Blog Archives

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NOAA Says 2017 Third Warmest Year On Record Without An El Niño Present

Interesting information from Climate Carl. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released data on the “global year to date temperature anomalies.”

From Carl’s Climate Letter #1069:
Year-to-date comparison of global temperatures for 2017 and all previous years since 1880.  This year ranks as the third highest through November and is almost sure to hold that position for the full year.  The latest four years will all be included in the four highest of all-time.

See the report from Climate Carl’s analysis HERE.

Also, see NOAA’s “Assessing the Global Climate in 2017” report HERE.

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Invasive Asian Carp Removal Set For Creve Coeur Lake Park

Photo by MDC Staff, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation.

Visitors to St. Louis County’s popular Creve Coeur Lake Park may experience some temporary restrictions in using the park for a two-week period between Jan. 21 and Feb. 17.  The long-term benefit, however, should be the near-eradication of the lake’s biggest nuisance—invasive Asian carp.

Read more below from the MDC about how the carp will be removed and restrictions to lake usage during the project.

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Discover The Ancient Hunting Partnership Between Humans and Birds At Powder Valley Nature Center Jan. 26!

Photo courtesy MDC.

Bird buffs, falcon fanciers, and anyone enraptured by raptors is invited to meet the objects of their admiration close up at An Evening with Raptors.

An Evening with Raptors is a free event hosted by the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center in Kirkwood. It takes place Friday, Jan. 26 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. and is open to all ages.

 

 

Find out more about the family-friendly event and how to register to attend below.

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Get Ready For Spring Gardening With Gateway Greening!

Springtime is just around the corner! It’s not too early to start planning the garden!

Here are a few exciting events coming up from Gateway Greening!

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Kick Off 2018 With The Annual “First Day Hikes” In 36 Missouri State Parks and Historic Sites

On Jan.1, the annual First Day Hikes event will take place at 36 state parks and historic sites across Missouri. Participants can choose from more than 40 free, guided hikes that range in difficulty from easy to moderate, cover distances up to 4 miles and use a variety of trails in every region of the state.

In its seventh year, the annual event is part of America’s State Parks First Day Hikes effort, which gives people the opportunity to start the year off right with an outdoor hike at a state park. A list of state parks with guided First Day Hikes and other related activities is available at mostateparks.com.

Read more from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources below.

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Donate Your Christmas Tree To Help Build Habitat For Missouri’s Fish

Photo by MDC Staff, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation.

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is accepting used natural Christmas trees to create fish habitat in Lake 33 on the August A. Busch Conservation Area in St. Charles and in north St. Louis County at Spanish Lake Park. Christmas trees can be donated at these lakes between now and Jan.10, 2018.

Read more below from the MDC about how recycled Christmas trees help native Missouri fish.

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Gateway Journalism Review: TV meteorologists warm to climate change

Meteorologist Cindy Preszler, who is well-known in St. Louis for her past work at KSDK-TV, now uses Climate Matters’ graphs and data to emphasize the impact of global warming on the local weather on her new WeatherSTL.com.

TV meteorologists have a new informational outlet to help provide localized climate information. The project is called Climate Matters.

“Supported by the National Science Foundation, the project is designed to increase the quality and quantity of reporting on climate-change science, impacts, and solutions.

According to Shari Bell of Climate Central, TV meteorologists were somewhat skeptical of the program at first.  Weather forecaster Cindy Preszler, now retired from KSDK-TV in St. Louis, was one of the first to sign on.”

The article, written by Don Corrigan and published in the latest Gateway Journalism Review, showcases the program’s pilot project in Missouri. And also provides an inside look at how Climate Matters can help local audiences bridge the gap between weather and climate change. The project currently works with about 460 weather professionals in 135 markets across the country.

Find links to the Gateway Journalism Review article and Preszler’s new local weather website by reading more below.

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Hey, What Are You Going To Do With That Old Computer & Outdated Electronic Devices? Recycling E-scrap May Be More Important & Easier Than You Think.

Photo: GreenStar via Pixabay.

Here’s a headline for you: “E-waste grew 8 percent in just 2 years. Just one-fifth was recycled. – A growing global middle class and our tech-saturated lives are burying the planet in electronic waste.” The article appeared in Environmental Health News (EHN) recently.

While the public happily pursues the latest popular new technology and electronic gadget, what is happening to the discarded electronic devices?  Apparently, recycling the equipment is not on top of the list. Check out the EHN article HERE.

Many people are conscious of recycling glass, plastics, and other materials – so why not electronics? It could be many reasons, like the items could be bulky or the items may not be able to be picked up with the rest of a household’s recyclable materials. It’s not just households – businesses can also produce a large amount of electronic waste.

A step in the right direction may be as simple as knowing where to take our e-scrap to be recycled.

So what should we do with our electronic waste in the St. Louis area and Missouri? Find a few informational resources that can help below.

Also, can our electronic waste be a threat to national security? One national advocacy organization says – yes.

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Maple Sugar Festival Returns To Rockwoods Reservation Feb. 3

Photos by Holly Shanks

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has announced that the Maple Sugar Festival at Rockwoods Reservation will be back in 2018.  The festival took a year off in 2017 due to a construction project in the area.

The family-friendly event will take place Saturday, Feb. 3, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and is open to the public at no cost.

For more information from the MDC about the event – see below.

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West Lake Landfill Named In Top 10 Superfund Sites Targeted For Immediate Action

The advocacy group, JUST MOMS STL, released a statement after West Lake Landfill landed on the EPA’s top 10 list of Superfund Sites slated for immediate action. For more information, and comments from Karen Nickel and Dawn Chapman, see the release below.