Glacier students get down and dirty with environmental science.
On Wednesday May 10, Buckley eighth graders came together to save the environment.
Specifically, a section of forest near the White River.
Citizens for a Healthy Bay and the city of Buckley have worked with Glacier Middle School students and teachers since last October to put together a stewardship project to clean up garbage and unauthorized campsites in the forest area right across the White River flume.
The project involves 260 students who are divided into smaller groups, each group working two hours — one group in the morning and one in the afternoon — to remove invasive plant species, clean up unauthorized camp sites and collect litter.
The project won’t be finished this year, and will be continued next year by another batch of eighth graders.
“We’re hoping to create a stewardship class after this to maintain the trail,” said Jeanine Riss, CHB’s habitat restoration manager.
The trail would also include informational signs designed by students involved in Glacier’s art classes.
The students also raised and released salmon into the river.
“It’s very hard to change the minds of adults.”

Cook Park, in Vine City, will have statues honoring Civil Rights leaders.
It’s also being built to alleviate flooding on the Westside.
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said the park will be a new Atlanta landmark.
“On nights that the Falcons football games are being broadcast, when the Goodyear blimp goes up and shows a visual of the city, it will show this park,” Reed said.
Ambassador Andrew Young was at Friday’s event.
Rev.
Dexter Johnson of the Higher Ground Empowerment Center was in the area the night of the 2002 flood, and he came to help residents get out of homes where sewage was seven feet deep.
His church served as a Red Cross center for people who were displaced by the flood.
“We’re very proud of the journey.
We’re excited about what’s happening,” he said of the park.

NGT: Work to treat 67 per cent of Yamuna pollution is on.
Reiterating a complete ban on open defecation and dumping of waste on the floodplains of the Yamuna, the National Green Tribunal Friday revisited an earlier order from 2015 with the hope that soon the “people of Delhi would be able to walk across the banks of river Yamuna without breathing stinking air”.
The tribunal had in January, 2015, laid out an exhaustive plan — the ‘Maily Se Nirmal Yamuna’ Revitalization Project, 2017” — to revitalise the river that also levied a Rs 5,000 environmental compensation on polluters.
The green tribunal also constituted what can be termed as a ‘Yamuna committee’ headed by the Delhi Jal Board CEO to oversee the execution of work pertaining to the cleaning of the river.
The committee, which has representatives from the DDA and the National Mission for Clean Ganga, was directed to submit status reports at regular intervals.
“At least the work for treating about 67 per cent of the pollution of river Yamuna generated in the area of Delhi has commenced,” the bench headed by NGT chairperson Swatanter Kumar noted.
Pollution arising from Delhi Gate drain and Najafgarh drain contribute to 67 per cent of the pollution of the river across a 22 km stretch.
“In fact, pollution reduction by treating about 67 per cent in Phase-I itself would bring back the life of the river, to some extent, and its bio-diversity and aquatic life,” the bench noted.
The green tribunal also asked the DJB to submit a complete project under Phase-2.

The full budget proposal is expected to continue the skinny budget’s call earlier this year to slash the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget to $5.7 billion, according to the National Association of Clean Air Agencies, which on May 19 released figures it said came “directly from an administration document.” In addition to spending for EPA and other agencies, the new budget will include projections for mandatory spending on programs such as Social Security and Medicare, along with blueprints for spending and tax revenues over the next decade.
Members of Congress—including some Republicans—have been critical of Trump’s called-for cuts to EPA as well as to Energy Department research and development efforts, among other programs.
Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney will appear before the House Budget Committee on May 24 and Senate Budget Committee on May 25 to further outline the administration’s proposals.
Also coming up the week of May 22: Water Pollution Permits: The House is taking up a bill (H.R.
Tiffany Stecker will cover the House Rules Committee hearing on the bill on May 22.
Special Election: A special election will be held May 25 for Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s old House seat representing Montana.
As Bloomberg BNA’s Rachel Leven has reported, the result won’t change the state of play in Washington, but offers stark options for Montanans when it comes to how they want to be represented on energy and environment policy.
FERC, DOE Nominations: The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on May 25 will consider the nominations of Rob Powelson and Neil Chatterjee to be FERC commissioners and for Dan Brouillette to be Deputy Secretary of Energy.
Rebecca Kern will cover.
Pruitt Talks: EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is among the invited speakers May 24 at Faegre Baker Daniels’ annual energy and environmental symposium in Washington, D.C. Brian Dabbs will report.

MERRIMAC – The U.S. Army maintains it is not responsible for implementing a public drinking water system in Merrimac. The Army previously stated, after a review of the proposed construction and operation of a drinking water system near the Badger Army Ammunition Plant, Army representatives “acted prematurely and beyond their area of authority. As a result, providing a drinking water system would be inconsistent with our authority under the Defense Environmental Restoration Program.” Although the Badger Army Ammunition Plant is no longer operating, the chemicals previously used there have entered the water used by Merrimac residents and those in the surrounding area. Six homes had wells replaced in the Water’s Edge development due to the presence of the highly flammable accelerant dinitrotoluene. Army Environmental PA Specialist Cathy Kropp, in an email to The Eagle, said the Army is in the process of conducting a Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) Human Health Risk Assessment, which evaluates exposure to groundwater contamination associated with the former Badger Army Ammunition Plant, and those results will determine the Army’s path forward. “The Army remains committed to its obligations under the law regarding safe drinking water and the health of the community of Merrimac … The Army has implemented numerous remedial actions throughout the areas impacted by operations at the former plant, and as a result, the Army, in concurrence with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources shut down the last active remediation system in 2014. In addition, the Army…

Huffman Engineering Inc. announces successful completion of project to modernize instrumentation and controls for improvements and additions to the City of Omaha water treatment facility. Photo: omaha.com. LINCOLN, NE & GREENWOOD VILLAGE, CO, APRIL 19, 2017 — Huffman Engineering Inc., a leader in control systems integration with offices in Nebraska and Colorado, has announced the successful completion of a water treatment plant modernization project for the City of Omaha at the Missouri River Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP). The WWTP modernization was part of the Clean Solutions for Omaha (CSO) program designed to improve the water quality of local rivers and streams. Huffman Engineering was single-sourced by the City of Omaha as a subcontractor to Hawkins Construction Company, and was responsible for designing and installing the instrumentation and controls for improvements and additions to the water treatment facility. “Huffman Engineering brought a high level of expertise and a great depth of understanding to the Missouri River WWTP project,” said Chris Grojean, vice president of Hawkins Construction…

Sequim quilt exhibit ‘Pieces Together’ climate change effects on parks.
SEQUIM — The Sequim Civic Center will feature the National Park Fiber Arts exhibit “Piecing Together a Changing Planet” beginning today.
The display — featuring 26 art quilts — has been touring the nation since December 2014 and will be shown at the civic center at 152 W. Cedar St. through Friday, June 30.
The quilts were created by various members of the Studio Art Quilt Associates to highlight a few of the ways that America’s 401 national parks are impacted by climate change, water pollution and other human-caused phenomena.
“The artists’ goal is to help open people’s eyes to the beauty of nature that surrounds them, and share their concern for its loss,” said Maya Schonenburger, the exhibit curator.
Sequim is the only stop in the Pacific Northwest for the national exhibit and the last stop of the tour, according to a news release.
The exhibit is sponsored by the city Arts Advisory Commission in partnership with Olympic National Park.

City of Joliet Public Service Committee met May 1.. City of Joliet Public Service Committee met May 1.
Roll Call Present: Councilman Larry E. Hug, Councilwoman Bettye Gavin.
Request for Authorization to Award a Contract for the 2017 Pavement Marking Program – MFT Sect.
17-00507-00-ST 2017 Pave Marking Cont Russ Lubash, Traffic Engineer, discussed the 2017 Pavement Marking Program, in the amount of $155,719.50, on behalf of Maintenance Coatings Co. b.
Motion to recommend Authorization to Award a Contract for: a) 2017 Pavement Marking Program – MFT Sect.
Request for Authorization to Approve Change Order No.
Councilman Hug asked if all LED’s have been installed.
1, in the amount of $4,107.50, on behalf of D. Oxley Construction Inc. Councilwoman Gavin asked what the Change Order includes.
Motion to recommend Request for Authorization to Approve: a) Change Order No.
Motion carried by the following vote: Ayes: Councilman Larry E. Hug, Councilwoman Bettye Gavin Nays: None.

Taronga’s Miracle Otter Pup Explores Outside World for the First Time.
On the 28th of February veterinary services were called to assist with Pia the small-clawed oriental otter’s birth.
The veterinary services had to undertake an emergency caesarian to try and save her three pups.
The veterinary services at Taronga worked hard to revive the pups, but two could not be resuscitated.
Now, the curious pup, after ten weeks of living in his nestbox has started to explore his surroundings, under close watch of Pia and father Ketut, of course.
Ketut, the pup’s father, came to Taronga Zoo in 2015.
Both Pia and Ketut are settling into their new parenting roles well.
Weighing just 500 grams, he’s now trying solid food and learning to swim under the tutelage of his parents.
The oriental small-clawed otter is the smallest of the 13 otter species.
The successful birth of Intan is not only positive for Taronga, but for the species as well.

A leading research center focused on local farmers and environmental conservation is hanging on by a thread, even as the movement to diversify agriculture, which it helped launch, continues to thrive.
The Iowa Legislature created the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture in 1987.
When he was working with Congress in the late 1980s to draft the bill that created the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s sustainable agriculture program, Hoefner says the Leopold Center served as a model.
Research from the Leopold Center has identified successful conservation practices, which can also be used in other states, that can keep nutrients on fields, prevent soil erosion, and help clean up water.
"That’s a subject where Leopold did some of the early work that has now led to what’s essentially an entire movement across the country towards trying to diversify agriculture and take advantage of the great consumer interest in local and regional food," Hoefner says.
Hart says to the contrary, everyone involved with agriculture seems to agree on several ongoing, vexing problems.
Well that hasn’t ever worked," Keeney says.
"And Leopold says that."
The funding that once fueled broad, diverse research at the Leopold Center will now flow to the Iowa Nutrient Research Center.
Ferd Hoefner of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, however, says the movement the Leopold Center helped inspired will continue its work.