• Fires, Drought Threaten American West
  
• Bush Withdraws U.S. From Missile Treaty
  
• Device Turns Contaminants into Harmless Byproducts
  
• Chiricahua Leopard Frog Listed as Threatened
  
• Activists Protest Dams at Hoover
  
• Los Angeles School Buses Get Tailpipe Filters
  
• No Sign Found of Ivory Billed Woodpeckers
  
• Reward Offered in Killing of California Sea Otter
  

Fires, Drought Threaten American West

The Hayman fire southwest of Denver continues to threaten outlying suburbs, growing by 10,000 acres on Thursday despite the arrival of firefighting reinforcements. The battle to contain the blaze was made more difficult by the hot dry conditions that most of the West now faces.

The National Weather Service says drought conditions in many western states are expected to hang on through September. Since January, wildfires have torched almost 1.4 million acres of the nation's landscape from New Jersey to California - twice the annual average for this time of year, and 200,000 acres more than in 2000, the worst year on record.

There are now 19 large fires burning, including six in Colorado, and impacting Alaska, Hawaii and other areas across the nation.

"The summer outlook does not bode well for the wildfire situation in the West, where conditions are ripe for more fire activity," said John Jones, Jr., deputy director of the National Weather Service, at a news conference at the National Centers for Environmental Prediction in Camp Springs, Maryland.

While forecasters project above normal rainfall over much of Colorado and eastern Utah, Jones said the extra rain would do little to improve drought conditions in those areas, because the rainfall amounts will still not be enough erase the water deficit.

"Prolonged drought, coupled with high temperatures and strong winds, spell fire danger anywhere," Jones said.

In the West, windy conditions, high temperatures, low humidity are likely to continue through the weekend, hampering the efforts of firefighters to douse the flames.

"Land management and public safety officials will watch for any changes in these weather conditions in the coming days. States where the fire danger is at its highest levels include Arizona, California, Colorado, Kansas, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah," said David "Rusty" Billingsley, the National Weather Service fire weather program manager in Boise, Idaho.

"For the major fires, such as the Hayman Fire and the Coal Seam Fire, the IMETs have been deployed and are providing direct, continuous support to the firefighters," added Larry Mooney, meteorologist in charge of the Denver forecast office.

Bush Withdraws U.S. From Missile Treaty

"Six months ago, I announced that the United States was withdrawing from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty, and today that withdrawal formally takes effect," said President George W. Bush. "With the treaty now behind us, our task is to develop and deploy effective defenses against limited missile attacks."

The ABM treaty was intended to restrain the escalation of the arms race between the U.S. and the former Soviet Union. By banning the development of systems to intercept intercontinental missiles, the treaty inhibited the development of space based weapons platforms and other new implements of destruction.

Bush said the terrorist attacks on September 11 demonstrated that the Cold War era ABM treaty was no longer relevant, as future attacks on the United States are not likely to come from superpower nations. A system that could defend against air borne weapons is necessary to counter potential attacks by "rogue states armed with weapons of mass destruction and long range missiles," he argued.

Bush's decision to withdraw from the ABM treaty has brought criticism from U.S. allies, as well as from Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, during a meeting last month between Bush and Putin, the two leaders agreed to "look for ways to cooperate on missile defenses, including expanding military exercises, sharing early warning data, and exploring potential joint research and development of missile defense technologies," Bush noted Thursday.

"I am committed to deploying a missile defense system as soon as possible to protect the American people and our deployed forces against the growing missile threats we face," Bush concluded. "Because these threats also endanger our allies and friends around the world, it is essential that we work together to defend against them, an important task which the ABM Treaty prohibited. The United States will deepen our dialogue and cooperation with other nations on missile defenses."

Device Turns Contaminants into Harmless Byproducts

A Northwestern University environmental engineer has received a U.S. patent for the treatment device, which has potential applications that extend beyond the safety of drinking water and this one pollutant.

Bruce Rittmann has patented a hollow fiber membrane biofilm reactor, that, through a natural biochemical process of electron transfer, turns perchlorate into innocuous chloride.

The system also works on nitrate, a contaminant from agricultural fertilizers that can cause methemoglobinemia, or blue-baby syndrome, in infants. It is expected to work on other oxidized pollutants, such as bromate, selenate, heavy metals, radionuclides, and a range of chlorinated solvents, including trichloroethylene, produced by the semiconductor industry.

There is no effective clean up solution for perchlorate, which was discovered in the water supplies of many states in the late 1990s. Existing methods are also not always successful when dealing with other contaminants.

"Many emerging pollutants are difficult to treat with conventional methods," said Rittmann. "These methods do not destroy the contaminants but simply move them from place to place, from the water to a solid resin to a nasty brine that still contains the contaminants."

"Our simple method, which destroys the contaminant, should work for almost every oxidized pollutant, which means it has an incredible range of applications, including being used on more than drinking water," he added.

Rittmann has teamed up with the environmental engineering firm Montgomery-Watson-Harza Engineers, Inc. to conduct a pilot study in California, treating groundwater contaminated with perchlorate and nitrate. The biofilm reactor can treat 0.3 gallons of water per minute, removing perchlorate and nitrate at the same time.

The decontamination process takes advantage of a community of microorganisms that lives as a biofilm on the outer surface of the membranes in the system. The natural microorganisms act as catalysts for the transfer of electrons from hydrogen gas to the oxidized contaminant, such as perchlorate or nitrate.

The hydrogen gas supplies the electrons, and the biofilm microorganisms are the agents for the transfer. The contaminants are reduced to harmless substances - perchlorate to chloride and nitrate to nitrogen gas - while the hydrogen gas is oxidized to water.

"We are exploiting nature," said Rittmann. "Life is all about transferring electrons. We have an extraordinarily efficient system for bringing hydrogen and its electrons to oxidized pollutants, such as perchlorate, and reducing them to innocuous substances."

Rittmann also is conducting research on the microbial ecology of the bioreactor system in order to understand how it works.

"By looking at the details of what's going on in the biofilms, we can make the system even more reliable and efficient in cleaning up some of the most dangerous and newly discovered contaminants in drinking water, ground water and wastewater," said Rittmann.

Chiricahua Leopard Frog Listed as Threatened

The listing includes a special rule that encourages livestock owners in the Southwest to continue regular management of livestock water tanks that harbor frog populations.

The frog, native to the Southwest, is imperiled by nonnative predators, particularly including fish, bullfrogs and crayfish; loss of habitat, and potential natural events such as floods and drought. The species has disappeared from entire mountain ranges, valleys and river drainages within its historic range.

A Chiricahua leopard frog (Photo courtesy USFWS)

"The Chiricahua leopard frog is a unique part of the Southwest's limited aquatic resources that are threatened by the spread of exotic species. It is disturbing to see this frog's decline and even disappearance throughout much of its range," said H. Dale Hall, USFWS acting Southwest regional director.

"State and federal agencies, area ranchers, high school students, and organizations already have invested much time and energy in the shared goal of conservation and restoration of Chiricahua leopard frog habitat and populations," Hall continued. "Providing this protected status to the frog will further these recovery goals."

The Chiricahua leopard frog is found in ponds, streams, stock tanks, and other aquatic sites in the mountains of Arizona and New Mexico. The species is also known from several sites in Chihuahua, Mexico, and from single sites in Sonora and Durango, Mexico.

Biologists believe nonnative species must be controlled to help the frog survive. With few exceptions, A fungal disease, chytridiomycosis, linked to the global decline of frogs and toads has been identified in Chiricahua leopard frog populations and is contributing to the decline of the species.

"Our consideration of all of the threats to the Chiricahua leopard frog, including contaminants, disease, collection and other factors, clearly indicate that the frog warrants the protection and recovery focus afforded under the Endangered Species Act," Hall said. "We recognize that the ranching community will continue to play a crucial role in the frog's recovery, and this rule gives them the flexibility to provide habitat for the frog while continuing their operations."

The USFWS decided not to designate critical habitat for the frog, fearing that illegal collecting or vandalism could further harm the species.

Activists Protest Dams at Hoover

The groups left Thursday from the banks of Colorado River near Canyonlands National Park. They plan to host a series of events on their way to Hoover Dam to draw attention to the negative environmental and cultural impacts of dam building. The groups, representing more than 80 environmental and social justice organizations, will display banners proclaiming "600 dams, 100 years is too much," and "Save Grand Canyon from Glen Canyon Dam."

Leaders from Living Rivers, the Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth and others will be demanding immediate action by the BuRec to restore the Colorado River through Grand Canyon National Park, one of the world's most famous national parks.

"This represents the largest grassroots movement assembled for Grand Canyon advocacy since BuRec's plans to inundate the Park with two major dams were defeated over 40 years ago," said Owen Lammers, executive director of Living Rivers. "Stopping those dams clearly was not enough, because the operation of BuRec's Glen Canyon Dam upstream has caused a slow, but nonetheless lethal blow to Grand Canyon's ecosystem."

The activists say the Grand Canyon's food web has been transformed by the dam, causing the loss of all native insect species. Four of eight native fish in Grand Canyon have disappeared, while two more are almost gone. Mammals such as muskrats and beavers are gone from the river corridor, and riparian vegetation in the Canyon's high water zones has disappeared.

The changes are occurring because 95 percent of the sediment and nutrients that once flowed into the Grand Canyon is now trapped behind the dam. Seasonal flow fluctuations critical for building beaches and spawning habitat no longer occur, and water released from the dam is almost a constant 46 degrees F, whereas the native system requires temperatures in excess of 80 degrees.

"We will be traveling to Hoover Dam to reinforce the growing public outcry to reverse the damage BuRec is causing in Grand Canyon, the Colorado River watershed and rivers across the Western United States," said Brent Blackwelder, president of Friends of the Earth. "What's happening in Grand Canyon is emblematic of the problems we're now experiencing throughout BuRec's 600-dam plumbing system."

In a three page declaration to be presented to the BuRec, the 82 groups will be calling for restoration of natural water, sediment and nutrient flows in the Grand Canyon, along with variable water temperatures. The groups also seek the full recovery of all species known to be native to Grand Canyon prior to the operation of Glen Canyon Dam.

"BuRec's efforts to correct these problems with modification of the dam's operations will continue to fail because they only address a tiny part of the problem, modification of flows," added Lammers. "No feasible plan exists to address the lack of sediment and nutrients, water temperature or elimination of nonnative species."

"This is why we support decommissioning Glen Canyon Dam," said Sierra Club board member Ed Dobson, who lives along the San Juan River in Bluff Utah. "We must get on with the task of reviving Grand Canyon's dying river ecosystem."

Los Angeles School Buses Get Tailpipe Filters

The South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD), the region's air quality agency, has approved $7.4 million for the project to help reduce the cancer risk to children.

"Many school districts do not have funding available to buy new school buses," said Barry Wallerstein, executive officer of the AQMD. "This action will significantly reduce cancer causing diesel particulate emissions from these older buses."

AQMD's Governing Board approval will provide up to $6,500 per bus to install a particulate filter and $500 per bus to cover any incremental cost of purchasing low sulfur diesel fuel. Buses eligible are 1994 and newer models that have been approved for retrofitting with filters by the California Air Resources Board.

The ceramic filters, which reduce particulate emissions by at least 85 percent, must run on low sulfur diesel to work properly.

The program will provide filters for a total of 1,058 buses at 30 public school districts, five school bus companies and one joint power authority. The funding complies with a new state law requiring that at least half the money go to areas with the worst air pollution, including low income or minority communities.

AQMD has already provided $24.75 million for the purchase of 141 new compressed natural gas powered and 87 new lower emission diesel buses.

The state of California has deemed diesel particulate a toxic air contaminant. A major AQMD study found that about 70 percent of the cancer risk from air pollution is due to diesel particulate emissions.

No Sign Found of Ivory Billed Woodpeckers

Although the species has been long thought to be extinct, recent reports suggested that a few could have lingered undetected in a remote part of Louisiana.

Analysis of more than 4,000 hours of digital data captured by 12 acoustic recording units (ARUs), developed by the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology's team of engineers, have shown no indication of the species' presence.

"As you can imagine, this is not what we had hoped for," said John Fitzpatrick, director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and a leader of the expedition. "Although we're disappointed by the results so far, it is important from a biological as well as a historical standpoint to determine once and for all the status of this magnificent bird."

From late January through mid-March, the ARUs recorded sounds from 12 different positions throughout the forests of the Pearl River drainage where they had been deployed by researchers. At one point during the exploration, two different research teams heard loud double raps that sounded like the distinctive display drum of the ivory billed woodpecker.

But analysis of the ARU data proved that the sounds were distant gunshots, with reverberations that sounded to human ears like drumming on a hollow snag.

"If there is good news here, it is in knowing that the ARU technology could provide independent and conclusive evidence as to the nature of these sounds," said Fitzpatrick.

Fitzpatrick said he does not consider the results of this winter's work to prove that the ivory billed woodpecker is extinct. The bottomland hardwood forests of the lower Pearl River are extensive, and they are in better condition to support large woodpecker populations today than they have been for 100 or more years.

"We do not view it as impossible that one to several pairs of ivory bills could be using portions of the Pearl River forests that were outside the geographic scope of our search," said Fitzpatrick.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Zeiss Sports Optics are planning follow up research. Whether or not the bird still exists, the ivory billed story demands attention as a symbol of what many view as the most comprehensive conservation failure of 20th Century America, Fitzpatrick said.

By 1900, millions of acres of virgin pine and hardwood still existed in the southeastern United States, including in Louisiana. For a variety of reasons, not a single tract of this primary forest was saved.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology researchers are working with others to draft recommendations on how best to manage the habitat for continued regeneration toward old growth conditions.

"Today's generation of Louisianans will never see bottomland forests of the stature that were occupied by ivory billed woodpeckers. Nor will their children, nor their grandchildren," said Fitzpatrick. "Conditions in the Pearl River are steadily improving but they have a long way to go before they reach the age classes and volumes of standing dead wood that were present when the ivory billed woodpecker was active. And, these forests are still at our mercy. We need to treat them as such."

Reward Offered in Killing of California Sea Otter

The otter was found June 5th near San Simeon in San Luis Obispo County. Defenders of Wildlife, the Ocean Conservancy and The Humane Society of the United States are each offering a $2,500 reward in the case.

An examination of the dead sea otter has confirmed that the animal died of a gunshot wound. Other rewards remain standing for those responsible for the killing of a sea otter that was found in mid April 2000 in Santa Barbara County, another sea otter found in September 2000 in Monterey Bay, and an otter found shot in March 2002 in Santa Barbara County.

The sea otter is protected under both the federal Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act and has a "fully protected status" under California state law. The California sea otter population is estimated at just over 2,000 animals.

"We will continue to post rewards along with other conservation groups," said Jim Curland, Marine Program Associate for Defenders of Wildlife, "with the hopes that the perpetrator of these heinous crimes will be caught. Eventually, someone with knowledge of these horrendous acts will come forward and a clear message will be sent that this can't continue unnoticed."

In the marine ecosystem, sea otters are considered "keystone species," meaning that their presence or absence impacts other marine species and marine ecosystems. Sea otters help sustain vital kelp forests by feeding on the shellfish and other plant eating species that would otherwise consume kelp forests. Kelp forests, in turn, serve as nursery grounds for many types of fin fishes.

"We hope that anyone with information that could lead to the apprehension of the individual or individuals involved will do the right thing and call the Caltip poaching hotline at 1-888-334-2258," said Curland. Caltip is a hotline set up through the California Department of Fish and Game and all calls to the hotline can be made anonymously.