Archive for August, 2007
August 29, 2007 at 11:34 pm
· Filed under Smart Growth
In 1997, Maryland burst into the national spotlight with the passage of its Smart Growth and Neighborhood Conservation initiative. The initiative gained broad national recognition and praise. 2007 marks the 10-year anniversary of Maryland’s experiment with Smart Growth. Yet the question remains: Has Smart Growth changed the development pattern in Maryland?
To address these and other related questions, the National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education is organizing a three-day conference in early October 2007 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Maryland’s landmark Smart Growth legislation. The conference is being co-hosted by Resources for the Future.
You can also see my recent article series on Smart Growth in Maryland at: http://bicepbulletin.googlepages.com/smartgrowthmarylandseries
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August 28, 2007 at 2:15 am
· Filed under Government/Politics, Great Lakes, News Picks
Perhaps, finally, Michigan’s system of local government will move into the 20th century (even thou
gh we’re in the 21st century). An article from the Michigan Land Use Institute based in Traverse City, MI, reports that the State May Push Local Governments To Cooperate, indicating that the state lawmakers may be re-examining the antiquated and complex system of operating and delivering services to counties, cities, villages and townships. One of the biggest problems with the system, in this blogger/smart growth advocate’s view, is that many Michigan township’s form of small government duplicate many services and waste taxpayer dollars. Township’s resistance to thinking regionally and acting cooperatively, has hampered the states ability to pool resources and address shared issues. These issues include not only land use and environment, but also local emergency services, public schools and other critical public services. There has been research supporting Michigan government reform for several years (see links below). Having been involved in and worked in Michigan at state, county, city and township levels, I know that something needs to change in the state to get Michigan on the right track again. See the links in this post to find out more about this issue.
White Paper H: Intergovernmental Cooperation and Revenue Sharing
Task Force on Local Government Services and Fiscal Stability May 2006 Special Report
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August 27, 2007 at 1:12 am
· Filed under Misc, News Picks
Head of Wildlife Sanctuary Strikes Plea Deal
Woman Was Accused of Diverting Funds
Washington Post
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Dianne Pearce, 53, who operates Chesapeake Wildlife Sanctuary, admitted in Worcester County Circuit Court that she violated the state’s charitable organization law. Reading this story it was hard to tell she is a criminal or just stupid.
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August 23, 2007 at 1:14 pm
· Filed under Environment, Habitat Conservation, Water Quality, Water Supply
From National Public Radio:
More than 1,000 miles of canals snake through South Florida — from the Everglades to the Keys. And love them or hate them, the area can’t do without them. They’re crucial for flood control and serve as, among other things, habitat for alligators and a dump for stolen cars. Hear the story at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=13872706
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August 23, 2007 at 1:01 pm
· Filed under Agriculture, Chesapeake Bay, Government/Politics
State and federal officials estimate that farmers in Maryland have lost between 30 and 60 percent of their crops due to the severe dry weather and excessive heat from June 1 that has continued through the summer months. This designation makes Maryland farm operators eligible to apply for low-interest emergency loans from the USDA Farm Service Agency. See Maryland Dept of Ag Aug 22, 2007 press release:
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August 22, 2007 at 5:04 pm
· Filed under Environment
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August 22, 2007 at 4:52 pm
· Filed under Chesapeake Bay, Sustainable Development, Urban Design/Architecture
A new law in Maryland will take effect next year for design standards. The new law requires MDE to establish regulations and a model ordinance that requires implementation of environmental site design to the maximum extent practicable. Developers will be required to demonstrate that ESD has been implemented to the maximum extent practicable and that standard best management practices have been used only where absolutely necessary.
Read it all in the Maryland Society of Professional Engineers latest newsletter
here
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August 22, 2007 at 4:34 pm
· Filed under Equity, Housing
Rich developers are getting richer by cashing in on Katrina aid and huge tax breaks that is for building housing for displaced Gulf Coast residents. Low income people in the region will not be able to afford the vast majority of these new condos. So who will buy/live them? Another way to push out the poor and minorities and bring in white, (or black) middle/upper class. Can you say “gen-tri-fi-ca-tion”? I knew that you could. See article in USA Today:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-08-13-katrina-luxury-condos_N.htm
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August 20, 2007 at 6:24 pm
· Filed under Climate Change, Government/Politics
King County, Washington State, will be mandating that climate analysis be included in EIS and similar reviews starting Sept 1. I highly doubt that many more gov’s in other parts of the country have the will or resources to follow this example as good as it sounds. It will be interesting to see how many problems they run into trying to work the kinks out of the program/policy.
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August 17, 2007 at 6:47 pm
· Filed under Geography, Great Lakes
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The 35,000 islands of the Great Lakes form a superlative natural system. In fact, the largest lake island in the world is Manitoulin in Lake Huron (Ontario), covering 1,068 square miles. Due to their isolation, islands have unique properties warranting special attention and protection. The properties of Great Lakes islands include high proportions of endemic and endangered species, fish spawning areas, open and perched dunes, and nesting colonial waterbirds and migratory waterfowl. These islands contain many critical natural features, cultural resources, and recreational opportunities that, despite being threatened by pressures of unplanned development and habitat destruction, have yet to be holistically addressed.
More Great Lakes island facts:
- The Thirty Thousand Islands of Georgian Bay, Ontario, actually include around 17,500 islands.
- The Thousand Islands between New York and Ontario number about 1,500.
- Lake of the Woods, shared by Ontario, Minnesota and Manitoba, is said to contain 14,000 islands.
- Finland claims to have more islands than any other country, with a stated total of 179,584. However, Canada probably exceeds this number with its immense areas of island-strewn lakes and thousands of miles of rocky coastline.
- The largest island created by human action is the Ile Rene-Lavasseur, a 780-square-mile island in Manicouagan Reservoir, Quebec. The reservoir was formed by the damming of a river to flood a 210 million-year-old meteor crater. The crater’s central uplift became the island.
Find more interesting Great Lakes facts at Great Lakes Information Network (GLIN)
http://www.great-lakes.net/envt/
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