Tuesday, 13 May 2003

Sonic Doom

At least half a dozen dead porpoises have washed up on beaches in Washington state and British Columbia in the last week, spurring speculation that they were killed when the USS Shoup, a Navy destroyer, used its high-intensity sonar last Monday as it traveled near the San Juan Islands off the Washington coast. Observers reported that as many as 100 porpoises leapt through the water at high speed in an attempt to get away from the sound; about 20 orcas and a minke whale were also seen fleeing. The blasts of sound could have damaged the sensitive hearing of the marine mammals, which would impair their ability to navigate and find food. The Navy has come under criticism for using this type of sonar, which some scientists believe led to the deaths of seven beaked whales and the beaching of 17 others in the Bahamas in 2000. But what troubles enviros more than these incidents is legislation being pushed by the Bush administration that would exempt the military from environmental laws, including the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

I Used to Have a V-8

General Motors -- last year dubbed "Global Warmer Number One" by Environmental Defense -- is taking small steps to clean up its vehicle fleet, not to mention its image. The company has announced that it will add new gas-saving technology to most of its SUVs and pickup trucks by 2008, beginning with three SUV models next year. The "displacement on demand" technology, which can be used with six- or eight-cylinder engines, automatically turns off some cylinders when less power is needed, thereby improving fuel economy by about 8 percent. Enviros are not impressed, arguing that automakers could be producing SUVs that get 40 miles to the gallon using other existing technologies. With an eye toward the long range, GM is developing its Hy-wire car, which runs on hydrogen fuel cells, but that technology won't hit showrooms for 10 to 20 years. In the meantime, GM last week shipped three road-ready fuel-cell minivans to Washington, D.C., where they'll be loaned to members of Congress.

Green Old Party

Environmentalists have made a cottage industry out of bashing the Bush administration, but trying to boot Republicans out of office is not the way to ensure a clean, green environment, argues Martha Marks, cofounder of Republicans for Environmental Protection. Only when both major political parties dedicate themselves to a cause do Americans see meaningful, permanent change, Marks says. As long as the environmental community reflexively backs one party and aggressively demonizes the other, responsible environmental stewardship won't become a two-party issue -- or a reality. Instead, Republicans and Democrats should have to compete for the votes of people who care about conservation. Read about the movement to create a Green Old Party, on the Grist Magazine website.

A Green and Pleasant Meadowlands

Plans are underway to create a huge urban park in New Jersey that would be 10 times the size of New York City's Central Park -- on land now pocked by old garbage dumps and sewage sites. Unofficially dubbed the Meadowlands Preserve, the new park would encompass 8,400 acres of wetlands and green space, and would include sports fields, fishing piers, golf courses, and 35 miles of hiking trails. The master plan calls for remediating areas polluted by landfills -- no small task. But park boosters are encouraged by the wildlife that has already returned to the area in recent years. "A few years ago, if you had told anyone this collection of toxic dumps and marshes would one day become an environmental park, people would have thought you were crazy," said Rep. Steve Rothman (D-N.J.), who helped secure more than $4 million in congressional funding for land purchases intended to go toward the park. Local businesspeople are getting excited about the ecotourism possibilities and plan to promote bird-watching and kayaking in the area.

They Otter Be Proud

The English otter, a beloved mammal once thought to have all but disappeared from the nation's waterways, is staging an impressive comeback. Otters can now be found in nearly 35 percent of England's rivers and wetlands, a five-fold increase over numbers from 25 years ago, according to survey results released by the government yesterday. Otter populations dropped steeply in the 1960s in Britain and throughout Europe, due in large part to widespread use of pesticides. Improved water quality has helped the species rebound, as have higher fish stocks and changes in riverbank management. But otter advocates caution against complacency, pointing out that the animals are not returning quickly enough to some parts of the country and that cars still pose a significant threat to otters, which periodically wander onto roadways.