Editor's Note

Editor's Choice

National News

Legislative News

State News

Resources/ Publications

Potpourri

Job Openings

Student Jobs

Meetings/ Training

ASWM Calendar

INDEX:

---EDITOR'S NOTE--

---EDITOR'S CHOICE---

·	Draft Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) Wetland Mapping Standard
·	Wetlands wildlife at risk
·	The Threatening Storm – Katrina Anniversary
·	U.S. House Passes Farm Bill Despite Last Minute Tax Fight
·	LA: Gulf Dead Zone Still Third Largest
·	FL: U.S. funding for Everglades falls short
·	Clean Water Act Jurisdictional Handbook
·	Climate change and permafrost thaw alter greenhouse gas emissions in northern wetlands
·	MA: Eliminating Citizens’ Right to appeal not the answer to faster permits
·	Special Session on Carabell/Rapanos at ASWM’s Wetlands 2007

---NATIONAL NEWS---

·	EPA Launches New Tribal Portal Website
·	FishAmerica Foundation Offers Funding for Conservation and Research Projects

---LEGISLATIVE NEWS---

·	House Passes Ocean and Coastal Mapping Bill
·	White House Threatens Veto of $20 Billion Water Projects Bill, Says It's Too Costly

---STATE NEWS---  

·	VT: Draft Lake Champlain Wetland Restoration Plan Released
·	FL: Agency's End Could Imperil Wetlands
·	MO: Lakeside 370 wetlands draw criticism
·	CT: DEP investigates wetlands damage
·	PA: State to developer: Weeds gotta go
·	NC: Beech Street construction continues despite complaints
·	FL: Wetlands chief will stop in Tampa
·	TX: Balancing development with the environment remains a challenge
·	NY: Mosquito overkill
·	MD: Runoff hurts beaches, study says
·	IA: Council approves wetlands mitigation
·	MN: Beyond a game warden
·	NH: Facing lawsuit, couple settle over wetlands
·	WA: Construction project lacks necessary site controls, earns fine
·	NJ: Construction debris cleared from wetlands
·	MA: How many houses is too many houses?
·	TN: Wildlife officials start work on waterfowl refuge in E. Tenn.
·	VA: Beach officials plan to destroy wetlands to create new ones
·	MA: Protecting Belmont Uplands
·	CT: Waterbury mayor's development proposal bogs down in wetlands board
·	UT: Utah Botanical Center Seeking Funds for Wetlands Exhibit
·	NH: Fees: A new piece in the wetlands mitigation puzzle
·	WA: Peninsula residents learn about water supply problems, solutions
·	IN: Findings On Wetlands Impact Released
·	NY: Study Shows New York Marshes Vanishing Fast
·	WA: Water and wetlands get more protection
·	WA: Coalition of Pacific Northwest stakeholders fund regional climate change study
·	MA: Petition Drive to Save Trees and Wetlands in Northampton, Massachusetts
·	IL: Chicago Flood Potential Is Higher Than Expected
·	PA: Stream part of protection effort
·	FL: Details of Judge William Hoeveler's ruling in Everglades mining case
·	CA: Peirson's Milk-Vetch Squashed Again
·	MA: Comment Invited on Cleanup of Three Cape Cod Estuaries
·	CA: Tension mounts over Los Cerritos Wetlands
·	CA: Coastal panel postpones decision on Bolsa Chica (Huntington Beach Wetlands)
·	ME: Dead horseshoe crabs found in the Damariscotta
·	CA: Mission Bay Park's Mystery Wetlands Reappear

---RESOURCES AND PUBLICATIONS---

·	Important Bird Areas of Wisconsin
·	Effects of Nutrient Enrichment in the Nation’s Estuaries: A Decade of Change
·	A Landowner's Guide to Phragmites Control
·	In Hot Water: Water Management Strategies to Weather the Effects of Global Warming

---POTPOURRI---

·	New Way to Purchase Federal Duck Stamps – Introducing the E-Duck Stamp
·	Funding, workshops, educational brochure help fight stormwater pollution
·	New life at water's edge
·	U.S. Border Fence Seen Harming Ocelots, Butterflies Because of Habitat Fragmentation
·	2007 Waterfowl Survey Shows Good News
·	EPA: Presentation on Pharmaceuticals in the Environment

---JOB OPENINGS---

·	Wetland Biologist Position with Multidisciplinary Consulting Firm
·	Wetland Outreach Specialist
·	Wetland Monitoring and Assessment Coordinator
·	Regional Biologist
·	Wetlands Ecologist
·	Wetland Scientist
·	NH Natural Heritage Administrator
·	Junior Scientist for Soils, Water and Climate
·	Staff Level Scientist
·	Remote Sensing Specialist I
·	Environmental Scientist

---STUDENT JOBS ---

---MEETINGS AND TRAINING---

·	Wetlands Workshop for Foresters, Loggers, Landowners and Code Enforcement
·	“Cool Clear Water” Series
·	Cuyahoga River Model Workshop
·	Nutrient Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL) Development Workshop
·	A Workshop on the State of the Upper Peninsula’s Water Quality
·	Isolated Wetlands Conference & Vernal Pond Building Workshop
·	2008 AWRA Spring Specialty Conference - GIS and Water Resources V
·	11th National Mitigation & Ecosystem Banking Conference

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For a rolling calendar of meeting, conferences, and other events visit the ASWM calendar.

EDITOR'S NOTE

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Camping out in midcoast Maine last month was an adventure on par with the 1984 flick, “Romancing the Stone,” except I knew better than to wear high heels and we didn’t see any crocodiles. We lugged our gear a mile to Birch Point, which faces east and juts into the Sheepscot River, just beyond Wiscasset Harbor. After we had made several trips to and from the old volvo with arm-loads of stuff, then wrestled with our borrowed dome tent—in the dark—which we couldn’t erect until the next morning (big surprise), we relaxed by a crackling fire. I chose a spot for our tent that I thought was off the beaten path, a shady haven full of raspberry bushes…poison ivy and deer ticks. On our first night, we slept under the stars and fortunately for us, it didn’t rain. We awoke Saturday morning to a strange wheezing noise. A doe laid in the grass, blowing scents out her nose, most likely trying to figure out what we were doing in her bedroom. Later four mud-covered men toting buckets tromped through our camp site. Sun-baked mud flecked the raspberry leaves in the wormers’ wake, which turned the trail from green to white when seen from a few feet away. Here we had driven an hour, then bushwacked through tall grass sans machete—just to get out of the city—and I had put us at a busy intersection. In the afternoon heat, we walked out to “Sunny Rock,” a glacially-cut point, where I had learned to swim as a toddler. I stepped off the rock into fifty-five degree salt water; a skirt of rockweed collected at my waist as Greg crouched down and dipped his toes. Hot from hiking through sun-soaked meadows, we opted out of exploring the trails that climbed the mountain. As we rounded the bend at the base of one mossy trail, I remembered running up and down—effortlessly—with my brother, Tad; as kids, we carved our names in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs at the broken stone bridge over an icy brook that fed an inlet, lined with wrack and eel grass, a home to herons, fish and other things.  Special thanks to contributors for this issue: Cathy Garra, EPA; Elijah Ramsey, National Wetlands Research Center, USGS; Steve Yekich, Contour Environmental; Roxanne Thomas, ELI; Michael Hayslett, Sweet Briar College. Stay cool. Leah Stetson Editor, Wetland Breaking News

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EDITOR'S CHOICE

Draft Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) Wetland Mapping Standard

FedCenter.gov – August 8, 2007 This document provides Federal, State, Tribal and local wetland managers and others with information on what data to collect when mapping wetlands that will be uploaded to the National Wetland Inventory (NWI) and incorporated as part of the wetlands layer of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) in the USGS National Map. The intent of this standard is to support a consistent/seamless transition from traditional paper-based map products to technology-based mapping products and serve as the national standard for mapping wetland inventories for building the wetlands layer of the NSDI. This standard is intended for use by all Federal or federally-funded wetlands mapping projects including those activities conducted by Federal agencies, states, and federally recognized tribal entities, non-governmental organizations, universities, and others. Specifically, if Federal funding is used in support of wetlands inventory mapping activities, then use of this standard is mandatory. Scientific views, data, and information should be submitted by November 9, 2007. POC is Margarete Ann Heber, Wetland Division, Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds, U.S. EPA, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; phone (202) 566-1189; fax (202) 566-1349; e-mail Heber.Maragaret@epa.gov (Federal Register: August 7, 2007 [Notices], Page 44133-44136). Federal Register notice is available at: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/E7-15351.htm  For a direct link to the draft wetland mapping standard, go to: http://www.fws.gov/nwi/Final%20Draft%20Wetlands%20Mapping%20Standard%2003_26_07.pdf

Wetlands wildlife at risk

By Bob Marshall – The Times Picayune – August 5, 2007 CWRA. If you're a duck hunter, or anyone else who cares about fish and wildlife, that acronym should become part of a personal crusade. It stands for the Clean Water Authority Restoration Act, a piece of federal legislation critical to your future. That is not some "the sky is falling" hyperbole from crazy Greens. It is the consensus of the wildlife science community. How united are they? The consensus includes Ducks Unlimited, not a group known for manning the barricades. Here's what's at stake. Isolated and temporary wetlands are key components of waterfowl nesting habitat, the backbone of the famed prairie pothole ecosystem on the northern prairies responsible for most duck production. For 30 years the Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency included them among the protections granted to wetlands under the Clean Water Act. For full story, go to: http://www.nola.com:80/sports/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-31/118629447010690.xml&coll=1

The Threatening Storm – Katrina Anniversary

By Michael Grunwald – Time – August 3, 2007 The most important thing to remember about the drowning of New Orleans is that it wasn't a natural disaster. It was a man-made disaster, created by lousy engineering, misplaced priorities and pork-barrel politics. Katrina was not the Category 5 killer the Big Easy had always feared; it was a Category 3 storm that missed New Orleans, where it was at worst a weak 2. The city's defenses should have withstood its surges, and if they had we never would have seen the squalor in the Superdome, the desperation on the rooftops, the shocking tableau of the Mardi Gras city underwater for weeks. We never would have heard the comment "Heckuva job, Brownie." The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was the scapegoat, but the real culprit was the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which bungled the levees that formed the city's man-made defenses and ravaged the wetlands that once formed its natural defenses. Americans were outraged by the government's response, but they still haven't come to grips with the government's responsibility for the catastrophe. For full article, go to: http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1646611_1646683_1648904,00.html

U.S. House Passes Farm Bill Despite Last Minute Tax Fight

Environmental News Service (ENS) – July 27, 2007 The 2007 Farm Bill passed today by the U.S. House of Representatives meets with the approval of the nation's two largest farmers' organizations. The bill, passed by a vote of 231-191, retains a safety net for farmers when prices fall; authorizes a permanent disaster program; and increases funding for conservation, nutrition, and renewable energy. The House farm bill is a good bill,"said Tom Buis, president of the National Farmers Union, with a membership of 250,000 farm and ranch families. "Conservation spending is increased by $4.6 billion, nutrition program spending by $4 billion, renewable energy efforts by $2.5 billion and, for the first time ever, provides $1.6 billion for fruit and vegetable growers." For the full story, go to: http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jul2007/2007-07-27-01.asp  For an additional story on this topic, visit: http://www.nacdnet.org/news/newsroom/releases/07_27_07.phtml

LA: Gulf Dead Zone Still Third Largest

By Janet McConnaughey – Associated Press / ENN – July 30, 2007 The oxygen-poor "dead zone" off the Louisiana and Texas coasts isn't quite as big as predicted this year, but it is still the third-largest ever mapped, a scientist said Saturday. Crabs, eels and other creatures usually found on the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico are swimming in crowds on the surface because there is too little oxygen in their usual habitat, said Nancy Rabalais, chief scientist for northern Gulf hypoxia studies. "We very often see swarms of crabs, mostly blue crabs and their close relatives, swimming at the surface when the oxygen is low," she wrote in an e-mail from a research ship as it returned to Cocodrie from its annual measurement trip. Eels, which live in sediments 60 to 70 feet below the water surface, are an even less common sight, she said. For full story, go to: http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=13218

FL: U.S. funding for Everglades falls short

By Carl Hiaasen – Miami Herald – July 29, 2007 Seven years ago, when it was officially declared that the Everglades should be restored, the federal government promised to take a 50-50 role with the state of Florida. Like many promises the government makes, the Everglades commitment has turned out to be an expensive disappointment. As so-called partners in the nation's most urgent and ambitious conservation mandate, the feds have been disorganized, distracted and disgracefully slow to pay their share. Between 2000 and 2006, Florida outspent the U.S. government on Everglades funding by a hefty $2.5 billion. During that period, Congress failed to appropriate any new money -- not one thin dime -- for the restoration. Without renewed federal funds, some of the most critical Everglades projects are years behind schedule. Those that are finished or underway are designed more to deliver cheap water to developers and farmers than to rejuvenate the ecosystem. More than $7 billion has been spent so far, and two-thirds of that came from the state. That's some "equal" partnership. For full story, go to: http://www.miamiherald.com/851/story/184658.html

Clean Water Act Jurisdictional Handbook

Environmental Law Institute – Press Release – July 18, 2007 Last year’s Supreme Court ruling in Rapanos v. United States left regulators, activists, and landowners nationwide scrambling to understand the scope of Clean Water Act jurisdiction over wetlands and streams. Unless and until Congress amends the law to clarify its intended coverage of the “waters of the United States,” we are left to sort out the present law. There is now a comprehensive resource designed to shed light on the topic, the Clean Water Act Jurisdictional Handbook, just released by the Environmental Law Institute (ELI). The ELI Handbook lays out the various tests for Clean Water Act coverage under current law. Additionally, the Handbook brings science to bear on the question of determining CWA coverage for certain categories of wetlands and streams, in a way that no other publication to date has attempted. The Handbook is a necessary and informative complement to the joint guidance document issued last month by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to guide their respective field staff in making jurisdictional determinations in the wake of the Rapanos decision. For a direct link to the Handbook, visit: http://www2.eli.org:80/newbooks/cwa_handbook.htm

Climate change and permafrost thaw alter greenhouse gas emissions in northern wetlands

Contact: Merritt Turetsky – Michigan State University News Release – August 8, 2007 Permafrost – the perpetually frozen foundation of North America – isn’t so permanent anymore, and scientists are scrambling to understand the pros and cons when terra firma goes soft. Permafrost serves like a platform underneath vast expanses of northern forests and wetlands that are rooted, literally, in melting permafrost in many northern ecosystems. But rising atmospheric temperatures are accelerating rates of permafrost thaw in northern regions, says MSU researcher Merritt Turetsky. In the report, “The Disappearance of Relict Permafrost in Boreal North America: Effects on Peatland Carbon Storage and Fluxes,” in this week’s online edition of Global Change Biology, Turetsky and others explore whether melting permafrost can lead to a viscous feedback of carbon exchange that actually fuels future climate change. “The loss of permafrost usually means the loss of terra firma in an otherwise often boggy landscape,” Turetsky said. “Roads, buildings and whole communities will have to cope with this aspect of climate change. What this means for ecosystems and humans residing in the North remains of the most pressing issues in the climate change arena.” For the full news release, go to: http://www.newsroom.msu.edu:80/site/indexer/3138/content.htm For a link to more information about the article itself, visit: http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2007.01381.x

MA: Eliminating Citizens’ Right to appeal not the answer to faster permits

By Samantha Woods – Wareham Courier – July 18, 2007 At the direction of the Patrick Administration, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection is proposing sweeping changes to its wetlands regulations that would eliminate the long standing right of 10 townspeople to appeal a decision by DEP in wetlands cases. Currently, if 10 townspeople feel there will be damage to wetlands in their community they can appeal a DEP decision to the Administrative Law Court. Under the proposed changes, only applicants, conservation commissions and persons meeting the legal standard of “aggrieved” will now be able to commence an appeal of DEP decisions. This means that if watershed associations or any other group interested in protecting wetlands disagree with the DEP’s decision, they have no recourse to an independent court of law. The draft regulations also require all wetland appeals to be heard in four months or less and limit hearings to one day regardless of complexity, and allow DEP to “opt out” of participating in the appeal. For full story, go to: http://wareham.wickedlocal.com/pfarticle.aspx?c=ls&id=11755  For more background information, go to: http://www.mass.gov/dep/service/regulations/proposed/wlapbg.doc To view the proposed regulatory changes and the public hearing notice, go to: http://www.mass.gov/dep/public/hearings/310cmr1.htm  To view the draft regulations, go to: http://www.mass.gov/dep/service/regulations/newregs.htm#wpa For MassAudubon’s take on this issue, go to: http://www.massaudubon.org/news/newsarchive.php?id=73&type=editorial For a more recent (8/6/07) article, go to: http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2007/08/06/what_cost_faster_permits/

Special Session on Carabell/Rapanos at ASWM’s Wetlands 2007

There will be a special session on Carabell/Rapanos at Wetlands 2007 on Wednesday, August 29th. Among the topics to be covered during panel discussions, such as how the lower Courts have responded to the Carabell/ Rapanos decision and implementing the newly released guidance, several key issues will prompt a dialogue. For a look at the special Carabell/Rapanos session topics, visit: http://www.aswm.org/calendar/wetlands2007/agenda.htm#7 To register to attend the full conference, or for this particular session, please go to: http://www.aswm.org/calendar/wetlands2007/wetlands2007_registration.htm

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NATIONAL NEWS

EPA Launches New Tribal Portal Website

Contact: Carol Jorgensen – EPA News Release – July 26, 2007 The Environmental Protection Agency has launched the first-of-its-kind portal website to help the tribal community, its supporters and the public find tribal environmental information and data through a single web-based access point. Announced at the National Tribal Operations Committee (NTOC) meeting in Washington, DC, the portal is part of EPA’s commitment to strengthen its partnership with Indian tribes and governments to protect human health and the environment. Established in 1994, the NTOC comprises 19 tribal leaders and senior Agency leaders, and meets once a year to discuss implementation of tribal environmental protection programs. Currently, there are approximately 560 separate, federally-recognized tribal governments in the United States. For the full press release, go to: http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/a883dc3da7094f97852572a00065d7d8/40f3533e70c3e40f85257324004c652f!OpenDocument  For a direct link to the tribal portal website, visit: http://www.epa.gov/tribalportal/

FishAmerica Foundation Offers Funding for Conservation and Research Projects

River Network Press Release – July 25, 2007 The FishAmerica Foundation ( http://www.fishamerica.org/ ), the  American Sportfishing Association's conservation and research  arm, provides funding to nonprofit organizations such as sporting  clubs, civic associations, conservation groups, and state agencies in the United States and Canada for projects designed to  enhance fish populations, restore fish habitat, improve water  quality, and advance fisheries research, thereby increasing the  opportunity for sportfishing success.  The foundation's Conservation Projects Committee funds hands-on,  action-oriented projects that have clear and identifiable benefits to sport fish populations and the sport of fishing and/or  directly enhance water quality, habitat, and/or sport fish populations. The average conservation grant is $7,500.  The foundation's Research Projects Committee funds research  projects that have regional or national implications. The committee prefers to fund national model projects. The average  research grant is $15,000.  All projects are funded for a year only. Conservation project applications may be submitted at any time  (except for project applications associated with specific Request  for Proposals). Research projects are funded once a year, with  proposals due on July 31, annually. Visit the FishAmerica Foundation Web site for complete grant  guidelines.  RFP Link:  http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/10008103/fishamerica For additional RFPs in Environment, visit: http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/cat_environment.jhtml

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LEGISLATIVE NEWS

House Passes Ocean and Coastal Mapping Bill

Coastal States Organization – CSO Weekly Report – August 3, 2007 In July the House approved HR 2400, The Ocean and Coastal Mapping Integration Act. Introduced by Delegate Madeleine Bordallo (D-GU), the bill would authorize nearly $300 million to create an integrated federal program to map U.S. ocean and coastal waters. The bill would also direct NOAA to create a national registry of federally funded ocean and coastal mapping data and work to integrate onshore and offshore maps. The mapping program would cover U.S. oceans and coastal waters, including the exclusive economic zone, the outer continental shelf and the Great Lakes. H.R. 2400 would authorize $20 million for the mapping plan for fiscal 2008 with funding escalating up to $45 million for fiscal years 2012-2015. In the report released with the bill in late July, the Committee called out the findings of both the US Commission on Ocean Policy and a study completed by the National Research Council who recommended to consolidate and coordinate federal mapping activities, and that NOAA lead this effort. In addition, the report noted, should the U.S. accede to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, documentation and verification of the extent of the continental shelf will be required to claim an extended Exclusive Economic Zone. For a link to the full CSO report, go to: http://coastalstates.org/documents/pubs/weekly/2007/The%20CSO%20Weekly%20Report%208.3.pdf

White House Threatens Veto of $20 Billion Water Projects Bill, Says It's Too Costly

By John Heilprin – Associated Press/ENN – August 2, 2007 President Bush will veto a $20 billion water projects bill unless lawmakers remove the billions added for new plants and new costs shifted onto the federal government, the White House said Wednesday. "Indeed, it seems a $14 billion Senate bill went into a conference with the House's $15 billion bill and somehow a bill emerged costing approximately $20 billion," complained Rob Portman, the White House budget director, and John Paul Woodley Jr., the Army's assistant secretary of civil works. The veto threat came hours before the House took up the bill, loaded with Army Corps of Engineers environmental projects and drinking water and wastewater treatment plants included by Senate and House negotiators. For full story, go to: http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=13247 For an additional update on this issue, go to: http://coastalstates.org/documents/pubs/weekly/2007/The%20CSO%20Weekly%20Report%208.3.pdf

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STATES NEWS

VT: Draft Lake Champlain Wetland Restoration Plan Released

April Moulaert – Vermont Agency of Natural Resources Press Release – August 15, 2007 A draft of the Lake Champlain Wetland Restoration Plan has been released and is available for public comment, according to the Agency of Natural Resources’ Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation. The plan, drawn up by the department’s Wetlands Protection and Restoration Program, identifies and prioritizes potential wetland restoration opportunities in the Vermont portion of the Lake Champlain Basin, with a primary focus on improving the water quality of the lake.  This information will be used to guide future wetland restoration and protection activities. The plan is available at http://www.vtfpr.org/wprp/programaccomplishments.cfm.   In addition, the department will hold two information sessions on the draft.  The first meeting is set for Sept. 10 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Ilsley Library in Middlebury. The second is slated for Sept. 13 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the St. Albans Educational Center. Comments on the plan will be accepted for two weeks after the public information sessions.  Questions and comments regarding the plan also can be sent to April Moulaert at (802) 241-1054 or via e-mail at april.moulaert@state.vt.us. A copy of this press release should be posted on the agency’s webpage soon, at: http://www.anr.state.vt.us/site/cfm/PressRel/search.cfm

FL: Agency's End Could Imperil Wetlands

By Mike Salinero – The Tampa Tribune – August 12, 2007 Hillsborough County commissioners this week may eliminate the division charged with protecting local wetlands by turning the work over to a regional agency. Which one would do a better job is a spirited debate playing out in hearings, blogs and letters to the editor. One thing, however, is certain: Laying off or reassigning the 18 county employees who track building plans affecting wetlands means less attention would be paid to protecting these vital wildlife nurseries and clean water filters. For full story, go to: http://www.tbo.com:80/news/metro/MGBRX71Z85F.html  For another story on this topic, go to: http://www.sptimes.com:80/2007/08/12/Hillsborough/Wetlands_agency_on_th.shtml

MO: Lakeside 370 wetlands draw criticism

By Tim Bryant – St. Louis Post Dispatch – August 12, 2007 For months, workers in wading boots slogged through muck to plant cordgrass, swamp milkweed and the seeds of other water-loving species that make up a wetlands. Where corn once grew, workers are crafting the 300-acre Lakeside 370 Park, which features a mile-long lake. A swimming beach will be built at one end. At the other will be the wetlands designed by Terra Technologies Inc. Critics contend the wetlands portion of the park project lacks adequate oversight because Terra Technologies not only designed the wetlands but is in charge of reporting whether it is built as specified. The critics also contend that the company's founder, David L. Flick, specified plants that matched the inventory of Critical Site Products Inc., of Belton, Mo., a company his father once headed. For full story, go to: http://www.stltoday.com:80/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stcharles/story/99176A1824CF9AF3862573340019FDFE?OpenDocument

CT: DEP investigates wetlands damage

By Dirk Perrefort – News Times – August 10, 2007 State environmental officials are investigating sediment issues and the destruction of wetlands by construction crews working on the Super 7 bypass expansion. Dennis Schain, a spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection, said a notice of violation was sent within the last week to the state Department of Transportation for the "inadequate installation or maintenance of erosion controls" that resulted in sediment deposits into Lime Kiln Brook. "We are still assessing the full extent of the impact to the brook of the runoff," Schain said, adding the construction company -- O&G Industries of Torrington-- has already made efforts to resolve the issue. For full story, go to: http://www.newstimeslive.com/news/story.php?id=1186568445&source=big_barker

PA: State to developer: Weeds gotta go