Wednesday, December 31, 2003

ENN Environmental News Network
E-mail Edition

Partnerships for community-based ecotourism
Chalalan Ecolodge, in the Bolivian jungle five hours upriver from the town of Rurrenabaque, is a model project. It is far along in an experiment that partners indigenous communities with tourism businesses and nonprofit organizations to develop and operate successful ecotourism programs.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-31/s_9204.asp

World's farmers struggle with globalization issues
Iowa farmer Chris Petersen is one of many small and regional farmers in America and abroad struggling with complex issues of agricultural subsidies, global trade and environmental sustainability.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-31/s_11631.asp

U.S. scientist says anti-mad cow measure ignored
A U.S. scientist said Tuesday a simple treatment combining high pressure with heat could neutralize the proteins that cause mad cow disease, but federal officials had shown little interest in it.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-31/s_11638.asp

Senegal's traditional fishers watch foreigners haul in the catch
Senegalese fishers say that Western boats that have left depleted fishing grounds in the North Atlantic are now depleting African waters, leaving little for the locals.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-31/s_11632.asp

China working to bring water to its north
China has started building a new section of a multibillion-dollar project to bring water to Beijing and other parts of its dry north, the government says.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-31/s_11640.asp

Smithfield unit may rethink feed policy due to mad cow
The nation's largest pork producer said it uses ground up animal carcasses to feed its turkeys, but would review the practice if there was a "public outcry."
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-31/s_11636.asp

NSA slow to share info on Fort Meade cleanup
The National Security Agency has been reluctant to share information about environmental conditions on its property, much to the frustration of environmental groups and government regulators, activists say.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-31/s_11633.asp

Chinese herbalists laud U.S. ephedra decision
When U.S. regulators said they would ban the use of ephedra in weight-loss supplements they allowed an exemption for practitioners of Chinese medicine who have been using the herb for thousands of years to treat ailments ranging from asthma to fevers.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-31/s_11639.asp

NASA probe heads for close enounter with comet
After a five-year voyage of 2 billion miles NASA's spacecraft Stardust is finally nearing the climax of its mission: a close encounter with a comet to grab dust samples that could yield clues to the origins of the solar system.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-31/s_11637.asp

Court says Alaska can't add fish to protected lake
A U.S. federal appeals court said that national wildlife rules bar the stocking of salmon in a protected Alaskan lake, even if little harm comes from multiplying the fish.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-31/s_11635.asp

Today's Press Releases (Become an Affiliate)
Direct from non-profit environmental and educational organizations.

The Trust for Public Land:
TPL's 2003 Conservation Achievements

Open Space Institute:
Open Space Institute Acquires Estate That Was Home of First Castskills Fishing Club

University of North Carolina at Wilmington:
Shifting Baselines Releases Rotten Jellyfish Awards

Tuesday, December 30, 2003

An excellent and wide-ranging discussion of practical solutions to energy efficient technologies and clean generation methods: Energy Saving Now
Last Breath:

The Oil Demons breathed their last breath,
It was thunderous rejoicing,
Children need not die in the sands,
In the streets or in the far countryside,
Winter could someday come back home to stay,
Poison could leave the land and lakes and seas,
In the silence of golden sunlight,
In the peace wrought of whirling white blades,
In the bountiful cascade of rolling waters,
In the field of golden harvests,
The treasures of gold and heart,
Home again to stay, to stay,
And once the people finally believed,
That was when the monsters were no longer needed,
And we could all walk closer to what God gave us,
Even though it took so much horror and filth to understand,
Cleanliness IS next to Godliness,
Just expand the concept,
Because the entire world is your home.

AquarianM

By: Daniel A. Stafford
(C) 12/24/2003

Author's Comments:
My biggest Christmas wish is that people will truly see what oil is doing to us and add their voices to the clamor for a clean life and world. It's worth it!
GLIN Daily News: December 30, 2003
In collaboration with the Great Lakes Radio Consortium

In the News

Project seeks to protect Dunes Creek
Indiana Post-Tribune (12/24)
Officials are hoping to eliminate the E. coli problems that have, at times, closed the beaches at Indiana Dunes State Park.

EPA sets new pollution standards for two-wheelers
Environmental News Network (12/24)
The Environmental Protection Agency set the first new emission standards for highway motorcycles in 25 years, and the first standards for small scooters and mopeds.

Hot Air Snow Blower
Earthwatch Radio (12/24)
In the winter, warmer Great Lakes waters might lead to more lake-effect snow in Michigan and New York.

COMMENTARY: Not much cheer in an ailing steel industry
Canadian National Post (12/24)
It is a dramatic change that has Canadian steelmakers no longer fearful U.S. tariffs will divert cheap steel into this country, but instead worried about competing with their revitalized southern neighbours.

Northland job market changing, booming locally
Mesabi Daily News (12/23)
Northland job figures for individual counties and cities lag behind the latest state figures, but are more reflective of community activity.

Minnesota says 211 more lakes, streams need cleanup
Associated Press (12/22)
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is proposing to add 211 Minnesota lakes and streams to the list of those considered ``impaired'' and in need of clean up.

Point Beach nuclear plant extension sought
Wisconsin State Journal (12/22)
Clean Wisconsin, a statewide environmental group based in Madison, said it will fight relicensing of the Point Beach nuclear power plant because of health risks.

Water wars may splash across the planet
The Grand Rapids Press (12/21)
Most Americans have been isolated from the global water crisis, but if trends continue, even the Great Lakes may be at risk.

Carp threat is a real problem
Muskegon Chronicle (12/21)
It was a good year out on the high seas of the Great Lakes for charter boat captains, but danger looms ahead in the unlikely form of a mighty fish, the Asian carp.

Last oceangoing ship departed from the port of Duluth-Superior
Budgeteer News (12/19)
The Port of Duluth-Superior’s last ocean vessel of the season was expected to depart early Friday, Dec. 19, while Great Lakes traffic should continue for about another month.


Archives >>
ENN Environmental News Network http://www.enn.com

E-mail Edition

Media could help build better connections
Most of us read the newspaper or watch the news to find out what is going on in the world. These media outlets are our windows to community, national and international events. We rely on them to help make decisions in our daily lives. So how are they doing?
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-30/s_11595.asp

Green cat litter and chemical-free cotton
This week in EarthTalk: learn about the safest kind of litter for your cat and you and why green cotton is the color you want to wear.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-30/s_11594.asp

U.S, says beef safe despite mad cow, but Japan keeps ban
U.S. officials insisted on Monday that there was no risk to consumers from meat recalled in the first U.S. case of mad cow disease, but Japan refused to soften its ban on imports of American beef.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-30/s_11602.asp

Rare Peruvian bird could face extinction again
A quarter of a century ago, Peru's white-winged guan, a species native only to this Andean bird paradise, was considered as dead as a dodo.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-30/s_11599.asp

Pollution, tourists, and traffic send Parisians packing
Many exasperated residents associate Paris with the noise, pollution and traffic jams which are driving them to desert the city by the thousands for a quieter life in the country.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-30/s_11603.asp

Iran helps quake survivors as rescuers pull out
Iran, backed by a massive international aid effort, turned its full attention on Tuesday to the plight of tens of thousands left bereaved and homeless by Friday's devastating earthquake that killed up to 30,000 people.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-30/s_11600.asp

Kerry calls for new environmental plan to curb asthma
Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry said Monday that he would combat growing asthma rates by applying clean air laws to farms and taking steps to improve indoor air quality.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-30/s_11597.asp

In Hawaii, it's open season on tiny frogs
A grimacing Helen Geiger stands amid bikes and beach chairs in the garage of her Hawaiian home watching two men tramp through dense foliage in her backyard. Dragging a hose from a 100-gallon tank, they are seeking a tiny prey, invisible in the misty night but unmistakably present, its shrill, two-note ko-KEE mating call filling the air with earsplitting dissonance.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-30/s_11598.asp

Storm shuts Calif. highway, more mudslides possible
A fierce Pacific storm shut down a 150-mile stretch of highway in northern California Monday and left the southern part of the state bracing for heavy rainfall that authorities warned could cause more deadly mudslides and flash floods.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-30/s_11601.asp

Today's Press Releases (Become an Affiliate)
Direct from non-profit environmental and educational organizations.

University of North Carolina at Wilmington:
Shifting Baselines Releases Rotten Jellyfish Awards
Your Body, Your Superfund Site
In Med-Tech Center: A California environmental group ponies up to test for pollutants in humans. The results, regardless of organic food habits, sound like the problems of a toxics disposal site: pesticides, flame-retardants, lead and other toxins.

http://www.wired.com/news/medtech/0,1286,61753,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_8

Sunday, December 28, 2003

Limestone Under Sunset Siege:

I walked the path today,
Saw the crumbling limestone,
Foundations a shadow of when,
Simpler has gone or so we'd say,
Blacktop paved prairie paths,
Between tame milkweed ponds,
Canada geese sail a spring fed gravel pit,
And the only signs of amber waves,
Are crumbling limestone squares,
Planters for shrubs and trees,
Reminders of where children dreamt,
And people lived close to the land.

The sunset swore soft pastels,
It was late December and warm,
Barely ice on the water,
No speck of snow to see,
Just Canada geese and crumbling limestone,
In almost hidden shrub covered squares,
Buried under Prairie grasses seemingly freed,
I wonder how long the herons will be gone,
In this only place they still make little herons.

The ghosts are trembling amidst the crumbling limestone,
Under the barely chill sunset rays,
Looking at the sunfire on water,
Tied to disappearing haunts,
Even Winter holds their trembling ethereal hands,
Walking with them into faded memory,
Like the sun at the end of a beautiful day.

AquarianM

By: Daniel A. Stafford
(C) 12/27/2003

Author's Comments:
It all seemed to come together, the fading sun, the crumbling ruins you barely knew were there, the lateness of Winter. The world changes and it only seems slow.

Saturday, December 27, 2003

Direct from ENN Affiliates
Posted by non-profit environmental organizations and educational institutions:

Media Advisory - Mad Cow / BSE
Straus Communications
FULL RELEASE

Five Ways to Create Healthier Homes and Habitats in the New Year
Biodiversity Project
FULL RELEASE

Wildlife Brings £4.8 Billion to the UK Economy - Study
IUCN - The World Conservation Union
FULL RELEASE

LA's Ballona Wetlands Now Protected (CA)
The Trust for Public Land
FULL RELEASE

Historic Waterford, VA, Farm Protected
The Trust for Public Land
FULL RELEASE

ACEEE's Tips for Gifts that Keep on Giving
American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy
FULL RELEASE

Prestigious Getty Prize Awarded to Five Conservation Leaders
WWF-US Communications
FULL RELEASE

How to Reduce the Psychological Source of our Disturbed and Disturbing Relationships
Project NatureConnect, Institute of Global Education
FULL RELEASE

Green Business Network Translates Its Small-Business Guide into Spanish
GreenBiz.com
FULL RELEASE

Science into Policy: GreenFacts releases 2003 Conference Proceedings
GreenFacts Foundation
FULL RELEASE

Wanted: Records Related to Lobbying Blitz Hatched by Bush Administration and Energy Industry Officials
Natural Resources Defense Council
FULL RELEASE

NWF Takes Legal Action to Ensure Wolf Recovery in the Northeast
National Wildlife Federation
FULL RELEASE

Trout Unlimited Releases Fish Hatchery Reform Report
Trout Unlimited - Western Conservation Office
FULL RELEASE

Lomborg's Vindication Improves Chances for Sound Science to be Heard in Policy Debate
Competitive Enterprise Institute
FULL RELEASE

TPL Works With Potential Gardens Buyer (FL)
The Trust for Public Land
FULL RELEASE

Agreement to Protect Brainerd Lakes Forests (MN)
The Trust for Public Land
FULL RELEASE

Donation Helps Protect MN Bluffland
The Trust for Public Land
FULL RELEASE

New Study Uncovers Long Term, Unanticipated Damage from Oil Spills
Natural Resources Defense Council
FULL RELEASE

New Hybrid Vehicle Will Enable US Scientists to Reach Deepest Parts of the World Ocean Floor
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
FULL RELEASE

Friends of the National Zoo Names Thomas D. LaRock Executive Director
Friends of the National Zoo
FULL RELEASE

Click here to find out how you can get your organization's news, information and events seen by over 400,000 monthly visitors each month.
ENN Environmental News Network

Consumers prefer locally grown food, survey says
Three-quarters of respondents in a new survey say they reach for locally grown foods first. The study, conducted by researchers at the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University, polled consumers in 10 U.S. states.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-26/s_11550.asp

Green cotton and green cameras: ask EarthTalk
This week in EarthTalk: how to identify organic cotton, and the environmental difference between digital and analog cameras.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-26/s_11549.asp

In Asia, pollution spreads as economies boom
Every two years, Indonesia loses about 15,500 square miles of forest, an area roughly the size of Switzerland, to rapacious logging.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-26/s_11557.asp

Major earthquake devastates southeast Iranian city
More than 5,000 people were killed and up to 30,000 others injured Friday in a devastating dawn quake in southeast Iran. The government rushed to provide assistance to the thousands of people who were left without shelter in the winter cold.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-26/s_11555.asp

Australians urged to try kangaroo for holiday meals
Forget turkey and mince meat pies. This season, Australians are being urged to serve native foods such as smoked kangaroo with wild lime and brandy sauce and wattle seed pavlova.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-26/s_11552.asp

Four dead in California mudslides; rescuers search for missing
Searchers slogging through waist-high muck found four people dead Friday and looked for at least 12 others missing after mudslides engulfed two camps in the San Bernardino Mountains.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-26/s_11556.asp

Bush paves way for logging in Tongass
The Bush administration opened 300,000 more acres of Alaska's Tongass National Forest on Tuesday to possible logging or other development.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-26/s_11545.asp

EPA sets new pollution standards for two-wheelers
The Environmental Protection Agency set the first new emission standards for highway motorcycles in 25 years, and the first standards for small scooters and mopeds.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-26/s_11546.asp

Cactus moth eating its way across South
Native to South America, the gray-brown moth is a minor pest in the Southeast, dining on ornamentals and a few native species. But it could cause economic and environmental havoc in the American Southwest and in Mexico, which is where it is headed.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-26/s_11548.asp

Parched South Africa sets plan to fight drought
South Africa has drawn up an emergency program to help farmers and rural poor cope with a drought which is expected to slash key crops such as corn and sugar cane, a government ministry said Tuesday.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-26/s_11551.asp

Wednesday, December 24, 2003

Last Breath:

The Oil Demons breathed their last breath,
It was thunderous rejoicing,
Children need not die in the sands,
In the streets or in the far countryside,
Winter could someday come back home to stay,
Poison could leave the land and lakes and seas,
In the silence of golden sunlight,
In the peace wrought of whirling white blades,
In the bountiful cascade of rolling waters,
In the field of golden harvests,
The treasures of gold and heart,
Home again to stay, to stay,
And once the people finally believed,
That was when the monsters were no longer needed,
And we could all walk closer to what God gave us,
Even though it took so much horror and filth to understand,
Cleanliness IS next to Godliness,
Just expand the concept,
Because the entire world is your home.

AquarianM

By: Daniel A. Stafford
(C) 12/24/2003

Author's Comments:
My biggest Christmas wish is that people will truly see what oil is doing
to us and add their voices to the clamor for a clean life and world. It's
worth it!

Tuesday, December 23, 2003

New from Wired News: Nuclear Fusion Plant; But Where?
http://www.wired.com/news/print/0,1294,61685,00.html
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Great Lakes Daily News: 23 December 2003
A collaborative project of the Great Lakes Information Network and the Great
Lakes Radio Consortium.

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/


Northland waterways added to pollution list
----------------------------------------
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has added seven lakes and portions of
nine Lake Superior basin rivers and creeks to its list of 912 polluted state
waters. Source: Duluth News Tribune (12/23)


Environmentalists, officials concerned about U.P. drilling plans
----------------------------------------
The prospect of an Upper Peninsula mine generating dangerous acids has state
regulators and activists hustling to learn about a mining method rare in
Michigan. Source: Detroit Free Press (12/23)


State of progress
----------------------------------------
States are moving ahead on renewable energy reform, and Minnesota is one of
the leaders. Source: Earthwatch Radio (12/23)


EPA rules could increase smog from cars 50%
----------------------------------------
Smog from cars would grow by more than half in Chicago under a newly
proposed USEPA clean-air standards, according to the Washington-based
advocacy group Environmental Defense. Source: Chicago Sun-Times (12/23)


Soot on snow plays a role in global warming, study says
----------------------------------------
Soot produced mostly from diesel engines may have caused up to 25 percent of
global warming over the past century, with its biggest effect in northern
climates, top NASA scientists said Monday. Source: Milwaukee Journal
Sentinel (12/23)


Drop-off on Duluth docks
----------------------------------------
The former EVTAC plant is expected to shortly resume generating taconite
pellets for loading at Duluth Harbor, but the the benefits for the facility
may be short-lived. Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press (12/23)


Uncertain future in changes
----------------------------------------
After two years of malaise in many areas of the northern Minnesota's
economy, recent events and data point to positive change. But behind the
numbers, residents have varying views on the region's challenges and
opportunities. Source: Mesabi Daily News (12/23)


Bankruptcy court OKs Rouge sale to Russian steelmaker
----------------------------------------
A federal bankruptcy judge on Monday approved the sale of Rouge Industries
Inc.'s assets to Russian steelmaker Severstal. Source: Detroit Free Press
(12/22)


EDITORIAL: Stop soaking Ontario
----------------------------------------
Ontario is finally acting to get a handle on large-scale giveaways of water,
with the enactment of a moratorium on new commercial water-taking permits.
Source: The Toronto Star (12/22)


Wisconsin weather will match Arkansas
----------------------------------------
A retired UW-Madison professor predicts that Wisconsin summers will be an
average of 18 degrees warmer than they are now, unless steps are taken to
reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. Source: The Capital Times (12/22)


For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/
Did you miss a day of Daily News? Remember to use our searchable story
archive at http://www.great-lakes.net/news/inthenews.html


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Great Lakes Daily News is a collaborative project of the Great Lakes
Information Network (www.glin.net) and the Great Lakes Radio
Consortium (www.glrc.org), both based in Ann Arbor, Mich.
TO SUBSCRIBE and receive this Great Lakes news compendium daily, see
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From ENN Environmental News Network
E-mail Edition

Wind energy investment options are starting to fly
As the fastest-growing energy source in the world, abundant, safe, reliable and renewable wind power seems like a very promising investment opportunity. But no U.S.-based wind power companies are publicly traded.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-23/s_9206.asp

Diesel soot is big factor in global warming
Soot mostly from diesel engines is blocking snow and ice from reflecting sunlight, which is contributing to "near worldwide melting of ice" and as much as a quarter of all observed global warming, top NASA scientists say.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-23/s_11529.asp

U.S. government considers new fuel economy standards for SUVs
The Bush administration is looking at making larger SUVs, such as the Hummer H2, Ford Excursion and GMC Suburban, and large pickup trucks comply with federal fuel economy standards for the first time.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-23/s_11528.asp

Germans turn waste to energy
Germany has only a small amount of its own natural oil reserves, but an enterprising power plant chief believes it has found an alternative source of energy with a bright future in an aging nation: used incontinence pads.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-23/s_11525.asp

World Bank tells Thailand to clean up
Thailand can save millions of dollars in collection and disposal costs if it produces less garbage, but the country's booming economy is likely to result in more trash, according to a World Bank report released Monday.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-23/s_11531.asp

Creating new wetlands not so easy to do
But critics say that while it's not that hard to create a wet patch of ground, duplicating the biological richness and productivity of a natural wetland is difficult. And often, the manmade wetlands are far from the natural sites they were designed to replace.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-23/s_11532.asp

Fishing for a low-mercury dinner
Fish are heart-healthy, and most people should eat more. But fish also can contain mercury, and too much mercury can harm brain cells, especially in the very young.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-23/s_11530.asp

Philippine mudslide death toll rises, hope fades
Heavy rain threatened to trigger more mudslides and floods in the central Philippines on Monday, compounding a disaster that has buried villages and killed scores of people in an area stripped of trees by illegal logging.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-23/s_11526.asp

Earthquake rocks California coast
A powerful earthquake struck central California Monday, crushing two women to death in a cascade of rubble and causing high-rise buildings from San Francisco to Los Angeles to sway ominously.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-23/s_11527.asp

Today's Press Releases (Become an Affiliate)
Direct from non-profit environmental and educational organizations.

The Trust for Public Land:
LA's Ballona Wetlands Now Protected (CA)

The Trust for Public Land:
Historic Waterford, VA, Farm Protected

IUCN - The World Conservation Union:
Wildlife Brings £4.8 Billion to the UK Economy - Study
Great Lakes Daily News: 22 December 2003
A collaborative project of the Great Lakes Information Network and the Great
Lakes Radio Consortium.

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/


Toronto kickstarts recycling initiative
----------------------------------------
Ontario appears to be ready to take more steps to protect the environment,
diverting 60 percent of the province's garbage from landfills within the
next five years. Source: Great Lakes Radio Consortium (12/22)


Michigan bill targets invasive fish species
----------------------------------------
People who release invasive aquatic species such as bighead carp or
snakefish into state waters could go to prison for five years and pay as
much as $250,000 in fines, under a bill approved last week by the Michigan
House. Source: The Detroit News (12/22)


North Bass Island braces for change
----------------------------------------
Some on Ohio's North Bass Island fear that a state initiative to preserve it
by purchasing most of the land there will alter their lives for the worse.
Source: The Toledo Blade (12/22)


EDITORIAL: Toronto Port Authority adrift in a storm
----------------------------------------
Toronto is Canada's largest city, but as a commercial port, it's a minnow.
So why does it need a federal port authority? Source: The Toronto Star
(12/22)


Creating new wetlands not so easy to do
----------------------------------------
Newsday (12/22)
Wetlands mitigation is gaining popularity as a way to promote development
while protecting the environment, but critics say artificial wetlands are
poor substitutes for the natural ones they are built to replace. Source:


Worrisome fish find raises spectre of invasive species in Great Lakes
----------------------------------------
A species of Asian carp discovered in Lake Ontario has again raised the
spectre of invasive species in Canada as authorities across the country
struggle to keep various imported pests at bay. Source: Canadian Press
(12/21)


Selective mooring measure proposed
----------------------------------------
A Michigan lawmaker is proposing legislation to benefit lakefront property
owners by banning others from mooring boats in Great Lakes waters off their
land. Source: Traverse City Record-Eagle (12/21)


The greening of Ontario
----------------------------------------
The Ontario Liberals are working overtime on painting their government green
in an attempt to return the province to the days when its environmental
reputation was recognized around the world. Source: The Toronto Star (12/20)


Town officials sound off on fringe development
----------------------------------------
A proposal to limit development within a fringe area around La Crosse, Wisc.
will prevent farmers from retiring and selling their farms for development,
town officials have said. Source: La Crosse Tribune (12/19)


EDITORIAL: Firm position protecting lake is right approach
----------------------------------------
A resolution passed unanimously by the Ohio House of Representatives shows
that state lawmakers are standing firm in their opposition to siphoning
water from Lake Erie. Source: The Fremont News-Messenger (12/19)

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/
Did you miss a day of Daily News? Remember to use our searchable story
archive at http://www.great-lakes.net/news/inthenews.html


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Great Lakes Daily News is a collaborative project of the Great Lakes
Information Network (www.glin.net) and the Great Lakes Radio
Consortium (www.glrc.org), both based in Ann Arbor, Mich.
TO SUBSCRIBE and receive this Great Lakes news compendium daily, see
www.glin.net/forms/dailynews_form.html or send an e-mail message to
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the quotes) in the body of the message.
TO UNSUBSCRIBE: Send a message to majordomo@great-lakes.net with the
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Sunday, December 21, 2003

***** International Conference- Water India 4- Water Resources Development- Flood
Control, Irrigation, Drinking Water, Waterways, Hydro Electric Power and its
Transmission System *****
February 3- 4, 2004; Hotel Hyatt Regency, New Delhi. INDIA.

www.IndiaCore.com announces the International Conference- 'Water India 4
- Water Resources Development - Flood Control, Irrigation, Drinking Water, Waterways,
Hydro Electric Power and its Transmission System'.


>>>> Conference Topics <<


- Sustainable Water Resources Development- Especially in Developing Countries
- Inter-State Water Resources Development Schemes- Problems and Solutions
- Drinking Water, Ground Water & Waste Water Management Issues
- Water Quality & Health Aspects
- Navigation, Inland Waterways Transport
- Flood Control Management, Irrigation & Role of Dams
- Necessity of Storage/ Large & Small Dams- Their Design and Management
- Hydro Power Potential Development & Opportunities
- Role of Private Sector in Various Development Projects
- Developer's Responsibilities and Government Role
- Environment & Social Aspects- Rehabilitation & Resettlement
- Legal and Legislative Issues
- Role of Satellite & other Communication equipments
- Financing Issues and Role Of Financial Agencies
- Restructuring Of Power System, Privatization Of Transmission & Distribution
System


>>>> Participation <<


The Conference would offer a unique opportunity of two days full of informative
and innovative conference sessions, and many networking opportunities. It would
provide direct access to policy makers, decision taking authority, planners and
senior executives in the Water Industry and various utilities as also manufacturers
& consultants.

The earlier Conferences in the biannual series on Water India were well received.
Delegates from both developed and developing countries participated in these
conferences and discussed technological advancement that had taken place in the
area of water resources development.

The Hon'ble Union Minister of Power and Union Minister of Water Resources, Government
of India have been invited to address the delegates. Hon'ble Minister of State
for Power, Government of India- Smt. Jayawanti Mehta has confirmed her participation.
Several leading players have already confirmed their participation. Some of the
prominent speakers are:

- Prof Raymond Lafitte, President, International Hydro Power Association, Switzerland
- Ms Alison Bartle, Editor, Hydropower & Dams, UK
- Mr Francois Lemperiere, Chairman, Hydrocoop (Hydro-Cooperation), France
- Dr. H.R.Sharma, Adviser on Water & Energy, Ministry of Public Utilities, Mauritius
- Mr C V J Verma, President, ICOLD & Member, CIGRE

IndiaCore.com invites your participation in the Conference. The participation
fee is Rs 7500 per participant for participants from India & SAARC Countries
and US$ 300 per participant for participants from other Countries. Registered
Users of www.IndiaCore.com & some other categories are eligible for discounted
Delegate Registration Rates. All participants including authors have to register
to attend the Conference. Please note that funds are not available to sponsor
participation, travel or lodging expenses.

For further details & online registration, please visit

http://www.indiacore.com/ic-conf/10-feb2004-cpu-water-india/index.html

To confirm your participation please send us your contact details alongwith your
registration fee through Cheque/ Draft drawn in favor of 'International Publications
& Information Services' payable at New Delhi, India. International delegates
can send the fees through SWIFT transfer (electronic transfer) in our Bank account
or through draft or through Western Union transfer. In case of a SWIFT transfer,
please contact us for our Bank Account details.

We would request you to confirm your participation at the earliest. For any clarifications,
please feel free to write to us at ipis@vsnl.net or contact us at
Tel: +91- +11- 2554 2551/ 5158 9329. We look forward to your participation in the Conference.

Thanks & Best Regards

Priya Kapoor (Ms)
www.IndiaCore.com
email: ipis@vsnl.net / ipis@bol.net.in / info@IndiaCore.com
Address: International Publications & Information Services
114 B, Jaina Tower II, District Centre, Janak Puri,
New Delhi 110 058. INDIA.

PS: Please help circulate wherever appropriate. If you know of other people who
would be interested in this Conference, please forward them this email or send
them the following website address for details: www.IndiaCore.com.

Thanks!!!

Saturday, December 20, 2003

Find these stories and much, much more at: ENN.com

Consumer products start and end with nature
Christmas season means advertising season. Local mailboxes and newspapers laden with flyers. Children pleading for the latest toys they've seen on television. Awash in consumer products and commercials, it's easy to forget where all this stuff comes from and where it goes.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-19/s_11496.asp

Battle rages with Ecuador Indians over jungle oil
In a steamy jungle of winding laurel trees and sprawling palms, a battle is raging between Ecuadorean Indians trying to protect land rights and oil companies who want to drill in the Amazon.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-19/s_11468.asp

Cruise ship engineers indicted on charges of hiding dumping
Three cruise ship engineers were indicted Thursday on charges of falsifying log books to conceal the dumping of waste oil at sea.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-19/s_11495.asp

Nevada prepares case against nuclear waste dump
Nevada's legal team will tell a federal appeals court that the government is trying to store nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain even though it does not meet the original legal requirements for a dump, lawyers said.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-19/s_11491.asp

Amnesty says Miami police may have broken UN laws
Police in Miami may have violated various international laws and covenants on civil rights and use of force when they crushed protests against a free trade meeting last month, rights group Amnesty International said.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-19/s_11493.asp

Federal scientists say Missouri River flow hurts birds
Government-controlled flows along the lower Missouri River, relied upon by farmers and barge operators to get grain to markets, threaten the endangered pallid sturgeon, federal biologists report.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-19/s_11490.asp

European fishery officials inching toward agreement
Following all-night negotiations, European Union talks on protecting both dwindling fish stocks and fishing fleets entered a third day Friday, with fisheries ministers slowly moving toward consensus, officials said.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-19/s_11492.asp

Judge calls for investigation into U.S. 'ghost ships'
A High Court judge has called for an "urgent investigation" into how to deal with the four so-called "ghost ships" currently docked in northeast England and facing an uncertain future.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-19/s_11489.asp

Biologists hopeful most fish survived burned aquarium
After waiting two days to find out the fate of nearly 5,000 fish caught in a fire that swept through a building housing Europe's second biggest aquarium, biologists said that more than they had expected survived.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-19/s_11467.asp

Today's Press Releases (Become an Affiliate)
Direct from non-profit environmental and educational organizations.

Competitive Enterprise Institute:
Lomborg's Vindication Improves Chances for Sound Science to be Heard in Policy Debate

The Trust for Public Land:
TPL Works With Potential Gardens Buyer (FL)

The Trust for Public Land:
Agreement to Protect Brainerd Lakes Forests (MN)

Trout Unlimited - Western Conservation Office:
Trout Unlimited Releases Fish Hatchery Reform Report

The Trust for Public Land:
Donation Helps Protect MN Bluffland

GreenBiz.com:
Green Business Network Translates Its Small-Business Guide into Spanish

GreenFacts Foundation:
Science into Policy: GreenFacts releases 2003 Conference Proceedings

National Wildlife Federation:
NWF Takes Legal Action to Ensure Wolf Recovery in the Northeast

Project NatureConnect, Institute of Global Education:
How to Reduce the Psychological Source of our Disturbed and Disturbing Relationships
Great Lakes Daily News: 19 December 2003
A collaborative project of the Great Lakes Information Network and the Great
Lakes Radio Consortium.

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/


Residents to keep fighting dock fees
----------------------------------------
The battle continues over whether homeowners along the Chicago River's North
Branch should have to pay costly fees for the right to keep the boat docks,
decks and patios that have been built on what is technically public land.
Source: Chicago Tribune (12/19)


Coho site to be sold today
----------------------------------------
The 540-acre Coho site along the Lake Erie shoreline in western Erie County
will have a new owner by the end of the day, the first step to making it
public land and perhaps a new state park. Source: Erie Times-News (12/19)


Officials happy with penalties imposed in ash borer case
----------------------------------------
Officials battling the highly destructive emerald ash borer said they are
thrilled that a Michigan judge recently imposed the maximum sentence on a
landscaping firm found to be in violation of that state's quarantine for
shipping infested trees to Maryland this year. Source: The Toledo Blade
(12/19)


EDITORIAL: Preventing toxic trash
----------------------------------------
Trash haulers in Michigan must abide by state laws before dumping their
trash in our landfills, so the same laws should apply to out-of-state trash
haulers, whether they are from Canada or any neighboring state. Source: The
Macomb Daily (12/19)


Gala to mark Christmas tree ship fate
----------------------------------------
A celebration of the historic significance of the Christmas Tree Ship
sinking in Lake Michigan on Nov. 23, 1912 will take place this Saturday at
11:45 am. Source: Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter (12/19)


Ontario government turns tap off
----------------------------------------
The Ontario government announced Thursday it will consider legislation that
would force companies such as bottled water producers to pay a royalty fee
on the water they use. Source: The Globe and Mail (12/18)


US Steel submits bid for Rouge Steel
----------------------------------------
U.S. Steel Corp. said Thursday it has submitted a bid for assets of Rouge
Steel Co., a move that challenges a nonbinding letter of intent
Dearborn-based Rouge signed with Russian steelmaker Severstal. Source:
Detroit Free Press (12/18)


Niagara Falls survivor sentenced for stunt
----------------------------------------
A Michigan man who survived an unprotected plunge over Niagara Falls was
fined $3,000 ($2,260 U.S.) Thursday and ordered to stay out of Niagara Park
for a year. Source: Detroit Free Press (12/18)


High pesticide levels wash up in Ohio waters
----------------------------------------
Some of the nation's highest pesticide levels have turned up in streambed
sediment and fish in southwest Ohio waters, a U.S. Interior Department
official said Wednesday. Source: Dayton Daily News (12/17)

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/
Did you miss a day of Daily News? Remember to use our searchable story
archive at http://www.great-lakes.net/news/inthenews.html


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Great Lakes Daily News is a collaborative project of the Great Lakes
Information Network (www.glin.net) and the Great Lakes Radio
Consortium (www.glrc.org), both based in Ann Arbor, Mich.
TO SUBSCRIBE and receive this Great Lakes news compendium daily, see
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Thursday, December 18, 2003

News for December 18, 2003 archive from ENN...

Take a chemical inventory of your home

Are you feeling tired most of the time? Does your spouse have a continuous cold
and your child a mysterious rash? Chemical sensitivities could be responsible
for these ailments.
FULL STORY: http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-18/s_9205.asp

Soybeans: the new threat to Brazilian rainforest

Brazilian scientists have developed a new variety of soybean to flourish in this
punishing equatorial climate. Brazilian farmers are rushing into the jungle to
take advantage of cheap land and cash in on the bumper crop.
FULL STORY: http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-18/s_11441.asp

European Parliament backs polluter-pays rules proposal

The European Parliament has backed proposed legislation designed to force industry
and others in the European Union that pollute the environment to pay for the mess
they make.
FULL STORY: http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-18/s_11442.asp

Air quality in Asia is still bad, but it's improving

Pollution in the skies over Asia's booming cities is responsible for 500,000 deaths
every year and the working lives of many are shortened by health problems from
breathing filthy air, experts said Wednesday.
FULL STORY: http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-18/s_11438.asp

Judge rules for Puget Sound orcas

A federal judge ordered the government to rethink its finding that Washington state's
struggling orca population is not significant and does not warrant protection under
the Endangered Species Act.
FULL STORY: http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-18/s_11440.asp

E.U. nations are near compromise on fishing crisis

Italy presented new proposals Wednesday to break deadlock between European Union
nations seeking stringent controls to protect threatened fish stocks and those
demanding more leeway for their fishers.
FULL STORY: http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-18/s_11443.asp

Loss of habitat endangers reindeer in Norway

As children count down to the arrival of Rudolph, scientists warned that the
remaining wild reindeer in Norway are under threat as construction projects have
encroached on their natural habitat, forcing them into smaller areas with poor
food supplies.
FULL STORY: http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-18/s_11444.asp

Putting penguins in cold storage

The venerable California Academy of Sciences is shutting its doors on Dec. 31, and
its 18 million specimens, alive and long, long dead, are being moved. The old cement
building, a fixture in Golden Gate Park since 1916, will be razed to make way for a
new $370 million structure, a marvel of eco-friendly design.
FULL STORY: http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-18/s_11439.asp

St. Martin whale beachings remain a mystery

Blood tests taken to determine why three dozen whales beached themselves in St. Martin
last month were insufficient to determine the cause of their deaths, a French official
said Wednesday.
FULL STORY: http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-18/s_11466.asp


Direct from environmental organizations, lobbying groups, universities and businesses:

Green Business Network Translates Its Small-Business Guide into Spanish
GreenBiz.com
http://www.enn.com/direct/display-release.asp?objid=D1D1364B000000F9857FDAEE61F5A4AB

How to Reduce the Psychological Source of our Disturbed and Disturbing Relationships
Project NatureConnect, Institute of Global Education
http://www.enn.com/direct/display-release.asp?objid=D1D1366D000000F9887507A46F709969

Science into Policy: GreenFacts releases 2003 Conference Proceedings
GreenFacts Foundation
http://www.enn.com/direct/display-release.asp?objid=D1D1364B000000F989C6E1C26E2E1F28

NWF Takes Legal Action to Ensure Wolf Recovery in the Northeast
National Wildlife Federation
http://www.enn.com/direct/display-release.asp?objid=D1D1366D000000F989EE4578EB3103FB

Trout Unlimited Releases Fish Hatchery Reform Report
Trout Unlimited - Western Conservation Office
http://www.enn.com/direct/display-release.asp?objid=D1D1364B000000F98AC2D8246E2E23FF

Wednesday, December 17, 2003

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Earth Policy news: Wakeup Call on the Food Front
Date: Tue, 16 Dec 2003 16:47:26 -0500
From: Reah Janise Kauffman rjkauffman@earth-policy.org
To:


Eco-Economy Update 2003-11 Please share with a friend!
For Immediate Release
Copyright Earth Policy Institute 2003
December 16, 2003

WAKEUP CALL ON THE FOOD FRONT
http://www.earth-policy.org/Updates/Update31.htm

Lester R. Brown
(This piece first appeared in the Washington Post on Sunday, December 15,
2003, entitled "Dry, With a Chance of a Grain Shortage.")


While Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and President Bush discussed Taiwan,
currency rates and North Korea on December 9, a more important and
far-reaching development in U.S.-China relations was going on far from the
White House.

Under the North China Plain, which produces half of China's wheat and a
third of its corn, water tables are falling by 3 to 10 feet per year. Along
with rising temperatures and the loss of cropland to non-farm uses, this
trend is shrinking the Chinese grain harvest, which has fallen in four of
the past five years. To get an idea of the magnitude, the harvest dropped by
66 million tons during that period, an amount that exceeds the total annual
grain harvest of Canada, one of the world's leading grain exporters.

Thus far China has covered its growing grain shortfall by drawing down its
once-massive stocks. It can do this for perhaps one more year before those
stocks are depleted. Then it will have to turn to the world market for major
purchases. The odds are that within the next few years the United States
will be loading two or three ships per day with grain destined for China.
This long line of ships stretching across the Pacific will function like a
huge umbilical cord between the two countries.

This isn't only a question of U.S.-China relations, but also one of the
relationship between the Earth's 6.3 billion people and its natural
resources, especially water. Food production is a water-intensive process.
Producing a ton of grain requires a thousand tons of water, which helps
explain why 70 percent of all water diverted from rivers or pumped from
underground goes for irrigation.

The tripling of world water demand over the past half-century, combined with
the advent of diesel and electrically driven pumps, has led to extensive
overpumping of aquifers. As a result, more than half the world's people now
live in countries where water tables are falling and wells are going dry.
Among these countries are the three that account for half of the world grain
harvest: China, India and the United States. In India, water tables are
falling in most states, including the Punjab, that nation's breadbasket. In
the United States, aquifers are being depleted under the southern Great
Plains and throughout the Southwest, including California.

If the world is facing a future of water shortages, then it is also facing a
future of food shortages.

To be sure, it is difficult to trace long-term trends in food production,
which fluctuates with weather, prices and the spread of farm technology to
developing countries. In one of the major economic achievements of the last
half-century, China raised its grain output from 90 million tons in 1950 to
392 million tons in 1998. Since then, though, China's production appears to
have peaked, dropping by 66 million tons, or 17 percent. (See data
http://www.earth-policy.org/Updates/Update31_data.htm.)

As a result, it seems likely that China will ultimately need to buy 30, 40
or 50 million tons of grain a year, and then it will have to turn to the
United States, which accounts for nearly half of the world's grain exports.
Imports on this unprecedented scale will create a fascinating geopolitical
situation: China, with 1.3 billion consumers and foreign exchange reserves
of $384 billion-enough to buy the entire U.S. grain harvest eight times
over-will suddenly be competing with American consumers for U.S. grain, in
all likelihood driving up food prices.

For the first time in their history, the Chinese will be dependent on the
outside world for food supplies. And U.S. consumers will realize that, like
it or not, they will be sharing their food with Chinese consumers.

Managing the flow of grain to satisfy the needs of both countries
simultaneously will not be easy because it could come amid a shift from a
world of chronic food surpluses to one of food scarcity. Exporters will be
tempted to restrict the flow of grain in order to maintain price stability
at home, as the United States did 30 years ago when world grain stocks were
at record lows and wheat and rice prices doubled. But today the United
States has a major stake in a stable China because China is a major trading
partner whose large economy is the locomotive of Asia.

The pressure on world food markets may alter the relationship between
exporting and importing countries, changing the focus of international trade
negotiations from greater access to markets for exporting countries such as
the United States to assured access to food supplies for China and the 100
or so countries that already import grain.

The prospect of food and water scarcity emerges against a backdrop of
concern about global warming. New research by crop ecologists at the
International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines and at the U.S.
Department of Agriculture indicates that a 1-degree-Celsius rise in
temperature (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) above the optimum during the growing
season leads to a 10 percent decline in yields of rice, wheat and corn. With
four of the past six years being the warmest on record, grain harvests are
suffering. High temperatures lowered harvests last year in India and the
United States and scorched crops this year from France to Ukraine.

The new combination of falling water tables and rising temperatures, along
with trends such as soil erosion, has led to four consecutive shortfalls in
the world grain harvest. This year production fell short of consumption by a
record 92 million tons. These shortages have reduced world grain stocks to
their lowest levels in 30 years.

If we have a shortfall in 2004 that is even half the size of this year's,
food prices will be rising worldwide by this time next year. You won't have
to read about it in the commodity pages. It will be evident at the
supermarket checkout counter. During the fall of 2003, wheat and rice prices
rose 10 percent to 30 percent in world markets, and even more in some parts
of China. These rises may only be the warning tremors before the earthquake.

We can, however, take measures to improve world food security. We could
recognize that population growth and environmental trends threaten economic
progress and political stability just as terrorism does. Since the
overwhelming majority of the nearly 3 billion people expected to be born
during this half-century will be in countries where water tables are already
falling and wells are running dry, filling the family planning gap and
creating a social environment to foster smaller families is urgent.

The situation with water today is new, but similar to that with land a
half-century ago. Coming out of World War II, we looked toward the end of
the century and saw enormous projected growth in population but little new
land to plow. The result was a concentrated international effort to raise
land productivity; boosting the world grain yields from just over one ton
per hectare in 1950 to nearly three tons today. We now need a similar global
full-court press to raise water productivity, by shifting to more
water-efficient crops, improving irrigation and recycling urban water
supplies.

As it becomes apparent that higher temperatures are shrinking harvests and
raising food prices, a powerful new consumer lobby could emerge in support
of cutting carbon emissions by moving to a hydrogen-based economy. It is a
commentary on the complexity of our time that decisions made in ministries
of energy may have a greater effect on future food security than those made
in ministries of agriculture.

# # #

For a more detailed discussion see Plan B: Rescuing a Planet Under Stress
and a Civilization in Trouble.

Additional data and information sources at www.earth-policy.org
or contact jlarsen@earth-policy.org
For reprint permission contact rjkauffman@earth-policy.org
Great Lakes Daily News: 17 December 2003
A collaborative project of the Great Lakes Information Network and the Great
Lakes Radio Consortium.

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/


2004 could be Year of the Lakes
----------------------------------------
At an Albany news conference Tuesday, a coalition of state and national
environmental groups said that 2004 will be the most important year for the
Great Lakes since the 1972 passage of the Clean Water Act. Source: Rochester
Democrat and Chronicle (12/17)


EDITORIAL: Mercury in fish
----------------------------------------
It's time for Michigan to advise its residents on high mercury levels in
some fish, including tuna. Source: Detroit Free Press (12/17)


Ice Mountain gains a reprieve
----------------------------------------
With support from Gov. Jennifer Granholm's administration, a controversial
bottling plant won an emergency appeal to continue pumping spring water.
Source: Detroit Free Press (12/17)


Green law curbs sprawl in Ontario's Golden Horseshoe
----------------------------------------
Development will be banned for a year on more than 243,000 hectares of
agricultural and rural lands in Ontario ranging from Niagara Falls to Lake
Scugog while debate on the permanent greenbelt takes place. Source: The
Toronto Star (12/17)


EDITORIAL: Tug of war on Minnesota's watersheds
----------------------------------------
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty is catching flak from the state's major farm
organizations over a proposal to protect soil and water in three of
Minnesota's important watersheds. Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune (12/17)


COMMENTARY: Don't retreat on steel tariffs
----------------------------------------
The worst thing about the domestic steel industry collapse is how blind
we've become to the way our economic openness is being used against us.
Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press (12/17)


Minnesota hopes to waive mercury-cleanup plans for waterways
----------------------------------------
Hoping to cut costs and lessen future restrictions on developers, the
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is trying to persuade the federal
government to waive potentially elaborate cleanup plans for state lakes and
rivers contaminated by mercury. Source: Duluth News Tribune (12/17)


Wolverine makes history in Ontario
----------------------------------------
A ongoing project to study wolverines in Ontario has produced the first
live-trapped and radio-collared wolverine in the province's history. Source:
The Thunder Bay-Chronicle (12/16)

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/
Did you miss a day of Daily News? Remember to use our searchable story
archive at http://www.great-lakes.net/news/inthenews.html


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Information Network (www.glin.net) and the Great Lakes Radio
Consortium (www.glrc.org), both based in Ann Arbor, Mich.
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In from Earth Technology Digest on Yahoo! Groups:

Date: Wed, 17 Dec 2003 08:24:36 -0600
From: "Ed Blume" eblume@renewwisconsin.org
Subject: Excellent Web video on global warming

An excellent short (~3min.) powerful video is now available via the
Web as the launch of a campaign on global warming put together by
Leonardo Dicaprio.

Just open the link and then launch the movie.
http://www.leonardodicaprio.org/globalwarninglaunch.html
Lost Fijian bird still singing and other stories
This week in California Wild: a bird scientists thought was extict sings again; an insight into the mysterious death of Alexander the Great; and the power of collective begging.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-17/s_11036.asp

E.U. insists its support for Kyoto policy unwavering
European Commission President Romano Prodi insisted the European Union's support for the Kyoto Protocol was unwavering Tuesday, after a commissioner said the E.U. must prepare for the possible failure of the global warming treaty.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-17/s_11386.asp
Great Lakes Daily News: 16 December 2003
A collaborative project of the Great Lakes Information Network and the Great
Lakes Radio Consortium.

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/


EPA offers 2 options on mercury
----------------------------------------
The EPA is presenting two options for reducing mercury emissions from
coal-burning power plants: one through national emissions caps and selling
clean-air "credits," the other through uniform reductions at every plant.
Source: The Cleveland Plain Dealer (12/16)


Conservationists to restore major Illinois wetland
----------------------------------------
The largest wetland restoration project in the United States outside the
Florida Everglades is under way on the Illinois River, in a 10,000-acre area
known as Emiquon. Source: Chicago Sun-Times (12/16)


Cleveland Port Authority wants out of fun business
----------------------------------------
When it comes to North Coast Harbor, the Port of Cleveland would prefer to
manage all work and no play. Source: The Cleveland Plain Dealer (12/16)


Wisconsin builders hope to wriggle out of protecting snake
----------------------------------------
An association of building contractors from the Milwaukee area is urging the
state to consider removing the rare Butler garter snake from a list of
species that receive special protection in Wisconsin. Source: Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel (12/15)


Ice Mountain appeals to continue water withdrawals
----------------------------------------
A Nestle subsidiary that makes Ice Mountain bottled water on Monday asked
the Michigan Court of Appeals for emergency relief from a judge's order to
stop tapping springs that are its sole water source. Source: Booth
Newspapers (12/15)


COMMENTARY: State's head-on approach will help phase out mercury emissions
----------------------------------------
While the debate continues on what is the best way for the nation to reduce
mercury emissions, Michigan is working on its own solution. Source: Detroit
Free Press (12/15)


Ferry plies uncharted waters in lake travel
----------------------------------------
A futuristic catamaran ferry now being built will whisk passengers and their
cars across Lake Michigan at speeds of 40 m.p.h., beginning in June. Source:
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (12/14)


$900,000 grant a letdown for dune advocates
----------------------------------------
Hopes for a $10.7 million state grant to bring 161 beachfront acres near
Saugatuck, Mich., into the public fold mostly fizzled last week as the state
offered just a fraction of the total. Source: The Grand Rapids Press (12/11)


For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/
Did you miss a day of Daily News? Remember to use our searchable story
archive at http://www.great-lakes.net/news/inthenews.html


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Great Lakes Daily News is a collaborative project of the Great Lakes
Information Network (www.glin.net) and the Great Lakes Radio
Consortium (www.glrc.org), both based in Ann Arbor, Mich.
TO SUBSCRIBE and receive this Great Lakes news compendium daily, see
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World Economic Forum creates global greenhouse gas register
The World Economic Forum is creating a Global Greenhouse Gas Register to facilitate the disclosure and management by companies of their worldwide climate emissions.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-16/s_11339.asp


Russia's delay prompts E.U. to review Kyoto policy
The European Union must review its strategy of backing the Kyoto Protocol on global warming as Russian hesitations over the accord have put its implementation in doubt, the bloc's top energy official said Monday.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-16/s_11332.asp


EPA goes soft on heavy metal power plant emissions
Days after a scientific panel urged the government to strongly warn pregnant women and children about mercury levels in certain fish, the Bush administration is proposing to give power plants up to 15 years to install technology to reduce mercury pollution.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-16/s_11330.asp


Supreme Court takes Cheney energy task force case
The Supreme Court said Monday it would decide whether Vice President Dick Cheney must release White House papers about the energy policy task force he headed two years ago.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-16/s_11331.asp


Clean Air-Cool Planet:
DVD to help individuals, groups take action to fight global warming

Tuesday, December 16, 2003

Incoming e-mail looking for help connecting with hydrogen producers:

Hello, I have developed a method that can dramatically improve
efficiency of H2 production via electrolysis.

Is anyone involved in offshore commercial hydrogen production?

Is anyone involved in residential hydrogen production units?

I need to establish contact with an organization or company involved in these endeavors.

Thank you, and please contact me at:

Steve Wait
caractacus@charter.net
On-line registration is NOW AVAILABLE for Global WINDPOWER 2004 Conference and Exhibition being held March 28 - 31, 2004 in Chicago, Illinois USA.

Register on-line at www.awea.org/global04/registration.html to save time and receive instant confirmation.

You cannot afford to miss Global WINDPOWER 2004 Conference and Exhibition, with:

* 60
* international co-sponsoring organizations 150+
* speakers presenting on 40 different wind energy topics 175+
* exhibitors showcasing their products and services 150,000
* square feet of exhibition space 3,000+
attendees and visitors

Addressing the very international nature of the wind energy industry, the conference program was developed around the theme: The Future of Wind Energy - an International Perspective on the Vision, Goals, and Challenges facing the wind energy industry. Speakers from around the world will share their experiences, research, and insight to promote greater communication and learning among the international wind energy community.

Visit our recently updated website (www.awea.org/global04.html) for more information about Global WINDPOWER 2004 including:

* Conference Sessions
* - with specific speaker and presentation information coming soon Special Events
* - including information about the pre-conference seminars, opening reception, awards banquet, and post-conference tours Travel Discounts
* - airfare, rental car and airport shuttle partnerships Discounted Conference Hotels
* Updated Exhibition Floorplan & List of Exhibitors
* - space is selling quickly! Sponsorship Information
* - great sponsorship opportunities still available! Registration Details
- everything you need to know to register for the conference.

Do you need more information or have questions?
Registration Questions & Sponsorship Opportunities - contact Stefanie Brown at sbrown@awea.org or (202) 383-2512
Exhibition Opportunities - contact Stephen Miner at sminer@awea.org or (202) 383-2504
Conference Program Questions - contact Sakura Emerine at semerine@awea.org or (202) 383-2540

We look forward to seeing you in Chicago, Illinois on March 28 - 31, 2004!

Stefanie Brown
Conference Manager
American Wind Energy Association
122 C Street NW, Suite 380
Washington, DC 20001

(202) 383-2512 - direct
(202) 383-2500 - main
(202) 383-2505 - fax

Web: http://www.awea.org/
Email: sbrown@awea.org

The World of Wind Energy is coming together at Global WINDPOWER 2004!
Global WINDPOWER 2004 Conference & Exhibition
March 28 - 31, 2004
McCormick Place
Chicago, Illinois USA
www.awea.org/global04.html

Saturday, December 13, 2003

Great Lakes Daily News: 12 December 2003
A collaborative project of the Great Lakes Information Network and the Great
Lakes Radio Consortium.

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/


Michigan trash import critics laud House bill
----------------------------------------
Michigan's anti-trash forces hope that Wednesday night's passage of a state
House bill pertaining to out-of-state waste will help bolster efforts to
curb garbage imports from Canada, Ohio, and other locales beyond their state
's border. Source: The Toledo Blade (12/12)


Fast ferry named Spirit of Ontario
----------------------------------------
The high-speed ferry between Rochester and Toronto now has a name - The
Spirit of Ontario. Source: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (12/12)


Bottled-water plant aims to stay afloat
----------------------------------------
A case with potential ramifications for the Great Lakes is to reach a new
juncture today, when a major bottled-water manufacturer presents its
argument to continue drawing spring water from four west Michigan wells.
Source: The Toledo Blade (12/12)


Giant muskie haul raises hopes of St. Lawrence stock recovery
----------------------------------------
Anglers, fishing guides and monster hunters are abuzz with news that a slew
of mammoth muskies were pulled from the St. Lawrence River near Gananoque,
all on the same weekend. Source: The Kingston Whig-Standard (12/12)


Indiana has worst mercury site
----------------------------------------
According to a report from a national environmental group, a 22-square-mile
area north of Fort Wayne is the most mercury-contaminated spot in the
country, the result of power plants in northwest Indiana and the Chicago
area. Source: The Indianapolis Star (12/12)


Opinions mixed on extending perch limit
----------------------------------------
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources representatives received input
Thursday from area fishermen on a proposed rule change that would affect the
recreational and commercial angler's take of yellow perch in the bay of
Green Bay. Source: Green Bay Press-Gazette (12/12)


No Place Like Home
----------------------------------------
Asian carp are like underwater vacuum cleaners, and people in the Upper
Midwest are worried about what they'll do as they swim upstream. Source:
Earthwatch Radio (12/12)


EDITORIAL: Focusing on 'brownfields' protects tender-fruit land
----------------------------------------
We are gratified to see the steps now being taken by the Region of Niagara
to revitalize vacant industrial sites by promoting them as areas for
commercial or industrial development, a practical alternative to urban
sprawl. Source: The St. Catharines Standard (12/11)


Ohio House passes Lake Erie boundary bill
----------------------------------------
Ohio House members Wednesday approved a bill to use the water of Lake Erie
as the boundary between public and private coastal land. Source: The
Fremont News-Messenger (12/11)


For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/
Did you miss a day of Daily News? Remember to use our searchable story
archive at http://www.great-lakes.net/news/inthenews.html


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OPEC wants aid if world shifts to renewable energies
Row clouds last day of Kyoto climate talks

Friday, December 12, 2003 Posted: 9:35 AM EST (1435 GMT)
Row clouds last day of Kyoto climate talks

MILAN, Italy (Reuters) -- A dispute over aid to OPEC states clouded the last day of a U.N. conference on global warming on Friday with the Kyoto protocol hanging by a thread amid uncertainties over Russian ratification.

http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/science/12/12/climate.kyoto.reut/index.html
Report: Earth's magnetic field fading
Slight chance of flipping magnetic poles

http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/science/12/12/magnetic.poles.ap/index.html

Friday, December 12, 2003

International Policy Network:
Kyoto Protocol is irrelevant to the spread of disease says expert
American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy:
While Feds Falter, States Forge Ahead: Energy Efficiency Innovation at the State Level
Six years after Kyoto, negotiations and frustrations persist
Backers of the U.N.'s Kyoto protocol on curbing global warming marked a frustrating anniversary Thursday, facing a dispute over aid to oil producers and Russian scepticism that could ruin the entire pact.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-12/s_11253.asp
OECD said to reach deal on environmental standards
The 30 nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development have agreed in principle to strengthen environmental standards for companies bidding on contracts to build dams, power plants, roads, and other projects around the world with funding from export credit agencies, U.S. officials said on Thursday.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-12/s_11252.asp
E.U. environment chief says greenhouse gas emission trading scheme is ready
European Union companies are gearing up to take advantage of an emissions-trading mechanism to help the bloc meet Kyoto Protocol targets on combatting greenhouse gas buildup, the E.U.'s environment chief said.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-12/s_11260.asp

Thursday, December 11, 2003

International Policy Network:
Experts say Kyoto violates Framework Convention; call on ministers to adopt adaptation strategy
United Nations Environment Programme:
Weather Related Natural Disasters in 2003 Cost the World Billions
E.U. fishers protest protections for depleted fish stocks
Angry fishers handed out free fish in Belgium, blocked ports across France, and kept British ferries from crossing the English Channel on Wednesday to protest proposed E.U. cuts on commercial catches of cod, hake, and other dwindling varieties.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-11/s_11219.asp

Kenyan fishers at odds with flower farms
Two Kenyan fishers land their canoe on the edge of Lake Naivasha, tipping their silver catch on the grass under the eager eyes of their employer.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-11/s_11213.asp

Prehistoric human activity may have affected global climate
Measurements of ancient air bubbles trapped in Antarctic ice offered evidence that humans have been changing the global climate since thousands of years before the industrial revolution.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-11/s_11220.asp

U.S. environmentalists sue over Alaska logging plan
Environmentalists said Wednesday they have sued the U.S. Forest Service over a plan they say threatens to open up valuable sections of the largest national forest to clear-cut logging.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-11/s_11216.asp
Arctic Inuit say climate change is human rights abuse
Inuit hunters said Wednesday that a thawing of Arctic ice threatened their human rights in a novel bid to raise pressure on the United States to do more to fight global warming.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-11/s_11215.asp
Global warming treaty elusive at U.N. climate conference
Negotiators crafted new rules Wednesday to counter the effects of greenhouse gases on the environment as U.N. officials, citing disasters like last summer's deadly European heat wave, pressed for more vigorous efforts to fight global warming.
http://www.enn.com/news/2003-12-11/s_11217.asp
Great Lakes Daily News: 11 December 2003
A collaborative project of the Great Lakes Information Network and the Great
Lakes Radio Consortium.

For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/


EDITORIAL: How best to reduce mercury pollution
----------------------------------------
Indiana and Illinois are among the worst states for mercury pollution,
according to a new report by an environmental organization. Source: The
Munster Times (12/11)


St. Lawrence project sparks criticism
----------------------------------------
The Bloc québécois wants to make a controversial project to widen the St.
Lawrence seaway, one of the major issues in the next federal election.
Source: National Post (12/11)


Toronto delivers on ferry berth
----------------------------------------
The private company launching a high-speed ferry on Lake Ontario received a
pledge by the Toronto Port Authority to spend up to $8 million ($6.1 million
U.S.) to build a new ferry terminal there. Source: Rochester Democrat and
Chronicle (12/11)


State to preserve most of North Bass Island
----------------------------------------
The state of Ohio has reached agreement to buy 87 percent of North Bass
Island for $17.4 million to preserve the island's natural setting. Source:
The Toledo Blade (12/11)


Riverfront gets grant to improve port safety
----------------------------------------
Fences and surveillance systems at the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority's
general cargo docks in East Toledo will be paid for primarily with a federal
grant, officials said yesterday. Source: The Toledo Blade (12/11)


Shipwrecks lure divers
----------------------------------------
Like tourists in an underwater museum, divers in the Great Lakes explore
shipwrecks searching for remnants of clothes, containers of food or even
floating human remains. Source: The Detroit News (12/11)


Trust fund board approves Arcadia Dunes purchase
----------------------------------------
Spectacular Northern Michigan sand dunes where CMS Energy once planned a
huge power plant will be preserved forever, thanks to a $4 million down
payment from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund. Source: Booth
Newspapers (12/11)


Conservancy gets big 'present'
----------------------------------------
The Leelanau Conservancy learned this week that it will be awarded the
largest matching grant it has ever received- some $723,800 through the State
of Michigan "Clean Michigan Initiative, Clean Water Fund." Source: Leelanau
Enterprise (12/11)


Proposal to build marina makes waves
----------------------------------------
People who live near the proposed Evanston marina site said this week they
have collected 500 signatures on petitions and are gearing up for a fight.
Source: Chicago Tribune (12/11)


Report Cites 10 States' Mercury Pollution
----------------------------------------
Ten states, including several Great Lakes states, have pockets of airborne
mercury pollution that pose serious public health risks according to a new
study by an environmental advocacy group. Source: The Washington Post
(12/10)


For links to these stories and more, visit http://www.great-lakes.net/news/
Did you miss a day of Daily News? Remember to use our searchable story
archive at http://www.great-lakes.net/news/inthenews.html


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Information Network (www.glin.net) and the Great Lakes Radio
Consortium (www.glrc.org), both based in Ann Arbor, Mich.
TO SUBSCRIBE and receive this Great Lakes news compendium daily, see
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