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COMMON GROUND VOL. 11 NO. 4 MAY/DUNE 2000
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<br /> T R A C
<br /> M After Hurricane Floyd dumped 20 inches M Where did winter go ? The winter of 1999-
<br /> of rain on eastern North Carolina last Sep - 2000 was the warmest on record for the U . S . ,
<br /> tember, hog farm lagoons released torrents according to the National Oceanic and Atmo-
<br /> of hog waste downstream. Although the spheric Administration. Temperatures aver-
<br /> state now bars the siting of new or expanded aged 38 .4 F, 0 . 6 degrees above the previous
<br /> hog lagoons in floodplains, existing opera- record in 1998-99 . Before then, you had to go The winter Of
<br /> tions have been free to restock and continue way back to . . . well the 1997-98 winter for 1999-2000 was the
<br /> operations . To avoid future mishaps, the the previous record, although that winter' s warmest on record
<br /> state ' s Clean Water Management Trust Fund average temperature was tied with the 1991-(www . cwmtf. net) has awarded a $5 . 7 mil- 92 winter. So if we didn't have a decently for the U. S .
<br /> lion grant to the Department of Environment bone-chilling winter, who did? Word is that
<br /> and Natural Resources to buy conservation Mongolians had a chilly time of it, as did the
<br /> easements on hog operations in the 100-year people of northeast China and those brave
<br /> floodplain. Officials are sifting through 85 souls who live near the Bering Sea in Siberia .
<br /> bids totaling more than $50 million from hog
<br /> farmers who want out. While department of- ® The U. S . harbors twice as many plant and
<br /> ficials look for even more funding, the first animal species-200,000—as was previously
<br /> set of easement purchases should be com- thought, representing 10 % of all species
<br /> pleted this summer . documented by science . The country is par-
<br /> ticularly rich in aquatic life, with one river in
<br /> ® The assets of 135 of the nation' s richest Tennessee hosting more fish species than all The United States
<br /> foundations grew by 16% ($24 . 9 billion) to of Europe, according to " Precious Heritage , is particularly rich
<br /> $ 180 . 6 billion last year. But nearly half the The Status of Biodiversity in the United in aquatic life,
<br /> increase was due to two people : Bill and States " ($45, 800 / 451 -7556) by The Nature
<br /> Melinda Gates, who gave nearly $ 11 billion Conservancy and the Association for wZth One river in
<br /> to their foundation, now the nation's largest Biodiversity Information . The study, a comas Tennesseehosting
<br /> at $21 . 8 billion. The median increase in four- pilation of 25 years of data from Natural YiZOYe fish SpeCZ2S
<br /> dation asset value in 1999 over 1998 was 7%, Heritage programs in all 50 states, found that
<br /> up from 5% the previous year, according to the U . S . supports a broader array of ecosys- than all of Europe .
<br /> the Feb . 24 Chronicle of Philanthropy . Some tems than any nation. Despite the biological
<br /> 140 foundations awarded $9 . 6. billion in wealth, 60 % of the U . S . outside Alaska has
<br /> grants in 1999, up 13 % from 1998 . Thirty-five lost most of its natural vegetation. Habitat
<br /> of 146 foundations award environment and loss, along with invasions of alien species,
<br /> conservation grants . Among the largest in such as zebra mussels and kudzu, are the top
<br /> 19996 the David and Lucile Packard Founda- causes of species decline . Concentrations of
<br /> tion gave $31 . 4 million to the Monterey Bay imperiled biodiversity are found in Hawaii,
<br /> Aquarium Research Institute and the Turner Florida's Panhandle, California's central and
<br /> Foundation gave $ 15 .2 million to the League south coasts, southern Appalachia 's rivers
<br /> of Conservation Voters . and Death Valley's desert and springs .
<br /> MEOW
<br /> 11 IBM and Johnson & Johnson are the first ® The Marine Stewardship Council (206 /
<br /> companies to agree to cut and verify their 691 -0188, www.msc . org) announced in
<br /> greenhouse gas emissions under a Climate March that fish products from two fisher-
<br /> Savers program created by the World Wild- ies—Australian West Coast rock lobster and
<br /> life Fund (202 / 822-3477, www. world Thames herringwere certified to meet their
<br /> wildlife . org/ climate) and Center for Energy sustainable fisheries standards . The ' council,
<br /> and Climate Solutions (703 / 750-6401 , wwwa launched in 1996 as a joint venture between
<br /> cool-companies . org) . Johnson & Johnson has the World Wildlife Fund and Unilever, aims
<br /> pledged to reduce such emissions by 7% be- to use its certification and labeling program
<br /> low 1990 levels by 2010 . IBM, which already to provide market-based incentives to proms
<br /> cut carbon dioxide emissions by 20 % be- mote responsible fishing practices world-
<br /> tween 1990 and 1997 through energy conser- wide . Unilever, one of the world ' s largest
<br /> vation, pledged to reduce CO2 emissions by buyers of frozen fish, has pledged to buy fish
<br /> 4% a year through 2004 from 1998 levels . only from sustainable sources by 2005 .
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