Eco Report – August 28, 2021

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HEADLINES

Two environmental groups are putting real-time air monitoring data in the hands of citizens and giving those community members the power to make informed decisions about their health each day.

—Norm Holy

After losing an Indiana Court of Appeals decision, opponents of the proposed Lone Oak solar farm are asking the Indiana Supreme Court to review their case against Madison County’s Board of Zoning Appeals.

—Norm Holy

This summer a 1.2-megawatt solar array was installed in Huntington and now provides power to a massive manufacturing plant on Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems’ local campus.

—Norm Holy

Tiny, endangered New Mexico Meadow Jumping Mice hibernate for up to nine months a year; that leaves them only a short time in summer to eat and reproduce in the tall, dense grasses along New Mexico’s perennial streams. Grazing cattle damage their critical habitat by trampling and devouring grasses the mice eat and defecating all over the mice’s Sacramento Mountains habitat.

—Linda Greene

According to St. Louis Public Radio, the Grain Belt Express is moving forward by purchasing land rights in Missouri. A project to generate electricity using wind turbines in Kansas and distribute the power in the Midwest and east coast is finally taking shape.

—Norm Holy

The county council in Whatcom County, in northwest Washington state, has passed a land-use ordinance permanently banning the approval of any new refineries, coal plants, piers, wharves and transshipment facilities for fossil fuels.

—Linda Greene

Only ten single-use products are responsible for 75% of the plastic pollution in the ocean. Among those items that rank high among the throwaway items that are clogging up our shorelines and seafloors are food containers and cups made of polystyrene, better known by the brand name Styrofoam.

—Linda Greene

As many as one billion birds die each year from collisions with buildings in the U-S. Congress can do something about it by passing the Bird-Safe Buildings Act, which would require all new and renovated federal buildings to be made with bird-safe materials and design features.

—Linda Greene

The Wisconsin Natural Resources Board just approved killing three hundred wolves this fall, almost half the wolves that survived this past February’s slaughter. The answer is to convince the Biden administration to restore Endangered Species Act protection for wolves, saving them from hunting and trapping.

—Linda Greene

Green sea turtles in the Florida Keys are showing alarming rates of internal and external tumors— 51% of turtles to be exact, more than double the incidence rate for green sea turtles in Florida overall.

—Norm Holy

After weeks of covering up the data, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency finally revealed that in building the Line Three pipeline, the Canadian company Enbridge has spilled drilling mud and polluted water at more than half the water bodies they’ve bored under to build the pipeline.

—Linda Greene

Spotted owls, native to the Pacific Northwest, have lost 70% of their forest habitat, and their survival is hanging in the balance. In Washington state, 77% of spotted owls have died.

—Linda Greene

A study, which just appeared in the journal Nature Climate Change, found several signs that the ocean circulation is slowing down and might be about to collapse.

—Norm Holy

We are accustomed to viewing nature shows with Emperor penguins trudging across miles and miles of ice. But with climate change threatening the sea ice habitat of Emperor penguins, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a proposal to list the species as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

—Norm Holy

CALENDAR

Come to the Nature Center at McCormick’s Creek State Park on Saturday, August 28th, from 10 to 11 am to learn about Composting.  This workshop will have you making your own composting bin.  Pre-registration is required.  Please email Sarah to reserve your spot at [email protected].

Take a Nocturnal Night Hike at Leonard Springs Nature Park on Saturday, August 28th, from 9 to 10:30 pm.  You can be what goes bump in the night!  This naturalist-led hike will teach you about nocturnal animals and the adaptations that allow them to thrive in the dark.  Bring a headlamp.  Meet in the parking lot.

Enjoy a Hike Around Ogle Lake at Brown County State Park on Sunday, August 29th, from 10 to 11 am.  Meet at the Ogle Lake parking area for a guided hike .  The trail is approximately 1.2 miles in length and is listed as moderate.  Sturdy, closed-toed shoes are encouraged.

Always a favorite – the Donaldson Cave Hike is coming up on Sunday, August 29th, from 1 to 1:45 pm at Spring Mill State Park.  Meet Naturalist Emilie by the Sycamore Shelter.  You will have the opportunity to learn about the Shawnee Cave System and the man the cave is named for.  This is a rugged hike, so please wear sturdy shoes.

The Nature Sound Series continues at the Highland Village Park out in the field behind the ballpark on Friday, September 3rd, from 7:30 to 8:30 pm.  The Nature topic is Earth and Sky of Myaamia Homelands.  Learn about the Myaamia culture and their lunar calendar while enjoying a live, acoustic music performance.