Roger Williams Park Pond Clean Up

In the first major pond project in over 30 years, officials at the Roger Williams Park in Providence are hoping to improve the water quality of the ponds that comprise much of the charm of the park. The ponds, 7 in all, were man-made from dredging marshes in the early 1900's. Nevertheless, they are part of a watershed, connecting Spectacle and Mashpaug ponds which are 1 mile northeast along the Cranston-Providence border. Their contents eventually empty downstream into the Pawtuxet River and Narragansett Bay.

Contributing to the present day pollution of the Roger Williams Park ponds is storm water run-off containing phosphorous some of which comes from fertilizers and makes the pond ripe for algae growth. In addition, sediment that is carried in the run-off makes the ponds shallower and even more susceptible to plant growth.

Several solutions are being proposed to get run-off water filtered more naturally including removing unsecessary pavement in the park and stopping drainage from the carousel roof. Dredging the ponds could also help. But these alone won't solve all of the pollution problems

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Another source of pollution of the water in the ponds are the large numbers of Canada Geese who populate the area. These birds are protected from extinction by the National Migratory Bird Act. Their droppings pollute the pond and they eat the grass around the pond which would block run-off from bringing pollutants to the pond. Some solutions to these issues include addling (shaking) their eggs. They then are returned to the nest so the adults don't lay additional eggs and the original eggs don't hatch. This has been successful in other areas. Some would like to see restrictions on people feeding bread to the Canada Geese, but some park goers would not be amenable to that type of restriction as feeding birds at a park is a reverered tradition to many people.

Rozalia Project for a Clean Ocean

Started in 2010 by two young professionals, Rachael Miller and partner James Lyne, the Rozalia Project for a Clean Ocean is already making its mark. This duo grew up near the water as sailors and water enthusiasts but quickly became concerned citizens alarmed to see the toll marine debris was taking on ocean life, ecosystems and the environment. Determined to do something they founded an organization that combines activism and education to combat the growing problem of marine debris. As testimony to their success in a very short time, the Rozalia Project was the recipient of a $20,000 award from the 2011 Interlux Waterfront Challenge. The Rozalia organization has involved over 1400 volunteers in its short life so far and utilized state of the art equipment to remove thousands of pieces of marine debris from the ocean floor in dozens of locations.

The project first uses nets as a low tech but effective means of removing marine debris that can be seen by volunteers. For more difficult to remove debris the project uses a combination of a few different pieces of high tech equipment. The Tritech Starfish seabed imaging system shows images of a wide area. It is a small piece of equipment and is useful in pointing to areas of debris that need attention. Next may be used the Video Ray ROV (remote operated vehicle) - a small robot controlled from the surface that can take video and still photos. It carries a manipulator to grab everything from plastics to fishing traps. An advantage of it is that it can carry sonar and positioning devices and has no effect on sea creatures. It can get where humans cannot safely go due to ocean depth, pressure or extreme temperatures. There are also two pieces of equipment that lighten and magnify images. This image enhancement allows for the robot to more effectively remove debris. In 2011 a new piece of equipment - Smart Tether positioning system gives the robot the exact latitude and longitude and allows for the marking of the location of every piece of trash to be shown on Google Earth in trash tracks. This will aid scientists in data collection and research.

With its cleanup efforts along the Northeast coast stretching from Long Island Sound to Portland, Maine, the Rozalia project with its mission of action through the use of technology and volunteer manpower and coupled with education has shown the power of two individuals to effect positive change in our ocean and world. For more information check out their website at http://www.rozaliaproject.org/ and especially Rachael's blog at http://rozaliaproject.blogspot.com/. The Rozalia project is a 501 (c)(3) not for profit organization. Address mail to: Rozalia Project PO Box 75 Granville, VT 05747.

Oceans of Change

Two articles in the news this week concerning the oceans should be of interest to Rhode Islanders. The first concerns the increasing acidity levels being felt in the Pacific Northwest coast now, but will reach us in the future, and the second - rising sea levels- is already being felt and documented here and now.

In mid-October 2011 at the Society of Environmental Journalists meeting in California, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA) chief Jane Lubchenco said that rising ocean acidity is becoming the climate crisis that the media is missing. She called it the "most under-reported global environmental story today." The ocean has become 30% more acidic over the last century and it is worst in the Pacific Northwest region where upwelling from deep ocean and local run-off are exacerbating the situation. Scientists have called it the "osteoporosis of the sea" because it affects the hard part of organisms, causing shells to break down or not form at all. This is bad not only for the organisms themselves but can affect organisms sense of smell and impacts reproduction. Lubchenco calls it an "unfolding story" as much more is still unknown. Lubchenco said more research and monitoring is needed, but also at local levels efforts should be made to reduce run-off, especially nitrogen pollution. Efforts should also be made to prevent overfishing and block invasive species. The only long term solution, she says, is to reduce carbon emissions. For a good summation of acidification go to
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EaLRcVdTbM&feature=youtu.be.

The second ocean news is of an on-going project coordinated by the Coastal Resources Center and RI Sea Grant (both based at University of Rhode Island's Graduate School of Oceanography) to improve projections of what rising sea level could mean to the state in the years ahead. Information garnered can help manage our shoreline.

While part of the project has been to create computer models of what parts of the state might look like with increases of 1 to 3 feet - they are also seeking actual documented high tides to validate the projections. So citizens who photograph these extreme tides are being asked to submit these to the Coastal Resources Center. This week our state will experience exceptionally high tides (a foot and a half higher than normal) due to astronomical causes - a new moon which coincides with the moon's closest orbital pass - a lunar perigee.

Sea level is expected to rise about 1 foot by 2050, but the pace of the rise seems to be increasing. Prior to 1990, the rate was 10 inches per 100 years, but now has accelerated to 14 inches per 100 years.

RI Roadkill Recycled

Some scientists in Rhode Island have come up with a very rich fertilizer called Safe Cycle which they made from 20 roadkill deer from RI roadways. The fertilizer was used at Chase Farms in Portsmouth RI where Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management officials viewed how this process took place.

The project, part of the Narragansett Bay Coyote Study, is beneficial in a few ways. Aquidneck Island, along with other sections of RI, has been seeing an overabundance of the coyote population. So much so, in fact, that the town of Middletown RI found it necessary to hire a coyote sharpshooter to thin the population of coyotes. In a few months the sharpshooter killed nearly 50 coyotes earlier this year. Deer that end up as roadkill are particularly problematical since they provide the perfect feast for coyote packs. Having a way to "recycle" these roadkill keeps them from sustaining the coyote population while adding to the local agricultural economy.

So last February the roadkill deer were cooked at the farm. To make this happen, Numi Mitchell, a biologist who works for the Narraganset Bay Coyote Study, used a grant from the US Department of Agriculture to rent tissue digester equipment, a type of pressure cooker that destroys all infectious agents and produces fertilizer.

For this to be a reality on a regular basis in RI the equipment needs to be available so Mitchell is working with representatives of the Natural Resources Conservation Services to get the USDA to fund the purchase of the equipment for RI. Considering in any given year more than 1000 deer are killed on RI roads, there's plenty of carcasses to work with. Sounds like a win-win situation for all.

Marine Debris Threatens our Coast

The problem of marine debris is worldwide, but it is especially forefront in our state where one third of it is water! As defined by the Environmental Protection Agency, marine debris would be all objects that do not naturally occur there - generally trash - articles that have been made and/or used by people and discarded. Trash that is discarded does not stay in one location but rather can travel anywhere. A tremendous amountof marine litter in the central north Pacific has been dubbed "The Great Pacific Garbage Patch." It extends over an indeterminate area sometimes said to be as large as Texas - depending on the degree of plastic concentration used to define the affected area. More recently a similar giant patch has been found in the Atlantic Ocean, with again, the main component being plastic. See http://www.ecori.org/pollution-contamination/2011/7/15/sailing-on-a-plastic-sea.html.

Besides floating pollution patches, the marine debris can interfere with ocean wildlife and organisms and interfere with ocean ecosystems. If one type of organism becomes endangered or threatened, whole ecosystems can collapse. In addition, sea life is threatened through entanglement or ingestion of objects. Plastics are particularly harmful.

About 80% of marine debris comes from land based sources : beachgoers, litterers, landfills, sewer pipes, and industrial facilities. Trash discarded anywhere can reach the ocean or bay via winds and streams. Sometimes industrial facilities dispose of waste improperly. Storm run-off can carry motor oil from vehicles as well as fertilizers and pesticides from farms and residences. Run-off water laden with these products can reach rivers and streams and eventually the ocean. The other 20% of debris consists of materials that fall overboard from commercial and recreation craft, such as fishing gear, including nets and monofilament lines. Freighters also contribute to marine pollution when choppy conditions toss cargo overboard. Containers that are tossed over then break and release contents into the bay or ocean.

Problems of marine debris can be alleviated through a combination of education and activisim. Some organizations furthering these aims are the Ocean Conservancy and the Cousteau Society. In Rhode Island, Save the Bay (http://www.savebay.org/) organization was successful in fighting proposed oil refineries in Tiverton and Jamestown and continues actively promoting legislation and actions that protect the integrity of Narragansett Bay. More recently, it joined forces with activist groups in Massachusetts to successfully oppose an LNG terminal in Fall River, MA. Every year the Audubon Society of RI sponsors beach clean-ups on the 3rd Saturday in September as part of an International Coastal Clean-up. This event is coordinated for coastal areas around the world to occur at the same time. Not only do participants pick up debris but they are asked to use a tally sheet that indicates what items are found precisely. Results have been used to pass legislation in RI outlawing smoking on all public beaches when cigarette butts (which are highly poisonous when ingested) turned up as a common contaminant for several years.

Rhode Island's Waste - No Small Stuff

Rhode Island is the smallest state in the union at approximately 1000 square miles of land. In spite of its small area Rhode Island is host to about one million residents. The Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation is "Little Rhody's" quasi-public agency that's responsible for managing Rhode Island's solid waste issues. The agency also manages the state's recycling program and owns and operates the Central Landfill and materials recycling facility in Johnston. The RIRRC facility spans 1,200 acres and manages 2500 tons of residential and commercial waste per day. The landfill itself covers 230 acres. This state-of-the-art facility replaces the town dumps of yesteryear. The local disposal sites throughout Rhode Island are now called "transfer stations," since everything ends up in the RIRRC facility in Johnston.

But besides compacting all Rhode Island's solid waste into layers, the facility coordinates much more. There are consulting services for businesses called "The Green Zone," where businesses can learn about Rhode Island laws that affect them regarding waste disposal and recycling. All businesses with fifty or more employees are required by the State's Department of Environmental Management to complete an annual recycling report (this can be filed on-line by visiting the RI DEM website).

RIRRC also operates a hazardous waste depot, called ECO Depot. Their website details which household items are deemed hazardous and how to dispose of them lawfully and safely. The ECO Depot is a free service forRhode Island residents available by appointment. There are also periodic ECO Depot collections in various communities throughout the year. You can find them by checking the website.

RIRRC also operated a materials recycling facility - MRF. As the website says, "theoretically almost everything can be transformed into something else." Rhode Island determines what will be recycled according to certain guidelines that are outlined in their blue and green bin recycling program section. There are plans to expand which items can be recycled when the MRF operation is upgraded in 2013. For answers as to what items can and can't be recycled, see the section's FAQ. All throughout RI recyclables are collected in blue bins (for plastics, metal and glass) and green bins (for cardboard, paper and newspapers). As towns adopt recycling, each resident is given the bins. Replacement bins for damaged or stolen bins can be purchased by contacting your local public works department. An important section details information regarding the state electronic waste (E-waste) recycling program. Currently, RI's E-waste recycling program accepts televisions, computers (including monitors, modems and laptops) and computer peripherals (mouse pointers, keyboards, printers). Goodwill Industries (100 Houghton St. Providence RI) accepts all types of E-waste for their E-waste recycling training program. They will accept "anything with a plug."

Speaking of donating for reuse, another important section of RIRRC website details how to give anything away or get something for free! You can either post an item or respond to a post. This saves money on trash disposal and helps save space in the landfill. There is a business, household and even medical equipment exchange portion. Of course, you can also check out your local thrift shops to donate unwanted items and even shop (or not). Please take a few minutes to check out the following to see if you will feel the same way about "stuff." You Tube video Story of Stuff, Full Version; How Things Work, About Stuff. Go to http://www.storyofstuff.com/

The Air We Breathe

Did you know that after Vermont, RI had the least unsafe smog days last year (2010) of all the states in the northeastern region? That's the good news! But were you also aware that there were still 6 days in the Providence and New London, Ct. region when concentration of ground level ozone (main component of smog) exceeded Environmental Protection Agency 75 parts per billion standard? That's the bad news and it gets worse: experts now say that the EPA standards set in 2008 are at a level too low to protect the public health. Many believe that the safer level would be 60 to 70 ppb.

Smog in the air is harmful to humans since it can lead to asthma attacks and exacerbate respiratory illness in susceptible individuals. Children, the elderly and people with pre-existing respiratory illnesses are the most at risk. Even unborn children of pregnant women can be affected as they may suffer from lower birth weight and growth problems as a result of maternal exposure to bad air. And even among healthy adults, repeated exposure to smog over time may damage lung tissue and affect our breathing ability.

Pollution from smog is created when by-products from cars, trucks and other vehicles as well as power plants and industrial facilities react with pollutants in the presence of sunlight. One can actually see smog - it's that pinkish, grayish low lying cloud on the horizon and above.

In 2005 RI along with 9 other northern states entered into an agreement to limit emissions of carbon dioxide from power plants. This initiative is known as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) and it's the first mandatory cap on global warming pollution anywhere in the US. It acknowledges that our dependence on coal, oil and gas pollutes air and water and harms public health.

For an official rating on any given day you can go to http://www.demri.gov/programs/benviron/air/ The RI DEM provides daily ozone forecasts from April to September and daily fine particle forecasts year round.