Did you know some animals, like apes, use plants for healing? Humans have long observed these behaviors in the wild and adapted them into medicine. It is just one example of how connected plants, animals, and people really are. A healthy plant animal human chain can make the world a better, healthier place. But as
Martin Woess and his aquatic weed harvester dubbed the Lake Mess Monster has been busy clearing the waters of Prospect Park. Once a week Woess climbs aboard his weed harvester to collect the scum which consists mostly of duckweed and azolla which would quickly take over the pond if left unchecked. New York City owns two of
Lee County Hyacinth Control manages aquatic plants in our waterways using several different methods. The mechanical weed harvester is an eco-friendly method clears widespread vegetation so boats can navigate through our canals. Run off in Cape Coral canals comes from many places. It could be your street, your roof or your lawn. The recycled water
Floating weed harvesters have opened passages through Dane County Wisconsin’s dense tangles of underwater plants for about 50 years. The barges wield rotating cutting bars like those on farm combines to cut a submerged crop that is fertilized too well by runoff of nutrients like dairy manure. Each spring, the county launches a flotilla of
The dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico, which is believed to have been around since the 1970’s, is now an estimated 6,474 square miles of water unable to support marine life. Government and independent scientists believe nutrient runoff is the main cause of the dead zone. Pollutants such as nitrogen and phosphorus flow into
Chicago officials boast that the Stickney Water Reclamation Plant is one of the world’s largest sewer treatment plants, handling the waste of 2.3 million people. The Stickney Water Reclamation is the biggest single source of phosphorus in the entire region that drains into the Mississippi River. Combined with other sewage plant releases a state task
An estimated 9 to 10 percent of Wisconsin wells have tested over safe limits for nitrate. Studies have estimated that 90% of nitrate in groundwater comes from spreading of synthetic fertilizers and dairy manure on farm fields, with most of the remainder from septic systems. Nitrate behaves differently. Relatively little lingers near roots where it
In December, 2010 Wisconsin became the first state in the country to adopt phosphorus water quality standards for lakes, reservoirs, rivers, and streams. The Environmental Protection Agency has approved Wisconsin’s revised rule as a revision to Wisconsin’s federally-approved National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System program under the Clean Water Act. Under the new rules DNR determines