Arkansans encouraged to observe birds, wildlife behavior during solar eclipse
On Monday, Arkansans will have the opportunity to witness a once-in-a-lifetime event, a total solar eclipse. It will be visible along a narrow track and will briefly put parts of the United States, Mexico and Canada in complete darkness. Uta Meyer, center manager for the Little Rock Audubon Center and Audubon Delta, said her group is providing Little Rock residents with an observation form to track birds and other creatures' activity throughout the eclipse. ... A total solar eclipse will occur on Monday in Arkansas, with parts of the United States, Mexico, and Canada briefly experiencing complete darkness. Uta Meyer, center manager for the Little Rock Audubon Center, has advised residents to observe birds, wildlife behavior throughout the eclipse. The path of the eclipse will cover over 100 miles and will extend from Little Rock to parts of Arkansas's 75 counties. Once the totality is over, Meyer warns that it's not safe to look at the sun without eclipse glasses, which could cause damage. A conservation easement nine years in the making will benefit a local Texas community by preserving nearly 1,000 acres. The Bayou Land Conservancy is also working to protect land along Lake Creek in Montgomery County and will help protect drinking water for residents downstream in the metro Houston region. A case before the Supreme Court regarding industrial smog pollution is being heard in the circuit court, while a case by three states seeking to stop the plan to move forward in Washington, D.C., is being argued in lower courts.
Опубликовано : 12 месяцев назад от в Environment Science
On Monday, Arkansans will have the opportunity to witness a once-in-a-lifetime event, a total solar eclipse.
It will be visible along a narrow track and will briefly put parts of the United States, Mexico and Canada in complete darkness.
Uta Meyer, center manager for the Little Rock Audubon Center and Audubon Delta, said her group is providing Little Rock residents with an observation form to track birds and other creatures' activity throughout the eclipse.
"What we expect birds and other animals to do is essentially probably be a little bit confused by the transition to not total darkness, but to dusk and a little bit darker than that, and then start to kind of transition into their nighttime habits," Meyer outlined. "For some birds, that might mean going to roost. For some birds, that might mean preparing to roost."
The path of the totality will stretch over 100 miles across the Natural State, as 53 of Arkansas's 75 counties will be within the path of totality, including the cities of Little Rock, Hot Springs, Texarkana, Conway and Jonesboro.
Meyer noted the maximum period of totality reaches 4 minutes and 15 seconds at certain points but not every location experiences the longest duration. She explained Little Rock residents should expect the partial eclipse to begin around 12:33 p.m. CT when it starts to transition to darkness.
"That is when you need your eclipse glasses, that's when it's not safe to look at the sun just with your naked eye, because it could do some damage," Meyer emphasized. "Then once the total eclipse begins here in Little Rock, that'll be somewhere around 1:51 p.m. The peak for the center of town here in Little Rock is about two minutes and 27 seconds."
Meyer added once the totality is over, you will need to start wearing the eclipse glasses again, until the partial eclipse is over at about 3:11 p.m. CT. Meyer said the Little Rock Audubon Center trails will be open for folks to be able to view the eclipse with a great view of downtown.
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A conservation easement nine years in the making will benefit a local Texas community by preserving almost 1,000 acres.
The Bayou Land Conservancy easement with Tranquility Ranch, within the Houston metro area, protects land along Lake Creek in Montgomery County.
Jill Boullion, executive director of the Bayou Land Conservancy, said helping communities with issues such as flood control, improved water quality and wildlife habitat preservation are among the organization's long-term goals.
"We really actively go for the land projects that are located right along streams," Boullion explained. "Mostly forested wetlands, some prairie wetlands but areas that are in that floodway and flood plain."
She said Tranquility Ranch includes more than 400 acres of existing wetland habitat, 20 acres of streams and ponds and 13,000 feet of stream frontage on Lake Creek. The land is adjacent to the 7,000-acre Cook's Branch preserve and will help protect drinking water for residents downstream in the metro Houston region.
The easement land features a mix of hardwood and pine forest and is a wintering and migratory stopover site for many bird species, including owls, other raptors, and songbirds. Boullion noted the landowner, Nathan Ingram, wanted to see it maintained for the variety of wildlife it attracts.
"As he puts it, all land has a certain carrying capacity and they weren't going to all be able to fit on his land," Boullion explained. "He felt like habitat preservation was the best solution."
Boullion expects the preservation of land in the Lake Houston watershed to provide positive effects in the region for generations to come.
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States are working to find solutions to make their air and water cleaner and safer for their communities but the path is not always clear-cut.
A case before the Supreme Court questions if states are doing as much as they can. The EPA Good Neighbor Plan demands 23 states reduce the amount of industrial facility smog over concerns the pollutants are contaminating nearby states.
Indiana is one of three states asking a Washington, D.C., circuit court to stop the plan from moving forward while the case is heard in lower courts.
David Van Gilder, senior policy and legal director for the Hoosier Environmental Council, expressed his disappointment his group and state legislators are not on the same page.
"Indiana unfortunately joined other Republican-led states in this unholy alliance with polluting industries to halt or stop or slow down the implementation of common-sense regulations that would prevent Indiana industries from hurting downstream people," Van Gilder noted.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, disagreements were raised when the EPA turned down plans by 21 states not to change their emissions. Van Gilder thinks it is bad public policy for the Supreme Court to agree to hear the case as an emergency before a decision is made in the lower courts.
In 2021, Indiana emitted 166 total carbon million metric tons of carbon dioxide, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Van Gilder pointed out one rule with the EPA's Good Neighbor Plan required industries to maintain "health-based air quality standards," including using qualitative and quantitative measures needed to protect human health.
"We just like to see industries all around the country, deciding that they want to be good neighbors, rather than bad neighbors, which is what apparently, at least locally, the Ohio, West Virginia and Indiana Attorneys General think they want to be," Van Gilder observed. "They want to be bad neighbors rather than good neighbors."
Van Gilder found it troubling industries and power plants would rather pass the costs of proper facility operation on to vulnerable people whose health could be affected. The court is expected to make its decision by May 2026 but could decide whether to issue a temporary injunction within the next few months.
Disclosure: Joyce Foundation contributes to our fund for reporting on Climate Change/Air Quality, Environment, Environmental Justice. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.
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A Texas group is on a mission to reform how the state monitors and repairs oil and gas pipeline leaks.
More than 480,000 miles of pipeline run across the state, carrying everything from oil to natural gas to hazardous liquids.
Executive Director of the group Commission Shift - Virginia Palacios - says people often aren't aware of what lies beneath their neighborhoods, and potentially dangerous pipeline leaks in some areas are going unrepaired.
"There have been studies showing that the response time of leak complaints can vary depending on someone's neighborhood, their race or their income level," said Palacios. "There's a perception that certain communities aren't safe."
A recent study found that gas leak density in neighborhoods with people of color and lower household incomes is 37% higher than in predominantly white neighborhoods.
Current federal standards only require operators to repair leaks if they pose an "immediate safety hazard."
But the U.S. Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has proposed a new rule to improve the detection and repair of pipeline leaks.
The industry argues that more regulation of things like leaks would make their business less profitable, and limit it's ability to increase employment.
Palacios said finding and repairing the leaks would help reduce smog and combat climate change.
"On a 20-year timeframe, methane is about 87 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a climate 'forcer,'" said Palacios. "So, scientists say that if we reduce methane emissions, that is our greatest hope at reducing rates of warming."
The Railroad Commission of Texas is in charge of pipeline safety in the state. Its mission statement says protecting the environment and preserving property rights are two of its primary responsibilities.
Commission Shift says the Railroad Commission often prioritizes oil and gas development over safety and the environment.
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Темы: Wildlife