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No Fly Zone

Although it’s hardly what Iraq is most famous for right now, the nation is an ornithologist’s paradise — and war there could be a disaster for migrating birds. If combat begins during March or April, as expected, the situation will be especially grave, because during these spring migration months, millions of birds cross Iraq en […]

Canada Too Dry

Riverside forests across Alberta, Canada, are dying off as a result of too many dams on the Bow River and other important waterways. The dams create reservoirs for drinking water and irrigation, prevent flooding, and generate electricity — but at a steep price, say Alberta environmentalists. Natural floods in the river valleys spread water and […]

Batten Down the Hatcheries

Hatchery salmon could spell trouble for their wild-born cousins by spreading genetic traits that impede survival, according to an article appearing in the current issue of the journal Science. The authors of the article found that Chinook salmon raised in a Canadian commercial hatchery laid significantly smaller eggs within four generations than wild salmon. In […]

Drilling Team

Speaking of which, advocates of opening up Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling say they are just one vote shy of getting their wish. As a result, they’re upping the pressure on four senators seen as potential swing voters: Norm Coleman (R-Minn.), Gordon Smith (R-Ore.), and Mark Pryor and Blanche Lincoln, […]

Bye-bayou?

Louisiana’s wetlands problem is the country’s wetlands problem, according to Karen Gautreaux, chair of the state’s wetlands restoration panel and executive assistant to Gov. Mike Foster (R). Speaking before the Louisiana House and Senate Natural Resources committees, Gautreaux said the state’s coastline can never be returned to its original condition and can only be restored […]

In Need of Refuge

540 — number of national wildlife refuges in the U.S.1 95.3 million — size, in acres, of the refuge system2 19.3 million — size, in acres, of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the largest refuge in the country3 0.6 — size, in acres, of Minnesota’s Mille Lacs National Wildlife Refuge, the smallest refuge in the […]

Howell of Protest

Under federal regulations, private developers have to pay market rates to lease land bordering the 456 lakes owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. But last month, Ronald Howell signed a 50-year rent-free lease on 280 along Oklahoma’s Skiatook Lake, which is owned by the corps, to build a $10 million resort, complete with […]

Buhl-dozed

After weeks of intense controversy, the Maryland Senate yesterday rejected Lynn Buhl as secretary of the environment, marking the first time in the state’s history that a governor’s cabinet nominee has been turned down. The 26-21 vote was a major blow to Maryland Republicans and Gov. Robert Ehrlich, Jr. (R), who had championed Buhl, a […]

Splurging General

Calling homeland security an environmental issue, U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft announced yesterday that the Justice Department would crack down on companies that failed to protect their plants, pipelines, storage tanks, and transportation systems from terrorist attacks. The attorney general said the department would use civil and criminal lawsuits to enforce compliance with environmental and […]

PBDE Heebie-jeebies

Women in the San Francisco Bay Area have three to 10 times the amount of a dangerous persistent organic pollutant in their breast tissue as do either European or Japanese women, according to a study released yesterday in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are flame retardants commonly used in foam, textiles, […]