Episode 69 (June 20, 2011): Herp Blitz

Click to listen to episode (2:08).  

Please see below (after the transcript) for this week's selection of  news and upcoming events.

And please note that there will be no Virginia Water Radio episode or posting for the week of June 27.  Have a happy July 4th!

TRANSCRIPT: From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of June 20, 2011.

This week we feature a blitz of mystery sounds, all related to an upcoming biological kind of blitz.  Have a listen for about 20 seconds, and see if you can guess what animals are making this studio mix of sounds.

If you guessed all frogs or toads, you’re right! [Post-recording note to listeners: The audio file says, “all frogs.”  Two are actually toads, as noted below.  Virginia Water Radio apologizes for the error in the recording.]  Those were the chirps of Spring Peepers, the long trill of an American Toad, the shorter trill of a Gray Tree Frog, and the baby-cry-like call of a Fowler’s Toad.  But it won’t be ALL frogs at the sixth annual Herp Blitz on June 24-26 at Hungry Mother State Park in Smyth County.  Conducted by the Virginia Herpetological Society, the Herp Blitz is a survey of the all the amphibians and reptiles—that’s frogs, toads, salamanders, snakes, turtles, and lizards—that volunteers can find during a weekend.  Since 1980, the Herpetological Society has conducted herp-documenting events at dozens of locations in the Commonwealth, from Tidewater swamps to Piedmont forests to mountain streams.  The surveys provide information on the numbers, habitats, and geographic distribution of Virginia’s approximately 140 species of amphibians and reptiles—creatures that perform important ecological roles and that enrich the biological diversity of our lands and waters.

For other water sounds and music, and for more Virginia water information, visit our Web site at virginiawaterradio.org.  From the Virginia Water Resources Research Center in Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening wishing you health, wisdom, and good water.  END TRANSCRIPT

Show notes:Information on Virginia’s amphibians and reptiles (including recordings of frogs and toads) is available from the Virginia Herpetological Society’s Web site at http://www.virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com/index.html; the society’s surveys are listed under the “Events” link.

A Selection of Recent Virginia Water News

            For other water news items from Virginia and elsewhere, please visit the Virginia Water Central News Grouper, available online at http://vawatercentralnewsgrouper.wordpress.com/.

            1.  On June 13, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) released its annual report on solid waste management in Virginia, covering municipal solid waste, construction and demolition debris, vegetative and yard waste, and other types of waste collected in 2010 at 205 permitted facilities.  The total amount of solid waste received at Virginia facilities during 2010 was about 19.7 million tons, an increase of about 146,000 tons (0.7%) from 2009; about 5.5 million tons were generated from outside of Virginia, an increase of about 200,000 tons.  Municipal solid waste comprised about 12.9 million tons (65%), with approximately 4.0 million tons of this generated out of state, mostly (97%) from Maryland (39%), New York (27%), Washington, D.C. (20%), North Carolina (7%), and New Jersey (4%).  About 3.2 million tons of the total solid waste received were construction and demolition debris and about 1.1 million tons were industrial waste.  About 12.4 million tons (77%) of waste were disposed of in landfills and about 2.0 million tons (13%) were incinerated; the rest was managed by mulching, recycling, or other means.  The full report for 2010 and reports for previous years are available at http://www.deq.virginia.gov/waste/aswrs.html.

            Additional source: Virginia issues solid waste report for 2010, Virginia DEQ News Release, 6/13/11.

            2.  On June 10, the University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors agreed to a plan—previously approved by university faculty, students, and staff—to reduce the school’s emissions of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, and other carbon-containing gases) by 25 percent by 2025, based on 2009 emissions.  University officials told the board that they have a plan for reaching about three-quarters of the goal, but that they still have to determine how to accomplish the rest of the reduction.

            Source: UVa aims to cut greenhouse emissions 25 percent by 2025, Charlottesville Daily Progress

            3.  On June 9, Virginia Attorney General Kenneth Cuccinelli joined the lawsuit filed the previous week by Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott against U.S. EPA’s Clean Air Act regulations of carbon dioxide and other “greenhouse gas” emissions from automobiles.  The regulations, “Light-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emission Standards and Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards; Final Rule,” were published in the May 7, 2010, Federal Register.  EPA’s Web site on regulation of automobile greenhouse gas emissions is at http://www.epa.gov/otaq/climate/regulations.htm.

            Source: Cuccinelli joins tailpipe emissions lawsuit, [Newport News] Daily Press, 6/9/11.

            4.  On June 8, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that the Alpharma subsidiary of Pfizer, Inc., will end sales (starting after 30 days) in the United States of the arsenic-containing poultry drug Roxarsone, following an FDA study that found higher incidence of carcinogenic inorganic arsenic in Roxarsone-treated chickens compared to untreated ones.  The FDA stressed that eating chicken does not presently pose a health risk but that Roxarsone use in poultry is a “completely avoidable” source of exposure to carcinogen.  The drug has been used since the 1940s to control the parasitic disease coccidiosis, to increase birds’ weight and feed efficiency, and to add color to meat, but poultry producers are able to maintain birds’ health through other methods, according to a spokesperson for the National Chicken Council.  Besides the potential carcinogenic effect through human food, the potential impact of arsenic on waterways that receive runoff from poultry operations has been another concern raised over Roxarsone use.

            Sources:  Pfizer will voluntarily suspend sale of animal drug 3-Nitro, U.S. Food and Drug Administration News Release, 6/8/11; Arsenic worries prompt chicken drug withdrawal, Washington Post, 6/8/11; and Poultry industry going 'cool turkey' on arsenic, Baltimore Sun, 6/8/11.

            5.  On June 7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced $7 million to fund 31 conservation projects on farms, ranches, and forest land in 11 states.  The funds come through the Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative (CCPI).  Two projects in Virginia will receive funds this year:  $999,020 to the New River-Highlands Resource Conservation and Development Council for the New River Grazing Management Initiative, to improve training and management assistance to grazing land producers; and $50,000 to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) for water-quality improvements in the Shenandoah River basin.  In 2010, CCPI awards in Virginia were a three-year, $720,000/year grant to the Shenandoah Resource Conservation and Development Council (located in Verona in Augusta County) for agricultural conservation practices, such as cover crops, nutrient management, and watering systems for livestock; and a $142,000 grant to CBF and Trout Unlimited for various stream protection and restoration practices in the Shenandoah Valley.

            Sources: Vilsack Announces New Projects Designed to Improve Natural Resources on Agricultural Operations in 11 States, U.S. Department of Agriculture News Release, 6/7/11; and Augusta Free Press, 7/12/10.

            6.  June 30 is the deadline for Virginia and federal officials to reach an agreement over stipulations for $2 million available from the federal government for oyster-restoration activities.  As of early June, the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) had said that the state would not accept the $2 million from the Army Corps of Engineers to build 30 acres of oyster reefs in the Great Wicomico River, because the money would come with a stipulation that no oysters be harvested from the reefs, and because the state would have to match 25 percent of the grant.  The VMRC opposes the restriction that the reefs be only for an oyster sanctuary, and the state is reluctant to match the federal funds with oyster shells used as a base for the reef construction—as Virginia has done in the past to match federal funds—because, according to the Commission, the project would stress a diminishing supply of oyster shells and cut into the supply available for other restoration projects.  In a related matter, in early June the VMRC refused to accept $200,000 from the Corps and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for oyster-restoration in the Lynnhaven River.  In a June 3 letter to the Corps and NOAA, the head of the VMRC said that Virginia preferred to use its available oyster shells (uses as a surface for planting young oysters) in other areas.
            Sources: Va. likely to pass on $2M for oyster restoration in bay, Virginian-Pilot, 5/2/11; and State turns down $200K from feds for oyster reefs, Virginian-Pilot, 6/11/11

           

Water Meetings and Other Events

            For more events, please visit the Quick Guide to Virginia Water–related Conferences, Workshops, and  Other Events, online at http://vwrrc.vt.edu/VAConfQuickGuide.html.  Links to several organizations’ events lists are available.

                       

Virginia Government Policy And Regulatory Meetings, June 22—July 5, 2011.

            For more information, click on the meeting dates. Click here for the Virginia Regulatory Town Hall listing of all Virginia government meetings, or here for Virginia General Assembly legislative committee and commission meetings.  For TMDL meetings, click here for the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality TMDL Web site.

            1.  June 22 at 9:30 a.m, Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy Office in Big Stone Gap: Division of Mined Lands Regulatory Review Work Group meeting.

            2.  June 22, 7 p.m., Orange County Board of Supervisors meeting room in Orange: Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) public hearing on the permit application by Orange County for a new sanitary landfill.

            3.  June 24, 9:30 a.m., DEQ regional office in Glen Allen: Biosolids Regulations Technical Advisory Committee meeting.  (Proposed changes to regulations for biosolids (treated sewage sludge) (9 VAC 25-20, 25-31, and 25-32) were published in the February 28, 2011, Virginia Register and the public comment period ran 2/28/11 to 4/29/11.  Following the public comment period, the Biosolids Technical Advisory Committee was reconvened to consider public comment on proposed revisions to 9 VAC 25-32 and then to provide input for final regulatory edits.  Relevant documents are at www.townhall.state.va.us/L/comments.cfm?stageid=5374.)

            4.  June 28, 9:30 a.m., 2600 Washington Avenue, Newport News: Virginia Marine Resource Commission monthly meeting.

            5.  June 28, 9:30 a.m., DEQ regional office in Glen Allen: meeting of the Regulatory Advisory Panel helping to develop a permit for small renewable energy projects using combustible materials, such as solid waste or biomass.  (The DEQ is developing a permit by rule for small renewable energy projects from combustible sources, a regulatory action that the 2009 General Assembly—HB 2175/SB 1347—required for small renewable energy projects from various sources (wind, solar, and combustible sources).  More information and relevant documents on the combustible-substances permit are available at http://townhall.virginia.gov/L/viewchapter.cfm?chapterid=2803.)

            6.  June 28, 6 p.m., New River Valley Competitiveness Center, Radford: DEQ public meeting and hearing on the

draft of a modification to the Hazardous Waste Permit for the Radford Army Ammunition Plant in Radford.  (According to the Regulatory Town Hall notice of this meeting: “[The] Radford Army Ammunition Plant has submitted a request to modify their Final Permit for the Treatment of Hazardous Waste by Open Burning and Post-Closure Care Permit – Hazardous Waste Management Units 5, 7, 10, & 16.  The requested modification would allow the implementation of groundwater Corrective Action (CA) at the open-burning portion of the facility.  The CA modules detail the methods to be used to remediate and monitor groundwater quality and sets standard procedures for sampling, analysis, and statistical review of groundwater quality data collected during the remediation program.”

            7.  June 29, 10 a.m., 4000 West Broad Street in Richmond: meeting of the Wildlife and Boat Committee of the Board of Game and Inland Fisheries.

            8.  June 29, 10 a.m., Henrico County Government Complex Annex Building, Henrico: meeting of subcommittee 3 (focusing on methods for calculated estimated future water demand) of the State Water Supply Plan Advisory Committee.  (The State Water Supply Plan Advisory Committee was established by the 2010 Virginia General Assembly to assist the Department of Environmental Quality in developing, revising, and implementing a state water resources plan.  The bill creating the committee was SB 569; information about that bill is at the Virginia Legislative Information System Web site, at http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?101+sum+SB569.)

            9.  June 30, 10 a.m., DEQ Regional Office in Glen Allen:  meeting of subcommittee 2 (focusing on identifying and minimizing potential conflicts among various submitted local and regional plans) of the State Water Supply Plan Advisory Committee.

Educational, Recreational, and Stewardship Events

            For more information, click on the links to organizations or events (both are hyperlinked whenever possible).

            1.  June 28, 9:00am - 3:00pm, 12806 Mink Farm Road, Thurmont, Maryland: Using Forestry Practices to Set and Meet Your TMDL Phase II Goals.  Potomac Watershed Information Exchange, organized by the Potomac Watershed Partnership, Cacapon Institute, High View, W. Va.  More information: (304) 856-1385, or pwp@cacaponinstitute.org.

            2.  June 28, 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m., Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (Board Room), 4000 West Broad Street, Richmond: Open House on Public Access to Chesapeake Bay and Tributary Rivers.  Organized by the National Park Service.  Information provided by participants will help the Park Service develop the "Chesapeake Bay Region Public Access Plan" due in 2012. Other open houses (same time of day) will be Jun. 21 in Harrisburg, Penn. (Fish and Boat Commission HQ), Jun. 22 in Baltimore (Ft. McHenry Visitor Center), and Jun. 27 in Washington (Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Library).

            3. July 2, Cascades Events Park, Pembroke (Giles County): New River Fest.  Boating, triathalon, vendors, fishing, music, and other activities.  Organizied by Giles County and several co-sponsors.  More information: Leigh Stoudenmire, newriverfest@gmail.com, (540) 921-7438.

            4.  July 9, entire James River: James River Runoff Rundown.  A fundraising activity by the James River Association, attempting to have boaters cover all 340 miles of the James in one day.  More information: (804) 788-8811, info@jamesriverassociation.org.

            5.  July 9, Richmond: James River Splash & Dash.  A 2-mile run around Belle Island followed by a 1/3-mile tube paddle back across the river.  Organized by the James River Association.  More information: (804) 788-8811, info@jamesriverassociation.org.

Episode 68 (June 13, 2011): Royal Tern

Click to listen to episode (1:59).

And see below (after the transcript) for this week's selection of  news and upcoming events.

Transcript:

            From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of June 13, 2011.

            This week we feature another mystery sound.  Have a listen for about 15 seconds, and see if you can guess what’s making the squawking and whistling sounds.  And here’s a hint: If you get a TURN visiting Virginia’s beaches in the summer,  you might call this bird “Your majesty.”

            If you guessed a Royal Tern, you’re right!   One of 16 species of terns in North America, the Royal Tern is a common shorebird in summer along the Chesapeake Bay and other mid-Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coastlines.  The bird’s majestic title comes from the shaggy black cap that appears on its head during breeding season and conspicuously looks like a king or queen’s crown.  Royal Terns feed on fish, shrimp, and crabs.  Beachgoers and sailors often witness terns in mid-hunt, hovering just above the water’s surface and then diving in after their prey.  Perhaps because of the sailing world’s familiarity with this bird’s hunting practices, a few sailing vessels are called “The Royal Tern,” including an Audubon Society ship on which Theodore Roosevelt visited Louisiana marshes in 1915.  Thanks to Lang Elliott of NatureSound Studio for providing this recording.

            For other water sounds and music, and for more Virginia water information, visit our Web site at virginiawaterradio.org.  From the Virginia Water Resources Research Center in Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening, and wishing you health, wisdom, and good water.  END TRANSCRIPT

            Show notes:  Quinn Hull researched and helped write this week’s show.  Information on Royal Terns was taken from A Guide to Field Identification of Birds of North America, by Chandler S. Robbins et al. (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2001); “Royal Tern,” by P.A. Buckley and Francine G. Buckley (2002) Royal Tern, on “The Birds of North America Online,” Cornell Lab of Ornithology, http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/700 (accessed 6/10/11); “Royal Tern,” Ship Index Web site, http://shipindex.org/ships/royal_tern (accessed 6/9/11); and “Roosevelt, Friend of the Birds,” Library of Congress “American Memory” Web site (accessed 6/10/11).

            Information about terns in the Chesapeake Bay area is available from the Chesapeake Bay Program Web site at http://www.chesapeakebay.net/bfg_terns.aspx?menuitem=19352 (6/10/11).

While You're Here: This Week's Selection of Recent Virginia Water News

            For other water news items from Virginia and elsewhere, please visit the Virginia Water Central News Grouper, available online at http://vawatercentralnewsgrouper.wordpress.com/.

            1.  According to a Fertilizer Institute analysis released May 31 of data from the National Agricultural Statistics Service, nutrient inputs (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) to U.S. corn production decreased from 3.9 pounds of nutrients per bushel of corn in1980 and to 1.6 pounds per bushel in 2010.  Total U.S. corn production increased from 6.6 billion bushel in 1980 to 12.5 billion bushels in 2010.  Source: U.S. corn production nearly doubles using fewer nutrients, Farm and Dairy, 6/7/11.

            2.  In June, full-scale work began to remove contaminated sediments from the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River off Money Point in Chesapeake.  A test area was dredged in 2009, with good results reported by 2010 in the health of fish in the section.  The overall project will remove sediments from about 25 acres of river that were contaminated by decades of pollution by riverside wood-treatment operations, with contaminated sediments now five feet deep in many places.  Source: Group working to 'get the goo out' of Elizabeth River, Virginian-Pilot, 6/8/11.

            3.  On June 1, the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) announced that it had received a $50,000 grant from the Dominion Fund (Dominion Resources’ charitable-giving organization) for an underwater video system that will allow detailed, sustained, and low-impact  filming of aquatic life in the Chesapeake Bay.  The first use of the system will begin in summer or fall 2011 as part of VIMS research on the behavior of Blue Crabs and other predators as they forage among oyster reefs in the Great Wicomico and Lynnhaven rivers.  Other areas where it will be useful include beds of submerged vegetation or in waters obscured by suspended sediments.  Compared to photography by SCUBA divers, the new equipment allows longer examination periods with less impact on aquatic life.  Source: Dominion funds underwater video system at VIMS, Virginia Institute of Marine Science News Release, 6/1/11.

            4.  On June 6, the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors approved the proposal by the university’s College of Natural Resources and Environment for a new meteorology major.  If approved by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), the new program would be the first meteorology bachelor of science degree program in Virginia.  The expected start of the program is the spring 2012 semester.  The program—to be located in the Geography Department—would have a particular focus on using geographic information technology to assess impacts of severe weather and climate change on landscapes and water resources.  Source: Virginia Tech to add meteorology bachelor's degree, Virginia Tech News, 6/8/11.

            5.  On June 7-8, the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Fisheries Goal Implementation Team held its semi-annual meeting at Stratford Hall in Westmoreland County.  The team consists of fishery managers from Chesapeake Bay states and the District of Columbia, along with representatives from several federal agencies and non-profit natural resource organizations (Virginia members include staff from the Department of Environmental Quality, Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, and Marine Resources Commission).  The team’s purpose is to provide scientific information to improve management and recovery of oysters, Blue Crabs, Menhaden, Striped Bass, and alosines (American Shad, Hickory Shad, Blueback Herring, and Alewife).  The June 6-7 meetings focused on ways to measure oyster-recovery efforts throughout the Bay; how Blue Crab population assessments are used to guide management decisions; and efforts to develop a management plan for the non-native, invasive Blue Catfish.  Source: Chesapeake Bay Program Sustainable Fisheries Web site, 6/9/11.

           

And This Week's Upcoming Water Meetings and Other Events

            For more events, please visit the Quick Guide to Virginia Water–related Conferences, Workshops, and  Other Events, online at http://vwrrc.vt.edu/VAConfQuickGuide.html.

                       

Virginia Government Policy And Regulatory Meetings, occurring between June 16 and 22.

            For more information, click on the meeting dates. Click here for the Virginia Regulatory Town Hall listing of all Virginia government meetings, or here for Virginia General Assembly legislative committee and commission meetings.  For TMDL meetings, click here for the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality TMDL Web site.

            1.  On June 16 at 9 a.m., the Stakeholder Committee for the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Nutrient Exchange Program meets at the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) regional office in Glen Allen.  (The committee was formed as part of Senate Joint Resolution 334 in the 2011 Virginia General Assembly, which called for a study of the possible expansion of the credit-exchange program.)

            2.  On June 17 at 2 p.m., the Conservation and Recreation Board meets at Hungry Mother State Park near Marion (Smyth County).

            3.  On June 20, 9:30 a.m., at the DEQ regional office in Glen Allen, is a meeting of the Regulatory Advisory Panel helping to develop a permit for small renewable energy projects using combustible materials, such as solid waste or biomass.  (The DEQ is developing a permit by rule for small renewable energy projects from combustible sources, a regulatory action that the 2009 General Assembly—HB 2175/SB 1347—required for small renewable energy projects from various sources (wind, solar, and combustible sources).  More information and relevant documents on the combustible-substances permit are available at http://townhall.virginia.gov/L/viewchapter.cfm?chapterid=2803.)

            4.  On June 20 at 10 a.m., the Chesapeake Bay Local Assistance Board meets at the Patrick Henry Building in Richmond.

            5.  On June 21 at 9 a.m., the Board for Waterworks and Wastewater Works Operators and Onsite Sewage System Professionals meets at the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation office in Richmond.

            6.  On June 21, 1:15 p.m., at the Russell County Office Building in Lebanon, the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy holds an informal fact-finding hearing on an objection to permit applications by CNX Gas for two coalbed methane operations.

            7.  On June 22, 7 p.m., at the Orange County Board of Supervisors meeting room in Orange, the DEQ holds a public hearing on the permit application by Orange County for a new sanitary landfill. 

Meetings about Total Maximum Daily Loads, or TMDLs, for Impaired Waters

          1.  June 21, 6 p.m., at the Town of Orange Public Works Department’s community room, on the TMDL implementation plan for bacteria-impaired segments of Goldmine Creek in Louisa County; Beaver Creek, Mountain Run, Pamunkey Creek, and Terry’s Run in Orange County; and Plentiful Creek in Spotsylvania County. 

Educational, Recreational, and Stewardship Events

            For more information, click on the links to organizations or events (both are hyperlinked whenever possible).

            1.  Starting June 13 and continuing through September, at all Virginia state parks: 75th Anniversary events celebrating the June 15, 1936, opening of a statewide park system in Virginia.  June.13-19: free parking and admission at all parks for "birthday week"; June 18: birthday celebrations at parks; and June 14-September 5: 75 Days of Summer contest.

             1.  June 24-26, Hungry Mother State Park, Smyth County: 6th Annual Herp Blitz.  Survey for amphibians and reptiles, sponsored by the Virginia Herpetological Society.  More information: Kory Steele, president@vaherpsociety.com.

            2.  June 28, 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m., Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (Board Room), 4000 West Broad Street, Richmond: Open House on Public Access to Chesapeake Bay and Tributary Rivers.  Organized by the National Park Service.  Information provided by participants will help the Park Service develop the "Chesapeake Bay Region Public Access Plan" due in 2012. Other open houses (same time of day) will be Jun. 21 in Harrisburg, Penn. (Fish and Boat Commission HQ), Jun. 22 in Baltimore (Ft. McHenry Visitor Center), and Jun. 27 in Washington (Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Library).

            4.  June 28, 9:00am - 3:00pm, 12806 Mink Farm Road, Thurmont, Maryland: Using Forestry Practices to Set and Meet Your TMDL Phase II Goals.  Potomac Watershed Information Exchange, organized by the Potomac Watershed Partnership, Cacapon Institute, High View, W. Va.  More information: (304) 856-1385, or pwp@cacaponinstitute.org.

Episode 67 (June 6, 2011): John McCutcheon's "Water from Another Time"

[NOTE TO LISTENERS:  Starting with this week's episode, the weekly audio file will be only the two-to-three minute "Water Sounds and Music" segment.  Text on recent news and events will still be posted here, but three will be no audio file for those segments.  Also, please note new links below for the Virginia Water Central News Grouper (a frequently updated blog of annotated links to water-related news items) and the Quick Guide to Virginia Water-related Conferences, Workshops, and Other Events.]

Click to listen to episode (2:32).

Transcript: From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of June 6, 2011.

This week we feature a song by a Wisconsin native who adopted the South as his chosen home, including living for many years in Virginia.  The song reflects on how family history is vital to future generations’ spirits, just as water is vital to their bodies.  Have a listen for about a minute. 

“Water from Another Time," by John McCutcheon.  Used with permission of Appalseed Productions.

You’ve been listening to part of “Water from Another Time,” by John McCutcheon on his 1987 album “Gonna Rise Again,” from Rounder Records.  Praised by Johnny Cash as “the most impressive instrumentalist I’ve ever heard,”  Mr. McCutcheon has been exploring and creating folk music since the 1970s.  Prior to moving to Atlanta in 2006, he was a long-time resident of Charlottesville and wrote many songs there, including “Water from Another Time.” 

For other water sounds and music, and for more Virginia water information, visit our Web site at virginiawaterradio.org.  From the Virginia Water Resources Research Center in Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening wishing you health, wisdom, and good water.

Notes:  Information on John McCutcheon and “Water from Another Time” was taken from So long: McCutcheon signs off in song, Charlottesville Hook, 11/13/07; John McCutcheon's back for show at Haven, Charlottesville Daily Progress, 4/1/11; John McCutcheon page on Web site of Walnut Valley Festival of Winfield, Kansas, 6/2/11; and John McCutcheon’s Web site, www.folkmusic.com, 6/3/11.

 A Selection of Recent Virginia Water News

            For other water news items from Virginia and elsewhere, please visit the Virginia Water Central News Grouper, available online at http://vawatercentralnewsgrouper.wordpress.com/.

            1.  On May 25, the U.S. EPA released an 88-page report on the Radford Army Ammunition Plant’s request for a 10-year extension of its permit for cleaning up old wastes at the explosives-manufacturing facility on the New River in Pulaski County.  The plant was given a 10-year corrective action permit in 2000 to begin work on 77 potential clean-up sites.  Many sites have been addressed or have been determined not to be contaminated or pose a risk, but at least seven sites still need attention for various petroleum-based, volatile, and metallic wastes that have contaminated soil or groundwater.  The EPA is taking public comment on the clean-up plan and report until July 25, and a public hearing will be held in Christiansburg on June 27.  In addition, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality is holding a public hearing on June 28 at the New River Valley Competitiveness Center in Radford on the plant’s state hazardous-waste permit.  For many years, Alliant Tech Systems, Inc., of Minneapolis has been contracted by the military to run the approximately 7,000-acre facility, which was built just prior to World War II and now employs about 1,800 people.  But in May the Army awarded the $850-million contract to BAE Systems of London, and Alliant is seeking a Government Accountability Office review of that contract award decision.  The EPA has said that the contract decision will not affect the clean-up plan, which are managed through separate contracts.

            Sources: Radford Army Ammunition Plant seeks more cleanup time from EPA, Roanoke Times, 3/17/11 and EPA considers cleanup permit for Radford arsenal, Roanoke Times, 5/29/11.  EPA information about the permit application process is available online at http://www.epa.gov/reg3wcmd/publicnotice_radford_armyammo_may25v.html (as of 6/2/11).

            2.  On May 26, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries released about 6,000 sterile Grass Carp into Claytor Lake in Pulaski County as part of a plan to reduce the levels of the floating aquatic plant Hydrilla.  Claytor Lake is a hydroelectric impoundment of the New River.  Hydrilla is a non-native invasive plant that in recent years has covered about 400 of the lake’s 4,000 acres.  In limited amounts, Hydrilla can provide additional fish habitat, but over time it tends to become extensive and can impair boating, lead to reduced dissolved oxygen in water (when large amounts die and decompose), and displace native vegetation.  Agency official also plan chemical treatments, starting in summer 2011, with the contact herbicide Komeen.  The Grass Carp introduction is seen as a way to help reduce the Hydrilla population somewhat and eventually allow for less use of chemical treatments.

            Source: Meet the gluttons that could save Claytor Lake from 'hydrilla gorilla', Roanoke Times, 5/27/11.

            3.  The Atlantic hurricane season (including the North Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico) runs from June 1 to November 30, with August to October the usual period of peak activity.  On May 19, 2011, the Climate Prediction Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released its outlook for the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season.  Allowing for various uncertainties (which are detailed in the outlook document), the outlook estimated a 65-percent probability of an “above-normal” Atlantic hurricane season in 2011, and a 70-percent chance for the following ranges of activity: 12 to 18 named storms; 6 to 10 hurricanes; and 3 to 6 major hurricanes (major hurricanes are those rated “Category 3” or higher on the Saffir-Simpson Scale and that have sustained winds of at least 111 miles per hour).  National Hurricane Center long-term averages for the Atlantic season are 11 named storms, 6 hurricanes, and 2 major hurricanes.  The introduction to the outlook makes the following cautions about predicted storm numbers: the outlook is “a general guide to the expected overall nature of the upcoming hurricane season.  It is not a seasonal hurricane landfall forecast, and it does not imply levels of activity for any particular region.  Hurricane disasters can occur whether the season is active or quiet.  It only takes one hurricane (or tropical storm) to cause a disaster.  Residents, businesses, and government agencies of coastal and near-coastal regions are urged to prepare for every hurricane season regardless of this, or any other, seasonal outlook.”  The outlook is a collaboration of the Climate Prediction Center, the National Hurricane Center, and the Hurricane Research Division, all within NOAA.

            Source: NOAA hurricane outlook indicates an above-normal Atlantic season, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration News Release, 5/19/11.  The outlook is available at www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/outlooks/hurricane.shtml (as of 5/31/11).

            4.  And the last news item for this update is Virginia Water Radio’s monthly water-status report for May.

            First, here are National Weather Service preliminary precipitation totals for May at eight Virginia locations: Blacksburg: 7.3 inches, or 2.9 inches above normal historically for May;

Bristol: 5.9 inches, or 1.6 inches above normal;

Danville, 5.3 inches, or 1.4 inches above normal;

Dulles Airport, 3.3 inches, or 0.9 inches below normal;

Lynchburg: 3.3 inches, or 0.8 inches below normal;

Norfolk, 2.0 inches, or 1.8 inches below normal;

Richmond, 4.4 inches, or 0.4 inches above normal;

Roanoke: 3.8 inches, or 0.4 inches below normal.

            (Sources:  Climate pages of the following National Weather Service offices: Blacksburg; Morristown, Tenn. [covers the Tri-Cities area near Bristol, Va.-Tenn.]; Washington-Dulles; and Wakefield.)

            For another look at precipitation, see the Southeast Regional Climate Center (Chapel Hill, N.C) maps of total precipitation and percent of normal precipitation for the the past seven, 30, 60, or 90 days.

            Second, in stream flow: According to the U.S. Geological Survey WaterWatch for Virginia, streamflows averaged over May were in the normal range at about 37 percent of 142 stream gages in Virginia and just beyond the state border.  The monthly average flows were below normal at about 14 percent of gages as well, and flows were above normal at about 49 percent of gages.

            And third, our drought watch: The weekly The National Drought Monitor map from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln on May 31 showed abnormally dry or worse conditions in 26 percent of Virginia, all in south central and southeastern areas and on the Eastern Shore.  Thirteen percent of the state was categorized as being in a moderate drought, and a small area in the southeastern corner of Virginia Beach was categorized as being in a severe drought.

           

Water Meetings and Other Events

            For more events, please visit the Quick Guide to Virginia Water–related Conferences, Workshops, and  Other Events, online at http://vwrrc.vt.edu/VAConfQuickGuide.html.

                       

Virginia Government Policy And Regulatory Meetings, occurring between June 9 and 15.

            For more information, click on the meeting dates. Click here for the Virginia Regulatory Town Hall listing of all Virginia government meetings, or here for Virginia General Assembly legislative committee and commission meetings.  For TMDL meetings, click here for the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality TMDL Web site.

            1.  On June 14 at 9 a.m., the Virginia Gas and Oil Board meets at the Russell County Office Building in Lebanon.

            2.  On June 14 at 10 a.m., the Virginia Offshore Wind Development Authority meets at the Twin Hickory Library in Glen Allen.

            3.  On June 14, 6 p.m., at the A.T. Johnson Alumni Museum Auditorium in Montross, the State Water Control Board holds a public meeting on the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) application to the U.S. EPA) for federal No Discharge Zones (NDZs) for 17 water bodies in Westmoreland County and one water body in King George County.

            4.  On June 15 at 10 a.m., the Virginia Recycling Markets Development Council meets at the Richmond Regional Planning District Commission office in Richmond.

 Educational, Recreational, and Stewardship Events

            For more information, click on the links to organizations or events (both are hyperlinked whenever possible).

            5.  Jun.-July, various dates and locations (see below*): Virginia Herpetological Society and Virginia Institute of Marine Science surveys for Diamondback Terrapins (first-ever Virginia statewide Diamondback Terrapin survey). Diamondback terrapins inhabit brackish waters.  The survey will be land-based: pairs of observers at designated locations will count the number of terrapins surfacing for air.  The survey depends upon volunteer observers, who will receive training materials and instructions.  If you are interested in participating, contact Kory Steele, president@vaherpsociety.com.

*Jun. 11-12 in Northampton County;
*Jun. 18-19 in Norfolk and Virginia Beach;
*Jun. 24-25 in Newport News and York County;
*Jul. 9-10 in Gloucester and Mathews counties;
*Jul. 16-17 in Lancaster and Norhumberland counties.

            6.  Jun. 11, Jamestown Yacht Basin, Williamsburg: James River Paddle Challenge. Participants can paddle a 10-mile or 17-mile route around Jamestown Island.  Organized as a fund-raiser by the James River Association. More information: (804) 788-8811, info@jamesriverassociation.org.

            7.  Jun. 24-26, Hungry Mother State Park, Smyth County: 6th Annual Herp Blitz.  Survey for amphibians and reptiles, sponsored by the Virginia Herpetological Society.  More information: Kory Steele, president@vaherpsociety.com.

            8.  Jun. 28, 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m., Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (Board Room), 4000 West Broad Street, Richmond: Open House on Public Access to Chesapeake Bay and Tributary Rivers.  Organized by the National Park Service.  Information provided by participants will help the Park Service develop the "Chesapeake Bay Region Public Access Plan" due in 2012. Other open houses (same time of day) will be Jun. 21 in Harrisburg, Penn. (Fish and Boat Commission HQ), Jun. 22 in Baltimore (Ft. McHenry Visitor Center), and Jun. 27 in Washington (Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Library).