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The Upper and Lower Neuse Riverkeepers have kicked off their "Tour de Neuse".  This event serves two purposes, allowing the Riverkeepers to assess Neuse River water quality and to raise money to protect the Neuse River. Individuals can make pledges on a per mile basis (like in a walk-a-thon) and can join them as they make their way downstream. The Riverkeepers Larry Baldwin and Dean Naujoks will be paddling 280 miles, stopping to talk to people along the way, and are keeping a daily journal.

This trip is coming at a time when central North Carolina is experiencing the driest year on record. According to a recent News and Observer article: 

“Less than 5 inches of rain has been measured at Raleigh-Durham International Airport since January. Normal rainfall would total 11.4 inches by now.”

Daily water use in Raleigh averages 43 million gallons daily but can peak at about 60 million gallons per day in the summer. Currently, “the flow of streams into Falls Lake [the drinking water source for Raleigh] is 9 percent of normal for this month” and we are headed into the warm and dry summer months.  The Army Corps of Engineers has been releasing minimum amounts of water since November and it was announced yesterday that they won approval to retain more water in the lake through April.

Water quality is often dependent on river flow.  How has the drought affected your local river or stream?

You've heard of Smokey the Bear, but have you heard of the Energy Hog?  The Energy Hog campaign for energy efficiency is sponsored by the Ad Council, who's campaigns have been previously discussed here. The campaign is also sponsored by the Alliance to Save Energy, Home Depot, the US Department of Energy, and the North American Insulation Manufacturers Association (NAIMA).

The website has many good energy saving resources for adults and children, such as, an energy fact sheet and energy saving tips for your home. One interesting fact I learned was that:

"many idle electronics – TVs, VCRs, DVD and CD players, cordless phones, microwaves – use energy even when switched off to keep display clocks lit and memory chips and remote controls working. Nationally, these energy 'vampires' use 5 percent of our domestic energy."

However, unlike the friendly Smoky Bear the energy abusing Energy Hogs are the nasty enemy. You can check out the Energy Hog TV and radio ads on the children's section of the website.

As we discussed earlier this week, global warming is a hot topic. Scientific journals like Science and Nature have been filled with articles concerning global climate change. The New York Times article Climate Data Hint at Irreversible Rise in Seas reports that curbing our emission of greenhouse gases could slow the rise of global sea level. One research team found that the Earth could be 4 degrees warming by 2100 and that the ocean could rise 13 to 20 feet, "conditions last seen 129,000 years ago, between the last two ice ages."

However, there are still many uncertainties about the causes of sea level rise and about the extent of arctic ice melting, which is one cause of increasing sea level. Many of the disagreements are over the links made between human greenhouse gas emissions and sea level rise. But despite the uncertainty, one of the scientists working on the research said, "People driving big old S.U.V.'s to their favorite beach or coastal golf course should start to think twice about what they might be doing."

Closer to home, Progress Energy has issued a report "calling for action to combat global warming and create a national climate change policy". The report included the company's global climate change position and principles and future options for reducing greenhouse gas emissions at its power plants.  Read the full report here.

What do you think about Progress Energy's position and plan?

North Carolina governor, Mike Easley, has filed a petition with the US Secretary of Agriculture to protect North Carolina National Forests from logging and road building.  Governor Easley was the second governor in the country to file such a petition. In the press release Easley said,

“These forest areas are vital not only for their natural beauty and the recreational opportunities they offer, but also for their environmental benefits, including providing clean water and wildlife habitat. They are unique places of unspoiled wilderness and beauty and must be protected and preserved.”

President Bush replaced the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule with a state-by-state petition process. Currently there are no guarantees that the Secretary of Agriculture will accept the state petitions. The formal request submitted by Governor Easley was signed by over 21,000 people and would protect almost 174,000 acres of roadless forests in Croatan, Nantahala, and Pisgah National Forests.

To send a quick thank you to Governor Easley, click here.

What do you like best about North Carolina's National Forests?

You may have already heard that, according to a UNC Asheville study, "One in five N.C. women of child-bearing age who were tested carry potentially unsafe levels of mercury in their bodies." The women tested had mercury levels that were above the EPA's threshold of safety for pregnant women, though none of the women were at serious risk.

Do you know how much mercury you and your family members are consuming?  You can check out the amount of mercury that may be in your diet with the Mercury Calculator. Based on FDA estimates of average levels of mercury in different types of fish, the calculator estimates levels of mercury you may be exposed to. All you have is enter your weight, the type of seafood, and the amount of seafood you eat during a week.

Do you know where the mercury is coming from in North Carolina and in surrounding states?  The largest sources of mercury in North Carolina are coal-fired power plants. The Natural Resources Defense Council has compiled EPA data concerning state fish advisories and data related to mercury sources nationwide. They've created an interactive map that allows you to see the sources of mercury across the US and in North Carolina. Find out if there are any mercury polluters near you with the NRDC Mercury Contamination Map.

In January 2005, at least 37 whales of 3 different species beached themselves on the NC coast. Two hundred miles away the Navy had been using powerful sonar as part of a deep-water training mission off of the coast.

Sonar technology is important to the Navy because it is used to detect submarines or other dangers in the water. According to a Washington Post article from last year, "Although the Navy says any connection between the strandings and its active sonar is "unlikely"...it is cooperating with other federal agencies probing a possible link." However, many questions surrounding the sonar used still exist a year later. Government fisheries officials and other activists suggest that sonar may have caused the beachings because it is rare for so many whales of different species to become beached at once.

The Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC) is organizing a global campaign against the unnecessary use of marine sonar, a problem we are currently facing in our own backyard. The US Navy is hoping to establish a 500-square-nautical-mile underwater sonar testing range off of the NC coast, previously discussed here. The effect of this proposed range on whales, fisheries, and sea turtles is not well understood. What other effects might this proposed testing range have on our state?

We'll continue to follow this story and give you the latest information on how you can help protect marine wildlife.  For more information on this issue, check out a short video, entitled Lethal Sounds, narrated by Pierce Brosnan or take a look at an in-depth report written by the NRDC, Sounding the Depths II: The Rising Toll of Sonar, Shipping and Industrial Ocean Noise on Marine Life.