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Greenbytes: May 13, 2005 Edition
In this Issue
Greetings from EPA New England. We hope you find this edition of Greenbytes useful and we encourage you to give us feedback. For information on subscribing or unsubscribing see the section at the end of this message.
Feature:
May is American Wetlands Month
Officially designated "American Wetlands Month," May is a time to recognize and celebrate the uniqueness, beauty and importance of wetlands in the United States. Since 1991, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other federal, state, and local agencies have joined thousands of Americans across the country in this annual celebration by participating in on-the- ground projects and events highlighting the many virtues of this resource.
Rivaling the likes of tropical rainforests, wetlands are among the most fertile, productive - and most threatened - ecosystems in the world. The term "wetlands" is a collective one, used to describe a range of wet environments, such as marshes, bogs, swamps, wet meadows and tidal flats. Wetlands are transitional habitats that lie between the permanently flooded deeper waters of lakes, rivers and the ocean, and the better drained, and drier land areas. Once considered insect-ridden wastelands, it is only in recent decades that wetlands have gained the recognition they deserve: as valuable habitats providing many benefits to people and wildlife.
This year's American Wetlands Month theme - "It Pays to Save Wetlands" - focuses on the significant economic benefits provided by wetlands. The quality of our water is in part linked to the ability of wetlands to capture and filter sediments, excess nutrients and other pollutants that might otherwise contaminate our drinking water. In this way, wetlands act as a natural treatment method during storms, when the influx of storm water, and the pollutants they carry, is high.
An excellent example of wetlands contributing to drinking water protection can be found in the town of Barrington, New Hampshire. Three undeveloped parcels of land totaling 1,378 acres were identified by the town of Barrington as an area worth preserving due to the exceptional natural resources found there. The largest parcel, approximately 1,000 acres in size, contains extensive wetlands dominated by Atlantic white cedar swamps. The headwaters of the Oyster River originate from these wetlands, and contribute to the existing public water supplies serving the town of Durham, New Hampshire. In 2001, a partnership formed by the city of Dover, the New Hampshire Drinking Water Supply Land Grant program, the University of New Hampshire, and the towns of Lee, Durham, Barrington, and Madbury contributed to the purchase of this property. To complete the transaction, the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests now holds a conservation easement on this property, referred to as the Barrington Headwaters Reserve. With this easement in place, the protection of the Reserve, and the water quality functions it provides, are ensured in perpetuity.
Wetlands also help prevent floods. Wetlands intercept and store rainfall, runoff, and snow melt, releasing it slowly and lowering peak flows downstream. In addition, the physical structure of wetland vegetation can impede the flow of flood waters, thereby reducing erosion, removing sediments, and preventing downstream damage to houses and other structures. With a close to record-breaking snowfall in New England this year, we need our region's wetlands more than ever to buffer the effects of spring runoff.
America's wetlands provide a little something for everyone - especially wildlife. In an increasingly developed landscape, wetlands continue to provide refuge for many wildlife species that require habitat to rest, feed, seek shelter, and raise their young. Many bird species rely on the cover provided by wetland vegetation for nesting as well as a safe refuge or "stopping over" point when migrating through New England. Wetlands also serve as watery "stepping stones" throughout the landscape for those animals that migrate overland from one habitat type to another, including certain threatened species of frogs and turtles.
Despite the obvious value of wetlands to our economy and otherwise, a 1997 survey by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reported that more than 58,000 acres of wetlands continue to be destroyed in the U.S. each year. Clearly, raising public awareness about our Nation's wetlands and taking action to protect them are more important than ever.
Join EPA and others this May in celebrating American Wetlands Month. For more information, see: http://www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/ .
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Brief Bytes
Latest info on CCA treated wood
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Press Releases
Brownfields - 54 grants totaling more than $11.6 million were awarded today by EPA to communities throughout New England to help revitalize abandoned, contaminated parcels known as Brownfields, transforming them from problem properties into community assets. Brownfields are typically former industrial and commercial sites where suspected contaminants may be impeding redevelopment.
The funding is among $75.9 million of Brownfields grants announced today by EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. The EPA funding will help communities throughout the U.S. to assess, clean and redevelop Brownfields sites, bringing these properties back to productive uses like parks, schools and shopping centers.
TRI - Releases of toxic chemicals by industrial sources in all six New England states continue to decline, show the most recent data reported to EPA under the Toxic Release Inventory.
Tufts earns EPA’s Climate Protection Award
Rhode Island Greenhouse Gas Stakeholder Group Awarded for Action Plan-EPA Climate Award
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Meetings & Conferences
TRI Workshops:
EPA New England, along with our state partners, is offering FREE, half-day workshops on the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) at locations throughout New England. The workshops, intended for experienced TRI reporters, are designed for environmental engineers, consultants, and owners or operators of manufacturing facilities currently reporting TRI data as required by the Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act (EPCRA). The workshop will cover a variety of topics, enforcement, electronic reporting and answers to your questions.
Dates and Locations follow; click on the link for more information:
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Regional
Wetlands Month Activities - sorted by state
Healthy Schools - updated info
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"In The News" is a free daily service that provides links to today's top newspaper stories about the New England environment and links to related EPA New England information.
In The News Email Service: As soon as today's edition of "In The News" has been posted we will inform you via email.