Environmental News and Events

2012-02-11T22:27:00.000-08:00

After many years, Demeter Design is complete, I am smiling from the amount we have accomplished in such a short time! The Demeter glossary will stay for now. The site is too valuable a resource to dump entirely :)

Thank you to my staff for your tireless efforts and to our clients and partners that worked with such enthusiasm to restore Oregon salmon habitat.

My partner is now working as a NEPA specialist at an engineering firm and I am shifting my consulting services towards a non-profit. Much more straight-forward to begin a non-profit from the beginning rather than boot-strap the status onto an existing company. Check out the new site at http://landstudy.org!

The new site will focus more on my own work along with updates from our facebook, twitter, and linkedin accounts (yah social media!)

I am currently working with the Friends of Outdoor School to rebuild their website. Nothing fancy. Just plain and simple HTML to serve as a resource and marketing tool. I love the idea of "styling up" so the CSS will start small and get prettier as the content fills the site. I am hosting it for now until they decide on a new service. You can find the page in progress in the links page on the new site.

See you soon!

Cara

2012-01-08T14:13:00.000-08:00

Long time no see! As you have likely intuited lots of changes (all for the better) here in Oregon. First on a personal note. My partner has moved on to work on NEPA for a telecommunications firm. I am still on the non-profit track but am going back to school (yeah!) for zoo animal biology. Luckily there is an affordable program through a local community college that just started. I am really looking forward to it. My passion has always been conservation biology but it is a difficult field to break into. So far all of my research has focused on the habitat side and I would love to work directly with animals.

Additionally with me taking over the firm I get the opportunity to revision and repurpose. The first thing I want to do is develop a more cohesive board. Most of our partners were too busy for any serious involvement (although their help and input was always greatly appreciated). I am looking forward to finding a more flexible group of people to participate.

Finally I am really looking forward to just being married to my husband and not his business partner. It puts a lot of strain (good and bad) on a relationship. We certainly went through a gauntlet and came out mostly* unscathed.

Hope to see you back soon, and look for a newly designed space both on this blog and our home site, demeterdesign.net

Finally check out the twitter feed, ceres.society

Cheers!

Aerial Photography Links for Oregon

2011-08-26T16:18:00.001-07:00

2011 1 meter NAIP Imagery

The Oregon Geospatial Enterprise Office is now providing access to 2011 NAIP Imagery (1-meter) through a dynamic image service for thefollowing counties: Benton, Clatsop, Columbia, Gilliam, Lincoln, Morrow, Polk, Tillamook, Washington, and Yamhill. The 2011 NAIP will beavailable statewide, however the remaining counties are still being processed, so stay tuned. If you want to use the imagery locally, you can download it from the USDA/NRCS Geospatial Data Gateway: http://datagateway.nrcs.usda.gov/GDGOrder.aspx#.

The 2011 imagery is accessible through ArcGIS REST, WMS, and WCS services:

· REST Endpoint: http://navigator.state.or.us/ArcGIS/rest/services/Framework/Imagery_Mosaic2011/ImageServer

· WMS Endpoint: http://navigator.state.or.us/ArcGIS/services/Framework/Imagery_Mosaic2011/ImageServer/WMSServer?

· WCS Endpoint: http://navigator.state.or.us/ArcGIS/services/Framework/Imagery_Mosaic2011/ImageServer/WCSServer?

· Preview/ArcGIS.com: http://bit.ly/qB6s1t

Other Imagery hosted by GEO:

GEO also hosts Imagery for 1995, 2000, 2005, and 2009. Use the same links as listed above, substituting the year you'd like to connect to in order to access those epochs.

In addition to dynamic image services (as listed above), we have cached imagery services for the 2009 1/2 meter NAIP product, currentlyavailable in two projections: Oregon Lambert Int' Ft (cached down to 1:4k) and Web Mercator Aux Sphere (cached down to 1:36K).

Oregon Lambert Projection:

· REST: http://navigator.state.or.us/ArcGIS/rest/services/BaseMaps/BaseMap_Imagery2009/MapServer

· WMS: http://navigator.state.or.us/ArcGIS/services/BaseMaps/BaseMap_Imagery2009/MapServer/WMSServer?

· Preview/ArcGIS.com: http://bit.ly/nK50gx

Web Mercator Projection:

· REST: http://navigator.state.or.us/ArcGIS/rest/services/BaseMaps/BaseMap_Imagery2009_WM/MapServer

· WMS: http://navigator.state.or.us/ArcGIS/services/BaseMaps/BaseMap_Imagery2009_WM/MapServer/WMSServer?

· Preview/ArcGIS.com: http://bit.ly/pYMlVQ

Please contact me with any questions or other general feedback about these Imagery Services.

Thanks,
Erik

________________________________

Erik Endrulat, GISP

GIS Analyst-Web Administrator

DAS EISPD Geospatial Enterprise Office

955 Center St. NE, rm 470

Salem, OR 97301 | 503-378-2781

Twitter: @OregonGEO

Apples top group's most contaminated list | ajc.com

2011-06-13T12:14:00.000-07:00

Strawberries, celery, apples, enjoy them organically or wash them first.

Apples top group's most contaminated list | ajc.com

Worlds Largest Morel in my Backyard!

2011-06-01T11:03:00.000-07:00

That is just the cap!!! For those of you who want my theory as to why they are so large, get in touch.

Zebra mussels stopped at border | MailTribune.com

2011-05-20T09:39:00.000-07:00

Zebra mussels stopped at border | MailTribune.com

The boat inspection stations pay off!

King crabs invade Antarctica

2011-04-30T08:48:00.000-07:00

King crabs invade Antarctica

Interesting article about the migration of king crabs into the southern ice fields. Normally they can't survive the extremely frigid temperatures and it is thought that they haven't been present in the antarctic ecosystem for eons. As temperatures becomes more tolerable they have moved in, found themselves a nice home where no prey species have hard shelled defenses and proliferated.

Man-made Earthquakes

2011-04-08T20:55:00.000-07:00

"The commission has said preliminary studies showed evidence potentially linking injection activities with nearly 1,000 quakes in the region [Arkansas] since September, including the largest quake to hit the state in 35 years -- a magnitude 4.7 on Feb. 27"

Where Have All the Salmon Gone

2011-03-23T10:59:00.000-07:00

Foley Creek in Oregon is as ideal as a non-wild stream can get. Cold water, limited human interaction, complex, flows directly into the lower Nehalem River not more than a few miles from the Pacific ocean. The headwaters are managed for private timber production while the lower reaches meander between private rural houses and cow pastures. There is even a berry farm or two but it is far from heavy use. There isn't one culvert! I have seen many streams in Oregon. There are salmon in the craziest places. They can become stranded in a puddle no longer than myself and only a few inches deep as high flows recede. They can jump through perched culverts that make me want to get a tetanus shot just by looking at them. They can hang out in warm bacteria ridden waters for days before succumbing to stress related deaths. They are even found in road and pasture ditches. They are an amazingly resilient genus. For some reason though, Foley Creek is missing salmon. They are not present in the numbers one would expect. The gradient is perfect, the gravels and pools are there, it isn't too flashy, but for some reason, year after year, I have yet to see one fish either adult or juvenile in this stream. I know they are there from Fish and Wildlife counts, but the numbers are limited. My neighbors saw one spawning Coho, once. What is the problem? Coho, Steelhead, and Chum can live in warmer waters than Foley. They can make it through almost any barrier on other streams while Foley's passage is unbarred. They make it to the top of the Nehalem River despite a waterfall, sediment flushes, and high temperatures. One would think that Foley Creek, both by proximity and by nature would be flush with salmon and trout. Not one cutthroat though. I know how to look too. I have been doing this for the better part of a decade. I see the most ideal gravel bed and associated pool almost on a daily basis. Where are they?
I have several hypotheses:

There are numerous steep gravel roads that intersect Foley Creek, some of which deliver sediment during heavy rains. These bury those pristine gravel beds that could be ideal for spawning.
There is limited wood which is needed for gravel sorting and cover.
There are some reaches that have no riparian cover and temperatures could become elevated.

The reason I reject these hypothesis is because these issues are present in almost every stream I have encountered and it doesn't limit fish as much as it does in this stream.

The return is low. Even if smoltification failed and every cohort was killed as the result of one of these three reasons then strays would recolonize the stream, but they don't to the degree they need to in order to sustain a viable population.

I have a second hypothesis, one that runs deeper and faster to the point. A hypothesis I, as a restoration biologist, avoid like a plague-ridden alley because it is too sad for me to comprehend.

The oceans are dying. This hypothesis is supported by a great deal of evidence (mostly through process of elimination). If the dams along the Columbia were the limiting factor then we would see more salmon in coastal streams where passage is not barred. If heat were the limiting factor the same would be true. If habitat complexity was the limiting factor then the restoration work which has occurred over the past twenty to thirty years or so would make such a difference that we could see a correlation between our work and salmon populations.

While dams definitely cause direct and indirect mortality, as does temperature and habitat simplification, the adult returns are almost always dependent on 'a good ocean year'. What does that mean? A good ocean year refers to ideal temperatures, currents, food, and limited take from all predators including humans.

There is more evidence that our dying oceans are the primary limitation to salmon populations; the pH is changing, the currents are changing, the temperature swings are increasing, the freshwater inputs are increasing, the food web is shifting. These are preventing our freshwater restoration work from being as effective as it can be. We can keep the young ones alive but we can't do anything to increase their adult survival once they hit the salt water.

I would call myself crazy, if it wasn't just salmon. Then there is the coral, the turtles, the whales, the multitude of tiny fishes, and a host of other creatures I can't name, all dying at faster-than-historical rates.

What can one do? I don't know.

Trying the Hello Bar

2011-03-14T13:04:00.000-07:00

Sorry if this doesn't work, still getting the bugs out, the bar at the top of the page should take you there. Neat gadget, I will change periodically.

North Coast Land Conservancy Series

2011-03-14T12:28:00.001-07:00

In between gusts or rain and wind the first signs of spring are beginning to show: willows are starting to bud up and bright yellow skunk cabbage blooms are pushing their way up through the soil. We're all looking forward to watching spring slowly unfold on Oregon's beautiful North Coast!
This month we have some great opportunities for you to become inspired by the natural world around you. Join us for Listening to the Land and Saturday Morning Stewardship as we explore the beauty and regenerative power found in the wetlands.

Listening to the Land Wetlands: A Documentary about Art and Ecology

Wednesday March 16, 7:00-9:00 PM, Seaside Public Library
with filmmaker Carl Vandervoort and artist Deborah DeWit

Documentary filmmaker Carl Vandervoort and Oregon artist Deborah DeWit collaborated on this 1-hour film that follows the artist for a year both in her studio and on the adjacent land that has provided her inspiration and subject matter for over a decade: a former dairy farm surrounded by suburbia, slowly undergoing wildlife habitat restoration. The film juxtaposes DeWit's feelings of responsibility as an artist to use her creativity to explore truths of the natural experience with the voices of environmental activists, citizens and restoration workers, all of whom address the theme of the value of encountering, preserving and enlarging the "wild" world.
A question and answer session with both artist and filmmaker will take place after the screening. For more information on Wetlands: A Documentary about Art and Ecology, visit www.wetlandsdocumentary.com.
Listening to the Land is a winter natural history lecture series co-sponsored by the Necanicum Watershed Council. For more information on this and other Listening to the Land programs, please visit our website atwww.nclctrust.org, or contact NCLC Development Director Teresa Retzlaff at (503) 738-9126 orteresar@nclctrust.org.

Saturday Morning Stewardship: Stewardship at Fishers Point Wetland

Saturday March 26, 10:00 am-1:00pm (meet at Wheeler Train Station at 9:45)

Participate in the stewardship of a beautiful coastal wetland by joining North Coast Land Conservancy for this month's Saturday Morning Stewardship event. Work will take place at NCLC's Fishers Point property near Wheeler, and offers a rare chance to visit this wetland marsh at the edge of Nehalem Bay. We'll be picking up trash and debris littering this sensitive habitat, so bring waterproof rubber boots, gloves, rain gear, water and a lunch to enjoy in this beautiful setting. We'll need lots of volunteers to make this effort possible, so please join us in the fun! We will meet at the Wheeler Train Station at 9:45 am and carpool to Fishers Point.
For more information, contact Celeste Coulter, North Coast Land Conservancy Stewardship Director at (503) 738-9126 or celestec@nclctrust.org.
Thanks for your interest. See you outside!

North Coast Land Conservancy is supported in large part by donations from people like you. Please consider supporting us!

Food, Farming, and Science

2011-03-12T15:40:00.000-08:00

I read an interesting blog post by Mark Bittman of the NY Times. It didn't contain any information that was new to me. As a scientist working on environmental issues and as a person passionate about food, the post touched on topics near and dear to me. My interest wasn't piqued by the topic but rather by the response. Never have I read a more polarizing non-discussion. They ran from inflammatory to choiresque but the choicest of them told him to mind his own business and leave science to the scientists and farming to the farmers. As a scientist working on sustainable farming issues I felt like I could say something in his defense but they I realized there wasn't much of a point. When does an angry farmer or an irate hippie ever listen? Certainly not to the rational voice among three hundred other rational voices on a NY Times blog. Letting it lie, I will encourage you to read the article on your own, especially the 250+ comments.

California Fish Die-off

2011-03-12T15:23:00.000-08:00

Contrary to the original story, the million + dead sardines in California did not die due to the weather but rather from being forced into a harbor while under the influence of domoic acid. The harbor was warmer than their habitat, warmer water has less dissolved oxygen and they suffocated. Domoic acid, a powerful neurotoxin, had accumulated in the fish. Researchers believe that this could have caused them to become disoriented and swarm to King's Harbor, they also are looking into the possibility of oxygen deprived sea-water. What was domoic acid doing in the ocean? It is often the byproduct of algae blooms (sometimes red-tide), a toxic algal bloom did occur 12 miles south at Redondo beach. Changing ocean conditions often bring on these blooms. Unseasonably warm water, nutrient run-off, plankton die-off, and many other things can cause algal blooms.

Japan Earthquake

2011-03-12T14:15:00.000-08:00

I don't feel right saying much about these disasters. I feel saying anything trivializes it. There is a constant stream of chatter and discourse already being had, my voice doesn't need to be added to the mix. I will say though, like many in the US, I have both friends and family in Japan. My cousin and my very close friends brother and his wife live there, in Tokyo.

Although they are well (I haven't heard about my cousin yet) it doesn't change the gravity. There are entire villages missing. I won't take up this space to argue against nuclear power, that isn't what we should be doing right now. We should do as much as we can, emotionally, financially, or otherwise to help the devastated communities.

I can't say I hope because that feels too small. I do pray for the best but at this point what will one prayer do except make me feel slightly better? I can ask for guidance but in the end we have only our selves and our individual faith, whatever that may be, in God, Allah, the Divine, the infinite, or in nothing. This puts the world into perspective. What seems so large one day that it drives every action is washed away the next so that you can't even remember why it was important.

Final note, an earthquake this large can change the tilt of Earth's axis. We have lost a little time. These events happen daily, sometimes large, sometimes small, sometimes devastating. Can you remember the Indonesian earthquake and tsunami a few years ago? Chances are if you weren't there or didn't know someone effected you have already replaced that disaster with the next. What about the Pakistan flooding? There are thousands of daily disasters, sometimes so small that they only touch one person, and we forget. The most recent awful fills our minds and yesterdays tragedy is lost to time. People are resilient but with peace we can be strong. When we spend our lives fighting each other we can't ever be prepared, mentally, emotionally, financially, physically, to deal with something of this nature. Be kind and compassionate, a loving hand goes a long way to someone in distress.

Assume the Worst

2011-03-07T09:01:00.000-08:00

If you are aware of global events then you are up to date on China and human rights issues. Having been banned from the Chinese microblogging site Sina (am still trying to get back on it) and a regular new reader of Boxun at Blogger I can say that the Chinese government definitely doesn't want you saying that they stole Tibet from its people (clearly it is more complex than that with a long history of the Chinese borders growing and contracting, but this instance I stand by what I say, they stole it much in the same way we stole lands from the Native Peoples of America). They don't want you to stage protests, they have even gone so far as to tell University students to alter their out-door game playing routine so it doesn't look like they are gathering to speak! With March Madness upon us, I can only imagine a university here trying that, it sounds like something out of Harry Potter 5, "okay, you can play basketball but only the five players that are on the court can be allowed in the stadium, they others have to rotate in from a second building and they aren't allowed to speak to the starting 5."

What would the Wisconsin protests look like in Beijing? They are in a public building, could that even happen in China?

I think that like most countries the people of China are very much like the people of the US. We want personal peace, prosperity, family wellness, and a variety of gadgets. We don't want our gadgets to be made by slaves or come at the cost of a beautiful waterfall or forest. The difference is the fear. The Chinese government postures this ultra-control when it is clear that they are desperate to maintain their power. Every action they take spills out fear. It is clear that they are afraid of losing their control, of change brought on peacefully and democratically where all people have the right to speak, not just the right people.

I believe that the global community will get there. Taking Qaddafi as an example, he is widely regarded as a crazy joke rather than the unflappable leader he once was considered. Look at Al Qaeda, this group has not been able to accomplish with all the weapons and posturing in so many years what took a relatively small group of people a matter of weeks to do just through speaking and standing in place.

So when China closes down even more they are forgetting that we already know what they are doing. We are already familiar with their oppression, they have not forgotten the Tiananmen Square protests and neither has the world. We know what they are doing and if we can't see it for our own eyes through the work of global independent journalists than we will assume the worst.

The Black Mold Invades!

2011-03-06T17:00:00.000-08:00

Environmental News and Events: What a Unique Concept!

2011-03-02T17:36:00.001-08:00

Environmental News and Events: What a Unique Concept!

What a Unique Concept!

2011-03-02T17:36:00.000-08:00

The emergence of the short form, or blog entry, is becoming a popular way to transmit a wide range of archaeological knowledge. What is the place of this conversation within academic, professional, and public discourse? Simply put, what can the short form do for archaeology?

The idea is to chime in!

So what can the short form do for archaeology?

So much! First, archaeology need not be limited to the study of the distant past. We can evaluate the immediate past (some call this the present) to make positive changes for the future. I don't need to point to the middle eastern revolutions but I will. See what Facebook has done? There are few people that don't get that last sentence.

Second, societies become dust (and justify studies) because they fail to evolve. By limiting any scientific study to proscribed (I dare say prescribed as well) methods than we too shall become dust. We have to evolve (the scientific community that is) and adapt to changing technologies. To shun the short form and informal blog is akin to those that shunned talkies! Which makes me LOL to think about. Yes, I did.

Finally the gathering of data is made easier when people can share. What information was once locked in the mountains of some remote village is now potentially at your finger tips. To turn away from that gold mine is ludicrous.

On the flip side with all this information sharing you could potentially suffer from TMI. Yes, I did it again. To give a case and point look at the increase in the sharing of medical abnormalities on social networking sites in relation to patient privacy. One can only imagine the dangers of blogging the location of something sacred.

Cougar Status Questioned

2011-03-02T17:03:00.000-08:00

Interesting article. Generally the classification of Cougar's in the eastern US as genetically separate from those in the west is being reconsidered. If they are the same, the eastern Cougar will be removed from the Endangered Species List. BUT (and it is a pretty big but!) That would indicate that they have been extirpated from their native range. Given the potential to classify a species endangered in part of its range, that would put them right back on the list... Being off the list in the mean time would allow states that didn't have their own special protection status to issue hunting licenses. In Oregon the department of wildlife not only allows their take but kills them outright.

Two Day Intensive on Stream Habitat and Restoration at Sitka Center

2011-02-28T16:20:00.000-08:00

Lindsay will be leading a two day stream lesson in the Nestucca River Watershed covering restoration and habitat complexity. Join us in September (unless you are attending the American Fisheries Society symposium which is unfortunately at the same time). We have tried to keep the cost low and there is an opportunity for scholarship. Hit the link for more information. Hope to see you there!

Description

The goal of this workshop is to expose participants to some of the uniquely beautiful streams and forests of the Northwest coast. The first day will be spent in old growth forests and the second in and around the streams. Both days will be spent in the field where you will learn how healthy streams and forests are meant function including the fundamentals of upland, riparian, and aquatic ecology. You will also learn how to identify common plants, animals, mushrooms, and insects that we encounter along the way.

About the Instructor

Lindsay is co-owner and lead analyst with Demeter Design, an Oregon-based environmental firm specializing in watershed research and restoration. He specializes in the design and analysis of natural resource assessment and monitoring programs. He holds a MS in Neurosciences from UC San Diego and a BA in Molecular Biology from UC Berkeley. He is an avid cook, brewer, and gardener. He lives in Nehalem with his wife and partner Cara.
Website: http//demeterdesign.net/about_us.html

Materials List

Students Bring:
Students do not need to bring any specific materials. They should come prepared with outdoor gear sufficient to hike off trail in the Oregon coast range. This includes sturdy hiking boot, rain and weather appropriate gear, including waterproof boots.

Instructor Provides:
The instructor shall provide all necessary maps and instructional materials. The instructor shall also provide example GPS and survey equipment as needed.

NYTimes article on biodiversity

2011-02-28T16:13:00.000-08:00

Great article on the history of naturalist studies. Very informative, check it out when you get a chance. Generally discusses the importance of species preservation from the perspective of disease prevention and cure development.

Need Alternative Energy Sources

2011-02-27T14:36:00.000-08:00

"The documents reveal that the wastewater, which is sometimes hauled to sewage plants not designed to treat it and then discharged into rivers that supply drinking water, contains radioactivity at levels higher than previously known, and far higher than the level that federal regulators say is safe for these treatment plants to handle."

Complications complications lead to lamentations. Although this is hardly news, why is it that the more energy we produce the more we need to fix the problems that the production process creates?

I feel like the industry has stalled to the point where we are using more extreme methods of production such as deep water drilling or fragging and miles of pipe when alternatives are cheaper and safer. Say what you will about wind power and the noise, micro-climate changes, etc, but how many turbines can be made from one NG pipe line? How much energy can be saved through increased efficiency? Frustrations!

Data Clearinghouse

2011-02-27T14:28:00.000-08:00

We are updating our clearinghouse and are looking for more research to add. If you are looking for additional visibility for your environmental research or have independent studies that are not located elsewhere, contact me and I will (with exceptions) add them to our clearinghouse. Ideally this work will focus on restoration, water quality, endangered species, agriculture, or other research of a similar nature in and around the PNW.

The benefits of including your work on the Demeter Clearinghouse include easy backup storage of final reports and GIS databases, permanent links to your work, and inclusion in a larger community of private/public research. We also do limited indexing to make your work more searchable.

What I need is a .pdf file of your report (preferably in one file not multiple but I do condense and combine) and/or the zipped (.zip) GIS files of the data that goes with the report.

Contact info is on the titular site link. Cheers!

Lindsay Mico to Give Presentation at American Fisheries Society Symposium in Seattle

2011-02-27T14:19:00.000-08:00

He will be presenting restoration planning work in the Pacific northwest specifically focusing on the restoration work happening in the Tillamook River Basin. Hope to see you there, hit the link for details.

Eating at Lucca

2011-02-27T14:17:00.000-08:00

Having been to Lucca a few times I have to say it is quickly becoming one of my preferred go-to eateries. Friendly atmosphere, great wood-fired pizzas, nice wine list, great service, excellent vegetarian options. Not much more to say other than that I went, ate three specials: roasted sunchokes with rabe and kale; an amazing cheese plate; and a lovely salad. I also took home two pizza's to-go, both of which were excellent. I used a gift card so I wasn't worried about the price. You could easily go with $20-30 and get a pizza for two and maybe a couple of appetizers or sides. If you want drinks or more food the cost can hit $50-70 for two. Not a bad deal for a great night out. The chef is also very friendly and knowledgeable. Stand-out success in NE Portland, 24th and Fremont-ish.

Western Libyia Liberated

2011-02-23T10:58:00.001-08:00

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Anderson Cooper

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show Full Episodes

Political Humor & Satire Blog

The Daily Show on Facebook

Houselessness

2011-02-20T12:47:00.001-08:00

There are 50,000 homeless children in Cairo! My ignorance astounds me.

Abstaining from food

2011-02-18T13:00:00.000-08:00

I just closed an article from the NYTimes. I didn't finish it. Why? After a few sentences they mentioned something that turned my stomach, clear turtle soup. I can understand why the cuisine was created or prized, those living in countries where the only protein source is foods such as turtles shouldn't starve out of principal (although I would consider moving to greener pastures - I get that that is not very realistic for most people) but that isn't New York.

I can't really get behind a restaurant that encourages the consumption of animals such as turtles, horse, cats, dogs, or others in that group (I am an on again off again vegetarian). This group includes animals that we have bred for companionship or for labor, animals that are rare, or animals that are eaten only so that the diner can say "I ate turtle/shark/canary at such and such place and it was to die for." Especially since most of these animals are eaten for texture and not flavor or need. It seems arrogant to eat $20 turtle soup when most of the world has to feed their families on $20/month.

It also seems like the desperate attempt of a chef to get the rich patrons. A talented chef can make a chicken soup that is better than turtle soup. A kitchy NY chef resorts to variety meats. It would be nice to see a shift away from this mentality into reality. People are starving, dying, being murdered for their beliefs and some J-O cares more about being different than being responsible. Being responsible is never easy. Oh yes I am sure these turtles are bred in captivity etc etc. Replace the word turtle with dog or cat and most people (not all - recognize this is a cultural difference) would turn away.

Having lived in Arizona on a reservation I can say first-hand that even Native Americans have replaced the turtle in cuisine and dress with other foods. Turtle shells were commonly used in Hopi ceremonies until their scarcity made the people think twice. Rather than raise turtles they started using aluminum cans cut and rolled so that they made the same noise during their dances. Ingenious and beautiful.

I am a fine-diner, I love food, I would be more impressed with a chef that could develop an entire menu around beans as the primary protein source. Not only would that be more interesting to see (it is incredibly difficult to make beans every day appealing) but it would show me that they weren't stuck in a vortex of egoism. I mean really, turtle?

The only caveat being since I didn't finish the article the soup might have had fake turtle! Wouldn't that be funny.

Add Libya to that List

2011-02-17T11:45:00.000-08:00

Nothing much more to say than that.

Marching in Tehran

2011-02-14T12:36:00.000-08:00

Yemen, Iran, Syria, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia. The voice of the people echo's across the globe. They will not be silenced through oppression and greed. Peace? Maybe - maybe not. Let us hope that violence doesn't win out.

Also check out the DCPost

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/14/AR2011021403985.html

Homemade soy sauce update and shrimp paste

2011-02-12T16:20:00.000-08:00

Its been a while since I posted about Soy Sauce. I'm on to a new batch which is pretty much the same as the last batch with one key change - I've used a natural salt in place of the industrial sea salt I used in my first few batches. I'm using a mined salt from Utah (once a sea bed). It is high in the "other" salts ie not NaCl, and has a nice reddish hue from the clay content. I've learned that there are often additional chemicals added to industrial salts that can mess up the fermentation process.

Right now it has a good, but strangely sweet smell to it ~ 2 months in. It should be ready for tasting by early summer.

I'm also making 2 other fermented products - a shrimp paste and whole fermented soybeans. The whole beans were boiled and added to a brine of 16% salt, 8% sugar mix and will sit as long as they last - they're pretty good after a week but not really fermented yet. The shrimp paste was based on blended bay shrimp mixed a lot of salt (I was kind of lazy and didn't measure). I mixed in a few slices of ginger and it has been sitting also for about 2months on my shelf at room temp. It smells a lot like a tide pool, and just like fish sauce, the fishiness disappears when you cook it. I used it to make dry fried green beans last week and it worked wonderfully.

Next fermentation post I'll talk about the fermented braising greens we use a lot in the winter - another chinese ingredient that seems crazy but tastes delicious! I also finished a batch of Sake that is out of sight.

The Ever-changing World

2011-02-12T16:12:00.000-08:00

From the NYtimes "Mehdi Karroubi, an Iranian opposition leader, said Tuesday that a demonstration planned in Tehran next week [February 14 2011], nominally in solidarity with the protest movements in Egypt and Tunisia, was a test both for the Iranian government and its opponents."

If anyone is wondering why so much of this blog is devoted to politics and less and less to traditional environmental news I would like to clarify by saying that the environment can never be restored without a peaceful and representative democracy in every corner of the world.

Let us hope to get there soon!

HuffPo NoMo

2011-02-11T17:25:00.001-08:00

Off-topic but I don't think it is any coincidence that AOL buys HuffPo and the first google news clips are about what makes a man attractive and Katy Perry's weight. Bye-bye legitimate news organization and hello corporate machine. Like they say you can take the rat out of corporate but you can't take the corporation out of the rat race, or something like that.

History in the Making

2011-02-11T17:16:00.000-08:00

I have been a somewhat silent supporter of a peaceful Egyptian transition and was beyond happy to hear the news that the government is moving towards a legitimate democratic transition! One for the grass roots team :)

Here is to a long term sustained peace that involves all stakeholders including the Israeli and Palestinian peoples (of course I am including the rest of the world in that hope as well).

Congratulations and I am mourning those who died to make this happen, there are no words to heal those wounds.

Drought in the Amazon

2011-02-10T18:44:00.001-08:00

Interesting article in the CSM - Check out the link for the full story.

Freedom through the internet

2011-01-30T10:03:00.000-08:00

Interesting site that brings to light internet oppression from around the world. Also, here are some steps you can take to turn your mobile phone into an internet portal. I had to screen shot it because copy/paste disabled so you can download the pdf instructions.

Find it here, large file

Official Google Blog: Google search and search engine spam

2011-01-28T13:51:00.000-08:00

Official Google Blog: Google search and search engine spam

Yeah, Google Improves its Algorithm Yet Again

2011-01-28T13:43:00.001-08:00

Check it http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/google-search-and-search-engine-spam.html

USDA take list - 'nuisance' animals poisoned or killed by thousands

2011-01-27T10:16:00.000-08:00

U.S. government commits avian holocaust with mass poisoning of millions of birds

Yuck. No wonder there are mass deaths across the nation every year. The USDA has actively been poisoning and killing animals considered to be detrimental to farming for decades.

This doesn't include any animal accidentally killed that went unrecorded. Who knows how many pets, or even people, have been poisoned unintentionally. Also, how many non-target species that are endangered die?

Not really that surprised but I wish humans were more tolerant. I am not saying let the wolves in, but when humans did that they were gifted with man's best friend, dogs. Work with nature and not against it... Don't destroy the work of God for food - Romans 14:17-20.

Dealing with anger and grief in troubled times

2011-01-25T12:07:00.000-08:00

Today I woke up in a horrible mood. Not surprising given the nature of today's climate; bitter, mean, cold, etc. Sure there are a lot of great things about humanity but they seem to get lost and mired in the muck we generate.

I have actively been developing the skill to wash these feelings away. Not only is my blood pressure down but I am able to function even when I read about or experience first hand tragedy.

Although completely off topic (not a first as regular readers know) I wanted to share with you the tools I have developed to cope with grief and anxiety.

1) Breath! I can't believe how often I find myself anxious and holding my breath. Exhale and let life happen. Holding your breath, breathing too fast, too shallow, these things contribute to your overall mood.

2) Go slow. Make fewer mistakes which generate more frustration.

3) Smile, especially if you don't want to and especially at people you don't know.

4) Hug a friend. Make someone else smile.

5) Go outside. I get cave crazy in the winter and nothing like some sunshine brings me out of my winter blues.

Finally if you have done all this and the grey days still have you down check out this live chat at the LA times site tomorrow (Wednesday Jan. 26 2011) at this link or by copying and pasting this into your browser.

http://www.dailypress.com/dp-live-health-chat-sad-depression,0,7226494.htmlstory?altcast_code=9e0e085d8d

Himalayan glaciers covered in debris less likely to melt than those exposed.

2011-01-24T13:05:00.000-08:00

That seems obvious but this has big implications for climate studies. "[glacier melting rates went] from high for debris-free glaciers to zero for glaciers with debris cover greater than 20 percent"

Okay, let us cover all the worlds glaciers in concrete, there, no more global warming ;)

Cold Fusion Achieved?

2011-01-24T12:28:00.000-08:00

Well now is not this just the biggest piece of good news in a while... unless the guy is a fraud which some scientists are suggesting.

“We have passed already the phase to convince somebody ... We are arrived to a product that is ready for the market. Our judge is the market. In this field the phase of the competition in the field of theories, hypothesis, conjectures etc etc is over. The competition is in the market. If somebody has a valid technology, he has not to convince people by chattering, he has to make a reactor that work and go to sell it, as we are doing.”

The email where you get machine pricing information is info(at)leonardocorp1996.com

Interesting. The most interesting claim is that this machine is a near replica of an older machine the 'nickel-hydrogen low-energy nuclear reaction (LENR)' machine originally developed by Francesco Piantelli of Siena, Italy.

Here is a link to a more detailed article http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-01-italian-scientists-cold-fusion-video.html which has a video of the machine 'working'.

The gist? 1 part fuel = ~12 parts clean energy with no nuclear waste. In traditional fusion reactions achieving the high temps required takes an enormous amount of energy and results in elevated stream temperatures from the water that is needed to cool the reactors.

Nitrates in the Umatilla Basin

2011-01-20T13:51:00.000-08:00

Nitrates are above maximum standards in the Umatilla Basin despite the restoration efforts. Check out the article at the Eastern Oregonian. I would give you the link but for some reason I can't use the paste function and I really don't want to type it in manually.

Beef fat floating in Houston Area river closes shipping route temporarily

2011-01-06T11:38:00.000-08:00

"The Coast Guard says a nearly one-mile stretch of the Houston Ship Channel will be closed for at least four days as workers use pitchforks and fishnets to corral, pierce and remove 15,000 gallons of beef fat."

Wow. "[~]250,000 gallons of beef fat leaked from a storage tank, and some reached the waterway through a storm drain"

Shark Finning Banned in US

2011-01-06T11:20:00.000-08:00

Did you know that 73 million sharks are killed just for their fins every year?! Hopefully this new law will reduce that number significantly. What is amazing is that The Shark Conservation Act allows the North Carolina dogfish fishery to continue. That concession was made so that Senator Richard Burr would vote for it. I didn't think that was legal... The fishery currently accounts for ~1% of all shark fishing in the world but their share will certainly go up when they are the only fishermen allowed to hunt them. That smells a little fishy ... :)

Size of Pacific Ocean Patch Debated

2011-01-05T12:56:00.000-08:00

Whether the patch's size is a result of hyperbole or extreme disregard for the environment, the great Pacific garbage patch has shrunk to 1% of what it was! Despite an increase in plastic usage...

"...the oceanography professor says the data suggest that plastic contamination hasn't increased dramatically -- or perhaps not at all -- in recent decades, despite greater use of plastic." Yeah! One win for the recycle, reduce, reuse motto. Oh wait.

"The Algalita Marine Research Foudation in California, founded by sea captain Charles Moore, first spotlighted the ocean pollution. After a 1999 expedition, it reported a garbage patch of mostly plastic that could be the size of Texas, Executive Director Marieta Francis says."

Although the OSU professor interviewed leans toward the patches size being exaggerated, the plastic at this point could be so water logged that it sank and was buried in sand elsewhere. Or perhaps the currents have changed so that the patch is more dispersed. This theory is more compatible with the amount of trash that washes up on beaches during a storm.

:)

2011-01-05T11:33:00.001-08:00

Mass Bird and Fish Die-off

2011-01-03T16:52:00.000-08:00

From the CSM, "Biologists estimate that between 1,000 and 3,000 birds fell over Beebe on New Year's... Adding to the mystery is an apparent fish kill 125 miles away in the same state. A day before the bird die-off, a tugboat operator near Ozark, Ark., spotted thousands of dead drum fish floating in the Arkansas River. Biologists say the two events are probably not related and suggest that the fish kill – a much more common event than a bird rain – is likely linked to a disease that affected only one species."

Bees still in peril

2011-01-03T16:29:00.000-08:00

Sad, but there has been a 96% decline across four species of bumble bees over the past few decades.

What to do with that Tree

2010-12-26T10:19:00.000-08:00

For many, the tree comes down when the grandparents/grandchildren leave, but what of the tree? There are numerous 'green' options for the disposal of a holiday tree. You can call your local ODFW office and see if they are doing any log placements, the trees have been used in the past as part of these projects. You can chop it up and burn it, if you have a wood stove or any other type of fire place. You can use it to build something like a stool or a table. Don't forget to save the needles which can be used to spice food (use them in a sachet or cheese cloth so you don't have to pick the needles out).

Stick it in your yard, either on its side or standing up in a hole or other stand, for the birds and other wildlife. You could also use it to construct a raised bed. Think of the saved trip to the lumber store!

Please don't put it against your neighbors door and ring the bell. This is very rude and nobody wants to deal with this type of shinanagins after the holidays!

Merry Christmas and a happy new year :)

Lunar Eclipse and Solstice on Same Night!

2010-12-19T11:43:00.000-08:00

Check it out if you can, here's to a clear viewing!

Can You Be in Fashion and Still Get a Man?

2010-12-19T11:30:00.000-08:00

Can You Be in Fashion and Still Get a Man?
To which I would reply yes, as long as you nice and fun to be around. Most men probably don't really care what you wear.

Demeter Design is Opening Not-for-Profit Arm

2010-12-10T10:47:00.000-08:00

Demeter Design was structured as a non-profit organization. As of 2011 we will be converting to a 501(c)3 non-profit in order To provide assessment, mapping, and reporting services for individuals, environmental non-profits and watershed councils, educationsal and eccumenical groups, universities and school districts, and government agencies; To provide scholarships for Tillamook County high school and community college students; To Provide internships for university students; To provide grants and grant writng assistance to private researchers conducting non-speculative habitat research; To support environmental restoration and conservation; To support local economies and healthy farms.

Let us know what you think!

Neat Blog to Check Out

2010-12-10T10:45:00.001-08:00

http://threebeats.wordpress.com/

Very cool blog, check it out if you get the chance.

2010-11-24T15:17:00.000-08:00

Today in some good news (for some, although I imagine there are those that don't consider this good...)

"The Fish and Wildlife Service set aside 187,000 square miles (484,000 square kilometers) off Alaska as the threatened bears' habitat, which means any project that could impact the animals' way of life must undergo careful review. 'This critical habitat designation enables us to work with federal partners to ensure their actions within its boundaries do not harm polar bear populations,' said Tom Strickland, Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks."

From the AFP

Today in More Reasons to Appreciate the Freedoms I Have

2010-11-18T11:34:00.000-08:00

"In June 2009, Asia was asked to fetch water while out working in the fields. But Muslim women labourers objected, saying that as a non-Muslim, she should not touch the water bowl.
A few days later the women went to a local cleric and alleged that Asia made derogatory remarks about the Prophet Mohammed." Now she is sentenced to a hanging.

Full Story Here http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5h7wwqd-U511ibnXJeBP5MB9ev6Lg?docId=CNG.34d413ddaf37cdcea164fb9b026494b1.401

Mushroom gardening

2010-11-17T13:02:00.000-08:00

When you live on a mostly treed property in Coastal Oregon, the most logical thing to farm has to be mushrooms. Over the past few years, I have tried a variety of approaches to inoculation - plugs, chip spawn, scattering whole fruiting bodies, stacking new wood next to producing wood, transplanting trees from fruiting areas, etc.
After a few years of this, we have successfully established one thriving chantrelle patch and another nascent one. Additionally, we noticed a large patch of large (about the size of my palm) oysters fruiting in the upper portion of a living alder snag. We did a lot of watering in the summer, and I believe this is what did the trick - I have had trouble with my plugged logs drying out. Live and learn I guess.

Haiti Cholera Outbreak

2010-11-16T10:56:00.000-08:00

This image is from the BBC at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11767795

2010-11-12T08:56:00.001-08:00

Funniest quote ever, "He like tenses up and he's like grrr and I'm like what in the world is going on and I look across the street and there's a coyote," explains Multnomah County Chair Jeff Cogen describing an encounter between his dog and the coyote." From KGW

NCLC News

2010-11-08T13:29:00.000-08:00

North Coast Land Conservancy staff just spotted the first coastal coho of the season making their way up Thompson Creek on one of NCLC’s favorite properties in Seaside. Fall is a beautiful time of year on the Oregon Coast, and this month we have some great programs to engage and inform you about this amazing landscape we all treasure- hope to see you there!

Listening to the Land: Foraging on the North Coast

With Carla Cole, Natural Resource Manager, Lewis and Clark National Historical Park
Wednesday, November 17, 7-9 pm at the Seaside Public Library

People living along Oregon's North Coast have been eating locally for thousands of years, and indigenous foods – from berries and mushrooms to seafood and elk – continue to be an important part of our region's food system. Carla Cole is a local food enthusiast with an adventurous taste for indigenous foods. Her tales of foraging for truly local food will inspire you to look at coastal native plants in a whole new, and tasty, way. She will also share stories about how native plants have traditionally been harvested and prepared by the Clatsop and Nehalem tribes that have lived on the coast for generations.

Locally harvested refreshments will be provided by North Coast Food Web.

Listening to the Land is a monthly Winter Natural History lecture series presented by North Coast Land Conservancy and The Necanicum Watershed Council. You can find our full schedule here.

Saturday Morning Stewardship: Thompson Creek Invasive Plant Removal

Saturday, November 20, 9am-Noon, Thompson Creek in Seaside
Contact Celeste Coulter at celestec@nclctrust.org or (503) 739-2355 for information and location directions

Giving native plants a chance to grow and thrive is the theme of November's Saturday Morning Stewardship program. Come help remove invasive blackberries from around native plant habitat on one of NCLC's most special conserved properties: Thompson Creek in Seaside. As part of the morning, we'll explore a mature Sitka spruce forest and watch for giant coastal coho who come back this time of year to spawn in the upper reaches of the creek.

Remember to bring gloves, rain gear, a snack and water. Tools will be provided. We will not have access to public restrooms.

Save the Date!
Gifts that Make a Difference 2010

Saturday December 11, 11 am -5 pm
Mc Tavish Room at the Liberty Theatre, Astoria

Give the gift of land conservation this holiday season! NCLC volunteers and staff will be at the Gifts that Make a Difference fair in Astoria on December 11 from 11am -5pm, along with volunteers from over two dozen other North Coast organizations that all work to make our North Coast Community a better place. Come say hello, and enjoy refreshments, music and lots of good cheer to get you in the holiday spirit.

You can honor friends and relatives with a gift to NCLC in their name, and receive a lovely acknowledgment card to give letting them know that their holiday gift is the continued conservation and protection of this beautiful Oregon Coast that we all love and treasure.

If you can't make it to the Gift Fair, but want to give a gift to NCLC in honor of someone this season, please contact our Development Director Teresa Retzlaff at (503) 738-9126 or teresar@nclctrust.org. You can also make a donation either by mail or online. Please indicate who the gift is in honor of, and provide an address if you want the acknowledgement card sent directly to them. We can also send the card to you if you wish to hand deliver it.

We are so thankful for all our wonderful supporters and volunteers! You are the key to helping NCLC work towards our shared vision: a healthy, connected Oregon coastal landscape where people, plants and wildlife all thrive.

Best wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving from everyone at North Coast Land Conservancy!

North Coast Land Conservancy is supported in large part by donations from people like you. Please consider supporting us!

More sadness, when will we get some good news?

2010-11-08T11:43:00.000-08:00

"Returned runaways are often shot or stabbed in honor killings because the families fear they have spent time unchaperoned with a man. Women and girls are still stoned to death. Those who burn themselves but survive are often relegated to grinding Cinderella existences while their husbands marry other, untainted women."

This is horrible and I don't recommend reading it. It is really sad. Here is the link http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/08/world/asia/08burn.html?ref=world

This Just In - Journalism Rife with Plagiarism!

2010-11-08T10:20:00.000-08:00

Check out this piece in the Mercury about plagiarism, oh wait it is actually in the Consumerist... or find it in many other articles on Google, written all slightly differently but the content is basically the same.

Like millions of other bloggers I collect bits and pieces of news I find interesting, important, or relevant to share with the world, or the small bit of world that reads this blog. Digital gossip. The republishing of works is sometimes illegal and sometimes not. For instance the statesman journal states no reproduction, republication, or rewritting. While other news posts give you a track back code automatically when you copy part of the articles, encouraging bloggers to talk about their works! What a concept, word-of-mouth advertising.

As an author almost nothing I write is new. I am a private environmental research scientist and I am often (not always) reporting on methods other people devised, implemented, and/or analyzed. That is what good journalism is. The ability to synthesize and distill out the junk, engage the reader, and get the point across.

The world is in turmoil. Millions of people are starving, a great part of our human community is living in oppression, people can't feed their families, etc. Although I would like to travel the world and report on the Aung San Suu Kyi's of the world, I can't. I am a white, middle-class, American female mostly pre-occupied with paying my bills, running a company, and being a wife. But do I need to travel to Myanmar to report first person? There are scores of people already doing just that and doing a better job than I ever would because remaining objective is difficult. But by re-reporting their work I am cataloging this information with a slightly different index. Not every person watches Comedy Central or reads Slate. Readers may not get to every article that I do. Certainly not all of the email lists, private subscriptions (which for obvious reasons I do not republish in entirety), or conference/meeting minutes.

Above all else truth, justice, peace, and goodwill. Journalism should promote literacy (both language and politics) in whatever form to as many people as possible. This is the only way to a sustained peace.

Now straight-up high-jacking a piece without proper credit and then making money through adverts or commission is totes un-cool. There isn't anything wrong with re-reporting, just be honest. It doesn't really make sense to publish the internet either, that is kind of the point, we should be digitizing more print media.

Radioactive Rabbit

2010-11-08T10:15:00.000-08:00

Original Post By Annette Cary, Herald staff writer

A radioactive rabbit caught at Hanford just north of Richland had Washington State Department of Health workers looking for contaminated droppings Thursday. Contaminated animals occasionally are found at the nuclear reservation, but more often they are in the center of Hanford, far from town. The rabbit trapped at the 300 Area caught the Department of Health's attention because it was close enough to the site's boundaries to potentially come in contact with the public -- such as if it had been caught by a dog or if its droppings were deposited in an area open to the public.
Read more: here

2010-11-08T09:32:00.000-08:00

If you have time, you should really read this piece in the Portland Mercury, http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/one-fine-day-in-the-swamp/Content?oid=3005863

The following quote is very thought provoking...

"In hedging between the political and entertainment worlds, Stewart [Jon] is able to have his cake and eat it too. He can engage on his own terms without being forced to answer for or speak out on any issues outside his wheelhouse. Those who govern are not so lucky. Politics are corrupting, or so they say. So, too, is celebrity. And here Stewart stands, with one foot in each, doing an admirable job resisting the pratfalls. But is that enough?"

Burma Election Fraud - No Surprise Really

2010-11-08T09:10:00.000-08:00

Aung San Suu Kyi the Nobel Peace Prize laureate who has been in detention for 15 of the last 21 years, urged citizens not to vote, saying she "would not dream" of taking part. Her latest house arrest is set to expire Saturday. In recent days, security has tightened, with uniformed and undercover security more evident and the Internet slowing to a crawl, leading organizers to delay nonessential meetings. The opposition's performance wasn't helped by infighting. After Suu Kyi's party decided not to contest the election, leading to its forced disbandment, former members formed the National Democratic Force that fielded candidates in just 164 constituencies. That led to squabbling over, among other issues, who had rights to the bamboo hat symbol.But the two pro-military parties, the Union Solidarity and Development Party that fielded candidates for all 1,171 seats, and the National Unity Party that competed for about 900 seats, also displayed differences over economic and social issues. The national parliament will name a president, almost certain to be a former general. Theories differ on why Senior Gen. Than Shwe, reportedly in his late 70s, created two centers of power, the president and the head of the military. Some say it was an attempt to bolster his tepid legacy as a reformer. Others say it was part of a divide-and-conquer strategy to ensure no single leader could topple ..."

See the article in its entirety here

More mortgage craziness

2010-11-07T11:30:00.000-08:00

We recently reviewed an account of Bank of America's continuing struggles and the byzantine accounting methods they use to describe the value of the company. As a business owner, I know how hard it can be characterize the true value of a company. What is confusing to me is that for banks, it seems as if there tangible assets, ie real estate and houses, and seen as a liability.

Bank of America acquired Countrywide Financial in 2008 for ~4 billion, despite the fact that they viewed it actual worth at less than zero. They made up the difference by adding a 4.4 billion line item of 'Goodwill'. I am not sure how goodwill is really valued, but that is a lot. I read this to mean that they viewed the long-term value of their purchase as higher than the to date market value.

At the time we moved into our house, we had just recently started consulting full time. As a result, we did not have the employment history required to get a mortgage. Our family graciously took on the mortgage itself, which we pay each month. The mortgage was sold back and forth between Wells Fargo, Countrywide, and another group I can't recall now - ultimately falling under the BofA umbrella I believe. It is strange to have the ownership of our home be tied to such large groups who treat individual mortgages the way they do.

Myanmar/Burma Held First Elections in 20 Years

2010-11-07T10:57:00.000-08:00

"The former political party of Aung San Suu Kyi – the imprisoned democracy icon who won in a landslide in 1990 but was prevented from ruling and has been under off-and-on house arrest ever since – had urged a national boycott to protest the unfair rules. But some opposition candidates and informal monitors claimed that turnout, which has only symbolic importance, may have been around 60 percent, despite the boycott campaign."

Sealions Contracting Leptospirosis at Alarming Rate - Can Transmit Disease to Humans, Dogs, Rats

2010-11-06T14:29:00.001-07:00

This is pretty important so I decided to repost the entire article, "

Rise in sea lion deaths traced to disease

By MARK FLOYD, OSU News & Communications gazettetimes.com | Posted: Saturday, November 6, 2010 2:45 am

A sharp increase in the number of sick and dead California sea lions has been reported along the Oregon Coast in recent weeks, and necropsies conducted on dozens of the animals suggest that many may have died from leptospirosis.

Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease found in a variety of animal species and can be transmitted to humans, said Jim Rice, an Oregon State University scientist who coordinates the statewide Oregon Marine Mammal Stranding Network.

"We are now getting calls for multiple sick or dead sea lions daily, which is higher than normal," said Rice, an OSU Marine Mammal Institute researcher who works at the university's Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport. "The overall number of sea lions also has risen, so it's difficult to compare mortality rates from year to year, but certainly we're seeing an increase in animals that test positive for leptospirosis."

Rice and his colleagues at the stranding network have sent dozens of dead animals to the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in OSU's College of Veterinary Medicine. And though not all of the animals have tested positive, many showed clear signs of leptospirosis, which raises concern about human health.

Kathy O'Reilly, who heads the bacterial section of the Veterinary Diagnostic Lab, said leptospirosis can be virulent.

"There have been 50 to 100 cases per year in the United States reported to the Centers for Disease Control," O'Reilly said, "and in 31 percent of the human cases it is traced back to contact with infected rats, and in 30 percent of the cases, it is tracked to infected dogs."

Dogs can be infected with leptospirosis through contact with stricken seal lions. Rice said coastal visitors should always avoid sea lions on the beach and during outbreaks of leptospirosis should keep their dogs on a leash. The disease can be transmitted by direct contact, or even through contact with damp sand, soil or vegetation contaminated by the urine of infected animals.

Rice said that in 2009, the network had 350 reports of California sea lions stranded on Oregon beaches - either dead or severely ill and presumed to have died. And Oregon is on pace to surpass that total this year, he said.

"Typically, sea lions with leptospirosis are quite emaciated and lethargic," Rice said. "Those that don't die on the beach may get washed out to sea and die, or they may move elsewhere. It's possible that some recover, but these are very sick animals."

Persons seeing dead or sick marine mammals on Oregon beaches can call the Oregon State Police at 800-452-7888."

Find the article here.

BLM to Spend $32 Million in Stimulus on Oregon Projects

2010-11-04T20:35:00.000-07:00

"The U.S. Bureau of Land Management will be spending $32 million from the federal economic stimulus program on projects in Oregon. The money is part of a total of $305 million going to BLM projects around the country, and $3 billion to the U.S."

Check out the full article here http://blog.oregonlive.com/terryrichard/2009/05/oregon_blm_details_stimulus_mo.html

Tansy Ragwort Officially Scourge of the 70s

2010-11-04T18:28:00.000-07:00

From the ODA, full article at, "http://oregon.gov/ODA/news/100818tansy.shtml"

"08/18/2010 Biocontrol should keep the noxious weed in check

Farmers and ranchers in Western Oregon this summer are noticing patches of the telltale bright yellow flowers of tansy ragwort- a noxious weed once the scourge of the 1970s. But the experts at the Oregon Department of Agriculture say it's no cause for alarm as successful biological control agents should keep the plant from making an unwelcome comeback to prior levels.

The equation is simple- as the tansy ragwort population grows, so do the populations of flea beetles and cinnabar moths that feed off the weed. It's all part of a natural cycle, and ODA's Noxious Weed Control Program believes the good insects will maintain the upper hand.

In the last couple of weeks, ODA has been receiving calls from landowners or their neighbors anxious about the return of tansy ragwort, now in a very visible stage. The outbreaks are spotty and localized. Still, many Oregonians remember the bad old days when tansy was so invasive in Western Oregon that cattle and horse owners reported more than $4 million in losses each year as their animals grazed on infected pastures. Too often, the leaves of tansy grew among the grasses consumed by livestock in the spring, leading to sickness and death."

Kitzhaber Oregon Governor

2010-11-04T14:14:00.000-07:00

I am happy, he is a very conservative governor. I prefer experience to height. Not to say that height was all Dudley had to offer, although if his governance is anything like his game than maybe it was. Congrats Kitzhaber.

Bradwood Landing Project Cancelled

2010-11-04T14:11:00.000-07:00

From OPB News, "

The Oregon Court of Appeals has ruled against a county’s approval of a liquefied natural gas project, likely ending what dim chances it still had of construction.

The Bradwood Landing project was already on hold, because its backers had gone bankrupt.

The appeals’ court decision upholds two big objections to the project: that the terminal would be too big for the local zoning and that mitigating for salmon habitat destruction isn’t the same as “protecting” it.

Columbia Riverkeeper director, Brett VandenHeuvel, says the decision sets a clear standard for other big projects on salmon-bearing rivers.

Brett VandenHeuvel: “Protect means protect. So, when state and local law requires the protection of vital salmon habitat and the protection of access by fishing boats to salmon, it’s not ok to destroy that habitat and destroy that access say ‘well, we’re going to try to make it better someplace else’.”

VandenHeuvel says the ruling is especially relevant for the Oregon LNG project, proposed down the Columbia River in Warrenton."

I wonder if this will apply to landuses other than petroleum...

Find the original post here, http://news.opb.org/article/17585-bradwood-landing-decision-may-affect-other-lng-projects/

Telepathic Actuator (Emotive) Built in Portland Oregon!

2010-11-03T18:25:00.000-07:00

"Mind over matter? With this game, that adage becomes reality.
With the invention of the Emotive you put on a headset – and concentrate. The maker of the Emotiv says your brain waves power a fan, which then moves a ball up and down at your whim.
And researchers say this is just the beginning of what you eventually will be able to move with your mind. The future is being created right in Old Town Portland. "

Check out the full article here http://www.katu.com/news/tech/106625274.html

Chinese Activist Detained for Subversion, Again

2010-11-03T17:45:00.001-07:00

"Activists say a Chinese man has been detained on suspicion of subversion while handing out fliers about imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo.

Many Liu supporters have reported police harassment, but the new case is more severe because a trial and prison sentence are possible.

Guo Xianliang is an engineer who writes online about democratic reform but is not a well-known activist. The China-based rights group China Human Rights Defenders said Wednesday he has not been in trouble before.

The rights group and fellow activist Ye Du said Guo disappeared Thursday while handing out fliers in the southern city of Guangzhou. They say police told his wife Tuesday he was being detained.

Police in Guangzhou had no immediate comment."

Aghhh! Also regarding this topic "According to London's Daily Mail, reports are surfacing that Chinese officials pressured judges into giving lower scores to [Miss World] competitor and early favorite, Norway's Mariann Birkedal. The article suggests that tensions between China and Norway, resulting from a controversial Nobel Peace Prize choice, led to the decision. Officials were upset that the Oslo-based Nobel Prize committee honored Liu Xiabobo, a democracy campaigner jailed in China, the Daily Mail reports. Birkedal made it to the top seven, but was cut before the top five."

According to London's Daily Mail, reports are surfacing that Chinese officials pressured judges into giving lower scores to competitor and early favorite, Norway's Mariann Birkedal. The article suggests that tensions between China and Norway, resulting from a controversial Nobel Peace Prize choice, led to the decision.

Officials were upset that the Oslo-based Nobel Prize committee honored Liu Xiabobo, a democracy campaigner jailed in China, the Daily Mail reports.

Birkedal made it to the top seven, but was cut before the top five."

Double Aghhh.

Grey to Green Initiative

2010-11-03T10:13:00.001-07:00

Portland's Bureau of Environmental Services' Grey to Green Initiative is a five year plan dedicated to achieving the following environmental targets in the city of Portland:

- 43 acres of new eco-roofs
- 83,000 new street and yard trees
- 920 new green street facilities
- 800 acres of treatment for new invasive species
- 419 acres of natural areas acquired
- 350 acres of re-vegetation
- 8 culverts removed or reconstructed to enhance fish passage

We are currently about halfway through the timeline. You can see periodic progress reports on the BES website.

Love Your River

2010-11-01T14:55:00.000-07:00

The Oregon Environmental Council has put together a great program to get everyday citizens invested in their health of their own watersheds. Each month, Love Your River presents a different set of (very basic) challenges citizens can agree to follow that month. In doing so, you're entered into a drawing - this month, the prize is a set of bike saddlebags! If you enter six challenges a year, you're entered into the grand prize drawing: a family size tent from REI, a set of camping kitchen gear, and two inflatable camping pads.

PNAMP

2010-10-29T16:33:00.001-07:00

Greetings PNAMP Participant,

PNAMP is hosting the following meetings during the months of November and December 2010:
o November TBD - PNAMP Steering Committee Meeting

Please check the PNAMP calendar for recently added meetings as well as meeting updates, agendas, directions, and contact information.

Other meetings of interest for November and December 2010:
o November 2 - SalDAWG 2010 Meeting, Juneau, AK (see below for more information)
o November 5 - Analysis of Linkages and Trends in Climate, Stream Flow, Vegetation, Salmon, and Ocean Conditions Webinar (see below for more information)
o November 16 - Upper Columbia Habitat Adaptive Management 2010 Science Conference, Wenatchee, WA (see below for more information)
o November 17 - 18 - Northwest Power and Conservation Council Meeting, Portland
o November 18 - Oregon Invasive Species Council Summit, Salem (see below for more information)
o November 18 - 19 WABC Chapter AFS Special Workshop on Salmon Escapement Goal Science, Portland (see below for more information)
o December 1 - Washington Forum on Monitoring, Olympia, WA
o December 9 - 10 - Salmon Recovery Funding Board Meeting, Olympia, WA
o December 14 - 16 - Northwest Power and Conservation Council Meeting, Portland

If you would like your meetings posted on the PNAMP calendar or if you would like to be removed from this email list, please reply to jschei@usgs.gov.

Additional information. See below for the following conference information:
· SalDAWG 2010 Meeting (November 2)
· Analysis of Linkages and Trends Webinar (November 5)
· Upper Columbia Habitat Adaptive Management 2010 Science Conference (November 16)
· Oregon Invasive Species Council Summit (November 18)
· WABC Chapter AFS Special Workshop on Salmon Escapement Goal Science (November 18-19)

November 2 - SalDAWG 2010 Meeting (ADFG Headquarters, Juneau, AK)
http://us1.campaign-archive.com/?u=0b9d4588acdc0629c7898388c&id=a5d758fa20&e=4211064a37

Join us for the third Salmon Data Access Working Group Meeting. We've partnered with the Alaska Department of Fish & Game's Computer Services group in the Commercial Fish Division. They're holding their annual conference and we get to be a part of it. It's a great chance to learn more about data management, web application development, and much more from near and far. ***PNAMP will be presenting information about the Monitoring Methods Project at this meeting.***

November 5 - Analysis of Linkages and Trends in Climate, Stream Flow, Vegetation, Salmon, and Ocean Conditions Webinar
Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/252582201
Daily, seasonal, and decadal variation in abiotic drivers (e.g., precipitation, fog, stream flow, and temperatures of air, ocean, and streams) regulate many ecological processes. However, the exact nature of the linkages between abiotic drivers and the direct and indirect effect of these drivers on species of concern and their habitat are not well understood. Specifically, abiotic drivers are commonly analyzed as individual elements and the linkages between drivers are poorly defined. In addition to understanding the basic linkages between abiotic and biotic ecosystem elements, the question of climate change is of increasing concern to land managers in the national parks. They need to understand how climate change has already affected natural resources and whether other changes may be looming. Without this understanding it is increasingly difficult to judge the effects of management efforts (e.g., stream restoration), evaluate the resilience of existing habitats, or plan future management actions. Climate change has been linked to more rain and less snow in the Sierras, identifying the need for management to address long-term water storage. In contrast, there has been a paucity of information depicting the effects of natural climatic cycles and anthropogenic climate change, aside from sea level rise, in coastal California and Oregon. Complicating a manager’s ability to respond to climate change effects is the common assumption of stationarity – the idea that natural systems fluctuate within an unchanging envelope of variability. The stationarity assumption is being compromised by major shifts in background environmental conditions.

In this webinar we will present our progress to date in assessing trends in climate, stream flow, stream temperature, and salmon populations in the San Francisco Bay Area and Klamath I&M Networks. For example, we are examining the linkages among air temperature, stream flow, stream temperature, and a documented fish kill in Redwood Creek in Redwood National Park.

November 16 - Upper Columbia Habitat Adaptive Management 2010 Science Conference (Wenatchee Convention Center, Wenatchee, WA)

Status of Spring Chinook, Steelhead & their Habitat
Please join the Upper Columbia Salmon Recovery Board (UCSRB) and the Upper Columbia Regional Technical Team (UCRTT) as we host the first Upper Columbia Habitat Adaptive Management Science Conference. The Adaptive Management Science Conference is an opportunity for stakeholders from the public, project implementers, local government, state and federal agencies, and tribes to learn about and discuss the UCRTT 2010 Analysis Workshop Synthesis Report, which evaluates the current status of spring Chinook salmon and steelhead, and the implementation of actions to sustain and improve their habitat.

Register now! Free registration at uchabitatconference.eventbrite.com
For more information, please visit www.ucsrb.com

November 18 - Oregon Invasive Species Council Summit (Chemeketa Eola Viticulture Center, Salem, OR)

The Oregon Invasive Species Council is hosting a statewide invasive species summit on November 18, 2010 at the Chemeketa Eola Viticulture Center on Doaks Ferry Road in Salem from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. The purpose of the summit is to share and discuss the recent results of Oregon's statewide management assessment of invasive species, develop and identify high priority strategies to address invasive species management issues as part of a statewide strategic plan, and introduce and discuss invasive species legislative concepts that will be proposed during the 2011 Oregon legislative session. Your presence and active participation at this one-day summit is needed to ensure the discussion is representative of local issues around the state, but moves Oregon towards articulating the highest priorities to monitor and manage invasive species.

Please RSVP to OISC Coordinator Lisa DeBruyckere at lisad@createstrat.com if you are attending the summit. Thank you.

P.S. Lunch will be provided, and an agenda is forthcoming.

November 18 - 19 WABC Chapter AFS Special Workshop on Salmon Escapement Goal Science (Hotel Monaco, Portland, OR)
http://www.wabc-afs.org/?s=Salmon+Escapement

Trout Unlimited will host this scientific workshop as part of a project funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and several other collaborators. The workshop will assemble technical experts who are working toward finding innovative ways to estimate the number and diversity of salmon that would fully utilize all available spawning, rearing, and migration habitats.

Estimating salmon escapement goals in the 21st century has become very different than in the past. We now understand that escapement goals are multi-dimensional and should include habitat capacity, salmon life history, biological diversity, ecological values, and environmental variation, as well as the simple number of spawners. Further, computational and simulation techniques are rapidly evolving. Researchers are engaged in a variety of technical investigations that are advancing understanding of the number and diversity of salmon needed to fill their various habitats.

There are three goals for the workshop:

· To briefly identify and summarize current methods used to set
escapement goals.
· To identify emerging research and modeling tools that can help improve
the scientific basis for establishing escapement goals.
· To identify opportunities to coordinate research and modeling efforts
for a new approaches to setting escapement goals that are
scientifically rigorous and address diversity as well as abundance.

The format of this workshop will include one day of overview and technical presentations on the state of the science of salmon escapement goal estimation under the topic: Current methods and recent developments in modeling techniques for advancing escapement goal estimation. This will include how escapement goals are currently set, but will emphasize emerging tools that could be used to incorporate the latest scientific information in the establishment of escapement goals. The second day will consist of a facilitated brainstorming session on the topic: What is the most promising course for further development of capacity- and life-history-based escapement goal estimation?

We plan to document the findings and conclusions of the workshop. The results will be used to formulate a research plan for the research project. Additionally, some of the findings will feed into a publishable manuscript about the past, present, and potential future
of escapement goal estimation and its importance to wild salmon recovery.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jacque Schei
5501A Cook-Underwood Road
Cook, WA 98605
office: 509.538.2299 x282

Good News

2010-10-28T11:35:00.000-07:00

Finally some good news from Burma

"Burma has said it plans to release Aung San Suu Kyi, the imprisoned opposition leader, after it stages widely derided parliamentary elections next month ... Burma has kept the opposition leader under confinement or arrest for almost all of the two decades since her National League for Democracy (NLD) won a landslide in the elections in 1990 that were later annulled."

Of course she will be released after the elections, but hey, that is a start.

In other good news the wife of the Nobel peace prize recipient was able to tell her husband (who is in jail for speaking out against the human rights policies of China) of the award.

Finally "Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, president of Liberia and the first woman ever elected head of state on the continent of Africa...She has a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard and a reputation for fiscal vigilance dating back to her rise through Liberia’s financial ministry in the late 1960s and ’70s. By the ’80s, her stances against dictatorial repression and official plundering earned her a sentence to prison and years in exile. " http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/24/magazine/24sirleaf-t.html

Although well-behaved women rarely make history, they rarely go to jail.

Gulf Oil Still Present

2010-10-27T15:16:00.000-07:00

Large swaths of oil were discovered floating toward Louisiana marshes earlier this month. Follow the link to read more.

Global Food Crisis and Food Security

2010-10-27T14:24:00.000-07:00

From the Guardian ".. opinions are sharply divided over whether these prices signal a world food crisis like the one in 2008 that helped cause riots in 25 countries, or simply reflect volatility in global commodity markets as countries claw their way through recession... A food crisis on the scale of two or three years ago is not imminent, but the underlying causes [of what happened then] are still there," said Chris Leather, Oxfam's food policy adviser... Prices are volatile and there is a lot of nervousness in the market. There are big differences between now and 2008. Harvests are generally better, global food stocks are better... But other analysts highlight the food riots in Mozambique that killed 12 people last month and claim that spiralling prices could promote further political turmoil."

Food is very expensive on the coast, if you want to eat well. There is, like most of America, an abundance of cheap, nutrient poor foods, or foods from around the world, but local garlic can run from $1-2 a head!!! Local, sustainable, filling, is really expensive.

2 cents

2010-10-25T10:25:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer* - We are an a-political organization!!! The following is meant for information only. Please don't take offense, and if you are join the discussion and have your say :)

I ran across two interesting pieces regarding the tea-party. The first from the wall street journal basically stating that the tea-party movement is fundamentally American the other from a small newspaper in Louisiana basically stating that the tea-party movement is racist.

From the Wall Street Journal, 'Why Liberals Don't Get the Tea Party Movement - Our universities haven't taught much political history for decades. No wonder so many progressives have disdain for the principles that animated the Federalist debates... the tea party movement is inspired above all by a commitment to limited government. And that does distinguish it from the competition... Those who doubt that the failings of higher education in America have political consequences need only reflect on the quality of progressive commentary on the tea party movement. Our universities have produced two generations of highly educated people who seem unable to recognize the spirited defense of fundamental American principles, even when it takes place for more than a year and a half right in front of their noses."

From the Louisiana Weekly, "The TeaParty.org faction is led by the executive director of the Minuteman Project, a nativist organization that has in the past been associated with the murder of migrant Mexican workers as part of its vigilante "border operations." Roan Garcia-Quintana, "advisor and media spokesman" for the 2010 Tax Day Tea Party and member of ResistNet, also serves on the National Board of Directors of the Council of Conservative Citizens (CofCC), the lineal descendent of the Council of White Citizens. In Texas, Wood County Tea Party leader Karen Pack was once listed as an "official supporter" of Thom Robb's Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, a modern-day white supremacist organization."

I guess Peter Berkowitz (author of the WSJ article) is unfortunately right. The desire to limit government has always been there from the beginning. American's wanted to limit the power of a foreign government to subjugate its citizens. Then they wanted to limit the vote to only white men with land, then black men were allowed but they were only worth 3/5 of what white men were worth. And of course they wanted/want to limit women for being the weaker sex.

I can't get behind a party that doesn't believe that all people are born equal and that the government should protect these freedoms. Racism is not something I support. Maybe not each person in the tea-party is a racist, but they are complicit in their parties support of racism.

I think the only reason to have big government is to protect our human rights: the right to a good education, good health care, good food, and good shelter. I also believe that we all have to work hard to secure these rights. Sometimes we have to work hard to secure these rights for others, but at the end of the day, do unto others. Thank you Berkowitz, I get the Tea Party, I even share some views, but at the end of the day it doesn't matter if I understand them, what matters is if I, and others join them. I may get it, but I won't buy it.

www.teapartytracker.org
http://www.louisianaweekly.com/news.php?viewStory=3451
http://theweek.com/article/index/208573/why-liberals-dont-get-the-tea-party-movement
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704631504575531913602803980.html

Finally, I think the US government could use a little shake up. Maybe increase the senate to 400 and the house to 1000? With a larger congress more voices would be heard which might or might not be better.

NOAA Video on Climate Change

2010-10-24T11:04:00.000-07:00

Religious Law vs. Secular State ... in New Jersey?

2010-10-23T11:08:00.000-07:00

This is really sad. A woman was denied the restraining order she requested against her husband in New Jersey. She sought legal protection after he beat and raped her for a period of weeks. The judge denied the request and protection citing that the husband couldn't be held accountable for his actions (which are illegal in all 50 states mind you) because they were permitted in Islam (which they are NOT mind you), the religion which the couple practiced. This is crazy, obviously, and was corrected later. I don't know what law school this judge went to but I hope this judge is an outlier in our criminal justice system and not the standard.

Oklahoma is poised to ban courts from citing Sharia (Islamic) law (I don't know if that includes only Islam or if they included all religions). Here is the real kicker: England already has five of these courts!!! I had no idea. It is amazing what you learn in a day.

I personally feel that religion and law have to be separate. Law is convoluted so that there is no misinterpretation, and there is still a huge grey area, people argue about what the word "it" means. Religion is black and white which is okay so long as we don't enforce it on others. Religion is most beautiful when it allows a person private communication with the devine which by definition is unique to each individual. This disappears when it becomes prescribed by the government, or any group of people for that matter.

I think western law works, mostly ... there is a lot of room for improvement. If we enforce the laws we already have in place then we don't have to make constitutional amendments like the one Oklahoma is about to make.

See the original article here http://www.gopusa.com/theloft/2010/10/go-ahead-beat-your-wife-just-dont-leave-a-mark.php

Mining Site Restoration

2010-10-22T11:15:00.001-07:00

From the AP and KATU News,

RE: Restoration of an old mining site in the Applegate River Watershed.

"...the goal this year is to "weatherize" the operation before winter weather begins ... Rock catch basins have been built immediately downhill from where mining debris once lay... Those have rip-rap, then high density polyethylene liner and a couple feet of limestone ... We've drilled holes into the liner. As the water sits in the basin, it will percolate through and get the acid neutralized by the limestone. Each basin is intended to catch the sediment while neutralizing the water ... Original plans had called for a clay liner to be placed under the repository as well as on top, but it was decided the tough plastic liner would do a better job of enveloping the toxic material ... Slash is being used to provide erosion control in many areas. However, native grass seed has been broadcast in areas where soil remains. They also plan to plant some 15,000 young, native trees and shrubs at the old Blue Ledge Mine. "

Check out the entire article here http://www.katu.com/news/local/105523478.html

A to-do for the Columbia Slough

2010-10-22T11:04:00.001-07:00

Save the date! The Slough Celebration will be held on Friday, February 4, 2011 at the Melody Ballroom. Help us celebrate our 2010 Slough Award winners in style, with a sit-down dinner, drinks, silent auction, and special entertainment. Reservations will be available for purchase in November.

But there is something we need your help with today - nominating people and projects for a 2010 Slough Award. Do you know of someone who has shown an extraordinary committment to the Slough? Or a project in 2010 that significantly improved the watershed? Please nominate these people for an award so we can recognize their excellence. All nomination forms are due on November 17th at 4pm.

Upcoming Events

Brew on the Slough
Thursday, Nov 4th, 6 - 7:30pm

Groundwater 101
Saturday, Nov 13th, 8:45am - 1:30pm

Time for some good news?

2010-10-20T16:07:00.001-07:00

Finally - some good news for the Appalachians: Blowing Big Coal's Top on Mountaintop Coal Mining

Let's hope the same for those beautiful yellow aspen: Killer of Aspen Slows, but Worries about a Beloved Tree Remain

Text-based communication control for personal communication device

2010-10-13T11:33:00.000-07:00

The company on Tuesday was approved for a patent for technology that would prevent people from sending or receiving text messages with objectionable content. Apple applied for a patent in 2008 that would allow for the censorship of text messages. Messages containing information deemed inappropriate would be altered or removed.

Find the patent here, http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7814163.html. Via Apple, either "a message will be blocked (incoming or outgoing) if the message includes forbidden content," or, "the objectionable content is removed from the message prior to transmission or as part of the receiving process." WOW!

Who defines objectionable? I am assuming this will be primarily used by parents, schools, the government, China (ha ha ha). Apple lost my business. I know that we are censored everyday but really? Censorship is a dark path to tread, a missed step or stumble and we are jailing people for speaking out against tyranny, I think this falls into the first definition found on dictionary.com , 1. arbitrary or unrestrained exercise of power; despotic abuse of authority. Now, in no way am I saying that the actions of a true tyrant are in anyway comparable to the censorship of text messages, but I am saying that all of the tyrants in the world are tyrants for many reasons, one of which is that they censor others.

Although one can clearly not say that Apple's actions are in anyway tyrannical, they do remind me to post the following:

The wife of the nobel peace prize recipient was disappeared by the Chinese police. Supposedly she was taken to the jail where her husband is kept, excuse me, serving an 11-year sentence for subversion in order to tell him he won. "Liu, the first Chinese citizen to win the Nobel peace prize, is a writer, 54, imprisoned since December after authoring Charter 08, a manifesto signed by thousands seeking greater democratic rights. His selection as this year's winner has enraged the government, which called him as a criminal and said the award was a violation of Nobel ideals and a discredit to the peace prize." From http://www.smh.com.au/world/mystery-over-peace-prize-winners-wife-20101010-16dzo.html

Dam Removal

2010-10-11T10:57:00.000-07:00

River Design Group (a firm we are partnering with during a river restoration plan development in Baker County) are working to remove the last remnants of the Gold Ray Dam. What did they find when they removed the dam? Boats, a boat dock, unmentionables, and more mosquitoes than area residents care for. State and federal permits mandate that work in the water must be finished by Oct. 15 so that spawning fish are confused or hindered by sediment plumes and so that redds aren't buried as they are created. The deadline is for practical reasons as well for work in a river that can easily transport several full size Caterpillars during moderate flow is not safe during high winter flows.

From the AP "Gold Ray is the third dam in the past two years to be removed from the Rogue River to help salmon and steelhead runs. Its removal opened 157 miles of free-flowing river below Lost Creek Dam near Trail. 'It should make for a more stable, fish-friendly area," said John Vial, roads and parks manager for Jackson County. "Frankly, I think that stretch of Bear Creek and the Rogue River will look better than anybody's memories.'"

2010-10-10T13:33:00.000-07:00

"When confronted with the idea of Microsoft acquiring Adobe, my visceral reaction was not that of an analyst or a journalist, but as a user personally and professional dependent on a variety of Adobe applications. That reaction? "PLEASE. NO. DON'T."

Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20019036-1.html#ixzz11zRChopT"

That pretty much sums it up for me as well. If Adobe were anything like Microsoft I wouldn't use it. Next thing you know MS will allow for direct editing of and track changes in pdfs. NOOOO!

I avoid MS like the plague, even when it makes doing business a little harder. My bread and butter comes from Adobe. This would be an unfortunate collaboration.

Now if Adobe bought MS, did away with all their sillyness and made MS more intuitive, that might be ok, but why rock the boat? What would the advantage be?

Habitat Restoration in the Coquille River Basin.

2010-10-09T13:39:00.000-07:00

"This week, helicopters were used to put large logs in 16 miles of streams to create fish habitat in the Coquille River basin."

Check out the rest of the article at, "http://www.theworldlink.com/sports/outdoors/article_7a1ed880-d372-11df-bdec-001cc4c002e0.html"

Danube Update

2010-10-08T14:09:00.000-07:00

From the Associated press "Monday's reservoir break at an alumina plant dumped up to 700,000 cubic meters (184 million gallons) of sludge onto three villages, government officials said, not much less in a few hours than the 200 million gallons the blown-out BP oil well gushed into the Gulf of Mexico over several months. The red sludge devastated creeks and rivers near the spill site and entered the Danube on Thursday, moving downstream toward Croatia, Serbia and Romania. Monitors were taking samples every few hours Friday to measure damage from the spill but the sheer volume of water in the mighty Danube appeared to be blunting the red sludge's immediate impact.

Test results released by Hungary's disaster agency show the pH level of the water where the slurry entered the Danube was under 9 — well below the 13.5 measured earlier in local waterways near the site of the catastrophe. That is diluted enough to prevent any biological damage, Interior Minister Sandor Pinter said.

Despite the apparent good news, the risk of pervasive and lasting environmental damage remained at the site of the spill, with Greenpeace presenting laboratory tests that it said showed high concentrations of heavy metals in the sludge."

We need to find an alternative to this way of life.

2010-10-07T13:36:00.000-07:00

From Reuters "Crews were working to reduce the alkalinity of the spill, which poured out of the burst containment reservoir of an alumina plant on Monday and tore through local villages, killing four people and injuring over 150. Three are still missing. The spill's alkaline content when it reached the Raba, the Mosoni-Danube and the Danube itself, was still around pH 9 -- above the normal, harmless level of between 6 and 8. Fresh data from the water authority on national news agency MTI showed pH levels peaking at 9.65 in the Mosoni-Danube river at the city of Gyor. They were measured at 8.4 in the Danube. Crews were pouring hundreds of tonnes of plaster and acetic acid into the rivers to neutralize the alkalinity. In Gyor, a city in the northwest of Hungary where the Raba flows into the Mosoni-Danube, a Reuters reporter saw white froth on the river and many dead fish washed ashore." Check out the full article at http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE69415O20101007.

Also see the Christian Science Monitor http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-News/2010/1007/Hungary-s-toxic-sludge-reminiscent-of-2000-Romania-disaster-but-much-worse

"Removing the sludge, let alone beginning to rehabilitate the area, will take years, says Szegfalvi, adding that drinking water could become polluted as the toxins seep into the ground and into the water table. Agriculture will likely be impossible for many years."

New building for the Columbia Slough

2010-10-06T09:51:00.000-07:00

The Columbia Slough Watershed Council has moved to a new building! Though still on the same parcel of land with great access to Whitaker Ponds, it was originally a private home that had sat vacant and boarded up for years. Thanks to a lot of work, several donations, and a furniture grant from Ikea, the council has been able to renovate the home into a much more functional working space. The largest improvement is a spacious flexible area for hosting workshops or other educational seminars.

Elemental Accounting

2010-10-06T09:45:00.000-07:00

I heard an interview with professor Saleem H. Ali the other day, and was intrigued by his article on elemental recycling. He asks, "Many of us know what is inside our cereal boxes and other food items thanks to labeling guidelines, but how many of us know what elements are inside our computers or our clothes?" I certainly count myself among those who don't know how much boron is in their non-stick cookware.

A message from the president...

2010-10-05T15:01:00.000-07:00

of Demeter Design (ha ha).

After almost 6 years, I feel it is important to thank all of the people who have contributed to the success of Demeter Design. Although there are certainly more people than space, I think one big "Thank You" sums it up. To our clients who work hard *every day* to make the world a better place, thank you. To our staff, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU :) We couldn't have done it without you. I hope y'all feel it's worth it!

To our blog readers (there are over 400 now!), thanks. I am shocked you keep coming back ;>

Sincerely,

Cara Mico
CEO - Demeter Design

Yuppy Elites Fret Over Disposable Diapers

2010-09-30T09:34:00.000-07:00

"Those who skim the surface of the earth’s crust in their needlessly huge fossil-fuel vehicles, tossing their foam coffee cups out the window, may never give such matters a second thought, focused as they are on getting to the mini-mart and saying to the clerk, “A six-pack of your finest spring water, my good fellow. And would you mind triple bagging it?” But for those who are concerned about green, life is fraught"

The article in the NY Times discusses the difficulties of blending convenience and sustainability. Danny Seo, author of Upcycling said (to the times of course :), "“A Patagonia jacket you might have worn out ... makes the chicest, most gorgeous Gore-Tex shower curtain. It will never mold or mildew. If you bought a Gore-Tex shower curtain, it would retail at $600.”

Now that is a really good idea, except when you are poor and have to work two full months to save enough to buy the jacket for your son who will then pass it down to their siblings... etc. etc.

Most of the worlds population probably can't afford a Patagonia jacket in the first place. It is a nice thought for middle classers but for those in poverty, sustainability is not always an option. I don't think this is true sustainability (for our selves, our planet, etc.). Most companies like Patagonia (although Patagonia is much more sustainable than other mass market sports wear companies utilizing recycled fabrics and such) utilize minimum wage labor (if in the US) or below poverty level child labor (uh-hum ... NIKE! As an aside, the goddess of victory probably crys just a little every time some one buys a new pair of Nike shoes... anyway...) outside the US. This is NOT sustainable. Most factories are not environmentally friendly, gobble up more resources than can be acquired locally, and provide nauseatingly horrid working conditions. How can this ever be sustainable? Just because buildings have lights that turn themselves off doesn't mean it's green!

You can have the greenest building in the world but if it is filled with people wearing products made of petrol and by children how sustainable can it ever be?

That isn't even addressing the consideration of what the people in the building do. Are they weapons manufacturers? Is it a uranium recycling facility? Is it a mill or other extractive business?

As the young couple in the article find out there are pitfalls to 'going green'. Theirs is disposible diapers.

This quote sums it up, “I don’t think the environmental movement should be about living in a cabin without electricity or running water — it isn’t a back-to-earth movement, it’s about redesigning everything, about being more sustainable.” Here is the question, what if that isn't enough?

March to Keep Fear Alive and Restore Sanity at the Same Time!

2010-09-22T18:31:00.001-07:00

Being an fan of Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart I am happy to say that at least two of Demeter Design's staff members will be attending this much needed rally. I can't wait to report from Washington DC day of!

Neighborhood Forest Management Plans

2010-09-22T10:42:00.000-07:00

Portland Parks and Recreation recently accepted a grant from the East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District for the purpose of creating Neighborhood Forest Management Plans within the city. This allows citizens to inventory and evaluate existing neighborhood street trees. It also provides for the establishment and implementation of tree goals for each area. Goals often include increasing canopy cover, planting site appropriate trees, and ensuring that urban growth/development does not adversely affect existing tree counts.

Garminfone

2010-09-16T16:52:00.000-07:00

We have recently added a Garminfone to our arsenal of GPS devices, and given the lack of info on it on the web, thought I'd give a recount of our experience. The display is great, the interface convenient, and the GPS itself is great (really good resolution and pickup). The phone service is limited by the T-mobile network however, which is not the best.

The hardest thing has been the interface with our PC. Getting data off, and more specifically on, is not always easy, and our normal GPS program (ExpertGPS) was not compatible. You can use ExpertGPS to read the spatially tagged photos however, which is nice.

It also does all of the normal smartphone, android things, with the limit of Android 1.6 (for now at least). All in all it is a good product for us, but may be less so for anyone not needing the standalone GPS capacity.

Wildwood

2010-09-14T15:22:00.000-07:00

Autumn has been anxiously beating at the door of summer, certainly trying to get in earlier than usual - earlier than I'd normally allow. Generally, I've felt that September was solidly considered part of the summer - but this year, I'm not so sure.

Therefore, it seemed fitting that my recent dinner at Wildwood felt the very definition of fall. The russet potato gnocchi with bacon, lobster mushrooms, and Sauvie Island sweet corn was exceptionally earthy. The mesquite roasted Carlton Farms pork chop with summer squash, cherry tomatoes, sweet corn and cilantro butter was a terrific follow up, a little more rustic than the gnocchi. I finished the meal by going out on a limb from my normal chocoholic leanings, and had the sourdough donuts with candied applies and caramel corn ice cream. That may have been taking it a bit too far, as I don't even like candied apples or caramel corn - but it just seemed like the perfect end to a fall day. Except on my plate.

Environmental News and Events

Aerial Photography Links for Oregon

Apples top group's most contaminated list | ajc.com

Worlds Largest Morel in my Backyard!

Zebra mussels stopped at border | MailTribune.com

King crabs invade Antarctica

Man-made Earthquakes

Where Have All the Salmon Gone

Trying the Hello Bar

North Coast Land Conservancy Series

Listening to the Land Wetlands: A Documentary about Art and Ecology

Wednesday March 16, 7:00-9:00 PM, Seaside Public Librarywith filmmaker Carl Vandervoort and artist Deborah DeWit

Saturday Morning Stewardship: Stewardship at Fishers Point Wetland

Saturday March 26, 10:00 am-1:00pm (meet at Wheeler Train Station at 9:45)

Food, Farming, and Science

California Fish Die-off

Japan Earthquake

Assume the Worst

The Black Mold Invades!

Environmental News and Events: What a Unique Concept!

What a Unique Concept!

Cougar Status Questioned

Two Day Intensive on Stream Habitat and Restoration at Sitka Center

Description

About the Instructor

Materials List

NYTimes article on biodiversity

Need Alternative Energy Sources

Data Clearinghouse

Lindsay Mico to Give Presentation at American Fisheries Society Symposium in Seattle

Eating at Lucca

Western Libyia Liberated

Houselessness

Abstaining from food

Add Libya to that List

Marching in Tehran

Homemade soy sauce update and shrimp paste

The Ever-changing World

HuffPo NoMo

History in the Making

Drought in the Amazon

Freedom through the internet

Official Google Blog: Google search and search engine spam

Yeah, Google Improves its Algorithm Yet Again

USDA take list - 'nuisance' animals poisoned or killed by thousands

Dealing with anger and grief in troubled times

Himalayan glaciers covered in debris less likely to melt than those exposed.

Cold Fusion Achieved?

Nitrates in the Umatilla Basin

Beef fat floating in Houston Area river closes shipping route temporarily

Shark Finning Banned in US

Size of Pacific Ocean Patch Debated

:)

Mass Bird and Fish Die-off

Bees still in peril

What to do with that Tree

Lunar Eclipse and Solstice on Same Night!

Can You Be in Fashion and Still Get a Man?

Demeter Design is Opening Not-for-Profit Arm

Neat Blog to Check Out

Today in More Reasons to Appreciate the Freedoms I Have

Mushroom gardening

Haiti Cholera Outbreak

NCLC News

Listening to the Land: Foraging on the North Coast

With Carla Cole, Natural Resource Manager, Lewis and Clark National Historical ParkWednesday, November 17, 7-9 pm at the Seaside Public Library

Saturday Morning Stewardship: Thompson Creek Invasive Plant Removal

Saturday, November 20, 9am-Noon, Thompson Creek in SeasideContact Celeste Coulter at celestec@nclctrust.org or (503) 739-2355 for information and location directions

Save the Date! Gifts that Make a Difference 2010

Saturday December 11, 11 am -5 pmMc Tavish Room at the Liberty Theatre, Astoria

More sadness, when will we get some good news?

This Just In - Journalism Rife with Plagiarism!

Radioactive Rabbit

Burma Election Fraud - No Surprise Really

More mortgage craziness

Myanmar/Burma Held First Elections in 20 Years

Sealions Contracting Leptospirosis at Alarming Rate - Can Transmit Disease to Humans, Dogs, Rats

BLM to Spend $32 Million in Stimulus on Oregon Projects

Tansy Ragwort Officially Scourge of the 70s

Kitzhaber Oregon Governor

Wednesday March 16, 7:00-9:00 PM, Seaside Public Library
with filmmaker Carl Vandervoort and artist Deborah DeWit

With Carla Cole, Natural Resource Manager, Lewis and Clark National Historical Park
Wednesday, November 17, 7-9 pm at the Seaside Public Library

Saturday, November 20, 9am-Noon, Thompson Creek in Seaside
Contact Celeste Coulter at celestec@nclctrust.org or (503) 739-2355 for information and location directions

Save the Date!
Gifts that Make a Difference 2010

Saturday December 11, 11 am -5 pm
Mc Tavish Room at the Liberty Theatre, Astoria