Drew cleans up, digs pit to dump
Enterprise-Tocsin
Volunteers cleared debris from throughout Drew over the weekend, but the city may not have followed environmental rules in burying some of it in a large pit on a vacant lot. Mark Williams, chief of the Waste Division at the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, said collected solid waste needs to go to a permitted landfill or a legitimate recycling facility. “It’s not acceptable to dig holes and bury waste,” Williams said.
There are some exceptions for burial of waste on the property where it’s generated and if a municipality is
trying to clean up an illegal dumping site, he said. Williams said he couldn’t speak specifically toward the Drew situation because it’s not something they’ve investigated.
Mayor Jeffery Kilpatrick said there are dumpsters on the lot located off a gravel road behind the former SuperValu grocery store and that Public Works dug the hole to bury extra waste. “What we’re trying to do is keep the city beautified and keep the city clean,” Kilpatrick said.
A City of Drew backhoe was dumping debris into the pit early Monday afternoon. It was mostly limbs but also included solid waste like a children’s four-wheeler, a tire, old foam cushions and food boxes. A resident reported the hole was filled in and covered up by later in the day Monday.
The mayor said burying it in the hole was a one-time thing, but the city plans to have another cleanup day later this month. He said he provides volunteers lunch afterward.
There is only one permitted disposal site in Sunflower County, a privately owned location near Ruleville operated by RES Waste Services, Williams said. It’s a Class I rubbish landfill that accepts non-garbage like construction debris.
MDEQ investigates reports of illegal dumping based on any public complaint or it can self-initiate an investigation, Williams said.
Penalties for violations would vary based on the circumstances, including how much waste was involved. Williams said if there is an ability to correct the problem there might not be monetary penalties.
DeSoto County readies for Earth Day
DeSoto Times-Tribune
The bountiful harvest of "the Good Earth" will be celebrated with Earth Day 2017 in DeSoto County, slated for Saturday, April 22.
...The other grant approved by the board was for $75,000 from MDEQ, which will fund the fall Household Hazardous Waste Day drop-off and the ongoing Electronic Waste Recycling Program of Environmental Services.
"We'll be using these funds in the best way to keep DeSoto County the environmental flagship it is, in Mississippi," said Environmental Services Director Ray Laughter. "Our partnership with MDEQ has really contributed to the effective programs that we have."
http://www.desototimes.com/news/desoto-county-readies-for-earth-day/article_b4da49de-1fd1-11e7-853a-831ba38b7c34.html
Keep Monroe County Beautiful luncheon encourages cleanliness
Monroe Journal
WLBT
Entergy moving lines for bald eagles
Madison County Journal
LAKE CAROLINE — Entergy Mississippi recently lost a game of chicken with some American bald eagles who have taken nest near here. Entergy is currently working on a 25-mile transmission line project from Madison County to Hinds County that has been in the works since 2014 and scheduled to be completed in summer 2018. In the process of designing the line, however, Entergy has had to work around multiple nesting sites of the endangered bald eagle.
http://onlinemadison.com/Content/Default/News/Article/Entergy-moving-lines-for-bald-eagles/-3/592/39466 Record-size black bear killed in vehicle crash Natchez Democrat
NATCHEZ — A record-size Louisiana black bear was killed when a vehicle collided with the bear last week on U.S. 61 in Wilkinson County just south of the Doloroso community. A 2001 Chevrolet Suburban driven southbound by Rosa Robinson, 53, of Woodville struck the full-grown male bear weighing 468 pounds — the largest ever recorded in Mississippi — on the roadway.
http://www.natchezdemocrat.com/2017/04/13/record-size-black-bear-killed-in-vehicle-crash/ Governor inks law requiring all to wear seat belts Daily Journal
JACKSON – Legislation was quietly signed into law earlier this month by Gov. Phil Bryant requiring all passengers, those in the front and back seats, to wear a seat belt.
http://djournal.com/news/governor-inks-law-requiring-wear-seat-belts/ Oil Spill BP oil spill: Two Louisiana law firms to receive $87 million each in attorney fees Times-Picayune
State Vet: Bird flu in Middle TN did not spread
WBIR
The EPA directive to review regulations that hamper domestic energy production did not specifically target ozone pollution standards, but the agency’s ongoing review of the Obama-era requirements could aim to do away with pollution control and permitting requirements opposed by the energy sector.
https://www.bna.com/ozone-review-part-n57982086571/ EPA seeks public input on Trump's regulatory reform agenda The Hill
Many things a child does -- from playing outside to sprawling out on carpets and lawns -- puts them at greater risk for exposure to environmental hazards such as pollution in the air, pesticides on grass and treatments on rugs.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/13/health/epa-cuts-children-health/ EPA Employees Organize Against Proposed Budget Cuts NPR
Many strains of avian influenza (AI) virus exist worldwide that are capable of causing varying degrees of clinical illness in poultry. Wild birds that tend to favor aquatic environments, especially waterfowl and shorebirds, appear to be natural hosts for AI viruses, although domesticated poultry and other birds can also be affected.
Most AI viruses cause only mild disease in poultry. These are classified as low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) viruses. Pathogenicity is the ability of a virus to cause disease. However, some are classified as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses, and these are much more potent than the LPAI varieties.
HPAI is an extremely infectious and fatal form of the disease that typically kills 95–100 percent of an infected flock. Once established, it can spread rapidly, with the potential to devastate the poultry industry by wiping out entire flocks of birds and leading to severe international trade restrictions.
In contrast, LPAI usually causes only minor illness in poultry flocks and may show no clinical signs of disease within the flock. However, in the field, some LPAI virus strains may mutate into HPAI viruses.
What Causes Avian Influenza?
Avian influenza is the result of infection from what are commonly called type A influenza viruses. Influenza A viruses have many different subtypes based on two types of proteins that project from the surface of the virus. These proteins are called hemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N). There are multiple forms of both the hemagglutinin and neuraminidase protein; at least 16 hemagglutinins (H1 to H16) and 9 neuraminidases (N1 to N9) have been found in viruses from birds. The proteins are designated by numbers such as H2, H5, N2, N8, etc. The virus currently causing so much concern for the poultry industry has a type 5 H and type 2 N signature and, therefore, is classified as the subtype H5N2. HPAI viruses usually contain the H5 or H7 hemagglutinin.
If an LPAI virus from wild birds is transferred to domestic poultry, it may take one of several different avenues. It may circulate inefficiently within the host and die out; it may become adapted to the new host and continue to circulate as an LPAI virus that shows little or no symptoms or mortality; or, if it is an H5 or H7 virus type (these have the capability to change from low pathogenic to high pathogenic), it may mutate into an HPAI virus capable of causing extreme mortality rates.
Transmission
Avian influenza viruses are shed in the feces and respiratory secretions of birds. In waterfowl, the feces contain large amounts of virus, and the dominant transmission route is thought to be fecal-oral. The respiratory route does not appear to play as critical a role as the fecal-oral route in transmission in waterfowl. However, once AI has entered a poultry flock, it can spread rapidly on the farm by both the fecal-oral route and the respiratory route, due to the close proximity of the birds. Fomites (clothes, shoes, shared equipment, and so forth) are also important factors in disease transmission. Wind-borne transmission between farms in close proximity cannot be ruled out but is not as likely a transmission route as other methods.
Realize there is a difference between transmission and spread of avian influenza. Transmission refers to the passing of the disease from one animal to another. Spread refers to the wide diffusion (in this case, geographically) of the disease among large numbers of animals. Most outbreaks of AI have been linked to movements of poultry and the unintended/accidental transfer of infected material such as poultry manure/ litter or soil on vehicles, equipment, egg flats/cages, clothes, or shoes. Throughout the world, the unregulated movement of poultry is the most important way that the virus is spread.
Symptoms
The incubation period for AI in poultry varies depending on the virus dose present, species affected, exposure route, and several other factors. LPAI viruses usually cause only mild illness in poultry, but symptoms exhibited by individual birds may vary and do depend on the pathogenicity of the virus. Possible symptoms include appetite loss, dehydration, decreased egg production, misshapen eggs, decreased fertility or hatchability, depression, huddling, diarrhea, lethargy, and respiratory signs such as sneezing, coughing, watery eyes, nasal discharge, and swollen sinuses.
HPAI viruses usually cause severe illness in chickens and turkeys, with few birds within an infected flock surviving. Symptoms that may be observed before death include bloody nasal discharge, facial swelling, hemorrhaging under the skin and on the shanks, blue facial discoloration, and tracheal inflammation. There is no practical treatment for birds infected with HPAI.
What to Do
If you suspect something is wrong with your flock, say something immediately. If you are a commercial producer, contact your service tech for guidance and assistance at the first sign of a problem. If you are a backyard producer, contact
- your local county Extension agent; • a veterinarian;
- the MSU Poultry Science Department (662-325-3416); ask for a poultry Extension specialist; or
- the Mississippi Board of Animal Health (601-359-1170 or the animal disaster hotline at 1-888-722-3106).
Keep in mind that normal, everyday mortality is not a major concern and does not require reporting. Doing so will only hinder efforts in determining the current status of the state’s poultry flocks. Therefore, do not overreact if you lose a bird every now and then. Normal mortality is common and will not be the result of AI. However, be aware that any unexplained sudden or drastic increase in mortality rate should be reported to officials. Whether you are a commercial producer or a backyard enthusiast, maintain and perhaps even increase a sound biosecurity program, prevent contact between your birds and wild birds (particularly waterfowl), and immediately report sick or dying birds to the proper officials.
http://extension.msstate.edu/avian-flu Neither Rain nor Sleet nor Snow Stops Wildlife Disease Biologists from Collecting Samples USDA
On a cold and blustery day, APHIS wildlife disease biologist Jared Hedelius sits in his truck by the Bighorn River in Montana and waits. Although the temperatures outside are well below freezing, the mallards on the river are busy searching for food, oblivious to Jared’s swim-in live trap just a few feet from the shoreline. Soon, enough ducks have entered the trap and Jared leaves his warm truck and heads to the water. He sets up his equipment and begins collecting samples.
Jared is one of 36 wildlife disease biologists in APHIS’ Wildlife Services (WS) program tasked with collecting samples from live and hunter-harvested wild birds for avian influenza testing. Wild migratory waterfowl are a natural reservoir for avian influenza, and these viruses can travel in wild birds without them appearing sick. Highly pathogenic avian influenza was recently found in two commercial premises in Tennessee and, in 2017, low pathogenic avian influenza has also been confirmed in commercial and backyard premises in Wisconsin, Tennessee, Alabama and Kentucky. Although the cause of these cases is not known, it’s a reminder of the need to be vigilant about biosecurity and to maintain a barrier between wild birds and domestic poultry.
“By monitoring the avian influenza strains circulating in wild birds, WS and its partners are able to provide an early warning system to America’s poultry producers,” states Dr. Tom DeLiberto, Assistant Director of WS’ National Wildlife Research Center. “Our experts focus their sampling on waterfowl species and locations where we are most likely to detect avian influenza. This ensures our efforts are as efficient and informative as possible.”
In early January, a sample Jared collected from a hunter-harvested mallard in Fergus County, Montana, tested positive for H5N2 highly pathogenic avian influenza, one of the strains which circulated in North America during the 2014-2015 avian influenza outbreak in domestic poultry. The outbreak affected over 49 million birds and cost approximately $1 billion in damages and control costs.
“Although it is possible for domestic poultry to become infected with avian influenza from direct contact with wild birds, it is more likely that the viruses are spread indirectly to poultry on contaminated feed, clothing and equipment,” notes DeLiberto.
Since 2006, WS has been a leader in a national, multiagency effort to monitor wild birds for highly pathogenic avian influenza. Between July 2015 and March 2016, WS and its partners tested more than 45,000 apparently healthy wild birds for avian influenza in targeted areas throughout the United States. Monitoring is ongoing, with peak sampling periods during fall and winter seasons.
For more information on avian influenza surveillance in wild birds and the latest findings, please visit:
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-disease-information/avian-influenza-disease/defend-the-flock/defend-the-flock-ai-wild-birds
