Category Archives: environment

Volkswagen Is Told to Recall Nearly 500,000 Vehicles Over Emissions Software – The New York Times

The Environmental Protection Agency issued the company a notice of violation and accused the company of breaking the law by installing software known as a “defeat device” in 4-cylinder Volkswagen and Audi vehicles from model years 2009-15. The device is programmed to detect when the car is undergoing official emissions testing, and to only turn on full emissions control systems during that testing. Those controls are turned off during normal driving situations, when the vehicles pollute far more heavily than reported by the manufacturer, the E.P.A. said.

Source: Volkswagen Is Told to Recall Nearly 500,000 Vehicles Over Emissions Software – The New York Times

Gray Wolf (Ma’iingan) Confirmed On Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians Reservation

Photo courtesy of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa IndiansPublished September 15, 2015HARBOR SPRINGS, MICHIGAN The Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians (LTBB), based in Harbor Springs, Michigan, announced on Tuesday, September 15, 2015 that the Tribe’s Natural Resource Department received confirmation of a gray wolf on its reservation land in the northern part of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.The confirmation came months after the LTBB Natural Resource Department discovered wolf size tracks and scat while in route to rebait a camera station in the winter of 2014. The tracks and stride were measured and were consistent with those of a wolf. The tracks were consistently 4 ¾” long by 3 ¾” wide and the stride ranged from 45” to 53” (The stride is the distance one foot travels from one step to the next).”The motion activated bait station camera also recorded several large canid photos. The pictures were also representative of gray wolves. The collected scat sample was sent to Trent University in Ontario Canada for DNA analysis. The Department received positive confirmation on Se. The sample analysis determined it to be consistent with a male gray wolf.This marks the first confirmed presence of Ma’iingan on the LTBB Reservation after many years of reported sightings.Ma’iingan (Gray wolf) is also one of the most revered symbols within the Anishnaabe (Odawa, Ojibway, Potawatomi) clan system and has a special status; wolves were commissioned by the Creator to walk with the Anishnaabe, and then separate.In the Anishnaabe creation story, ma’iingan walked beside original man as his brother, as they traveled to visit and name all the animals, plants, and places on Earth. Later, the Creator would guide them down separate paths, but advised that they would be feared, respected and misunderstood by others who would arrive later. Culturally, Ma’iingan is an important representation of family, cooperation, loyalty and intelligence.The post Gray Wolf (Ma’iingan) Confirmed On Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians Reservation appeared first on Native News Online.

Source: Gray Wolf (Ma’iingan) Confirmed On Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians Reservation

Britain braced for long, snowy winter as strongest El Nino since 1950 expected – Telegraph

Winter is coming, and it could be colder and snowier than normal after forecasters predicted that this year’s El Nino weather phenomenon could be the strongest since 1950.Met Office meteorologists said conditions could mirror those of the 2009/2010 winter which was so long and chilly it was dubbed ‘The Big Freeze.’That winter, heavy snowfall brought transport chaos to much of the country with airports closed and train services suspended. In parts of Scotland temperatures dropped to -8.1F (-22.3C) as record 19 inch snowfall fell in the highlands. In December that year, the average UK temperature was just 30F (-1C) the coldest since records began.

Source: Britain braced for long, snowy winter as strongest El Nino since 1950 expected – Telegraph

Lifeguards Rescued 5,000 Swimmers From Dangerous Rip Currents This Weekend: LAist

Across L.A. County, 2,036 swimmers were rescued—a big spike from last year’s Labor Day weekend, when 1,207 people needed help. The numbers could have been higher this weekend, but lifeguards warned or stopped 101,635 people from braving the rough waters. Strong rip currents were considered to be what led to the drowning of one swimmer last Thursday near Avenue 19 in Venice. Lifeguards were able to rescue two friends of the Venice swimmer who were out around 200 feet from shore when currents pulled them out further. They weren’t able to save one of them, a man whose body was pulled from the water an hour later.At Orange County beaches, lifeguards rescued 3,600 swimmers from beaches around the area, reports the OC Register. More than 1,700 of the rescues over the long weekend took place around Laguna Beach, while hundreds of others took place around Newport Beach and Huntington Beach. While many of them were considered “scary rescues,” there were no reported deaths related to the currents in the region. “A lot of people plan to go out and wade in the water, and the current affects them and they panic. A lot of people misjudge and overestimate their ability,” Huntington Beach Marine Safety Lt. Mike Beuerlein told the Register. “A lifeguard has been there every time.”

Source: Lifeguards Rescued 5,000 Swimmers From Dangerous Rip Currents This Weekend: LAist

Interior Secretary Sally Jewell Meets Tribal Leaders on Colville Indian Reservation in Washington State

In addition to the emergency declaration, FEMA has approved 11 Fire Management Assistance Grants to help with ongoing firefighting costs. They also sent an Incident Management Assistance Team (IMAT) that was deployed to the state’s Emergency Operation Center – while another team from FEMA’s Mobile Emergency Response Support (MERS) detachment – along with a liaison officer, who traveled to the Colville Reservation to provide support and communication capability to the tribes’ Emergency Operations Center.Jewell also met with tribal leaders from the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. The North Star Fire has burned more than 209,000 acres, primarily on the reservation, and approximately 3,000 single structures are threatened.

Source: Interior Secretary Sally Jewell Meets Tribal Leaders on Colville Indian Reservation in Washington State

McCormick Announces Plans to Expand Organic and Non-GMO Offerings

McCormick & Company, Incorporated, a global leader in flavor, today announced plans to take a leadership position in Organic and Non-GMO herbs and spices ahead of the peak holiday season.  McCormick’s commitment builds on its category-leading quality record.  The company announced the introduction of a Non-GMO labeled Vanilla Extract as well as plans to significantly increase the number of Organic and Non-GMO offerings in 2016.

Source: McCormick Announces Plans to Expand Organic and Non-GMO Offerings