December 26, 2001

Environmental Watch: Burning tips issued

SEATTLE -- The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency has issued tips to promote low-emission fires for woodstoves and fireplaces. According to the agency, more than 60 percent of the area's burn bans occur during December and January.

Some of the tips include using manufactured logs instead firewood, burning small hot fires with the damper open to reduce smoke and replacing older stoves with an Environmental Protection Agency-certified product.

The tip sheets -- promoted in conjunction with the state Department of Ecology and the Northwest Hearth Products Association -- are available at participating hearth retailer locations and on the Web at www.airwatchnorthwest.org.

Air Watch Northwest is a public education campaign designed to increase awareness about air quality issues in the central Puget Sound region.

Winter Adopt-A-Stream events

EVERETT -- The Adopt-A-Stream Foundation has announced its schedule of winter events featuring training to become a "streamkeeper" stream steward.

Other events include "Big Birds of Skagit Valley" to be held on Saturday, Jan. 26 at the Padilla Bay Interpretive Center in Mount Vernon at 10 a.m. Advance registration for the $15 ($20 for non-members) program is required.

Streamkeeper training will be held Thursday, Jan. 31 at the Northwest Stream Center, 600 128th St. S.E. in Everett, from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The cost is $8 for members and $10 for non-members.

A complete list of events is available by calling (425) 316-8592 or visiting www.streamkeeper.org.

Electric SUV going on sale in Calif.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Toyota has announced that it will begin offering the electric RAV4-EV to retail customers in California beginning in February 2002. The sport utility is a zero emission, electric version of Toyota's popular RAV4 SUV.

In 1997, Toyota began making the RAV4-EV available nationally through a special fleet lease program to major corporations and utilities. Today, there are more than 900 in service nationwide, including 700 on the road in California.

Under California law, 10 percent of all new vehicles sold have to meet low emissions standards by 2003, with 2 percent qualified as zero emission vehicles.

The RAV4-EV, with seating for five plus cargo room, is powered by a maintenance-free, permanent magnet motor, producing 50 kilowatts of power (equivalent to a 67-horsepower gasoline engine).The vehicle has a top speed of 78 mph. It has a range between 80 and 100 miles per charge.

The RAV4-EV will have a manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of $42,000, but a $9,000 incentive from the California Air Resources Board and a $3,000 IRS credit will bring the price down to $30,000, which includes an in-home charging device. There will also be three special introductory lease options, which also include the use of the charger.

When RAV4-EV goes on sale in February, Toyota will have a participating dealer in every major metro market in California. Like the Prius gas/electric hybrid vehicle, customers will have the ability to order the RAV4-EV on-line and take actual delivery through a participating dealer.

NEBC chapter lunch

SEATTLE -- The Northwest Environmental Business Council will hold its Washington chapter luncheon Wednesday, Feb. 6 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at McCormick & Schmick's Harborside Seafood Restaurant, 1200 Westlake Ave. N.

The topic of the lunch is "Procuring Environmental Services: A Weyerhaeuser Perspective."

The cost is $25 for NEBC members and guests and $40 for non-NEBC members. Reservations can be made by calling (888) 609-NEBC or going to www.nebc.org.

Unlimited snowmobiles again in Yellowstone

WEST YELLOWSTONE, Mont. (AP) -- There will be no limit on the number of snowmobiles allowed inside Yellowstone National Park this winter, but they will operate under tightened restrictions, the National Park Service says.

There will be a lower speed limit on the park's most popular route to Old Faithful, more grooming of roads, mandatory advance purchase of park entry passes, more park staff patrolling and volunteers to help educate visitors about low-impact snowmobiling.

"All of that is going to help make things more enjoyable," said Glenn Loomis, who runs a snowmobile rental shop in West Yellowstone. A lower speed limit won't make much difference because most snowmobile riders are sightseeing and go 25 mph anyway, Loomis said.

Environmentalists are skeptical.

"There's no certainty they're going to take care of the monumental problems snowmobiles have caused in Yellowstone," Jon Catton of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition said.

The Park Service said the intent is to reduce noise, air pollution and conflicts with wildlife and other visitors.

The plan for a gradual but total phaseout of recreational snowmobiling in the park was put on hold last winter after the Bush administration settled a lawsuit by snowmobile makers that challenged the phaseout.

Lowering the speed limit between West Yellowstone and Old Faithful, along with putting more people on the ground to educate visitors about low-impact touring, could ease conflicts with wildlife. Advance purchases of park passes in West Yellowstone is expected to reduce congestion at the west entrance, where snowmobile exhaust has caused complaints of headaches and nausea among workers.

The original phaseout plan would have begun this year by capping snowmobile numbers at last winter's level.

Daylight Swifty Creek?

SNOHOMISH (AP) -- Most of the year, it's a ballfield on the freshman campus of the local high school in this town 25 miles northeast of Seattle.

When there's a lot of rain, as has been the case this fall, it's called Freshman Lake.

"It's not in an area that our students are allowed to be in," Principal Diana Plumis said, "so it doesn't cause disciplinary problems.

"It's both a good and a bad thing. It's taking up our entire ballfield area, but it's beautiful. We even have ducks floating around out there."

The overgrown puddle, as deep as 6 feet in places, is formed by the overflow from a pipe that was installed years ago to carry Swifty Creek beneath the area and into the Snohomish River. The purpose was to create more buildable property.

The town's comprehensive plan includes restoration of Swifty Creek, removing the pipe and directing surface runoff into holding ponds for a salmon hatchery on the freshman campus. That would also put an end to Freshman Lake.

"At one time, there were salmon in the creek," said Bob Hierman, a longtime resident and member of the conservation group Friends of Blackmans Lake. "We'd like to see that again."

For now, school officials can live with Freshman Lake. Superintendent Neal Powell says there's no damage to the ballfield and the grass always grows back in the spring after the water recedes.

Ore. seafood study wins grant

ASTORIA, Ore. (AP) -- A federal grant will help researchers find ways to maximize profits from coastal oyster and tuna harvests.

The $532,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will fund work at Oregon State University's Seafood Research Laboratory in Astoria and the Coastal Oregon Marine Experiment Station in Newport.

The two centers joined with Shorebank Enterprise Pacific in Ilwaco, Wash., to apply for the grant.

The three-year project will focus on helping local seafood businesses get the most out of their harvests.