Environmental Watch: Jones & Stokes promotes three

SACRAMENTO -- Environmental consulting firm Jones & Stokes has promoted three principals to head the firm's different lines of business.

Bill Staeger in the firm's Bellevue office will head the energy business group. Staeger has been an environmental consultant in California and the Northwest since 1974.

Richard A. Beyak, P.E., will manage the telecommunications business area. Beyak's experience includes overseeing a series of large engineering projects for clients such as the EPA, TRW, the Department of Defense and Southern Pacific Railroad.

Mike Davis, a principal in the Oakland office, will take over the environmental planning business group. Davis was previously manager of environmental planning in Northern California for Parsons Brinckerhoff.

Des Moines Creek workshop set

DES MOINES -- An update on efforts and options to restore and enhance Des Moines Creek will be held April 3 in Des Moines.

Technical staff will be on hand to discuss a number of proposed projects for the creek, one of a few remaining urban, salmon-bearing streams in King County. Because of the dense development surrounding the creek, salmon habitat has been negatively affected by stormwater runoff.

Projects that will be reviewed include the construction of a regional detention pond and high-flow bypass near Tyee golf course, the boosting of low summer flows, habitat improvements and removal of a fish-blocking culvert beneath Marine View Drive. The projects are in the very early stages of a final design period expected to end in December 2002.

The Des Moines Creek Basin Plan Committee is composed of representatives from the cities of Sea-Tac and Des Moines, the Port of Seattle and King County.

The workshop begins at 5 p.m. at the North Highline Fire District, Station 18, 1243 Southwest 112th St. in Des Moines.

Energy, Fluor Hanford fined

OLYMPIA -- The state Department of Ecology has fined the U.S. Department of Energy and Fluor Hanford $57,800 for failure to identify and manage a hazardous chemical at a laboratory on the Hanford site.

The material in question is collodion, which has the potential to explode if jostled. The presence of collodion was not included in mandatory chemical inventories.

In a statement the agency said that the fine was necessary because of a history of "similar violations."

In addition to the monetary penalty, Ecology is ordering an inventory of all potentially reactive chemicals at all Hanford labs. The penalty can be appealed to the state Pollution Control Hearing Board.

Smelt run dissipates

TROUTDALE, Ore. (AP) -- The thick pools of smelt that returned to the Sandy River last week after more than a decade-long absence have vanished again.

Biologists aren't sure why the small, oily fish left so quickly and they don't know when -- or if -- they'll return. The smelt last visited the river in 1988.

"This was the strongest run in years, and then it all fell apart on us," said Steve King, salmon fishery manager with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. "There are a lot of unknowns here. The fish are in charge."

Troutdale residents first noticed the smelt run Wednesday because a flock of sea gulls was following the fish upstream. For several days, people gathered at Sandy River to net the fish, which are eaten or used as bait fish.

But by Sunday, smelt fishers weren't catching anything.

"It's not unusual to have pulses of smelt. If they've entered the Sandy once -- and that did surprise us -- we've got another three weeks, maybe they'll come back," King said.

The fish used to pack the Sandy River almost every year, lured by the emerald-clear glacial waters. They arrived by the millions, and old-timers said the fish seemed to swim on top of the water.

In 1988, the smelt run dried up.

Scientists blame El Nino, the plume of warm water that streamed along the Oregon coast. Plankton and algae need colder, nutrient-rich water to circulate, and smelt and other fish, in turn, feed on them.

Fish populations have rebounded as El Nino broke up, said Jimmy Watts, a fisheries biologist. Broad schools of smelt move up the Columbia River from the ocean every year, but they haven't felt the need to travel very far upriver in leaner years.

The temporary smelt glut rejuvenated downtown Troutdale, business owners said Monday.

"It wasn't that we had fishermen coming to shop," said business owner Mary Greenslade. "It was that Troutdale was in the news. This put Troutdale back in people's minds."

Drought declaration urged for Klamath

SALEM, Ore. (AP) -- A 26-member panel representing state and federal agencies recommended Gov. John Kitzhaber declare a drought in southern Oregon's Klamath County, but took no action on any other parts of the state.

The meeting Friday was the first time the Drought Council had met since 1993.

Except for Klamath, no other county in the state has asked for a drought declaration. Experts say this winter was the second driest in the past 100 years.

The governor last week urged Oregonians to conserve water in anticipation of possible shortages, but his natural resources adviser told the council that Kitzhaber is reluctant to declare a statewide drought declaration. Washington Gov. Gary Locke issued one for his state earlier this month.

Ninety-five percent of the 224,500 acres of harvested crop land in Klamath County relies on irrigation. But with streamflow in the Upper Klamath Lake at about 29 percent of normal, snowpack in the Upper Klamath basin at 40 percent of normal, and federal agencies seeking to set aside water for endangered fish species, irrigators could be left with no water at all.

Much of the federal aid available to compensate farmers, such as low-interest loans from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, are more rehabilitative in nature and can be months in coming.

If Kitzhaber decides to follow the council's advice, it's not clear how long it would take for him to grant the declaration.

The council, however, agreed to make its recommendation to him at once, and has prepared a letter to the U.S. secretary of agriculture seeking federal aid.

EPA head visits Superfund site turned refuge

DENVER (AP) -- Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christie Whitman stood on the decontaminated Rattlesnake Hill and squinted as she looked across the prairie to a refuge for deer, prairie dogs and bald eagles.

Part toxic wasteland, part refuge, the Rocky Mountain Arsenal is challenging, but also proof that Superfund sites can be cleaned up, Whitman said.

"There is no place that is too polluted," she said. "There are some places that provide bigger challenges, but there is nothing that can't be reclaimed."

Whitman spent part of an afternoon at the 27-acre arsenal near Denver, which once was used for sarin nerve gas production and then for pesticide manufacturing. It is one of the most toxic sites in the West.

A $2.2 billion cleanup project is expected to be completed by 2011. One small area has been turned into the wildlife refuge, home to some 300 species.

After the cleanup, some sections will remain under Army guard, off-limits to visitors because they won't be deemed safe.

Whitman also examined a model of grapefruit-sized sarin bomblets, which were produced at the plant from 1953 to 1957. Since January, the Army has detonated six bomblets containing the deadly gas that were found last fall as part of the cleanup. Nature tours were suspended in October after the first bomblet was found.

"This is an area that has contributed to our nation throughout its history. When you consider how it became contaminated, it was part of a war effort. This wasn't something that was done haphazardly, it wasn't something that was done because people weren't paying attention, it was because people were focused to committing themselves to something larger," she said.

Environmental Watch: A Gold Award for SPU

SEATTLE -- Seattle Public Utilities received a Gold Award from the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies for competitveness achievement.

The association, a group of the largest publicly owned water systems in the country, specifically cited Seattle Public Utilities' conservation program, performance-based management systems, its integrated utility telephone call center and the design-build-operate contracts for the Tolt and Cedar river treatment facilities.

Twenty other agencies won Gold Awards, including the Portland Bureau of Water Works.

AWB seeks nominations for enviro awards

OLYMPIA -- The Association of Washington Business is seeking nominations for the 10th annual Environmental Excellence Awards. All AWB member companies, and their Washington facilities, are eligible.

Winners will be awarded in the following categories: air quality, water quality, water conservation, recycling, pollution prevention, pollution cleanup, water and energy conservation and education.

A luncheon on June 7, held in conjunction with the AWB's annual environmental conference, will honor the winners. Nominations must be postmarked by April 20.

For more information call (800) 521-9325, or go to www.awb.org.

TOD financing conference March 30

RENTON -- This year's installment of King County's annual transit-oriented development event will be held on Friday, March 30, beginning at 8 a.m. at the Renton Holiday Inn. It will focus on the financial nuts and bolts of these types of projects.

Sessions will be held on market analysis, private financing, public financing for private developers, funding affordable housing and project packaging. Speakers include Darrell Vange of Ravenhurst Development, Bank of America Senior vice President Dan Anderson and Don Watson of the King County Housing Authority.

Following the classroom portion of the program, a bus tour will look at TOD sites in varying stages of development in Renton, Tukwila and Kent.

For more information contact Carol Chan with the King County Department of Transportation at (206) 205-0702.

Transportation summit today in Pasco

PASCO -- State and local leaders will gather today at the Doubletree Hotel in Pasco to look at transportation improvements in the state and how they could effect eastern Washington.

On hand will be Gov. Gary Locke, Port of Seattle Executive Director Mic Dinsmore, Blue Ribbon Commission member Doug Hurley of CH2M Hill, Port of Kennewick Commissioner Paul Vick and Rep. Shirley Hankins, vice chair of the House Transportation Committee.

Attendees will have an opportunity to comment on state transportation plans as well as the methods proposed to pay for them. A question and answer session will also be held. The lunch meeting begins at 11:30 a.m.

Toxic site declared in Port Gamble

PORT GAMBLE, Kitsap County (AP) -- The historic mill town of Port Gamble has been added to the state's list of hazardous sites.

Pollution has been found in town, which has the abandoned mill and a garbage dump, but nothing too severe so far, said David Nunes, president of Pope Resources, owner of the property. Olympic Resource Management, which manages the property, has already begun voluntary cleanup of the site. The cleanup is expected to prepare the historic town for a restoration project.

Any restoration is probably at least a decade away, Nunes said. For now, the priority is on getting the area brought up to environmental standards.

"This is a pretty important symbol for our company," Nunes said.

For 146 years, Pope and Talbot operated a sawmill at this waterfront town about 21 miles northwest of Seattle, until it closed in 1995. Now contaminated soil can be found in some places. The state Department of Ecology ranks the site a "two" on a scale of one to five, with one being the worst.

Olympic Resource will be allowed to continue its voluntary cleanup as long as progress is being made, said Curt Hart of the Ecology Department.

"We have every reason to think that the company will step up to the mark," he said.

Smelt return is a big mystery

TROUTDALE, Ore. (AP) -- Biologists aren't sure why, but thick schools of smelt have returned to the Sandy River after a mysterious, decade-long absence.

Tipped off by a flock of sea gulls following the schools, the state confirmed their return to the river late Tuesday.

"It's the big mystery," said Tom Neill, a fisheries biologist with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. "In the last 10 years, there just haven't been enough of them around."

The fish used to pack the Sandy River almost every year, lured by the emerald-clear glacial waters. They arrived by the millions, and old-timers said the fish seemed to swim on top of the water.

In 1988, the smelt run dried up.

Scientists blame El Nino, the plume of warm water that streamed along the Oregon coast. Plankton and algae need colder, nutrient-rich water to circulate, and smelt and other fish, in turn, feed on them. Fish populations have rebounded as El Nino broke up, said Jimmy Watts, another fisheries biologist. For smelt, this is "the biggest run in at least 15 years," he said. "There are millions."

Broad schools of smelt move up the Columbia River from the ocean every year. They haven't felt the need to travel very far upriver in leaner years. They kept to lower rivers and tributaries, making Washington's Cowlitz River a top smelt destination.

This year, though, crowds of smelt kept moving up the Columbia, and some took a right turn at the Sandy River. Biologists say this year's lower water levels caused by the dry winter might have affected their movement.

But, Watts said, "A lot's not known about these critters."

Last week people jogged down to the riverbank with their old wooden smelt nets, most about 16 feet long.

The dipping was mixed. The fish stuck to the middle of the river, out of reach of most nets. But the talk on the bridge was that these were pilot runs or that the fish would surge upriver in the evening.

"I imagine you'll see a different Troutdale," said Len Otto, who used to live near the riverbank and is the son of the deceased former Troutdale mayor and state legislator. "You'll see cars from all over; you'll see businesses put small nets out front. I'm just thrilled that they're back.

"I'm going to get back from work, put a net in the back and get out there."

Permit now required for canal weed control

PORTLAND (AP) -- A federal appeals court has overturned a lower court ruling, deciding in favor of two Oregon environmental groups in a lawsuit against a Southern Oregon irrigation district.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled that the Talent Irrigation District in Southern Oregon must get a Clean Water Act permit if it is to use acrolein, a highly toxic compound harmful to fish and wildlife, to control weeds in its irrigation canals.

The decision could add significant government oversight to agricultural practices.

The lawsuit stemmed from a 1996 spill into Bear Creek of acrolien by the Talent Irrigation District to clean its irrigation ditches. Ashland-based Headwaters and the Oregon Natural Resources Council sued the irrigation district under the Clean Water Act. Environmentalists argued that the irrigation district did not have the proper permits to apply an aquatic herbicide that contains acrolien.

In May 1996, the herbicide accidentally flowed through a gate into Bear Creek, killing thousands of juvenile steelhead.

The district court ruled that the irrigation canals were waters of the United States, and therefore covered by the Clean Water Act. But the court ruled that the irrigation district did not need a permit to discharge the chemical.

The appeals court reversed that decision. The case now will return to the district court for further proceedings on damages against the irrigation district.

"This is a complete victory for the environment," said Charlie Tebbutt, a lawyer with the Western Environmental Law Center in Eugene.

Craig Smith of the Family Farm Coalition said the ruling could hurt farmers by bringing overly restrictive regulations. "You could have a situation where the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approves a pesticide but then you have to get a permit to use it," he said. "It doesn't make sense."

Environmental Watch: Jordan joins Perteet

EVERETT -- Perteet has announced the hiring of Jim Jordan as the manager of the firm's new environmental services department.

Jordan has a variety of experience in the region including watershed planning for the Cedar River, environmental studies for Interstate 405 improvements and siting studies for electrical transmission facilities.

As environmental services manager, Jordan will be responsible for developing environmental impact statements, project permitting materials and resource management plans.

In addition to Everett, Perteet also has offices in Lakewood and Snoqualmie. The firm, with 75 employees, provides a wide range of civil and transportation engineering services.

Most earthquake debris is recyclable

SEATTLE -- Trying to figure out what to do with your earthquake rubble?

King County wants to remind the building community that much of it can be recycled. Concrete, rock, asphalt, brick, drywall, metal and unpainted wood can all be recycled locally for less cost than throwing it away.

With the earthquake damage estimates in King County standing at $173 million so far, the amount of rubble generated could be large. Bill Smith, a project manager at the county’s Solid Waste Division, said that major recyclers in the area are ready for business.

"We don’t know for sure that there’s a lot of rubble," he said, "it’s still too early to tell," though the amount could start piling up once structurally weakened buildings are demolished.

Smith suggests to include recycling provisions in contracts and bid documents when the buildings are torn down.

King County’s Web site lists a pair of resources that should prove helpful to those who wish to recycle, including the Construction Recycling Directory and the Reusable Building Materials Exchange.

Find them both on the Web at http://www.metrokc.gov/swd/ by following the Solid Waste Division’s link to Earthquake Cleanup Resources.

Ecology fines dairy

OLYMPIA -- The state Department of Ecology has fined an eastern Clark County dairy $10,000 for discharging milk waste into Mud Creek, a tributary of Salmon Creek.

According to Ecology, the Huntington Dairy in Brush Prairie violated the conditions of its dairy permit by dumping milk parlor wastes into the creek. In 1999 Ecology issued an administrative ruling ordering the dairy to cease the dumping practice and seek assistance in developing a farm plan.

Salmon Creek is on Ecology's list of polluted waters because of excessive fecal coliform bacteria and high temperatures.

Milk parlor waste typically contains unhealthy levels of fecal coliform.

Sierra Club warns of bottomfish decline

OTTAWA (AP) -- Canada's west coast bottomfish populations are declining, and some stocks may be as severely depleted as their East Coast relatives, according to a Sierra Club report.

The report issued Monday said the federal government's auditor general should investigate the conduct of the Fisheries and Oceans Department concerning 100 species of fish, including hake, halibut, cod and rockfish.

More funds for scientific research also are needed, the report said.

Out of the department's $195 million Pacific Coast budget, $3.25 million goes for research on groundfish, which comprise more than half the British Columbia marine fish catch by tonnage.

"The lion's share of DFO's West Coast fisheries management and science budget is spent on salmon, herring, and a few other (pelagic) species," says the 24-page report by analyst Terry Glavin.

Glavin wrote that there is no science on an "alarming number" of bottom-dwelling species which, at $88.4 million annually, are collectively the most valuable fishery on the West Coast.

Elizabeth May, the Sierra Club's executive director, said the situation resembles that which led to the collapse of the northern cod and other groundfish species in Atlantic Canada years ago.

Catches are shrinking along with the average size of fish caught, similar to the way stocks declined before 40,000 Atlantic Canadians lost their jobs to fishing moratoriums, May said.

"One would think in the years since the collapse of the Atlantic cod stocks that we would have learned something about fisheries management in Canada," she said.

Billboard company rebuffed by court

SALEM, Ore. (AP) -- The Oregon Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a challenge by a Medford advertising company that sought to overturn a state law restricting the number of billboards along highways.

Outdoor Media Dimensions, which earlier was ordered by the state to remove billboards along Interstate 5, sought to overturn the law on grounds that it violates free speech provisions in both the state and federal constitutions.

The Supreme Court didn't address those issues as it sided with lower court rulings upholding the billboard restrictions. Instead, it said the Medford company had failed to exhaust its administrative remedies earlier in the case.

The 1965 federal Highway Beautification Act limits billboards along major highways in scenic and rural areas, and it also requires states to adopt implementing legislation or face losing 10 percent of their federal highway funds.

Oregon's 1971 law goes beyond the federal law, limiting billboards on all state highways, prohibiting them in scenic areas and capping the overall number of billboards at about 2,000.

The state and federal laws deal only with billboards that advertise services at another location.

Alan Herson, a Medford lawyer who represents Outdoor Media Dimensions, said he was disappointed that the Supreme Court had ruled on a technical point.

"There are other challenges pending throughout the state," Herson said. "The time will come when the Supreme Court will have to reach the constitutional issues on their merits."

A spokesman for the Oregon Attorney General Hardy Myers' office said that while the Supreme Court didn't reach the constitutional issues in the case, the effect of Thursday's ruling is unambiguous.

"What the Supreme Court has said is that the Oregon Department of Transportation can continue to implement this law," spokesman Kevin Neely said.

Rules change for electric bikes

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Battery-powered bicycles, promoted as environmentally friendly, would be regulated as a consumer product rather than a motor vehicle under a bill passed Tuesday by the House.

The legislation passed 401-1, with only Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, voting against it. The bill's author, Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., said his bill represents "a commonsense approach ..., treating bicycles like bicycles."

Bicycles equipped with low-powered electric motors weighing under 100 pounds and with a top motor-powered speed of 20 miles per hour are now under the jurisdiction of the National Highway Traffic Safety Commission.

Stearns' bill switches the safety jurisdiction for them to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Similar legislation was passed by the House last year but never saw action in the Senate. It now moves to the Senate for consideration.

The legislation was sought by, among others, Zapworld.com, a Sebastopol, Calif., manufacturer of motorized vehicles which has been making electric bicycles since 1994.

Unlike most gas-powered mopeds and motorcycles, which take no human exertion, electric bikes are made to pedal but get a boost from a rechargeable battery that hangs on the crossbar below the seat.

By combining human sweat and electricity, they are considered a hybrid vehicle, designed to go at speeds of up to 20 mph and to have the battery recharged by plugging it in at night.

Safety commission regulation of the new bikes, defined by Stearns' bill as low-speed electric bicycles with two or three wheels and an electric motor of less than 750 watts, means cost savings for manufacturers, which might otherwise have to contend with costly safety equipment akin to that used in motor vehicles.

"We just haven't seen the hue and cry to have it regulated like a car," Stearns said in an interview Monday.

"We want to keep it under consumer laws where it's treated like a bike."

Environmental Watch: An auspicious beginning

BELLEVUE -- It was out of the frying pan and into the fire when licensed building inspector Chuck Weaver signed on with engineering and environmental services firm Kleinfelder last week.

The time? 10:54 a.m. Wednesday.

"We showed him his desk, handed him a flashlight, hard hat, clipboard and cell phone and sent him on his way," said area manager Bill Gates, no not the guy at the swinging chandelier conference.

"Weaver signed the letter and we have hardly seen him since," said Gates.

Employee-owned Kleinfelder has more than 1,400 employees in the western U.S. and annual revenues of approximately $110 million.

Assembled trees get erosion control award

FEDERAL WAY -- ELWd Systems has received the Excellence in Technology Award for 2001 from the International Erosion Control Association for the firm's signature product.

That product, the ELWd (engineered large woody debris) is used extensively in stream restorations throughout the Northwest. The key to the success of the ELWd is that it mimics fallen old growth trees that naturally benefit riparian habitats at a fraction of the cost and effort.

The ELWd is made up of small logs which are assembled on site using a patented method into a larger log.

According to ELWd Systems, "In the environment, an ELWd log acts much like a larger, old-growth log would, providing habitat for both animals and plants as well as providing attractive and effective erosion control."

The award was presented to ELWd Systems for their application of technology innovation to "reduce erosion and sediment, and to improve water and air quality."

ELWd Systems is a division of Forest Concepts LLC, a developer and manufacturer of wood products for habitat and watershed restoration.

State recycling award nominees sought

OLYMPIA -- The Washington Department of Ecology is seeking nominees for its annual Waste Reduction and Recycling Awards.

Governments, businesses, groups and individuals are eligible for the six awards in the following categories: best small business program, best large business program, best federal facility, best small government program, best large government program and special recognition for achievement.

Application forms are due by April 9. To receive forms call (800) RECYCLE (800-732-9253) or go to http://www.ecy.wa.gov/biblio/0107006.html.

The awards will be presented on May 8 at the annual conference of the Washington State Recycling Association in Yakima.

Study looks at smog in parks

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) -- A group of scientists has begun tackling a curious problem for parks and wilderness areas in the West: smog.

Seen as an urban ill, smog and haze also can shroud remote, otherwise scenic spots like the Grand Canyon, Yosemite's Half Dome and Joshua Tree National Park in the desert east of Los Angeles.

Armed with $1 million in federal research money, scientists from the University of California, Riverside have started work with a consortium of 12 Western states, as well as Native American and federal officials, to develop the first model explaining how car exhaust and other pollutants find their way to the sites.

The two-year project, centered at the university's Bourns College of Engineering Center for Environmental Research and Technology, will address the air quality in 160 national parks, monuments and wilderness areas.

"The national parks are national parks for a reason," said Mitch Boretz, a technical planning manager at the environmental center. "We really want to make all the effort we can to protect them."

The typical visual range at monuments and national parks in the West is 62 to 93 miles -- half to two-thirds what it would be without pollution, according to Environmental Protection Agency documents.

At times, visitors to the Grand Canyon, which drew 4.8 million people last year, cannot see the other side.

Researchers work to restore bighorn population

RIGGINS, Idaho (AP) -- The Hells Canyon Initiative, established in the mid-1990s, has achieved some of its bighorn sheep restoration goals now that about 800 of the animals live in the area.

The sheep live in 15 different herds, but still only make up a fraction of the numbers that once inhabited Hells Canyon.

The initiative works to bring wild sheep back to their historical abundance and learn more about the factors that affect bighorn populations throughout North America. It was launched by federal agencies, the states of Idaho, Washington and Oregon, and the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep.

"The thing that's really exciting about Hells Canyon is how much potential sheep habitat is here," said Frances Cassirer, tri-state coordinator for the Hells Canyon Initiative. "There's literally over a million acres of sheep habitat."

Cassirer, who also works as an Idaho Fish and Game research biologist, said the agencies that created the Hells Canyon Initiative collect information that should help determine what controls the sheep's population.

"Most of the time as biologists we look at habitat, predation, weather or some combination of those as what regulates the population," Cassirer said. "And that certainly may be true in sheep. But we think that perhaps disease, rather than being a consequence of habitat, might actually be a primary player."

Scientists believe that before white settlers arrived, Hells Canyon supported thousands of wild sheep. Evidence of their abundance is etched onto the canyon walls -- bighorns are the most commonly depicted animal in the area's ancient rock art. And many Hells Canyon archeological sites yield more wild sheep bones than any other animal.

But the bighorn population has struggled recently due to noxious weeds and outbreaks of pneumonia.

Part of Fish and Game biologists' research is to evaluate both adult and lamb survival. Studies have shown that the number of lambs surviving the summer can often determine the difference between an increasing or declining population.

"They've had really good production," Cassirer said. "Most of the ewes have lambs and so it looks like in a few years we should have 100 sheep here."

Crater Lake license plate proposed

MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) -- Oregonians may no longer have to drive too far to see Crater Lake -- it could show up on a car in front of them.

Sen. Jason Atkinson, R-Jacksonville, has proposed a bill that would create a specialty license plate honoring the 100th anniversary of Oregon's only national park.

Crater Lake was formed 7,700 years ago when Mount Mazama erupted and then collapsed into itself. President Theodore Roosevelt signed a bill making Crater Lake -- the deepest lake in the country -- a national park on May 22, 1902.

Klamath County Commissioner Steve West estimates the specialty plates, which would cost $20 per vehicle, could raise $1 million. All of the revenue would be spent on projects to enhance the national park. The plates would only be available through 2004.

"The people of Oregon have a special relationship with Crater Lake," said Park Superintendent Chuck Lundy. "It's a bit of a love affair -- a sense of ownership and concern that I haven't found in the other states where I have been assigned."

The bill to create the Crater Lake plate already has been heard in the state's transportation committee and is slated to go before the Senate Ways and Means Committee in the next few weeks.

About 500,000 of the specialty Oregon Trail license plates were sold from 1993 to 1997. The plates cost $10 per car, and generated $2.5 million.

The Oregon Salmon license plate was authorized by the Legislature in 1997. About 30,000 of the $15 plates were sold, producing about $900,000. Those funds are divided between salmon recovery programs and state park programs.

"I think you'll see people who have never participated in a specialty plate buy this one," said Klamath County Commissioner Steve West. "Crater lake belongs to everyone in Oregon."

Environmental Watch: Yakima River bacteria exceed limits

YAKIMA -- A draft study released by the Washington state Department of Ecology says that concentrations of fecal coliform bacteria draining into the Yakima River near Granger are 10 times higher than state water quality standards.

Suspected sources of the bacteria are the improper application of manure in farming and runoff from animal feeding operations. Other smaller components of the problem are failing septic systems and untreated sewage.

The agency is consulting with local groups and citizens on methods to prevent the bacteria from entering the watershed. For a copy of the Granger report call Ecology's Gregory Bohn at (509) 454-4174.

NEBC stormwater lunch at new locale

SEATTLE -- The Northwest Environmental Business Council's monthly Professional Environmental Marketing Committee lunch will be held Wednesday, March 7, at the Pyramid Brewery, 1201 First Ave. S. in Seattle, beginning at 11:30 a.m.

Tony Barrett of the Washington state Department of Ecology will discuss upcoming changes in statewide stormwater management regulations.

The Pyramid is located across from Safeco Field. Parking is behind the building. The cost of the event is $25 for NEBC members and guests and $40 for others. For more information, contact the NEBC at (888) 609-NEBC.

First 2001 Earth Heroes named

SEATTLE -- King County has named Eddie Bauer Inc., Sara Patton, Ciscoe Morris and Koji Norikane as the first Earth Heroes of 2001 to recognize the contributions they have made in protecting the environment.

During an awards ceremony, County Executive Ron Sims highlighted Eddie Bauer's energy conservation efforts and their tree-planting program.

Patton was honored for her work at the Northwest Energy Coalition, where she has been director since 1993. The Northwest Energy Coalition focuses on energy conservation and renewable energy.

Ciscoe Morris is the director of grounds and landscaping at Seattle University and a renowned advocate of environmentally friendly gardening practices.

Norikane has served as president of the Puget Sound Vegetable Growers Association and other agricultural groups. He was instrumental in implementing farmland preservation in the Kent Valley, serving on the committee that analyzed the purchase of development rights of agricultural land in King County.

Earth Heroes are nominated by King County employees as part of the county's Earth Legacy program.

Locke: transportation key to economy

OLYMPIA (AP) -- Over the next 20 years, an additional 2 million vehicles will clog Washington's highways, and lawmakers must act this session to begin fixing the worst choke points, Gov. Gary Locke said.

"It's about saving our economy. It's about saving jobs in the state of Washington. And if you're stuck in traffic, it's about saving and preserving your own sanity," the governor told the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO Friday.

The Democratic governor urged organized labor to turn up the heat under state legislators to adopt a package of transportation reform measures, an ambitious list of highway, ferry and transit projects, and a revenue package to take to the voters this fall.

In his strongest sales pitch yet, Locke gave an economic argument for addressing some of America's most congested highways, as well as shoring up transit and ferries.

"We're on a collision course with reality," he said. "It has enormous effects on our prosperity. We're losing $2 billion a year in lost productivity because of our transportation mess."

Locke hasn't embraced a revenue package, but is seeking about $9 billion in additional money for the next six years.

First, the Legislature must pass a package of bills to make the Department of Transportation more efficient and accountable, he said. Then lawmakers must agree on a list of projects to fix the major choke points -- and only then, he said, will they consider how to pay for it.

As examples, he mentioned separating downtown train and auto traffic in Seattle and Yakima, widening lanes on Interstate 90 in Spokane and on I-5 in Southwest Washington, extending car pool lanes from Everett to Lynnwood, providing "essential" transit services, and improving the ferry system, including replacing four aging vessels.

Despite the complexity and political difficulty, Locke said he's optimistic that lawmakers will step up to the mark. He told the labor convention he plans to keep the Legislature in session until they reach agreement.

Portland plan fails to cut emissions

PORTLAND (AP) -- The first city in the nation to adopt a plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions is reconsidering the effort as carbon dioxide levels continue to rise. Despite the plan, carbon dioxide emissions in Portland and Multnomah County grew by more than 7 percent during the 1990s.

City officials cite a variety of reasons for that increase: population growth, more vehicles driving more miles and a growing reliance on natural gas for power after the nearby Trojan nuclear plant was closed.

Rather than scrap a strategy that has become a model for local governments worldwide, Portland officials are rethinking their goals and discussing new ways to get the city moving in the right direction.

The city has come up with a new draft plan, called "Local Action Plan on Global Warming," which contains proposals that include transit passes for all Portland residents, paid for by a household or business tax, and a citywide parking permit with a fee determined by a vehicle's greenhouse gas emissions.

Activists who have spent several years trying to raise public awareness of global warming hesitate to criticize the city, saying that Portland simply might have been out of the gate too early. Still, city officials are more confident about seeing reductions in the future because a growing number of businesses are examining how they contribute to global warming and what they can do about it.

Wildlife refuge eyed for nuke site

DENVER (AP) -- Two Colorado lawmakers will ask Congress a second time to transform Rocky Flats, one of the nation's most polluted former nuclear weapons plants, into a national wildlife refuge.

A similar bill introduced by the two men last year failed, and Democratic Rep. Mark Udall and Republican Sen. Wayne Allard acknowledged the bill faces an uphill battle this year. However, they said it is important to preserve the area as open space.

"In essence, we will be converting bombs into birds, weapons into wildlife, armaments into open space," Udall said.

If approved, the Rocky Flats refuge would become the second built on contaminated land in metropolitan Denver. The Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Area, where chemical weapons and pesticides were manufactured for decades, has become a haven for bald eagles and other species while an environmental cleanup is under way.

The bill would set aside 6,000 acres at the plant site about 16 miles northwest of Denver. It already is home to hundreds of species of plants, animals and birds. Changes since last fall's version would allow area governments access to water that crosses the site, increase the role of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for oversight of resources and allow room for highway widening.

Environmentalists will watch to see that the plant's cleanup standards are met.

"There are definite concerns in the environmental community about whether this is an attempt to evade cleaning up these kinds of facilities," said Susan LeFever of the Sierra Club.

For 40 years, triggers for nuclear weapons were made at Rocky Flats. It was closed in 1989 after a raid by federal agents prompted by chronic safety problems.

A recent report says most of the work is on track to meet the Dec. 15, 2006, cleanup deadline, including decontamination and decommissioning of buildings and disposing of low-level waste. Some buildings and land are heavily contaminated by plutonium and other radioactive and toxic wastes.

Closing the plant requires getting rid of more than 700 facilities totaling about 3.5 million square feet. The cost is estimated at $4 billion.

Environmental Watch: Wallack joins Intertox

SEATTLE -- Rachel Wallack, an environmental management specialist has joined Intertox.

Wallack recently served as the Lower Columbia River Monitoring Plan coordinator. At Intertox she will be responsible for the analysis of environmental data and potential human and ecological impacts.

Wallack holds a masters degree in environmental management from Portland State University and degrees in environmental science and geology from The George Washington University.

Intertox, founded in 1995, is a toxicology and public health consulting firm specializing in toxicology, epidemiology, ecology and environmental science.

OGI to offer new enviro tech program

BEAVERTON -- The Oregon Graduate Institute of Science and Technology will launch a new program this fall in environmental information management.

"The Environmental Information Technology program will provide students with a deep understanding of environmental processes along with a mastery of sensing, modeling and information technology," said Antonio Baptista, head of OGI's Department of Environmental Science and Engineering.

The EIT doctoral program will debut in fall 2001, followed by the master's program in September 2002.

For more information call Patty Toccalino at (503) 748-1083.

BPA commits $200M more to conservation

The Bonneville Power Administration has unveiled a $200 million energy conservation program six months early due to the current energy squeeze.

Regional utilities that buy power from BPA will be eligible for funding for conservation and renewable energy programs. Participating utilities will get a discount on their wholesale power rates from BPA.

Among the projects that qualify are distributed generation such as fuel cells fueled by ethanol, solar power, wind and fuel-efficient biogas turbines.

BPA already has $645 million worth of other conservation programs in place. these include financing of conservation measures, a demand management program for large industrial users and fluorescent lamp rebates.

Built-e's Barker re-elected to green building board

SEATTLE -- Built-e, a provider of sustainable building products, project consulting and information announced that Lynne Barker, the firm's vice president of business and policy development, has been re-elected to the board of the U.S. Green Building Council.

Built-e recently launched a Web site that provides sustainable building information and materials for purchase at http://www.built-e.com.

Before joining built-e, Barker was with Sellen Construction. She also serves on the city of Seattle's Environmental Management Oversight Panel.

Coast walk to fund beach cleanup

SALEM, Ore. (AP) -- SOLV, the group responsible for Oregon's famous beach cleanups, has announced a new fund-raising event to clear the sand of garbage -- a summer walk along the entire coastline.

Called the SOLV Oregon Legacy Walk, the plan is for participants to start June 30 at the California border and hike north in five- to 10-mile increments until reaching the Clatsop Spit at Oregon's northernmost tip on Aug. 19.

SOLV is a statewide anti-litter group founded in 1969 by Gov. Tom McCall.

Jack McGowan, executive director of SOLV, said the Legacy Walk has two purposes: to promote volunteerism and environmental stewardship in Oregon and to raise money for an endowment fund to continue SOLV's beach, river and community cleanups.

The goal is $1 million, which would come from per-mile pledges collected by participants.

"We think it can be done here in Oregon," said McGowan, a former TV personality. "I don't think it could be done in California. I don't think it could be done in New York."

McGowan already has attracted some big backers. Nike has agreed to be the main sponsor of the event.

In addition to Nike's sponsorship, registration fees of $15 per day will cover much of the cost.

The event will occur six days a week, with Mondays off for rest. Participants can join in at any stage, and walk any length.

Environmental groups ask judge to stop new forest rules

WASHINGTON (AP) -- New regulations give the U.S. Forest Service too much freedom to decide how to manage the nation's forests, environmental groups say.

The regulations, released by the Clinton administration in November, made forest health the top priority for governing more than 190 million acres of federal lands. They gave Forest Service officials the ability to limit logging, skiing, hiking and other activities if they determined the activities could permanently harm the ecosystem.

The Western Environmental Law Center, which planned to file suit Friday on behalf of a dozen conservation groups, says the regulations are ambiguous and it worries the Forest Service will misuse them.

A Forest Service official declined to comment.

When the regulations were announced, the Forest Service cheered them as a much-need commitment to forest health, as well as other uses for the forest, including logging.

"We cannot do things that could put resources at risk," said Agriculture Department Undersecretary Jim Lyons, who oversees the Forest Service. "Ecological sustainability is the foundation upon which future management decisions will be made."

The overhaul of the regulations had been in the works since the first Bush administration. It was the first time in almost two decades the Forest Service changed the rules implementing the National Forest Management Act of 1976, a law that governs activities in federal forests.

Earlier this month, William Banzhaf, executive vice president of the Society of American Foresters, wrote Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman, who has oversight of the Forest Service, recommending the department re-examine the new regulations.

"If these regulations are not changed, protection of native plant, animal and fish species could become the dominant, if not the exclusive, purpose for the 191 million acres of the National Forest System," Banzhaf wrote, arguing the new regulations break the law.

The environmental groups planed to file suit in the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California.

Among the groups were the Idaho Sporting Congress, Cascadia Wildlife Project and Citizens for Better Forestry.

Complex land and hatchery deal comes to fruition

YAKIMA (AP) -- Hundreds of acres of good elk and fish habitat in central Washington have been traded for an old fish hatchery in a complicated land swap that took several government agencies and a nonprofit group 10 years to complete.

In the end, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation split ownership of the 680-acre Heart K Ranch on Taneum Creek, seven miles northwest of Ellensburg in Kittitas County.

"We got the uplands and the bureau got the riparian (creek) area," Del Peterson, regional lands manager for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, said.

The city of Yakima and Yakima County ended up with the old hatchery so they could meet some Federal Aviation Administration requirements to expand the adjacent Yakima airport.

The acreage is winter range for 100 to 200 head of elk, and Taneum Creek is steelhead spawning habitat.

"The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation deserves most of the credit for this," Peterson said. "With their money, they basically saved that property up there from development, and they held it until other resource agencies could pick it up."

The foundation bought the land from Loel Knudson in 1991, but the state didn't have the money then to acquire the acreage.

Late last year, the state transferred ownership of the defunct Yakima Fish Hatchery to the foundation in exchange for 310 acres of the Heart K Ranch. The foundation then sold the hatchery to the city and county for $378,000.

The hatchery dates back to the 1930s, when "it was a state-of-the-art hatchery. But since we're in the next millennium, it's kind of gone downhill," Peterson said.

The hatchery was used primarily for raising rainbow trout to stock lakes for sport fishing. It was closed in 1993 and is being demolished, Peterson said.

Environmental Watch: Hart Crowser promotes three and hires one

SEATTLE -- Environmental services firm Hart Crowser has announced a new hire and three promotions.

Bolstering the firm's marketing side, Hart Crowser has promoted Shannon McFarlin to corporate communications manager. McFarlin has been with the firm for two years and has over a decade in public relations and marketing communications experience.

Also in marketing, Susan Kemp has joined the firm as a senior marketing specialist. An eight-year veteran of the architecture and engineering field, Kemp will focus on proposal development and other marketing needs. Previously, she was marketing manager at Landau Associates.

Pentec Environmental, a division of Hart Crowser, has promoted Susan Rittle to senior project manager. Previously she had been managing the marketing activities at Pentec's Edmonds office.

In environmental compliance, Hart Crowser has named Echo Summers a senior associate. Formerly an environmental compliance specialist, Summers concentrates on hazardous waste management, environmental assessments and regulatory interpretations and negotiations.

Based in Seattle, Hart Crowser is an environmental and engineering consulting firm with 275 employees. In addition to Seattle the firm maintains offices in Alaska, Oregon, California, Illinois, Colorado, New Jersey and Massachusetts.

Ecology reaches deal on BNSF site

SPOKANE -- The state Department of Ecology has reached a consent agreement with Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF) to clean up the Aluminum Recycling Corp. site in Spokane.

The site, in the Hillyard area, contains about 65,000 cubic yards of aluminum smelting waste. The waste, which came from area aluminum manufacturers, used to be reprocessed on the site.

The site was abandoned in 1987, and subsequent investigations revealed that the groundwater was contaminated with chloride, fluoride, nitrate and lead.

The companies identified as responsible are BNSF, Kaiser Aluminum and Alumax, Inc.

A public hearing will be held on the consent decree on March 5 at 7 p.m. at the Northeast Community Center, 4001 North Cook St., Spokane.

Energy crisis aids chum salmon

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- The Western energy crisis has helped one kind of salmon on the Columbia River but is likely to harm other salmon species, biologists say.

A rush of extra water from reservoirs in Eastern Washington, Idaho and Montana has helped Columbia River chum salmon, a once abundant species that was added to the federal endangered species list in 1999.

Nicknamed "dog salmon" because they were traditionally fed to sled dogs in Alaska, the male chum develop hooked jaws and fierce-looking teeth to protect the nests of eggs they have fertilized.

If the BPA had not stepped up power production to the region in January, several hundred chum nests would have been left high and dry in gravel beds downriver from Bonneville Dam, the last hydroelectric dam in the string of 29 along the Columbia and Snake rivers.

The water that was released to generate power normally would be held in the reservoirs until spring and summer, partly to help flush millions of young chinook, sockeye, coho and steelhead toward the ocean.

Frank Cassidy, chairman of the Northwest Power Planning Council, the four-state regional council responsible for balancing energy production with fish and wildlife conservation, criticized the decision. The species that need spring and summer flows, particularly chinook and steelhead, are more important to the Northwest, Cassidy said.

The Columbia once teemed with chum salmon. Annual runs in the first half of the century topped 1 million -- about the total for all salmon species in recent years.

But like other salmon, the species has declined. Biologists say a key reason is that chum spawn along gravel beds where ground water emerges from below the surface.

Such areas have disappeared as levees have been built along the Columbia and urban development has reduced ground water recharging.

Henshaw opens Bothell office

BOTHELL -- Henshaw Associates, an environmental consulting firm specializing in legal, forensic, environmental management and geologic services, has opened an office in Bothell.

Michael Moore and Stephen Dailey, P.E., will head up the Bothell staff.

Henshaw Associates was founded in 1996. Headquartered in Dublin, Calif., Henshaw also has offices in Chicago and Portland.

Stores clearing shelves of energy-efficient supplies

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Home improvement and hardware stores are selling energy-efficient products at a record pace this year, signaling that Californians are willing to spend a little more to use power more efficiently.

Cold temperatures and the repeated threat of rolling blackouts this year have prompted consumers to invest in fluorescent lightbulbs, insulation and weather stripping.

Fluorescent bulbs, which typically last 10 times longer than incandescent lights, have been the hottest seller. Each sell for $10 to $15.

The deluge of questions about energy-efficient products has prompted Home Depot to offer free, one-hour clinics to demonstrate cost-saving measures and help customers learn more about their homes.

Ofelia Lerma, 75, of Pasadena has a $300 bi-monthly electricity bill that she expects will drop significantly once she spends $300 to $600 to blanket her attic and basement with insulation.

"If I can reduce my electricity bill, I am certainly going to try," she said. "I think in the long run we will save more money by making the improvements rather than what we pay now for electricity."

Others like Jack Stephanian, who used to leave the lights on most of the day in his La Canada-Flintridge home, is now focusing on reducing power use by installing new windows that reduce heat loss and purchasing a more energy-efficient refrigerator.

"Buying products that will cut your energy bills seem like a smart decision," he said.

Polar bears booming along Beaufort Sea

ANCHORAGE (AP) -- Polar bears around the Beaufort Sea appear to be thriving, according to a leading researcher. Residents of the area say they've also noticed more bears.

Steven Amstrup, of the U.S. Geological Survey's Biological Science Center, told an environmental forum last week that the population could be at an historic high.

The population is benefiting from the near-complete ban on polar bear hunting for the past three decades, Amstrup said. But other factors may be involved such as changes in the weather, ice pack or number of ringed seals, the bears' favorite food.

Whatever the reasons, Amstrup said, "the population seems to be in really good shape right now."

He estimates the number of polar bears occupying the Beaufort Sea ice between Barrow and the Tuktoyaktuk Peninsula of Canada may exceed 2,500. Earlier estimates indicated about 700 fewer bears.

The population has apparently increased at more than 2 percent a year for the past three decades, Amstrup told the Alaska Forum on the Environment.

Even if there are more bears, Amstrup said, the population should still be managed conservatively. Polar bears reproduce slowly, not maturing until they are 6 years old and producing just two cubs per litter.

Environmental Watch: WSU engineer wins prestigious award

PULLMAN -- Frank Loge, a member of the environmental and civil engineering faculties at Washington State University, won the National Science Foundation's Faculty Early Career Development Award.

The award recognizes early career scientists and engineers who show potential for outstanding leadership in their fields. The award also bestows a five-year grant of $350,000.

Loge's research focuses on the interaction between engineered and natural systems and public health. His work on the health risks of wastewater disinfection has been lauded in the field.

"Water is becoming much more of a precious commodity," Loge said. "We're reusing it on a much more frequent basis, and treated wastewater is being used for irrigation and even drinking water."

Loge's work is designed to provide community leaders with the scientific information needed to make decisions on wastewater recycling.

BPA criticized for draining reservoirs

PORTLAND (AP) -- Faced with buying extra power at stratospheric prices or giving up water saved for salmon, officials with the Bonneville Power Administration say they had no choice last month but to draw down reservoirs.

"It's not something we'd do if we didn't have to," said Dulcy Mahar, a spokeswoman for BPA. "We were feeling that our economic viability was in jeopardy."

But salmon advocates are alarmed -- especially with Western power markets tightening. They say the decision shows that, at crunch time, salmon will be sacrificed for power.

."The fact that the federal government is abrogating its salmon promises is very, very troubling," said Rob Smith, an attorney with the Nez Perce Tribe in Idaho. "It calls the federal government's commitment to salmon restoration into question."

When the federal government decided in December not to breach four dams on the lower Snake River for salmon, it promised alternative measures, including large releases of water in the spring and summer to help young salmon reach the ocean.

The federal plan released in December said that water stored behind federal dams should be held until spring and summer to carry millions of young chinook, steelhead, sockeye and coho to the Pacific Ocean.

Those releases are more important to salmon than ever because this year is near drought. Unless rains this spring are unexpectedly heavy, rivers this spring and summer will be warm and stagnant.

But on Jan. 18, as runoff forecasts were getting grimmer, BPA declared a power emergency and announced it was releasing water. By declaring the emergency, it freed itself of tough regulation under the Endangered Species Act.

Jones & Stokes adds aquatic toxicologist

BELLEVUE -- Allan Chartrand has joined the Bellevue office of Jones & Stokes as a senior aquatic toxicologist.

Chartrand specializes in designing field investigations and data analysis for contaminated sediment remediations, including dredging evaluations, National Environmental Policy Act and Endangered Species Act studies and hazardous waste evaluations.

Chartrand is a former water quality scientist with the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board and has 13 years of consulting experience in the Northwest.

Environmental consulting firm Jones & Stokes is headquartered in Sacramento with seven other offices, including Bellevue, in the western U.S.

EHSI forges two new alliances

BELLEVUE -- EHS-International has announced two new alliances to bolster its industrial hygiene and environmental practice areas.

EHSI's alliance with WPS Emergency Planning of Bellevue, developers of emergency planning software, will allow the firm to offer cost-effective emergency response and recovery plans to its clients.

Another alliance with Theodor D. Sterling and Associates of Vancouver, B.C., will add benchmark indoor air quality studies to EHSI's industrial hygiene services.

EHSI specializes in the identification, abatement and management of regulated hazardous materials, and occupational health and safety.

Portland OKs green roof measure

PORTLAND -- In an effort to improve Portland's stormwater runoff, the Portland City Council last week passed a bill that would grant height incentives to buildings equipped with plant-filled "green roofs."

These living roofs, in which plants and soil are installed on top of a membrane and a drainage layer, can detain from 15 to 100 percent of the water that falls on them.

Portland is also exploring the idea of stormwater fee rebates for buildings that install the living roofs.

The green roof idea has been around for decades, most notably in Europe. In the United States, Chicago's City Hall is probably the most well known building with a living roof system.

Oyster growers seek pesticide alternative

BAY CENTER, Grays Harbor County (AP) -- The Willapa-Grays Harbor Oysters Growers Association has agreed to try to find ways to reduce the use of a pesticide that poisons some other food fish and shellfish.

For years, growers have used carbaryl to control burrowing shrimp that attack oyster beds. Most use it sparingly, but the pesticide is lethal to Dungeness crabs, salmon and other marine life.

Under an agreement reached last week with the state Ecology Department, growers must develop an "integrated pest management plan" to eventually control shrimp without the use of carbaryl by March 29, 2002.

"It's basically an agreement that they will look for alternatives and it sets deadlines for them to provide information," said Sandy Howard, an Ecology Department spokeswoman. "Naturally, I think a lot of people would like to connect the dots and say, 'yes, this will lead to less use of carbaryl,' but at this point all we can say is that it puts them on the path to discovering alternatives."

Oysters are produced in a four-year cycle, and reducing the use of carbaryl will take a while, said Bill Dewey, a spokesman for the oyster growers.

"It's not something where you just turn the switch and make it happen," Dewey said. "If we lost carbaryl tomorrow, the industry would be out of business within six years.

"This agreement is just a commitment from the industry to find ways to do business in the most environmentally sound ways possible."

Will trash pickup curb rural dumping?

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) -- Kentucky's governor has proposed mandatory curbside garbage pickup at every home in the state in hopes of breaking Kentuckians' habit of dumping everything from rusty appliances to kitchen garbage in the hills and hollows.

Under the proposed legislation, each county would decide how to provide trash pickup. Homeowners and businesses would pay the cost, which Gov. Paul Patton, a Democrat, said averages $10.58 per month where service is already available.

Until 20 years ago, trash service was rare if not unheard of in eastern Kentucky. The mountainous terrain made sewer lines difficult and expensive to install, and coal company towns were flimsily constructed.

Each county is now supposed to provide a way for people to dispose of garbage, but in many communities that consists of nothing more than a centrally located Dumpster. The result, according to the state, is about 3,000 illegal dumps.

Another Democrat, House Majority Floor Leader Greg Stumbo, has proposed his own plan, which includes a half-cent fee on fast-food cups and other containers.

Political opposition to any tax, fee or deposit is stiff. Senate President David Williams, a Republican, has already declared any proposals that raise money dead for this session.

Environmental Watch: Medina joins LDC Design Group

BELLEVUE -- LDC Design Group, headquartered in Hillsboro, Ore., has added John Medina, P.E. to manage its Bellevue office. Medina has 35 years experience in public works as an engineer, as well as consulting experience in the private sector.

LDC Design Group specializes in infrastructure and facilities design, water resources planning and management. The company has an additional office in Vancouver and is affiliated with CTS Engineers of Bellevue and Meckel Engineering of Coeur d'Alene.

Jones & Stokes adds fish biologist

BELLEVUE -- Chris Soncarty, a fisheries biologist, has joined the Bellevue office of Jones & Stokes. Soncarty has five years of experience in habitat assessment, stream typing and species study. Most recently, he was a technician with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, managing a study of culverts that pose barriers to fish passage. Soncarty holds a B.S. in environmental science from the Evergreen State College.

Also at Jones & Stokes, Gloria Hulskamp has been named as an accountant in the Bellevue office. Hulskamp has over 20 years of experience.

Jones & Stokes, founded in 1970, is headquartered in Sacramento, with additional offices in Ashland, Ore., Phoenix and Oakland, San Jose, Bakersfield and Irvine, Calif.

Ecology nixes Spokane development

SPOKANE -- The state Department of Ecology has denied a Spokane County shoreline master program change necessary to construct the Marketpointe II development on the Spokane River.

The change of the property's designation from "pastoral" to "urban" had been approved by Spokane County commissioners last year.

Ecology ruled however that the change "would conflict with the intent of the Shoreline Management Act." Rather than a spot change, the agency said any reclassification of the property should come in conjunction with a comprehensive update of the county's shoreline program.

The Spokane County Planning Department is expected to begin that process this year.

Also, Ecology noted that the Marketpointe development did not fit designations of water-dependent uses. As designed, Marketpointe II had loading docks and service roads facing the Spokane River.

Marketpointe II is being developed by Hanson Industries.

Promotions at ShoreBank

ILWACO, Pacific County -- ShoreBank Pacific has named Davis Golding chief operating officer. Golding has extensive international experience and, according to bank President David C.E. Williams, an "understanding of the environmental issues of business."

ShoreBank Pacific also announced the promotion of Dustin Mead to credit administration manager. Mead has been with the bank since 1997.

ShoreBank Pacific operates as a financial institution dedicated to sustainable business. The bank provides services and assessments to small- and medium-size companies with sustainable business practices. The bank also offers "EcoDeposits" for socially-oriented investors.

Harmon joins BEF

PORTLAND -- Robert Harmon has joined the Bonneville Environmental Foundation as vice president. His hiring also marks the opening of the foundation's first Puget Sound office.

Harmon has 14 years of energy experience, including time in the renewable sector with firms such as WindLite Corp. and FloWind Corp. He has also had a consulting relationship with the BEF over the last few years, including work on development of the "Green Tag" renewable energy initiative.

The Bonneville Environmental Foundation was founded in 1998 to further the development of new renewable energy resources such as solar, wind and low-impact hydro.

Enviro groups seek money in Olympia

OLYMPIA (AP) -- If the state is to protect its natural resources, the Legislature must spend more to back up the state's environmental laws, environmental groups said in a lobbying visit here .

The organizations urged the Legislature and Gov. Gary Locke to spend more money on shoreline protection, energy conservation, protecting critical salmon runs, and easing the state's traffic mess.

Rapid population growth and development are increasing stresses on the state's water, air, forests, fish and wildlife, Joan Crooks, executive director of the Washington Environmental Council, told a news conference at which the council and four other environmental groups outlined their legislative agenda.

"Washington's environmental laws and programs are only as good as the money that backs them," Crooks said. "There is a serious mismatch between popular support for environmental protection and current dollars allocated to natural resource programs."

Since 1990, funding has dropped from 3 cents from every dollar spent for natural resource programs to 1 cent for every dollar, Crooks said.

Nancy Hirst, executive director for the Northwest Energy Coalition, said the Legislature should restore investments in energy conservation and alternative sources of power such as wind, solar and geothermal.

Kathy Fletcher, executive director of People for Puget Sound, said her group will lobby lawmakers to uphold last year's Department of Ecology update to the state's shoreline protection rules.

The groups want the Legislature to spend $3 million to keep a rescue tug at Neah Bay, $90 million for wildlife recreation programs and $100 million for the program that swaps land for environmentally sensitive parcels.

Representatives from Washington Conservation Voters also took part in the news conference.

NW environmental issues class offered

SEATTLE -- The Mountaineers will offer a class on Northwest environmental issues beginning Feb. 8. The goal of the class is to get participants up to speed on the myriad of environmental challenges that face the region. Topics include population growth, salmon, water resources, transportation and energy.

The total of nine class sessions ($50 for Mountaineer members, $70 for non-members) includes field trips and insights on how to participate in environmental policy development.

The classes will be held at the Mountaineers clubhouse, 300 Third Ave. W., in Lower Queen Anne. For more information call (206) 284-8484.

Kentucky home to 3,000 illegal dumps

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) -- Kentucky's governor has proposed mandatory curbside garbage pickup at every home in the state in hopes of breaking Kentuckians' habit of dumping everything from rusty appliances to kitchen garbage in the hills and hollows.

Under the proposed legislation, each county would decide how to provide trash pickup. Homeowners and businesses would pay the cost, which Gov. Paul Patton, a Democrat, said averages $10.58 per month where service is already available.

Until 20 years ago, trash service was rare if not unheard of in eastern Kentucky. The mountainous terrain made sewer lines difficult and expensive to install, and coal company towns were flimsily constructed.

Each county is now supposed to provide a way for people to dispose of garbage, but in many communities that consists of nothing more than a centrally located Dumpster. The result, according to the state, is about 3,000 illegal dumps.

Another Democrat, House Majority Floor Leader Greg Stumbo, proposed his own plan last week, which includes a half-cent fee on fast-food cups and other containers.

Political opposition to any tax, fee or deposit is stiff. Senate President David Williams, a Republican, has already declared any proposals that raises money dead for this session.

Environmental Watch: Raedeke adds landscape architect

SEATTLE -- Landscape Architect Claude McKenzie has joined Raedeke Associates, a Seattle-based environmental consulting firm.

McKenzie has over 13 years experience in the field, specializing in wetland mitigation, mine reclamation and recreational park design.

Raedeke, founded in 1979, specializes in environmental analysis, sensitive areas and wetlands identification and plant and animal studies. The firm has 14 employees based in its office near Sand Point.

Cuttino named Earth Tech divisional president

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Sandra Lee Cuttino has been named president of the Global Environmental Division of Earth Tech. Previously she was senior vice president of the firm's Engineering and Environmental Services Division.

Cuttino has 20 years of experience as a professional engineer, most recently managing over 300 people on $70 million worth of environmental contracts for the U.S. Army and Air Force.

She will remain in Earth Tech's Colton, Calif., office.

Earth Tech, based in Long Beach, employs 7,500 people in more than 150 offices worldwide with revenues of over $1 billion.

Conference on clean energy and jobs set

SPOKANE -- Exploring economic opportunity in clean energy will be the theme of a conference next week at the Spokane Doubletree Hotel.

"Harvesting Clean Energy for Rural Development" will focus on building partnerships in wind power, ethanol, bio-gas and other clean energy production to generate power and jobs.

Sponsors include the U.S. Department of Energy, the Bonneville Power Administration, Avista Corp. and Washington State University.

The conference will be held for two days beginning Monday, Jan. 29. The Spokane Doubletree is located at 322 Spokane Falls N. in Spokane City Center. For more information contact Rhys Roth of Climate Solutions (360) 352-1763.

Burbage and Chandler join Farallon Consulting

Farallon Consulting, an environmental consulting firm in Issaquah, has added a civil engineer and a geologist to its staff.

Paul Burbage joined the staff as a principal civil engineer from Fireman's Fund Insurance Co. Burbage has more than 11 years of experience in the environmental consulting and insurance claim management, which includes project management, conducting remedial investigation/feasibility studies, remedial system design and operation, litigation support and third party review.

Also, Mark Chandler joined the staff as an associate geologist, with more than 10 years of experience in environmental investigations and site remediation.

Northwest Environmental issues class offered

SEATTLE -- The Mountaineers will offer a class on Northwest environmental issues beginning Feb. 8.

The goal of the class is to get participants up to speed on the myriad of environmental challenges that face the region. Topics include population growth, salmon, water resources, transportation and energy.

The total of nine class sessions ($50 for Mountaineer members, $70 for non-members) includes field trips and insights on how to participate in environmental policy development.

The classes will be held at the Mountaineer clubhouse, 300 Third Ave. W., in Lower Queen Anne. For more information call (206) 284-8484.

Despite protection, spotted owls declining

PORTLAND (AP) -- Northern spotted owls in the Tillamook and Clatsop state forests are in serious decline, according to a study conducted for the Oregon Department of Forestry.

Researchers found that the number of owl pairs in the north Coast Range west of Portland fell by 60 percent from 1994 to 1999 and concluded that habitat fragmented by logging put the owls at risk by forcing them to forage over broader territories and making them more vulnerable to predators.

The finding comes two weeks after the Oregon Board of Forestry adopted a new plan to increase logging across Northwest Oregon's state forests. Forestry officials say the approach will speed the growth of remaining trees into the large timber that owls need.

State and federal endangered species laws protect spotted owls as a threatened species and require land agencies to ensure their survival. The federal safeguards led to added protection of federal forests and sharply reduced logging under the 1994 Northwest Forest Plan.

The owl decline reflects the impacts of past logging practices more than current ones, said Ross Holloway, state forests director. It also illustrates why the new state plan will use logging to break up uniformly young forests planted after wildfires and clear-cutting into more diverse timber that wildlife could follow across the landscape, he said.

"The habitat will improve," he said. "Whether the owls will improve, I don't think we know."

Reformulated diesel means cleaner air and higher costs

PHOENIX (AP) -- Replacing diesel fuel with a reformulated variety is the most effective way to reduce the brown cloud that often hovers over Phoenix, and it will be quite costly -- by millions of additional dollars a year, a study says.

The cost to drivers of diesel-powered vehicles could be as much as an additional 12 cents a gallon, the study says.

On the plus side, eliminating the use of standard diesel fuel would reduce particulates and other pollutants by as much as 3,200 tons a year. At the same time, changing the fuel could carry a price tag of about $46 million a year through the next two decades, according to a report prepared for Gov. Jane Hull by the Brown Cloud Summit task force.

Truckers, farmers and other drivers using diesel-powered vehicles are expected to have to pay about $25 million more annually if the state opts to require California Air Resources Board diesel fuel, known as CARB.

Also among the group's recommendations are that leaf blowers be banned and off-road vehicles use cleaner-burning fuel.

The changes are necessary to help reduce the airborne particles that exacerbate health problems in addition to leaving a brown haze in the Phoenix sky, the report says.

Studies show the pollution is associated with higher-than-average death rates, and levels measured locally contribute to between 250 and 1,000 deaths annually, the task force said.

Arizona state Senate President Randall Gnant of Scottsdale, who adamantly opposes the leaf blower ban, doubts claims about how much they contribute to pollution.

"I cannot, for the life of me, understand any scenario under which I would vote to ban leaf blowers," Gnant, a Republican, said. "There are probably more particulates coming from the floor speeches in the Legislature than there are from leaf blowers."

Environmental Watch: Erosion control workshop Jan. 25

EVERETT -- Snohomish County will hold a workshop to help small builders comply with new water quality codes. The workshop is also designed to speed the building permit process.

Among the topics to be discussed will be critical areas, erosion control, site stabilization, buffer zones and water quality management.

"Erosion Control Measures for Small Builders of Single Family Residences" will be held Thursday, Jan. 25, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., in the Ginni Stevens Room of the County Administration Building, 3000 Rockefeller in Everett,

To sign up, or for more information, call (425) 388-3311, ext. 2393, or visit the permit counter on the fifth floor of the County Administration Building.

Farmers cut runoff in Chehalis

MONTESANO (AP) -- Livestock farmers in the Chehalis River watershed have moved piles of manure away from the riverbank, significantly reduced a major source of pollution, the state Department of Ecology says.

Two years ago, the agency determined that 42 of the 78 farms that raise hogs, cattle, horses or poultry along the Upper Chehalis and tributaries in Thurston, Lewis and southeast Grays Harbor counties had a "medium or high" pollution potential.

The problem was manure leaching fecal coliform bacteria, including E. coli, into the water. The bacteria ultimately reach Grays Harbor, where they can pose a threat to oyster beds.

"I think it is a good sign we are moving in the direction we want to move in," said Ecology spokeswoman Sandy Howard.

"Everyday you read in the paper about more salmon problems. I think there is a lot better awareness about water quality issues, and the farming community is part of that awareness."

Similar studies are under way in rivers across the state, she said.

The bacteria levels were discovered in a 1990-93 Ecology study. E. coli, which comprises the largest portion of fecal coliform in sewage and animal waste, can cause intestinal problems. One virulent strain can cause death, especially in the very young and very old with weakened immune systems.

The bacteria sometimes make the Chehalis and its tributaries unsafe to swim in, according to a study completed last year.

Ecology asked the 42 farmers along the Chehalis to participate in a voluntary cleanup program two years ago, but only five did so, Howard said. That prompted the agency's inspection program, which strongly urges farmers to move manure piles away from the river.

"Part of the reason that this was pretty successful was that we did a good job of communicating with the farmers," Howard said. "We sent letters, let them know we're coming -- many took steps to get things buttoned up."

Local conservation districts provided technical assistance using Ecology Department funding.

There were no fines or penalties for noncomplying farmers this time around, but they could be imposed if manure piles become a problem again, Howard said.

Peterson named to Oregon geology board

LAKE OSWEGO, Ore. -- Gary Peterson, C.E.G., vice president of Squier Associates of Lake Oswego, Ore., has been appointed by Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber to the State Board of Geologist Examiners for a term that ends in October 2003.

Established in 1977, the Board of Geologist Examiners regulates the practice of geology and engineering geology in Oregon to assure public safety and protect property. The Board licenses professional geologists, enforces regulatory laws, and provides outreach and education to agencies and the public regarding geologic issues.

With more than 23 years of experience as an Oregon-based engineering geologist Peterson has been involved with many landmark civil engineering projects.

Two projects he recently managed received the Engineering Excellence-Oregon Project of the Year Award (1998 and 2000) from the Consulting Engineers of Oregon (CECO).

The projects, Bonneville Dam Juvenile Fish Bypass Outfall Piers on the Columbia River and the Arizona Inn Landslide Stabilization on the Oregon Coast, received top honors for innovative engineering design and project cost savings for their owners.

Peterson manages Squier Associates’ geotechnology group which is comprised of geotechnical engineers and engineering geologists.

He serves as principal-in-charge or project manager for public and private clients on projects including infrastructure and transportation, tunneling, landslide characterization and correction, seismic risk, and foundation and retaining systems for major structures.

Report: Nation's wetlands loss is easing

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The nation's destruction of marshes, bogs and other wetlands has been cut by 80 percent over the past decade because of federal laws and conservation programs protecting such areas from developers, farmers and loggers, according to a new government report.

Wetlands provide valuable habitat for ducks and other birds and animals and also help to control flooding and cleanse groundwater.

A net of 644,000 acres of wetlands were lost between 1986 and 1997 in the lower 48 states -- an average of 58,500 acres a year -- leaving 105.5 million acres, according to a Fish and Wildlife Service report. That annual loss was 80 percent lower than the 290,000 acre net loss per year in the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, the report said, which was still far better than in the 1950s, when the country was destroying a net 458,000 acres a year.

Congress has enacted several laws and programs over the past two decades intended to curb the destruction of wetlands.

However, the Supreme Court ruled last week that a 1972 law does not prevent a landfill from being built on wet areas that the federal government said are important to migrating birds. The Chicago-area landfill would be built atop abandoned gravel pits that are now filled with water.

The greatest wetlands losses over the past decade have been in the southeast United States, primarily freshwater wetlands of the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plain, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service report.

Nationwide, housing projects and other development in urban areas are responsible for 30 percent of the wetlands losses each year, the report said. Farming accounts for 26 percent of the loss and forestry another 23 percent. The remaining losses are due to development in rural areas.

Pilot plant turns slag into concrete additive

TRAIL, B.C. (AP) -- A new process being developed by Cominco Ltd. could eliminate a large black slag pile at the company's lead and zinc smelter.

In 1995 Cominco ended 65 years of dumping slag into the Columbia River because of complaints from Washington state. Instead, leftover mineral from smelting piled up at the northern edge of this southeastern British Columbia town.

Now the company has built a pilot plant in Calgary to test a process for converting the slag into a concrete additive.

"We expect to be able to establish a long-term market for the slag, although it will take some time to use up the pile that is there," Cominco spokesman Richard Fish said.

A market was developed at one point, but the arrangement collapsed during the start-up of the new smelter when the slag proved no longer suitable.

"There was no question that it was a good product, but we lost the market when we could no longer supply them," Fish said. "If we have continued success with this process, then we will be looking for new customers with an even better product."

The pilot plant grinds the slag to a fine powder and mixes it with other material to create an additive for Portland cement that produces a more durable, high-strength concrete.

While the process offers hope for elimination of an eyesore, it won't bring any new jobs to Trail.

"The economics indicate it would make more sense to haul the slag to markets and process it there, rather than haul the additives to Trail and ship back the finished slag product," Fish said.