ECONOTES 2012-04-09: Environmental Headlines for the Houston Region
Featured
- Bald eagle deaths may be on the rise with population (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle, 04/02/2012)
The bald eagle population in Texas is making a comeback. However, with the increase in population, there has been an increase in bald eagle deaths caused by unintended encounters with power lines. Power lines are attractive to the birds who use them to spot prey. CenterPoint Energy has recently come up with a plan to prevent future electrocutions. Strategies include installing “raptor guards” that prevent eagles from roosting on wires and poles and identifying power lines near existing nests.
http://www.chron.com/ - Desalination could help solve Texas water woes (State Rep. Bill Callegari – Houston Chronicle, 04/05/2012)
Desalination could become a promising, reliable, new water supply for Texas. Texas already has 32 desalination plants and leads in brackish water desalination. However, according to the state water plan, only 3.4 percent of the water supply for Texas will come from desalinated sources by the year 2060. Desalination plants are energy intensive and expensive to build and operate, but they could be one way to address the long-term water deficit if the method is further developed.
http://www.chron.com/ - Houston Is White On The Drought Map (Jack Williams and Pat Hernandez – KUHF News, 04/05/2012)
The Houston area is officially out of the drought. The last time that Houston was free from drought was February 15th, 2011, so it has been over a year. The rains over the last few months pulled Houston out of the drought, but summer could change the situation quickly. Many areas are still recovering so it may not take much for drought signals to reappear.
http://app1.kuhf.org/
EcoNotes
- 7 April
- Gen. Interest: One Theory About the Demise of Bees
http://www.upperleftedge.com/ - 6 April
- Rejoice! This Summer Will Likely Not Be as Hot as the Last One (Mose Buchele – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - Texas Docs Get More Active On The Environment (Carrie Feibel – KUHF News)
http://app1.kuhf.org/ - Big Thicket Association hires Bruce Walker as new Executive Director (The Liberty County Vindicator)
http://www.thevindicator.com/ - A Generation of Texas Farmers and Ranchers, Lost to the Drought (Mose Buchele – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - Voices from the Drought: Readers Respond (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - 5 April
- Desalination could help solve Texas water woes (State Rep. Bill Callegari – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/ - Houston Is White On The Drought Map (Jack Williams and Pat Hernandez – KUHF News)
http://app1.kuhf.org/ - Report finds Texas lags in preparing for climate change (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/ - Early reaction limited over Eagle Ford drilling chemicals (Matthew Tresaugue and John MacCormack – My SA News)
http://www.mysanantonio.com/ - The iPod of Thermostats Gets an Update (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - Your Weekly Drought Update: Good News for the East, Not So Good for the West (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - 4 April
- Van Gogh on the Water: Visualizing Ocean Currents (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - Share Your Stories of the Drought (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - TCEQ eases restrictions on water rights (TCEQ News)
http://www.tceq.texas.gov/ - Why Are Gas Prices So High? A Multimedia Guide By Climate Desk (Terrence Henry – StateImpact News)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - Official wants judges ousted for beach ruling (Harvey Rice – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/ - TCEQ and TDA request the IBWC rescind water delivery to Mexico (TCEQ News)
http://www.tceq.texas.gov/ - 3 April
- Rick Perry criticises UK initiative to influence US climate sceptics (Leo Hickman – The Guardian)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/ - Sea Turtle Nesting Season Begins Again on the Texas Coast (Guidry News)
http://guidrynews.com/ - Did your tree survive the drought? How to assess your trea this spring (Texas Forest Service)
http://texasforestservice.tamu.edu/ - Houston Mayor discusses Rebuild Houston in Kingwood (Bruce Olson – The Tribune)
http://www.ourtribune.com/ - Big Chicken in Texas and Worries about Poultry Pollution (Dave Fehling – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - Bigger in Texas? Why, yes, everything is! Better in Texas? Of course! (Louie Bond – Texas Parks & Wildlife)
http://www.tpwmagazine.com/ - Biologists harness weather technology to unlock the secret lives of birds, bats and bugs (Russell Roe – Texas Parks & Wildlife)
http://www.tpwmagazine.com/ - Government Drops Water Pollution Charges Against Range (Timothy Gardner – Planet Ark)
http://planetark.org/ - 2 April
- Bald eagle deaths may be on the rise with population (Matthew Tresaugue – Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/ - Tours Offered to Celebrate Attwater’s Prairie Chicken Festival (Guidry News)
http://www.guidrynews.com/ - Spicewood Beach’s Water System May Soon Belong to Canadian Company (Terrence Henry – StateImpact)
http://stateimpact.npr.org/ - 1 April
- Midlanders get creative to save water, avoid cost increases (Kathleen Petty – My West Texas)
http://www.mywesttexas.com/ - 31 March
- League City awarded for water education (Christopher Smith Gonzalez – The Daily News)
http://galvestondailynews.com/ - Rice fields idle on Wharton County’s east side (Natalie Bednorz – The Wharton Journal Spectator)
http://www.journal-spectator.com/ - 30 March
- Missouri City Parks & Recreation Staff Garner Top Awards (Guidry News)
http://www.guidrynews.com/ - 29 March
- International Water Expert to Highlight Sierra Club Water Conference (Guidry News)
http://guidrynews.com/ - 16 March
- Trash Bash collects 158 tons of refuse (The Huntsville Item)
http://itemonline.com/