In this issue...

• Topics Of Concern
• Items Of Interest
• Stuff For Educators
• Places To Go
• Web Places To Be
• Publications (free)
• Environment In The News
• Other Articles In Brief
• Special Feature Articles

Topics of Concern

Forest damage due to acid rain and ozone:
Many forests are showing noticeable damage, if not destruction, due to acid rain, fog and snowmelt. Nitrogen and sulfur oxides from auto and industrial emissions are the culprits. Dew and ice from Mount Mitchell in the Appalachian Mountains has a recorded pH as low as 2.1. All through this mountain system, red spruce and Fraser fir trees are severely stressed due to acid exposure, insect damage and drought. Up to 80 percent of these trees has been killed on certain exposed slopes. The acid precipitation is also leaching important minerals from the soil as well as causing the release of certain metals that are normally bound to the soil.

Increasing levels of lower atmospheric ozone as well as the increase in UV light from stratospheric ozone decline are giving trees a double whammy. Leaf burn, bleaching and scaring has been documented in the upper canopies of much of our North American forests. "Ozone exposure correlates strongly with hickory and oak die-off." Researchers have found ozone and UV damage on over 90 plant species in the Smoky Mountains. An unusual event, called "forest fall" is also occurring. Healthy looking trees are falling over and dying. Chronic, low-level leaf damage reduces the amount of photosynthesis and the trees are unable to maintain healthy root systems.
(World Watch Report, May 3 1999)

Increase in harmful algal blooms (HAB's):
There has been a significant increase in the frequency, duration and species diversity of HAB's over the last few decades. These events have spread to almost every coastal state and the Great Lakes. Consequences of HAB's include fish kills, changes and even collapse in ecosystem structure, toxic and neurologic effects on humans, increasing toxicity in fish and shellfish, declining tourism and other impacts. A number of federal agencies, including, NOAA, NSF, EPA, NASA and the Office of Naval Research are involved in researching various aspects of the problem. Nutrient enrichment of our coastal waters appears to be the primary causative agent. In the meantime, the problem will continue to grow.
(New York Sea Grant, October 1999)

Crop irrigation and water supply:
Spreading water shortages could reduce world food production by 10 percent within the next decade. About 40% of the world's food is produced on irrigated farmland. Irrigation accounts for almost two-thirds of global water use, yet less than half ever reaches the roots of the plants due to poor irrigation practices.

Irrigation problems are global. The water deficit due to irrigation is a staggering 160 billion cubic meters. As a result, the amount of irrigated land has declined by five percent since 1978. In addition, one acre in five is damaged by salt from evaporation. Many watercourses are running dry due to excessive withdrawal. The Yellow River in China runs dry for more than 200 days each year. The Colorado River is just a trickle by the time it reaches Mexico. The Susguehanna River suffered historic low levels during the droughts of 1998 and 1999. In addition, growing urban water needs are conflicting with agricultural demands. Many rivers are over allocated for diversion for agricultural and domestic needs and groundwater tables are continually dropping.

Many water-short countries are turning to the world grain market for their food reserves. The result is increasing strain on already-stressed irrigated farmlands in producer countries. However, some positive strides have been made. Drip irrigation has cut water use by 30 - 70% while increasing crop yields by 20 - 90% in various countries. Better designed, more efficient sprinkler systems have allowed Texas farmers to increase water efficiency by 90% while increasing crop yields by 10-15%. Asian rice farmers are using more efficient irrigation and planting techniques to increase water productivity by 45%. Many countries are using domestic wastewater for crop irrigation. These types of advances will have to continue in order to meet the world's food needs and maintain a sustainable water supply for the future.
(World Watch Institute, July 1999)

Land use trends in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed:
Some alarming land use trends are making Bay recovery efforts more challenging. Some of these include:

• Since 1980, the population has increased 11.4% while the number of households has increased 17.5% because there are fewer people per household. More houses means more land converted to residential zoning.
• Since 1985 the average lot size has increased from .42 acres to .57 acres and the house size has increased from 1500 square feet to 2100 square feet.
• Since 1970, people drive almost four times more miles each year.
• The increased nitrogen loading from septic tanks is canceling the reduction in nitrogen loading from municipal sewage systems.
• Since 1985, the Bay watershed has lost 264,000 acres of forests and wetlands and 158,000 acres of farmland due to urban development.
• Freshwater wetlands are being lost at a rate of over 2500 acres per year.
• Only 218 miles of riparian buffer have been restored in reaching the goal of 2010 miles by the year 2010.

Patterns in national water quality:
The 1999 USGS report entitle The Quality of Our Nation's Waters provides some interesting if not alarming trends facing our nation's water resources. The following is a brief summary.

• Some of the highest levels of nitrogen, phosphorus and herbicides are found in streams and groundwater in agricultural areas. Fifteen percent of samples collected exceeded the 10 ppm nitrogen limit for drinking water. Twenty percent of the phosphorus applied to agricultural land was detected in streams and groundwater. More than one-half of all streams sampled has phosphorus levels exceeding 0.1 ppm. The most commonly found herbicides included atrizine, metolachlor, alachlor and cyanazine. Eighteen of the 40 streams sampled had herbicide/pesticide levels exceeding federal guidelines.
• Pesticides and herbicides were more frequently detected in urban waterways (100%) and sometimes in higher levels than agricultural waterways (92%). Urban streams had the highest frequency of occurrence and the highest concentration levels of DDT, chlordane and dieldrin. Dieldrin was the most commonly found pesticide in wells, exceeding the allowable limit of .02 ppb. Complex mixtures of pesticides were found in 10% of the urban streams sampled. More than 90% of the waterways and fish sampled contained one or more pesticides. Concentrations of phosphorus were elevated in urban streams while nitrogen levels remained nearly unchanged downstream of wastewater treatment plants.
• About one billion pounds of pesticides (60% herbicides), 19 million pounds of nitrogen (40% manure) and 2 million pounds phosphorus (50% manure) are applied to croplands each year in the United States.
• There was a direct correlation between pesticide concentrations and endocrine disruption (estrogen, testosterone) in carp. Thirty percent of the sample sites had insecticide concentrations in whole fish that exceeded human-health guidelines for edible fish.
• Pesticides break down into thousands of possible products. Little is known about their pathways or effects on human health.
• The levels of organochlorine pesticides (i.e.: DDT) continue to decrease but their occurrence is still a matter of concern.

Collapse of Coral:
If you want to visit the Florida Keys to go diving DO IT NOW. The coral reefs in the Caribbean are rapidly dying. More than 800,000 people visiting the reefs pump nearly $53 million annually into the Florida Keys' economy. But this is changing rapidly. There is much less healthy coral and the water is far less clear. Visibility in the 1970's was more than 100 feet. Now it is less than 50 feet.

At the recent International Coral Reef Symposium in Guam (1992) it was announced that 70% of the world's coral reefs will disappear within a generation at the current rate of decline. Only 30% of the world's reefs were listed as stable (healthy) while only 10% of the Atlantic reefs were considered healthy. Most of this decline has occurred within the last 30 years. A 1997 survey of Atlantic reefs (160 sites) found three times as many places and coral species affected than just one year earlier. Surveys from 1984 - 1992 showed a 44% decline in living, healthy coral in the same area.

The culprits are possibly many, but the primary ones are chemical and nutrient contamination. Agricultural run-off and urban storm-water releases have flushed excessive loads of nitrogen, phosphorus, pesticides, metals, and other contaminants into the coral reefs. Add to this damage from boats, invasive species, coral/fish collecting, natural disasters and other factors, and the future for our native reefs looks bleak.
(Environmental Defense Fund, November 1999)

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Items of Interest

• Whirling disease in trout is the result of a parasitic infection common in several Western rivers. Trout Unlimited has just completed a study entitled Whirling Disease in the United States. Copies can be requested from TU at trout@tu.org or downloaded in Adobe format at their WEB site: http://www.tu.org/library/conservation.html.

• A recent study on septic tank additives by a graduate student at North Carolina State University had some interesting findings. There has been a lot of debate and commercial interest in septic tank additives that are supposed to reduce the buildup of sludge and increase digestion efficiency. Three commercial additives and a control group were used in a group of 48 septic tanks over a period of one year. The results: "The additives tested did not provide any substantial or long term statistically significant benefits compared to the control (no additive) for the parameters and conditions tested during the research project." In other words, you can probably save your money and use it to pump out your septic tank every 3 - 5 years. The types of biological additives were not given in the article.
  (Small Flows, Vol. 13, #3, Summer, 1999)

• The NATO bombing in Kosovo may have driven out the Serbs but it released a Pandora's box of environment evils. The A-10 Warthog projectiles contain depleted uranium and continue to emit low levels of radiation long after exploding. In areas where these weapons were used in the Gulf War, there is increased incidence of lung, kidney and liver cancer as well as birth defects and still births. NATO specifically targeted oil refineries, chemical plants, fuel storage depots and industrial complexes. Destruction of these facilities released vast amounts of toxic chemicals including mercury, ethylene dichloride, vinyl chloride, dioxin and PCB's.

  There were numerous reports of environmental disasters. Authorities reported an oil slick five miles long and one-quarter mile wide on the Vidin River. Levels of heavy metals rose sharply in the Danube River. The bombing at Pancevo alone released 34,000 tons of toxic chemicals. In addition, authorities dumped large amounts of toxic, explosive chemicals in the Danube to prevent further destruction from bombing. The Danube is a water resource for nearly 20 million people. A spokesman for the NIH stated, "It is very difficult to even hypothesize about the damage at this point, without knowing the full range of chemicals or the specific amounts that were released into the environment."

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Stuff for Educators

• Watershed Education for Educators is a 213-page curriculum guide for middle and high school teachers. It includes such activities as calculating discharge, reading topo-maps and aerial photographs, determining biotic index and much more. To purchase a copy, send $39.00 for publication #147LM25 to Cornell University Media and Technology Services Resource Center, 7 Business & Technology Park, Ithaca, NY 14850.

• The University of Kentucky has released the following CD's with high quality nature images. Each CD is $35.00 and contains 60 - 100 images. They are copyright free but require credit of the author. To order, send a check or money order to: Dr. Tom Barnes, Extension Wildlife Specialist, Department of Forestry, University of KY, Lexington, KY 40546-0073.

  Eastern NA Butterflies

  Eastern NA Urban Birds

  Eastern NA Orchids

  Eastern NA Wildflowers (lilies, trillium, iris, cacti)

• Lasting Impressions: A guide to understanding fossils in the northeastern United States is a hands-on teaching guide with sixteen activities. To order, request publication #147LM26 and send $20.00 to Cornell University Media and Technology Services Resource Center, 7 Business & Technology Park, Ithaca, NY 14850.

• Geographic Information System Interactive Map Server has a wealth of information formerly available only to researchers and government personnel. If you're into GIS, explore the site at http://atlas.geo.cornell.edu.

• The Water Sourcebook is a series of four educational guides on drinking water, surface and groundwater and wetlands for grades K - 2 ($21,95), 3 - 5 (24.95), 6 - 8 (22.95), 9 - 12 (29.95). To order, contact Georgia Water Wise Council, Inc, 1033 Franklin Rd., Suite 9-187, Marietta, GA 30067-8004 (770-483-9474)

• Watershed Action for Virginia's Environment (WAVE) is a new curriculum from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. For information on training opportunities and curriculum content, contact Barbara Richards, 804-780-1392 or brichards@savethebay.cbf.org.

• The Environmental Almanac of Virginia is a wonderful compendium of facts, reports and anecdotes about the current environmental condition of the Commonwealth. It is current through 1998 and is a terrific resource for student research and class discussion. To order, send $29.95 + $4.00 S&H to: Tennyson Press, P.O. Box 1599, Lexington, VA 24450 (540-463-2599).

• Sustainable Agriculture Resources for Teachers, K - 12 is an annotated list of agriculture curricula from a variety of resources. Request AFSIC Notes #4 (ISSN:1063-262X) from AFSIC, National Agriculture Library, 10301 Baltimore Blvd., Beltsville, MD 20705-2351.

• Spring Wildflowers of the Mid-Atlantic Region is a great video to sharpen your wildflower ID skills and learn about the historic and medicinal qualities of these plants. To order, send $19.72 to Botanical Views, LLC, P.O. Box 2756, Purcellville, VA 20134 (703-536-7150).

• Freshwater Fauna Posters (non-game fish, pearly mussels, crayfish) are available for $5.00 each from Extension Distribution Center, 112 Landsdowne St., Blacksburg, VA 2406100512.

• Experimental Design in the Marine Science Laboratory. One credit graduate course, fall semester, 200. For more information, contact Susan Haynes, shaynes@vims.edu (804-684-7735)

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Places to Go

International Conference on Riparian Ecology and Management in Multi-Land Use Watersheds, August 27 - 31, 2000, Portland, Oregon. AWRA, 4 West Federal St., P.O. Box 1626, Middleburg, VA 2011801626

Groundwater Foundation Fall Conference, November 13 - 15, 2000. Nebraska City, Nebraska. The Groundwater Foundation, P.O. Box 22558, Lincoln, NE 68542-2558

American Water Resources Association Conference, November 6 - 9, 2000.Miami Florida. AWRA (see above)

Tailings and Mine Waste, January 15- 18, 2001, Colorado State University, Linda Hinshaw, Dept. of Civil Engineering, CSU, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1372.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Conservation Training Center offers professional training in a wide range of topics including field applications and techniques, wildlife management, GIS, conservation planning and many others. Most workshops are in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. For more information, contact the NCTC at USFWS - NCTC, Rt. 1, Box 166, Shepherdstown, WV, 25443 (304-876-7200) (http://training.fws.gov).

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WEB Places to Be

Chesapeake Bay Program - http://www.chesapeake.net/bayprogram

Water Drops (science for kids) - http://www.epa.gov/OST/KidsStuff

Water science for schools - http://wwwga.usgs.gov/edu

Surf your watershed - http://www.epa.gov/surf

Kids water page - http://epa.gov/OW/kids.html

Global warming - http://www.heatisonline.org

Pollution information - http://www.scorecard.org

Chesapeake Bay Foundation - http://www.savethebay.cbf.org

Marine Education - http://www.marine-ed.org

Tree science (Dendrology) and Forest Biology - http://www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro

Amphibian population decline - http://www.frogweb.gov

Water Quality education - http://www.ncsu.edu/sciencejunction.depot/experiments/water/

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Publications (free)

• Virginia Coastal Program News (quarterly) - request from VA Coastal Resources Management Program, DEQ, P.O. Box 10009 Richmond, VA 23240
• Coastlines (monthly) - request from UMASS Boston, Urban Harbors Institute, 100 Morrissey Blvd., Boston, MA 02125-3393
• The Aquifer (quarterly) - request from the Groundwater Foundation, P.O. Box 22558, Lincoln, NE 68542-2558
• The Crest (biannual) - request from VIMS, School of Marine Science, College of William and Mary, P.O. Box 1346, Gloucester Point, VA 23062

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Environment in the News

Shellfish/Finfish - 12

Water Contamination - 12

Global Issues - 10

Impacts of Sprawl - 10

Hurricane Floyd - 10

Wildlife Issues - 7

Drought - 7

Hog/Poultry Farms - 6

Air Quality - 5

Wetlands - 4

Nuclear Waste/Energy - 4

Solid Waste - 4

Chesapeake Bay - 3

Sewage Issues - 3

Water Diversion - 2

Pfiesteria - 1

Invasive Species - 1

Shellfish/Finfish
Striped Bass are back in great numbers. However the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) wants Virginia to reduce its commercial/sports fisheries take by 14%. Virginia is bucking this and may challenge the federal rule. At the root of the contention is the disparity in allowable catches between MA, MD, NY and VA. Virginia is at the low end but may have to concede. The effort is to protect eight-year-old fish that are sexually mature.

The oyster is a "cornerstone" species for the Chesapeake Bay. Restoration of historic oyster reefs is a key strategy in helping the Bay to recover. Initial plans include construction of eight one-acre reefs at the mouth of the Rappahannock River at a cost of $3 million. Annual oyster harvests have dropped from an average of 4 million bushels in the 1950's to less than 15,000 bushels in 1998.

The blue crab is showing signs of population stress due to over harvesting. The number of mature female crabs has declined 70% over the last decade. The 1998/99 winter dredge harvest was down 75% from the previous year. New regulations will reduce the number of peeler pots from 400 to 300 per licensee and require the use of escape hatches on crab pots for undersized crabs.

There is a demand for American Eels in Europe and Asia. The result has been a growing illegal trade for young eels (elvers). The elvers can bring $300 per pound. Populations of eels are declining and it is illegal to capture eels smaller than six inches without a permit. One enterprising former poacher requested a state license to grow young eels in a Recirculating system. The license was issued but agency officials may recall the permit following the licensee's judicial hearing.

Impacts of Urban Sprawl
Sprawl is consuming our farms and forests. Short Pump, Ashland, New Kent, Richmond and many other localities are seeing land go under development at an alarming rate. Efforts to curb growth are at odds with economic development, escalating land values, zoning ordinances, personal property rights and population growth. Increased traffic flow and accidents involving deer are two byproducts of urban growth. In Northern Virginia, commuters spend an average of 76 hours each year in traffic jams. This is the second highest rate in the country. There were 600 traffic accidents in Virginia that involved deer in 1997 with damage exceeding $1000. In 1999, there were more than 1900 accidents.

Global Issues
The world's population reached one billion in 1804. It reached 3 billion in 1960. It reached 6 billion this year. It will reach 12 billion in 2050.

Seventy percent of the world's coral refs will be gone by 2050 or sooner due to pollution and other human activities. Only 30 percent of the world's reefs are considered healthy. The US plans to spend $25 million next year in an effort to save its Atlantic coral reefs.

Global warming is becoming a critical issue. The 1999/2000 winter was the warmest on record in the US. Temperatures averaged 38.4°F, significantly above the average 37.5°F for 1998. The Antarctic ice sheet is melting at an unprecedented rate of 14,000 square miles per year. In addition, the average ocean temperature has risen 0.11°F in the past 40 years. Scientists recognize that the stored thermal energy in the oceans has a major impact on world weather systems and climate.

The earth's protective ozone layer is thinning to record levels. Some parts of the atmosphere show a 60% loss. The middle latitudes of the United States will see large increases in ultraviolet light this summer.

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Other Articles in Brief

• Waste water agencies, environmental groups and state government are at odds in deciding which is should be addressed first in cleaning up the James River, nutrients or sediment.
• Virginia has opposed the 2000 Chesapeake Bay Agreement's 30% reduction goal in forest/farmland conversion to reduce sprawl and urban growth.
• Virginia will be stuck with out-of-state garbage imports for some time. This is interstate commerce and the legalities are very complex. In addition, the garbage barge ban is being challenged.
• High-density hog farming has created much controversy in Halifax and Lunenburg Counties. New regulations are being implemented to better control this industry.
• Proposed poultry waste regulations may help reduce the nutrient loading from this industry. However, there is a concern that present soil loadings will take decades to show improvement.
• Aging water, sewer and gas pipes will cost Richmond tens of millions of dollars to repair and/or replace.
• In 1998, 491 Virginia industrial/commercial facilities released 71 million pounds of over 500 toxic chemicals. Of this, 63 million pounds were released into the air and the rest about equally into land and water. Agency and industrial spokes persons state that these releases are not a threat to the public.
• Current reporting of toxic emissions is required for companies that manufacture/process more than 25,000 pounds or use more than 10,000 pounds of toxic chemicals per year. New proposed regulations will reduce these reporting levels to 100/10 respectively. This means you will see a tremendous increase in the reported amounts of toxic chemicals released into the environment.
• The Elizabeth River is cleaner but the sediments are still toxic. Ninety-eight percent of fish sampled at one station in the Southern Branch had pre-cancerous lesions on their livers.
• The drought of 1999 affected 2/3 of the state. More than 40 counties filed for agriculture disaster relief. River flows were 50 - 75% below their long-term average. The James River flow was 865 cubic feet per second, compared to an average 2230 cfs.
• Newport News' efforts to build a 1500-acre reservoir in the Mattoponi River watershed has been put on hold by the Army Corps of Engineers due to differences in projected water needs for the Peninsula.
• Several types of bacteria, fungi and other parasites are assisting Pfiesteria in attacks on finfish. However, the issue is still poor water quality.
• Virginia is finally addressing its non-tidal wetland loss. Legislation to control Tulloch ditching was introduced this year. In the past 18 months, Virginia has lost 9000 acres of non-tidal wetlands.
• The nation is waiting anxiously for the nuclear waste repository to open in Yucca Flats, Nevada. More than 40,000 tons of nuclear waste are sitting in 80 sites across 40 states. Virginia Power has paid hundreds of millions of dollars into the repository fund with no result.
• The United States created 27 nuclear weapons sites around the world during the cold War.
• The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant was reopened in November 1999.
• PCB (polychlorinated biphenyls) fish advisories have been issued for the Levisa Fork, Staunton River, Mountain Run, South Fork of the Shenandoah River and sections of the Potomac River. The recommendation is one 8-ounce portion of fish per month.
• BDE's, brominated diphenyl ethers, are flame-retardants used in fabrics and foam and have characteristics similar to PCB's. These chemicals are showing up in the Staunton and Dan Rivers. Certain fish are showing concentrations ranging from 200 - 1000 ppb. The risk level for PCB's is 600 ppb.
• MTBE, a gasoline additive, has been found in numerous groundwater supplies. It has been found in over 10,000 sites in California alone.
• The EPA's efforts to toughen air quality standards are being blocked by federal courts.
• Mountain valleys often have poorer quality air than cities. Smokey Mountain National Park had 53 ozone warning days in 1999. Richmond had 25 days, Northern Virginia had 28 days and Hampton had 16 days with ozone warnings.
• Pamlico Sound may have received a death sentence from Hurricane Floyd. The massive pollution from flooding has created a growing dead zone along the Carolina coast. The tremendous amount of freshwater entering the Sound has changed salinity levels and impacted benthic communities. The next couple of years may reveal a long-term legacy left by the storm.
• The Tisza River in Eastern Europe has been virtually destroyed by a disastrous cyanide spill. Several hundred miles of river were affected.
• An all-points-bulletin has been issued in New York's Central Park for the Asian Long Horn Beetle. At risk are the 26,000 trees in the Park. New York has already lost 3800 hardwood trees to the pest.
• The Asian Development Bank plans to relocate about 60 million people with its efforts to dam the Mekong Basin for power generation. Entire cultures and ethnic communities will be lost in addition to the loss of biological systems and farmland.

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Special Feature Articles (Richmond Times Dispatch)

• A Century of Change - 3/14/99-C
• Flight to Oblivion (Red-cockaded woodpecker) 5/6/99-E
• Leaving of Grass (submerged aquatic vegetation) 5/29/99-E
• A Century of Change - 6/13/99-C
• Trail Blazers (canoe trips in Matthews County) 7/18/99-C
• One Giant Leap (the Opollo Program) 7/20/99-A
• Clearing the Air (Virginia's Environmental Report) 8/4/99-A
• Chimney Swifts - 10/21/99-E
• Oyster Reefs - 11/11/99-E
• Panama's New Order (Panama Canal) 11/28/99-A
• Eye on the Sky (radio telescopes) 12/2/99-E
• Sudden Impact on the Bay (ancient meteor crater)1/20/2000-E
• Jellyfish - 2/17/2000-E

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I hope you have found this newsletter useful. Please send me your comments. There is the possibility of reviving the Virginia Association for Environmental Education. If you have an interest in helping to lead or provide service for this organization, please contact me. "And we thank you for your support."

Barry W. Fox, Extension Specialist
4-H Marine/Aquatic Education
Box 9081, Virginia State University
Petersburg, VA 23806
804-524-5848
FAX: 804-525-5057
Email: bfox@vsu.edu

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