Leaf Litter
Raking in Notes From All OverJuly, 2004
The Thing That Ate Venezuela
Feeding off nitrogen and phosphorous from the sewage that runs into Venezuela’s Lake Maracaibo, the aquatic plant, duckweed (also known as lemna), can double in size every 48 hours. The Venezuelan government has spent about $2 million trying to remove the duckweed from the 5,217 square mile lake, but unusually heavy rains have helped the plant to thrive. Maybe it’s time to call The Men in Black.Little Rhodie Looks Up to Big Cal
Rhode Island, the smallest state in the union, has announced that it will adopt California’s Low Emission Vehicle (LEV) standards for new automobiles and light-duty trucks. Governor Donald L. Carcieri says that the LEV program will reduce hydrocarbon emissions in Rhode Island by 16 percent, air toxics emissions by 25 percent, and greenhouse gas emissions by two percent by 2005. Makes you wonder if they, like Californians, will also have to pay nearly $3 per gallon for gasoline.Don’t Eat These Peas, Please
Fish Slough milk-vetch, a member of the pea family, has been listed as a threatened species since 1998. Threats to the Fish Slough milk-vetch include habitat destruction due to off-road vehicles, grazing by cattle and native animals, nonnative domination, changes in wetlands, and groundwater pumping that alters its hydrology. Recently, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed to designate 8,490 acres of critical habitat for Fish Slough milk-vetch in either Inyo or Mono counties.Illegal Wetland Plan All Wet
In yet another case of big business sticking it to the unsuspecting consumer—and getting caught—executives from Mississsippi-based Big Hill Acres, Inc. and Consolidated Investments, Inc. were indicted on 41 federal counts related to sales of home sites on wetlands. Not only were the three individuals and two corporations charged with conspiracy and mail fraud, but they were in violation of The Clean Water Act. Seems it’s not a good idea to install septic systems on wetlands because, during rainy seasons, they tend to flood, causing sewage to back up into homes. Yuck.Sounds Like a Real Fungi
Northern Arizona University student and research assistant Joe Trudeau is conducting experiments on 350 feet of forest road in Arizona. By spraying wood chips with a mixture of native grass seeds, wildflowers, and fungi spores, he hopes to prove the importance of mycorrhizal fungi in revegetation of disturbed lands. To learn more about mychorrhizal fungi, see The Best of the Leaf-let, "Mycorrhizal Inoculum, Fungus For Your Humus, A Natural Enhancement," mycorr.htm.
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