By David Pendered July 23 — The Georgia River Network is putting the weight of its 25th anniversary fundraising gala behind the effort protect land near the Okefenokee Swamp from construction of a proposed strip mine. The GRN is an Athens-based, clean-water nonprofit that has kept a laser focus on opposing the proposed extraction of […]
Environment
UN to adopt first treaty to protect biodiversity in high seasBy David Pendered June 4 – The United Nations remains on track to formally adopt this month an historic treaty to protect oceans around the world. The treaty represents the UN’s first-ever attempt to establish an international agreement to safeguard biodiversity in the high seas, the term for the unregulated sections of the world’s oceans […]
Environment
Historic American shad: Dams hamper reboundBy David Pendered BEAUFORT, N.C. – The downward spiral of the once-abundant American shad can be traced to an era of aggressive fishing techniques that arose after War of 1812, according to one of the latest programs at the North Carolina Maritime Museum. By the 1840s, competition for shad was so intense that fisher folks […]
Environment
EPA questions NY offshore wind farmBy David Pendered The EPA has cited a shortage of details in a draft federal statement regarding a planned wind farm off the New York coast as debate emerges over the use of the ocean to address climate change. Meantime, four agencies of the state of New York have issued their responses to the federal […]
Environment
Good for tortoises at Okefenokee, good for developmentBy David Pendered Jan. 25 – The end of potential federal protection for the gopher tortoise did not escape the attention of the company that wants to extract valuable minerals from land near the Okefenokee Swamp. Until Oct, 11, 2022 the gopher tortoise had been a candidate for listing as a federally protected endangered species. […]
Environment
Whale deaths spur call to halt offshore wind farmsBy David Pendered Jan. 14 – The deaths of six whales in the past month that washed ashore in the New York/New Jersey area have prompted some conservationists to call on the Biden administration to halt development of offshore wind farms in the region. New Jersey-based Clean Ocean Action wrote in a Jan. 9 letter […]
Environment
Wind farms, sea life – Feds seek to strike balanceBy David Pendered (Note to readers: The Wall Street Journal reported Jan. 1: Soaring Costs Threaten U.S. Offshore-wind buildout.) Dec. 30 – Wind farms to be built in U.S. coastal waters have prompted a coordinated federal examination of how to protect North American right whales and other sea life from the energy systems. On Dec. […]
Environment
New shark fin penalty could hit $100,000 per finBy David Pendered Dec. 16 – Sharks are soon to be granted major protection by the annual defense bill awaiting President Biden’s signature. The legislation makes shark fins illegal to buy, sell, transport or possess in the United States. The federal civil penalty for each violation is up to $100,000. The boat used to cut […]
Environment
Distracted ship pilots threaten right whales, tooBy David Pendered Dec. 11 –A ship’s pilot distracted by his cell phone grounded a container ship on a sandbar in the Chesapeake Bay. The incident shows how human error adds to the vulnerability of North American right whales in busy shipping areas such as Savannah. The U.S. Coast Guard’s Findings of Concern released Dec. 6 […]
Environment
UN: ‘Climate battle will be won, lost in cities’By David Pendered Nov. 23 – COP27 marks the start of a role for cities to fight climate change. The mayor of Des Moines, Iowa is at the center of the effort. The initiative – SURGe, Sustainable Urban Resilience for the Next Generation – was unveiled in advance of the climate talks that concluded this […]
