The week that was, 5/9-15/2010
Posted on | May 16, 2010 | 1 Comment
Image source: NASA. Click on the Maryland blue crab for an Earth Observatory article about habitat loss, water quality problems and the state of the fisheries of the Chesapeake Bay. Or click on the President's executive order, or hyper link to the plan summary (right), to read about last week's unveiling of a 15-year-long restoration program for America's largest estuary
“The Chesapeake Bay is a national treasure.” — Barack Obama, Chesapeake Bay Protection and Restoration, Executive Order, May 12, 2010
The plan is both ambitious and vague … –– “Obama administration announces Chesapeake Bay strategy,” Norfolk Virginian-Pilot, May 13, 2010
This time … the EPA is legally obligated to achieve the goals established in the settlement. —“Chesapeake Bay settlement has EPA agreeing to enforce pollution reduction goals,” Washington Post, May 12, 2010
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation settled its suit against the federal Environmental Protection Agency last week in advance of the announcement of the Obama administration's restoration program. Click on the marchers to read about the guarantees on action that satisfied the foundation
In the 1970s, after Virginia came out with a marketing slogan "Virginia is for Lovers," wags from its neighboring state countered with "Maryland is for crabs." Not any crab, but the Maryland Blue Crab, whose taxonomic name Callinectes sapidus, from the Greek calli (beautiful), nectes (swimmer) gave the title to William Warner's 1976 Pulitzer prize winning book.
“There’s a shocking amount of oil in the deep water, relative to what you see in the surface water.” — University of Georgia researcher Samantha Joye, “Giant plumes of oil found under the Gulf of Mexico,” The New York Times, May 15, 2010
“The Gulf of Mexico is a very big ocean. The amount of volume of oil and dispersant we are putting into it is tiny in relation to the total water volume.” — British Petroleum chief executive Tony Hayward, “BP boss admits job is on the line over Deepwater oil spill,” The Guardian, May 14, 2010
“We regret the intentional and announced absence of our dear brothers from Egypt and Sudan.” — Rwandan water and lands minister Stanislas Kamanzi, “Ethiopia signs new Nile treaty despite Egypt, Sudan opposition,” Sudan Tribune, May 15, 2010
“I did what I’d done many times in the Legislature — I lost.” — Kansas Agriculture Secretary Josh Svaty on his attempts to change water rights law to encourage conservation, “State aims to keep rivers flowing,” The Salina Journal, May 11, 2010
“There’s 150 years of industrial pain down there.” —Kate Bowditch, a hydrologist with the Charles River Watershed Association, “A river that’s fit for swimming,” Boston Globe, May 15, 2010
Click on the canoe to be taken to Texas Monthy's May rivers issue
“I can go to Wal-Mart and they’ll say, ‘Hey man, we beat Dallas. We saved East Texas.'” — Michael Banks, co-chair of Friends of the Neches River, “River of Life,” Texas Monthly, May 2010. Via Proquest
Annual depth-to-water level measurements made in early 2010 … show an average decline of -1.5 feet in the groundwater levels of the Ogallala aquifer within the district’s 6.8 million acre service area during 2009. — The High Plains Underground Water Conservation District No. 1, May 12, 2010
“I couldn’t have written it better myself.” — North San Joaquin Water Conservation District General Manager Ed Steffani on a San Joaquin County grand jury report supporting charges for groundwater pumping, “Water district accusations dismissed,” The Record, May 13, 2010
“This is one of the longest-running abuses of the Bush administration’s revolving door I have ever seen.” — Congressman George Miller, D-Martinez on former Bush assistant Interior Secretary Craig Manson joining the Westlands Water District, the nation’s largest irrigation district, which is now suing the US Fish and Wildlife Service over fish protections, “Former Bush officials find work with leading players in state water wars,” May 10, 2010
Click on the image of an Arizona canyon to be taken to the USGS report discrediting conventional wisdom about tamarisk and Russian olive removal
“We need water more than Big Macs.” — UC Davis physician Robert Derlet, “Livestock waste found to foul Sierra waters,” Sacramento Bee, May 9, 2010
Evaporation could actually increase if shading by tamarisk is reduced. — “Tamarisk removal no boost for water supply,” The Pueblo Chieftain, May 12, 2010
For a full round-up of California water stories, go to Aquafornia and UC Berkeley’s On Water.
This post was updated at 9.37am 5/16/2010. The link to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and reference to “Beautiful Swimmers” were added.
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North American Native Plant Societies
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May 21st, 2010 @ 12:05 pm
A wonderful book about the Chesapeake Bay and Crabs is Beautiful Swimmers by William Warner circa 1976.