Action Alert: City Calls for Input on Minto Park Plan

Tags

Access, Conservation, Environment, Parks, Recreation

The City of Salem is considering several variations for its Minto-Brown Island Park Master Plan. The plan that is eventually adopted will determine how the lands are used and how the public can enjoy them. The individual plans focus on enhanced public access, restoration to a more natural state, or a shift to greater agricultural usage. A public meeting is scheduled for April 21,  the particulars of which, along with PDFs detailing the plans, are available from the city’s web page. An online survey which allows you to provide input on the specifics of each part of your preferred plan can also be found there: http://www.cityofsalem.net/Residents/Parks/ParkTour/Pages/MintoBrownIslandMasterPlan.aspx

Personally, I tend to think restoration offers the best environmental and conservation benefits, and some of the access specifics, such as a boat launch on the Willamette Slough, shouldn’t impinge on the restoration goals. I’d like to thank Theresa Byrne for bringing this information to my attention.

In related news, CP stalwart Norm Reiss is serving as an interlocutor in a discussion between the city and the Willamette Riverkeeper aimed at combating the burgeoning weed problem on the sloughs and ponds around the park. The talks are only just beginning, and we’ll try to keep you updated as events develop.

Ractopamine, Outlawed in Europe, China, Russia Used in U.S. Meat

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Agriculture, Animals, Health, Pharma

Used to increase lean meat production in pigs and beef, ractopamine also causes high rates of hideous deformities and pathologies in the animals it’s administered to. Similar to other drugs which have been shunned in the past for their inhumane and toxic effects, ractopamine is the latest attempt by pharma and some livestock producers to pad the bottom line. Reuters has the grisly details: http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2015/03/30/if-you-eat-meat-in-the-united-states-buyer-beware/

Preempt Crooks, Sign Up at IRS.gov

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Financial, Identity Theft, Security

It has come to light that crooks are signing up at the IRS’s website under spoofed or stolen credentials, thereby gaining access to an individual’s private information. Internet security expert Brian Krebs has recommended you sign up, yourself, to preclude such abuse and the hazards it entails. I should mention, when I showed this to my accountant, he stated he had already had a client so affected. KrebsonSecurity has the details: http://krebsonsecurity.com/2015/03/sign-up-at-irs-gov-before-crooks-do-it-for-you/

MRSA Felled by Ancient Eye Salve

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Health, Medicine

Scientists admit to being “astonished” to find that a 9th Century, Anglo-Saxon treatment for eye infections essentially wiped out cultures of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus. With onion, garlic, cow bile and wine as ingredients, you are unlikely to find it on your pharmacist’s shelf, for now, at least. The BBC has the interesting story of how this came to light, as well as the recipe, (in case you’re itching to try it, I guess): http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-32117815

UK Doctors Fight Fracking

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Environment, Fracking, Health, Oil

The controversy over the practice of hydraulic fracturing to extract petroleum and gas isn’t just a phenomenon in the U.S.; skeptics of the process can be found worldwide. Now a group of doctors and academics in the United Kingdom have weighed in against the process, calling it, “… an inherently risky activity that produces hazardous levels of air and water pollution that can have adverse impacts on health.” The group is calling for a moratorium on the process in a letter published in the British Medical Journal. Ars Technica has the details: http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2015/03/top-uk-doctors-call-for-ban-on-inherently-risky-fracking/

Therapeutic Toxins: Another Reason to Value Bees

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Bees, Health, Nature

The BBC has an intriguing story of a woman, wracked with and dying from Lyme disease, and terribly allergic to bee stings, whose life was saved by a massive attack of Africanized bees. In a dramatic example of a phenomenon which defies expectation, she was completely cured of the Lyme disease and she had no resulting anaphylaxis. Hers is but one example of how natural toxins are being found to be potent weapons against human pathologies. http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20150327-how-a-bee-sting-saved-my-life

Porpoises Found to Have Superior Echolocation

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Animals, Oceans, Whales, Wildlife

Scientists in Denmark have found that some cetaceans appear to have echolocation skills that exceed those of even bats. The researchers discovered that the porpoises they studied had the ability to focus their sounds, a combination of clicks and buzzes, to more clearly define where prey fish were located. The journal eLife has the paper: http://elifesciences.org/content/early/2015/03/20/eLife.05651

The BBC has approachable coverage, with video and photos: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-32043822

April Excursions

TERMS, CONDITIONS, DISCLAIMERS AND WAIVERS CAN BE FOUND ON THE “ABOUT” PAGE.

April 27
North Santiam, Greens Bridge to Jefferson – Class 1 Whitewater – length 4 ± miles
A run held dear by many for its ample beauty and incomparable riparian lounging. The date has been changed to accommodate the weather.
Jim Bradley
jim.cascadepaddlers@gmail.com

May 7
Next Monthly Meeting – 6:30 p.m. – Boon’s Treasury – 888 Liberty St. N.E.
Let’s plan some May paddle play.

Israel’s Gazelles Bounce Back

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Animals, Conservation, Endangered Species, Wildlife

The gazelles have returned to Jerusalem’s Gazelle Valley. The valley is the site of a 64-acre urban wildlife reserve, Israel’s first. In a hard-won fight against development interests, conservationists succeeded in preserving the land and repopulating it with Israeli mountain gazelles, an indigenous and highly endangered species. In order to do so, animals had to be secured from private collections and zoos. The efforts have paid off, and the park is now home to a growing herd. The Times of Israel has the story, (cuteness alert: the article’s poster child is a baby gazelle): http://www.timesofisrael.com/gazelles-return-to-embattled-jerusalem-valley/

A Dose of Cute: China’s Ili Pika

Tags

Animals, Conservation, Endangered Species, Photography, Wildlife

Pity the pika, worldwide their populations are under environmental duress. Pikas need a cold climate, so a warming globe, along with dwindling habitat due to human incursion, is placing their numbers in peril. Here, in Oregon, our American pikas are threatened, and China’s elusive Ili is likely faring much worse. You’ve probably seen pictures of the cute little Oregon natives, but the Ili sports a luxuriant, bushy coat that makes it particularly adorable. The BBC has the story and the photos: http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-china-blog-32079630