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Water Creature of the Week: Ponaturi
Ponaturi is
a demon of New Zealand's Maori people. It is
described as a malevolent sea fairy with greenish white skin
and an inner phosphorescent radiance. It's hands end in long
talons and it is typically seen along the shoreline after dark.
Ponaturi have been known to drown children who wander into the sea at
night. Their fatal flaw is their terrible sensitivity to
sunlight.
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Training highlight: Quickbooks
There will be two Quickbooks courses: one for beginners
and one more advanced users. These courses are most useful to
organization members that deal with the finances of the
organization. Encourage your treasurer to attend. Class
sizes are limted to 15 each. Apply soon to ensure a spot!
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Photo by Danny Allgeier. New River Gorge Park, West Virginia. May 2010
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 ECRR's Summer
training series is now open for registrants. Visit our
websites for a list of available courses and instructors.
Full scholarships are available for those who apply early.
Class sizes
are limited. Apply early to ensure a spot in popular courses
such as GIS mapping and Quickbooks training.
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Cape Wind Offshore Project Approved by Obama Admin
After Nine-Year Battle
It's been the
mother of all NIMBY battles, but now it's closer to resolution: The
Obama administration OK'd the nation's first offshore wind farm in
the Nantucket Sound today, with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar
making the announcement in Boston. Full article.
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National Service Agency Announces Grants To Establish
Youth Engagement Zones
The
Corporation for National and Community Service announces the
availability of $5.4 million in grants to establish Youth
Engagement Zones, as called for by the Edward M. Kennedy Serve
America Act. The purpose of the new initiative is to encourage
collaborative community problem solving that increases students'
academic and civic engagement while improving the odds that they
will stay in school and graduate from high school. Applications are
due by June 15 at 5 p.m. EDT. Potential applicants should send a
letter of intent to apply to YEZ@cns.gov by
May 28. For further information and instructions on how to apply, click here.
2010 Firewise Community Grants - Kentucky
The Firewise Community grant program provides funding
to assist communities in wildland/urban interface
areas in reducing their wildfire risk. The grant cycle
runs from Sept. 1 through June 30. Grantees must complete
project activities and submit receipts and documentation in order
to receive reimbursement. Applications are due into the
Frankfort Office by June 15, 4:30 pm EDT. More information.
Green America has announced that it will award four
"Green Grants" to local projects in the United States
that support its mission of creating a socially just and
environmentally sustainable economy. Green America will provide one
Grand Prize of $2,500 and three First Prizes of $1,000. Projects do
not need to be run by nonprofits. More information.
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Webinar: Using the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) to
Support Environmental Justice
The
Environmental Council of the States (ECOS) and United States
Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) invite you to attend the
2010 TRI Webinar:
Using TRI to Support Environmental Justice. The purpose of the
Webinar is to share experiences and lessons learned using TRI to
address environmental justice concerns and expand TRI use among
current and potential users who work on environmental justice
issues. Speakers will include representatives from U.S. EPA
headquarters and regions, non-profit organizations, and academia.
Date: May 25, 2010. Time: 1 - 3 pm EDT
2010 Rain Barrel Workshop - Ohio
The partners of the Firelands Coastal Tributaries will
be presenting several Rain Barrel Workshops offered at Old Woman
Creek Reserve (2514 Cleveland Road East, Huron) and Erie MetroParks
Osborn Park (3910 Perkins Ave, Huron). Participants will
learn the benefits of rain barrels and make their own to take
home. The cost is only $45; all registrations must be made
and paid for in advance of workshop date. More details.
The West Virginia Water Conference is the annual
statewide event that combines exceptional educational programs with
outstanding opportunities for researchers, policy makers,
regulators, agencies and the public to share in the latest
information, technologies and research relating to our state's
water resources. It provides excellent networking opportunities as
well as a productive forum to discuss pertinent water-based issues.
Abstracts for presentations are currently being accepted. More details.
National Environmental Justice Advisory Council
(NEJAC) Registration for the July 27-29, 2010, Public Meeting
The next NEJAC face-to-face meeting will take place in
Washington, D.C., on July 27 through 29, 2010, at The Fairfax at
Embassy Row http://www.fairfaxhoteldc.com/. The
meeting will include a Public Comment period.
Meeting Registration: Registration is required for everyone
(including EPA and other federal employees). The registration
deadline is 10 a.m. Eastern Time on Friday, July 16, 2010. Meeting
materials will be prepared based on the number of participants
registered on July 16. (On-site registration will be available;
however, meeting materials will be distributed first to those who
registered in advance.
OSU Extension Sponsoring Stream Protection Field Day
OSU Extension is sponsoring a workshop and field day
to explore stream assessments for prioritizing watershed
restoration and protection projects. The workshop will be from
9am-3pm on May 27, starting at the Delaware Area Career Center
South Campus. Participants will learn about watershed services and
two potential stream restoration and protection projects in the
Upper Olentangy River Watershed. You can find an agenda and on-line
registration at http://ohiowatersheds.osu.edu/.
Faces
of Leadership Conference: July 20-22, 2010
Head to the Charleston Civic Center for the state's
annual gathering of people strengthening communities through
volunteerism and service. This year's state conference on
volunteerism, community service and service-learning offers a
variety of interesting and innovative presentations and workshop
sessions. More information.
2010 Ohio Stormwater Conference - Kalahari Conference
Center, Sandusky, OH
Registration is now available on-line for the 2010 OH
Stormwater Conference. Please visit the conference website at http://ohioswa.com/conf_home.php.
Registration is $150 for the two day conference. After May 26, the
registration fee goes to $200. Last year this event sold out
at 435 attendees. We are currently on pace to sell out once again.
Register now to ensure your attendance at the Ohio Stormwater
Conference.
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National Conversation on Public Health and Chemical
Exposures
Our Community
Conversation Toolkit is now available for download at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/
. Community conversations are an essential part of the
National Conversation. Through them, we hope to gather
community-based ideas that will contribute to the project's final
action agenda. The toolkit will help you plan and host a productive
conversation and offers guidance for summarizing the ideas
discussed.
And, there is limited funding available! If you would like to apply
for a mini-grant of up to $500 to assist you with expenses, please
read the eligibility criteria and apply soon (applications will be
accepted on a rolling basis until funds are exhausted).
We encourage you to hold a conversation about chemical exposure
issues in your community before June 30, 2010. The toolkit provides
guidance about summarizing your conversation, which we will
synthesize with summaries from dozens of other conversations being
held throughout the country into a report. The report will be
shared with the National Conversation work groups and the
Leadership Council and will inform their work as they begin
developing the action agenda.
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Environmental Fugitive Sought by EPA
Did you think
that the Clean Air Act applied only to companies! Think
again. Certain violations of the Clean Air Act are considered
criminal violations, and individuals may be subject to prosecution.
A tip, do NOT file falsified reports or data to the agency. Full article.
Hard Exercise Can Prevent Cell Death
Apoptosis, the natural 'programmed' death of cells, is
arrested in the aftermath of strenuous exercise. Researchers
writing in the open access journal BMC Physiology studied
peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), isolated from whole
blood samples taken from people after finishing a marathon, finding
that the balance between expression of pro- and anti-apoptotic
genes is shifted after the race. Full article.
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