Earth Share of Washington

Not in My Backyard - Cleaning Up Hanford

- submitted by Beth Sanders from Earth Share of Washington member Government Accountability Project

If the Hanford Nuclear Site conjures up bleak images of nuclear reactors and dangerous plutonimum production, then the folks at the Government Accountability Project (GAP) invite you on a boat tour of the Hanford Reach, a stunningly beautiful stretch of the Columbia River that flanks the Hanford Nuclear Site. Discover the river's beauty and find out about a state initiative to protect the mighty Columbia River from ecological disaster.

Hanford is now the most contaminated place in the Western Hemisphere. With massive amounts of toxins having leaked into nearby groundwater, Hanford is described by Governor Locke as "an underground Chernobyl waiting to happen." To reach the goal of safe, timely, and effective clean-up of Hanford, GAP is focusing on the state initiative to foster a coalition committed to cleaning up Hanford. Fish lovers, Native American nations, farmers in Eastern Washington, and the environmental community are all affected by the continued water contamination from the Hanford site.

In recent months, the federal government has imported more radioactive wastes to Hanford and thereby has violated legally binding policy. GAP, along with several other environmental groups, is organizing a legislative initiative to stop more shipments. The boat tour is a great way to experience the beauty of what is slated to be the nation’s nuclear waste dump and learn how you can help protect the Columbia River. If you would like to join a boat tour, email Beth Sanders at beths@whistleblower.org or call (206) 292-2850.

King County Bans Mercury Thermometer Sales

- submitted by Brandie Smith from ESW member Washington Toxics Coalition

On March 21, 2003, the day was gray and cloudy, but spirits lit up Council Chambers as the King County Board of Health unanimously passed a regulation to ban the sale of mercury thermometers in King County. By taking this action, King County became the first local government in Washington to take this important step in reducing mercury pollution. Earth Share of Washington member Washington Toxics Coalition (WTC) and coalition partners are very excited about this victory and hope that more cities and counties around the state will work to pass similar regulations.

Mercury is an extremely toxic substance that can have devastating impacts on human health and wildlife. Mercury contamination is of particular concern to pregnant women, women of childbearing age and young children. On January 31, 2003, the Centers for Disease Control released a report that confirmed that up to 10% of women has enough mercury in their bodies to pose a risk of neurological damage to their developing babies. Mercury attacks the central nervous system and can result in developmental deficits during fetal development, hearing and visual problems and learning disabilities.

In addition to passing the mercury thermometer sales ban, the Board of Health took further action by voting unanimously to pass a motion to brief the Board of Health on the issue of including mercury blood pressure devices (manometers) in the sales ban. Mercury blood pressure devices are one of the largest mercury sources in the hospital environment. One mercury blood pressure device contains from 80-100 grams of mercury. Considering it only takes about 1 gram of mercury to contaminate a 20-acre lake to the point where fish are unsafe to eat, these products represent a considerable hazard.

"We are very excited the King County Board of Health took this step forward to protect the public," says Brandie Smith from WTC, "especially children from the devastating effects of mercury pollution. We urge the Board to take another step forward by revisiting the manometer issue and banning the sale of manometers in September." If you are interested in working on similar initiatives in your community please contact Brandie Smith at the Washington Toxics Coalition, bsmith@watoxics.org.

A Keithley Middle School Group L.E.A.P.S. into Environmental Education

- submitted by Stephanie Raymond from ESW member People For Puget Sound

Estuaries are wet. Really, really wet! That was one lesson Spanaway's Keithley Middle School students learned at the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge as they completed their journey through the Nisqually River watershed with People For Puget Sound's LEAPS (Learning, Experiencing and Adventuring in Puget Sound) program.

The student's previous visit to Mount Rainier to see the Nisqually headwaters took place on a beautiful October day. On a rainy January day, the same students saw what the Nisqually looks like as it enters Puget Sound. Rain didn't dampen their enthusiasm for spotting wildlife in the estuary, including black tail deer, salmon, frogs, and many types of migratory waterfowl.

One student's particular mission was to see a chickadee and hear its distinctive song. An obliging chickadee landed in a tree near the trail and answered when she called. Other students, taking shelter on the visitor center's covered deck, watched the freshwater marsh in complete silence and sketched the ducks and song birds they spotted. A tiny frog's loud calls gave away its hiding place for another group, while still others lined up to view a red-tailed hawk and pintail ducks through a spotting scope.

Students had the opportunity to dry off a bit in the refuge's environmental center, where they took turns creating estuary food webs, examining wildlife specimens, studying species adaptations and getting a bird's-eye view of the entire watershed with the help of a three dimensional mountain-to-sound model of the river.

LEAPS encourages middle school students to draw personal connections between their lives, their local watersheds, and Puget Sound with an integrated curriculum and field trips. Next semester a new group of Keithley students will travel the Nisqually watershed from one end to the other. If you'd like to join them, call education coordinator Stephanie Raymond at (206) 382-7007 ext. 218 or email sraymond@pugetsound.org.

Three Bandits Go Free

- submitted by Kevin Mack from ESW member PAWS Wildlife Rehabilitation Center

Raccoons are known for getting their sticky little fingers into everything. They can't be blamed, really. Much of the information they gather about the world around them is taken in through the sensitive tactile receptors in their paws. They rely heavily on their sense of touch to find food in dark crevices, and in murky water where their other senses afford them little help. When raccoons forage in water, the motion of their paws as they assess each item they discover gives the appearance that they are washing their food. There is even a popular myth stating that raccoons have no salivary glands and must moisten their food before eating it. In reality, raccoons have well developed salivary glands and seem equally willing to eat food that is dry, moist, clean, or dirty.

On April 4th, 2003, three raccoons were released after an extended stay at the PAWS Wildlife Center in Lynnwood. Their stay wasn't extended due to health reasons, but rather due to the timing of their birth. In general, orphaned raccoons arrive at the PAWS Wildlife Center in late spring or early summer. They grow quickly throughout the summer months and are normally ready to be released by mid to late September when blackberries, huckleberries, and a number of other wild fruits are abundant. A readily available food source helps to ease the raccoons' transition back to the wild. Orphans arriving very late in the summer are often not ready for release until well into the fall. By this time the berries are nearly gone and the weather is less than ideal. To increase their chances for post release survival, late babies may be over-wintered at the wildlife center and released the following spring as were the three raccoons released on April 4th.

The raccoons, a male and two females, were unrelated. One female had been found near a road, sitting by the body of her dead mother. The other female had been removed from beneath a deck by a homeowner. The male, thin and hungry, had followed a man onto his porch. All three passed the winter together and behaved as sibling raccoons do, playing, eating and sleeping as a group. During the winter months the raccoons were constantly provided with enrichment materials to stimulate their curiosity and encourage natural behaviors. They in turn provided PAWS staff and volunteers with constant entertainment via closed-circuit television. They tore apart melons stuffed with grapes and smelt, pulled hidden treats out of holes in logs and, keeping with their image, did their best to get their sticky little fingers into everything.

When their transport carrier was opened on April 4th, the three raccoons were facing a shallow stream on private property in Carnation. Juvenile raccoons are usually reluctant to leave the safety of their carrier when they are released, but a nearby stream is just too tempting for them to pass up. After a short wait, the stream cast its spell and fuzzy little bodies began to emerge from the carrier. They first examined the carrier, walking all the way around it and standing on their hind legs to examine the top. They eventually gave in to temptation and entered the stream. They immediately began to feel their way around the stream as they searched for items of interest below the water’s surface. Their area of exploration grew, and two of the raccoons started checking out the underbrush near the stream. The third continued to feel her way along the bottom of the stream, pausing for a moment to take a sip of water. Watching the three of them was kind of like watching kids in a candy store; they were compelled to touch everything within reach, but they seemed a little unsure of the consequences. After about 20 minutes they regrouped and moved upstream and out of sight together.

On average, 50 of the 4,500 animals that the PAWS Wildlife Department treats annually are orphaned raccoons.

Cool Website - May 2003

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