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As one of the most vulnerable regions in the nation to the effects of climate change, all aspects of life in the Chesapeake Bay watershed—from people and critters, to habitat and infrastructure—are at risk from its effects. Warming air and water temperatures, sea level rise and extreme weather events are expected to have a significant influence on the Bay region in the coming years, but many changes are already being documented. With recent record-breaking high temperatures, including last year and the first quarter of this year, some species are feeling the heat.
1. Cherry blossoms. Thousands of iconic cherry trees surround the Tidal Basin and national monuments of Washington, D.C., and their blossoms bring countless visitors to the area. Over the past 90 years, cherry blossoms have been blooming earlier, due in part to increasing average seasonal temperatures. Since 1921, Washington's average March temperatures have warmed more than two degrees Fahrenheit, leading "peak bloom" for the cherry blossoms to shift five days earlier.
2. Chickadees. Two strikingly similar types of chickadees are common in backyards through the United States: in the Southeast, the Carolina chickadee is most common, while the black-capped chickadee dominates the northern states. A narrow band of overlap, called the "hybrid zone," is where the two chickadees meet and interbreed—and it has been steadily moving northward as temperatures rise. According to one study, the zone has been shifting nearly 0.7 miles each year, moving a total of 7 miles in the past ten years.
3. Migratory waterfowl. The Bay region is a key stop for millions of migratory waterfowl during their seasonal flights. But milder winters have caused several bird species to visit in smaller numbers. Many canvasbacks have been stopping short along their migrations due to warming temperatures; one report shows the number of wintering canvasbacks in the Bay region declined from nearly 250,000 in the 1950s to 30,000 in recent years. Some tundra swans have been wintering on open rivers in Canada rather than the shallow waters of the Bay. These changes in waterfowl migrations can take a particular toll on recreational hunters, who are seeing fewer birds migrate through the region later in the season.
4. Fish. Nearly 350 species of finfish swim through the rivers, streams and open waters of the Bay region, and many of these species are particularly sensitive to changes in water temperature. Research suggests that the temperature at which native and migratory fish begin to spawn or migrate (typically 15 degrees Celsius) is occurring nearly three weeks earlier than it did in 1960. In particular, the black sea bass has been rapidly moving its range northward; communities in North Carolina who have typically caught a majority of the black sea bass catch have recently been traveling as far north as New Jersey to meet their quotas.
5. Bay grasses. Underwater grasses are a critical part of the Bay ecosystem, providing food and shelter for some of the Bay's most iconic species, including young blue crabs. Bay grasses are particularly sensitive to excess rainfall and changes in temperature, meaning warming temperatures and more frequent, more extreme weather events are impacting their health. High temperatures during a 2005 heat wave are blamed for a massive die-off of eelgrass in the Bay, and while many areas have rebounded from the collapse, some eelgrass beds have not yet recovered.
6. Pine beetles. A changing climate doesn't just affect the iconic, treasured species of the Bay region—it also make it easier for invasive species and pests, like the southern pine beetle, to move in. No bigger than a grain of rice, these beetles burrow under a tree's bark and consume a layer of the tree, which disrupts the flow of nutrients and typically kills the tree in less than four months. Historically, the beetles were unable to survive north of Delaware. But warming temperatures, especially in the winter months, have allowed the pest to migrate northward along the East Coast, reaching as far as New York.
As environmental conditions continue to change, even more species will be threatened by rising seas, warming temperatures, extreme weather and habitat loss. Under the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, Bay Program partners are committed to building the climate resiliency of the animals, plants, habitats, infrastructure and communities throughout the region.
For more on what you can do, Take Action.
Solar energy is on the rise in the United States, and one jurisdiction in the Chesapeake Bay watershed has been named a leader in the solar energy revolution.
Image courtesy Mountain/\Ash/Flickr
According to a report released by Environment America, Delaware is one of the ten states that have installed the greatest amount of solar energy capacity per capita. At 82 watts per person, the state is in seventh place.
Since December 2008, Delaware has expanded its solar capacity from 2 to 59 megawatts. According to the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), the state has installed 1,600 solar energy systems on government buildings, businesses, schools and homes. What's driving this effort? Legislation, policies and financial incentives that support going solar.
Image courtesy Pacific Northwest National Library/Flickr
Solar energy uses the sun as fuel to create heat or electricity. It's considered cleaner than coal- or natural gas-fired power plants because it doesn't burn fossil fuels, which can release emissions that contribute to climate change.
Like other states in Environment America's top ten, Delaware's interconnection policies make it easier for individuals and companies to connect their solar energy systems to the power grid. Solar rebates and other financing options help lower the cost of installation, while "net metering" policies compensate consumers for the excess energy they return. The solar market is also moving forward in response to Delaware's Renewable Portfolio Standard, which calls for the state to draw 25 percent of its power from renewable sources by 2025, with at least 3.5 percent coming from solar.
"Encouraging solar power is the right thing to do for the environment and our economy," said Delaware Gov. Jack Markell in a media release. "We are aggressively working toward a clean energy future in Delaware, demonstrating we can have both a strong economy and a healthy environment. That means creating a robust market for solar and other clean energy systems, creating clean energy jobs, expanding our solar industry and improving air quality."
Two additional watershed jurisdictions received special mention in Environment America's report: New York, whose solar energy market is growing quickly, and the District of Columbia, where new clean energy policies are set to make solar more attractive and accessible to consumers.
During summer months, Chesapeake Bay waters become home to a range of bacteria. One of the most talked-about bacteria is Vibrio, which occurs naturally in warm estuarine waters and can infect those who eat contaminated shellfish or swim with open wounds in contaminated waters. But illness can be avoided. Learn about the bacteria—and how to avoid infection—with this list of five Vibrio facts.
Image courtesy CDC/Wikimedia Commons
1. Vibrio is a naturally occurring bacteria. There are more than 80 species of Vibrio, which occur naturally in brackish and saltwater. Not all species can infect humans, but two strains that can have raised concern in the Bay watershed: Vibrio vulnificus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus. The bacteria are carried on the shells and in the bodies of microscopic animals called copepods.
2. The presence of Vibrio in surface waters is affected by water temperature, salinity and chlorophyll. Because Vibrio prefers warm waters, it is not found in the Bay during winter months. Instead, it is common in the summer and early fall. When water temperatures are warm, algae blooms form, fed by nutrients in the water. These blooms feed the copepods that carry the Vibrio bacteria. When the copepods die, Vibrio bacteria are shed into the water. As climate change increases the temperature of the Bay, both algae blooms and Vibrio could persist later in the season.
3. Vibrio infections can occur in people who eat raw or undercooked shellfish or who swim with open wounds or punctures in contaminated waters. While infections are rare, they do take place and can be particularly dangerous for people with compromised immune systems. The ingestion of Vibrio can cause vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain, and in some cases can infect the bloodstream. If an open wound or puncture comes into contact with the bacteria, the area around the wound can experience swelling, redness, pain, blistering and ulceration of the skin.
4. Infection can be avoided. To avoid Vibrio infection, follow these tips:
5. Vibrio symptoms can start 12 to 72 hours after exposure. If you think you've been infected with Vibrio, seek medical attention. Make sure to let your doctor know that you have eaten raw or undercooked shellfish or crabs or have come into contact with brackish or saltwater.
Eight of the top 10 U.S. cities that have seen an increase in "nuisance flooding" alongside rising seas are on the East Coast, according to a new report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Four of the top 10 cities are in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Annapolis and Baltimore lead the list with a 925 and 920 percent increase in their average number of nuisance floods since 1960. Washington, D.C., has seen a 373 percent increase, while Norfolk has seen a 325 percent increase.
According to the report, nuisance flooding—or minor flooding that closes roads, overwhelms storm drains and compromises infrastructure never designed to withstand inundation or saltwater exposure—will worsen as sea level rise accelerates. Indeed, nuisance flooding has become "more noticeable and widespread" because of rising seas, sinking land and the loss of natural flood barriers.
"As relative sea level increases, it no longer takes a strong storm or a hurricane to cause flooding," said William Sweet, oceanographer and lead author of the report, in a media release. "Flooding now occurs with high tides."
Image courtesy rwillia533/Flickr
The study was conducted by scientists at the Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services, who compared data from 45 tide gauges with reports of nuisance floods; whether or not a nuisance flood has taken place is determined at the local level by a National Weather Service threshold. It is hoped the findings will "heighten awareness of a growing problem" and "encourage resiliency efforts in response to" sea level rise.
An understanding of where floods are occurring is integral to building climate resiliency. Once coastal communities know where environmental threats and vulnerabilities lie, they can take steps to move growth and development away from the coast, enhance preparedness efforts to protect human health and protect and restore wetlands, buffers and barrier islands that might shield the shoreline from strong wind and waves.
The Chesapeake Bay Program has set a goal to increase the climate resiliency of the watershed's living resources and public infrastructure, using monitoring, assessment and adaptation to ensure the region withstands the impacts of a changing climate.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its proposed Clean Power Plan this week, which EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy called a "vital piece" of President Obama's plan to cut carbon pollution and slow the effects of climate change.
Image courtesy Rennett Stowe/Flickr
The Clean Power Plan aims to lower carbon emissions from the power sector to 30 percent below 2005 levels. According to the EPA, this would also cut emissions of particle pollution, nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide more than 25 percent, lowering asthma attacks and medical bills and working toward justice for the low-income communities that are hardest hit by air pollution.
Fossil-fueled power plants are the largest source of carbon pollution in the United States, accounting for one-third of our greenhouse gas emissions. Left unchecked, carbon pollution leads to rising temperatures and sea levels and changes in weather patterns, ecosystems and habitats. It also worsens smog, which affects the heart and lung health of children, older adults and people living in poverty.
"This is about protecting our health and our homes," McCarthy said in a speech celebrating the plan's release.
Image courtesy francescopratese/Flickr
The plan would give states the freedom to chart their own course toward their own goals. "There is no one-size-fits-all solution," McCarthy said. Instead, states can "mix and match" methods of electricity production—whether it is a low-carbon or "no" carbon source like nuclear, wind or solar energy—and pollution control policies to ensure a "smooth transition to cleaner power."
Comments on the proposal will be accepted for 120 days after its publication in the Federal Register. The EPA will host public hearings on the plan in Denver, Atlanta, the District of Columbia and Pittsburgh during the week of July 28, and will finalize the plan next June.
Restoring tidal wetlands could lower the greenhouse gases in our atmosphere and offset the impacts of climate change, according to research released this month by Restore America's Estuaries (RAE).
In a report on research conducted in Washington's Puget Sound, scientists show that the 1,353 hectares—or 3,300+ acres—of wetlands that are planned or under construction in the sound's Snohomish Estuary will help remove at least 2.55 million tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere over the next century. This is equal to the annual emissions of 500,000 average-sized cars.
Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that can trap heat in our atmosphere and contribute to climate change. It is the top greenhouse gas emitted by human activities, but it can be removed from the atmosphere by plants, which need it to create food.
When wetlands take in carbon dioxide, excess carbon is stored in organic-rich soils. When wetlands are drained and developed, however, carbon is released back into the atmosphere. Restoring wetlands can reactivate this carbon sequestration process.
"This report is a call to action," said Steve Emmett-Mattox, senior director at RAE and co-author of the study, in a media release. "We need to invest more substantially in coastal restoration nationwide and in science to increase our understanding of the climate benefits which accrue from coastal restoration and protection efforts."
In addition to climate benefits, wetlands can improve water quality, support fisheries and reduce flood risks. But according to a 2013 report, the United States is losing wetlands at a rate of 80,000 acres per year, and the rising seas of climate change threaten to turn wetlands into shallow bays.
Related research from the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center has shown that high levels of carbon dioxide can help wetlands create new soil faster, which could help the habitats move to higher elevations ahead of rising seas.
The intensive withdrawal of groundwater is causing land to sink in the lower Chesapeake Bay region, worsening the effects of sea-level rise and increasing the severity of floods along the Delmarva Peninsula and Virginia Coastal Plain.
Image courtesy PhotoSeoul/Flickr
Land subsidence, or the sinking of the land's surface, is in part a natural phenomenon, occurring as bedrock responds to the melting of an ice sheet that once covered Canada and the northern United States. But according to a new report from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), most of the land subsidence in this area is taking place in response to groundwater withdrawal, which could help explain why the region has the highest rates of relative sea-level rise on the Atlantic Coast.
When groundwater is pumped out of the earth, water levels in the area's underground aquifers decrease. As these water levels decrease, the aquifer system compacts, causing the land above it to sink. In the southern Bay region, land subsidence has been measured at rates of 1.1 to 4.8 millimeters per year—close to the width of five stacked pennies.
Land subsidence can increase flooding, alter wetland and coastal ecosystems, and damage human infrastructure and historical sites. Some areas in Virginia—like the city of Franklin and the counties of Isle of Wight and Southhampton—have already experienced floods as the land around them sinks, and the low-lying Hampton Roads could experience similar episodes soon.
But according to the USGS, a change in water use—from moving groundwater pumping out of high-risk areas to slowing rates of groundwater withdrawal—could slow or mitigate land subsidence and relative sea-level rise.
More than $100 million in grant funding is available for work to protect communities affected by Hurricane Sandy from the growing risks of climate change.
Announced by the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) on the one-year anniversary of the "superstorm" that affected the entire East Coast, raising river flow in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and causing significant damage to New Jersey and New York, the Hurricane Sandy Coastal Resiliency Competitive Grants Program will direct funding to those states that declared a natural disaster after the storm, including all seven Bay jurisdictions.
In an effort to benefit humans and wildlife alike, funding will be directed to those projects that use natural ecosystems to protect coastal communities from strong storms, sea level rise and erosion. The restoration of marshes, wetlands and oyster reefs, for example, can build coastal resiliency in the face of climate change; so, too, can planting streamside trees, removing dams from rivers and streams, and better managing stormwater runoff.
"By stabilizing marshes and beaches, restoring wetlands and improving the resilience of coastal areas, we not only create opportunities for people to connect with nature…, but we can also provide an effective buffer that protects local communities from powerful storm surges and devastating floods when a storm like Sandy hits," said Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell in a media release.
The grant program will be administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF). Learn more, or read the Request for Proposals, due Friday, January 31, 2014.
A new executive order calls on federal agencies to help the nation prepare for climate change, establishing a task force of state and local leaders that will advise the government on how to respond to the growing needs of climate-affected communities.
According to the Climate Consortium of Maryland, more than 97 percent of climate scientists agree that human-caused climate change is happening. In the Chesapeake Bay watershed, climate change will likely lead to heat waves, stronger storms and sea-level rise.
The executive order encourages the nation to cut carbon pollution now and to make smart, climate-resilient investments in the future. It is an important step toward President Obama's three-tiered Climate Action Plan, which was issued in June and which involves reducing carbon pollution, preparing for the impacts of climate change and leading international efforts to address what is a global challenge.
A number of watershed communities have already begun to prepare for climate change, updating building codes, better managing natural resources and investing in stronger infrastructure. Baltimore, for instance, is replacing its aging stormwater management system; Norfolk plans to spend $150 million on tide gates; and Tangier Island will soon be shielded from strong waves with the installation of a $4.2 million jetty and seawall.
Learn more about the executive order on climate preparedness.
We know the environment is changing. There are visible signs all around us, and a substantial body of unambiguous data that confirms it. Sea levels are rising. Extreme storms are more frequent and destructive. Droughts and wildfires plague areas around the world. Wetlands are disappearing. Tree species are moving beyond their traditional range. Animal species are migrating at new times and to new places as average temperatures rise. Pests are showing up in places where they have never existed before. Environmental conditions are changing. It doesn't really matter what you call it—it's happening, and we must adapt.
One can argue about whether or not these changes have been caused by humans. I believe there is sufficient evidence to show that human activity is responsible for a good part of it. But the question remains: how can we minimize the negative impacts of these changing environmental conditions?
How do we respond? How do we address these changes within the context of Chesapeake Bay restoration? Chris Pyke, chair of the Chesapeake Bay Program's Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC), suggests that we look ahead, anticipate these changes and adapt our approaches to them. We need to look at the pollution control measures and management strategies we are developing and determine if they will continue to be effective in light of our changing future. The Bay Program has incorporated an adaptive management decision-making framework that uses scientific data as the basis for responding to these changing conditions. If we don't continue on this adaptive management track, the money we have spent to control pollution will have been wasted.
Call it climate change. Call it global warming. Call it sea level rise. It doesn't really matter what you call it. We know environmental conditions are changing. We ignore it at our peril.
On one of the last remaining islands of the Chesapeake Bay, generations of working watermen have found a home.
Settled in the late seventeenth century, Tangier Island spans a five-mile stretch of water and has never supported more than 1,500 people. Its small size and relative isolation have allowed its residents to maintain a close connection to the past, keeping old customs and a distinct Tidewater dialect alive.
Modern families—with surnames like Crockett, Pruitt, Parks and Dise—can trace their lineage back hundreds of years, and the island's economy remains tied to the harvest of crabs, fish and oysters. But these tenuous traditions are threatened by worsening water quality and sea-level rise.
In December, the Chesapeake Bay Program's Sustainable Fisheries Goal Implementation Team called together decision-makers and watermen for a shared meal and stakeholders' discussion at one of Tangier Island's four sit-down restaurants.
Watermen from Tangier and neighboring Smith Island spoke of the problems they see in and on the Bay and how they might be more involved in the management decisions that directly impact their livelihoods.
Held in the community in which these watermen live and work, the meeting allowed many of them to speak and be heard in a new and significant way.
One of the most pressing problems for the watermen is the flow of sediment into the Bay. As sediment runs off of land and into the water, sand and silt block sunlight from reaching the grass beds that offer shedding blue crabs refuge when their soft shells make them most vulnerable.
Soft-shell crabs are critical to the Tangier Island economy. And a loss of grass beds—which one waterman called "the life blood of the Chesapeake Bay"—could mean a loss of soft-shell crabs. "The habitat," a second waterman said. "It just ain't there."
Seawalls have been put in place to slow the erosion of the island. But as sea levels rise, the land sinks and storms like Sandy, Irene and Isabel grow stronger and more frequent, Tangier continues to wash away.
The northernmost portion of Tangier Island is called Uppards. Once home to a store, a school, a church and a collection of homes, the life of Uppards has disappeared, leaving behind one tumbledown trailer and stretches of marsh, sand and beach.
In October, a small cemetery was uncovered on Uppards by the winds and waves of Superstorm Sandy. Headstones in the graveyard bear the common surname Pruitt. The once-buried bones of those who died in the 1880s are now visible aboveground.
This fall, Virginia Governor Robert F. McDonnell and officials from the Army Corps of Engineers pledged to build a $4.2 million jetty that will protect the island's harbor. Some see the long-awaited initiative as a beacon of hope, while others believe it serves only to slow inevitable erosion.
As Tangier Island shrinks, the costs of fuel and gear and living rise, placing further pressure on the island's aging watermen.
But what career alternatives does a waterman have? Some take jobs aboard tug boats. Other host tours for visitors from the mainland. And still others have found work as captains and educators at island study centers operated by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
But most Tangier residents would find it difficult to obtain work off the island, where a 45-minute ride on a ferry or mail boat is needed to make it to the nearest town. One waterman lamented this lack of options: "We don't have the opportunity to get a land job."
A dependence on the fish and shellfish of the Bay has created a conservation ethic in many Tangier watermen, including Tangier Mayor James "Ooker" Eskridge. Eskridge spoke of the importance of restoration efforts in a time of environmental change, and of preserving natural resources in order to preserve Tangier careers and culture: "A sustainable resource is more important to a waterman than anyone else."
Access high-resolution images of Tangier Island on the Chesapeake Bay Program Flickr page.
"You're going to want to take those off for this." Alicia points to my gloves.
Exposing my hands to the cold – the kind of bitter cold that strikes only in the middle of winter, in the middle of night, in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay – did not seem like something I'd ever "want" to do. Why did I volunteer for this again?
But Alicia Berlin, leader of the Atlantic Seaduck Project, has given me the job of untangling something called a "mist net." The net's delicate fabric is quick to catch on fabric as we stretch it forty or so feet across the Chesapeake Bay. So I reluctantly shed the gloves, exposing my bare hands to winter's icy chill.
Alicia and her team hope to capture surf scoters and black scoters in the mist net, and then arm them with GPS-like trackers that allow researchers to monitor the ducks' migration patterns and feeding habits.
Since sea ducks only visit the Chesapeake Bay in winter, and since they are most active in the pre-dawn hours, Alicia's team works in the cold darkness to assemble the mist net and trap these vacationing birds.
I quickly realize that unraveling the mist net is the easy job. The other volunteer I'm working with is leaning over the edge of the raft, his bare hands in the water; his headlamp the only source of light to illuminate his task.
He's huffing and puffing and shivering as he pulls our raft along the anchor line, waiting for me to untangle the net above him before we can move forward. I stand nearly on top of him, praying I don't trip and fall overboard into the black, bone-chilling water just a foot below us. It's so cold I can smell it.
Minutes later, we're staring at our end product: what looks like a large volleyball net floating in the middle of the water, surrounded by two dozen decoys (plastic fake ducks) bobbling on the frigid waves. The darkness is turning gray, so we rush to our second location and set ourselves on repeat.
Once we finish our setup, there's nothing left to do but wait. I try to force myself to stay alert – to listen for ducks calling, to search the horizon for flying silhouettes coming towards our decoys – but I can't. The frosty weather is numbing every part of my body, even though I'm wearing a ridiculous-looking "survival suit," a garment reminiscent of Randy's snow suit in A Christmas Story.
I'm not the only one who's falling asleep sitting up. I met Alicia and her team on the Eastern Shore at 1 a.m., giving me just three hours of sleep. The more consistent volunteers are completely exhausted, pulling all-nighters followed by eight-hour work days. This collective sleep deprivation leads to an interestingly honest team dynamic and contributes to a plethora of freak accidents. (Alicia somehow drove our boat directly into a mist net just minutes after we had set it up.)
One can only hope that our lack of sleep will pays off, but not a single duck has flown into the mist nets all week. Perhaps tonight will make up for team's previous disappointments.
Apparently, mist netting isn't the most effective technique to capture sea ducks. According to Alicia, night lighting is far more successful. A team goes out on the water in the middle of the night, preferably in rainy weather, and shines flood lights on the water to locate ducks. Volunteers then capture the unsuspecting ducks in nets.
Captured ducks are kept in cages on the boat until morning. Then they're transported to Patuxent Research Refuge in Laurel, Maryland, where a surgeon implants the tracking devices in the ducks. (Alicia assures me the ducks can't feel the device.) The next evening, lucky volunteers set the sea ducks free on the Chesapeake Bay.
(Image courtesy Andrew Reding/Flickr)
The number of sea ducks wintering on the Chesapeake Bay has decreased in recent years due to food availability and the effects of climate change. Many sea ducks rely on bay grasses that only grow at certain depths and are affected by algae blooms and high temperatures.
I'm awakened at sunrise by honks and quacks. My raft mates and I scope out the skies in different directions, identifying packs of ducks that will hopefully visit our mist net. My eyes follow pair after pair flying toward the net; but at the last minute, each one goes over or around it. Perhaps these birds are smarter than we give them credit for.
The larger boat that's watching the second net has similar bad luck. That team decides to sneak up on a pack and drive the birds in the general direction of our nets. After a mess of quacking and fluttering, the ducks head not for the net, but directly toward our raft!
We chase the ducks around the Bay until 10 or 11 that morning, but not a single sea duck gets caught in the nets we worked so hard to set up. 'Tis the unpredictable nature of wildlife biology, the team says. Everything is a constant experiment: from the team's capture technique to the location of the nets to the weather. Failure is simply part of the learning process. Alicia is confident that tomorrow will bring better luck, and that night lighting next week will guarantee results.
We disassemble the mist net and head toward the shore, just in time to beat the growing waves that signal an approaching rain storm.
I've never been happier to bask under an automobile's heat vents.
Every Sunday morning at 8, a handful of bird enthusiasts flock to Dyke Marsh, the only freshwater marsh along the upper tidal Potomac River. The Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve, located south of Alexandria, Va., is home to almost 300 species of birds. The marsh is classified as a "globally rare" habitat, one that's particularly unique in this dense, urban area just outside the nation's capital.
(Image courtesy of Friends of Dyke Marsh)
Since 1975, the nonprofit volunteer group Friends of Dyke Marsh (FODM) has helped preserve, restore and celebrate this rare ecosystem. In addition to arranging weekly bird watching trips, FODM sponsors scientific surveys, leads school groups, removes invasive plants, organizes cleanups and builds public appreciation for the marsh.
FODM supports scientific surveys that illustrate the marsh's irreplaceable habitat. Freshwater tidal marshes are flooded with fresh water with each incoming high tide, and include a variety of rare emergent grasses and sedges rather than shrubs.
"Dyke Marsh is a remnant of the extensive tidal wetlands that used to line the Potomac River," explains FODM president Glenda Booth. "It provides buffering during storms. It absorbs flood waters. It's a nursery for fish. It's a rich biodiverse area in a large metropolitan area. We think it's important to preserve what little is left."
With the support of FODM, a Virginia Natural Heritage Program employee completed a survey of dragonflies and damselflies on the preserve in spring 2011. In addition, members conduct a breeding bird survey every spring. Last year, FODM recorded 78 species. The highlight? A confirmed breeding eastern screech-owl, the first documented in 20 years.
(Image courtesy of Friends of Dyke Marsh)
Dyke Marsh faces significant threats from climate change and sea level rise. The marsh is disappearing at a rate of 6-8 feet per year, according to a 2010 U.S. Geological Survey study.
"Our biggest challenge is to stop that erosion and restore Dyke Marsh," says Booth.
Dyke Marsh was already destabilized in 1959, when Congress added it to the U.S. National Park system. USGS scientists largely attributed this to human impacts: sand and gravel mining that gouged out substantial parts of the marsh and removed a promontory that protected the wetland from storms, leaving Dyke Marsh exposed and vulnerable.
FODM works with the National Park Service to enhance wetland habitat and slow erosion of the marsh's shoreline.
Educating neighbors about their connection to Dyke Marsh and fostering appreciation of this scenic area are also essential components of FODM's preservation goals.
(Image courtesy of Friends of Dyke Marsh)
Like most other parts of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, invasive plants are a problem in Dyke Marsh. "A lot of people plant things that are aggressive and not native, and these plants end up in the marsh." And pollution that flows into streams throughout Fairfax County eventually empties into Dyke Marsh, threatening its wildlife and habitat.
Preserving Dyke Marsh is a goal that extends beyond the marsh itself, according to Booth. "We have to make sure that activities on our boundaries are compatible with preservation goals." That means advocating for regulations that prohibit jet skiing, which disturbs the marsh's nesting birds in spring.
Visit FODM's website to learn more about upcoming outreach and educational opportunities and to find out other ways you can enjoy Dyke Marsh.
Hurricanes, earthquakes, a freezing cold winter and a blistering hot summer – 2011 has been an interesting year for weather in the Chesapeake Bay region. Scientists with the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center have written some preliminary thoughts about the bizarre weather and its link to conditions in the Bay in a post on SERC's blog, Shorelines.
While SERC tends to focus on the long-term picture rather than brief snapshots, this year has prompted more than a few raised eyebrows among our scientists. What does it mean for the environment? What does it mean for Chesapeake Bay? And can any of it be linked to climate change?
Visit SERC's blog to read more about the link between 2011 weather and the Chesapeake Bay.
Image courtesy Iris Goldstein/Flickr
The Maryland Commission on Climate Change has released a report outlining strategies to reduce the effects of climate change on Maryland's land, water and people.
The report, called the Phase II Strategy for Reducing Maryland's Vulnerability to Climate Change: Building Societal, Economic and Ecological Resilience, includes a section devoted to the Chesapeake Bay and aquatic ecosystems. More than 80 experts worked together to develop the strategy.
Maryland state agencies will use the Phase II Strategy along with its companion, the Phase I Strategy for Sea Level Rise and Coastal Storms (2008), to guide and prioritize their policies on adapting to climate change.
With more than 3,000 miles of shoreline, Maryland is the fourth most vulnerable state to climate change and rising sea levels in the nation. Because the Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States, the effects of climate change here have implications for similar bays and ecosystems.
The report's chapter on Bay and Aquatic Ecosystems concludes that climate change will alter the distribution of species and habitats in Maryland, and may in fact worsen conditions that are already putting stress on these species and habitats. Rising temperatures, precipitation shifts and sea level rise are all expected to affect aquatic plants, animals and their habitats.
Climate change is also expected to alter the interactions between humans and the Bay. Fisheries and recreational opportunities may diminish due to sea level rise. Wetlands in the state may become degraded, limiting the protection of sensitive shorelines during storms.
The report offers recommendations for Maryland to reduce current stressors on the Bay and aquatic ecosystems as well as proactive steps to stop future damage. These include increasing monitoring and assessment to guide future decision-making and assessing current management efforts used to protect critical habitats and ecosystem services.
In particular, the report recommends protecting coastal habitats and streamside forest buffers to address land use changes along the state's waterways.
For more information about the report and the Maryland Commission on Climate Change, visit Maryland's website.
A recently released report by the U.S. EPA shows that many areas around the Bay's shoreline are already witnessing the effects of sea level rise and that vulnerable tidal marshes may erode more rapidly over the next century because of climate change.
The report, Coastal Sensitivity to Sea-Level Rise: A Focus on the Mid-Atlantic Region, examines the impacts of sea level rise on the human communities and wildlife habitat of the Mid-Atlantic coast, including Chesapeake Bay. According to the EPA, the Mid-Atlantic region is one area of the U.S. that will likely see the greatest impacts of climate change due to rising waters, coastal storms and a high population concentration along the coastline.
At the 20th century rate of sea level rise (3-4 mm per year), extensive areas of marsh in the Bay (depicted in red in the image to the right) will become marginal, or only able to survive under optimal conditions. Other low-lying areas, depicted in blue, will be fully submerged at the current rate of sea level rise. The report cites evidence that sea level rise is increasing due to climate change, which would accelerate erosion of the Bay's marshes.
A clear example of the effects of sea level rise can be seen on the Bay's marsh islands, many of which have already been lost or severely eroded. These islands are vital to bird species like terns, black skimmers and American oystercatchers, which use the islands to nest and breed. On the mainland shoreline of the Bay, nearly all of the beaches are eroding, which has led many waterfront property owners to install hardened shorelines as protection.
In addition to the effects of sea level rise, the report details the efforts of state and local governments throughout the Mid-Atlantic to protect coastal communities against erosion. Maryland is noted as having the most stringent policies on development along the Chesapeake and coastal areas. The state's Critical Area laws limit development within 1,000 feet of the shoreline.
"Our state is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change -- including sea level rise," said Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley in response to the EPA report. "We are making real progress in both preparing for the impacts of climate change but also in reducing the actions that contribute to it."
However, the report shows that most shoreline protection structures are designed to protect properties from current sea level, rather than the anticipated increases. "Preparing now can reduce the eventual environmental and economic impacts of sea level rise," reads a report highlight.
Waterfront property owners interested in learning more on how they can protect their shoreline from erosion and sea level rise can visit Maryland DNR's website for more information.


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The driver in a July car crash that killed a mother and four children from Woodlawn -- plunging many in the Baltimore area into mourning -- was indicted yesterday on manslaughter charges.
The indictment by a Baltimore County grand jury charges Raymond Charles Haney with five counts of automobile manslaughter and with traffic charges that include speeding, reckless driving and making an unsafe lane change. Each manslaughter count carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

subset: commoncrawl


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Balsamic vinaigrette
By Tali Simon | February 28, 2012
We don't usually have company for dinner during the week, but tonight we had a special guest: A friend of my husband's who he hadn't seen in 15 years.
Isn't it weird? We're only in our 20's, but we can still say things like "Wow! Haven't seen you in 15 years!"
So weird.
This friend, J, is in med school in Canada but is here in Israel for a few weeks doing a rotation at Shaare Tzedek. He was interested in seeing a yishuv, so he popped in and got a little tour.
My husband showed off the mountains (yep, that's our backyard) and then brought him on over to the homestead.
Our caravan's main room is the one you walk into when you come through the door. It's the living room, dining room, den, and kitchen, all in one. Yeah, it's cozy.
As the guys sat catching up on 15 years gone by, I made peanutty linguini, roasted potato wedges, and salad.
Or, in other words, I whirled back and forth from the kitchen table to the stove top to the fridge to the sink, all clustered together in a small space…it wasn't anything out of the ordinary, but I wondered what it looked like from the outside: Painfully crowded or nice 'n homey?
I love it, but for someone used to North American standards…
I have to say, though, the only thing I felt when I took my homemade salad dressing out of the fridge was exceptionally cool.
It might have something to do with the bottle, which I {heart}.
We have two of these bottle guys, one with a green top and one with a pink one, and I clearly {heart} the pink one more.
But it's also that homemade dressing adds such a nice touch to any meal. I know this is the wrong analogy, but to me, homemade dressing is the icing on the cake.
And in case you were wondering, this is a nice one.
Worth keeping balsamic vinegar around for this baby.
From Norene's Healthy Kitchen
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 tsp honey
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp dried basil
- ¼ tsp dried thyme
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1. Combine all ingredients in a salad dressing bottle or other container with a lid and shake well.
2. Let it sit in the fridge for a few hours before first use. Shake again before each use.
2 Comments
I want to see some photos of the caravan!


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Discretionary effort comes from deep inside of you. Discretionary effort is called forth by a work environment that encourages you to want to expend your discretionary effort. Or, you are intrinsically, deeply motivated to expend discretionary effort for your employer, coworkers and customers. Whether the discretionary effort is requested and fostered by a manager or you choose to expend the discretionary efforts all on your own, discretionary effort is the key to satisfied customers, positive coworker and boss relationships, and business success.
Readers share examples of discretionary effort in action. Read about discretionary effort in these reader examples.
More reader responses to a variety of questions.
Model the Actions You'd Like to See From Employees
I cannot describe my work place exactly as employee-oriented; however, where I can have influence and control that's how I function - be an encouraging manager and serve my employees with training, t…More


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Ranchers appeal NASS rangeland insurance data;GLENDIVE, Mont. — Don Evans isn't the kind of fellow who gets in the news much. He pretty much minds his own business on his ranch near Glendive, Mont. But he's pretty angry that the National Agricultural Statistics Service stands alone against several other federal U.S. Department of Agriculture agencies, in estimating his 2008 hay crop at 91 percent normal in 2008, when he probably had a 75 percent to 80 percent loss.
By: Mikkel Pates, Agweek
GLENDIVE, Mont. — Don Evans isn't the kind of fellow who gets in the news much. He pretty much minds his own business on his ranch near Glendive, Mont. But he's pretty angry that the National Agricultural Statistics Service stands alone against several other federal U.S. Department of Agriculture agencies, in estimating his 2008 hay crop at 91 percent normal in 2008, when he probably had a 75 percent to 80 percent loss.
About 60 farmers are banding together to appeal a USDA decision they say cost them $10 million to $12 million in a three-county area covering Montana's Dawson, McCone and Prairie counties. The case involves some 2.1 million acres in the Group Risk Management Rangeland insurance program.
Evans says he should have gotten $20,000 to $25,000. Other ranchers should have gotten up to $100,000 or more.
"I know one producer — a big operator — who had to sell some land because of the losses. With all the extra hay he had to buy, he had to offset that loss," Evans says.
"We got less than 3 inches of rain, compared to a normal 11," Evans recalls.
He says that's a stark contrast. This season, his place has gotten 14 inches of rain and hay crops are running to five bales an acre and 1,200 to 1,400 pounds a bale. This is the best crop since 1978, he says, and the heavy grasshopper population this year isn't having a huge impact.
No rain till July
In 2008, the area didn't get rain until July. The Conservation Reserve Program acres were opened for haying. The FSA estimated a 60 percent loss on nonirrigated dryland hay. Some private insurance companies showed more than a 50 percent loss.
"I'd say the 2008 drought was one of the worst since the early 1980s around here," Evans says. "The county was declared a disaster county because it was so bad. All of the (other) crop insurances paid out because we didn't have a crop. I carried the pastureland insurance just for occasions like that."
Evans is 62, the second of seven children who grew up on a ranch, 20 miles north of Glendive. He worked for his parents initially. In the late 1980s, he bought what was known as the Undem Ranch about 10 miles north of Glendive.
"Deeded and leased, there's about 5,000 acres," he says, giving a ranch tour with his border collie, Wrangler. "You can see a lot of it a bluff on the toplands."
"A lot of rough stuff," he says. "I'd say 80 percent of it is unfarmable land. Twenty percent is hayland and farmed."
His primary business is commercial cow-calf cattle, but he also farms about 400 acres. He bought the new insurance for hayland as soon as it came into existence.
Evans rented some pasture to get the cows through the summer. He bought hay to start feeding cattle the first week in November because there was no grass. He had to feed them in the spring because there was no grass to turn them out to.
He wasn't alone.
"That was an awful expense," he says. "A lot of them people, when they budgeted for hay, they budgeted that money (they'd spent) as something that would be compensated by the hayland insurance. Suddenly, it wasn't there."
Evans figures the $20,000 and $25,000 he spent for hay should have been entirely covered by the insurance program.
A lot of other USDA officials chronicled heavy drought losses in 2008.
The Extension Service, the Farm Service Agency — everybody seemed to see there were huge losses. But NASS saw it differently. It did a survey in late summer and came out with an answer in May 2009. The verdict: no payment.
"They said we didn't have a disaster, when nobody had hardly any hay at all to speak of," Evans says.
Verna's views
Verna Baisch has sold crop insurance in Glendive for 35 years. She's an independent agent, working out of a local bank.
When USDA came out with a "Group Risk Management Rangeland" insurance pilot program in 2004, she hosted educational meetings and brought in company representatives to tell producers what it was all about.
"We were excited about it and thought it was a product the ranchers need, so if you had a dry year, and they had to buy hay, it would give them money to replace the hay they lost from a drought," she says.
The cost was about 25 cents an acre in premium, and could return $5 per acre if there was a total disaster.
The county was the "area" to determine losses for each policy. It wasn't ranch-specific.
About 50 percent of the producers in her area initially bought it. She works in five area counties. Since the dust-up with NASS, however, only about 20 percent continued to sign up, which has changed from one pilot program to another. Now, the program is based on rainfall, figured out on a grid — 12 miles by 12 miles. But in 2008, it still was based on NASS county hay estimates.
Others had stayed with the Noninsured crop Disaster Assistance Program policies through the FSA.
"For one thing, it's less expensive — $250 per county, per entity, per crop."
But it didn't pay out as well either.
Then called the GRP (later changed and renamed as PRF "Pasture Rangeland and Forage), the program worked well for a few years. In 2006, Dawson County had a big loss, and the pasture policies paid out "really well." That's why it was a surprise in 2008 when they didn't.
Dawson, McCone and Prairie counties got nothing.
Richland County did, for some reason.
Her own company's adjusters compared yield data for insured producers on alfalfa in both counties, determining little difference. Their production was zero to 0.3 tons per acre.
Baisch cited Natural Resource Conservation Service estimates of 45 percent losses native grasses as of July 24, 2008, and 55 percent losses on alfalfa hay. Nonirrigated annual forages took a 50 percent loss. Even irrigated grasses suffered a 20 percent loss.
She cited an Aug. 1, report by Dawson County Extension Service estimate that the losses were 60 to 70 percent.
"While grains got a good start, subsequent lack of moisture during the growing season has stunted them to the point that many producers are not going to be able to harvest them in any way but grazing, if these fields have water available," Bruce Smith said of the report in a letter to the county FSA, suggesting a disaster designation be pursued.
On Jan. 9, the county received a disaster designation. But that didn't cut it on the rangeland insurance program.
'I was shocked'
On about May 15, 2008, Baisch received notification from her crop insurance companies that her customers in three counties — McCone, Dawson and Prairie — would not be eligible.
"I was shocked," she says. "I had to tell them about it. It had just come out of the crop insurance companies, saying who had losses and who didn't. The sheet said Dawson County wasn't eligible under 'GRP Rangeland.' They were angry."
"We couldn't believe it," Evans says. "Nobody had any hay to speak of in 2008."
Baisch set up two meetings NASS personnel. She invited the local FSA director. Staffers from Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., were there as well as Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., and Rep. Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont.
Steven J. Anderson, the state NASS director came, but stood by his survey.
Agweek asked Anderson why the NASS survey is so different than the other agencies.
"You'll have to ask the other agencies how they go about what they do," he says.
NASS conducts the hay survey the same way every year, he says. It asks producers how many acres of alfalfa and alfalfa mix were cut for dry hay — irrigated and nonirrigated. It goes on to ask about all other hay, and some minor classes, including CRP hay.
"This is a standard thing, done not only in Montana, but in North Dakota and across the country," he says.
Based on the questions from producers, his staff conducted a review of the data. And then, after that review in Montana, "we determined not to change anything," Anderson says.
"There were further requests, so we sent the data set to our statistics division of our crops branch in Washington, D.C., and they determined no change should be made to NASS hay data," he says.
Agency that counts
Still, it is curious why the NASS figures were different than others.
Evans says he'd bet that not a single rancher in the counties covered had a 91 percent normal hay crop in 2008.
When confronted with FSA numbers that show how bad dryland forage production was in Dawson and Richland counties, it has no impact, Baich says. "They just don't say anything," she says.
The last meeting the group had on April 20 was a phone conference at the Yellowstone Inn in Glendive. The group pitched in 15 cents an acre for up-front legal costs. Rehberg's office had suggested they contact Sarah Vogel Law Firm in Bismarck, N.D., to launch a collective organized appeal. The group picked some team leaders, who meet whenever something happens.
The ranchers have tried to brainstorm about what could have gone wrong with the NASS numbers. They wonder if the CRP hay may have thrown the numbers off, or if they included people cutting oats and barley to hay it.
They wonder if the surveyors recorded the yields on small numbers of acres than were harvested, but didn't include that many more acres were abandoned.
"We have questions, no answers," Baisch says.
Evans is optimistic about getting a good outcome in the case, if the ranchers get attention at the national level.
"I think they know they're wrong, but they're just saying they're not going to change anything," Evans says. "I'd almost bet they know what they did wrong and they're not going to admit it."
Tags: cover story, livestock, crops, farm, ranch


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10th October 2014
Former Labour trade minister defends Nigel Farage over HIV migrant ban 17
1:35 PM — Former Labour trade minister Lord Digby Jones has defended UKIP leader Nigel Farage after he claimed that people with HIV should be banned from the UK.
4th June 2013
Earl of Arran: Equal marriage could lead to a 'decadent' Britain that 'flaunts' homosexuality 39
2:21 PM — The ninth Earl of Arran, one of the few remaining hereditary peers in the Lords and the owner of a 5,000-acre estate, says he fears for the future of a "decadent" Britain if the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill is signed into law.
Lord Hylton: Gay people have stolen the word 'gay' and it no longer has a 'delightful meaning' 49
1:02 PM — Speaking during yesterday's second reading debate of the marriage bill Lord Hylton claimed gay people had stolen the word 'gay' from its original meaning.


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|Pink Ribbon Beaded Safety Pin
Materials Needed:
- 11 - 1 1/16 inch Safety Pins
- 1 - 1 3/4 inch Safety Pin
- Seed Beads (see picture below for colors needed)
Follow this pattern and the basic directions on the safety pin jewelry page to complete this project.
Each number column represents a pin; for example, your first pin will have 9 white beads and 1 light pink bead on it. Your second pin will have2 white beads, 3 light pink beads, 3 white beads, 1 light pink bead, and then 1 dark pink bead. When you thread these beaded pins onto your larger pin, start with pin number 1.


text:
UNESCO World Heritage in Germany
Note: This is not the official HomePage of the German Section of UNESCO. They have a HomePage of their own...
981 properties are now inscribed on the World Heritage List with 759 cultural, 193 natural and 29 mixed properties in 160 States Parties. 38 of these properties you find in Germany - the Dresden Elbe Valley, however, was deleted from the list in 2009!
If you read German you may find more details on the German version of this page...
If you have any comments or questions, please contact me:
Wolfgang M. Werner ( )


text:
GF&P says coyotes not to blame for pheasant decline
January 3, 2014 at 9:31 pm in Uncategorized
Keith Fisk has heard the complaints.
Coyotes and other predators are killing pheasants and driving the birdsâ population down, some hunters and landowners say.
Fisk, administrator of the Wildlife Damage Management program of the South Dakota…continue reading on mitchellrepublic.com


text:
Senate Bill 864
Effective: Sept. 1, 2013
Relating to a handgun proficiency course that is taken to obtain or renew a CHL.
Reduces the classroom training hours for the CHL course to a minimum of four (4) hours and a maximum of six (6) hours. The time spent for proficiency demonstration will no longer be included in the classroom training.
Original applicants must attend the classroom instruction and complete the proficiency demonstration in person in Texas.
The course material must still cover the same four topics.


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ST. LOUIS--It is a rare breed that can work at great heights. And few...read
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Monday, October 31, 2011
Polka dot again
10 comments:
So many nice items, but especially the blouse on the first picture is cute.ReplyDelete
I adore polka dots - and need more in my closet!! Such a fun and retro look!ReplyDelete
Love polka dots. They are so classic and never go out of style. Great picks.ReplyDelete
I think polka dot umbrellas are perfect for cheering up rainy days! :)ReplyDelete
I love polka dots! I am definitely swooning over that Stella McCartney skirt - it's gorgeous.ReplyDelete
yes... I agree with you, clothes with polka dots are nice, but that shirt ... for 885 JUST OH MY GOD!!!! Nice choise of clothes !!!!ReplyDelete
polka dots never get old! Love the dresses!ReplyDelete
love polka dots!ReplyDelete
xoxo, Betül
Awww number 5 is the best one. Makes me wanna wear my polka dotted dress. Hehe.ReplyDelete
Polka dots are so sweet.
:) kisses
loving polka dots right now, as well. they are so fun!ReplyDelete
have a lovely weekend.
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Monday, May 23, 2011
Haters Are Confused Admirers
Haters keep the world going round. Learn to LOVE them cause they the best fans in the world. Without them, nobody would give a crap about who we are!
Betul tak?
They take heat about what you write on your Facebook, Twitter, Myspace and what you comment on other people's wall bla bla bla yada yada yada
Stalkers ke? *giggle* Losers more like it to me.
You may not get to pick your family but at least you can pick your friends. Take advantage of this by picking healthy friends who don't suck the life out of you. Friends come and go; people change for better or worse. You are not obligated to keep around toxic friends just because you have a history with them.
As especially...ESPECIALLY when the good old Ustaz says
from Zaharuddin.net
Nafsu sentiasa mengajar erti 'lazat' apabila seseorg itu mengata, fitnah, mengumpat & merendahkan org lain di belakangnya, FB menjadikn nafsu 'berkenduri' dek kerana mudah & lebih mudahnya proses keji ini tersebar. Fikir dgn iman sebelum menaip, bimbang 'muflis' di akhirat :)
So thank you haters. You're da effing bomb!! **sambil berlalu membawa gendongan pahala sekontena
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About Me
Farah Rahim is the co founder of the REAL FOOD movement in Malaysia under the local support group called "HOMEMADE - Air Tangan Ibu" as well as an advocate of managing asthma, allergies and eczema naturally via NaturalAAE. She's the official Malaysia's ambasador of Jamie's Food Revolution. When not an activist she's a Stay at Home Mom to 3 girls who loves nothing but good ol' homecooked meals.


text: http://www.thevarguy.com – Business software provider Sage North America wants its channel partners to be market ready to sell mobile applications and cloud-based services. Sage figures there's no better way than to arm solution providers than with data analytics tools to unearth cross-selling opportunities, targeted funding to drive new business and events to boost customer awareness. "Our partners work hard to bring value to our mutual customers every day, and it's important that we provide the right tools to support their efforts to deliver great customer experiences," said Joe Langner, Sage Midmarket (IT news)


text: This month the 22nd Winter Olympic Games began in Sochi, Russia. The spectacle of the event has captivated persons from around the world to tune into watch their favorite sport or favorite athletes. Russia spent over $50 billion to prepare for the Olympics by building hotels, roads, stadiums, and to bring in artificial snow into the Southern resort town. The Sochi Olympics are the first mega-sporting event to occur this year, but will likely be trumped by the upcoming World Cup in Brazil over the summer. Brazil's price tag for hosting the World Cup is considerable less at around $9 billion dollars. Nonetheless, the cost of both of these events and the emphasis by the respective countries to show the world the capabilities of their nation reveal the increasing globalization of these world sporting events. The Olympics and the World Cup are two global sports spectacles that have considerable cultural and economic ramifications, and are a product of intense politicking to bring the events to one's national home.


text:
Romney promises a jobs revival
Obama excitement has fizzled, he says
Posted: August 31, 2012 at 6:12 a.m.
Mitt Romney accepted the Republican presidential nomination Thursday by making a direct appeal to Americans who were captivated by President Barack Obama's hopeful promises of change, pledging that he could deliver what the president did not and move the country from its worst economic downturn since the Great Depression.
This story is only available from our archives.
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Today is Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Choose from Membership Plus or Standard Membership levels. Our tiered Membership Plus program allows you to choose the membership level that best fits you and your family. When you renew this year, please consider doing more for and receiving more from the organization that is fighting to protect your rights and the future of bear hunting in Wisconsin.
This level of membership is the same as what you are used to. It includes your subscription to Bear Tracks and the WBHA Yearbook.
In addition to receiving WBHA publications, members who step up to the Bronze Level will receive special recognition in the Yearbook and a $10 gift certificate for WBHA merchandise.
Re-up at the Silver Level and the perks really start to add up. In addition to receiving WBHA publications and receiving special recognition in the yearbook, Silver members will receive a $25 WBHA gift certificate and a "WBHA Hero lapel pin." As an extra bonus, you will receive a voucher you can use to give a FREE membership to a family that is not already a member!
Our Gold members are…well, good as gold! Gold members get all the benefits of the silver level and more. Receive a $50 WBHA merchandise gift certificate and two WBHA membership vouchers (again, to give to families that are not already members) as well as special recognition at the annual meeting in addition to in the yearbook. And don't forget that Hero lapel pin!
The cream of the crop—Platinum members are those special people with both the means and the generosity to really step up and support their organization.
As our way of thanking them, Platinum members will receive a $100 WBHA merchandise gift certificate and three vouchers to provide free memberships to non-member families. Plus, of course, the benefits of the lower membership levels (e.g. Hero lapel pin, publications and recognition).
Click here to see all Photos of the Month
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'The Iceman' review: James Franco, Winona Ryder and Michael Shannon star in a chilling look at a killer
The phrase "banality of evil" popped up when historians sought to explain the bland men and women who carried out the Holocaust, when critics looked for ways to describe the often dull villains that Alfred Hitchcock astutely observed were not all that interesting, outside of their crimes.
Richard Kuklinski could be banality of evil's poster-child. A poker-faced family man, from New Jersey no less, this real-life monster carried out cold-blooded killings for the mob for over a decade. Nothing glamorous about it, no sexual-sadistic glee evident on his part. Just a job of work, a cold calculation on who had to die, and how that death could be achieved without Kuklinski getting caught.
Michael Shannon has the voice and face of a mass murderer in this film, the sort of man who can tell he soon-to-be wife (Winona Ryder) "I dub cartoons for a living," when in reality he duplicates porn films for the mob. And when mobster Roy Demeo (Ray Liotta) orders it, Richie Kuklinski has no more compunction about killing for money than he does about making porn.
"The Iceman" establishes that this guy had a temper long before he was paid to murder for the mob. His rage is under control. He knows his place, which keeps him alive when Demeo and his lieutenants (David Schwimmer among them) jerk him around.
He becomes "The Polack," a reliable killer for the Jersey mob who isn't Italian. Therefore he'll never become "a made man," a genuine "goodfella."
That's the film that "The Iceman" best compares to, and it's no coincidence that here Liotta has his best screen role since "Goodfellas." He plays paranoid and ruthless with a lifetime of abandon here, a brittle, brilliant turn.
Shannon makes Richie stoic, quiet, a guy who never talks about his methods, even when he hooks up with a hipper version of himself, played with manic verve by Chris "Captain America" Evans.
"Pray to God. Tell him to come down and stop me," Kuklinski tells one victim. He's a little slow, maybe even conflicted, and he's looking for a reason to believe.
James Franco plays one target who gets to try and talk his way out of the jam, and Ryder is splendid as the mob wife who never acknowledges it. She simply doesn't know or want to know, never wonders that the nasal, flat-voiced father of her children is first a cartoon voice, then a currency trader -- with no education -- because he never shows up at home with blood on his hands.
The dialogue is hard-bitten and Mamet-sharp. Co-writer/director Ariel Vroman keeps the screen dark -- dingy lounges and dark alleys -- and the mood forboding, as character players like Robert Davi show up to remind the killer that "Life can be very random, sometimes."
And Shannon, one of the most riveting actors on the screen today, never lets us forget that this guy has a low-IQ sort of cunning, an unaffected menace that would have made him a helluva poker player, had he not been chosen to commit lowdown and dirty murder.
Grade: A
Cast: Michael Shannon, Winona Ryder, Ray Liotta, Chris Evans, David Schwimmer
Directed by Ariel Vroman, scripted by Morgan Land and Ariel Vroman. A Millennium release.
Running time: 1:45
MPAA rating: R for strong violence, pervasive language and some sexual content
Photo/Video credit: Millennium Entertainment


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IOWA CITY - It's hard to believe the Englert Theater in downtown Iowa City almost didn't make it. It is efforts from citizens that have helped the theater thrive over the years. Let's learn what makes the theater so special.
Music and good humor, the Full Monty draws a large crowd at the Englert Theater. Art Director Beth Bewley is happy to see these seats full. She works behind the scenes of the Full Monty.
"Here we are on the set of the Full Monty by City Circle Acting Company. We'll exit stage right through the door to go backstage," said Beth Bewley, Artistic Director.
The Englert Theater opened in downtown Iowa City in 1912.
"Here we are at upstage left. We are going downstairs to the dressing rooms. I always preface this by saying this is the most historic place in the theater. This is the one area that did not burn down in the 1926 fire," said Bewley.
After the fire, the theater had varied success. It struggled to keep its doors open and was sold in 1990. The theatre was set to be turned into a bar.
"Some people were drawn historically to save the building," Bewley said.
Concerned citizens started the 'Save the Englert' campaign. They raised enough money to purchase the theater and bring it back to life. The theater re-opened in 2004 and has had growing crowds ever since.
"I think the community really decided we need a center where we can do Community Theater, a venue in downtown Iowa City that can belong to the community," said Bewley.
The theater seats more than 700 people.
"As you can see, we are up on the balcony...the balcony I think is acoustically, some of the best seats of all time. It's wonderful to watch a show from this perspective," said Bewley.
Bewley says the Englert Theater brings culture to the downtown.
"Iowa City realizes how important culture is to the make-up of a community. It gives identity. We feel we are definitely part of the identity of this downtown area," said Bewley.
Cedar Rapids, Iowa News, Sports, and Weather


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Cunnamulla – where the handshake's stronger and the smile lasts longer! Follow the Matilda Highway or Adventure Way right into the heart of Cunnamulla, where you will be greeted by a colourful showing of roses, petunias and a lush green park. Cunnamulla offers a break from the hectic pace of everyday life. After your long trip, take the time to enjoy the slower pace of the Outback.
Cunnamulla is the name everyone has heard and it conjures up nostalgic images of stockmen, shearing and days when everyone had time for a yarn. In pride of place in the town centre is a bronze statute of the 'Cunnamulla Fella' immortalising the larrikin in all Australians, he sits on his swag enjoying the moment.
The Heritage Trail will give you a glimpse of earlier times. There are walking trails along the river bank and through the Cunnamulla bushlands. Collect a map, bird list and plant list from the Cunnamulla Fella Centre. While you are at the Centre take a look through the art gallery and interpretive displays of local history, opal mining, wool, native vegetation and the Great Artesian Basin.
Outback Holidays are all about meeting the locals! There are many events you can enjoy from Social bowls and tennis to the Cunnamulla Fella Festival. The Festival is held each year in November and includes country music and the excitement of a professional bullride. You don't have to be born here to be a Cunnamulla Fella – you just have to enjoy being here!
Note: Information on listed products and services are provided by the operator and were correct at the time of publishing. Rates are indicative based on the minimum and maximum available prices of products and services. Please visit the operator's website for further information. All prices quoted are in Australian dollars (AUD).


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House of Horrors - Lucius Keeps Delivering On Nudity And Satanism
Jess and Zorine go for #HumpScare round two, and defeat a tricky stealth section as well as four more unlucky innocent inhabitants of Dante Manor.
by Jess McDonell on
Did you enjoy this video?Sign In to Upvote
Jess McDonell and Zorine Te tough it out through some of the scariest games ever made.
Schedule: Sundays at 7pm PT
Host: Zorine Te Jess McDonell
"There is no real antagonist in this game because you're the antagonist."
I wish there were more games like this.
I liked it. I'd love to see the ending.
Maybe they'll make a sequel called 'Lucius, the son of Lucifer'.
the cursed forest has been praised on kotaku:
Another great episode, the bath scene is just so funny :)
so weird to get a third part on lucius... here are more flash games in the vein of the house 2:
deep sleep
the last door
LOL. That bath electrocution death had me in stitches! I think I saw her muff! :O Hehe. Can't wait for the final episode!
Oh and Lucius is going cheap on Steam right now... 75% off! ;)
This show is totally my guilty pleasure. There something very wrong about being so entertained by people getting spooked. Truck on, ladies!
I'm loving House of Horrors, especially when Jess gets spooked. Btw awesome t-shirt "Zombies are coming!!!"
the reason why you couldn't use memory thing on the mother is because there is a cross there(between the bookshelves).. and your power is weak. also the glue thing, i cheated and reloaded last map and just god the glue during the day :>
Just FYI - Lucius is 75% on Steam at the moment... a week long offer...
Dont you just love how Lucius sees a naked woman then gains the power of "combustion"....wtf is wrong with this game LMAO
After going through the tricky stealth section, the stealth ability of that little boy is even better than Sam Fisher (Splinter Cell)!! The last part of the video is hilarious.=)
Yeah murder! Fuck you don't tell me what is and what is not a biology book! Lol I would really love to see the conclusion. When you guys dropped the hairdryer in the tub. I feel like I reacted the exact same way.
Oh my goodness. What an evil boy. ^^;;;
Lucius is to House of Horrors just like Hatoful Boyfriend is to Danny's Random Encouter
Lol. Loving this. MORE LUCIUS
@sasami_adachi *covers eyes*
@ZEeduardo94 Sure is looking that way
@tempertress @ZEeduardo94 I mean it's gonna be pretty hard to outdo these videos only something like a whole musical number version of the free pizza dance you did when you played Amnesia with Seb can pull this off
@ZEeduardo94 @tempertress I get REALLY excited for free pizza


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Piste-bashing in the KTM X-Bow R
More classic anniversary TG road trips: they said it couldn't be done. A stupid idea. We went and did it anyway
Posted: 11 Oct 2013
The KTM has no ground clearance, so every ridge and crest simply lifts the nose (and front wheels) off the floor, making the X-Bow a cripplingly expensive and bizarrely overkilling sledge. The winter tyres clog pretty much instantly, and I end up steering in that light-fingered, lazy-but-constant side-to-side movement you see in late Fifties road movies.


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Skip to content. Skip to main navigation.
August 03 2011
It's no secret that health care costs in the United States are significant. Ask anyone who has been to the ER recently, or someone managing chronic health issues and taking several different prescription medications. Two recent reports discuss how much Americans can expect to spend on health care, and how that spend compares with other countries.
The first report, from The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) Office of the Actuary, found that "average annual health spending growth (5.8 percent) is anticipated to outpace average annual growth in the overall economy by 1.1 percentage points (4.7 percent). By 2020, national health spending is expected to reach $4.6 trillion and comprise 19.8 percent of GDP." Those numbers are staggering.
The second report, from The Commonwealth Fund, examined data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and found that "in 2008, health care spending in the U.S. reached $7,538 per capita – far more than in any other country studied and more than double the OECD median of $2,995."
Looking at these numbers, strides must be made in order to bend the health care cost curve. In The ABCs of Systemic Healthcare Reform, Cerner Chairman, CEO and co-founder Neal Patterson laid out a plan for driving $500 billion in annual savings out of the U.S. health care system. The plan encompasses the following points:
Which point do you think offers the greatest opportunity to impact the cost of health care in America?
Clear Range
Copyright © 2015 Cerner Corporation. All rights reserved.


text: Dallas, Texas is the place to discover young music superstars! First there was Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato, and now, KIDZ BOP is proud to present the next Dallas phenom, Grant! This 11-year-old dynamo began singing and dancing at a very young age. He even taught himself how to play piano by watching YouTube videos. In fact, his mom would say he was destined to become a performer. After he was born, and his parents brought him out of the hospital, a huge sandstorm appeared out of nowhere and then suddenly disappeared. "Maybe they should have named me the Tazmanian Devil because I'm always moving and putting on a show," Grant says laughing. Off stage, you can find this sports crazy kid playing soccer, swimming and riding his dirt bike with his brother.


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Scottish Government 'breast cancer campaign' by Leith
A new campaign by Leith on behalf of the Scottish Government highlights the signs and symptoms of breast cancer for its Detect Cancer Early drive.
The agency says that the TV ad is the first in the UK to show real pictures of women's breasts with visible signs of breast cancer. It features the actress Elaine C Smith.
The work was written by Phil Evans, art directed by Guy Vickerstaff and directed by Alex Telfer through MTP.


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Sometimes, better the devil you don't know than the one you do. In his cabinet reshuffle today, UK prime minister David Cameron ousted the man who had been his environment secretary since 2012, replacing him with relative newcomer to the field, Liz Truss, MP for South West Norfolk.
Owen Paterson's term as environment secretary was mired in controversy, involving public statements suggesting climate change could be a positive thing, and controversial policies on flood defences. Widely regarded as a climate sceptic, he slashed his department's spending on the issue. He oversaw a series of misguided badger culls conducted to stem the spread of bovine tuberculosis, commenting that "the badgers are moving the goalposts" when the culls didn't work as planned. "Almost anybody would be an improvement on Owen Paterson," was the judgement from Bob Ward of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, in London.
Truss won praise in her previous role as education minister where she fought to raise the profile of mathematics and science in schools, says Imran Khan, chief executive of the British Science Association. That could suggest she will have better understanding of climate change science than her predecessor. Having said that, some may be concerned that she worked for oil giant Shell before becoming an MP.
Top of her list of duties, according to Ward, should be working to reverse public misconceptions about climate change and preparing the nation for its impacts, particularly increased flood risk. He says that staff charged with climate change adaptation were slashed from 38 to a handful under Paterson. "Truss," he says, "will have to reverse that lack of focus."
Meanwhile, Greg Clark, MP for Tunbridge Wells, has been chosen to replace David Willetts as minister for universities and science. Clark will keep his role as minister for cities. Willetts, nicknamed "two brains" within the Conservative party for his intellectual approach, was generally liked by the science community during his time as minister, particularly for his success in shielding the science budget from government cuts.
In March 2007, Clark was one of more than 200 MPs who signed an Early Day Motion in support of homeopathy.
If you would like to reuse any content from New Scientist, either in print or online, please contact the syndication department first for permission. New Scientist does not own rights to photos, but there are a variety of licensing options available for use of articles and graphics we own the copyright to.


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The National Records of Scotland has announced that Tim Ellis has been appointed as the new Registrar General and Keeper of the Records of Scotland. The full announcement is at www.nas.gov.uk/about/121221.asp with details of his previous career in the civil service.
Pre-order my new book, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet, through Pen and Sword (30 April 2013), or purchase early at Who Do You Think You Are Live 2013 in London. For my other genealogy books, please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html; whilst for my online Scottish based genealogy courses please visit the Pharos Teaching and Tutoring Ltd site.


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Statement of Significance (as of designation - April 15, 1970):
Built c. 1725 and remodeled in 1756-58, this structure is an outstanding example of a timber-framed residence illustrating the transition from 17th century Jacobean to 18th century Georgian architectural styles. In all the southern colonies, it is the only extant house that carries a Jacobean overhang at the second story. The roof is crowned by an octogonal wood cupola, thus its name.
There are no threats indicated at this time.
There are no changes to the landmark at this time.
Comments and questions about the database may be directed to firstname.lastname@example.com


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Runner Runner
- Release Date:
- 10/4/2013
- Genre:
- Suspense/Thriller, Drama
- Runtime:
- 91 min.
- Director:
- Brad Furman
- Starring:
- Justin Timberlake, Ben Affleck, Gemma Arterton, Anthony Mackie, Oliver Cooper
Richie, a Princeton college student who pays for school with on-line gambling, bottoms out and travels to Costa Rica to confront the on-line mastermind, Ivan, whom he believes has swindled him. Ivan sees a kindred spirit in Richie and brings the younger man into his operation. When the stakes get incredibly high and dangerous, and Richie comes to fully understand the deviousness of his new boss, he tries to turn the tables on him.


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Add To Itinerary
The Akron Zoo is located on 50 acres just west of downtown Akron. When you visit theZoo you'll get nose-to-nose with more than 700 animals, including endangeredpenguins, lemurs, tigers, jaguars, Komodo dragons and much more. Marvel at the Lehner FamilyZoo Gardenswith over 7,000 plants and flowers indigenous to NortheastOhio.
Make sure you take a ride on our Conservation Carousel with33 endangered animals to ride or our new train in our new Farmland area.Opening in 2012 will be a new aquatic exhibit. For more information call (330)375-2550 or visit www.akronzoo.org
500 Edgewood Ave.
Akron, Ohio
Local Number: (330) 375-2550
Sunday: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Special Hours:
Adults: 10.00
14 & older
Children: 6.00
Seniors: 7.50
55 & older
Cash, Check, Debit Card, Discover, Mastercard, Visa, Golden Buckeye Card
Parking: 2.00
Kids can get nose-to-nose with animals at the Akron Zoo.
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Keep up-to-date with information from our custom Discover Ohio e-newsletters.


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Bucks County Children and Youth has Moved! New Address (as of May 1st):
Heritage Center, Building 500
2325 Heritage Center Drive
Furlong, PA 18925 Main - Overview - Volunteer - Be a Foster Parent - Advisory Board
The Bucks County Children and Youth Social Services Agency is responsible under Pennsylvania Public Law to receive and investigate reports of child abuse and neglect, provide for the temporary care of children not able to remain with their own families and develop community-wide social service programs that promote family stability. The Agency endeavors to be responsive to the changing health and welfare needs of all families by encouraging the development of programs that reduce dependency and strengthen family life.
Be a Foster Parent!
Office Phone Number
Ph: 215-348-6900
Intake Service
Ph: 215-348-6950
Business Hours:
Monday - Friday
8:30 am - 4:30 pm
Toll-Free resource number:
Ph: 888-942-8257
Information on Foster Parenting or Volunteering:
After Hours Non-Emergency Police Radio Number:
888-245-7210 ext. 21
24 Hour Child Abuse Reporting Hotline:
Ph: 1-800-932-0313
Bucks County Children and
Youth Social Services Agency Lynne Rainey, LSW, Director
Heritage Center, Building 500 (new address as of 05/01/14)
2325 Heritage Center Drive
Furlong, PA 18925


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Table of Contents
What are the symptoms of chigger bites?
A chigger bite itself is not noticeable. After the chigger has begun to inject digestive enzymes into the skin (usually after about 1-3 hours), symptoms typically begin.
- Pronounced itching is the most common symptom.
- The area of the bite may be reddened, flat, or raised; sometimes it resembles a pustule or blister.
- The itch is due to the presence of the stylostome and usually is most intense within 1-2 days after the bite.
- The itching persists for several days, and complete resolution of the skin lesions can take up to two weeks. Continue Reading
4/8Reviewed on 6/18/2014


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A service mark differs from a trademark in that the mark is used on the advertising of the service rather than on the packaging or delivery of the service, since there is generally no "package" to place the mark on, which is the practice for trademarks. Transportation carriers would paint their service marks on their vehicles, such as on planes or buses. Personal service providers would put their service marks on their delivery vehicles, such as on the trucks of plumbers or on moving vans. However, if the service deals with communications, it is possible to use a service mark consisting of a sound (a sound mark) in the process of delivering the service. This has been done in the case of AT&T, which uses a tone sound followed by a woman speaking the company's name to identify its long distance service, and MGM has used the sound of a lion's roar for its motion pictures.
Under U.S. law, service marks have a different standard of use in order to count as a use in commerce, which is necessary to complete registration and to stop infringement by competitors. A trademark normally needs to be used on or directly in association with the sale of goods, such as on a store display. As services are not defined by a concrete product, use of a service mark in advertisements is instead accepted as a use in commerce.


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Tuesday June 30, 2015
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Update on current board issues: June 2012
Audit committee issues
FASB parent forms private company standard council
After years of debate, the Financial Accounting Foundation (FAF), which oversees the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), is creating a Private Company Council to improve the standard-setting process for private companies.
The council will decide on exceptions or modifications to existing nongovernmental U.S. GAAP for private companies. It also will serve as the primary advisory body to the FASB on the appropriate treatment for private companies for items being considered on the FASB's technical agenda.
For more information on the council, read the FAF report.
"The plan approved by the [FAF] Trustees strikes an important balance," FAF President and CEO Teresa S. Polley said. "On one hand, the plan recognizes that the needs of public and private company financial statement users, preparers, and auditors are not always aligned. But at the same time, the plan ensures comparability of financial reporting among disparate companies by putting in place a system for recognizing differences that will avoid creation of a 'two-GAAP' system."
The council will consist of nine to twelve members. The chair will not be a FASB member. The council membership will comprise individuals with backgrounds and experience in using, preparing, and auditing private company financial statements.
The idea for a Private Company Council dates back to 2006, when the FASB created a Private Company Financial Reporting Committee with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).
For additional details about the FAF's plan, see
PwC's In brief 2012-11
Financial Accounting Foundation announces new council to improve standard setting for private companies
The Quarter Close - Directors' Edition, Q2, 2012
PwC publication focuses on effective audit committees
In a recent piece of thought leadership, PwC published a list of ten leading practices to enhance audit committee effectiveness. The practices focus on effective audit committee oversight, effective audits, and delivery of quality financial statements.
The recent
10Minutes on effective audit committees
publication breaks down the leading practices into four categories: communications between the auditors, management, and audit committees; financial reporting quality and transparency; audit quality; and continuous learning.
The PwC list of ten leading practices for audit committees includes:
Meet regularly with auditors outside of formal audit committee sessions.
Speak candidly with auditors and management. Respect the privacy of those conversations, when appropriate.
Challenge management to provide robust disclosures in plain English.
Have deep-dive sessions with management and auditors to understand complex areas of financial reporting.
Challenge management to reconsider historical policies and practices as economic environments change.
Set performance expectations for auditors. Provide them with clear feedback and discuss ways for them to improve.
Learn from the results of the auditor's internal and external regulator quality inspections.
Attend audit committee learning programs at least annually.
Benchmark the committee's working practices against those of other audit committees.
Consider the committee's performance. Self-evaluate to identify ways to continuously improve.
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