Crowd attending at the STLCC-Wildwood symposium “The Atoms Next Door” held February 20.
By Holly Shanks
“I toured the situation yesterday and my hair nearly fell out,” Dr. Helen Caldicott said. “I’ve never seen anything so goddamn dangerous.”
The internationally renowned authority on the medical dangers of nuclear waste did not sugarcoat her thoughts after visiting several contamination points, like Westlake Landfill and Coldwater Creek in North St. Louis County.
Pictured: Jason Knouft. Photo provided by Jason Knouft.
Associate Professor of Biology at Saint Louis University, Jason Knouft, talks with Don Corrigan about possible issues from raw sewage being pumped into the Meramec River because of the damaged Fenton Sewage Treatment Plant.
The turf at Field 5 at The World Wide Technology Soccer Park in Fenton was a complete loss. photo by Diana Linsley, Webster-Kirkwood Times. To read the story about clean-up efforts at Fenton’s Soccer Park CLICK HERE.
I’m not an engineer, but I knew I-44 at Missouri Highway 141 was going swimming as soon as the rain gage on my deck in Pacific hit 7 inches. And it kept raining.
Cold Water Creek FUSRAP Oversight Committee public meeting held in Florissant, February 17, 2016.
By Holly Shanks
About 300 Northwest St. Louis County residents voiced concerns, often filled with emotion and anger, to government officials tasked with radioactive waste cleanup efforts around Cold Water Creek. The FUSRAP Oversight Committee hosted the update meeting on Feb. 17 in Florissant.
Pictured: Kim Visintine. All photos and graphics provided by Kim Visintine.
Kim Visintine, one of the founding members of the organization, “Cold Water Creek: Just the Facts Please,” is the guest on this edition of “Behind the Editor’s Curtain” with Don Corrigan.
Visintine shares the story of how radioactive waste from Cold Water Creek has been spread throughout North County over the decades. She and a group of childhood friends, who grew up in the Cold Water Creek area in the 1970s and 80s, reconnected years later through social media. After a short time, they discovered rare health issues plagued almost everyone they knew, including the passing on of some of those health issues genetically to their children.
For more about the group’s, February 17, upcoming public meeting and to hear the informative and stirring interview continue reading below.
Listed below are a few interesting articles we found and wanted to share with you this week. The information comes from a variety of organizations and media outlets, which provides topics for a wide range of interests. This means there is a little something for everyone that enjoys the great outdoors and follows issues relating to the environment.
Categories: Environment, Food, Outdoor and Nature, Climate, Outdoorsmen and Women, and just a good read on an interesting person or topic.
Nature Stock Photo
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) 2016 holiday closing schedule for their offices, nature centers, and staffed shooting ranges is available. “Trails and other outdoor offerings at MDC nature centers and interpretative centers are still available for public use on most days the facilities are closed.”
Continue reading below for more information and a list of dates from the MDC.
“Tree-Hugging, Green-Shirt, Compost-Head, Climate Freak, Enviro-Nut, Weather-Wanker, Eco-Nazi, Eco-Fascist, Eco-Freak, Gang Green Member, Planeteer-Primitive, Eco-Nanny, Eco-Mystic, Eco-Terrorist, Climate Crank, Eco-Warrior, Ecolo-jista, Eco-Druid, Warm-Alarmist, Global Warmist, Carbon Crank …”
Pictured above: Carolyn Finney. Photo provided by Carolyn Finney.
Carolyn Finney, Ph.D., is the guest on this edition of “Behind the Editor’s Curtain” with Don Corrigan. Finney is the author of “Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Great Outdoors.”
Speaking about the absence of African-Americans engaging in outdoor activities portrayed in popular culture, such as in movies and magazines:
“Just because we don’t see any (African-Americans) doesn’t mean there aren’t any. That’s myth number one,” Finney said. “Actually, black people, like everybody else, have been around doing everything like everybody else since the beginning of the time. You have black mariners, you have black hikers, you have black people camping – I mean black people have been doing it too.”
Fenton sewer plant, December 2015. Photos provided by Sean Hadley, Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District.
“There absolutely has to be a regional meeting to discuss what to do about the flooding,” said Fenton Mayor Mike Polizzi. “It’s getting worse. Having both I-44 and I-55 shut down by the flooding is unprecedented. I am hearing that this sewage problem could be with us into April or May.”
