First Saturday Seminar for April – Drought
April’s First Saturday Seminar will be held on April 5th. This month’s topic will be the conservation challenges posed by extended drought. Following a casual pancake breakfast at 8:30, the seminar will begin in earnest at 9:00 am with a showing of Troubled Waters: An Illusion of Abundance. This 1 hour documentary about the 2002 North Carolina drought was made by UNCW in 2003 and is narrated by former chancellor James Leutze. Though our current drought is certainly more severe than the events discussed in the film, it’s not inconceivable that there are some lessons to be learned from 2002. A panel/audience discussion will follow.
Panel members will tentatively be Dave Clark an Irrigation Contractor, Bill Hart – Director New Hanover County Soil and Water Conservation District, Dr. Larry Cahoon, UNCW Professor of Biology and Marine Biology and CFRW Board Member, and Philip Fragapane, Water Resource Engineer, NC DENR Division of Water Resources.
Cape Fear River Watch’s “CAFO Aerial Monitoring, Reporting & Advocacy (CAMRA)”
Hog Waste has long been major concern of Cape Fear River Watch. Runoff from waste “lagoons” and sprayfields attached to Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) is a major contributor to river pollution. Cape Fear River Watch is taking its opposition to these wholesale polluters to the air. We will soon be flying regular observation flights over the Cape Fear River Basin looking for and documenting discharge violations. Volunteers are needed to fly as observers, to ground check reported violations, and to check local, county and state records for permits or previous reported violations.
Larry Baldwin, RiverKeeper for the Lower Neuse River will be coming to River Watch’s Environmental Education Center on Thursday, April 10th for two training/orientation/organization sessions at 3:00pm and 7:00pm to get this program off the ground. Anyone interested in any aspect of this undertaking is encouraged to come to one of these sessions. For more information, or to reserve a spot at one of these orientation sessions, call or e-mail RiverKeeper Doug Springer (910-762-5606, riverkeeper@cfrw.us)
Compact Fluorescent Lamps – Good for the environment ‘til you break one
You are being encouraged to replace your incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) because they are energy efficient, but are they harmful? The Environmental Protection Agency says that CFLs are safe to use; however, they do contain very small amounts of mercury that may be harmful t if the bulb breaks and the mercury is exposed. So what can you do at home to reduce the risk?
Before cleaning-up the broken CFL have people and pets leave the room without walking through the area where the CFL broke on their way out; shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system, if you have one; and open a window and leave the room yourself for at least 15 minutes.
When clean-up is on a hard surface carefully scoop up glass fragments and powder using stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag; use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder; wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wipe and place them in the glass jar or plastic bag; and do not use a vacuum or broom to clean up the broken bulb on hard surfaces.
When clean-up is on a carpet or rug carefully pick up glass fragments and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag; use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder; only after all visible materials are removed, vacuum the area where the bulb was broken; and remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister), and put the bag or vacuum debris in a sealed plastic bag.
When the clean-up is done you should dispose of the clean-up materials immediately by placing them outside your home in a trash container or outdoor protected area and wash your hands after disposing of the jars or plastic bags containing clean-up materials. Check with your local government to find out how to dispose of the broken bulb and clean-up material.
In the future when cleaning the carpet or rug shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system and open a window prior to vacuuming and keep the central heating/air conditioning system shut off and the window open for at least 15 minutes after vacuuming is completed.
For more information on CFLs visit http://www.epa.gov/bulbrecycling/ or contact Jana Brooks, Chief of the Energy, Safety, and Environment Division, Office of Administrative Services, at jbrooks@doc.gov or 202-482-6212.
New Enviroscape Instructors Needed
Cape Fear River Watch, City of Wilmington Stormwater Services and New Hanover County Soil & Water Conservation have been conducting interactive Enviroscape presentations for all New Hanover County 8th graders (about 1,700 students/year) for several years. We’re looking for additional volunteer instructors to help with this exciting program. An orientation/training for new volunteers will be held at our Surry St. Environmental Education Center on April 1st, from 7:00 to 8:30pm.
The NPS (nonpoint source) Enviroscape model currently used and 8th Grade Science curriculum requirements will be reviewed and the new, somewhat more complicated model will be demonstrated by Aimee Sloan of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service.
Contact Bill Murray (wmurray@cfrw.us or 297-2664) with questions or to RSVP. Not to offer a bribe or anything, but there is a very strong possibility of refreshments.
Hummer vs. Prius – May the Greenest vehicle win
Just when you thought it was safe to read the internet. Another urban legend re-surfaces. The Hummer is not more eco-friendly than the Prius, even if you take into account the cradle to grave energy consumption. This report has been bumping around for months and still get a credible read from some. As Brendan I. Koerner explains on Slate.com, even one of the original authors has recanted. Despite its warm embrace by Rush Limbaugh and George Will, there is no truth to the report that a Hummer is more earth friendly that the Prius.
Water Resources and Drought
Even with recent rains, the drought continues. The NC Conservation Network is urging state leaders to require efficient use of water and to link growth decisions to supplies available.
See their website for details about how each of us might help.
Fish Restoration/Managing Striped Bass Fisheries in the SE Reservoirs
Striped Bass Management the Topic at the next Fisheries and Wildlife Seminar
Below you will see what should be an interesting seminar. We need to learn all we can about managing Striped Bass in our effort to promote the restoration of our fishery in the Cape Fear River. This seminar does seem to be more about land locked stripers, but I am sure there will be lessons learned.
Doug Springer
On April 9, Dr. Jim Rice of N.C. State University will present “Paradigms, Perceptions and Progress in Understanding and Managing Striped Bass Fisheries in Southeastern Reservoirs” at the Centennial Campus Center for Wildlife Education in Raleigh.
This Fisheries and Wildlife Seminar is free and no registration is required. A networking session begins at 3:30 p.m. with the program starting at 4 p.m. The series is presented by N.C. State University’s Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences Program and the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.
The striped bass is considered an anadromous fish, living part of its life in the ocean, returning to freshwater to spawn. However, striped bass populations maintained by stocking have also been established in many reservoirs to enhance fishing opportunities. These landlocked populations pose some unique challenges for fisheries managers. Dr. Rice will discuss recent findings concerning the physical and biological processes affecting growth and survival of reservoir striped bass, and their implications for managing these populations.
The Centennial Campus Center for Wildlife Education is located on the first floor of the N.C Wildlife Resources Commission’s administrative headquarters, 1751 Varsity Drive. A free parking pass is available by e-mail request, with name and mailing address included, to centennialcenter@ncwildlife.org. For more information, call (919) 707-0203.
Gregory Rain Gardens
If you find yourself in downtown Wilmington some rainy day, drop by Gregory Elementary School and have a look at one of the first Bottom Empowerment Group rain gardens installed by Cape Fear River Watch and the North Carolina Cooperative Extension. A year after it’s installation the plants have taken root, the rough edges have rounded and it’s starting to look – if not like it’s always been there – like it’s supposed to be there.
This particular raingarden keeps polluted water from the school’s parking lot from running off into Burnt Mill Creek. Look for it on Ann St. between 11th and 12th.
Greenfield Bathymetry
CFCC’s Hydrographic Surveying class used Greenfield Lake as a lab last month and produced what is likely the first subsurface map of the lake in . . . well, forever. It’s a great map. Who’d have thought that the relic stream meanders would still be so well defined some 200 years after the lake was first flooded? Thanks to Tim Shaw and his class for this image.
VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT TO BENEFIT LOCAL EARTH DAY FESTIVAL
Looking for a fun way to help support local environmental efforts?
The Lower Cape Fear Earth Day Alliance is sponsoring a Volleyball
Tournament to raise money for this year’s local Earth Day Festival!
The tournament will be held at Capt’n Bills Backyard Grill &
Volleyball Facility
(4240 Market Street) on Saturday, March 29, 2008. Sign-in begins at
11:30 and play begins at 12:00. Sign up at Capt’n Bills starting
Monday, March 24 or by calling 910-762-0173.
The price per team is $80 in advance or $100 the day of the event.
All proceeds support the 2008 Earth Day Festival which will be at Hugh
McRae Park on Saturday, April 26 from 12:00-6:00.
A, B & C Divisions offered and beginners are welcome! Teams are
4-man
co-ed (must have 2 females) with up to 6 players on a roster. Want
to play, but don’t have a team? Show up & you may find a spot!
For more information on the tournament and this year’s Earth
Day Festival, please contact Shawn Ralston at 798-7444 or sralston@nhcgov.com
