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Blog Archives
Image ImageWas The Valley Park Levee Built Too High?
Local environmentalists say there are more sewage spills, property damage and flood cleanups in our future because of construction in floodplains, loss of wetlands and new levees. They say the Valley Park levee was built anywhere from five to eight feet higher than authorized and is the culprit in unprecedented flooding along the Meramec River in late 2015 and 2016 in Kirkwood, Sunset Hills, Fenton and farther downstream.
And now, after hiring a civil engineering firm to take measurements of the levee, they say they have proof that the levee was build beyond authorized specifications. They are sharing the latest findings about the levee with city officials and property owners who sustained flood damage, but say it is too early to speculate on what legal actions might result with the latest findings showing the levee height exceeds authorized levels.
Be sure to listen to a podcast interview from January of this year with Bob Criss at the end of this article. He explains why the continued development and levee construction could make flooding worse in the coming years.
White Nose Syndrome: Updated Information About The Fungus Killing U.S. Bat Populations
Little brown bat; close-up of nose with fungus, New York, Oct. 2008. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Photo courtesy Ryan von Linden/New York Department of Environmental Conservation
Bats in the U.S. are under threat from a fungus that causes a disease known as White Nose Syndrome. The disease has the potential to wipe out entire bat populations and is spreading.
Jo Schaper is the guest on this week’s Environmental Echo podcast. Recently, Schaper attended a conference about White Nose Syndrome, held in Denver, Colorado. She shares updated information about what wildlife and conservation organizations are doing to help stop the spread of the disease and what efforts are being implemented to help save the U.S. bat populations.
LOCAL EVENT – Zika and Heat Waves: New Public Health Challenges and Climate Change
The Sierra Club and Washington University’s Global Health Center at the Institute for Public Health are hosting an event on August 18, 2016, to highlight the public health impacts of climate change, including the expansion of vector-borne illnesses, like Zika. Also, the topic of heat deaths – the Harvard School of Public Health has generated estimates of the increase in heat deaths in metro St Louis due to rising temperatures.
WHERE: Washington University Institute for Public Health, 600 So. Taylor Avenue Building, STL MO 63110 – Room 2131
WHEN: Thursday, August 18, 2016, starting at 12 Noon to 1 p.m.
Urban Farming In St. Louis: More Than Veggies And Green Spaces
Dat Le and Joe Van Betuw harvest zucchini squash at Gateway Greening’s urban farm. Photo by Ursula Ruhl, Webster-Kirkwood Times.
A new article from the West End Word newspaper shows how local farming in an urban area can offer more than just veggies to a few families.
Organizations involved with urban gardening in St. Louis, such as Gateway Greening, Global Farms, and the Sweet Potato Project, are providing social enterprise training to the underprivileged, as well as, fresh produce to local schools.
“The program serves the City Garden and Biome charter schools, Lafayette Preparatory School, and also provides after-school snacks for New City School – that’s breakfast, lunch and snacks for around 400 kids a day.”
To read the full story by Brian Ruth, Webster-Kirkwood Times Intern and Webster University Journalism student, CLICK HERE.
“IS IT A SIN TO TRASH THE ENVIRONMENT AND IGNORE CLIMATE CHANGE?”
The Rev. Mitch Hescox, Presidnet and CEO of the Evangelical Environmental Network, is the guest with Don Corrigan’s podcast series this week.
Hescox explains what the Evangelical Environmental Network is all about and how evangelicals can help find conservative solutions to the pollution and environmental issues that harm God’s creation, the earth, and our children.
THE EVOLUTION OF ZOOS IN THE NEWS
Photo Courtesy Webster-Kirkwood Times.
by Don Corrigan (Webster-Kirkwood Times)
I used to think that zoos were a place to get away from it all; a refuge from all the madness outside the zoo walls; a quiet place on a warm weekday afternoon to contemplate, while watching animals sun themselves.
Maybe this was actually in another lifetime, before my reincarnation as a news guy. Zoos seem to be in the middle of everything now — making headlines, filling the blogosphere.
GARDENING IN THE SUMMER HEAT – TIPS FOR SUCCESS
Pictured above: Jennifer Schamber.
It’s hot, and it’s sticky outside – Welcome to summer in St. Louis! Do you have a garden wilting in the heat? If so, we’ve got some tips to help your garden continue producing well into the fall months.
Jennifer Schamber, the general manager of Greenscape Gardens, shares how to protect your garden in the hot St. Louis summer weather. Also, don’t miss this Saturday’s Project Pollinator event, which is part of the St. Louis County Parks Children’s Garden Club.
The event starts at 9 a.m., this Saturday, August 6, 2016, located at 2832 Barrett Station Rd., and Greenscape Gardens will have games and learning sessions for the entire family. Learn more about the event on Greenscape Gardens Meetup page HERE.
Schamber gives all the details for Saturday’s event during the informative interview with Environmental Echo!
Update: A Fix For The Asian Carp Invasion?
On the Illinois River summer 2012. Photo by Jill Moon/The Telegraph, Alton, IL
Many news outlets are reporting that the Alligator Gar are being reintroduced into rivers and other waterways and may be an answer to the Asain Carp invasion.
The Asian carp, which are taking over waterways in the Midwest and smothering out native species, are a food source for the gar.
THE MDC WILL BE AT THE MISSOURI STATE FAIR TO HELP YOU “DISCOVER NATURE”
Peanut the Turtle photo courtesy MDC.
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) brings nature to the State Fair, August 11 – 21, 2016, held in Sedalia, Mo. Families can “enjoy conservation-related demonstrations at the Department’s outdoor pavilion.”
Peanut the Turtle will be absent this year at the State Fair. He has been retired and is living life at Powder Valley Nature Center in Kirkwood, Mo.
Continue reading to see what the MDC will offer at the State Fair, including schedules and times. Also, find more information about Peanut the Turtle’s condition.
Environmental Echo 