EPA Awards $785,000 to Navajo Nation for Leaking Underground Storage Tank Cleanup, Compliance

From EPA:

For Immediate Release: October 29, 2014

EPA Awards $785,000 to Navajo Nation for Leaking Underground Storage Tank Cleanup, Compliance

SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $465,000 to the Navajo Nation to oversee the cleanup of an estimated 58 leaking underground storage tanks that store petroleum or hazardous substances throughout the reservation. The agency is also providing $320,000 for compliance activities reservation-wide.

Over the next 5 years, the EPA anticipates awarding $3.8 million to the Navajo Nation for this important work. This is the first time the agency has committed to funding these programs upfront for a multi-year period.

“Since the program’s start in 2000, EPA has helped fund the cleanup of 86 abandoned sites contaminated by petroleum products, mostly gas stations,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “Our goals are to reduce the number of leaking tanks, and hold tank owners accountable for any pollution they do cause.”

The cleanup funds will allow the Navajo Nation EPA to oversee the assessment and cleanup at 58 leaking underground storage tank sites in Tuba City, Shiprock, Lupton, Chinle, and several old abandoned trading posts across the Navajo Nation.  Underground storage tank owners and operators are responsible for their tanks and need to maintain them in good condition, but in the event of leaks, must pay for their cleanup.

The compliance activities funds will be used to conduct tank inspections at approximately 100 Navajo facilities to ensure compliance with federal and tribal standards. These funds will also be used to provide training to operators to ensure there are no leaks from their tanks, and for staff to recognize and respond to release incidents.

Through the work of the underground storage tank program, the EPA and the Navajo Nation EPA have brought the compliance rate of underground tank operations to close to the national rate of 68 percent. EPA funding has also resulted in Navajo-specific regulations and petroleum cleanup standards which incorporate the Navajo philosophy of sacredness of the earth and all its resources. The Navajo Nation Underground Storage Tank Act was passed by the Navajo Nation Council on October 29, 1998. The Act requires the removal of all underground storage tanks that do not comply with the standards.

In 1986, Congress created the Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund to address petroleum releases from federally regulated underground storage tanks. In 2005, the Energy Policy Act expanded eligible uses of the Trust Fund to include certain leak prevention activities. The Trust Fund provides money to: oversee cleanups; enforce cleanups by recalcitrant parties; pay for cleanups at sites where the owner or operator is unknown, or unable to respond, or which require emergency action; and conduct inspections and other release prevention activities. Left unattended, releases from underground tanks can contaminate soil, groundwater, surface water, and indoor air. 

For more information, please visit: http://www.epa.gov/region9/waste/ust/ 

Media Contact:  Margot Perez-Sullivan, perezsullivan.margot@epa.gov

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EPA Finalizes Cleanup Plan for the Clearview Landfill Portion of Lower Darby Creek Area Superfund Site

From EPA:

EPA Finalizes Cleanup Plan for the Clearview Landfill Portion of Lower Darby Creek Area Superfund Site 

 $24 Million to be Spent to Address Landfill Contamination

PHILADELPHIA (October 29, 2014) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has finalized the cleanup plan to address the contaminated waste and soils portion in the Clearview Landfill which is part of the Lower Darby Creek Area (LDCA) Superfund Site.

The LDCA Superfund site is comprised of two landfills, the Clearview Landfill situated in both Delaware and Philadelphia Counties and the Folcroft Landfill in Folcroft Borough, Pa.  Historic waste disposal activities at the Clearview Landfill have resulted in organic and inorganic contamination in soil, leachate and groundwater. It’s anticipated that the design and implementation of this portion of cleanup will cost up to $24 million.

EPA held a public meeting in August 2013 after releasing the Proposed Cleanup Plan for public review and comment. After considering all of the comments and consulting with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, EPA finalized the cleanup plan in a Record of Decision.

The cleanup includes installing an evapotranspiration cover over approximately 50 acres. The cover is a thick layer of soil that is densely planted with trees and plants to minimize precipitation reaching the waste and prevent erosion. EPA has determined that this remedy will provide long-term protection to the community from contaminants, and greater environmental benefits than other cleanup options considered.                                                                        

In addition, contaminated soils outside of the cover will be excavated and long term erosion controls will be put in place along the creek banks. Shallow groundwater contaminated by the Landfill, referred to as “leachate,” will be captured by an underground trench which will lead into wetlands especially built to absorb the water and serve to treat the contaminants.

The remedy also includes land and groundwater use restrictions and long-term maintenance and monitoring. An investigation of the groundwater contaminated by the Clearview Landfill and a separate investigation at the Folcroft Landfill are also currently underway.

The Clearview Landfill is on the east side of Darby and Cobbs Creeks at 83^rd St. and Buist Ave. The Folcroft Landfill is two miles downstream on the west side of Darby Creek and located within the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge. Both landfills operated from the 1950s through the mid-1970s, and reportedly accepted a variety of materials, including municipal, demolition, and hospital waste. The Lower Darby Creek Area Superfund site was placed on the EPA’s Superfund list in 2001.

Superfund –authorized under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act - was established to address the most toxic abandoned hazardous waste sites in the country. This law was enacted in the wake of the discovery of toxic waste dumps such as Love Canal and Times Beach in the 1970s. Superfund authority allows the EPA to clean up such sites and to compel responsible parties to perform cleanups or reimburse the government for EPA-lead cleanups.

To subscribe to the LDCA’s email mailing list go to: http://www.epa.gov/reg3hscd/npl/PASFN0305521.htm#status 

For a copy of the final plan, visit: http://www.epa.gov/reg3hscd/npl/PASFN0305521/reports/OU1_ROD-ALL_FINAL_9-26-14.pdf

For additional information about the Lower Darby Creek Superfund Site visit:http://www.epa.gov/reg3hscd/npl/PASFN0305521.htm#background

Bobcat

From U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service:

Happy #NationalCatDay! 

Pictured here is a young male bobcat curiously looking around a live oak. Keith Ramos captured this great photo at San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge in Texas (USFWS Southeast Region) after a wildlife rehabilitator released the cat into the wild. The 54,000-acre refuge includes bottomland forest units scattered across the flood plains of the Brazos and San Bernard Rivers that provide an important sanctuary for migratory songbirds throughout the year.

Photo courtesy of the National Wildlife Refuge Association.

Life in the Colorado Wilderness: Journal Entry Reflects Rangers' Experiences in Retracing Arthur Carhart's First Journey to Trappers Lake

From USDA:

Posted by Kate Jerman, White River National Forest, U.S. Forest Service, on October 29, 2014 at 3:00 PM

A group of U.S. Forest Service employees gathers together in the Flat Tops Wilderness to reflect upon the idea of preserving wilderness that led to the Wilderness Act of 1964. The Flat Tops Wilderness is in what is known as the Cradle of Wilderness, the area that inspired Forest Service landscape architect Aldo Leopold to recommend designating permanent wilderness areas that could be enjoyed by future generations. (U.S. Forest Service/Roger Poirier)

In 1919, landscape architect Arthur Carhart made his first journey to Colorado’s Trappers Lake and the Flat Top Wilderness. His idea of keeping natural areas of beauty free from development inspired the Forest Service to be the first natural resource agency to push for designated wilderness areas.

The grandeur of the area recently inspired Forest Service employees from the White River National Forest to retrace Carhart’s 25-mile hike through the wilderness across trails with names like Wall Lake and Trappers Lake to the Cradle of Wilderness on their way to the lake. Like many a hiker who visits wilderness areas, they were inspired by the variety of experiences they encountered during their pilgrimage.

In celebration of the 50^th anniversary of the Wilderness Act of 1964, they recorded their thoughts and experiences to share with others. Wilderness rangers from the forest’s Eagle – Holy Cross and Blanco Ranger Districts saw, did, and felt:

“We walked the braided trails across the open meadows to Shepard Lake, circled around Shingle Peak, camped at Wall Lake, and viewed Trappers Lake from the Amphitheater,” said Maggie Vest. “During our journey, we crosscut trees, re-naturalized campsites, and played chicken with the rain – because the rain will always stop if you put your raingear on. We crossed through two districts, which allowed us to see familiar and new areas. The familiar areas brought back memories of coyotes yipping and echoing back on Shepard Lake as the super moon was rising.”

Similarly, Arthur Carhart wrote, “a coyote choir yapped crazily, suddenly hushed their chorus as though echoes of their own yammering flung back, and scared them, then started again their wild, blood stirring chant of backcountry, of wilderness.”

Wilderness Rangers from the Eagle-Holy Cross Ranger District and Blanco Ranger District pause for a moment above Trappers Lake before descending the Wall Lake and Trappers Lake Trails for a ceremony to commemorate Arthur Carhart’s 1919 journey to the same location which inspired the Wilderness Act of 1964. Carhart’s journey influenced the agency to designate wilderness areas such as the Flat Top Wilderness which continues to inspire and delight new generations today. From left, Phil Garcia, Jake Engelman, Priscilla Williams, and Taylor Carsely along with Maggie Vest, at right front, participated in the 25-mile commemorative trek. (U.S. Forest Service/Roger Poirier)

The rangers wrote about their gratitude, to be able to enjoy the experience that inspired Carhart.  They recorded many memories of their own while working in the woods:

“… found king bolete mushrooms bigger than our faces and proceeded to eat them.”

“… eyed beautiful geodes scattered about as we walked the ridgeline towards the summit of Flat Top Mountain.”

“… got sidetracked by a bear sighting and completely missed our turn, and ended up two miles off trail.”

Often the experience of being in wilderness inspires a treasured perspective.

“Our summer in the Flat Tops has brought a sense of place to all of us, a home away from home where we have all felt deep connections to the small moments and big landscapes we traverse every week,” Vest said. “The wilderness is meant to be a place where man is only a visitor, although as seasonal [workers] we sometimes feel like we are a permanent piece of the landscape.”

“We spend more nights in a tent than a bed, more time off trail than on, and see more sunrises than sunsets,” said Priscilla Williams. “Backpacking may not always be glamorous, but we love our jobs and are so thankful to be wilderness rangers during this time of celebration of our public lands.”

Arthur Carhart believed that Trappers Lake should be a place for everyone. His reluctance to develop this area helped to bring about the idea of what we know as wilderness today.

“As we approached Trappers Lake for the first time, we hadn’t yet understood why the lake within itself held the cradle of wilderness,” said Williams. “But as we sat and viewed the lake from the top of the Amphitheater, we began to fully grasp why Carhart was so profoundly moved to protect this place and primitive areas as a whole.”

The rangers expressed hope that all can find passion to help preserve the special places where we can connect with nature and find the courage that Carhart manifested as he stood up to the pressures of the modern day.

Despite all the challenges of wilderness, we look forward to another 50 years of preservation and upholding one of the greatest acts in American history.

Find the live version of the wilderness rangers’ memorial trek posted on the White River National Forest Facebook.

Arthur Carhart believed this area should be protected for its pristine qualities. Trappers Lake was protected in 1975 under the Flat Tops Wilderness area designation. (U.S. Forest Service/Roger Poirier)

Building Local Food Systems, Cooperatively

From USDA:

Posted by Lillian Salerno, Administrator, USDA Rural Business-Cooperative Service, on October 29, 2014 at 12:00 PM

John and Trudi Kretsinger of KW Farms promoting their grass-fed beef products at one of La Montanita’s stores.

As part of USDA’s ongoing celebration of National Cooperatives Month, please join us for an upcoming webinar exploring the intersection of two important economic trends: a new wave of cooperative development and the rapid growth in demand for local foods.

This webinar – The Role of Cooperatives in Local Food Systems Development, on Thursday, Oct. 30, 1 pm Eastern Time – will feature national cooperative leaders and development specialists and USDA experts discussing the critical role co-ops play in developing local and regional food systems. Among the USDA staff on the panel will be Ag Economist Jim Barham; Elanor Starmer, our national coordinator for local and regional food systems; and Margaret Bau, a co-op development specialist who has helped launch over 30 co-ops nationwide. Also joining the panel will be Jan Tusick, director of the Mission Mountain Food Enterprise Center in Montana; Karl Sutton, a farmer/member of the Western Montana Growers Cooperative; and Robin Seydel, Community Development for La Montanita, a retail and consumer co-op in New Mexico.

As communities build local and regional food systems, many have found the cooperative business model to be an effective strategy to create robust supply chains that can move local food equitably, and profitably, from farm to plate.

Within local food systems, producer cooperatives have been the foundation of building a consistent and reliable supply of local food. For instance, twenty percent of operating food hubs which offer important aggregation, distribution, and marketing services for the local food supply chain, are cooperative enterprises.  On the consumer side, retail food cooperatives (a type of consumer-owned cooperative) have long been strong local food supporters, creating vibrant markets for local farmers to bring their product to market and increasing a community’s access to local and healthy food.

The webinar is free and easy to join. Please join us Thursday, October 30^th at 1 p.m. Eastern.

Under Secretary Bonnie Tells World Congress of Scientists Their Work will Light the Way to Better Forest Management

From USDA:

Posted by Carita Chan, Research and Development, U.S. Forest Service, on October 29, 2014 at 11:00 AM

Nino Reyos and Twoshields Production Co. perform native dances for the opening ceremony at the International Union of Forest Research Organizations in Salt Lake City. (U.S. Forest Service)

Confronting climate change will be substantially cheaper and easier if we conserve forests, and the key to that is expert knowledge and science, Undersecretary of Natural Resources and the Environment Robert Bonnie told thousands of attendees at the recent 24^th World Congress of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations in Salt Lake City, Utah.

“A healthy and prosperous planet depends on the health of our natural resources and, in particular, on the conservation of the world’s forests,” Bonnie told the crowd, which included 2,492 delegates from 100 countries.  “But our success in conserving, managing and restoring our forests depends to a significant degree on a solid foundation of science and research.”

Bonnie served as the keynote speaker of the World Congress, the largest in the U.S. for foresters and scientists. Among attendees were 700 students and an additional 1,300 professional foresters, who joined them for the annual conventions of the Society of American Foresters and Canadian Institute of Forestry.

Founded in 1892, the International Union is a global nonprofit and non-governmental scientific organization dedicated to promoting international cooperation in forest-related research. The International Union’s World Congress is held every four to five years, and the last time the U.S. hosted this prestigious event was in 1971.

Around the world, forests and trees play a critical role in supporting livelihoods and quality of life. Forests provide clean water and clean air, habitat for fish and wildlife, settings for outdoor recreation and solitude, as well as raw materials for forest products and bioenergy. However, even as our demand for their resources grows, forests and trees face myriad threats, such as climate change and invasive pests and diseases. The theme of the Congress, “Sustaining Forests, Sustaining People: The Role of Research,” emphasized the importance of scientific research and crosscutting collaboration to help find solutions to these challenges.

Bonnie pointed to the legacy of President Theodore Roosevelt and Gifford Pinchot, the first chief of the U.S. Forest Service when referring to the nation’s challenges. When Roosevelt and Pinchot founded the Forest Service in 1905, Bonnie said, they were influenced by the loss of a seemingly endless bounty of forests and other natural resources in America.

“The founding of the Forest Service . . . was guided by a progressive vision that sought to apply science to societal challenges for the benefit of all Americans,” he said. “Expert knowledge and science were at the core of Roosevelt’s and Pinchot’s vision.”

Bonnie emphasized the need for scientists to understand their role in bettering the world’s forests, including through scientific exploration such as on the Forest Service’s Escambia Experimental Forest in Alabama, a living laboratory that played a vital role to help restore the longleaf pine. The U.S. was once covered with 90 million acres of longleaf forests, which at one point dwindled to just 3 million acres.

“When I was a boy, I spent vacations with my grandfather on my family’s land in South Carolina. When my grandfather wanted to restore longleaf pine in the 1950s and 60s, he was told that the tree was difficult to plant and wouldn’t grow,” he said. “Today, longleaf covers over 4 million acres and, thanks to many this magnificent ecosystem is on the rebound.”

Research led the way with reforestation, restoration, silviculture systems and fire ecology were all studied at Escambia and became critical to the resurgence of the longleaf pine, Bonnie said. He added that as we look to the future, climate change, population growth and invasive species will make it harder to predict the outcome of forest management decisions.

“Uncertainty will complicate our decision making. But in a very real sense, we’ve been here before,” he said, referring to Pinchot’s early work. “So as managers and policymakers wrestle with the difficult decisions we face about the future of the world’s forests, science and research will light the way.”

Highlights from the World Congress are available on the International Union’s YouTube channel, where recordings of major ceremonies, keynote plenaries and exclusive interviews are shared.

The Forest Service Research and Development website offers more information about the agency’s work at the forefront of science to improve the health and use of our nation’s forests and grasslands.

From left to right: Mike Wingfield, the new president of International Union of Forest Research Organizations, U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell and Jim Reaves, Forest Service deputy chief, watch as two children prepare to plant a tree. (U.S. Forest Service)

Working the Night Shift - Bats Play an Important Role in Pollinating Crops

From USDA:

Posted by Pattie Thomas, Natural Resources Conservation Service, on October 29, 2014 at 1:00 PM

Mexican free-tailed bats exiting Bracken Bat Cave. Photo credit: USFWS/Ann Froschauer

Most people associate pollination with bees and birds but often forget the work of their furry colleagues: bats. Bats take the night shift, playing a major role in pollinating crops and spreading seeds.

One important bat is the Mexican long-nose bat, which dwells in large colonies. Their range includes the southern parts of Texas, California, New Mexico and Arizona.

Throughout time, plants and mammals have shared a dependency on one another that is mutually beneficial. So naturally, these bats feed on flowers, including those of valuable commercial crops, like figs, dates, mangoes and peaches, which have flowers that only open at night.

These mammal pollinators are finicky eaters with a specific palate. Dining on plant pollen and drinking sweet nectar is a delicacy at its batty-best. They tend to enjoy a flower that’s mild in scent and not bright in color. Simply speaking, white or pale crop flowers attract the night pollinators to feed on them.

Mexican long-nose bats can fly extensive distances to gather nectar from specific plants.

A lesser long-nosed bat pollinates a cross section of a saguaro cactus flower. Photo by Merlin D. Tuttle, Bat Conservation International.

“When they are in Texas and New Mexico, they feed on the nectar of agave flowers too,” said Cyndee Watson, a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The common feeding features of pollinating bats are elongated snouts and tongues, combined with smaller and fewer teeth. This aids in the rapid collection of nectar.

“Bats get pollen on their faces and bodies and go to the next flower. That is how cross pollination happens,” Watson said.

Mexican long-nose bats visit up to 30 flowers each night, feeding and transporting pollen.

They use a sonar system, through which the echoes of sound waves determine the shapes of surrounding objects. Because the powerful echoes emit higher frequencies and vibrations, bats can detect the existence of swift flying predators, too.

The seeds and fruits that compose part of our diet would not exist without the interaction between flowering plants and pollinators, including bats. Bats serve a purpose with other popular pollinators, and they’re just as important as the day shift birds and bees, which feed on daytime flowering plants.

Some states where large populations of bats live are also working to ensure bats always have a place to call home after a nighttime feeding.

“Texas is trying to install bat condo structures where the furry friends can make a home,” said James Rogers, a wildlife biologist with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.

NRCS works with farmers, ranchers and forest landowners to implement conservation practices on the ground that have numerous environmental benefits, including ones that provide habitat and food for pollinators.

For example, through the 2014 Farm Bill, landowners have an opportunity to receive financial assistance through conservation programs and practices, which can include planting cover crops and riparian buffers that target these beneficial pollinators. Bats’ survival depends on improved conservation practices to ensure they have healthy ecosystems to hang around in.

Throughout the summer, wildlife biologists conduct nighttime surveys to learn more about the many bats that live in the Coconino National Forest. Scientists gather information about species, population, and habitat. This bat from the genus Myotis is having its wing examined. Credit: USDA Forest Service, Coconino National Forest