EcoNotes 
Watching for Frogs
Amphibian populations at certain places around the world have declined tremendously due to a deadly fungus, chemical pollution, invasive species, human consumption, and other environmental threats. However, there has been little evidence that the number of local frogs and toads – with the exception of the endangered Houston toad – has reduced significantly, says Jaime Gonzalez, staff naturalist at the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center.

In order to track changes in frog and toad populations, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) organizes the Texas Amphibian Watch Monitoring Program. Through this mostly volunteer effort, citizens are trained to identify local frogs and toads by their calls. They then visit a wetland area monthly from March to October and measure the abundance of each species using an index developed by TPWD. TPWD monitors results from across the state.

Gonzalez will share his knowledge about world amphibian populations, local research, and Texas Amphibian Watch at the Outdoor Nature Club meeting on Sunday, August 4th at 2 pm at the Houston Arboretum, 4501 Woodway Drive. More information on Texas Amphibian Watch and other TPWD wildlife monitoring programs can also be found at www.tpwd.state.tx.us/nature/education/tracker/projects.htm.

Texas Children at Risk
At least 1.5 million Texas children live within 30 miles of a coal-fired power plant, putting them at risk for a host of health problems including asthma, birth defects, and premature death, according to Children at Risk: How Air Pollution from Power Plants Threatens the Health of America’s Children. Nearly a third of these children live in poverty, and more than 92,000 suffer from asthma, calculates the report, which was issued by the Clean Air Task Force (CATF).

To protect our next generation, CATF is encouraging citizens to ask their representatives to support the Clean Power Act (S566), which would require the electricity industry to make dramatic reductions in all four of the major power plant pollutants – sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon dioxide, and mercury. That bill recently passed out of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. The report can be accessed at http://cta.policy.net.

TNRCC to Train Citizen Investigators
In June, the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC) began a statewide initiative to train Texans on the use of citizen collected evidence in environmental enforcement. Under new laws that took effect in January, TNRCC will consider evidence gathered by citizens in enforcement proceedings, rather than only using that type of information to initiate investigation. Training sessions, held at various locations across the state, will focus on the resources available to citizens, guidelines on how to gather and submit collected evidence, and TNRCC’s enforcement process. TNRCC will offer the training in Houston on August 1 at Grayson Community Center, 13828 Corpus Christi Drive, and on August 8, at Bear Creek Community Center, 3 Abercrombie Drive. Both meetings will be held at 6:30 pm. Visit www.tnrcc.state.tx.us for more information.

Turtles Nesting Increases

Photo courtesy of Texas Park & Wildlife

At least 19 Kemp’s ridley sea turtle nests have been counted along Texas beaches this season – more than in any other year since the turtle’s recovery plan under the Endangered Species Act began in 1978. The Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club credits new state and federal closures of specific coastal waters to shrimpers for the increased numbers. However, the Kemp’s ridley is still highly endangered; there were once tens of thousands that nested along the Gulf Coast of Texas and Mexico, according to Sierra.

Deregulation Bad for Conservation
Between 1995 and 1999, North American power companies cut spending on energy efficiency programs by 42 percent, according to a report from the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, a Canadian agency created under the North American Free Trade Agreement. The 45-page document partially blames the cuts on deregulation of electricity markets, which generally decreases incentives for conservation measures.

Power plants are responsible for the largest toxic releases of all industrial sectors. In 1999, they emitted 450,000 tons of pollutants to North American air, land, and water, the report says. That number is only expected to rise, says the report, with about 2,000 new power plants being planned in North America – the majority in the United States. (Reuters 6/18/02)

Antibiotic Use Declines
The number of children’s antibiotic prescriptions written in the United States dropped from 46 million to 30 million between 1989 and 2000, while the number of office visits remained constant, according to a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) survey. CDC leadership called the shift “encouraging,” but noted that antimicrobial resistance remains a major health issue. Antibiotics can kill certain pathogens but leave behind those that are resistant to the drug, allowing them to flourish. Prescribing unwarranted antibiotics, for example to combat a virus, adds to the problem. (Reuters 6/19/02)