Penn State | News April 18, 2013 When you look at lovely water gardens in backyards and at businesses — and feel soothed by the serenity they convey — you would not guess that they represent troubled waters for ecosystems in the mid-Atlantic region. The explosion in popularity of water gardening has resulted in
It is exhausting reading about lake after lake after lake becoming infested with an over abundance of aquatic vegetation. This plant material not only negatively affects water quality, the health of the fishery, recreation, aesthetics, but it is financially devastating as well. It affects tourism; bait shops, marinas, hotels, restaurants. It affects lake property owners;
Unlike using chemicals, or doing nothing at all, the advantages of harvesting include: – Immediate relief from nuisance plants that interfere with navigation and recreation – Immediate use of the water for swimming or irrigation – There is nothing foreign introduced to the environment when using mechanical control – Biomass is removed from the water
Countries around the world experience extended periods of snow and ice. In order to combat the icy road conditions crews spread road salt on sidewalks and roadways. Salt was first used in the United States on an experimental basis in New Hampshire in 1938. By the winter of 1941-1942, 5,000 tons of salt was spread
The mission of the EPA is to protect human health and the environment. It’s a huge undertaking to test new products as well as reviewing all older pesticides and products that were registered prior to November 1984. The EPA performs hundreds of tests prior to registering a product for use and while the tests may
The Great Barrier Reef located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, Australia is the world’s largest coral reef system. It covers an area of 133,000 square miles and is composed of 2,900 reefs and 900 islands. The reef supports a wide diversity of life including many endangered species, some of which are
Ask the residents of Jackson Wisconsin about their drinking water and right now you’ll hear a lot of grumbles. 100% of the city’s drinking water comes from groundwater and hasn’t reported any contaminants to the EPA since 2005, although numerous private well owners have not been so fortunate. The Wisconsin DNR had issued a drinking
Hydrilla. The word alone sends shivers down the spines of anyone living, associated, or recreates on waterways. It sends people into panic mode, as it should. Hydrilla is an aquatic invasive species that has slowly been invading waters of the United States since being introduced in Florida in the 1960’s. Hydrilla in one of the
Enjoy this summer and the great outdoors, plus save money, cut energy costs, and protect your families’ health all with these tips provided by the EPA. Energy Star Savings for your Home Raising your thermostat by only 2 degrees and using a ceiling fan on low can lower cooling costs by up to 15%. Change
Invasive species are non-native species that are introduced, often by human activity, into an area and cause damage to that area’s ecosystem. Non-native species tend to lack natural predators giving them a definite advantage to propagate in a new area. As a response to the increase of invasive species in Wisconsin, the Department of Natural