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Econotes
Rebuilding potholes as prairie conservation tool In Harris County, the idea of restoring a pothole to its original condition would not be popular with commuter traffic. However, volunteers from the Texas Master Naturalist Program are helping to restore a prairie pothole complex that is not part of the highway system, but is part of a habitat in Sheldon Lakes State Park. Prairie potholes are pockets of still water characterized by few trees, warm, dry climates and prairie plants that establish around the water holes. They are critical resting, feeding and nesting habitats for migratory waterfowl and other wildlife, such as coyotes, burrowing owls, prairie dogs, and insects. The pothole complex in Sheldon Lakes Park has a common history with many North American potholes. For the past 40 years it has gradually been flattened and drained by farming because prairie potholes are highly suitable to agricultural production. The class started planting in November, and the project has not been easy. "Mind you, at our first visit to the site, it was nothing more than some wooden surveyor's stakes and flagging marking the boundaries of what would someday become a seasonal wetland prairie pothole," Richard Conner, a Master naturalist project coordinator, said. Several groups have partnered for this eight-acre project including Texas Parks and Wildlife, Ducks Unlimited, and Texas Cooperative Extension's Coastal Watershed Program. Marissa Sipocz, wetlands restoration team leader, said planting native grasses and other vegetation was a perfect match for Master Naturalists. USGS reports majority of U.S. fresh water contaminated
with pesticides A new nationwide study of streams and groundwater by the U.S. Geological Survey finds that a majority of the nation’s fresh water sources, particularly in agricultural and urban development areas, are contaminated with low concentrations of chemicals. The USGS study found pesticides in 94 percent of all the water samples and in 90 percent of fish samples, according to a May 22 article in Science News. In urban areas, insecticides such as diazinon and malathion which are commonly used on lawns and gardens were found in nearly all of the streams that were sampled. Streams in agricultural areas were more likely to contain herbicides-especially atrazine, metolachlor, alachlor, and cyanazine. While the report conceded that such widespread contamination is cause for concern, it highlighted that the concentrations found were well below the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recommended limits in most places, according to Science News. However, USGS Chief Hydrologist Robert Hirsch said that, “Concentrations of contaminants in water samples from wells were almost always lower than current EPA drinking-water standards and guidelines. However, the possible risk to people and to aquatic life can only be partially addressed because of the lack of criteria for many chemicals and their degradation or “breakdown” products. In addition, criteria were developed for individual chemicals and do not take into account exposure to mixtures or seasonal high pulses in concentrations.” EPA also does not collect adequate information to determine the impacts on human health and the environment of constant low-level exposure to pesticides over time.
For an overview, go to: Caucus to push waterway needs The newly-formed Waterways Caucuses, which includes 60 members from both the House Senate, spoke out against critics of the Army Corps of Engineers and a Bush administration that would allow many portions of the intracoastal waterways to close rather than spend federal money on them. Critics of water projects by the Corps of Engineers have worked to end projects they deem wasteful or ecologically damaging. The Corps Reform Caucus, for example, has helped block authorization of new water projects, and it is that kind of resistance that the new bipartisan groups want to counter. Keith Ashdown, spokesman for the watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense, which helped form the Corps Reform Caucus, said the new groups pose a challenge. Dozens of caucuses in Congress push myriad agendas, often sparked by special interest groups. In this case the push comes from recreational boating groups, promoters of tourism, ports and those seeking improvements on rivers for commercial traffic. "They are sort of the starting point for new campaigns that any special interest are undertaking," Ashdown said. Bush's budget plan would cut operation and maintenance spending, such as dredging, by about $30 million in 2005, to just more than $1.9 billion. Many sections of the 3,000-miles of intracoastal waterways along the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico would get nothing for dredging. Some sections with heavier commercial traffic would get money. Louisiana, for example, would receive about $17.5 million, a section in Texas $15.5 million and Alabama $5 million. The caucus also includes lawmakers pressing for lock construction on the Mississippi, which environmental groups and waste watchdogs are fighting. The National Waterways Alliance wants an additional $300 million for dredging and other maintenance activities.
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