text:
Vol. 1, No. 4:
June - August 2008
(For this issue in PDF format, click here.)
Watershed Management: Putting EBM into Practice, Upstream from the Marine Environment
The EBM Toolbox: Models for Watershed EBM
Case Study: Watershed Management in the World's Most International River
Perspective: A Bird's Eye View of the Chesapeake
Notes & News: Massachusetts - Collaborative management - Ocean governance
The effectiveness of watershed management has direct bearing on the scope and scale of challenges we face with marine EBM. Freshwater ecosystems that are degraded or poorly managed contribute in turn to degradation of marine ecosystems, including in the form of altered productivity and loss of ecosystem services. Freshwater systems deliver pollutants to coastal waters, changing the nature of many coastal environments and even affecting benthic and pelagic ecosystems offshore. Loss of estuarine habitats, often the result of poor watershed management, denies marine ecosystems the nursery areas needed by many marine species.
Agencies have been working to manage river basins and watersheds for a longer period of time than they have attempted to practice EBM at sea. Watershed management is much like marine EBM in that management aims to meet multiple objectives, working across large spatial scales by coordinating the actions of many communities and sectors. Understanding how watershed EBM has evolved, therefore, can be instructive on the potential for EBM in marine settings. Market-based mechanisms to enable better watershed management, for example, are cropping up to complement government-based regional management frameworks. In this issue of MEAM, we examine some of these mechanisms, and how they promote watershed EBM.
[Editor's note: For definitions of "watershed" and "river basin", please see the box at the end of this article.]
Managing for freshwater
Inland waters provide many public goods and services that would be extremely expensive or impossible to replace - drinking water, sanitation, irrigation, energy generation, transport, and others. Contemporary global withdrawal of freshwater uses 25% of continental run-off each year. However, only 15% of the global population lives in relative water abundance, and that figure will drop as population pressures mount and water-overuse threatens renewable water sources (www.millenniumassessment.org). While water demand is increasing, pollution from industry, urban centers, and agricultural runoff is limiting the amount of water available for domestic use and food production.
Managing for freshwater means managing watersheds. In addition to the human services described above, watersheds provide many ecological functions, including as habitat for often-endemic populations of freshwater species. (A new study by the World Wildlife Fund and The Nature Conservancy indicates that parts of major rivers such as the Amazon, Congo, Ganges, and Yangtze, as well as rivers and streams of the southeastern US, are outstanding for rich fish populations and high numbers of species found nowhere else - www.feow.org.) Major trade-offs have occurred among the various sorts of ecosystem services provided by inland waters, leading to substantial adverse changes in a) habitats and species and b) services, such as freshwater and food supply. Such trade-offs occur because utilizing freshwater systems for energy generation, or engineering river fragmentation (i.e., modification of a river through dams, reservoirs, interbasin transfers, and irrigation), can diminish the ability of these ecosystems to support biodiversity.
Anticipating and deciding among these trade-offs is a key element of watershed management. In the WWF/TNC study described above, 55 out of a total of 426 freshwater ecoregions worldwide were considered to be under "high stress" due to a combination of agriculture, industry, domestic water use and livestock - threatening the species and habitats these ecosystems support. This represents more than 10 percent of the world's freshwater ecoregions.
Regional cooperation to address issues of water use and allocation - as well as threats to freshwater systems originating from pollution, over-fishing, and changes in riparian landscapes - is key to managing river systems and watersheds effectively. Dann Sklarew, chief technical advisor to the International Waters Learning Exchange and Resource Network (IW:LEARN), a GEF-funded project, says management must create a sense of community and shared purpose across a watershed ecosystem. "However, political, ethnic and economic competition over resources may involve millions or even hundreds of millions of people," says Sklarew. "The influence of external actors is not entirely under the jurisdictional control of riparian governments."
There are many examples of watershed/waterbasin management frameworks and institutions in existence around the world, including the Mekong River Commission (Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia - www.mrcmekong.org), the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (14 countries - www.icpdr.org ), and the drought-parched Murray/Darling Basin in Australia (involving the states of South Australia and New South Wales). However, this sort of large-scale, top-down, command-and-control form of management has its limitations without effective local involvement at much smaller scales.
Market-based mechanisms can buttress government-led management efforts and act to forge a sense of community across regions. Al Appleton, former commissioner of New York City's Department of Environmental Protection and now an international consultant on water issues, describes a project undertaken to safeguard the city's drinking water supply. New York City made an investment of US $300,000 to facilitate sustainable farming practices in the New York City watershed, enlisting the help and entrepreneurial spirit of farmers in the Catskill Mountains to implement voluntary measures to preserve water quality. These measures included establishing riparian/stream buffers on private lands, reducing fertilizer/pesticide use, and conserving wetlands that naturally filter water flowing through them. To encourage the farmers' implementation of such measures, the City offered financial incentives.
This strategy is an example of a Payment for Ecosystem Services arrangement, or PES. In the context of watershed management, PES occurs when beneficiaries of ecosystem services downstream pay fair compensation (in cash or in kind) to upstream parties who protect the ecosystems that provide such services. "New York City's PES initiative really paid off," says Appleton. "It saved the City tens of billions of dollars in water treatment costs, and it rewarded farmers financially, allowing them to maintain their traditional, small-scale farming livelihoods." The program is described in more detail in a 2002 paper by Appleton at www.forest-trends.org/documents/meetings/tokyo_2002/NYC_H2O_Ecosystem_Services.pdf.
Establishing PES markets and other incentive mechanisms can facilitate engagement at all scales, ensuring that smaller streams are conserved as well as major river systems. The May 2008 issue of Basins & Coasts, a USAID-funded publication, focused on aquatic PES around the world (www.imcafs.org/coastsheds/index.php). Among its findings:
PES programs have been applied for integration of environmental conservation, poverty reduction, good governance, and enterprise development;
PES schemes designed around a package of services are more likely to attract providers of services;
Watershed level PES schemes are most successful if implemented at small scales where hydrological connections and quantifiable benefits are clear;
Without adequate support from local communities, in terms of service users and service providers, PES schemes will likely fail;
Watershed monitoring programs must be put in place to compare environmental and socio-economic performances before and after PES schemes are put into place;
The most common impediment to PES schemes is a lack of clear understanding between land and water management and the desired environmental outcomes; and
Successful programs commoditize services clearly so that service buyers are able to appreciate what they are getting for their investments.
Business interests and communities are waking up to the fact that better watershed management can mean increased ecosystem services - free and vitally important services - and reduced costs of doing business. In such PES schemes, investing in monitoring, verification, and adaptive management is critical to determining if EBM or watershed management is effective; to improving outcomes; and to raising the comfort level of the business community for investing in PES markets.
Elements of watershed management success
The public expects government to safeguard water resources. Take for instance the February 19, 2008, Declaration of Water of the National Constitutional Assembly of Ecuador:
"The State should guarantee the preservation, conservation, protection, restoration, sustainable use and integrated management of watersheds, including necessary quality and quantity of ecological flows to sustain the integrity of all ecosystems associated with the hydrologic cycle, in order to safeguard the satisfaction of individual and collective human needs in function with societal health, including respecting the rights of nature and preserving biological diversity."
"The State should guarantee the preservation, conservation, protection, restoration, sustainable use and integrated management of watersheds, including necessary quality and quantity of ecological flows to sustain the integrity of all ecosystems associated with the hydrologic cycle, in order to safeguard the satisfaction of individual and collective human needs in function with societal health, including respecting the rights of nature and preserving biological diversity."
But government agencies will also have to learn to improve their evaluation of how well such cooperative management agreements are working, and be ready to respond in an adaptive manner. Government agencies often believe they are doing a better job at ecosystem management than they are perceived to be doing by stakeholders or the public at large. (See, for example, the paper "Surveying Diverse Stakeholder Groups", published in 2002 in the journal Society & Natural Resources. The abstract is available at www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a713848024~db=all~order=page.) Cultural barriers to EBM within agencies, including resistance to change, innovation, experimentation and risk, may be common, as a recent paper evaluating the US Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service attests (the abstract is available online at www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2007.00860.x).
Regional cooperation is not solely the purview of national governments and high-level agencies. The engagement of all segments of society across watersheds can be crucial. This is exemplified by a model described in the 13 March 2008 issue of Nature, which shows that small stream systems are important in "absorbing" pollutants and thus preventing the downstream eutrophication of coastal seas. (In this way, stream habitats may be as important as riparian buffers in mitigating the effects of run-off and preventing polluted freshwater from reaching coasts.) The study goes on to show that an entire stream network, not just individual streams, is important in removing pollution (see the abstract at www.nature.com/nature/journal/v452/n7184/abs/nature06686.html.)
Building wide participation and stakeholder involvement is easier said than done. The large and sometimes unwieldy bureaucracies in river basin-scale management can sometimes be too inflexible to reach out to stakeholders and involve them in meaningful ways. To facilitate expansion of stakeholder involvement, IW:LEARN offers training programs for increasing participation, and is developing a handbook on the subject. The handbook (currently in advanced-draft form and available at www.iwlearn.net/abt_iwlearn/events/p2) guides managers through a wide array of information: on the benefits of public participation in water management; on challenges to such participation; on choosing the best representatives of stakeholder groups; on strategic communications; and many other aspects. The draft handbook states:
"Think of stakeholder involvement not as something to be performed separately from other project components (to raise awareness, strengthen capacity, or obtain feedback from certain stakeholders) but as an integral element of all project components and activities. Of course, this will not always be possible (or appropriate), but it is useful to think carefully about when and how stakeholder involvement could benefit project process, outcomes, and sustainability by being more thoroughly integrated into project planning and execution."
"Think of stakeholder involvement not as something to be performed separately from other project components (to raise awareness, strengthen capacity, or obtain feedback from certain stakeholders) but as an integral element of all project components and activities. Of course, this will not always be possible (or appropriate), but it is useful to think carefully about when and how stakeholder involvement could benefit project process, outcomes, and sustainability by being more thoroughly integrated into project planning and execution."
Setting relatively narrow goals that are well-understood by the public can be particularly useful. In the Murray-Darling Basin of Australia, the goal of the basin commission is first and foremost maximizing water availability and ensuring equitable access to it. Located in the south-east of Australia, the Murray-Darling Basin covers more than 1 million km2, yet only 5% of rainfall there ends up in rivers. Wendy Craik is chief executive of the Murray-Darling Basin Commission (MDBC), which manages the basin and provides advice to a policy-making Ministerial Council. The commission has been generally viewed as a success, says Craik, despite recent years of extreme drought that has tried the ability of watershed management to meet its objectives. Part of this perceived success rests with the fact that MDBC programs are subjected to annual independent audits, which are reported to the Ministerial Council each year and made public.
"In our case, the greatest challenge to effective watershed management has been that the system under which we operate (entitlements, storage, allocations, etc.) was largely developed during a relatively wet period (1960s-1990s) and we now are in a very dry period," says Craik. "We need to modify our system to take into account climate change factors." Work through the MDBC is underway to do this. It is politically sensitive, however: irrigators will lose entitlements and allocations as a result of (a) lower water availability and (b) increased allotment of water for environmental purposes. Farmers are being encouraged to replace water-hungry crops like cotton and rice with other crops.
"This challenge is being met in a number of ways," says Craik. "First we, at MDBC, have developed a highly detailed yet flexible strategy, called 'Risks to Shared Water Resources' (www.mdbc.gov.au/nrm/risks_to_shared_water_resources_previous). On top of that, negotiations have been underway to turn the interjurisdictional MDBC into a Commonwealth authority." At present, MDBC is in an institutional limbo: it is neither a proper national authority nor single-state authority. Operating under a single jurisdiction, says Craik, would allow the MDBC to make hard decisions alone if necessary.
She cites progress in other areas. "The MDBC has recovered a large proportion of water toward its targets for six 'environmental icon' sites along the Murray," she says. "It has also constructed new fishways to ensure uninterrupted passage from the mouth to Hume Dam (2000 km away)." In addition, the commission has begun a AU $300-milion program of construction to improve infrastructure for water management and delivery.
Craik and the MDBC recognize the importance of broad participation, both in meeting goals and in building awareness of program effectiveness. Craik emphasizes the importance of the Murray-Darling Initiative's Community Advisory Committee, a multistakeholder group that advises the Ministerial Council from a community viewpoint. She notes, however, that the States see working with the constituents as primarily their role, not the MDBC's.
Finally, establishing frameworks for cooperation and management do not guarantee success. The litmus test for success is whether such frameworks are leading to demonstrable positive outcomes on the ground. Compromises between targeting entire river basins, and working at a scale where communication and cooperation is easier, will have to be made. Governance arrangements, and the right mix of government-led regulatory policy, community-driven management, and development of markets, will have to be tailored for the socio-political circumstances of each particular watershed. As stated by Al Appleton, "Frameworks and incentive structures, if done right, are ways to avoid failure - but they do not guarantee success. To put it another way, good strategy is never improvised, but good tactics always are."
Summary of lessons learned
Regional frameworks for cooperation are needed, particularly in international river basins. These frameworks must be matched by actual management on the ground, at smaller watershed scales in which the benefits of EBM are clearly recognized by upstream and downstream users.
Clearly articulated goals should influence the scope and type of management required; strategies to achieve goals should dictate institutional structure, not vice versa.
Creating a sense of community throughout the watershed is an important, though difficult, challenge. Governance operating at all scales and in synergy can facilitate meaningful involvement of communities, industry, and individuals.
Market-based measures and incentive mechanisms, such as PES markets, can help create this sense of community and provide badly needed funds for sustainable water and land use.
Agencies that are open to criticism and that actively seek evaluation and respond to criticisms are not only more likely to succeed in management, but are also more likely to be perceived as successful.
For more information
Al Appleton, New York City, NY, US. E-mail: email@example.com
Wendy Craik, Murray-Darling Basin Commission, Canberra, Australia. E-mail: email@example.com
Dann Sklarew, IW:LEARN, Washington, DC, US. E-mail: email@example.com
BOX: Watersheds and river basins
In this issue of MEAM, the terms watershed, river basin, and drainage basin are used interchangeably. The terms refer to an area of land where water from rain or snow drains downhill to a body of water. This geographic area includes both the streams and rivers that convey the water as well as the land surface from which water drains to those channels.
Watersheds can be small or large: technically, each stream has its own upland watershed. By extension, the watershed for a large river consists of the watersheds for all its feeder streams. Note: outside of North America, the term watershed often refers to the divide that separates one drainage basin from another.
Like marine EBM, the management of watersheds consists of spatially bounded, regional initiatives. In general, watershed management oversees the land, vegetation and water resources of a drainage basin in accordance with predetermined objectives, such as conservation and sustainable development. Again, like marine EBM, it is often conceptualized as a holistic, integrated way of managing resources.
Editor's note: The goal of The EBM Toolbox is to promote awareness of software tools for facilitating EBM processes, and to provide advice on using those tools effectively. It is brought to you by the EBM Tools Network (www.ebmtools.org), a voluntary alliance of leading tool users, developers, and training providers.
Editor's note: The goal of The EBM Toolbox is to promote awareness of software tools for facilitating EBM processes, and to provide advice on using those tools effectively. It is brought to you by the EBM Tools Network (www.ebmtools.org), a voluntary alliance of leading tool users, developers, and training providers.
By Sarah Carr
Many pollutants to the marine environment, particularly excess nutrients and sediments, come from terrestrial sources. Effective watershed management is therefore critical to marine EBM, and watershed models are an essential part of the EBM toolkit. Watershed models use factors such as rainfall, land cover, soil type, impervious surface coverage, and slope to predict runoff from watersheds into bodies of water. When coupled with marine ecosystem models, watershed models can help predict how changes in land use (such as urban growth and conversion of agricultural lands) and pollution management (such as improved sewage treatment and fertilizer application) will affect marine ecosystems.
Tools that help predict these types of impacts range from relatively simple to quite complex. A few examples of available watershed models include:
Impervious Surface Analysis Tool (ISAT) - Estimates the percentage of impervious surface and, from this, water quality in a user-defined area (www.csc.noaa.gov/crs/cwq/isat.html).
Nonpoint Source Pollution and Erosion Comparison Tool (N-SPECT) - Estimates runoff, pollutant, and sediment loads from a user-defined area and can compare pollutant concentrations in receiving waters to water quality standards (www.csc.noaa.gov/crs/cwq/nspect.html).
Chesapeake Bay Watershed Model (a customized regional model based on the general Hydrologic Simulation Program Fortran [HSPF] watershed model) - Estimates runoff, pollutant, and sediment loads to the Bay through comprehensive simulations of relevant hydrologic and nutrient cycles (www.chesapeakebay.net/modeling.aspx). It is linked to an estuary model for the Bay. Together, these models have been used to set limits on nutrient input into the Bay, track nutrient loads, and determine how further reductions in nutrient and sediment loads would affect Bay water quality.
Resources for learning about other useful watershed models are:
"Using GIS Tools to Link Land Use Decisions to Water Resource Protection" - a brief by the National Association of Counties at www.naco.org.
EPA's Watershed and Water Quality Modeling Technical Support Center, at www.epa.gov/athens/wwqtsc/html/watershed_models.html.
(Sarah Carr is coordinator for the EBM Tools Network. Learn more about EBM tools and the EBM Tools Network at www.ebmtools.org. Sign up for Network updates and contact Sarah at www.ebmtools.org/contact.html.)
Case Study: WATERSHED MANAGEMENT IN THE WORLD'S MOST INTERNATIONAL RIVER
The Danube River Basin covers parts of 19 countries in Europe, making it the world's most international river basin. In size it is also noteworthy: with a total area of 801,463 km2, it is Europe's second largest river basin. The ecosystems of the Danube River Basin - and, by extension, the Black Sea, into which the Danube drains - are highly valuable in environmental, economic, historical and social terms. But they are also subject to increasing pressure and significant pollution from agriculture, industry and cities. Managing such a large region while meeting the needs of the 81 million people who reside there is an enormous challenge. (For a map of the Danube River Basin, go to http://depts.washington.edu/meam/danubemap.jpg.)
Recognizing the great importance of the freshwater ecosystem to the inhabitants of the basin and their national economies, the riparian countries of the Danube Basin agreed to manage the watershed cooperatively. The International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR - www.icpdr.org) was established in 1998 to implement the Danube River Protection Convention. The goals of the Convention are:
Safeguarding the Danube's water resources for future generations;
Maintaining naturally balanced waters free from excess nutrients;
Reducing risk from toxic chemicals;
Restoring river systems to health and use them sustainably; and
Allowing damage-free floods.
There are significant water management issues in the Danube Basin District that persist to this day. For surface waters, the major issues are pollution (from organic substances, nutrients, and hazardous materials) and alterations to the basin's hydromorphology - i.e., the shape, boundaries, and content of its rivers and other surface water bodies. In addition, there are transboundary groundwater issues relating to alterations in quality and quantity.
Philip Weller, executive secretary of the ICPDR, says the greatest challenge the Commission has faced is establishing effective mechanisms for cooperation. "Key elements are now in place: a legal framework for cooperation, a functioning Commission, and political commitment from all the countries," he says. "These efforts have been strengthened by the adoption in December 2000 of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) of the European Union (http://ec.europa.eu/environment/water/water-framework/index_en.html). The WFD requires all EU surface inland, transitional and coastal waters, and groundwaters to reach 'good status' or 'good ecological potential' by 2015. This is achieved by meeting demanding environmental objectives, especially ecological and chemical targets."
In response, the countries cooperating under the Danube River Protection Convention, including those outside the EU, agreed to implement the WFD throughout the entire Danube River Basin district. The WFD has required the completion of a Danube River Basin Management Plan (DRBMP) and its Joint Programme of Measures by 2009 (see www.icpdr.org).
A new document by the ICPDR, "Significant Water Management Issues in the Danube River Basin District", guides the Commission and Danube countries in preparing the full management plan. It highlights management issues for surface waters and transboundary groundwater, and applies to each issue an accompanying vision and management objectives, to be achieved by 2015.
Other issues, such as changes in water quantity (e.g., floods and droughts), climate change and sediment transport, are also being investigated. Another important goal for the DRBMP is to inter-link flood management and flood protection with the measures to achieve the WFD objectives.
Weller says cooperative management at all levels will be necessary for these efforts to work. "While effective watershed management requires that the overall framework involve the governments of the countries with territory in that basin, there has to be a way to ensure that at other levels the actions are taken that really make a difference," he says. "In our case, the senior governmental officials are responsible to the convention but they have ways of involving local communities and officials of municipalities, etc."
ICPDR recognizes that the private sector needs to be involved, too. Changes in corporate practice are essential to achieve progress in meeting the obligations and activities under the Danube River Protection Convention. The Commission has put forward "Guidelines for Cooperation with Business" to drive its interaction with the private sector. These interactions include creating positive actions at the local level (such as joint actions on public events and river clean-up campaigns) and harnessing the marketing strengths of the business sector to further river basin-wide management goals. For example, ICPDR has worked with Coca-Cola to promote public awareness through "Danube Day Celebrations" and support conservation projects in countries in which The Coca-Cola Company and Coca Cola Hellenic Bottling Company have substantial operations and business presence. Similarly, Alcoa, the world's leading producer of primary and fabricated aluminum, provides substantial support for pollution monitoring work in transboundary areas under the new Business Friends of the Danube Program, just launched by ICPDR.
The most substantial progress on the ground occurs at smaller scales, such as in the ICPDR's sub-program in the Tisza watershed, the largest tributary to the Danube. The Tisza River drains an area of 157,186 km2 in five countries (Slovakia, Ukraine, Hungary, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro). These countries agreed on a system of close transboundary co-operation, aiming to achieve integrated management of the Tisza River Basin. The Tisza deserves mention in a discussion of watershed management because of interesting local-level market-based initiatives taking place there.
International consultant Al Appleton has played an advisory role in the Tisza program. "The key to its success is channeling local self-interest into a mutual problem-solving mode, and being goal-oriented," says Appleton. "This gives you another asset: you don't have to create local leadership. Instead, local leaders who see opportunity come out of the woodwork to explore working with you." He says that while other river management programs are often hobbled by planning that doesn't translate to effective management on the ground, Tisza has been different. "[The Tisza program] has tapped into local energy and creativity," he says.
In a region as large as the Danube watershed, there must be overarching visions and goals, but those general goals have to be supported by specific actions and activities at national and local levels. Weller says the ICPDR is operating at all levels, but feels it is best for the ICPDR to avoid dictating specific projects on the ground. "We have achieved a great deal under our circumstances by providing leadership and support for change," he says. "We have not dictated actions but demonstrated the need for specific actions and left it to the countries to ensure that those actions happen. The legal requirements of the EU Water Framework Directive have helped force action, and provided funding, in those countries that are part of the EU."
Philip Weller, ICPDR, Vienna, Austria. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Editor's note: The link between watershed management and marine EBM is no better exemplified than in the case of Chesapeake Bay, on the east coast of the US. Significant efforts to improve the health of the Chesapeake over several decades have focused largely on reducing upstream pollution. So far, however, those efforts have been unsuccessful in returning the bay to good health (see box at the end of the following essay).
This essay by Al Appleton examines the challenges of watershed management and how efforts to restore Chesapeake Bay could be improved. Appleton is an independent environmental consultant who has advised on water management worldwide, including in the US, Hungary, the Dominican Republic, Shanghai, and the Northern Andes.
Editor's note: The link between watershed management and marine EBM is no better exemplified than in the case of Chesapeake Bay, on the east coast of the US. Significant efforts to improve the health of the Chesapeake over several decades have focused largely on reducing upstream pollution. So far, however, those efforts have been unsuccessful in returning the bay to good health (see box at the end of the following essay).
This essay by Al Appleton examines the challenges of watershed management and how efforts to restore Chesapeake Bay could be improved. Appleton is an independent environmental consultant who has advised on water management worldwide, including in the US, Hungary, the Dominican Republic, Shanghai, and the Northern Andes.
Perspective: A BIRD'S EYE VIEW OF THE CHESAPEAKE
By Al Appleton
Seen from afar, the quest to clean up Chesapeake Bay seems a bit tattered about the edges. After four decades of highly publicized, highly praised effort, and of meaningful accomplishment in many measures of water quality, the music emanating around Chesapeake sings not of triumph but of frustration. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation, for instance, has consistently given the Bay's recovery failing grades for lack of progress on habitat restoration, improvements in fisheries, and mitigation of the nutrient overloading problem.
Why is the Bay stuck - and in some instances even getting worse? After 40 years don't we, and shouldn't we, know everything we need to know about Chesapeake? Shouldn't we understand by this time exactly what we want to do? And if we say the problem is money, why don't we have it? If we do know what to do, then nothing should be easier to get than funding to do it, for when success is certain, the political system will make a stampede to the podium. Moreover, Chesapeake advocates take great and justifiable pride in the demonstrated willingness of Chesapeake area citizens to support the cleanup of the Bay.
A successful strategy has the following components: a clear goal, an equally clear statement of what must be done to achieve it, a straightforward statement of how you are going to do that, and an appealing picture of all the good things that will happen when you do so.
When the Chesapeake effort began, it created crackling excitement with a vision of America's greatest estuary restored...of an abundance of beautiful swimmers...of vast flats of wetland grasses swaying with the tides...of skies full of waterfowl...of an Eastern shore mellow with historic communities, revitalized by carefully scaled new development, and spurred by restored nature and natural beauty...of a watershed of 16 million people sharing a new environmental ethic of harmony with the Bay.
Some parts of that vision have come true. The public loves Chesapeake and has made it the backdrop for an enormous boom in gracious outdoor living, one reveling in scenic splendor and outdoor recreation. The achievements of Chesapeake have been sufficient to spur an enormous transformation in the way humans use the Chesapeake coastal zone, both on the water in terms of boating-oriented recreation, and off, in terms of crisp new housing developments and community centers that happily try, not always successfully, to honor the Bay's historic traditions.
But that transformation has not led to the unified watershed ethic originally dreamed of. Instead, if anything, it has not only created new stresses on resources like wetlands and stream corridors, but has also heightened tensions with upstream agricultural users. It should not be forgotten that the Pennsylvania farm landscape is also an equally beloved landscape, and an equally historic one - even if the usage of nitrogen fertilizers it currently depends on for its economic viability is far removed from the traditional agricultural and community ethics upon which its fame rests. But then again, the Chesapeake of second homes and leisure living is also far removed from the world of watermen that gives Chesapeake much of its mythic quality.
There is another way that Chesapeake has failed to achieve the original vision of a unified watershed ethic. Bay cleanup and watershed management is now an organizational and institutional lattice of initiatives and relationships, of regulations and market methods each responding to its own imperatives, each elbowing for space and priority.
Where all this has led in 2008 is an environmental agenda that has become largely focused on nutrient control. Where one once read in the Chesapeake literature about what were essentially ecosystem goals, now one increasingly reads about nutrients, about how loading reductions have not been matched by water quality improvements, about the next scheme to nudge nutrient loadings down further, about how many pounds of loading the target is. This is as if in a 64,000 square mile watershed, one could specify the poundage of one of the most dynamic chemical components of life with the precision of a master carpenter. In 2002, an unusually wet year, nutrient runoff into the Bay tripled, a result that essentially knocks into a cocked hat all the attempts to define nutrient loadings by an annual discharge or even average figure, and suggests that there needs to be a lot more ecologically dynamic understanding of these loadings and how to address them.
From a public policy manager's point of view, restoring Chesapeake now means reconciling five worlds: the new coastal zone exurban world (prosperous rural communities that serve as commuter towns to urban areas); the remnants of the old Bay user world; the long time urban centers world; the upstream agriculture world; and the regulatory, institutional civic world.
Is it this multiplicity of world views that makes finding a nutrient solution so hard? On paper, nothing could be easier than solving the nutrient problem: just say no. But the problem is that current nutrient uses are intrinsic to several of those worlds, while the tools of the Clean Water institutional world have so far shown themselves to be unable to manage such a task. Moreover, the equities between these various worlds are complicated - much more complicated than the mutual "good guy vs. villain" discussions of normal political discourse. And even though this is clearly recognized by the insiders, that recognition has yet to translate into a real attempt to sort out differences and create a new story about the Bay and its watershed, one that all five worlds can live with.
So the essential question for watershed management is, how would one build those bridges between these worlds? However important reducing nutrients is, it is essentially reductionist, in that it is addressing only one element of intertwined social, ecological and economic systems. In an era of sustainability, we know enough to wonder about such an approach. We also know enough by now to realize that nutrient removal as a concept has little ability in itself to excite or energize the public.
Return to an ecosystem approach
So three things suggest themselves to a Chesapeake outsider like myself. First, one needs to go back to an ecosystem approach to agenda setting, but an ecosystem approach that looks not only at the Bay but at the entire watershed. Making agriculture more sustainable has huge ecological values, not just from a pollution perspective but also from a landscape and biodiversity one, as well as preserving agricultural communities. Worldwide the experience is the same: long-term, the more the tools of industrial agriculture are used, the more agricultural community and landscapes are undermined.
Second, the promise of sustainability - that doing right for the environment will do right for the economy and vice versa - needs to be more aggressively explored and made front and center. Getting the landscape and watershed economics right offers an enormous fund of wealth. This can be organized to provide the hard cash that implementing an ecosystem strategy for the entire watershed would need. These funds could be collected in ways that address some of the underlying ambiguities of the Chesapeake - such as upstream investment which, despite its benefits for local waters as well, is generating an enormous amount of wealth for downstream users. This wealth should rightfully be shared.
Finally, it is idle to pretend that institutional structures do not matter. After 40 years and all the justified pride in the innovations to environmental management the Chesapeake effort has created, it would nevertheless seem to be time to ask whether the tools are still right for the problems. It is often a fatal flaw of American public management to design the process first and then seek to fit the problem into its framework. Instead, strategy should decide what needs to be done and what tools are needed to do it, shaping the institution to the task.
It is an old saying that if you will an end, you must will the means. Even if nutrient reduction is the right focus, could it be said about Chesapeake that for such an end we have willed the means? And if the goal is the restoration of Chesapeake ecosystems and watersheds in all their splendor, what would we conclude if we asked the same question?
Al Appleton, New York City, NY, US. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
BOX: Background on Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay: The largest estuary in the US.
Chesapeake Bay watershed: Includes parts of six states - Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia - as well as the District of Columbia.
Population of watershed: More than 16 million people.
Greatest challenge: Nutrient pollution, which fuels algae blooms and eutrophication in the Bay; the primary source is agricultural fertilizers and waste.
Other stressors: Chemical contaminants, habitat loss, erosion, and overharvesting of the Bay's fisheries resources, most notably oysters, blue crabs, shad, and menhaden.
Chesapeake Bay Program: Formed in the 1970s, a regional partnership of federal and state authorities and citizens' groups. Goals include to improve water quality, restore habitat, and manage fisheries.
Current condition: Despite decades of work to protect and restore the Bay, its health remains poor: runoff continues to be a problem, dead zones are expanding in some areas, and fisheries have not recovered.
Chesapeake Bay Program
Maps of the Chesapeake Bay watershed
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Chesapeake Program, US Environmental Protection Agency
Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay Commission
Chesapeake Research Consortium
Massachusetts passes ocean law
In May 2008, the US state of Massachusetts passed a law that lays the groundwork for a comprehensive plan to manage the state's coastal waters. Intended to balance natural resource preservation with traditional and new uses, the law is the US's first state-level management legislation covering all marine areas under state jurisdiction. The new law requires that the state draft a management plan for its waters by the end of 2009. Although the law does not specifically call for ecosystem-based management, it requires the state to "value biodiversity and ecosystem health" and "respect the interdependence of ecosystems" in its planning. The Massachusetts Oceans Act of 2008 is available online at www.mass.gov/legis/laws/seslaw08/sl080114.htm.
Book describes collaborative coastal management in Tanzania
A new book published by IUCN, the Government of Tanzania, and Irish Aid offers lessons learned from a 12-year effort to apply coastal resource management in the Tanga region of northern Tanzania. The book describes the ongoing Tanga Coastal Zone Conservation and Development Programme (TCZCDP), and places particular emphasis on the use of adaptive management techniques. TCZCDP aims to improve the ecological integrity of the region's coastal zone while also providing for sustainable development of coastal populations. The 176-page book Putting Adaptive Management into Practice: Collaborative Coastal Management in Tanga, Northern Tanzania is available in hard copy from the IUCN Eastern Africa Regional Office at email@example.com.
Essays on ocean governance
A new book by the Regional Programme on Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) provides 25 essays on global and regional ocean governance. The 770-page book Securing the Oceans costs US $56, and is available at www.pemsea.org/about-pemsea/pemsea-news/securing-the-oceans-essays-on-ocean-governance-published-jointly-by-pemsea-and-nippon-foundation.
In our next issue: Ocean zoning
The next issue of MEAM will look at marine spatial planning, with a particular focus on ocean zoning. We'll examine how the concept of zoning overlaps with that of marine EBM, as well as how they differ from each other.
Do you have examples of ocean zoning in practice, including successes or failures? If so, please let us know about them at firstname.lastname@example.com. Thank you - we look forward to hearing from you.
Editor: Tundi Agardy, Ph.D.
Project Supervisor: John B. Davis
Chair - David Fluharty, University of Washington
Sarah Carr, EBM Tools
Kevern Cochrane, UN Food and Agriculture Organization
Jon Day, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
Mark Erdmann, Conservation International
Ben Halpern, National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis
Jane Lubchenco, Oregon State University
Jake Rice, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Canada
Kristin Sherwood, David and Lucile Packard Foundation
Kevin Stokes, New Zealand Seafood Industry Council
School of Marine Affairs
University of Washington
3707 Brooklyn Ave. N.E.
Seattle, WA 98105, U.S.
Tel: +1 206 685 1582
Fax: +1 206 543 1417
Marine Ecosystems and Management is published quarterly by Marine Affairs Research and Education (MARE), a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, in association with the School of Marine Affairs, University of Washington.
Financial support is provided in part by a grant from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.
All content has been written by the MEAM editorial staff unless otherwise attributed. The views expressed herein are those of the author(s) and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.
Subscriptions to MEAM are free. To subscribe, send an e-mail to firstname.lastname@example.com. Type "subscribe" on the subject line and include your name, mailing address and daytime phone in the text of the message. Please note whether you would like your subscription to be delivered electronically. or in paper form.


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Editor's note: Journal Junction offers the public a forum to applaud successes, discuss issues, point out problems and review the events of the day in a constructive manner. Journal Junction comments should be limited to two to four sentences. Longer comments should be submitted as "Letters to the Editor," which is a separate forum. The Journal's classified ads section offers help to those with lost or found items. This is a sampling of comments received today. All others, subject to editing, are published in the online Journal Junction at www.journal-news.net under opinions.
From Hedgesville:
I do not like the Spring Mills Walmart. I like the Walmart in Martinsburg because you can go and find things you need in there, while some things in Spring Mills I can't find. Also, their policy is much better in Martinsburg. I don't want to see it go out but I've been hearing it's going to.
From Martinsburg:
The greatness of this country is based on being able to live in whichever state you desire. If you don't like North Carolina's laws, move to a state that is more closely aligned to your lifestyle.
From Hedgesville:
For the Tuscawilla Hills caller who wanted examples: Well let's first of all start with Capernicus who was excommunicated by the church for his beliefs that the sun was the center of the universe. Let's move on to Darwin and his theory of evolution, which kind of puts the kibosh on the fact there was some type of Adam or Eve or first parents. After that let's move on to the big bang theory, which kind of puts the kibosh on the idea that the world was created in seven or eight days or seven days by some god.
From Bunker Hill:
I was always taught to remove my hat when entering a building by my dad and grandfathers. When I was in the Army, one's hat came off at the door, or pushups were in order. One also removes their hat in a parade when the flag goes by, or at least they're supposed to. In a parade recently, a young boy told a gentleman, "Mr, you're supposed to take off our hat, that's the flag." Perhaps there is still hope.
From Martinsburg:
Call me a skeptic, but I find it hard to believe news reports that say Americans spent an average of $152 on Mother's Day this year. $152 in this economy? That's ridiculous. Maybe in New York or California, but certainly not in hard-pressed West Virginia. ... I mean after all, Denny's biscuit, gravy and egg only costs $2, and you can throw in some flowers from Walmart and a couple pouches of Red Man Chewing Tobacco for less than $20.
From Middleway:
What does it take to get a stoplight at the intersection of W.Va. 51 and Leetown Road in Middleway? I have watched the traffic increase over the years and seen too many accidents! A stoplight will help with drivers stealing the right of way and with the traffic at Harding's garage obstructing the view. I worry one of my family members will be in the next accident. Please help! Where do we begin?
From Inwood:
I think the state road department should pat itself on the back for doing such a pathetic job on Inwood East subdivision.
From Shepherdstown:
In response to the caller from Martinsburg who says most of the country supports gay marriage: Where on earth did you ever get that idea? Most of the country does NOT support gay marriage. The stats say so. You should really look up the facts before you make a blanket statement.
From Martinsburg:
I want to encourage all my brothers and sisters out there to never back down on what you believe. Homosexuality is a sin that the Bible clearly shows, and I don't care how many ways people spin it. ... Another thing to think of is that we should not treat someone badly if they are homosexual because all sins are equal in God's eyes. Therefore, everyone deserves to be shown love and respect. Our country is in this condition because it continues to forget God, and it is only going to get worse.
From Martinsburg:
In regard to the police officer who issued a citation at the auction on Saturday to a handicapped man who was loading a chair he had purchased: He said we were blocking his street. He definitely needs anger management classes. I was totally ashamed of our police department.
From Martinsburg:
To the Hedgesville caller: No, Barack Obama isn't doing what is right. When God sees the evil doers were talking or taking to the same sex, he made them talk a different language so they could not understand each other.
From Martinsburg:
Every time I hear Mitt Romney talk about marriage being between one man and one woman I break down in laughter. His religion is made from marriage of one man and many women. What is he talking about?
From Martinsburg:
After witnessing the deplorable actions of Martinsburg's finest on Saturday at the Illinois Avenue estate sale I feel all city officers should be made to watch episodes of the Andy Griffith show. Just be nice.
From Hedgesville:
We need to give Barack Obama another eight years to get this country straight. We need to build a 30-foot statue of Barack Obama in the middle of Hedgesville and see if we can't get him to retire here in another five years after he's been president. The only way Mitt Romney will make president is if Barack Obama drops out. So, you Republicans keep crying and hoping.
From Charles Town:
Has anyone else noticed the Old Opera House no longer lists its board of directors in its programs? I think people have the right to know who is on its board. It looks as if it is trying to hide something.
From Martinsburg:
The auction disturbance at the 400 block of South Illinois Avenue involving a city police officer was completely uncalled for and very unprofessional. People trying to enjoy a nice afternoon turned into a disaster. There was total disrespect and many rude comments, actions and citations issued by this police officer. He seemed to have no respect for the elderly, disabled and those who just wanted to partake in an auction. This unprofessional behavior affected everyone involved, and an apology to Mr. and Mrs. Plumlee should be given.
From Berkeley County:
I attended an auction in Martinsburg on Saturday that was conducted by Mr. Plumlee. Several attendees had purchased heavy furniture then pulled their trucks up to the curb to load. A very disrespectful officer showed up to ruin a perfect, well-run auction. No handicapped parking was available, so loading and unloading for the elderly was quite difficult. Handicapped persons cannot walk two city blocks with furniture or heavy boxes. An officer could have directed traffic around the block instead of interrupting an auction and making a scene.
From Hedgesville:
Romney says that holding down a gay kid and cutting his hair was just a "prank"? No Mitt, that's called gay bashing.
From Berkeley Springs:
In a recent speech, Romney referred to the Bush/Cheney era as "before the recession." The recession began in late 2007, more than a year before President Obama's inauguration. The economy crashed in September 2008, four months before Obama took office. Someone who claims an expertise in economic policy probably ought to know that.
From Martinsburg:
I felt the coverage of the Musselman vs. Martinsburg sectional championship game was completely biased. The Martinsburg Bulldogs played a solid game and were led by their pitcher, who performed wonderfully. They were bested by a Musselman team that played outstanding defense throughout the game and were led by a sophomore pitcher who threw a complete-game shutout. ... We buy and read The Journal here in the south end of the county, give someone credit when it is due.
From Leetown:
Why is that the Christian Right proclaims a conscience need to be "Christian" to be a force for good? Why can't one be be Jewish, Hindu, Muslim, agnostic or, indeed, atheist, and still be a force for good in our nation? A conscience does not need to be framed by religion at all; it can be framed simply by asking oneself the question, "How would I feel if this were done to me?"
From Falling Waters:
It appears you can be free in this country to do whatever you want as long as it fits into fundamentalist Christian views.
From Martinsburg:
God's word in the Bible tells us that no food is unclean in itself, but if anyone regards something as unclean, then for Him it is unclean (Romans 14:14). 1 Corinthians 6:9 tells us the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God. Neither sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanders nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. No one is to judge others, but we are to follow God's holy word. Being against something is not judging.
From Bunker Hill:
This past Saturday, we were at an auction in Martinsburg on Illinois Avenue. A couple of customers were double parked, loading their vehicles when a K-9 police sergeant came and rather belligerently, out loud in front of all the customers, ordered those double-parked vehicles off the street. When they didn't do it immediately, tickets were instantly issued. Traffic never had any problem going up or down the street at any time. The side of the police SUV had the motto "To Serve, Protect and Respect". That was not respectful in any way whatsoever, especially in front of everyone.
From Kearneysville:
The caller from Tuscawilla Hills needs to consider the benefits of science. It was science that took us to the moon and back. Science explains where we live and how we got here. Science teaches us how to live, prolongs our lives and provides us with labor-saving products and services. On the other hand, the Bible tells us the earth is approximately 6,000 years old, donkeys can talk, axe heads can float, diseases can be caused by demons and dead people can live again. Science disputes these claims.
From Martinsburg:
So the Berkeley Springs caller says he considers himself a Christian. Yet then follows that statement by saying he has never read the Bible. It gets even better when he has the foolishness to say that he considers a book he has never read to be fiction. I have a feeling there a lot of books this person has never read.
From Martinsburg:
For those of you who say the Bible says homosexuality is a sin it also says the bride who can't prove her virginity be stoned to death (Genesis 2:24) and the virgin who is raped must marry her rapist, and he must pay her father 50 shekels (Deuteronomy 22:28-29). It also says that the Israelites kill every Midianite man, woman and child, except for the virgin's girls who are taken as the spoils of war, and the girls should submit sexually to their new owners. Should I go on? Do you also literally follow all of this from the Bible?
From Inwood:
Everything is a "war" with Rush Limbaugh - except the "war on women." Go figure.
From Inwood:
The caller from Tuscawilla Hills wants examples where science disputes the Bible? Many Christians oppose the theory of evolution on the grounds that it is just a theory. This comment betrays a fundamental lack of understanding of the nature of modern science. Unlike math, which allows theorems to be proven logically, "proof" in science is based on testing hypotheses and, ultimately, creating theories. Many Christian scientists embrace both their Christian faith and scientific theories of cosmology and evolution. That is, they accept the factual, testable aspects of these theories, but they also acknowledge a real and tangible role for God in the process.
From Martinsburg:
I know a young man that just got more than 17 years on a habitual criminal judgment for three small drug charges, one of which was 10 years ago. The lawyers and judge said he will never change. He's 32 years old, and do the judges think they are God by determining what he will be seven, eight or nine years down the line? On top of that 10 years were added for crimes he has served his time for, double jeopardy. He done wrong, but no violence and all in all a good-hearted person. ... He needs a lot of time, but not that much.

subset: commoncrawl


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Wednesday, January 30, 2013
St. John's Christian Academy held its first "Piggly Wiggly Day" on Jan. 8.
The event encouraged people from St. John's to buy or sell $400 of Pig cards or donate $40 to the school to help raise money for a new welcome center.
Students wore their favorite Piggly Wiggly shirt or anything pink. They made Piggly Wiggly posters, and a special chapel service was dedicated to the store.
Students sang a pig song and were given pig pencils and stickers. SJCA senior William Brown visited upper school and lower school classrooms to do a jig for the pig.
By their participation, students earned a half-day off from school on Jan. 18.
"Piggly Wiggly Day was a huge success and it was also a festive day for the students," SJCA Marketing Coordinator Michelle Driggers said. "St. John's hopes to fulfill their goal in making a new welcome center. Piggly Wiggly day was a great way to help them achieve it."
© 2016 The Berkeley Independent an Evening Post Industries company. All Rights Reserved.
Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service, Privacy Policy and Parental Consent Form.


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Doctor insights on:
What Does Arm Pain Feel Like During Heart Attack
What does heart attack arm pain feel like?
Varied: The arm symptom of heart attack could be described as heaviness, soreness or pain or even numbness. It is usually correlated with the chest symptoms and other symptoms such as sob, diaphoresis, nausea, vomiting, dizziness and has to be correlated with risk factors. If in doubt, at least an ekg can help with suspicion and for the doctor to make a decision on treatment. ...Read moreSee 1 more doctor answer
Heart Attack (Definition)
Heart attack is a life-threatening condition in which the blood vessels that supply the heart becomes occluded and thus the heart itself is not longer receiving any blood flow. Without this blood flow, the heart muscle dies and cannot pump blood to the ...Read more
What does heart attack shoulder or arm pain feel like? I've never had it, I don't think.
See below: Classically, it's pressure, numbness, or heaviness. However, people have described other feelings like sharpness, aches, or no pain at all except in the chest. Basically, if you feel anything abnormal plus suddenly weak, short of breath, headache, pain, etc., see a doctor. ...Read moreSee 1 more doctor answer
What is heart attack arm pain like and where exactly does it hurt?
Classic: Usual sub-sternal crushing severe durable sustained, anxiety producing, with clammy skin, pallor and radiation to left upper arm with a squeeze. Much variability! ...Read moreSee 1 more doctor answer
If my left arm pain has been on and off for at least 6 months what are the odds if a heart attack? It feels more muscular or nerve related. I do have nerve problems.
Likely: not heart, nerve issues could be from neck, elbow or wrist. NCV test could clarify. ...Read moreSee 1 more doctor answer
The night before I noticed my arm had mild pain in it almost like I pulled a muscle it had not been hurting all that day I know that unexplained left arm pain is a sign of a heart attack knowing this information I began to monitor and worry about myself a
Very unlikely: Yes - left arm pain could happens with heart attack but is shorted in duration, is accompanied by pressure in the chest, difficulty breathing, cold sweats, in older individuals with predisposing conditions. In your situation - i agree that most likely you pulled a muscle. ...Read moreSee 1 more doctor answer
What can cause left arm pain from shoulder down to hand? Not sharp pain..More like an achy pain? 29f. Healthy. Worried about stroke or heart attack
Nerve pain likely: Many things -- most likely compression of a nerve in your thoracic outlet or neck. Unlikely to be heart disease in a healthy person of 29. Definitely not a stroke. More likely thoracic outlet syndrome, or cervical nerve compression, or compression of your nerve by some other mechanism like a tumor -- see a doctor. ...Read moreSee 1 more doctor answer
Yesterday, my legs felt like jello, i felt slightly dizzy and nauseous with dull left arm pain and migraine. I am on my period. Is this a heart attack?
Not a heart attack: Gosh. You are only 18 and you thought you were having a heart attack? There can be a thousand different reasons for your experience. On the period you could be losing more than normal amounts of blood; you could be not eating enough; it could be hot where you are and you are a bit dehydrated. The last thing on a list of a thousand possibilities would be a heart attack. ...Read moreSee 1 more doctor answer
Can stress/anxiety cause heart attack-like symptoms? Good EKG, heart enzymes, and chest x-Ray. 21, active. Having chest cramping/aching and arm pain.
Panic Attacks can: present with symptoms that can be mistaken for a heart attack. ...Read moreSee 2 more doctor answers
Can arm pain alone indicate a heart attack?
Sure: It's not the most common, but not everyone reads the books and atypical symptoms without chest pain can possibly be a heart attack. ...Read moreSee 1 more doctor answer
Where is the arm pain from heart attack located? Upper, lower, top, bottom, inside, outside?
Heart Attack in Men: In men that symptom alone is not in any way diagnostic of a heart attack. A heart attack in men is a bunch of worrisome symptoms all together. This includes substernal chest pain, nausea, sweating, numbness into the teeth and into the left shoulder and possible upper arm. ...Read more
Myocardial Infarction (Definition)
Myocardial infarction is also known as Heart attack. Myocardial infarction, or heart attack, is a condition where part of the heart muscle loses its blood supply due to calcification in and ...Read more
Arm Pain (Definition)
Arm pain can mean many things. See a hand or ...Read more
- Talk to a doctor live online for free
- What does heart attack arm pain feel like?
- What does left arm pain feel like with heart attack?
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- What does heart attack pain feel like?
- What does arm pain from a heart attack feel?
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Wet your Whistle at Science Café!
Join us Oct. 4 at Tallahassee watering hole Backwoods Bistro, where science stories featuring underwater caves and ancient stone tools will be flowing freely.
X-ray + Split Magnet = Powerful Science
An NSF grant to build an x-ray diffractometer for the MagLab's unique split helix magnet will introduce a new tool for scientists — the strongest of its kind in the world.
A Wide World of Worm-made Compounds
An unusual, complex compound discovered in worms may be the harbinger of countless discoveries to come — some with potential benefits for humankind.
Transitions in "shape-shifting" molecules
With a sufficiently high magnetic field, scientists can manipulate certain phase transitions in some molecules, a discovery that hints at future technological applications.
Research Initiatives
Scientists use our magnets to explore semiconductors, superconductors, newly-grown crystals, buckyballs and materials from the natural world — research that reveals the secret workings of materials and empowers us to develop new technologies.
Scientists here are working to optimize petroleum refining, advance potential bio-fuels such as pine needles and algae, and fundamentally change the way we store and deliver energy by developing better batteries.
With the world's strongest MRI magnet, scientists here study everything from living animals to individual cells, from proteins to disease-fighting molecules found in plants and animals — work that could improve treatment of AIDS, cancer, Alzheimer's and other diseases.
Latest Science Highlights
Compound found in worms opens door to discovery of countless more
27 September 2016
Scientists have discovered and characterized an unusual, complex natural product produced in worms, a finding that suggests a whole body of discoveries awaits.
High field changes phase transitions in "shape-shifting" molecules
23 September 2016
With a sufficiently high magnetic field, scientists can manipulate certain phase transitions in some molecules, a discovery that hints at future technological applications.
Featured Publications
Anomalous Increase in Nematic-Isotropic Transition Temperature in Dimer Molecules Induced by a Magnetic Field, S. M. Salili, et al., Physical Review Letters, 116, 217801 (2016) See Science Highlight or Read online
Evaluation of Nb3Sn superconductor for CERN's accelerator upgrade , C. Segal, et al., Superconductor Science and Technology, (2016), 29, 8. See Science Highlight or Read online
Detection of "free" oxide ions in low-silica Ca/Mg silicate glasses: Results from 17O→29Si HETCOR NMR , H.Z. Gan, et al., J. Non-Cryst. Solids, (2016), 445-446, 1-6. See Science Highlight or Read online
Crystallization of spin superlattices with pressure and field in the layered magnet SrCu2(BO3)2. , S. Haravifard, et al., Nat. Commun., (2016), 7, 11956. doi:10.1038/ncomms11956. See Science Highlight or Read online
EPR Studies of Supramolecular Aggregates of Single-Molecule Magnets , T. N. Nguyen, et al., Science Chem. Sci, (2016), 7, 1156-1173. See Science Highlight or Read online
New Fractional Fractal Quantum Hall States in Graphene , L. Wang, et al., Science, (2015), 350, 1231-1234. See Science Highlight or Read online
Safety at the Lab
What Scientists Do at the MagLab


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Whilst RG.net is arriving on location in Berlin in but a few short hours to begin bringing you all of the action from the festival, fans who are planning to attend either Sunday's premiere or Monday's screening of Cherrybomb may purchase tickets for both showings online here.
Tickets for Sunday's world premiere will go on sale online
today at 9am GMT and those for Monday's premiere will be available online tomorrow at 9am GMT. We'll be giving away tickets to both, stay tuned for more news on this later!
Update: What few tickets were on sale online for Sunday's premiere sold out almost instantaneously. Wow!!
We will also be updating the site throughout the day today with exciting news and information for our Berlinale plans. We can't wait to share with you what we have in store!
In other news, although it was initially confirmed to RG.net that Rupert in fact would be attending the Dublin International Film Festival, this has since been rescinded by festival management and today Snitchseeker is also confirming this to be true. On the bright side, he will be in Berlin!
More later!
Submitted by Claire on Thu, 02/05/2009 - 07:52


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1 Hot Opportunity-Streamline International - Shepherdstown, WV - Phone: (304) 876-1316
Chiropractic Health Center - Shepherdstown, WV - Phone: (304) 876-2230
Maggie's Market Place - Shepherdstown, WV - Phone: (304) 876-1552
Alternative medicine does not fall in the category of conventional medicine, which means medicines that are not consistent in being effective. It uses non-traditional methods and approaches for curing illness. In Shepherdstown,the use of practices like these outside the mainstream is termed as alternative. We even find many patients and health care providers using alternative treatments in Shepherdstown. The treatment through alternative medicines comes from all over the globe and has been in practice for many thousand years.
It has been found that many practitioners of alternative medicine hold that the various alternative treatment methods are effective in treating a wide range of major and minor medical conditions, which proves the effectiveness of specific alternative treatments. In many countries, they have started to start offering courses in alternative medicine. Many medical practitioners neither reject alternative medicine, nor embrace alternative practices uncritically. Thus the use of alternative medicines is being preferred for various treatments. Alternative medicine providers recognize that health fraud occurs, and argue that it should be dealt with appropriately when it does, but that these restrictions should not extend to what they view as legitimate health care products.
Alternative medicines do have a biological or psychological effect on a patient. Many alternative medicines can cure minor ailments but is not safe enough to deal with major ailments.
Governor Cuomo Launches $5 Billion Clean Energy Fund To Grow New York's Clean Energy Economy
Clean Energy Fund will advance solar, wind, energy efficiency and other clean tech industries to spur economic development and reduce harmful emissions (New York, NY) Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the New York State Public Service Commission's approval of a 10-year, $5 billion Clean Energy Fund to accelerate the growth of New York's clean energy economy, address climate..


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Is Emily Maynard still single?
During Monday's routine "Men Tell All" special, the Bachelorette remained surprisingly silent on any predictions for the finale, which is scheduled to air Sunday. It's different from season to season-- sometimes, the lead lady is vocal about an engagement or "being really happy" with the end result. Other times, she's more reserved.
What final twist could the ABC producers be protecting?
The finale airs this Sunday, and the promotional clips show Emily in tears, lamenting the dreaded choice between Arie and Jef.
There haven't been any clips of Emily or Arie in Jef in the very final rose ceremony (you know: the expected shot of Emily in a long, flowing dress as she holds the one final rose). Also, the After the Rose special, typically taped a few days in advance, will be filmed live.
There are a few possible scenarios here. The most likely? Maybe Emily ditched one of the guys before the rose ceremony (Arie, hopefully) and requested more time to get to know Jef. Maybe there will be a live proposal on the After the Rose Ceremony.
Or maybe, just maybe... (cue dramatic music) she pulled a Brad Womack and chose no one.
Monday's Men Tell All special was kind of a snooze fest. After all, there weren't too many villains this season. Ryan, the goof ball from Georgia, was more of a self-absorbed clown than an actual jerk. Since his hopes of being the next Bachelor are gone (Chris Harrison confirmed that will NEVER happen), he's proclaimed himself "The Bachelor of Augusta."
The only guy to draw boos from the crowd was Kalon, the ridiculously rich guy from Texas who flew to the mansion in a rented helicopter. You'll also remember him as the guy who referred to Emily's daughter, Ricki, as "baggage." (which then forced Emily to "go West Virginia hood-rat backwoods on his ass" and kick him off the show)
So did Kalon apologize? Not exactly. He said he was sorry for "the way things transpired" and then mumbled something about it being a learning experience for his future relationships.
But Emily had recently seen a post by Kalon on Twitter that made light of the baggage comment, so she was ready with a comeback.
"And you, my dear, should be a politician, because that is the biggest load of [expletive] I've ever heard," she told him, drawing cheers from the crowd of mostly women.
The crowd favorite, by far, was Sean, who finished as Emily's No. 3 guy. Once again, he handled himself with class and said he had no regrets about falling in love with Emily.
"I fell in love with this girl," he said. "I fell in love with her for a number of reasons. She is an amazing person."
Emily was also dealing with her lingering emotions from that break-up, saying everything she felt for him was "so true" and "so real."
"I watched the episode and literally sat in my room and did the ugly cry," she said.
She added, "I mean what girl wouldn't want Sean?" Count him as the frontrunner to be the next Bachelor, for sure.
So should Emily pick Arie or Jef? Should she walk away empty-handed? What about Sean? Do you think he was really the right one?
We're Team Jef here at The Star-Ledger, but take the poll and let us know who you think is the best choice.
SEASON FINALE: The two-hour season finale is scheduled to air Sunday, July 22, from 8 to 10 p.m. on ABC, followed by a live "After the Final Rose" special.
More 'Bachelorette' coverage
• Emily picks her final two men
• After hometown dates, Emily picks her final three guys
• Did Emily finally send Ryan home?
• In a profanity-laced tirade, Emily boots Kalon for dissing her daughter
• A child is a compromise? No way, Emily says
• Emily sheds some tears but follows her heart
• Single mom Emily Maynard meets her 25 men
• Is blonde beauty Emily Maynard the next Bachelorette?
• After the Rose Bachelor special: A break-up for Brad and Emily?


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York County DA supports DNA bill
UPDATED 8:14 AM EDT Jun 04, 2013
It could soon be easier for your genetic data to become part of a police database thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling. But here in Pennsylvania, there must first be a change in state law.
Click here to watch the full story.


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The Cincinnati Reds are possibly entering their busiest offseason in the last few years. With trade rumors surrounding their star second baseman (per MLBTraderumors.com), and with a new manager for the club, the Reds might see a lot of changes.
While the Reds plan to be very busy, the likelihood of any major high-profiled free agent signing is simply dismal. But forget all of that for the next couple of minutes.
Let's play the big "What if?" game and find out who the Reds might pick up if money and contract years were not a factor.
Getting right to it, here are the top 5 dream free agent pickups for the Cincinnati Reds.
All statistics are courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.


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Decorate your event with our Fantasy Knights Castle Banners.
Our Fantasy Knights Castle Banners includes red, yellow, blue, purple and green banners with a variety of royal seals in the center. A package of Fantasy Knights Castle Banners includes five 4 foot 6 inch high x 1 foot 6 inch wide cardboard banners. Get your castle ready for your event with our Fantasy Knights Castle Banners.
Please allow ample time for delivery. Our ship date for this product is noted in your shopping cart. Many items are shipped separately, so please allow extra time for these items to arrive. Shipping charges are based on the value of the merchandise and not the number of shipments. For additional shipping information, contact our Customer Service Department at (email@example.com or 1-800-227-2789).


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Drugs & Medications - Venofer intravenous
Venofer intravenous
Common Brand Name(s): Venofer
Venofer intravenous Warnings
Venofer intravenous Uses
This medicine is used to treat "iron-poor" blood (anemia) in people with long-term kidney disease. You may need extra iron because of blood loss during kidney dialysis. Your body may also need more iron if you use the drug erythropoietin to help make new red blood cells.
Iron is an important part of your red blood cells and is needed to transport oxygen in the body. Many patients with kidney disease cannot get enough iron from food and require injections.How to use Venofer intravenous
This medication is given by injection into a vein as directed by your doctor. It is usually given slowly over 2 to 5 minutes or as directed by your doctor. Iron sucrose can also be mixed in a saline solution and given through an IV over a longer time.
Your dosage and length of treatment are based on your medical condition, age, and response to treatment. Your doctor will do laboratory tests to monitor your response. (See also Notes section.)
If you are using this medication at home, learn all preparation and usage instructions from your health care professional. Before using, check this product visually for particles or discoloration. If either is present, do not use the liquid. Learn how to store and discard medical supplies safely.
Venofer intravenous Side Effects
Muscle cramps, nausea, vomiting, strange taste in the mouth, diarrhea, constipation, headache, cough, back pain, joint pain, dizziness, or swelling of the arms/legs may occur. Pain, swelling, or redness at the injection site may occur. If these effects continue or worsen, tell your doctor.
Remember that your doctor has prescribed this medication because he or she has judged that the benefit to you is greater than the risk of side effects. Many people using this medication do not have serious side effects.
Severe dizziness or fainting (hypotension) may occur while you are receiving IV iron. This may be helped by giving the medication more slowly or at a lower dose. Follow your doctor's directions carefully.
Tell your doctor right away if you have any serious side effects, including: abdominal pain, chest pain, irregular heartbeat (arrhythmias), pressure in the chest, severe headache and blurred vision (hypertension), problems with your dialysis access site (graft).
A very serious allergic reaction to this drug is unlikely, but get medical help right away if it occurs. Symptoms of a serious allergic reaction may include: rash, itching/swelling (especially of the face/tongue/throat), severe dizziness, trouble breathing.
This is not a complete list of possible side effects. If you notice other effects not listed above, contact your doctor or pharmacist.
In the US -
Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or at www.fda.gov/medwatch.
In Canada - Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to Health Canada at 1-866-234-2345.
Venofer intravenous Precautions
Before using iron sucrose, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are allergic to it; or if you have any other allergies. This product may contain inactive ingredients, which can cause allergic reactions or other problems. Talk to your pharmacist for more details.
This medication should be used only when clearly needed during pregnancy. Discuss the risks and benefits with your doctor.
It is not known whether this drug passes into breast milk. Consult your doctor before breast-feeding.
Venofer intravenous Interactions
Drug interactions may change how your medications work or increase your risk for serious side effects. This document does not contain all possible drug interactions. Keep a list of all the products you use (including prescription/nonprescription drugs and herbal products) and share it with your doctor and pharmacist. Do not start, stop, or change the dosage of any medicines without your doctor's approval.
Some products that may interact with this drug include: vitamin products, other iron-containing products.
Venofer intravenous Overdose
If overdose is suspected, contact a poison control center or emergency room right away. US residents can call their local poison control center at 1-800-222-1222. Canada residents can call a provincial poison control center.NOTES:
Laboratory tests (such as complete blood count, ferritin, transferrin, total iron binding capacity-TIBC) should be performed periodically to monitor your progress or check for side effects. Keep all regular medical and laboratory appointments.
Remember that it is best to get your vitamins and minerals from food whenever possible. Maintain a well-balanced diet, and follow any dietary guidelines as directed by your doctor. Foods rich in iron include meats (especially liver), eggs, raisins, figs, broccoli, brussels sprouts, beans, lentils, and iron-fortified or enriched cereals.MISSED DOSE:
For the best possible benefit, it is important to receive each scheduled dose of this medication as directed. If you miss a dose, contact your doctor or pharmacist right away to establish a new dosing schedule. Do not double the dose to catch up.STORAGE:
Consult the product instructions and your pharmacist for storage details. Keep all medications away from children and pets.
Do not flush medications down the toilet or pour them into a drain unless instructed to do so. Properly discard this product when it is expired or no longer needed. Consult your pharmacist or local waste disposal company.
Information last revised October 2015. Copyright(c) 2015 First Databank, Inc.
Report Problems to the Food and Drug Administration
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.FDA.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
IMPORTANT: About User Reviews on RxList
RxList is part of the WebMD Health Network. The opinions expressed in the WebMD User Reviews are solely those of the User, who may or may not have medical or scientific training, and do not represent the opinions of WebMD. These member reviews have not been reviewed by a WebMD physician or any member of the WebMD editorial staff for accuracy, balance, objectivity, or any other purpose except for compliance with our Terms and Conditions. Some of these opinions may contain information about uses of the drug products that have not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. WebMD does not endorse any specific product, service or treatment.
WebMD User Reviews should not be considered as medical advice and are not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your physician or other qualified healthcare provider because of something you have read on WebMD. You should always speak with your doctor before you start, stop, or change any prescribed part of your care plan or treatment. WebMD understands that reading individual, real-life experiences may be a helpful health information resource but they are never a substitute for professional medical advice from a qualified healthcare provider.


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Orlando Bloom gladly stoked rumors of a romance with costar Kirsten Dunst during the Sept. 10 Elizabethtown premiere at the Toronto Film Festival.
The British actor pulled a Tom Cruise by crashing one of Dunst's interviews to rave about how "wonderful" she is, while hugging her tightly.
Later, when asked what he'd like for Christmas, Bloom answered, "Kirsten by my side – she's all I need to have."
But what of Dunst's longtime on-off boyfriend Jake Gyllenhaal? He was also in Toronto Sept. 10, for his drama Brokeback Mountain, but he and Dunst were no-shows at each other's screenings.
While a source says, "I'm not sure they're still on," a pal of Jake's notes, "He's obsessed with Kirsten. He risks other relationships because all he wants to do is spend time with her."
On Sept. 11, Dunst and Gyllenhaal did arrive together at a private gala in Toronto for Bee Season – featuring a tiny role for Bloom's sometime sweetie, an absent Kate Bosworth.
As for her relationship with Gyllenhaal, "Kirsten and Jake continue to be friends," says Dunst's rep. "It's not likely that you'll see either one on the red carpet with each other – it just fuels tabloid speculation."
Kirsten & Orlando: More Than Just Costars?
Getty Images


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History News Service
July 16, 2001
Test Ban Treaty: A Better Shield Than Missile Defense
By William Lambers
History News Service
This past week's successful missile defense test was a victory for
George W. Bush, who sees such a system as critical to our national security
interests. But buried by the debate over missile defense lies a smaller,
less dramatic, but more vital national security measure. It is ratification
of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).
President Bush's proposed defense system would be designed to
shoot down nuclear missiles launched against the United States. It would
act as a shield against rogue nations with smaller weapons stockpiles, not
against Russia or other nuclear superpowers.
By contrast, the CTBT bans all nuclear test explosions. Rejected
in 1999 by the U.S. Senate, this treaty has been signed and ratified by
Great Britain, France and Russia. To take effect, 44 nations with a nuclear
capacity must join; 31 of those 44 nations have already ratified the
treaty, leaving the United States in the missing 13.
The Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations of the 1950s and 1960s
each sought a comprehensive ban on nuclear testing. Both President
Eisenhower and President Kennedy realized that such a treaty was not, by
itself, going to end the threat of nuclear attack or halt nuclear
proliferation. However, they understood a test ban's significance toward
achieving those ends.
Their negotiations did produce a limited test ban treaty in 1963
with the Soviet Union, banning test explosions in outer space, underwater
and in the atmosphere. The Limited Test Ban Treaty came on the heels of the
Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 and years of frequent nuclear testing. At that
time the nuclear arms race was a runaway train.
Today, the possibility of nuclear warfare between the United
States and Russia has diminished. Nuclear weapons stockpiles are reduced
from the Cold War days. But now with more nations possessing nuclear
weapons and others on the brink, how can the United States defend itself in
a world full of danger and uncertainty?
One proposed way, which the Bush administration favors, is to
build a missile defense system. Such a system is risky if it jeopardizes
progress on nuclear arms reductions with Russia. The building of a missile
defense system is in violation of the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM)
Treaty signed with the Soviet Union, Russia's predecessor state. Russia or
other nations are likely to advance weapons development in response to a
disregard of the ABM treaty. Cooperation with Russia is critical, for it is
a key partner in helping to end global nuclear proliferation.
A better way to defend the United States from nuclear attack would
be to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Failure to ratify the
treaty leaves the United States less able to influence other nations to
stop testing or developing nuclear weapons.
Conducting nuclear test explosions escalates world tensions and
increases proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. One only needs to
look to Asia for an example of this. Three nations -- India, Pakistan and
China -- possess nuclear weapons. China's test explosions in the 1960s
prompted India's development of nuclear weapons. Rivals India and Pakistan
each conducted nuclear test explosions in 1998.
The existing stockpile of nuclear weapons can be maintained
without test explosions. Billions of dollars annually are invested in this
program, called Stockpile Stewardship. A former Chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff, General John Shalikashvili, commented on the ability to
test nuclear weapons under the comprehensive treaty: "Almost all of the
approximately 4000-6000 parts of a nuclear weapon . . . Are outside of the
'physics package,' -- i.e. the subsystem that creates the nuclear
explosion. Under the Test Ban Treaty, these parts can still be thoroughly
But one cannot rely entirely upon military might to defend itself
whether it be building nuclear weapons or missile defense systems. To quote
President Dwight D. Eisenhower, "Let no one think that the expenditure of
vast sums for weapons and systems of defense can guarantee absolute safety
for the cities and citizens of any nation. The awful arithmetic of the
atomic bomb does not permit any such easy solution."
Good faith can go a long way toward achieving national security.
That is why the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty is so vital. Is it risk free?
No. Could a nation potentially "cheat" and carry out test explosions
undetected by the treaty's monitoring system? Perhaps. However, President
Kennedy faced risks when signing the Limited Test Ban Treaty. Today, one
can look back at that event and say that it was the right thing to do.
It is a serious mistake not to ratify the CTBT. Without it, there
can be no hope of ending the terror of nuclear weapons. By ratifying the
treaty, the United States can take a step in the right direction toward
ending nuclear proliferation and securing peace for future generations.
William Lambers is the author of "Nuclear Weapons" (2001) and a writer for
the History News Service.
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File: 7-16-01 Lambers


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In Brief: Tavern pleads guilty to violating state food code
Tavern pleads guilty to violating food code
A Summit Township tavern has pleaded guilty to violating the Pennsylvania Food Code and agreed to pay a fine.
Country Tavern, 8107 Perry Highway, will pay $600 fine plus court costs in an deal reached before a hearing Thursday. Health officials had filed 12 citations against Country Tavern after a Nov. 20 inspection found 13 violations, including six "risk factor" ones.
The violations included the person in charge not performing required duties; severe buildup of grease and dust on hood and filters; and pink slime and residue found on soda gun holster.
Groh to be sworn in as supervisor Monday
Millcreek Supervisor-elect John Groh will take the oath of office Monday.
The swearing in, to be administered by U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Thomas P. Agresti, will be held at 9:30 a.m. at the Millcreek Municipal Building, 3608 W. 26th St.
Groh, a Democrat who defeated Republican incumbent Joseph Kujawa in the Nov. 5 election, will participate in the township's reorganization meeting.
Supervisor Brian McGrath is expected to be voted on as chairman; Supervisor Richard Figaski, as vice chairman.
Charges dismissed in Albion assault case
ALBION -- Charges were dismissed against an Albion man accused of assaulting a woman after the victim failed to appear for a court hearing.
Michael Machalinski Jr., 45, had faced charges of aggravated assault, simple assault, unlawful restraint and harassment in an incident that state police said happened at a home on Park Avenue on Dec. 2. He was accused of assaulting a 22-year-old woman and holding her against her will.
The charges were dismissed Thursday at a preliminary hearing before Springfield Township District Judge Chris MacKendrick.
Next week's meetings
- Millcreek Township: Reorganization, 9:30 a.m. Monday at the Municipal Building, 3608 W. 26th St.
- Erie City Council: 9 a.m. Wednesday in chambers at City Hall, 626 State St.
- Erie County Council: Reorganization, 3:15 p.m. Thursday in chambers at Erie County Courthouse, 140 W. Sixth St.
-- from staff reports


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"So has it been a good experience?" U.S. Department of Agriculture official Joani Walsh asked, snacking on cherry tomatoes as an elderly woman reached around her for the white sweet corn stacked high on the table.
As Walsh toured Clark Park Farmers' Market on Saturday, she was greeted with smiles and nods of approval.
She met various growers - the high school students experimenting with urban farming, the owner of a year-old mushroom farm - and talked with various customers, including a mother of four who drives from the suburbs several times a month and a local mother of seven who makes the short walk twice a week.