $1,650 fine. The EPA learned of the violations after the storage and waste disposal facilities receiving the waste containing PCBs notified the agency. In each case, the wastes were transported to PCB storage and landfill facilities in California, Arizona and Nevada. "Waste transporters play a key role in ensuring that PCB waste found in everything from contaminated soil to old electrical equipment undergoes proper disposal," said Enrique Manzanilla, director of the cross media division for the EPA's Pacific Southwest region. "We are warning transporters that failure to meet the requirements may result in stronger enforcement action in the future," said. More than 1.5 billion pounds of PCBs were manufactured in the United States before the EPA banned the chemicals in 1978. PCBs were commonly used in paints, industrial equipment, plastics and rubber products. The EPA banned the chemicals after tests showed that PCBs cause cancer in animals and adversely affect the human nervous, immune and endocrine systems. Companies that transport, store or handle PCBs can check EPA's website to find information on how to comply with the agency's notification requirement at www.epa.gov/pcb/data.html.
El Nino Drought Linked to Moth Outbreak WASHINGTON, DC, October 20, 2004 (ENS) - An association between a severe moth outbreak and drought conditions following the 1997-1998 El Niño event, has been identified, researchers from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) said Friday.If El Niño events become more common, repeated outbreaks of plant-eating insects might alter forest species composition, the study's authors speculate in the October issue of the "Journal of Tropical Ecology." In a dry lowland forest near Panama's Pacific coast, moth larvae devoured 250 percent more leaf material than usual at the same time researchers were setting up an experimental protocol to monitor herbivores and leaf damage on 20 tree species. "This outbreak was unusual because it involved a dozen insect species, and followed a drought associated with one of the most severe El Niño events experienced here," said STRI postdoctoral fellow Sunshine Van Bael. "We don't know how common outbreaks like this are in the tropics because people have begun to associate events like this with global climate change fairly recently," she said. Climatologists predict that El Niño events will become more common if global temperatures continue to rise. Van Bael cautioned, "It's becoming increasingly clear that we should pay attention to these harbingers of climate change. A better understanding of the deep natural history of these systems may help us to predict outbreaks involving crop pests or human disease vectors."
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