State
'Right Way to Throw Away Day' held in Hattiesburg, Purvis
WDAM
Forrest and Lamar County-area residents with old paint, tires, TVs and computers had the chance to get rid of those items Saturday, free of charge, in a safe and convenient way.
Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day set for Saturday
Starkville Daily News
The Golden Triangle Solid Waste Management Authority and the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality are sponsoring a Household Hazardous Waste Collection at at GTSWMA Landfill, located just west of Highway 45 Alternate on Old West Point Road.
Volunteers collect more than two tons of debris from Deer Island -- including a meth lab
Mississippi Press
BILOXI, Mississippi -- More than 160 volunteers from across the coast arrived at the Biloxi Small Craft Harbor in the early morning chill Friday to ride boats across to Deer Island to help pick up trash and debris from the barrier island.
RENEW OUR RIVERS PROGRAM
WXXV
For thirteen years, Mississippi Power Company has put on an annual cleanup event allowing volunteers to pick up trash and debris along the Gulf Coast. In 2009, the company decided to focus on Deer Island and the cleanup has been held there ever since.
Proper prescription disposal
essential
Picayune Item
Improper disposal of prescription medications can have a disastrous impact on the local environment and community.
Costco development will push on, Ridgeland mayor says
Clarion Ledger
A state Supreme Court ruling hasn’t dampened the mayor's view that a Costco will come to Ridgeland. It just won't have a fueling station.
Pier Walk remembers loved ones, celebrates Earth Day
WLOX
GULFPORT, MS (WLOX) -Mother Nature joined in on a Earth Day celebration at Ken Combs Pier on Sunday.
UM Celebrates Earth Day with Master Plan Green Spaces
Oxford Eagle
The future of the Ole Miss campus is shaping up to be a walk in the park, according to recent updates of the UM Master Plan.
Trump names MSU's Mark Keenum chairman of international ag board
Clarion Ledger
STARKVILLE — Mississippi State University President Mark E. Keenum knows a thing or two about agriculture. He's held several positions relating to the field, serving as under secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2006 to an appointment in 2014 to the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research before accepting the MSU presidency.
Oil Spill
"Our oil disaster isn't over; there's oil washing ashore every day"
Alabama Public Radio
In 2010, Bethany Kraft and Casi Callaway were colleagues working for different environmental nonprofits in Mobile, Alabama. When the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, they didn’t know what to expect or what the impact would be. In this StoryCorps piece, Bethany and Casi reflect on how that horrific disaster changed the Gulf Coast and their lives...
Eight years after Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, locals eager for RESTORE Act projects
WKRG
BAYOU LA BATRE, Ala. (WKRG) - It's been eight years since the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. On April 20, 2010 an oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico killing 11 people and released nearly 200 million gallons of oil into the Gulf.
Comment period open on $192 million in coastal grants
Al.com
After announcing its recommendation of $315 million in grants for Baldwin and Mobile counties, the state Recovery Council has now opened the public comment period for a large portion of them.
Thousands of cleanup workers that claim BP oil spill made them sick haven't had their day in court
WWL
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/04/21/bp-oil-spill-workers-sick-court/538851002/
Environmental group cites continuing Gulf oilfield problems
Daily Comet
A environmental group has released a report listing some of the mishaps from oil-related activities last year that polluted the Gulf of Mexico.
Regional
Group studying ways to protect waters in Arkansas
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
A focus group of six people has begun studying how the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality should implement its policy to protect the state's waters from degradation.
Tennessee bill seeking to end vehicle-emissions testing may take years to gain federal approval
Chattanooga Times Free Press
NASHVILLE — A bill that attempts to end mandatory vehicle emissions testing in Hamilton and five other Tennessee counties is scheduled for a final floor vote this afternoon in the state Senate.
Fossils From Marine Sediments In Alabama Belonged To Newly Identified Ancestor Of Modern Sea Turtles
Tech Times
A new study has revealed that a sea turtle found in Alabama is a new species hailing back from the Late Cretaceous epoch.
National
Overseer Faults Volkswagen’s Reform Efforts Since Emissions Scandal
NY Times
FRANKFURT — Volkswagen’s attempt to remake its company culture and become more law abiding has received poor grades from the former United States prosecutor who is enforcing the carmaker’s compliance with a deal that settled emissions cheating charges.
VW to build charging stations at Oklahoma Walmart stores
Tulsa World
OKLAHOMA CITY — Drivers passing through Oklahoma soon will see more public locations where they can recharge their electric vehicles.
Fracking Pushes Concentrating Solar Power Growth Overseas
Bloomberg
Concentrating solar-thermal power plants will remain in low demand in the U.S. for the foreseeable future as companies such as SolarReserve LLC develop new plants overseas, according to industry analysts.
Federal air quality restrictions lifted on Sheridan
AP
SHERIDAN, Wyo. (AP) — A federal restriction imposed on Sheridan in northern Wyoming in the late 1980s has been lifted as the result of decades-long efforts to improve air quality in the city.
Major League Baseball can mean major league food waste, but Busch Stadium wins EPA award
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
With some fixes at the plate, the St. Louis Cardinals are now batting .400 — not in the batter’s box, but off the field, where 40 percent of Busch Stadium’s prolific waste stream is now diverted from landfills.
Retirement Communities Lure Boomers With Eco-Friendly Message
More 55-plus developments are promoting their energy efficiency—and they say retirees are willing to pay the price
WSJ
Tennis, golf and an attractive clubhouse have long been staples in the universe of 55-plus communities selling an active lifestyle to retirees.
Public Servants Are Losing Their Foothold in the Middle Class
NY Times
OKLAHOMA CITY — The anxiety and seething anger that followed the disappearance of middle-income jobs in factory towns has helped reshape the American political map and topple longstanding policies on tariffs and immigration.
Press releases
NOAA sets federal Red Snapper season
BILOXI, Miss. – The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has announced that for-hire vessels with federal permits can fish for Red Snapper for 51 days beginning June 1. The season begins at 12:01 a.m. Friday, June 1, and runs through 12:01 a.m. Sunday, July 22. Vessels with a federal permit can fish out to 200 nautical miles.
On April 16, NOAA issued exempted fishing permits that allow the five Gulf states to set their own seasons for private recreational anglers and for-hire vessels with state permits.
Mississippi’s Red Snapper season begins at 12:01 a.m. Friday, May 25, and runs through 11:59 p.m. Monday, Sept. 3, which is Labor Day, with a possible season closure from July 9-22. The mid-season closure is to ensure that Mississippi’s annual quota of 137,949 pounds is not met before Labor Day and depends on the number of pounds caught before July 4.
Private recreational anglers can fish out to 200 nautical miles. Vessels with state for-hire permits are allowed to fish in state territorial waters, which is nine nautical miles.
The quota for recreational fishermen is 135,149 pounds. The state for-hire quota is 2,800 pounds. MDMR will manage each group’s allotment individually. The season will close if the assigned quota for either group is reached at any point after the season opens. It also will close if the Gulf-wide quota of 6.7 million pounds is reached.
Anglers who fish for Red Snapper are required to register their trip through Tails N’ Scales, MDMR’s reporting program. They must create a profile and start a trip before going fishing for Red Snapper. Anglers must have a trip number when they are out on the water and must report their catch within 24 hours and close out one trip before creating a new one.
Anglers caught without an authorization number will be fined, and their fish confiscated.
Tails N’ Scales is available through a smartphone app, a website and a call center. The app is available in iTunes and Google Play, and the website istailsnscales.org. Fishermen also can call 1-844-MSSNAPP (677-6277) to speak to a representative if they don’t have access to a smartphone or computer. For questions regarding the Tails N’ Scales system or to report any issues, call 228-697-5762.
Anyone using the app must download the latest update before creating a trip this year.
Interior and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Announce Winner of National Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest
WASHINGTON – A talented young artist from Johns Creek, Ga., has taken top honors at the National Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest. An emperor goose painted by 18-year-old Rayen Kang will grace the 2018-2019 Junior Duck Stamp, which raises funds to educate and engage our nation’s youth in wildlife and wetlands conservation, and outdoor recreation. A panel of five judges chose her entry, painted in acrylic, from among best-of-show entries from all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“Connecting kids to the outdoors and getting them involved early in hunting, fishing and conservation is incredibly important,” said U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke. “Programs like the Junior Duck Stamp help create future conservationists, hunters, outdoor enthusiasts–and maybe even the next Teddy Roosevelt.”
“Through the Junior Duck Stamp Program, tens of thousands of students each year learn principles of wildlife conservation, connect with the outdoors, and spark a love of hunting, fishing, birdwatching and other wildlife-related recreation activities,” said Service Principal Deputy Director Greg Sheehan. “Using science, art and language, the Junior Duck Stamp Program kindles that spark, creating the hunters, anglers and conservationists of tomorrow.”
Students annually participate in the Junior Duck Stamp Program at school, at home, in after-school groups and at refuges, parks and nature centers. After learning about wetlands, waterfowl and wildlife conservation, they express their learning through a drawing or painting of a duck, goose or swan.
The top piece of art in the nation – which is chosen at this annual competition – is featured on the Junior Duck Stamp, sales of which support educational programs and activities that nurture our next generation of sportsmen and women, and conservationists.
The Junior Duck Stamp program began in 1989 as an extension of the Migratory Bird Conservation and Hunting Stamp, commonly known as the Duck Stamp. The first national Junior Duck Stamp art contest was held in 1993. The stamp encourages students to explore their natural world, participate in outdoor recreation activities, and learn wildlife management principles. Some 3,000 Junior Duck Stamps are sold annually for $5 each. Daniel Billings, 17, of Gallatin, Mo., took second place with an oil painting depicting a redhead.
Third place went to Larissa Weber, 17, of Anderson, Ind., for an acrylic rendition of trumpeter swans.
In addition to the art contest, a Junior Duck Stamp Conservation Message Contest encourages students to expresses in words the spirit of what they have learned through classroom discussions, research and planning for their Junior Duck Stamp Contest entries. This year’s winner is Abigail McIntyre, 16, of Manhattan, Kan., who wrote: “Conserving our wetlands is as important as conserving our art. It is our history, our inspiration, our life and our future.”
“I am constantly amazed at the talent of all of our Junior Duck Stamp Program participants, and this year is no exception,” said Assistant Director for Migratory Birds Jerome Ford. “These young people express their appreciation for nature eloquently through their art and their conservation messages.”
The Junior Duck Stamp Contest winner receives $1,000. The second place winner receives $500, the third-place winner receives $200 and the Conservation Message winner receives $200.
You can buy Junior Duck Stamps online through the U.S. Postal Service and Amplex, and at some national wildlife refuges. Proceeds from the sale of Junior Duck Stamps are used for awards and scholarships to individuals who submit winning designs in state or national competitions and for awards to schools and other participants to further education activities related to the conservation education goals of the program. The First Day of Sale ceremony for the 2018-2019 Duck Stamp and Junior Duck Stamp will be held June 29 at Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World in Hanover, Md., just outside of Baltimore. The event begins at 10 a.m. and is free and open to the public. Both winning artists will be available to sign stamps, and the U.S. Postal Service will have a special cancellation for collectors.
