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Rebecca Wodder, American Rivers

Rebecca Wodder is president of American Rivers in Washington, D.C. She previously worked at the Wilderness Society and as the legislative assistant for then-Sen. Gaylord Nelson (D-Wis.). Her career in conservation started with the first Earth Day in 1970. Monday, 5 Jul 1999 WASHINGTON, D.C. I’ve just returned from witnessing the rebirth of a river. […]

Enviro learns rural town isn't about Big Timber and Big Mining

“I don’t know what we’re going to do if the mine closes.” The woman’s voice sounds strained and tired through the phone. “I’m going to have to find a job, and we may have to cash in our retirement fund. I guess we’ll move if we have to.” I hadn’t meant to pry. I had […]

Incensed at the Vatican

Upset at attempts by the Vatican to disrupt progress on limiting world population growth, 126 women’s organizations from around the globe yesterday sent an open letter to the Roman Catholic Church protesting its efforts. The letter asked how a church that holds life as “a fundamental value” could watch thousands of women die because they […]

A Tree Grows in Berlin

The fall of the Berlin Wall 10 years ago has meant hard times for many of the city’s old trees, some of which had been fenced off from public contact by Cold War barriers until 1989. Now, massive reconstruction in Berlin has caused fluctuations in the water table, drowning the roots of many trees. Exhaust […]

Stuck a Feather in His Cap

Just in time for the Fourth of July weekend, Pres. Clinton today will announce that the feds want to take the bald eagle off the endangered species list. The eagle has made a strong recovery since 1963, when only 417 pairs were found in the 48 contiguous states. Last year, biologists counted some 5,748 pairs, […]

So That Means Everyone Should Drive Semis?

USA Today reports that 46,000 people have died because of a 1970s-era push for greater fuel efficiency that has lead to smaller cars, but the article gives short shrift to environmental benefits of fuel efficiency, such as less air pollution and lower greenhouse-gas emissions. The article reports that corporate average fuel economy standards, which have […]

Black-and-Blue Danube

Environmentalists and Serb opposition politicians claim that the government of Serbian Pres. Slobodan Milosevic is hiding the full extent of environmental damage caused by NATO’s bombing campaign, fearful that it would fuel opposition to Milosevic. Massive amounts of ammonium and ammonium-based substances have leaked into the Danube River, and potentially deadly mudflows containing heavy metals […]

Death-yl Bromide

Latino school kids in California face a higher risk of exposure to deadly pesticides than other kids in the state, according to a civil rights complaint filed Wednesday against California pesticide regulators. The complaint charges that the use of the lethal pesticide methyl bromide is discriminatory because it is applied near schools with primarily Latino […]

River of Cash

In what’s being billed as the largest environmental restoration effort in history, the Clinton administration today will announce a plan to spend $7.8 billion over the next 20 years to help restore the Florida Everglades. The money — half from the feds, half from the state — would be used largely to undo a 1,700-mile […]