Wetlands NewsLink

A Compilation of Wetland News from Around the World

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May 2001

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WETLANDS NEWSLINK –  A Compilation of Wetland News from Around the World

Wetlands NewsLink is a monthly news service supported by the Association of State Wetland Managers, Inc, The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, (International Affairs office), and the U.S. Geological Survey.

Submissions are encouraged –  any international news is welcome that might be of interest to others.  Your input helps make this e-mail resource a useful, collaborative venture.  Submissions should be sent to: Luquer@vermontel.net.  Subscribership to Wetlands NewsLink is available to anyone who asks.  Let me know of any colleagues that might like to receive this monthly e-mail and I will gladly include them.

Contents of the May 2001 Issue

–   Note from the Editor
–   News from Wetlands Council Members & Friends
–   Wetlands News – in the News – from Around the Globe
–   Wetland Web Sites of Interest (maybe?) Offered By Readers This Month
–   Wetland Related Resources
–   Wetland Job Opportunity
–   International Wetlands Calendar  (The Year 2001 and Beyond)

For U.S. Wetlands News go to: http://www.aswm.org/wbn

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

Dear Wetlands Friends:

Wetlands NewsLink is Available on the Web !!!   Go to:   http://www/aswm-www/WetlandsNewsLink to find this issue, last month’s issue, articles that subscribers have offered in PDF format and more.  The site will be built over time.

Wetlands NewsLink continues to be committed to high speed, (no frills) news retrieval which provides international news flashes that can be explored in greater depth.  The Wetlands NewsLink “web site” (created by popular demand) provides the same information, but in a more readable format.

Your feedback is always appreciated.  Happy wetlands reading.

Heidi

Heidi Luquer
Wetlands NewsLink Editor
Luquer@vermontel.net

NEWS FROM WETLAND COUNCIL MEMBERS & FRIENDS

News From Australia…

The Australian Cooperative Research Centre for Coastal Zone, Estuary and Waterway Management has launched a new report, Australian Estuaries:  A framework for management.  This outlines recommendations and framework options for the improved management of Australian estuaries.

The report calls for a national action plan involving government partnerships, community training, research centres, public education programs and shared information systems.  The report costs AUD $14.00 including postage.  Payment is only accepted by credit card or money order (in Australian dollars).  Copies can be obtained by downloading an order form from the coastal CRC's website:  www.coastal.crc.org.au

Natural Areas Association (NAA)

Announces that it will be holding its 28th Annual Conference at Cape Canaveral, Florida from October 3 - 6, 2001.  You and your colleagues are invited to attend.  For more information go to:  http://natareas.org/frame.htm 

Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)

Cordially invites you to attend the public meetings of the 8th regular session of the Council of the CEC and parallel events on 27-29 June 2001, in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.

Ramsar Reports that….
Cuba has joined the Ramsar Convention !!!  

Of Note From the Ramsar Forum: 

The Odessa Office of the International Social Ecological Union Reports on the Destruction of Wetlands of International Importance

In a letter to L.  Kutchma, President of Ukraine, the letter states “we learn that the illegal construction of the highway Odessa-Ismail began in the delta of the Dniester River last December.  The construction is illegal because no transmitting of land for this purpose, no hydrological and geological studies, no project approval, no technical and economic studies, no environmental impact assessment, no state environmental expertise took place.  The letter urgently requests that the Ukrainian Ministry of Transport stops unlawful actions and those guilty are liable for their actions.”   For further information about what is taking place in Ukraine contact:  I. Rusev, Ukraine, Tel/Fax  +380-482-522805, E-mail: wildlife@paco.odessa.ua

World Conservation Union (IUCN)

Small grants Deadline for Wetlands Programme (SWP) of the Netherlands Committee for IUCN is Advanced From the 1st of July to the 23rd of May 2001

For further information on proposal submission and the latest versions of our criteria for funding and model for project proposals visit our website www.wetlands.nl  or contact Esther Bloom:  Programme Officer, NC-IUCN/ Small Grants for Wetlands Programme: esther.blom@nciucn.nl; Plantage, Middenlaan 2b, 1018 DD Amsterdam, The Netherlands Tel: +31-(0)20-6261732 Fax: +31-(0)20-6279349

The Royal Society of Bird Protection (RSBP)
Tourism Development Threatens World Heritage Site

RSBP has written the United Kingdom government expressing outrage over a New Zealand company’s plan to build airstrips and hotels on several of the islands of Pitcairn in the South Pacific, one of the UK’s Overseas Territories.  There are three islands affected.  Pitcairn Island itself has a dwindling population of about 50 people, all descended from Fletcher Christian and the other Bounty mutineers.  Henderson Island is a World Heritage Site with many endemic plants, invertebrates and birds, including the Henderson petrel, the flightless Henderson rail, the beautiful Henderson lorikeet and the Henderson fruit dove.  Oeno is a tiny pristine coral atoll with unique marine life living in its lagoon and many nesting seabirds  For the full article go to: http://www.rspb.org.uk/

WWF Study Urges People to Drink Tap Water

Gland, Switzerland - In light of a new independent study, WWF is urging people to drink tap water, which is often as good as bottled water, for the benefit of the environment and their wallets.  According to the study, “Bottled Water: Understanding a social phenomenon”, commissioned by WWF, bottled water may be no safer, or healthier than tap water in many countries while selling for up to 1000 times the price.  The study reveals that the bottled water market is partly fuelled by concerns over the safety of municipal water and by the marketing of many brands which portray them as being drawn from pristine sources and as being healthier than tap water.  To find the full story go to:  http://www.panda.org/news/press/storyindex.cfm

WETLANDS NEWS – IN THE NEWS – FROM AROUND THE GLOBE (by most recent date)

Wild Chinook Salmon May be Extinct in 15 Years

May 2, 2001, Environmental News Service, By Margot Higgins  –  One of the most threatened groups of salmon in the Pacific Northwest, U.S.A.  will virtually disappear by 2016.  According to "The Doomsday Report 2001" commissioned by Trout Unlimited, wild spring-summer chinook salmon will be functionally extinct a year earlier than previous studies have predicted, and far earlier than government agencies have considered in the federal recovery program for endangered salmon.  Scientists consider a species to be functionally extinct when the population reaches such a low level that inbreeding occurs and individual animals have difficulty finding a mate.  For the full story go to:  http://www.enn.com/news/enn-stories/2001/05/05022001/salmon_43285.asp

Europe Urged to Clean Up Rivers

April 20, 2001, CNN  Brussels, Belgium  –  European countries have been urged to clean up and restore their rivers, lakes and wetlands.  A study by the World Wide Fund for Nature found that 50 out of 69 river stretches in 16 European countries suffered from "poor ecological status."  The group said on Friday that the EU needed to do more to meet its own environmental standards.  The ongoing water study, which will investigate most of Europe's rivers, is being carried out over a two-year period which started in April 2000.  For the complete story go to:  http://www.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/europe/04/20/wwf.rivers/index.html

Bush Administration Endorses Wetlands Rule

April 20, 2001, Washington  –  U.S. EPA Administrator Christie Whitman announced that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is moving forward with a rule to ensure greater protection of America's wetlands.  "The Bush Administration is committed to keeping our waterways clean and safe," said Whitman.  "The protection of America's vanishing wetlands is a vital step toward ensuring cleaner water for everyone. In addition to serving as habitat for wildlife, wetlands help filter and protect our country's water supply.  Today's action will help preserve our wetlands for ourselves and for future generations."
 

Report Warns of Growing Destruction of World’s Coastal Areas

April 17, 2001,  Washington DC  –  A new report released today by the World Resources Institute (WRI) warns that if the planet's coastal zone continues to be extensively modified or destroyed, its capacity to provide fish, protect homes and businesses, reduce pollution and erosion, and sustain biological diversity will be gravely endangered. Unless things change very quickly, the world's coastal areas face a grim future.  For the full story go to:  http://www.wri.org/wr2000/coast_page.html
 

Streams Vital in Removing Water Pollution – Study

April 6, 2001, Reuters, By Eric Beech, Washington D.C.  –  Streams play a bigger role than previously thought in removing pollutants before they get to larger waterways, scrubbing as much as half of the excess nitrogen from fertilizer runoff and auto emissions, scientists said yesterday.  A nationwide study of 12 streams found that the smaller the stream – with its shallow depth and high surface-to-volume ratio –- the more quickly nitrogen was removed, scientists said in the latest edition of the journal Science.  Previously, experts studying pollution focused on larger bodies of water rather than small streams, considering them more like gutters that simply carried nitrogen to lakes, rivers and oceans.  Excess nitrogen can cause ecologically damaging effects in large waterways, including algal blooms, which can kill fish and other aquatic animals.  For the full story go to:  http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10412

Mississippi River: 4 "100-Year"  Floods In 8 Years

April 27, 2001, RiverCurrents for the Week –  "As parts of the Upper Midwest endure their fourth 100-year flood since 1993, several federal programs that help reduce the damage caused by catastrophic floods are languishing -- while a Bush Administration official pressures local communities to adopt flood control techniques with a proven track record of failure.  Get the facts about floods and healthy rivers in our Flood Resource Center:  http://www.amrivers.org/pressrelease/floodfacts4.13.01.htm

Florida Approves Largest US No-Fishing Sanctuary

April 26, 2001.  Tallahassee, Florida  –   "Florida's Governor Jeb Bush and the state Cabinet put the finishing touches this week on what will be the largest no-fishing sanctuary in the United States, a reserve rich in coral and marine life just west of the Florida Keys.  By unanimous voice vote, the seven-member panel provided the necessary state approval to establish the Tortugas Ecological Reserve, a 150-square mile (390 sq km) area that is divided between federal and state waters." For more information visit http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10633 or http://www.dep.state.fl.us/comm/releases/2001/01-086.htm

Conserving Camodia’s Tonle Sap, the Region’s Largest Lake

April 3, 2001, Newsfront: United Nations Development Programme, Daily News Feature  –  UNDP and the Asian Development Bank are joining in a unique partnership to help Cambodia manage and conserve Tonle Sap, the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia. The lake has a unique wetland ecosystem, one of the most important areas of biodiversity in the region that is vital for the global environment and a mainstay of Cambodia's economy.  Fishing and agricultural activities alone around the lake support 1.2 million Cambodians, over 10 per cent of the country's population.  The project will protect threatened ecosystems and natural habitats and help secure local livelihoods by sustaining the lake's resources for families farming and fishing in the area.  The initiative will also support economic development and foster suitable capital investment in the region consistent with these conservation priorities.

WEB SITES OF INTEREST FROM READERS  (from most to least “wetlands” relevance …)

"Wetland Functions and Values" on the Web

The Watershed Academy announces its 40th web-based training module.  The module reviews the extraordinary contributions that wetlands make to our water quality, economy, recreation, environmental health, and other areas. At the end is a self-test, and a printable list of every wetland function/value discussed in the module.  You can access this module at http://www.epa.gov/watertrain/wetlands/ as part of the Watershed Academy Web online training program.  http://www.epa.gov/watertrain/wetlands/

Definitions of Wetland Terms on The Web

A Mere Sampling for Future Reference…  [ There are many, many wetland terminology references which makes the search for a standard challenging, even if one could be devised!  Below are a number of website links of varying degrees of relevance and are simply a mere sampling]

http://mrw.wallonie.be/dgrne/sibw/EUNIS/eunis.gloss.html
http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/prupert/wetlands/website/html/glossary.htm
http://aquat1.ifas.ufl.edu/glossary.html
http://www.cancaver.ca/docs/glossary.htm
http://www.tec.org/tec/tec/terms2.html
http://www.csc.noaa.gov/text/glossary.html
http://outreach.missouri.edu/mowin/Resources/glossary/glossary.html
http://www.edwardsaquifer.net/glossary.html
http://www.orst.edu/Dept/owrri/directory/glossary.htm
http://www.ianr.unl.edu/PUBS/water/g1191.htm
http://www.colorado.edu/INSTAAR/TEAML/atlas/chapters/glossary.html
http://ag.arizona.edu/AZWATER/gloss.html
http://www.eos.uoguelph.ca/webfiles/james/wjvocab.html#vocabulary
http://www.csus.edu/indiv/s/slaymaker/Geol10L/landforms.htm#Streams
http://water.usgs.gov/nwsum/WSP2425/glossary.html
http://www.state.nv.us/cnr/ndwp/dict-1/waterwds.htm
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/water/fhp/lakes/laketerm.htm
http://lily.mip.berkeley.edu/wetlands/glossary.html
These links are kindly offered by Scott Frazier, Senior Wetland Inventory Officer, Wetlands International - Africa Europe Middle East.

When Next Traveling Around The World and You Wish the Guidance of a Local Birder: http://www.birdingpal.com/

Tips on “All About Birding”:  http://birding.about.com/hobbies/birding/

Environmental Information by United States Zip Codes: http://www.formyworld.com  a non-commercial web site that delivers detailed, zipcode specific environmental information for every community in America.

United States Most Influential Environmental Advocacy Organizations Harness Their Power:

http://www.saveourenvironment.org/index.asp

WETLAND RELATED RESOURCES

The World Wildlife Fund’s Living Waters Campaign Offers...

 A free information pack in response to the global freshwater crisis.  Also available are pamphlets on five key river basins: 
‘The River Niger, river of rivers’; ‘The Vistula River,  an aging queen’; ‘The Orinoco River, a South American jewel’; 
‘The Yangtze River, taming the dragon’; and ‘The Mekong River, an unknown and threatened kingdom’, each includes maps, 
statistics, thumbnail photos, and literary quotations, and explanatory text.  Contact Amalia Romeo of WWF International in
Gland, Switzerland at: aromeo@wwfint.org.   To take a quick glance at pictures of these items go
to:  http://www.ramsar.org/w.n.wwf_livwat_infopack2.htm
 

Discover a Watershed Series

This series of educator guides (300 pages, 1/3 background/reference information and 2/3 classroom activities) includes:  Discover a Watershed: The Everglades (published in 1996), Discover a  Watershed: The Rio Grande/Rio Bravo (publishing date October 2001),  Discover a Watershed: The Columbia (publishing date January-February 2002), Discover  a Watershed: The Colorado (publishing date July-September 2002)

KIDS (Kids in Discovery Series) 16-page full color activity booklets The KIDs activity booklet series contains seven published titles (Celebrate  Wetlands, Big Rivers, Conserve Water, Explore Oceans, The Water Story, Fish and Fishing, and Discover Ground Water and Springs) and seven new titles  that will be published in the next year (Discover the Colorado, Discover  the  Rio Grande/Rio Bravo, Discover the Missouri, Healthy Water/Healthy  People,  The Lewis and Clark Expedition, Canyon of the Ancients, Native Waters).  For more information contact the Watercourse / International Project WET:  (406)-994-1909.

WETLANDS JOB OPPORTUNITY

American Bird Conservancy Seeks Director of International Programs

American Bird Conservancy works to conserve wild birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. The Director of International Programs provides direction and oversight for ABC programs in Latin America and the Caribbean, and coordination with ABC's other domestic programs.  For more information and job qualifications contact the American Bird Conservancy. Deadline: May 31, 2001

THE END
May 6, 2001