Environmental Watch: Windpower 2002 in Portland June 2

PORTLAND -- Windpower 2002, the annual conference and exhibition of the wind energy industry, opens June 2 in Portland.

The four-day event features exhibits of the latest technology, a field trip to the Stateline wind farm, and government and industry speakers.

Among the scheduled speakers are Pat Wood III, chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber; David Garman, Department of Energy assistant secretary for energy efficiency and renewable energy; Stephen Wright, Bonneville Power Administration administrator; and U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith.

Exhibitors include G.E. Wind Energy, ABB, The Wind Turbine Co. and Vestas American Wind Technology, Inc.

According to the American Wind Energy Association, sponsor of the event, the U.S. wind energy market expanded by 66 percent last year, much of that in the Northwest.

For more information or to register for the conference call (202) 383-2518 or go to http://www.awea.org.

SPU Cedar watershed tours on tap

SEATTLE -- Seattle Public Utilities will offer tours this summer of the 90,546-acre Cedar River watershed that provides almost 70 percent of the drinking water SPU delivers to 1.3 million people throughout King County.

Reservations are now being accepted for tours on Saturdays, Sundays and selected weekdays between June 29 and Sept. 1. The tour costs $7 for adults and $5 for seniors and children. They are open to anyone six years or older.

The tour begins at the Cedar River Watershed Education Center, which opened last fall. The watershed is located in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, northeast of North Bend.

For more information or to reserve a spot, call the SPU public programs information line at (206) 233-1515 or e-mail celese.brune@ci.seattle.wa.us.

June 3-4 seminar on brownfields law

SEATTLE -- Changes in federal brownfields and Superfund law will be topic of a seminar at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center June 3 and 4.

The new law changes rules on cleanup liability, impacting how contaminated properties are bought and sold.

Bradley Marten of the Marten Law Group and Charles Wolfe of Foster Pepper & Shefelman are co-chairs. Other participants include John Iani, regional administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency; Peter Jewett of Farallon Consulting; and James Pendowski of the state Department of Ecology.

Sessions on insuring brownfields properties and on the situation in Oregon will be held as well.

Conference tuition is $595 per person. Discounts are available for government and students. The seminar has been approved for 11 continuing legal education credits.

Columbia terns settle into new home

PORTLAND (AP) -- The world's largest Caspian tern colony is settling into a new home, created so that young salmon would have a better chance of making it to the sea.

Over the past six weeks, more than 13,000 of the fish-eating birds have arrived from Mexico and set down on a sandy patch of East Sand Island, near the mouth of the Columbia River.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers started looking into whether it could relocate the colony from Rice Island, about 20 miles to the east, six years ago.

To entice the flock to move from Rice Island, vegetation was cleared out to create an open sandy beach; terns lay eggs in depressions they scrape in the sand, helping them spy approaching predators. To keep them away from their old home, wood-slat fences that impede sightlines were built to spook the terns into "worrying" about predators on the other side.

The relocation was put in question, however, when the National Audubon Society and three other groups sued the corps and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on behalf of the terns. They argued that the federal government was harassing the birds in violation of the Migratory Bird Act.

Officials reported last week that not a single Caspian tern was roaming about Rice Island, where salmon fingerlings and young adults gather before striking out into the ocean.

The corps has spent about $100,000 since 1999 on the relocation, mostly on removing vegetation from East Sand Island.

Low lakes dry up tourism

CONCONULLY, Okanogan County (AP) -- The spring tourist season may be drying up for this visitor-dependent town in Okanogan County, where low lake levels seem to be keeping anglers and boaters away.

"We've got plenty of fish," said acting Mayor Dale Brown, "But unless we have water in the lakes, people won't come. If we don't do something, seriously, the town of Conconully is going to fade away."

The tourist action in Conconully, population 200, usually begins with the start of fishing season in mid-April.

Lake Conconully and Conconully Reservoir were built in the 1920s for the Okanogan Irrigation District. But they were also stocked with fish and used to promote recreation, which is Conconully's only source of income, said Town Councilwoman Shelley Robideau.

Both are nationally recognized fishing destinations.

This year, the two bodies of water -- both reservoirs -- are less than one-third full. Water levels dropped during last year's drought and haven't yet filled up with spring runoff because of dry conditions and unusually cold weather in the mountains.

Scott Pattee, a water supply specialist for the Natural Resource Conservation Service, said even with winter snowpack in the Conconully basin at 93 percent of normal, as much as 30 percent of that will soak right into the bone-dry ground rather than run off into rivers and streams when the snow melts.

Actor urges wetlands preservation

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Actor Beau Bridges wants to preserve the sandy fringe of a wetland in southern California.

Bridges, who is president of an environmental group called Ventura Coast Keeper, urged the state Coastal Conservancy to buy 265 acres of land near Oxnard that is being sought by a petroleum company.

"This wetland extended for miles," Bridges said. "It would really be a shame to lose what little we have left."

His plea came less than a week before the Coastal Conservancy is to decide whether to acquire the land that also is being sought by the Occidental Petroleum Corp. for the West Coast's first liquefied natural gas receiving terminal.

Occidental's plant would provide some of the natural gas that runs the machinery producing the state's electricity.

The site would offer proximity to the port, high-voltage lines from an adjacent power plant and an existing network of underground pipes, said Occidental spokeswoman Jan Sieving. Bridges' group argues the plant would degrade a fragile environment

Environmental Watch: Floyd Snider McCarthy adds two

SEATTLE -- Alan Wolfson and Mike Romain have joined Floyd Snider McCarthy Inc., a Seattle-based environmental consulting firm specializing in management of complex projects.

Wolfson, a forester and economist, has expertise in land use, strategic planning, natural resource management and property development. Prior to joining Floyd Snider McCarthy, Wolfson held a senior-level program management position with Foster Wheeler Environmental Corp. in Bothell.

Romain brings four years of environmental engineering experience to Floyd Snider's expanding technical services practice. He has worked on numerous research and consulting projects involving soil vapor extraction, liquid phase contaminant removal systems and bioremediation. He comes to Floyd Snider McCarthy from Brown & Caldwell where he held an associate engineer position.

City holds traffic circle beauty contest

SEATTLE -- Seattle Transportation is now accepting nominees for the first Seattle Traffic Circle Garden Contest.

Seattle residents can nominate any of the city's 800 traffic circles for the award. Nominations may be made for a single traffic circle or a neighborhood cluster. Beautified curb bulbs, triangles and medians are also eligible.

All entries must meet Seattle traffic safety standards, with plants no higher than 30 inches and limbed trees providing visibility for motorists. Prizes include gift certificates from area nurseries and green gardening groups. The grand prize winner will receive a trophy.

For more information call Liz Ellis at (206) 684-5008 or go to www.cityofseattle.net/td/trafcirc.asp. In addition to SeaTran, the contest is co-sponsored by the city's Department of Neighborhoods, Seattle Tilth and Northwest Garden News.

KEECO signs $100M China deal

LYNNWOOD -- Environmental technology firm KEECO has signed agreements with Sichuan Anxian Yihe Constructional & Chemical Group Co. in China to treat contamination from sodium dichromate production.

The contracts have a value in excess of $100 million, the Lynnwood-based firm said. The agreement was signed during the first U.S.-China infrastructure development meetings being held during the Asian Development Bank annual meeting in Shanghai.

The meetings brought together Chinese government officials and U.S. firms and their Asian affiliates to promote the use of the bank's technical and financial resources in the development of new public and private infrastructure in China’s poorer regions. KEECO said such a cooperative effort could not been possible without the support of the Asian Development Bank and provincial and local Chinese officials.

KEECO specializes in providing silica microencapsulation treatment technologies used for the control of heavy metals in water and soils.

Group pushes for Renton-to-Rainier trail

MAPLE VALLEY (AP) -- A grass-roots group called Friends of Rock Creek Valley hopes that within about a decade century-old trails once used for railroads will be linked to form a system reaching all the way south to Mount Rainier National Park.

They call the trail network The Renton-to-Rainier Corridor. They're trying to identify existing trails and connect them while working to protect sensitive wildlife habitats.

Their vision: that one day, people can park their cars in downtown Renton and hike or bike all the way to Mount Rainier National Park, some 50 miles south.

The rocky, wooded path follows an old Danville Railroad line from more than a century ago. Trains used to roll along the tracks there, hauling old growth logs to sawmills. It is a popular outdoor destination for hikers and equestrians.

Last fall, the National Park Service awarded the Friends of Rock Creek Valley a federal "grant" -- basically the promise of technical assistance from a Park Service trails planner and support staff -- to study about 30 square miles of the Rock Creek Valley area.

Another goal is to identify potential routes for extension of King County's Cedar River Trail through the Rock Creek Valley study area.

The Cedar River Trail would connect with a future trail that would then link up with the Pierce County Foothills Trial, which is now under construction. That trail eventually will be tied to trail systems in Mount Rainier National Park.

Did volcanic rock cause dike failure?

LONGVIEW (AP) -- Ancient lava tubes in the rock foundation of the dike at the Cowlitz County Public Utility District's power canal may have caused a breach that washed out a section of a highway and destroyed a powerhouse last month, a report has found.

In a preliminary report, the PUD's consulting firm said the dike's failure was "likely associated with flow" of water through the tubes under the dike's foundation.

"Flow from these lava tubes may have led to piping erosion of the natural formation underlying the power canal," said the report based on the findings of engineers from the firm of CH2M Hill.

The report also said engineers found open cavities in the foundation below the breach area, where lava flows had apparently deposited trees. The area is just south of Mount St. Helens.

A canal that channels water from one Lewis River dam powerhouse to another failed April 21, washing out a spur of Washington 503 and destroying one of the powerhouses. The failure also uprooted transformers, spilling 22,000 gallons of mineral oil into Yale Reservoir.

There were no injuries and no power outages related to the break between the two Swift Dam powerhouses. The dam is one of three on the river owned and operated by PacifiCorp of Portland, Ore., also known as Pacific Power.

$37M deal to preserve Big Sur land

MONTEREY, Calif. (AP) -- Nearly 10,000 acres of pristine land along the northern end of Big Sur will remain untouched by developers as part of a $37 million deal financed by the state and a regional parks district.

The agreement, announced Thursday, involves the purchase of Palo Corona Ranch, a 10-mile stretch of redwood forests just south of Monterey. The state will contribute $32 million and the Monterey Regional Parks District will chip in $5 million.

Telecommunications billionaire Craig McCaw, owner of the property, sold the land to the Big Sur Land Trust and The Nature Conservancy on May 1. Those groups plan to sell the land to the state.

Gov. Gray Davis said buying the ranch "provides the last crucial connection for a wildlife corridor that extends from the Carmel River to the heart of the central coast

Environmental Watch: Water quality conference in June

SEATTLE -- A two-day conference on water quality and stormwater will be held in Seattle next month.

The conference will focus on emerging regulatory issues in the region. Speakers include Galen Schuler of Perkins Coie, Ronald Lavigne of the state Department of Ecology, Will Stelle of Preston Gates & Ellis, Marcia Lagerloef of the Environmental Protection Agency and Robert Turner of the National Marine Fisheries Service.

The conference begins Monday, June 17 at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center. Regular tuition is $595 for both days. Attendance qualifies for 14.5 continuing legal education credits. Real estate and planning credits are pending. To register or for more information call (206) 621-1938.

Turbine test for McNary Dam

WALLA WALLA -- Two Pacific Northwest federal agencies are teaming up to explore improvements to the Columbia River hydroelectric power plant at McNary Dam.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Bonneville Power Administration plan to install and test a fully operational prototype turbine in the McNary Dam powerhouse near Umatilla, Ore.

The improvements will include new turbines designed to improve fish passage and energy output. The project could result in replacing all 14 turbines and related electrical equipment at the dam.

The Walla Walla District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is currently soliciting proposals to evaluate potential contractors for prototype turbine designs. Some of the contractors will be chosen to design and build scale models. The models will be subjected to an extensive series of hydraulic and performance tests and then evaluated for biological suitability, power efficiency and price.

Cause of shrinking island debated

REEDSPORT, Ore. (AP) -- Brandy Bar was named after the first American vessel to navigate the Umpqua River ran aground on it in 1850 and the crew washed away its sorrows with brandy.

Neighbors of the bar 10 miles east of Reedsport fear the island itself may be washing away, and that gravel dredging may be to blame. Aerial photos show the seven-acre island has lost nearly a third of its mass since 1981, and locals say it continues to shrink. They blame the dredging.

Federal and state officials, however, say rivers are constantly changing course and wearing away banks and islands.

But aerial photos have led the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Oregon Division of State Lands to cite the dredging company, Umpqua River Navigation, for violations of its dredging permit.

The permits allow Umpqua River Navigation to remove up to 200,000 cubic yards of material, enough to fill about 6,500 dump trucks, each year.

The state plans to assess a $506 fine against the company for digging too close to the island and for failing to keep the proper slope in the dredged holes.

Robert Rose of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said the erosion could be natural. "Rivers are alive," he said. "We could leave it alone forever and it will move or disappear."

GE buys Enron wind assets

NEW YORK (Dow Jones/AP) -- The judge in Enron Corp.'s bankruptcy case has approved a company proposal for allocating the $325 million cash proceeds from the sale of its wind-turbine business.

Judge Arthur Gonzalez's approval removed the last official hurdle for Enron's asset sales to General Electric Co. Earlier in the day, the deal also won the nod from European antitrust regulators.

With the bankruptcy judge's ruling, Enron's European operations that own the wind-turbine assets will get 63 percent, or $204 million, of the sale proceeds from General Electric. The rest of the proceeds, about $121 million, will go to Enron's U.S. owners of the assets.

At a hearing Tuesday, several Enron creditors in the U.S. objected to the proposed distribution as unfair to Enron's U.S. entities, and thus jeopardizing the U.S. creditors' financial recovery.

But Steven Zelin, senior managing director at the Blackstone Group -- Enron's restructuring adviser -- defended the proposed allocation as consistent with the nature of the sale.

"This is an acquisition of Enron Wind (by GE) as a going concern" and so the valuation and proceed-distribution decisions should be based on the assets' earnings capability, Zelin said.

Turkey manure aids new wetlands

LYNNVILLE, Ind. (AP) -- The transformation of one of the state's largest abandoned coal mines into a wetland is relying on an unusual ingredient -- about 1,200 truckloads of turkey manure.

At least that's what Indiana Division of Reclamation officials are banking on as they roll up their sleeves and plug their noses in southeastern Indiana.

"There's no doubt about it, it will take your breath away," Steve Herbert, the agency's assistant director for restoration, said about the $5.2 million project. "Even a quarter of a mile away, it will bring tears to your eyes."

The turkey manure -- with its high nitrogen content -- will be used to fertilize the wetlands, which are designed as a passive treatment system to purify acidic mine run-off water.

Turkey manure "used to be a liability, but these days it's almost an asset," said Roger Seger, part-owner of Wabash Valley Produce in nearby Dubois.

Seger's store is selling 30,000 tons of it to the state at $15 a ton for the project, said Jeff Bussing, the project manager for state contractor Koester Contracting Corp. of Evansville.

In recent years, building wetlands using turkey or chicken manure has proven an effective method to purify water on abandoned mine sites in Illinois and other mining states, said Mick Ahrens, a natural resources specialist with the federal Office of Surface Mining in Alton, Ill.

"When it comes out, it should be good water," Ahrens said. "Turkey manure is one of those things that's cheap, but it's very good for these. You can use commercial fertilizer, but this is a better product."

Environmental Watch: NEBC forum Wednesday on partnering

SEATTLE -- Steve Dubiel, executive director of Earth Corps, will be the speaker at the Northwest Environmental Business Council's monthly Seattle lunch tomorrow.

Earth Corps is a non-profit group working with young people to learn about and restore the environment. The group specializes in habitat restoration and wetlands creation, and contracts directly with environmental consultants for its projects.

The lunch will be held at McCormick & Schmick's Harborside, 1200 Westlake Ave. N., from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. For NEBC members the cost is $30; others pay $45. Call (888) 609-NEBC for more information.

A look at Idaho contracting opportunities

COEUR D'ALENE -- The Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Northwest Environmental Business Council will host a lunch focusing on contracting opportunities.

The speakers will be Bruce Howard, relicensing manager of Avista Utilities' Spokane River project, and Luke Russell, project manager for the Coeur d'Alene Basin for the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality.

The event will be held Wednesday, May 30, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Coeur d'Alene Inn, 414 West Appleway in Coeur d'Alene. NEBC members pay $25; others pay $40. Call (888) 609-NEBC for more information.

CDM wins award for Bremerton CSO

BREMERTON -- Camp Dresser & McKee has been awarded the American Academy of Environmental Engineers Excellence in Engineering Award for design of Bremerton's Eastside Combined Sewer Overflow Treatment Plant. The award goes to the design project under $5 million that best demonstrates an integrated environmental approach and originality, among other criteria.

Bremerton has been implementing an aggressive CSO reduction plan since 1992. This facility serves as the backbone for treatment of CSOs in East Bremerton.

Design work is underway for a similar wet-weather facility to be incorporated later this year in the city's Charleston Wastewater Treatment Plant.

The eastside project was funded by a low-interest loan from the Washington State Public Works Trust Fund, with help from Department of Ecology low-interest loans and EPA grants.

An open house of the plant will be held Wednesday, May 1, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 2475 Stephenson Ave., in Bremerton.

KEECO joins Baltimore dredge project

LYNNWOOD -- The Klean Earth Environmental Co., known as KEECO, will participate in a pilot program to reuse dredged material from Baltimore Harbor under the auspices of the Maryland Port Authority.

KEECO will participate as a prime subcontractor to EA Engineering, Science and Technology of Sparks, Md. This is the second phase of a multi-phased contract for the treatment and reuse of contaminated marine sediments from Baltimore Harbor. The project is being funded by the Maryland Port Authority to demonstrate that contaminated and clean dredged materials from the Baltimore Harbor, after treatment, could produce marketable or suitable end-use materials.

Lynnwood-based KEECO is an environmental technology firm providing silica microencapsulation treatment technologies that are used for the permanent control of heavy metals in water and soils.

Pollution prevention nominations sought

OLYMPIA -- The state Department of Ecology is accepting applications for the 2002 Governor's Award for Pollution Prevention and Sustainable Practices.

Any Washington business, association, government agency, non-profit or school is eligible. Last year's winners included A-1 Builders Inc., the Navy submarine base at Bangor and Siemens Solar Industries.

For more information and an application form, go to www.ecy.wa.gov/sustainability. The deadline for applications is June 7.

GeoEngineers wins Pacific refuge job

HONOLULU (AP) -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has selected GeoEngineers to operate and maintain facilities and equipment at the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, officials said.

The Interior Department announced that a six-month contract that went to GeoEngineers Inc. of Portland is designed to keep the atoll's infrastructure operational while the service evaluates long-term options for operating the refuge.

Ecotourism at Midway Atoll, located 1,200 miles northwest of Hawaii, came to a halt this year when the service and Midway Phoenix Corp. of Georgia dissolved their cooperative agreement that had been in effect since 1996.

Midway Phoenix has said it lost at least $15 million while operating the atoll.

"Although we are not in a position at this time to reopen our doors to visitors, we hope to be able to do so in the future," said Craig Manson, assistant secretary of interior for fish and wildlife and parks.

"We are working with the U.S. Navy and will host an event on Midway to honor the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Midway in early June, but the terms of this short-term contract are fairly basic," Manson said.

"The next six months will allow us to inventory and evaluate the infrastructure to clarify our future options," he said.

Beginning May 1, GeoEngineers will provide operations staff, inventory functional equipment and facilities, and determine operational costs of the island infrastructure, the department said. The airfield will be open for Fish and Wildlife Service charter flights and for emergency use by the military, U.S. Coast Guard and private aircraft, it said.

Heavy snow changes smelter options

MONTREAL (AP) -- Alcan Inc. may restart potlines at its large aluminum smelter in northern British Columbia because of heavy snowfall in its hydroelectric reservoir, chief executive Travis Engen says.

After several years of low water levels which forced the partial closure of the smelter in Kitimat last year, snow levels in the Kemano reservoir are abnormally high this year, Engen said at the company's annual meeting.

The reservoir level at the Alcan-owned hydroelectric complex won't be clear until late June, but "we have already begun our evaluation of the alternatives," Engen said

Besides restarting potlines, alternatives include storing the water for future use and selling surplus electricity power to British Columbia Hydro, the provincially owned electric utility.

Because of the water shortage last year, Alcan cut production in half to meet its obligation to provide power to the province and sell additional electricity to energy-starved states in the U.S. Pacific Northwest.

The smelter in Kitimat, about 470 miles north of Vancouver, has an annual capacity of 275,000 metric tons.

He said Thursday that with the recovering U.S. economy, demand for aluminum is now expected to grow by about 4 percent during 2002

Environmental Watch: Festival aims to re-open oyster beds

BLAINE -- A fund-raising effort to clean up Drayton Harbor will be held next month outside the Resort Semiahmoo.

The "First Annual Shuckin' on the Spit" will feature live music, tours of oyster beds and oyster eating. Proceeds from the event will go to the Drayton Harbor Community Oyster Farm Project, which hopes to re-open oyster beds in the harbor by 2004.

The beds were closed in 1995 when Drayton Harbor was deemed too polluted for a safe commercial harvest. Tribal harvesting was ended shortly thereafter as well.

The festival will be held Saturday, May 4, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. The price is $15, and kids under 10 receive free admission. For more information contact Laura Zimmerman at Resort Semiahmoo, (360) 318-2000.

KEECO wins Commerce award

LYNNWOOOD -- Environmental technology firm KEECO has received a congressional Export Achievement Award for 2001 by the Trade and Development Agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

KEECO received the award for export of the company's Silica Mircroencapsulation water treatment systems used in treating metals-contaminated soils and waters.

According to KEECO, the treatment approach is now being used or evaluated in Canada, China, the Philippines, Japan, the United Kingdom, Chile and Peru. Company President William Anderson also stated that KEECO, in conjunction with several of its partners, is now moving to close significant projects in China and Canada.

Anchor opens Portland office

PORTLAND -- Anchor Environmental has opened a new office in Portland.

The company will provide expertise in groundwater investigation and cleanup services, and brownfields development. John Edwards will head up Anchor's Portland operation.

Edwards founded Sweet-Edwards & Associates and has over 20 years of experience in groundwater consulting.

Also at the office will be chemical engineer Rick Schwarz, P.E.; geologist John Renda, R.G.; and natural resource specialist Libby Smith. Smith will serve as project coordinator for the Portland Harbor Superfund site.

Headquartered in Seattle, Anchor also has two offices in California and one in Texas.

Pygmy owl suit could slow development

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) -- Environmentalists accuse two federal agencies of violating the law by continuing to approve permits for new developments on land suitable for the endangered pygmy owl.

A lawsuit by Defenders of Wildlife and the Center for Biological Diversity seeks to toss out the national permitting systems used in the Tucson area for new subdivisions, shopping centers, riverbank stabilization, and road and utility wash crossings.

The lawsuit was filed last week against the Army Corps of Engineers and Environmental Protection Agency.

A victory by environmentalists could slow development of such projects until new permitting systems go into place covering federally regulated discharges of storm water runoff.

The EPA requires permits to grade five or more acres, while the corps requires permits for projects that could affect a major wash.

The lawsuit comes after a five-year conflict that has pitted the EPA and the corps at times against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and at times against environmentalists over what kinds of projects need federal scrutiny to be built in or near owl habitat.

The conflict peaked last year when the two agencies allowed a 1,875-home development in Marana to go through because no owls or federal critical habitat existed on its property. Still, the Fish and Wildlife service had warned that the project deserved more study because it contained vegetation suitable for the bird.

Study: Worms cause frog deformities

GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) -- After slogging through 101 ponds and wetlands in five western states, scientists on the trail of a mysterious outbreak of deformities in frogs have settled on a microscopic parasitic flatworm, not pesticides or ultraviolet light, as the prime suspect.

Linked with existing laboratory studies showing that the trematode known as Ribeiroia ondatrae can cause the frogs to sprout extra legs, the new field work closes the loop by showing a direct correlation between the prevalence of the parasite and the number of deformed frogs, scientists said.

The study was published in the latest issue Ecological Monographs, the journal of the Ecological Society of America.

The reason the deformities are becoming more common appears to be related to human changes to ecosystems, especially fertilizer and cow manure washing into the ponds, said Andrew Blaustein, professor of zoology at Oregon State University and one of the study's authors.

Aspen starts using biodiesel in Sno-Cats

ASPEN, Colo. (AP) -- In what it says is an industry first, Aspen Skiing Co. has begun powering its Sno-Cats with environmentally friendly biodiesel fuel.

The company will use biodiesel over the next two years at its four resorts, starting at Buttermilk. The mixture used to fuel the machines is 80 percent regular diesel and 20 percent biodiesel.

"I noticed the engines running smoother," said Auden Schendler, Skico's director of environmental affairs. "There also seemed to be less black smoke, but that's what you'd expect, too, from a cleaner fuel."

Skico announced the change in conjunction with Earth Day. The fuel, made with soybeans, is nontoxic, biodegradable and free of sulfur.

It's just the smell, similar to that of french fries, that has taken some getting used to, Schendler said. Some drivers have remarked that it's "kind of funny, but better than the smell of regular diesel fuel," he said.

The Environmental Protection Agency has registered biodiesel as the only alternative fuel to have passed the health effects requirements of the Clean Air Act.

Schendler said the switch is a first in the industry. Skico tested the fuel the last week of Buttermilk's season, burning 1,000 gallons in its Sno-Cats.

Six months worth of research was done on the fuel before it was tested, to make sure the fuel doesn't harm Sno-Cat engines.

Cove, Ore., to get a new well

COVE, Ore. (AP) -- Residents have been advised to boil their drinking water because disease-causing organisms might have entered the city's water supply.

Unboiled water could result in nausea, cramps, diarrhea and associated headaches, a notice sent to residents said.

The eastern Oregon city routinely chlorinates its water supply to deactivate microbial organisms which might be present in the water. It also routinely monitors for coliform bacteria in the distribution system, city officials said.

Cove's water, which comes from a deep well, has shown turbidity recently and the city is planning to construct a new well.

Environmental Watch: Habitat plan could cost PUD $260M

WENATCHEE -- Eight years in the making, the Chelan Public Utility District commissioners signed a habitat conservation plan last week, governing operations to improve fish survival over the next 50 years.

As part of the plan, construction will proceed on an $80 million project designed to get juvenile salmon and steelhead around Rocky Reach Dam.

The HCP also commits the utility to $36 million in habitat improvements in nearby tributaries and $60 million in hatchery projects. The PUD estimates spending could reach $260 million through the life of the 50-year agreement, including spill costs, turbine screens and testing. Chelan said it's already spent over $200 million for fish protection measures over the past 20 years.

The HCP is designed to assure 91 percent of adult and juvenile fish will survive passage through dams and reservoirs. A final Environmental Impact Statement must be completed before the documents are forwarded to Federal Electric Regulatory Commission as amendments to existing hydro licenses.

The National Marine Fisheries Service has assured the utility the plan will allow it to obtain permits under the Endangered Species Act to continue hydro operations in the future. Other parties to the HCP include the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington state, the Colville and Umatilla tribes, and American Rivers. For more information go to www.chelanpud.org.

Study looks at drainage ditches and fish

PULLMAN -- The fish impacts of dredging drainage ditches and agricultural canals in King County to prevent flooding has been getting more attention.

Working with King County Department of Natural Resources, Washington State University researchers got a five-year grant to quantify and improve management of agricultural drainage ditches in the region.

The researchers are looking at stream bank design, vegetation buffer strips, where and when salmonids use the ditches, presence of large woody debris, and timing of dredging and fertilizing activities.

For more information contact Michael Barber at (509) 335-5531 or by e-mail at meb@wsu.edu.

$58M Nechako River work gets OK

PRINCE GEORGE, British Columbia (AP) -- The British Columbia government has agreed to provide money to start preliminary work on a $58 million cold water release facility to improve the Nechako River's environment, including salmon protection.

The province is providing more than $60,000 in each of the next three years, with matching funding from aluminum firm Alcan, to start planning on the facility, which will be located on the Kenney Dam south of Fraser Lake.

The planning money will keep the project moving forward during difficult economic times, Henry Klassen, Nechako watershed council chairman, said.

The 120-mile-long Nechako originates south of Fraser Lake and empties into the Fraser River at Prince George, abut 475 miles north of Vancouver.

The facility will spill cold water from deep within the Nechako Reservoir and allow the river flows to return to a more natural state -- higher levels in the spring and lower levels in the summer.

That will help restore freshwater fish stocks, enhance the habitat of aquatic mammals and better protect salmon runs, Klassen said.

The spinoff benefits will be improved tourism opportunities and additional water for agriculture and power generation, because less water should be needed to cool the river in the summer, he said.

The establishment of a fund to enhance the river was part of 1997 deal that ended a dispute between Alcan and the provincial government over the government's scuttling of a $800-million hydroelectric project.

The Kemano completion project, on which Alcan had already spent $315 million, would have diverted more water from the Nechako River system west to power its aluminum smelters near Kitimat.

Hazmat inquiry at speedway site

BOARDMAN, Ore. (AP) -- The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality says it will investigate claims that hazardous waste and live munitions are buried near the proposed site for a multimillion dollar speedway.

The property in question was once part of the U.S. Navy Bombing Range, and there still could be unexploded bombs and asbestos waste on the site, said John Dadoly, a DEQ hydrologist.

Racing Unlimited hopes to build a 160,000-seat speedway on 1,100 acres owned by the Port of Morrow about a mile from the former bombing range and dump site.

The complex would include a 1.95 mile oval track, a half-mile inside track, a gas station, restaurant, convenience store, medical facilities, gift shop and a 200-room motel near the Boardman Airport.

According to a survey conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency in 1992, the former landfill was south of Tower Road, near the Boardman Airport.

At that time, EPA officials charged the state with monitoring the site for any live munitions or remaining asbestos from heating pipe insulation.

But a decade later, the state still hasn't determined if there is any asbestos or live munitions left on the property, McElligott said.

New waste cleanup hope: spinach

PULLMAN -- Can vegetables defuse explosives and clean up toxic waste? A Washington State University professor is trying to find out.

Working with the U.S. Army, Victor Medina is researching the use of pureed spinach plants to degrade explosive contaminants around munitions facilities.

An assistant professor in civil and environmental engineering at WSU Tri-Cities, Medina has investigated the feasibility of enhancing phytotransformation of explosives, such as TNT, using physically broken plants, in this case by puréeing them.

The results indicate that the slurried plants allowed for more rapid degradation of explosives in most, but not all cases.

In another project, Medina is looking to use pureed tomato and spinach plants in the clean-up of heavy metals, such as arsenic and lead, from soil around munitions depots. For more information contact Medina at (509) 372-7376 or by e-mail at vmedina@tricity.wsu.edu.

Condor chick is making history

LOS PADRES NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. (AP) -- Biologists are celebrating a milestone in the recovery of the once nearly extinct California condor, as a 4-day-old chick grows under its parents' zealous watch.

The chick in Los Padres National Forest in Santa Barbara County is the first conceived, hatched and raised in the wild to survive more than a day, and a sign that North America's largest bird is setting roots once again in its California home.

Three eggs -- one in northern Arizona and two in Southern California -- have been laid in the wild, but two of them never hatched and the third was killed right after hatching last year by the very bird mothering the latest chick.

Condors, the largest birds in North America, nearly disappeared in the 1980s because of habitat loss and toxins. Breeding programs in Southern California and Idaho have helped its numbers rebound from 22 to 188; and about 60 of those birds are in the wild in Southern California and Arizona

Environmental Watch: BC Hydro signs 2nd wave energy deal

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- BC Hydro has signed an agreement with Ocean Power Delivery Ltd, a U.K.-based wave energy development company, to contribute to the development of BC Hydro's 3- to 4-megawatt ocean wave energy demonstration project on Vancouver Island.

The project will be part of the Vancouver Island Green Energy Demonstration Project announced by BC Hydro last June.

Ocean Power Delivery was short-listed from 10 international companies that submitted proposals for developing the ocean wave demonstration project. BC Hydro signed a similar agreement with Energetech Australia in February to demonstrate a different shore-based ocean wave technology on the Island.

Ocean Power Delivery has developed a floating offshore wave energy converter called the Pelamis, a semi-submerged, articulated machine that has several hinged joints, each with a hydraulic pump inside. The relative motion of the sections, due to wave action, activates the pumps, which drive electric generators.

BC Hydro's decision to develop ocean wave energy on Vancouver Island resulted from its study of potential green energy resources for British Columbia. The first part of the study, completed early in 2001, focused on Vancouver Island and identified strong potential wind, microhydro and ocean wave resources.

AWB annual environment conference

SEATTLE -- The Association of Washington Business will hold its annual environmental conference beginning Thursday, June 6, at the WestCoast Grand Hotel in downtown Seattle.

The two-day conference features a range of seminars,including the Endangered Species Act, wastewater discharge permits, viewsheds in the Columbia River gorge and the environmental issues involved in transportation megaprojects.

The underlying theme of this year's conference is competitiveness. Recently the state's environmental regulatory framework has been roundly criticized for harming the state's business climate.

For the first time in the conference's 11-year history it is being presented in conjunction with the Northwest Environmental Business Council. There will also be a tradeshow, with exhibits from about 30 companies. Sponsors include Preston Gates & Ellis. Heller Ehrman White & McAuliffe, Kane Environmental, Landau Associates and URS Corp.

Pipeline bullet hole repair bill: $20M

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) -- The cost of repairing the trans-Alaska pipeline and cleaning up a 286,000 gallon oil spill caused by a bullet hole has climbed to $20 million, according to the Alyeska Pipeline Service Co.

The company has nearly finished cleaning up the oil spilled north of Fairbanks last October after a Livengood man allegedly shot a hole in the pipeline with a high-caliber rifle.

All that remains is less than 1,000 gallons trapped in the gravel pad of the pipeline's access road, said Kalu Kalu, Alyeska project manager.

About $6 million of the $20 million cleanup bill was for labor costs and another $6 million will go toward the treatment and recovery of crude collected from the contaminated soil, Kalu said. The rest went toward equipment and remote camp costs.

About 176,000 gallons have been recovered and re-injected back into the pipeline, Kalu said.

The cleanup had to be finished before breakup so crude wouldn't be carried into the nearby Tolovana River by snowmelt. No crude should reach the Tolovana, but Alyeska will continue to test the river for crude this year, said Bill Howitt, Alyeska senior vice president in charge of the Fairbanks division.

Alyeska also will go back in May and plant willows and reseed the scrubbed area with grass, Kalu said.

Northwest Forest Plan to be revamped

PORTLAND (AP) -- The chief of the U.S. Forest Service says the Northwest Forest Plan's procedures have held logging far short of projected levels and has instructed several agencies to recommend updates to the Clinton-era plan.

Dale Bosworth told The Oregonian that the plan's cumbersome procedures have rendered the Forest Service ineffective.

Bosworth said he has instructed regional heads of the Forest Service, U.S. Bureau of Land Management and other agencies to recommend alterations to the plan.

The Northwest Forest Plan, approved by the Clinton administration following a 1993 forest summit in Portland, set aside millions of acres of federal forests for protection of the threatened northern spotted owl and other wildlife while permitting logging of nearly 1 billion board feet of federal timber each year.

However, lawsuits and appeals by environmental groups, court orders and procedural demands kept logging at less than 200 million board feet last year.

Doug Heiken of the Oregon Natural Resources Council said the Northwest Forest Plan barely does enough to protect wildlife as it is. It's mired in lawsuits and delays because federal foresters have continued to log old growth timber in the face of increasing public opposition, he said.

Fish-friendly gardening workshop

SEATTLE -- Seattle Public Utilities is holding a hands-on workshop on environmentally friendly gardening. The workshop will be held Saturday, April 27, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m at the Delridge Community Center, 4051 Delridge Way S.W.

Participants will get hands-on experience creating a demonstration garden. Gardening experts Howard and Jill Stenn will teach proper soil preparation and plant selection. Participants will also learn about creek and wildlife habitats, how to reduce pesticide use and other creek-friendly gardening techniques.

The workshop is open to all residents; no gardening skill is required. Space is limited. Deadline for reservations is April 25. Call (206) 684-4163 or email bob.spencer@ci.seattle.wa.us.

Black River habitat is purchased

OLYMPIA (AP) -- The Nature Conservancy has bought two undeveloped properties totaling 124 acres in the Black River watershed, in an ongoing effort to preserve habitat there.

These acquisitions bring the total amount of salmon habitat, wetlands and uplands acquired by the national conservation group near Littlerock to 165 acres. The purchases are being made through a $300,000 Salmon Recovery Funding Board state grant.

The two latest properties are about 2 miles south of the Black River National Wildlife Refuge and across the river from the Thurston County's 1,020-acre Glacial Heritage Preserve, which includes some of the last remaining prairie habitat in the Puget Sound lowlands.

"With these acquisitions, we've protected some incredible salmon habitat and really strengthened the ecological health of Glacial Heritage," said Patrick Dunn, the conservancy's prairie restoration ecologist.

The newly acquired stretch of the river is home to salmon, several species of amphibians, river otter, mink, black bear and about 50 migratory bird species.

The Black River area in south Thurston County contains some of the best examples of undisturbed freshwater wetlands remaining in the Puget Sound area.

The slow-moving waterway originates at Black Lake near Tumwater and flows into the Chehalis River near Rochester.

Environmental Watch: Environmental Sciences Associates

SEATTLE -- Jan Mulder has joined Environmental Sciences Associates as director of energy and utilities for its Northwest region. Mulder previously was the natural resources and environmental planning manager for Seattle's City Light. She has over 24 years of experience in regulatory compliance, environmental planning and land use and natural resource management in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska.

Environmental Sciences Associates is an environmental consulting firm with offices in California, Seattle and Florida.

EnvironDesign conference this week

SEATTLE -- Environmental lawyer Robert Kennedy, Jr., Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber and author Peter Senge will deliver keynote speeches at the upcoming EnvironDesign6 conference, scheduled for Wednesday through Friday, at the Washington State Trade & Convention Center.

The sustainable design and business conference has grown substantially since its inception in 1997, with an anticipated attendance of 1,200 at this year's event. The conference offers speeches, workshops and site tours, as well as a product learning center that will showcase the pro-environmental initiatives of nearly 60 manufacturers from a broad range of industries.

EnvironDesign6 is produced by Interiors & Sources and green@work magazines. For information, including a schedule, visit www.environdesign.com or call (561) 627-3393.

Robinson rejoins White Shield

KENNEWICK -- Charles Robinson has returned to White Shield, Inc., an environmental consulting and engineering firm based in the Tri-Cities.

Robinson, a natural resource and environmental consultant, has extensive expertise in site assessment, forest management and site remediation.

White Shield, founded in 1978, has a staff of 50 located in offices around the Northwest including Bellevue, Portland and the Tri-Cities. The firm is Native American-owned and certified by the Small Business Administration for assistance in competing for federal contracts.

Portland Meadows settles runoff suit

PORTLAND (AP) -- Portland Meadows, the city's thoroughbred racetrack, and two environmental groups settled a Clean Water Act lawsuit Thursday over manure runoff from the track into the Columbia River.

The groups had sued after Portland Meadows and the Environmental Protection Agency were already in talks about solving the surface water runoff problem created by about 900 horses typically stabled at the site.

Heavy rains had leached manure into the Columbia Slough, an area already heavily polluted from the Port of Portland and other sources.

Wastewater typically escaped the track grounds and flowed into the river several times a year.

In a consent agreement with the EPA, the track agreed to divert its storm drains to the city of Portland's sewage system at a cost of $750,000, said Arthur McFadden, president of Magna Entertainment Corp., the company that owns Portland Meadows.

The company also agreed to pay a $100,000 fine to the U.S. Treasury in a civil penalty.

The Northwest Environmental Defense Center and Columbia Riverkeeper filed the suit.

The consent agreement that settled the lawsuit allows Portland Meadows to remain open until 2005. After that, the track will have to move or close, McFadden said.

Natural Yard Days this weekend

SEATTLE -- Northwest Natural Yard Days will kick off Saturday, April 6, at Seattle Center's Fifth Avenue parking lot from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The event focuses on environmentally friendly lawn care practices like mulching, water conservation and the use of insecticidal soaps. Discounts will be offered on a number of natural lawn care products, including electric mulching mowers. Parking is free and loading assistance will be provided.

New habitat for salmon-loving terns

SEATTLE (AP) -- Salmon-loving Caspian terns will be chased away from Rice Island again this spring, but the government will create more habitat for them on another Columbia River island under a settlement proposed to resolve a federal lawsuit.

U.S. District Judge Barbara Rothstein, who barred federal efforts to drive the birds to another island in 2000, was expected to review the agreement this week. The National Audubon Society and other conservation groups have agreed to drop their lawsuit if she signs off on it.

"We're embarking on a course that will keep both birds and fish in the river for generations to come," said Alex Morgan, conservation coordinator for the Seattle Audubon Society.

The conservationists contended terns were being made a scapegoat for declines in Columbia Basin salmon runs, which they attribute to federal dams and loss of habitat.

The proposed settlement would allow the Army Corps of Engineers to chase terns away from Rice Island, a 230-acre manmade mound of dredged material about 20 miles upriver near Astoria, Ore. That's where the 16,000 terns -- about two-thirds of the West Coast population of the 21-inch gray birds with black caps and pointed beaks -- have been feasting on young ocean-bound salmon and steelhead.

Workers will be allowed to drive off the birds until they start laying eggs, which could begin as soon as two weeks after nesting. At that point, the crews will have to stay away lest they violate the Migratory Bird Treaty Act by stumbling across the eggs.

The corps also agreed to create 6 acres of habitat for the terns on East Sand Island, about 14 miles west near the river's mouth at Chinook, where the terns' diet contains a higher proportion of smelt, surf perch and sculpin.

This could include creating habitat for them in their historic range in Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor, north of the Columbia on the Washington state coast, an idea that has drawn resistance from Washington state officials in the past.

Scientists estimate the tern colony on Rice Island devoured about 12 percent of the 95 million salmon smolts that reached the river's estuary in 1998.

Forest projects get $900,000 from feds

VANCOUVER (AP) -- Job-creating forest projects in Skamania, Klickitat and Cowlitz counties will receive $900,000 this year from a federal rural assistance program.

By summer, Skamania County officials hope to see workers resurfacing roads, removing poorly designed culverts, clearing trails, sprucing up campgrounds and pulling noxious weeds.

The money also will support a Skamania County emergency search and rescue operation, a minimum-security forest work camp, and a summer jobs program for about 40 kids in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.

The program was created by the Secure Rural Schools and County Self-Determination Act of 2000, which gives rural counties in the Pacific Northwest annual payments to help offset what they have lost in federal timber sales.

Under the law, counties receive an amount equal to the average of the three highest federal timber payments they received between 1986 and 1999. The program will expire in 2006 unless Congress reauthorizes it

Environmental Watch: Jones & Stokes promotes two

BELLEVUE -- Grant Bailey has been named vice president of expansion and planning for Sacramento-based Jones & Stokes. In his new role, Bailey will be responsible for expanding markets for the firm's environmental services in the Pacific Northwest and nationally.

Bailey joined Jones & Stokes in 1993, managing the Bellevue office, currently with 45 employees and $5 million in revenue.

Amy Rucker becomes the branch leader of the Bellevue office. Rucker, a principal at Jones & Stokes, is a natural resource planner with expertise in landscape architecture and landscape restoration.

Jones & Stokes, founded in 1970, has offices in Portland and Ashland, Ore., Arizona and four California cities, in addition to Sacramento.

'Doing Business in Salmon-land' April 25-26

SEATTLE -- Compliance with the myriad state, federal and local environmental regulations on development due to threatened fish will be the topic of an upcoming legal seminar at the Hilton Seattle.

Speakers include Will Stelle of Preston Gates & Ellis, James Buchal of the Pacific Legal Foundation and Kristen Boyles of Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund.

Other segments will focus on salmon and the Superfund, power generation and local response to the Endangered Species Act.

"Doing Business in Salmon-land" will be held April 25 and 26. The conference fee is $595, $515 for government participants. Continuing legal education credits in Washington and Oregon are pending. For more information call (800) 574-4852.

Ecology hosts clean water conference

SPOKANE -- The state Department of Ecology is sponsoring its fourth conference on polluted runoff and water quality. The agency estimates 60 percent of water pollution comes from non-point sources, such as roadways and agricultural runoff.

The conference will be held April 9 through 11. On April 10, Dr. Patrick Condon, professor of landscape architecture at the University of British Columbia, will deliver a keynote address on sustainable communities.

The fee for the entire "Achieving Cleaner Water" conference is $100. Reduced fees are available for partial participation. For more information call Gina Mulderig at (253) 843-9268.

Chambers Creek land to become public

TACOMA -- The city of University Place has teamed up with the Cascade Land Conservancy to keep 5.5 acres on Chambers Creek off limits to development.

Because of a tight timeframe to close the deal, the city asked the conservancy to purchase the $500,000 property until the city could raise the finds. The land had been identified by the city and Pierce County as a high priority for acquisition.

The property is a steep-sloped site forested with Douglas fir and containing good salmon habitat. It also has a building that will eventually be used for University Place community events.

ECO-3 offers stormwater training online

KENT -- With new stormwater requirements from the state Department of Ecology looming, Kent-based ECO-3, an erosion and sediment-control consulting company, has developed a Web-based training program developers and contractors can take at home.

One new requirement for phase one cities and counties, jurisdictions with over 100,000 people, mandates every construction site larger than one acre have a certified erosion and sediment control supervisor on-site or on-call 24 hours a day.

ECO-3 has submitted its training program to King County and Ecology for review. ECO-3 owner Phil Fortunado says by putting the material on the Web, contractors will not have to lose time in the field and on the jobsite.

The program will debut April 1 on the ECO-3 site, www.eco-3.com. Materials for city and county inspectors is expected to be made available shortly afterward.

Rimrock eyed for $14M hydro project

YAKIMA (AP) -- An Idaho company hopes to build the first hydroelectric plant in the Yakima River Basin in almost 20 years.

American Energy of Idaho Falls is pursuing state and federal approval to build the 13.7-megawatt power plant at Rimrock Lake, 30 miles west of Yakima, in 2004.

The plant would use water releases from the lake behind the Tieton Dam on the Tieton River that are managed by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

The power from the proposed $14 million plant already is under contract for 25 years to the Eugene Water and Electric Board, the municipal utility serving the city of Eugene, Ore.

In addition to the plant, a 20-mile-long, 115-kilovolt power line would be built, mostly on federal land, to carry electricity to a substation in Tieton.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is preparing to review the plan and what affect it might have on bull trout, listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

Biologist Jeff Thomas said the agency is concerned about fish losses from the lake during high flows in September.

American Energy also needs a conditional-use permit from Yakima County as well as a critical areas permit because the line will cross several streams and the Tieton River.

Some mitigating measures such as planting trees may be required, said Mike Kerins, the county's lead planner on the project. American Energy already has the required federal license, obtained through a transfer from the Yakima-Tieton Irrigation District six months ago.

Snakes stall Wisconsin civic center

NEW BERLIN, Wis. (AP) -- Garter snakes are choking the city's plans to build a $40 million civic center.

The city and the state Department of Natural Resources have been sparring over how to proceed since last summer, when state officials discovered garter snakes in an area where a road would be built to the center. The state classifies the species as threatened.

The state wants the city to alter the road plan to save the snake habitat, but New Berlin officials say the road extension is critical for developers to solidify deals with potential tenants.

After a meeting Friday, New Berlin Mayor Ted Wysocki agreed to submit a list of the city's objections and offered a plan to move the snakes about 600 yards to the Deer Creek Preserve.

"I just can't believe there isn't some element of common sense here," Wysocki said. "We would dedicate our work force and find every snake that's out there, seriously."

Gloria McCutcheon, the southeastern district chief of the Department of Natural Resources said her agency didn't discover the snakes until eight months after the city filed its road extension application.

"It may not have been everyone's first solution, but it was a compromise," she said

Environmental Watch: Report: Seattle is NW sprawl champ

SEATTLE -- A new study says that of the three major Northwest cities, the Seattle region performed the worst in handling growth.

Prepared by non-profit group Northwest Environment Watch, "This Place on Earth 2002" uses census data and satellite imagery to measure a decade's worth of change in the Northwest. They conclude that 60 percent of Seattle's growth took the form of car-dependant, low-density sprawl, compared to 50 percent in the Portland region and 20 percent in Vancouver, B.C. The report says the Seattle area lost about 10 acres a day to development, versus eight per day in Portland and four per day in Vancouver.

The report also looks at environmental and social factors and their trends over the past decade. For more information go to northwestwatch.org.

Recycled roads workshop

SEATTLE -- King County is sponsoring a workshop on how to incorporate recycled materials into road-building projects this week.

The workshop, "Building Roads with Recycled Materials," will feature a number of national experts on recycled materials and their road-building applications. Also a tour of Renton Concrete Recyclers will be offered.

The half-day program is set for Thursday, March 21, beginning at 9 a.m. at the King Street Center, 201 S. Jackson St., in Seattle. The tour is scheduled for 2 p.m.

To register call (206) 281-9021. The program is sponsored by the county's Environmental Purchasing Program and LinkUp, a marketing effort for manufacturers of products from recycled sources.

Calif. MTBE ban pushed back

REDONDO BEACH, Calif. (AP) -- California has pushed back a deadline to phase out a fuel additive that pollutes groundwater, saying the state risked gas shortages and prices hikes if the deadline wasn't extended.

The ban on MTBE was set to go into effect on Dec. 31, 2002; Gov. Gray Davis extended it to Jan. 1, 2004. The governor said the strain of shifting to other clean-fuel additives, like ethanol, would have resulted in supply problems.

MTBE, or methyl tertiary butyl ether, is added to gasoline as an oxygenate to make it burn cleaner. Its use has allowed states to meet a federal requirement that gasoline contain a 2 percent oxygen additive to cut down on air pollution, but MTBE also been found to pollute groundwater.

Davis said that under the Clean Air Act, California would require 900 million gallons of ethanol per year to make the transition away from MTBE. But, he said, only about seven companies nationwide produce ethanol, raising fears California refineries and consumers could be gouged by a relatively small supply of the sugar cane- or corn-derived additive.

At least 13 states, including California, have either already banned or plan to ban the additive, but those efforts have been hindered because of a federal requirement that gasoline contain an oxygenate like MTBE.

Oregon Capitol going solar

SALEM (AP) -- Despite its reputation for rain and clouds, Oregon goes solar next month with three rows of solar panels on the roof of the Capitol's west wing.

The panels will generate an average of 7.8 kilowatts, enough electricity to power four floodlights on the 23-foot-tall Golden Pioneer statue atop the building. Energy generated in excess of what's needed to illuminate the statue will be sent to the power grid.

A photovoltaic system in Salem can generate about 61 percent as much energy as a similar system in Phoenix, according to the University of Oregon Solar Radiation Monitoring Laboratory. Proponents say that's enough to make solar a viable energy source for all of Oregon.

Oregon was one of the first states to offer tax credits for businesses and homeowners who invest in photovoltaic systems. Since 1978, more than 200 households and businesses have taken advantage of the credits.

Officials at the Oregon Office of Energy estimate the real number of systems in place is closer to 500 because not everyone applies for a credit. A database started 10 years ago by the Ashland-based "Home Power" magazine indicates 373 Oregon homes have photovoltaic installations.

The idea to have a partially solar Capitol didn't occur to Oregon officials until last summer, when the four 250-watt lights illuminating the Golden Pioneer were shut off to conserve energy. That's when a worker inside the Office of Energy asked why solar panels couldn't keep the Pioneer shining.

Hatcheries may feel budget ax

SALEM (AP) -- Five Oregon hatcheries that supply salmon and steelhead for anglers on 10 coastal rivers could be closed as a result of $81 million in budget cuts issued by Gov. John Kitzhaber.

Three coastal hatcheries -- Salmon River near Otis, Cedar Creek near Hebo and Trask River east of Tillamook -- will be eliminated to reduce spending by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife by $2.1 million.

Two volunteer-operated hatcheries, Whiskey Creek on Netarts Bay and Rhoades Pond east of Hebo, would also be closed under the unilateral cuts.

The agency also plans to shave $112,000 from a program that installs and cleans fish screens that keep juvenile salmon and steelhead from entering irrigation canals in Jackson and Josephine counties.

As a result, fewer screens will be installed and landowners will be asked to maintain existing screens themselves, said John Thieves, an ODFW biologist.

The hatcheries are scheduled to close July 1.

The cuts would essentially eliminate the only source of salmon and steelhead that Oregon anglers are permitted to keep. By law, wild salmon and steelhead must be released unharmed if caught.

The hatcheries are scheduled to close July 1.

The cuts would essentially eliminate the only source of salmon and steelhead that Oregon anglers are permitted to keep. By law, wild salmon and steelhead must be released unharmed if caught.

Study: Greenhouse gases damage B.C. forests

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) -- British Columbia's climate has already been altered by human-caused greenhouse gas emissions in ways that affect forests and fisheries, says a provincial government report that outlines evidence of the changes.

A massive infestation of mountain pine beetles in northern British Columbia -- a problem scientists blame on unusually warm winters, is one indicator of the changing climate, the report said.

Others include the warming of the Fraser River, which threatens temperature-sensitive fish such as sockeye salmon, and average sea levels that are a fraction of an inch higher along most of the coast than they were in 1909.

In the past 100 years, average temperatures have climbed 0.6 degrees on the coast and 1.7 degrees in northern British Columbia, says the report released Thursday by the provincial Water, Land and Air Protection Ministry.

The report, Indicators of Climate Change, is based on an analysis of historical temperature and precipitation data done by the Canadian Institute for Climate Studies and other university and government researchers.

The provincial report said climate changes are important because they "can affect other physical processes, including the duration of ice on rivers and lakes, the proportion of snow to total precipitation and temperature in fresh water ecosystems.

Environmental Watch: Munkberg joins Jones & Stokes

BELLEVUE -- Deborah Munkberg has joined the Bellevue office of environmental consulting firm Jones & Stokes as a senior environmental scientist. She will also serve as team leader of the office's environmental planning team.

Munkberg was previously with Huckell/Weinman and has over 15 years of planning and environmental review experience. Some of her work includes drafting and analysis of comprehensive plan elements under Washington's Growth Management Act.

Munkberg also is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners and a former chair of the Kirkland Planning Commission.

Strawbale construction presentation

SEATTLE -- The Seattle Chapter of the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild is hosting a presentation on strawbale construction Wednesday, March 27, in the basement of the building behind the Phinney Neighborhood Center, 6532 Phinney Ave. N. The meeting begins at 6:30 and ends at 8:30 p.m. Doors open at 6:15 for sign-in. The event is free to EcoBuilding Guild members; a $5 donation is requested from non-members.

Strawbale practitioners will present regionally relevant approaches to strawbale design and construction. Topics include rain screening, construction details and code issues.

Yakima water outlook good

YAKIMA (AP) -- A year after the region was hit with its worst drought in decades, farmers and irrigators in the Yakima Valley are smiling at news that there will be no repeat of water shortages this summer.

The federal Bureau of Reclamation made the announcement Friday, saying there should be plenty of water for farmers and fish -- even if the weather turns dry.

Gov. Gary Locke declared a drought emergency last March 14 after minimal rainfall and snowpack left many rivers at their lowest levels since 1977.

Standing in a dry lakebed southeast of Olympia, Locke predicted the dry conditions would strike a huge blow to fish runs, the state's hydropower market and Eastern Washington farmers who rely on irrigation too keep their crops from dying.

The dire predictions were on target.

The drought killed young salmon, cut short the irrigation season in central Washington's orchard country, helped drive up the price of electricity and turned the state's forests into kindling.

The Roza Irrigation District had to spend $2 million last summer purchasing additional water and ended its season in August, a month earlier than usual.

In the 460,000-acre Yakima Irrigation Project, some farmers got only 37 percent of a full supply so that those with "senior" water rights could get their supply.

Currently, much of Washington has experienced wetter-than-normal weather since this "water year" began Oct. 1, 2001.

Olympic Pipe Line outlines park plan

BELLINGHAM (AP) -- The Olympic Pipe Line Co. has released a draft of its plan for restoring Whatcom Falls Park, which was seared by the June 1999 pipeline explosion and fire that killed three people.

The 166-page draft plan was released Thursday after two years of talks involving Olympic and representatives from the city, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Nooksack Indian Tribe, the Lummi Nation and the state departments of Ecology, Fish and Wildlife and Natural Resources.

Olympic will bear the full cost of the restoration work, as required by federal law. The plan commits the company to spending $500,000 to monitor and maintain vegetation restored to charred stream banks, but no other sums are spelled out. Company spokesman Dan Cummings said he could not elaborate on the costs.

Public comments on the proposal are due April 8.

The plan also calls for stream restoration projects to provide salmon with cooler water temperatures, off-channel sloughs and pools and gravel bars for spawning.

The stream work could begin this summer, unless public comments prompt major changes to the plan. The draft plan can be viewed electronically at http://www.darcnw.noaa.gov/whatcom.htm.

Globe 2002 begins this week

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- The giant environmental conference, Globe 2002, is set to kick off this week, with representatives of business and government leaders from 80 nations confirmed to attend.

Over 2000 delegates are signed up to attend the bi-annual conference, the seventh in the GLOBE series, which began in Vancouver in 1990.

The conference will run from March 13 to 15 in Vancouver, Canada.

New to Globe 2002 are the Globe Awards for Environmental Excellence, which will be awarded to Canadian companies for outstanding achievements in the environmental business field. Also new are technical sessions, which offer a unique opportunity for researchers, students and others working in the fields of urban environmental management, energy efficiency and water to present new ideas and technologies.

There are also exhibits on the technology of new fuel cell-powered automobiles and environmental opportunities presented by the Vancouver-Whistler 2010 Olympic bid.

Palouse aquifer still dropping

MOSCOW, Idaho (AP) -- Even with conservation efforts taking place on both sides of the state line, the Grande Ronde aquifer is continuing to drop between 1 and 2 feet per year.

The aquifer is the only source of drinking water for 50,000 people in Moscow and Pullman, Wash. Conditions have gotten so bad, geologists have even proposed injecting surface water into the ground.

The water supply has been a concern in the Palouse Basin for generations. Water levels in the Grande Ronde aquifer began falling more than a century ago.

Scientists are unsure how much water continues to flow into the Grande Ronde. Recharge estimates from the 1980s appear to be overstated, committee members said, and pale in comparison with the porous Rathdrum Prairie aquifer, where 250 million to 650 million gallons of water arrive each day.

The shape and volume of the aquifer also remains unknown. But scientists fear that it could resemble a narrow bowl. If that is true, even if water consumption levels off, the declines could increase as the width of the aquifer decreases.

If the water levels don't stabilize, scientists are proposing drastic measures.

One idea is to artificially recharge the aquifer. Planners have suggested diverting spring runoff from Paradise Creek, the Palouse River and even treated wastewater to fill the aquifer