Riverways Program: Programs and Projects

Riverways has, since shortly after its inception in the late 1980s, been concerned about stream flow. For example, back in 1990, before this issue had gotten on the radar screens of many river advocates’ (not to mention water suppliers’ and users’), Riverways’ Judy Wagner and Russ Cohen put out Conservation Works: The Ecological and Economic Benefits of Conserving Water, a white paper showing the value of water conservation in helping to ensure s us tainable water supplies for human as well as natural communities. We have supported efforts in rivers across the Commonwealth to monitor and protect streamflow. In the Ipswich, the Ipswich River Watershed Association and partners have brought dry stream beds to the awareness of communities, regulators and scientists. Margaret Kearns, Watershed Ecologist, has collected information from RIFLS volunteers and from observations from across the state on streams with impaired flows (see the Low Flow Inventory. The site-specific observations documented in the Inventory are in addition to the identification of hydrologically-stressed areas in the “stressed basins” analysis based on USGS gaging station data and adopted by the state Water Resources Commission. Water conservation continues to be looked at as an important means to help restore streams and watersheds to hydrological balance and ecological health, as duly noted by the recently updated state Water Conservation Standards (see current draft). Discouraging wasteful and/or unnecessary water consumption is a key tool in helping to prevent the unnecessary desiccation of aquatic and other hydric habitats, and we need to do this through public education, water rates, demonstration projects, policy and regulations.

At the same time, it is readily acknowledged that excessive water consumption is not the only cause of unnaturally low- or no-flow conditions in our streams. It is all too easy to compartmentalize, and with nature, rivers and anything as fluid as water, we must learn to look at the whole picture. While stream flow can be substantially depleted by water supply withdrawals, as has been documented in the headwater reaches of the Ipswich River, in smaller streams such as Poor Farm Brook in Shrewsbury, and many other locations, natural stream flow patterns and volumes are also adversely affected by other factors such as impervious surfaces, poor storm water management, sewer infrastructure, and where dams on rivers create shallow impoundments. Scientists, advocates, planners and regulators alike are looking at more holistic ways of planning for the future and seeking to identify and implement solutions to these and other water and wastewater management problems, such as looking at water supply and wastewater treatment systems simultaneously and seeing the multifaceted interaction of water quantity and water quality. Some actions (like aquifer and watershed land protection) help both water quantity and quality, while other actions may benefit one at the expense of the other (like a sewer pipe conveying wastewater to be properly treated, but also intercepting and depleting clean groundwater flowing into and/or along the pipe).

The lead article in this edition of NewsNotes discusses ways to help restore and protect natural flow regimes in rivers and streams in the context of comprehensive water resource planning and management. On Wednesday, November 16th, Riverways will be sponsoring a free conference entitled “Beyond Sewering: Making Sound Water, Wastewater and Water Resource Decisions for your community”, that is dedicated to helping local decision makers get answers to pressing water resources issues facing their communities. Please share news of this conference (see link) with municipal officials and other decision makers.

With all the recent rains and flooding, the hazards connected with the possible catastrophic failure of derelict dams (most notably the Whittenton Dam on the Mill River in Taunton ) have hit the press. We share others’ concerns about the impact of problematic dams on individuals, neighborhoods and communities, as well as for the ecology of affected riverine systems. Whereas many have reacted to this situation by calling for all structurally deficient dams to be repaired, Riverways and other river advocates see recent events as an opportunity to give serio us consideration to the alternative of removing obsolete dams and restoring rivers to a free-flowing condition throughout the Commonwealth. Based on our own field experience and communication with national experts, Riverways has learned that there are strong public safety and economic as well as environmental arguments supporting the alternative of dam removal instead of repair. In recent years, partnering with communities, dam owners, federal and state partners, Riverways has worked to remove three dams in Massachusetts (see the River Restore page).

While Riverways’ interest is in restoring the “riverness” of rivers by removing dams that are deemed to no longer serve a us eful purpose, in the case where a structurally deficient dam is not only obsolete but is determined to be a “high hazard” (i.e., its failure could ca us e significant damage to persons and/or property), its removal makes eminent public safety as well as environmental sense. By eliminating the wall of water backed up behind a high hazard dam, dam removal offers a permanent solution and peace of mind to a community that would otherwise live in perpetual dread of what could happen were the dam to give way. There are more than 3,000 dams in Massach us etts , many of which powered mills that are no longer in existence, are in vario us stages of disrepair, and/or no longer serve a us eful function. In a number of cases, dam owners no longer have the financial incentive or interest in maintaining their dams. Removal is a cost-effective alternative to repair in these cases, with the added benefit that removal is a permanent solution. We welcome the increased attention recent events have brought to the issue of derelict dams, and, as the state’s dams are evaluated from a public safety standpoint they should be evaluated from an environmental standpoint as well, and dam removal will in many cases offer a “win-win” solution. We also note that the recent flood flows have once again demonstrated the value of large woody debris (LWD) in rivers and floodplains in slowing the pace of rampaging floodwaters downstream as well as serving as valuable habitat (see http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/river/resources/riverfactsheets.htm, particularly Fact Sheets 1-4, for more info about the flood prevention, habitat and other values of LWD and other riparian vegetation).

News at Riverways: I am delighted to announce that Riverways has hired Tim Purinton as our River Restore Restoration Planner. Tim comes to us from Massachusetts Audubon Society’s North Shore office. He has had extensive on-the-ground restoration experience on a large number of projects, has the permitting and regulatory experience we need, has done a great deal of outreach and has experience working with municipal officials promoting smart growth and low impact development (LID). He will be working closely with Brian Graber, Restoration Scientist and fluvial geomorphologist, who has been with Riverways for two years. Brian was recently honored as a co-recipient of the John Nolen Award for Ecosystem Restoration, part of the Leopold Restoration Award, for his work on dam removal in Wisconsin . In the meantime, Riverways (along with the Taunton River and “River Hero” Tim Watts) were all featured in River Network's Oct. 2005 "e-stream" newsletter, which is distributed to river advocates nationwide (see http://www.rivernetwork.org/estream/estream_oct05.htm). [The issue also contains an interesting article about a court case in Minnesota where the expansion of a sewer plant and associated pollutant loadings into an already impaired river was deemed to be in violation of the Clean Water Act.]

In our June NewsNotes #16, we congratulated Karen Pelto on her outstanding work at Riverways for the past 13 years, including the last six years leading the River Restore Program and leading efforts on the three dam removals referred to above. We wish her well as she moves on to the University of Massach us etts Graduate School in Public Policy with a concentration in natural resources. On Sunday, November 6, from 4-6 PM , we are hosting a party in Lincoln to celebrate Karen’s work and hear her news about grad school. Please send me an e-mail if you would like to join us and I will send you directions.

Lastly, you may have already discovered that Riverways has recently “spiffed up” its presence on the Web. Take a look at http://www.massriverways.org and tell us what you think. Our new format provides an opportunity to include more photographs of riverine flora, fauna and landscapes (if you have any good images to share, please pass them along) as well as helps us organize the programs and resources we offer into a more user-friendly manner.

For example, the “River Continuity” page provides detailed descriptions of three culvert replacement projects Riverways is working on, plus access to .pdf versions of our recently-produced Massachusetts Stream Crossings Handbook and Poster. Printed copies of the Handbook and Poster were distributed earlier this year to state and local highway and other municipal officials as well as at the Mass. Association of Conservation Commissions (MACC) Fall Conference entitled “ Designing & Permitting River & Stream Crossings”. [A limited number of printed copies of the Handbook and Poster are still available; let us know if you want one.] The page also has a link to a recent article on River Continuity entitled “Culverts as Culprits” appearing in the Gulf of Maine Times.

P.S.: Following the lead article in this edition of NewsNotes you will find the usual meaty Resources and Grants section, with the typical Grants subsection, but I have been informed that several other funding opportunities are lurking in other subsections, so keep an eye out for them (and for their application deadlines too, of course).

While the changes in streamflow patterns resulting from human activity have been taking place in Massach us etts since Colonial times, the unintended impacts have only recently come to the attention of scientists and resource advocates. More importantly, many (if not most) water us ers and decision-makers remain unaware of the long term changes occurring. Smaller rivers and streams, and the organisms and habitats in and along them, are especially vulnerable to damage from human activities that increase the frequency, duration or magnitude of low- and no-flow events beyond naturally-occurring conditions. It’s a complicated issue—on some streams, water supply withdrawals and diversions have exacerbated conditions to the point that streams have dried up, fish have died and habitat has been destroyed. On other streams, infiltration and inflow (I&I), sewering out-of-basin, or poor stormwater management have contributed to unnaturally low- or no-flow conditions. And of course, some rivers and streams have been adversely affected by all these conditions.

The conventional, “macro” approach to water resources planning and management, employing large, centralized water supply and wastewater treatment facilities and infrastructure, combined with residential and commercial development patterns and the accompanying proliferation of impervious surfaces, have contributed to a serious hydrologic imbalance in many watersheds across the Commonwealth and beyond. It isn’t just streams and fish that can be hurt by this imbalance. For example, the manager of the Aquarion water company serving several communities in coastal New Hampshire recently determined that the factor having the greatest negative impact on the yield of his system (i.e. the volume of groundwater available to be withdrawn through his wells) was groundwater loss due to its infiltration into the sewer pipes running through his source water aquifer.

The hydrologic imbalance evident in many of our streams and watersheds reflects the cumulative impact of many decades of water and land us e practices that often ignored (or did not effectively mitigate) their adverse hydrologic impacts. There is a growing awareness of the hydrologic deficit created in many areas by obtaining our water supply from one location, us ing it (sometimes wastefully or unnecessarily) in a second location and sending wastewater to be treated and discharged in yet another location, while treating stormwater like trash instead of recognizing its value for replenishing groundwater, aquifers and streamflow. The complexity of the problem necessitates a multi-faceted, collaborative response, deploying a variety of strategies and techniques in an effort to restore our rivers and watersheds to hydrological balance and ecological health. The challenge is to find ways to work together and come up with innovative, effective, “win-win” solutions, ones that help ensure the s us tainability of water resources to meet the needs of human as well as natural communities. While, in some cases, tightening regulations and/or enforcement may be the most effective response, in others it may be public education. In all cases more holist planning and implementation of drinking water, stormwater and wastewater plans, methodologies or technologies will benefit a community.

Informed by recent scientific studies, regulatory agencies on the federal (and, to some extent, the state and local levels) are experiencing a paradigm shift away from centralized water and wastewater facilities and infrastructure and proliferating impervio us ness to alternative approaches that have less deleterio us effects on water quality and quantity and the human and natural communities dependent upon them. Technological advances in sewage treatment technology have opened up a wide variety of on-site and cl us ter alternatives that keep water local (see, e.g., http://www.uri.edu/ce/wq/owtc/html/owtc.html and http://www.buzzardsbay.org/etimain.htm). Combined with efforts to recharge stormwater on-site (see, e.g., http://www.unh.edu/erg/cstev/ and http://www.mass.gov/envir/lid/), these approaches help maintain a more natural water balance critical to s us taining healthy aquatic and other water-dependent organisms and ecosystems while achieving an equal if not higher level of water quality than conventional systems.

Decentralized systems are appropriate for many types of communities and conditions. Cost-effectiveness is a primary consideration for selecting these systems and is summarized below. Decentralized wastewater treatment systems come in many different forms, price ranges and levels of effectiveness (which depends on proper maintenance as well as siting, sizing, design and installation), and can be utilized in most site conditions, including many that for vario us reasons (lack of space, high water table, close proximity to surface water or other sensitive receptor) aren’t suitable for conventional septic systems. While decentralized systems are likely to compare favorably to conventional, large-scale facilities and infrastructure in low density communities and residential areas (see, e.g., http://www.livingmachines.com/water-systems), they may also be a good alternative to sewering in other situations, such as in neighborhoods with failing septic systems (see, e.g., the Chepachet Village story at http://www.uri.edu/ce/wq/mtp/PDFs/chepachet_mar05.pdf). In addition, decentralized systems are suitable for areas that are especially sensitive from an ecological, public health or other standpoint where advanced treatment, such as nutrient removal or disinfection, is necessary.

Decentralized systems also can achieve significant cost savings, and lower operation and maintenance costs, than sewer systems and infrastructure (see http://www2.ncsu.edu/ncsu/CIL/WRRI/news/ja01decentralized.html and http://www.rmi.org/sitepages/pid121.php), while discharging clean water (often cleaner than what comes out of a conventional septic system) into the ground where it can replenish local aquifers and streamflow. Last but not least, decentralized treatment systems can enable “greywater” and other water re us e options close to the point of wastewater generation (see, e.g., http://www.uimonline.com/pastissues/janfeb05_featurestory.htm about water reuse at Gillette Stadium, and the following link)

While decentralized onsite and cluster wastewater options can be the most economical choice in many instances, even in a community that is already partially sewered, each community is a unique case, and the short and long term costs m us t be calculated for each municipality. This is one of the major reasons for and components of a holistic water resources plan for an individual city or town working with maintaining a water balance to protect future community needs and the needs of the environment.

In many ways, a comprehensive approach to water resource management is a new concept. As with most new concepts, there are barriers to overcome, especially concerning public misperceptions and a lack of knowledge about the newer innovations, and the inter-relatedness of water, wastewater and stormwater. There are also a few lingering regulatory constraints (such as on the re us e of treated wastewater) that make the old way of doing things appear like a less onerous path to take. Despite these and other barriers, it makes sense to approach community and environmental needs in a rational and equitable way. For example, it is only logical that water supply management be considered in tandem with wastewater management, as one tends to affect the other to a significant degree. The cost-effectiveness, performance and longevity of both septic systems and wastewater treatment plants, as well as retaining adequate levels of water in receiving waters to dilute pollution concentrations, are all enhanced through water conservation (see, e.g., http://www.epa.gov/OW/you/intro.html, http://www.lchd.org/environhealth/ldwwm/maintainingseptic.html and http://www.cce.cornell.edu/tompkins/environment/septic/ss-3.html). It may be cheaper for a community to solve a water quality problem by encouraging its water us ers to reduce inefficient and/or unnecessary use than it would be to upgrade an overtaxed wastewater treatment facility.

Pushing forward with this unfamiliar approach (examining water supply, wastewater and stormwater issues simultaneously) may appear daunting, but there has been a fair amount of pioneering work on the tools and general approach to doing true holistic planning. It starts with assessing needs - both current and realistic future needs - for water and wastewater. From there, a community has to look to all of its alternatives, including conservation, local bylaws to address operation and management for a given alternative, creation of stormwater or other utilities to implement one or more alternatives, and the real costs of each alternative over time. The alternatives can than be ranked and assessed using ranking criteria carefully tailored to a community’s needs and priorities, while duly factoring in any positive or negative environmental impacts. During this process, the benefits and drawbacks are revealed, providing the community with the information needed to select the combination of alternatives relating to water, stormwater and wastewater that best suits their needs. Informed decision making is the goal, along with timely implementation of the best solutions.

To “prime the pump” for municipal officials and others concerned with water resources to help get (or keep) them moving forward on assessing and managing water resources in a holistic manner, Riverways and Bridgewater State College are co-hosting a free conference entitled “Beyond Sewering: Making sound water, wastewater and water resource decisions for your community”, which will be held on Wednesday, November 16, in the Moakley Auditorium at Bridgewater State College. Beyond Sewering will provide a solid rationale for instituting comprehensive water resources planning as well as present case studies where new methods are working in order to help local decision makers and staff get answers to pressing water resource issues. Beyond Sewering will feature David DelPorto, of Ecological Engineering (see http://www.ecological-engineering.com/delporto.pdf), as the keynote speaker. Mr. DelPorto has many decades of experience in innovative wastewater treatment designs including the recently completed solar aquatic greenho us e in Ipswich , which us es treated wastewater to grow plants. [An optional tour of this facility is part of the Ipswich River Restoration Conference on 11/5 – see Calendar below.] Other speakers will include representatives from EPA, DEP and EOEA, who will elaborate on recent regulatory, policy, and funding changes that encourage communities working to find the best solutions for their needs. A portion of the conference will be devoted to outlining the most effective steps to rationally assess a community’s current and future water, wastewater, and stormwater needs, develop a comprehensive list of alternatives, and weigh the economic, environmental, and logistical benefits of each alternative. Using this process, a community will logically and economically arrive at the solution or solutions that work best for them. The conference will even have some real-life examples from communities that have struggled with water resource planning decisions in the “Lessons from the Gutter” session. Lorraine Joubert, of the University of Rhode Island Cooperative Extension, will dispel the many myths about the limitations of septic systems and share Rhode Island ’s experience with maintaining decentralized wastewater systems. At the end of the day, Riverways will describe its offer of a chance to pilot a water resource project that keeps water local in the Taunton River watershed.

We urge you to contact your local municipal officials and decision makers and encourage them to attend Beyond Sewering conference. For those of you in the Taunton River watershed please take a look at the Keeping Water Local Demonstration Project information on our web page. Registration and other information for the Beyond Sewering Conference and Keeping Water Local project are available at http://www.massriverways.org - click on the “Beyond Sewering” link on the right. While the conference is free, space is limited and preference will be given to municipal officials and staff, (pre-registration is required and the registration deadline is November 9th). Watch for the RFR for the Keeping Water Local Demonstration Project to come out in late November or early December!

Signs that your community and/or watershed may need comprehensive water resources planning:

Population growth is straining existing water supply and/or wastewater treatment infrastructure
Economic development occurs before adequate town planning can be completed
Rivers suffer from extreme high flows after storms and extreme low flows in hot, dry weather
Water supply withdrawals cause rivers or wetlands to be unnaturally dry
Transfers of wastewater out of the watershed deplete groundwater levels and river flows
Bacteria levels in waterways do not meet state standards
Nutrient concentrations in rivers and lakes are elevated

If your town or local waterways are experiencing any or all of these problems, the Beyond Sewering conference can help! Sign up now and be sure to bring along your local Selectperson, Town Planner, Water or Wastewater Superintendent, and/or Health Agent to help bring these new ideas into your community’s planning processes (and get a free lunch to boot!).

Third Sector New England, a nonprofit management support organization, is offering 10 technical assistance grants (ranging from $25,000 to $50,000 each) through its Capacity Building Fund. These grants will support issues relating to human resources, strategic planning, fund development planning, board development planning, and financial assistance. Applications will be taken on a rolling basis, with three deadlines per year: Aug. 31 for October funding, Nov. 15 for January funding, and May 15 for July funding. Visit http://www.TSNE.org for more info.

Grants provided by the U.S. EPA’s Office of Environmental Education support projects that enhance the public’s awareness, knowledge, and skills to help people make informed decisions that affect environmental quality. Annual funding for the program ranges between $2 and $3 million. More than 75 percent of the grants awarded by this program receive less than $15,000. State agencies and §501(c)(3) nonprofits are eligible grant recipients. The application deadline for the FY06 grant round is Wednesday, November 23rd. For info on the application process, go to http://www.epa.gov/enviroed/grants_apply.html; for tips on how to prepare and submit a successful application, go to http://www.epa.gov/enviroed/granttips.html. For additional information, contact Kristen Conroy at conroy.kristen@epa.gov.

Riverways’ Adopt-A-Stream Program (AAS) is pleased to announce that the Request for Response (RFR) has been posted (see for the FY06 round of Stream Team Implementation Awards. For this funding opportunity, proposals are being sought from the Connecticut, Chicopee, French and Quinebaug River watersheds. AAS anticipates funding a total of $10,000 in awards for FY06. Priority will be given to proposals for $1000 - $2,500 and for projects where partnerships are created. This program is offered on a reimbursement for services basis. The deadline for proposals is 2 PM on November 29, 2005; work proposed for funding under this RFR will need to be completed by June 30, 2006. For more info, contact: Rachel Calabro (617) 626-1549, Amy Singler, or Carrie Banks (413) 268-3129.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) requests pre-proposals from nonprofit organizations; universities, Native American tribes, and local, state, and federal agencies interested in restoring native populations of sensitive or listed aquatic species for its Bring Back the Natives (BBN) program. The initiative funds on-the-ground efforts to restore native aquatic species to their historic range. The pre-proposal deadline is December 2. Go to http://www.nfwf.org/programs/bbn.cfm for more info. To see how the BBN program works in New Jersey, click here.

The Fund for the Environment (FFE) at the Boston Foundation operates the New England Natural Areas & Wildlife Grants Program. The Grants Program priorities include 1) Land Conservation, 2) Land Stewardship, 3) Education and Outreach, and 4) Preservation of Flora for Wild Birds (the FFE is especially interested in applicable proposals for this last category). Serious consideration is given to requests where a small grant can have a significant positive impact on the ability of a project to advance. Grants are no larger than $7,500. The detailed Request for Proposals and related materials are accessible on-line at http://www.tbf.org/fund/fund-L2.asp?id=771. The deadline for submission is December 7, 2005 at 5:00PM. Email and fax proposals are not accepted. Please send proposals to: Mr. Corey L. Davis, Grants Manager, Boston Foundation, 75 Arlington St., 10th Floor, Boston, MA 02116. For more info, please email Dulcea Morgan at dlm@tbf.org.

The U.S. EPA's Office of Children's Health Protection is currently accepting applications for the 2006 Children's Environmental Health Excellence Awards. The awards recognize and honor leadership in protecting children from environmental health risks at the local, regional, national, and international level. The deadline for applications is December 15. Go to http://yosemite.epa.gov/ochp/ochpweb.nsf/homepage for more info.

The Environmental Law Institute (ELI) is accepting nominations for its 2006 National Wetlands Awards. Since 1989, the National Wetlands Awards Program has provided an opportunity to recognize individuals who dedicate their time and energy to wetlands protection. The 2006 Awards will be given in six categories: 1) Education and Outreach; 2) Science Research 3) Conservation and Restoration; 4) Landowner Stewardship; 5) State, Tribal, and Local Program Development; and 6) Wetland Community Leader. Nominations are due by December 15. Go on-line to http://www2.eli.org/nwa/nwaprogram.htm for more information.

The Mabel Louise Riley Foundation (http://www.rileyfoundation.com/) funds educational and other projects that benefit urban communities and the urban environment. Grant meetings of the Foundation are scheduled for March, June, September, and December. If a formal grant request is authorized, it will be considered by the Trustees at the next quarterly grant meeting. All formal grant proposals must be received at least thirty (30) days prior to the grant meeting. For more information, contact: Nancy A. Saunders, Administrative Manager, Mabel Louise Riley Foundation, 77 Summer Street, c/o GMA, 8th Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1006, (617) 399-1850, nsaunders@rileyfoundation.com.

Trustees of the recently-inaugurated, Boston-based Jane’s Trust (http://www.hembar.com/selectsrv/janes/, named after the late philanthropist Jane B. Cook), are particularly interested in organizations and projects which primarily benefit underserved populations and disadvantaged communities. The Trust supports collaborations among nonprofit organizations and welcomes collaborative applications. Specifically, regarding the environment, the Trust “aims to protect and enhance the natural environment and to conserve natural resources in its geographical areas of interest [which includes Mass. ]. Grants for the environment will be made to support a variety of objectives, including: meaningful and innovative contributions to protection of critical or historically significant rural and urban natural resources; and efforts that have a beneficial impact on the quality of life for underserved populations”. Jane's Trust makes annual grants of approximately $9 million, a portion of which may be committed to multi-year grants, which will affect the dollar amount available for new grants in any given year. Annual grants will generally range in size from $50,000 to $1,000,000, although the Trustees in their discretion may from time to time make awards outside of that range. Operating support, capital projects and endowments are all eligible for Jane’s Trust funding. Potential applicants should submit a-3-4 page concept paper any time before the next deadline (January 10, 2006) including a cover sheet (see http://www.hembar.com/selectsrv/janes/#coverletter ). For more information, contact: Susan M. Fish, Grants Administrator, Select Client Services, Hemenway & Barnes, 60 State Street, Boston, MA 02109, (617) 227-7940 x775 or sfish@hembar.com.

The Mass. Executive Office of Environmental Affairs (EOEA) is pleased to announce a second round of Drinking Water Supply Protection grants. The Drinking Water Supply Protection grant program provides funds to municipalities and other eligible entities to protect and actively maintain key parcels of land believed critical to protecting current and future drinking water supplies. Potential projects may include the protection of land in and around groundwater aquifers and recharge areas, surface water supplies and watershed areas, and surface or underground lands adjacent to those resources. Requests for grant funding cannot exceed 50% of the total project cost, with a maximum request of $500,000. Application Deadline: 4PM , Wednesday January 11th 2006 . The complete Request for Response (RFR) for this grant opportunity is accessible on-line by going to http://www.comm-PASS.com, clicking on “Search for Solicitations”, and then typing “ENV06POL02B” into the “Keywords” box. EOEA will hold an informational workshop on Wednesday, November 30th, 2005 from 10:30AM to 12:00 noon at the EOEA building in Boston ( 100 Cambridge Street , 2nd Floor Conference Room D - directions are available online at http://www.mass.gov/envir/contactus.htm). Please RSVP to Christy Edwards (Christy.Edwards@state.ma.us) if you plan to attend the workshop.

The Acorn Foundation supports projects dedicated to building a sustainable future for the planet and to restoring a healthy global environment. The foundation is particularly interested in small and innovative community-based projects which: preserve and restore habitats supporting biological diversity and wildlife; advocate for environmental justice, particularly in low-income and indigenous communities; and prevent or remedy toxic pollution. The Acorn Foundation makes grants in the $5,000 to $10,000 range to grassroots organizations. Application deadlines for proposals are January 15th and June 15th (postmarked by these dates) for Spring and Fall grantmaking meetings. Decisions usually take at least 6 months from date of submittal. More info is available on-line at http://www.commoncounsel.org/pages/foundation.html#acorn.

While the Newport, RI-based Dunn Foundation (http://www.dunnfoundation.org/workshop.htm) is apparently not accepting unsolicited grant proposals at the present time, it is offering several free workshops relating to its Viewfinders curriculum, designed to help students and others recognize and take action to protect community character. For more information or to arrange a workshop for your school/organization, contact the foundation at (401) 367-0026 or viewfinders@dunnfoundation.org. Funding and other resources supporting smart growth/community character initiatives is also available via the websites of the Funders' Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities (http://www.fundersnetwork.org) and Smart Growth America (http://www.smartgrowthamerica.com); the Smart Growth Leadership Institute website (http://www.sgli.org) offers help to cities and towns. (See Publications below for a new book documenting the downside of sprawl.)

Specifically for Massachusetts, there’s a new Smart Growth Tool Kit, available on-line at http://www.horsleywitten.com/smart-growth or on CD-Rom by contacting Andrea Cooper at (978) 281-3972 or andrea.cooper@state.ma.us. In addition, the Mass. Office of Coastal Zone Management (MCZM) has a new Coastal Smart Growth Program Website. Stormwater runoff polluting shellfish beds and swimming areas, sprawling development shrinking habitats and displacing working waterfront businesses, and water use for expanding lawns leading to rivers running dry—these and other coastal management issues have a common link—historic and current development patterns. Recognizing the connection between land and sea, CZM's new Coastal Smart Growth Program website (http://www.mass.gov/czm/smartgrowth/index.htm) includes planning, technical, regulatory, and outreach tools for real-world growth management that protects coastal resources.

Two recently-produced publications by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts provide information on funding and technical assistance resources to promote smart growth and environmental protection, restoration and stewardship. Grant and Loan Programs of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs (EOEA) provides information on a wealth of programs offered by the EOEA, its four departments, several offices and divisions to support community efforts to protect, enhance and preserve the vital environmental resources of the Commonwealth while supporting growth, economic vitality and the high quality of life for its citizens. Capacity- building Resources for Cities and Towns in the Commonwealth provides information on technical assistance relating to smart growth offered by the Office of Commonwealth Development (OCD) and its four constituent parts: EOEA, the Division of Energy Resources (DER), the Executive Office of Transportation (EOT), and the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). The latter document includes the names and contact info for agency staff engaged in technical assistance as well as up-to-date info on the “Commonwealth Capital” process. Electronic versions of both these documents are expected to be soon available via EOEA’s web page (http://www.mass.gov/envir - look in the “Key Resources” box); printed copies are available by contacting Jane Pfister at (617) 626-1194 or jane.pfister@state.ma.us.

The long-awaited 11th edition of the Environmental Grantmaking Foundations (EGF) directory should be available later this fall, and contains 400 new foundations that weren’t included in the previous edition (making 960 in all). The EGF directory will be available in both print ($115) and CD-Rom ($125) formats. For more information, go on-line to http://www.environmentalgrants.com/PublicationUpdate.htm or contact the publisher, Resources for Global Sustainability, at (800) 724-1857 or rgs@environmentalgrants.com.

Planet Dog Philanthropy, (http://www.planetdog.com/pdp.asp), the philanthropic affiliate of Planet Dog, an eco-friendly dog product company based in Portland Maine, is accepting proposals for its new grant program. Planet Dog Philanthropy is dedicated to supporting unique and effective programs taking compassionate action to preserve and restore the natural environment, cultivate animal welfare and foster quality education. PDP will award grants in amounts up to $5,000 to applicants in the three program areas, and applications are accepted on an ongoing basis. Grants are awarded to both Maine-based 501(c)(3) organizations as well 501(c)(3)'s in New England and around the country.

This past summer, during the White House Conference on Cooperative Conservation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), in partnership with the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, launched a new Open Rivers Initiative (ORI) grant program. ORI is designed to spur economic and environmental renewal and improve public safety in small towns and communities through the removal of obsolete or derelict stream barriers. The ORI will target only those small dams where community consensus and the dam owners support removal, the dam no longer serves a useful purpose, and removal will have the greatest benefit to anadromous fish like salmon, striped bass and shad. A notice providing more details on ORI is expected to run in the Federal Register later this fall. For more info, contact George Cooper at gcooper@trcp.org or (202) 508-3421, or click here. or http://www.trcp.org/pr_noaarivers.aspx, or contact Eric Hutchins, Gulf of Maine Restoration Coordinator at (978) 281-9313 or Eric.Hutchins@noaa.gov.

You may have heard advertisements on the radio on behalf of large charities suggesting you donate your used vehicle as a charitable gift. The way such donations are typically processed is that the used vehicle goes to an intermediary organization, which then appraises and/or auctions it off, with a portion of the proceeds going toward the designated charity and a tax-deductible transaction flowing to the donor. What you may not know is that smaller non-profit organizations can also benefit from this fundraising technique. Intermediary organizations accepting used vehicles and passing along donations to Massachusetts charities include Donation Line (http://www.donationline.com/), Vehicles For Charity (http://www.vehiclesforcharity.org/), Donate for Charity (http://www.donateforcharity.com), Charitable Auto Resources (http://www.charitableautoresources.com), and many, many more. Those seeking to donate a used vehicle might find it more advantageous to do so before the end of 2005 (see http://tinyurl.com/deesc).

Another time-tested fundraising technique for non-profits, the auction, is now increasingly done in partnership with (if not solely on) the Internet. The Cambridge, MA-based company cMarket (http://www.cmarket.com/) is a leading provider of charitable on-line auction services. Since 2002, more than 850 organizations (including Wachusett Greenways, http://www.wachusettgreenways.org) have used cMarket for 1,000+ on-line auction events to raise more money and build stronger relationships with their communities. cMarket helps fundraisers promote their events, grow their donor base and improve their fundraising results. Specifically, with cMarket you can run a completely on-line auction, add an on-line auction to your live event, highlight catalog items in your live event using an on-line catalog, and obtain great items for any type of fundraising event. Even if you choose not to use cMarket’s services, you can still obtain a free copy of a publication entitled 50 Ways to Make Your Next Auction a Success (see http://www.cmarket.com/fifty_ways.htm).

The Ipswich River Watershed Association (IRWA) is hosting a free Ipswich River Restoration Conference on Saturday, November 5th. The conference includes an optional tour of the New England Biolabs solar aquatic wastewater treatment facility designed by David DelPorto, the keynote speaker at the Beyond Sewering conference (see below). To register, sign up for the tour (limit 30 people) or for more info, contact Emily Levin , IRWA’s Restoration Program Manager, at (978) 887-2313 or elevin@ipswichriver.org, or by going on-line.

The Association of State Wetland Managers (ASWM) and the Institute for Wetland Science and Public Policy are co-hosting a conference entitled “Integrated Restoration of Riverine Wetlands, Streams, Riparian Areas, and Floodplains in Watershed Contexts”, to be held on November 15-16 (Tues.-Wed.), 2005, at the UMass Campus Center in Amherst. For more info, contact Laura Burchill of the ASWM at (207) 892-3399, (207) 892-3089 (fax), laura@aswm.org or go on-line tohttp://www.aswm.org/calendar/integratingrest/integratedrest.htm

The “Beyond Sewering: Making Sound Water, Wastewater and Water Resource Decisions for your community” conference (see more info earlier in this NewsNotes) will be held on Wednesday, November 16th in the Moakley Auditorium at Bridgewater State College. Co-sponsored by Riverways, Bridgewater State College, and the Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District (SRPEDD), the conference will help participants address the daunting task of finding the best solution for their community’s current and future wastewater, drinking water and stormwater needs. The conference is free but pre-registration is required; municipal officials are especially encouraged to attend. To register, or for more information, go on-line to http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/river/beyond_sewering.htm.

In case you are unable to attend either of the two conferences above, you may want to tune in to “Stormwater Phase II”, the next in the series of the U.S. EPA Watershed Academy’s free audio webcast seminars. It is scheduled to take place on the same day (Wednesday, November 16th) from 1:00 to 3:00 PM. More information on this and past seminars is available at http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/wacademy/webcasts/.

The Yale Center for Coastal and Watershed Systems, Rivers Alliance of Connecticut and the Natural Resources Council of Connecticut are co-sponsoring a conference on Friday, December 2nd entitled “Water Law in Connecticut : Balancing Needs for Fish and Faucet ”, from 8:30AM to 4PM at the Northeast Utilities Auditorium in Berlin , CT. Registration fees ($35/non-profits); the reg. deadline is Nov. 18th. For more info, contact: Margaret Miner [rivers@riversalliance.org or (860) 693-1602], Martha Smith [martha.smith@yale.edu or (203) 432-3026], or go on-line to http://www.yale.edu/ccws/ct%20water%20agenda.htm.

The new documentary, Relics and Rivers: Dismantling Dams in New England (see description in Presentations below), will be shown on Tuesday, December 6, 2005 from 7:30-9:00 PM at the Pollard Memorial Library Community Room in Lowell (click here for directions). The showing is sponsored by the Lowell Parks and Conservation Land Trust. Go to http://www.lowelllandtrust.org/Calendar_of_events.html for more information.

The U.S. EPA recently published National Management Measures to Protect and Restore Wetlands and Riparian Areas for the Abatement of Nonpoint Source Pollution, a technical guidance and reference document for use by state, territory, and authorized tribal managers as well as the public in the implementation of nonpoint source (NPS) pollution management programs. The new guidance contains information on the best available, economically achievable means of reducing nonpoint source pollution through the protection and restoration of wetlands and riparian areas, as well as the implementation of vegetated treatment systems. This document may be read on-line at http://epa.gov/owow/nps/wetmeasures/; you can also obtain a free hard copy by contacting the National Service Center for Environmental Publications via phone at (800) 490-9198 or via the Web at http://www.epa.gov/ncepihom and requesting Publication # EPA 841-B-05-003.

The U.S. EPA’s Office of Water (OWOW) also recently finalized a new website designed to help watershed managers assess and restore waters with suspended or bedded sediment problems. The centerpiece of the WARSSS (Watershed Assessment of River Stability and Sediment Supply) website (http://www.epa.gov/warsss) is a step-by-step, three-phase assessment methodology developed by Dr. David L. Rosgen for detecting sediment problems and source areas, estimating excessive sediment loads, and planning to restore normal sediment dynamics in streams and rivers. Besides the WARSSS methodology, the site also contains the entire sediment model WRENSS, a stream classification tutorial, and a large collection of links to clean sediment information and tools. Contact Doug Norton at norton.douglas@epa.gov if you have any questions.

At last summer’s White House Conference on Cooperative Conservation (see Grants above), the U.S. EPA Office of Water (OWOW) announced a new publication entitled Community-Based Watershed Handbook intended to help accelerate watershed protection programs. While specifically oriented to coastal watersheds and estuaries (see http://www.epa.gov/owow/estuaries), the Handbook is expected to be helpful in protecting non-coastal watersheds as well. The Handbook can be downloaded at http://www.epa.gov/owow/estuaries/nepprimer.

The EPA also recently launched a new Section 319 Nonpoint Source Success Stories website at http://www.epa.gov/nps/success. It features projects receiving 319 grant funds that have achieved documented water quality improvements, including the achievement of water quality standards and removal from state section 303(d) lists of impaired waters. The website initially included 18 stories, and an additional 10 new stories were subsequently added. Contact Stacie Craddock [(202) 566-1204, craddock.stacie@epa.gov] for more info.

EPA OWOW recently set up a new watershed discussion on-line bulletin board (see http://www.epa.gov/owow/watershed/forum/forum.html), a forum which offers watershed protection practitioners and citizens a nationwide platform to exchange ideas, so that innovative solutions and ideas can be easily shared in (near) real-time cyberspace. Forum discussion topics include Community Involvement, Invasive Species, Smart Growth/Low Impact Development, Source Water Protection, Stormwater Best Management Practices, Sustainable Financing, Watershed Planning Tools and Watershed Restoration Resources. While anyone can go on-line to read the messages posted there, you’ll need to register to post messages yourself. Last but not least, you might want to check out the latest issue of OWOW’s Watershed News (http://www.epa.gov/win/news.html), which contains info on several upcoming grant and conference opportunities as well as with new reports and publications.

The National Park Service (NPS)’s Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program (RTCA) maintains a good-sized list of publications that are available to read on-line or for free download on a wide variety of river- and conservation-related topics. While you’re at this site, you might want to click on other topics to see what other RTCA resources might be helpful to you. For more information, contact Charles Tracy at (617) 223-5210 or charles_tracy@nps.gov.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has put together a nice four-page fact sheet called Monitoring Our Rivers and Streams which is available on-line at http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/fs-077-02/pdf/FS077-02.pdf.

On October 26 th, the Mass. Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced a complete revamping and upgrading of its agency website (http://www.mass.gov/dep). Changes were made largely in response to feedback on DEP’s old website received by over 100 people from the environmental community, regulated industries, consultants, academics and other state environmental agencies over the spring and summer of 2004. The website is now primarily organized around the media DEP protects and regulates – air, water, waste – and the functionality of the website is designed to respond to specific user needs such as an improved search function, information presented from a community perspective, a place to conduct business with DEP on-line through the Service Center, and the ability to participate directly in the agency’s environmental protection work. DEP will be making further refinements to its web page and welcomes your comments by participating in a survey at http://www.mass.gov/dep/service/survey.htm or by contacting the agency’s Internet Strategy Unit at dep.www@state.ma.us.

The MassWildlife’s Landowner Incentive Program (LIP) newsletter is on-line (go to http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/dfw_lip.htm and click on LIP Summer 2005 Newsletter). LIP is a partnership that provides private landowners interested in developing and maintaining wildlife habitat on their property with financial and technical assistance. State biologists are currently working with private landowners to enhance and protect important habitats across the Commonwealth. The above link will also instruct you on how to access the FY06 LIP grant RFR and related information, which was posted on Oct. 31 st and will close on Dec. 23 rd. In addition, MassWildlife’s Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program has created a new single purpose on-line viewer (http://maps.massgis.state.ma.us/PRI_EST_HAB/viewer.htm) providing access to the 2005 statewide maps of Priority Habitats and Estimated Habitats contained in the Natural Heritage Atlas. The viewer has a zoom-in feature that enables one to see the habitat location info against a USGS topo map backdrop.

The Essex County Forum, Smart Growth for Livable Communities, has just released a guidebook for helping local officials and the public to inventory important open spaces in their community. The free guidebook, entitled Preserving the Future: A Guide for Creating a Municipal Open Space Inventory, is available for download at http://www.essexcountyforum.org/home.html.

An October 2005 update of the Mass. Office of Coastal Zone Management’s Wetland Restoration Program (WRP) has just been put up on its website. Many WRP projects described in this update involve the restoration of coastal rivers and river continuity.

CCA is a public forum for collecting and sharing the cooperative conservation stories, lessons, models and achievements of all Americans. It provides citizen conservationists from every walk of life an opportunity to contribute to, and learn from, a common pool of conservation knowledge, tools, and practices – a cumulative and evolving database of information that will advance citizen stewardship, foster community-based conservation, encourage and support the vital role of private lands and landowners, and expand and strengthen shared governance in the care and conservation of America’s lands, waters, and wildlife. The CCA website contains more than 800 case studies of cooperative conservation submitted from around the country (more than 150 of which involve rivers to some degree) – perhaps you have been involved in a project that ought to be added to this list.

All Americans are joint owners of a trove of hidden assets. These assets — natural gifts like air and water, and social creations like science and the Internet — constitute our shared inheritance. They’re vital to our lives and make our economy run. Though it’s impossible to put a precise value on them, it’s safe to say they’re worth trillions of dollars. The trouble is, our shared inheritance is being grossly mismanaged. Maintenance is terrible, theft is rampant and rents often aren’t being collected. To put it bluntly, our common wealth — and our children’s — is being squandered. Friends of the Commons is a new citizens’ group that reports on the state of our commons and supports other citizens working to protect and expand our commons: the vast realms of nature and society that we inherit together and must pass on, undiminished, to future generations. [See a related initiative at http://www.citizen.org/cmep/Water/new/defend/. The importance of safeguarding the commons is further articulated in a Sierra magazine article available at http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/200507/commongood.asp].

Massachusetts Community Water Watch strives to restore the Commonwealth’s water quality by fostering a long-term commitment among college students and community members to the health of local waterways. Water Watch organizers and volunteers organize waterway cleanups, run monitoring programs, and head education and outreach efforts that offer local citizens a hands-on opportunity to engage themselves in water quality issues - while having an immediate impact on the health of their local waterways. Water Watch’s three major program areas are river cleanups, stream monitoring and environmental education. Mass. Community Water Watch staff are eager to partner with river and stream advocates on projects of mutual interest. Here are the names and e-mail contact info for the 2005-6 Water Watch staff (all of these addresses are finished by adding “@waterwatchonline.org” to the end): Julie Huen (UMass Boston), boston@; Marianna Hagbloom (Mass. College of Art), massart@; Paul Sheprow (Clark U), Worcester@; Shannon Davis (UMass Amherst), Amherst@; Bob Filbin (Springfield Technical Community College), Springfield@; Marie Bergen (Pittsfield Community College), Pittsfield@; and Job Keesecker (Bristol Community College), fallriver@. For more info, contact: Ms. Harris Parnell, Program Director, Mass. Community Water Watch, at (617) 292-4800, (617) 292-8057 (fax) or harris@waterwatchonline.org.

MLEV is a statewide, non-partisan organization dedicated to making environmental protection a top priority for Massachusetts elected officials, candidates, and voters in order to protect our environment and health. To that end, MLEV will hold elected officials accountable for their action/inaction and votes on environmental matters, increase voter awareness of environmental issues and state environmental voting records, and work to elect candidates that make the environment a high priority. For more information, contact: Lora Wondolowski, Executive Director, MLEV, PO Box 103, Boston, MA 02133, (617) 742-8822 or lora@mlev.org.

Water resource engineers all over the world face similar challenges in providing clean drinking and wastewater services: aging pipelines that aren't keeping up with growing populations, the emergence of new pathogens, and limited financial resources. Environmental scientists struggle with how to protect and restore natural waterways and groundwater while still meeting human needs for space, economic development, and natural resources. Watershed managers wrestle with the competing demands of flood control, transportation, water supply, fisheries, and industry. This new web portal provides access to more than 100 National Academy peer-reviewed reports that offer independent, objective advice on these and many other many water-related issues in the United States and abroad. One National Academy-published report that might be of particular interest to NewsNotes readers is Riparian Areas: Functions and Strategies for Management (2002), which may be read for free on-line at
http://books.nap.edu/books/0309082951/html/index.html.

This website, maintained by Wendell “Ozzie” Ozefovich, provides information on Ozzie’s series of highly-informative and entertaining presentations compiled from Ozzie’s extensive underwater videography of trout in action. The videos capture the various factors influencing what river features are “trout-friendly” and should be of great use to anyone seeking to enhance trout habitat as well as recognize and take advantage of prime fishing spots.

A Wisconsin-based not-for-profit environmental education and advocacy organization, Wild Ones promotes environmentally sound landscaping practices to preserve biodiversity through the preservation, restoration and establishment of native plant communities. Resources at this web page include guidance and a rationale for obtaining and planting native species, inspiring stories about rain barrels and gardens, and information on the Seeds for Education Grant Program (http://www.for-wild.org/seedmony.html - application deadline is Nov. 15th).

If you are not yet concerned about the adverse impacts to streams from road salt runoff, you will be after reading “Increased salinization of fresh water in the northeastern United States”, a recently published article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Here’s the abstract: “Chloride concentrations are increasing at a rate that threatens the availability of fresh water in the northeastern United States. Increases in roadway and deicer use are now salinizing fresh waters, degrading habitat for aquatic organisms, and impacting large supplies of drinking water for humans throughout the region. We observed chloride concentrations of up to 25% of the concentration of seawater in streams of Maryland, New York, and New Hampshire during winters, and chloride concentrations remaining up to 100 times greater than unimpacted forest streams during summers. Mean annual chloride concentration increased as a function of impervious surface and exceeded tolerance for freshwater life in suburban and urban watersheds. Our analysis shows that if salinity were to continue to increase at its present rate due to changes in impervious surface coverage and current management practices, many surface waters in the northeastern United States would not be potable for human consumption and would become toxic to freshwater life within the next century.” The article may be read on-line in its entirety at the Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) website at http://www.lternet.edu/news/images/spring05/Kaushaletal.pdf.

The International City/County Management Association (ICMA) and the Trust for Public Land (TPL), in cooperation with EPA, hosted a webcast in June 2005 called "Protecting Water Resources through Land Conservation: Funding Options for Local Governments." The webcast provided context for the role of conservation finance in land conservation and water protection, describe critical components for creating a successful funding effort, and showcased local government success stories. A multimedia CD-ROM recording of that webcast, along with supporting materials, is now available for free from the Local Government Environmental Assistance Network (LGEAN) at http://www.lgean.org/html/whatsnew.cfm?id=961.

Over 2 million small dams block the passage of migratory fish in U.S. streams and rivers. While some dams provide numerous benefits for modern society, they also contribute to the overall degradation occurring in estuaries, deltas, and river environments. While many U.S. dams still serve their intended functions, many others no longer provide the benefits for which they were built. Still others have outlived their planned life expectancy, and present (as the recent saga of the failing Whittenton Dam in Taunton illustrated) known safety hazards and liability risks to communities. Relics and Rivers: Dismantling Dams in New England , a new documentary film, tells the story of how the first coastal dam removal in Massachusetts was completed. It starts with an historical perspective, tracing the importance of anadromous fisheries to the earliest colonists and examining the role that dams played in fisheries decline. The Town Brook story is used as a case study to show that community-inspired efforts can remove outdated dams and help restore New England 's rivers and their important fisheries. The Town Brook dam removal illustrates that in many instances dams have played a constructive role in our history, but that numerous dams exist that have outlived their usefulness and can and should be removed. With outstanding underwater photography of anadromous fish, Relics and Rivers is well worth seeing regardless of how you feel about dams and dam removal. See the Calendar above for an upcoming showing in Lowell on 12/6/05 . For more information and how you might be able to obtain your own DVD of the documentary, contact Eric Hutchins at (978) 281-9313 or Eric.Hutchins@noaa.gov.

Pesticides are one of the few toxins we intentionally subject ourselves to. They are dangerous chemicals used widely throughout the United States on farms, gardens, lawns, athletic fields, municipal lands, in schools, and inside our homes. While many people associate pesticide use with agriculture, the US Fish and Wildlife Service reports that homeowners use up to 10 times more chemical pesticides per acre on their lawns than farmers use on crops. A growing body of research has linked pesticide exposure to cancers, developmental disorders, and birth defects, and more news surfaces regularly about the hidden dangers of many of the most commonly used pesticides. Despite the clear links between pesticide exposure and health, lawn and garden pesticide use in Massachusetts is on the rise from the 1990s in both the money spent on pesticides and the amount of pesticides purchased. Earlier this year, the Environmental League of Massachusetts (ELM), in collaboration with the Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow, released a report entitled “Poisoning Ourselves: Residential Pesticide Use in Massachusetts” (see http://www.environmentalleague.org/images/Pesticides_Report.pdf - also see associated press release at http://www.environmentalleague.org/events/PR62005.html ). The report discusses the adverse health and environmental impacts of household pesticide use and several legislative proposals to address the problem.

It’s a Sprawl World After All: The Human Cost of Unplanned Growth -- and Visions of a Better Future , by Douglas E. Morris, is the first book to link America 's increase in violence and the corresponding breakdown in society with the post WWII development of suburban sprawl. Without small towns to bring people together, the unplanned growth of sprawl has left Americans isolated, alienated and afraid of the strangers that surround them. Suburbia has substituted cars for conversation, malls for main streets, and the artificial community of television for authentic social interaction. Advocating that urgent attention be paid to managing development by emulating the smart growth examples of European cities, the book's final section offers readers tools to rebuild community in their lives as well as in society at large. It’s A Sprawl World (288pp., $17.95) can be ordered from New Society Publishers, by calling (800) 567-6772 ext 111 or going on-line to http://www.newsociety.com/bookid/3893 (see also It’s a Sprawl World’s companion web page at http://www.itsasprawlworld.com).

Nature-Friendly Communities: Habitat Protection and Land Use Planning, by Chris Duerksen and Cara Snyder, presents an authoritative and readable overview of the successful approaches to protecting biodiversity and natural areas in America 's growing communities. Addressing the crucial issues of sprawl, open space, and political realities, the authors explain the most effective steps that communities can take to protect nature. The book documents the broad range of benefits, including economic impacts, resulting from comprehensive biodiversity protection efforts (see, link), identifies and disseminates information on replicable best community practices and establishes benchmarks for evaluating community biodiversity protection programs. Nature-Friendly Communities (421pp., $29.95 in paper) can be purchased from its publisher, Island Press, by calling (800) 621-2736 or going on-line. (See also http://www.naturefriendlytools.org/ for Nature-Friendly Communities’ companion Web page).

The Massachusetts Environmental Trust (MET, http://massenvironmentaltrust.org) provides funding to many river and other water resources protection and restoration projects throughout the Commonwealth. A major source of MET’s funding comes from the sale of environmental license plates. Besides the “whale” plate (often accompanied in print ads by “Bob”, MET’s new marketing icon), sale of the “FW” (“fish and wildlife”) and “BV” (“Blackstone Valley”) plates also help fund MET’s grant-making programs. (By the way, these three are the only Mass. specialty license plates that exclusively fund environmental programs). Getting an environmental plate is easy and can be done on-line at http://www.mass.gov/rmv or at your local Registry of Motor Vehicles office.