Friday, 03 May 2002

Salmon Chanted Evening

The future of salmon in the Pacific Northwest is being jeopardized by foot-dragging on the part of the federal government, said Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber (D) in a speech Tuesday evening. In December 2000, the National Marine Fisheries Service decided against aiding salmon populations by breaching dams on the lower Snake River; instead, the agency called for restoring streams where salmon spawn, reforming hatchery practices to reduce harm to wild fish, and increasing fishing restrictions. But according to Kitzhaber, the government has failed to make good on that plan. As a result, he said, the Columbia River Basin could face the same kind of battle between farmers and enviros that befell the Klamath River Basin last year. Federal officials disputed Kitzhaber's claims, saying the salmon recovery plan was on track.

Nalini Day's Work

Nalini Nadkarni spends her life out on a limb: As an ecosystem biologist, she studies the relationships among organisms that dwell in the forest canopy. Nadkarni divides her time between the tropical rainforests of Costa Rica and the temperate rainforests of Washington State, where she is a professor at Evergreen State College. Actually, she divides her time among a lot of other things as well: designing a "Treetop Barbie"; translating statistics on the rainforest canopy into musical notes to reveal hidden patterns in the data; inviting urban youth, prisoners, and Inuits into the unfamiliar environment of the forest canopy; launching a botanically correct line of camouflage clothing; speaking in places of worship about the spiritual importance of trees ... And you thought your life was busy. You probably can't keep up with Nadkarni, but at least you can read about her -- only on the Grist Magazine website.

Bill of Right Ons!

In a big victory for environmentalists and a blow to the auto industry, the California Senate yesterday handily passed the nation's first bill to limit carbon dioxide emissions from the tailpipes of cars and light trucks. Enviros say the vehicles produce 40 percent of California's greenhouse gas emissions; the bill (in stirring wording) would direct the state Air Resources Board to implement rules to get the "maximum feasible and cost-effective" reduction of CO2. Automakers and car dealers say the bill would result in more taxes, less choice for car buyers, and higher sticker prices, especially for SUVs. The bill now goes to the Assembly, which approved an earlier version in January, and then to Gov. Gray Davis (D). Davis, who is seeking reelection and wants the support of both industry and environmentalists, has not yet announced his position on the bill.

Out From the Cold

While average global temperatures are on the way up, Antarctica has cooled overall in the last few decades, a trend that has puzzled scientists. To make matters more baffling, a small peninsula of the continent has simultaneously been warming 10 times faster than the rest of the world. Now scientists are speculating that the region's strange temperature patterns may be tied to the ozone hole, which opens up above Antarctica every spring. Writing in today's issue of the journal Science, David Thompson of Colorado State University and Susan Solomon of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration say the hole may be increasing the strength of winds that circle around Antarctica, trapping cold air over the South Pole. The warming peninsula, however, lies outside of the reach of the vortex, according to the scientists.

Teed Time

Can you say, "Not in my backyard" with a British accent? That was the message villagers in southeastern England sent to the national government this week over a planned test site for genetically modified (GM) crops. In March, Environment Minister Michael Meacher announced that the government would test GM crops in Weeley Parish, Essex County, as part of the final year of government trials to determine the environmental impact of such crops. The people of Weeley were less than thrilled about the plan; in a poll organized by the parish council, 95 percent of voters voiced their opposition to the test site. The poll reflects the general public sentiment toward GM crops in England, which has recently suffered a spate of food-safety scares and is wary of the possible environmental and human health effects of genetically altered crops.