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Sri Lanka’s Dutch Fort was Built with Sewage in Mind

Posted on May 20, 2008 | Filed Under Healthy Waters, Outreach, Sewage, Stories, Technology

Chas Offutt, Director of Internet Strategy
Technology & Rivers

I never used to think about sewage when I’m on vacation.

I openly blame Gary’s post about Ancient Greek stormwater management practices, Katherine’s work to pass ‘Right-to-Know‘ legislation and Josh’s wrangling of sewage spills across the country for my soft spot for sewage.

These influences, and of course working for a national river group, have forever impacted how I view my international flushing experiences. For the past few weeks, I was in Sri Lanka, an amazingly beautiful island nation amidst internal conflict.

On one of our weekend trips, my wife and I made it south to Galle. Aside from the beautiful beaches nearby, Galle is best known for the fort built by the Dutch roughly 400 years ago. Having lived in Guyana, and knowing all too well the good intentions of a canal system gone bad, I was intrigued to learn that the Galle Fort was built with wastewater management in mind.

In addition to the thick, high ramparts that protected the 17th century Fort, the Dutch incorporated an innovative tide-based system to manage sewage. I guess dilution is the solution for pollution.

Anyhow, I found the next part particularly interesting (warning: my source is Lonely Planet). After the Dutch, the British took control of the Fort, bred muskrats in the sewers and then exported the muskrat oil.

I have no idea what muskrat oil was used for, but do you think the British ingenuity could be the start of the green collar movement?

Flying fish

Posted on May 20, 2008 | Filed Under Dam Removal, Northeast, Outreach, River Renewal, Stories

Serena McClain, Associate Director of River Renewal
River Renewal, Restoring Rivers

More news from our Herring Warden up in Massachusetts…

Herring are preyed upon by a lot of organisms. Just a few include: striped bass, osprey, gulls, cormorants, herons, and seals. Over the last couple months, I’ve seen them gobbled up by all of the above except seals. Osprey are my favorite herring hunters since their hunting tactic of plummeting into the water from high in the sky is very dramatic.

There is a restaurant next to the site where I do most of my counts and this week the chef came out to tell me a little story. He was standing on the outdoor deck area where there are a few tables under umbrellas for dining outdoors and he saw something fly through the air. He thought one of his friends had thrown something at him, but he heard slapping and turned around to see a fish flapping on the deck right next to a table full of patrons. Next time you’re dining outside near a body of water, be warned that you could end up with more on your plate than you paid for.

As far as the herring count goes, we’re at 48,000+ and still going strong. During my mourning count, I saw 60 fish go through in ten minutes.

Cheers!
Alison

We labor long and earnestly for peace… — Sen. Alan Bible

Posted on May 20, 2008 | Filed Under Quotes

Lindsay Martin, Web Editor
River Quotes: Your Daily Escape

“We labor long and earnestly for peace, because war threatens the survival of man. It is time we labored with equal passion to defend our environment. A polluted stream can be as lethal as a bullet.” — Sen. Alan Bible

* Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives moved a step closer to establishing a law that would notify the public of sewage spills. More

River Quotes are posted weekday mornings. Want to see your favorite river quote here? Email it to lmartin@AmericanRivers.org.

Sewage Right to Know Bill Passes House Committee

Posted on May 19, 2008 | Filed Under Clean Water, Dam Removal, Government Affairs, Healthy Waters, Sewage

Katherine Baer, Director
Healthy Waters Campaign

Congress just moved a little closer to establishing your right to know for sewage spills. Last Thursday, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee voted to pass the Sewage Right to Know bill (HR 2452) and send it to the full House for consideration. The bill now has the support of over 150 groups, including the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, who represent many of the nation’s biggest sewer utilities.

USA Today ran a great story last week highlighting our crumbling infrastructure and the need for increased investment (for more about our views on this, see my earlier story). Right to know for sewage spills is a straightforward idea whose time has come and will allow us to enjoy and appreciate our local streams and rivers, while staying healthy. This sort of recognition of sewage overflows will get people to realize that continued investment in our water infrastructure is much needed. Instead of paying high prices for bottled water (pdf), let’s pay to protect our streams and rivers that provide many of us with reliable drinking water in the first place.

Something will have gone out of us as a people… — Wallace Steger

Posted on May 19, 2008 | Filed Under Quotes

Lindsay Martin, Web Editor
River Quotes: Your Daily Escape

“Something will have gone out of us as a people if we ever let the remaining wilderness be destroyed, if we permit the last virgin forests to be turned into comic books…and dirty the last clean streams and push our paved roads through the last of the silence…” — Wallace Steger

* Oregon’s renowned Rogue River is threatened by proposals to clearcut old-growth forest along key streams that feed the river. You can help protect the Rogue’s exceptional scenery and world-class recreation. More

River Quotes are posted weekday mornings. Want to see your favorite river quote here? Email it to lmartin@AmericanRivers.org.

How to take better restoration photos

Posted on May 16, 2008 | Filed Under Dam Removal, Outreach, Regions, River Renewal

Serena McClain, Associate Director of River Renewal
River Renewal, Restoring Rivers

Documenting your restoration projects does not have to involve hiring a professional photographer* or investing in an expensive SLR camera. By following a few simple tips and practicing a little, you should be able to start taking photographs that meet most of your organization’s needs and better illustrate the great work that you have accomplished.

The basics

When you set out to photograph your project, keep in mind the concept you are trying to convey, and remember that less usually is more.
Make sure you take a good ‘before’ picture. Take the photo from a couple of different angles, and if possible, try to identify a point of reference that will help you frame your ‘after’ shot.
Always set your camera to take photos on the highest resolution possible. You never know what you will want to use your pictures for and the higher the resolution the more options you have. If you are worried about space on your camera, invest in a 1G memory card. If you are downloading your pictures with any frequency at all, that should be more than enough room.
If you have shaky hands, do not be afraid to bust out a tripod. An excessively blurry photo is unusable. Plus, a tripod gives you the added benefit of being able to set your camera’s timer and put yourself in the shot if you so desire.
Learn how to adjust your white balance manually and do so. The color in your photos will often look much better than if left on auto. If you have questions about how to do this, check your camera’s manual.
When taking your ‘after’ shot, be sure to take it from the same angle that you took your best ‘before’ shot. If you identified a point of reference, make sure it is in the same place in your ‘after’ photo.
Label your photos. When storing digital images or sending them off to others, be sure the title of the photo alerts whoever is opening it to what they are going to be seeing. For example, I would label a photo of one of our project sites with the (a) name of the dam or former dam, (b) name of the river, and (c) state. Other useful information can include ‘looking upstream’, ‘looking downstream’, etc. Let’s end the DSC0000987 madness.

The more advanced set

It is generally believed that the best light to shoot nature photographs in occurs within 2 hours of either sunrise or sunset. Schedules, of course, do not always allow this to happen.
If possible, ensure something of interest is in the foreground of your photo to create a certain depth of field. For example, if you are shooting a river looking upstream, this could be a rock or boulder in the stream.
Consider framing your photograph according to the “rule of thirds”. Visualize your photograph broken into thirds both vertically and horizontally (breaking the frame into essentially 9 boxes). The rule of thirds states that you will get the most visually interesting photo if you frame your subject at one of the points where these lines intersect. Just ensure that creating a visually interesting photo does not get in the way of conveying the restoration concept you established at the outset.
If possible, go back to the site over the course of the next year and document the site as it evolves. Your ‘after’ shot is a work in progress. Wouldn’t it be great to capture the site at years 1, 3, 5, and 10?

*Will the photos be used in an ad campaign or something similar? There are definitely times when you may want to invest in a professional photographer.

In the end, our society will be defined not only by what we create… — John Sawhill

Posted on May 16, 2008 | Filed Under Quotes

Lindsay Martin, Web Editor
River Quotes: Your Daily Escape

“In the end, our society will be defined not only by what we create but by what we refuse to destroy.” — John Sawhill

* Last week, American Rivers spoke out against the Bush administration’s revised salmon management plan for the Columbia and Snake rivers. More

River Quotes are posted weekday mornings. Want to see your favorite river quote here? Email it to lmartin@AmericanRivers.org.

It is pleasant to have been to a place the way a river went. — Henry David Thoreau

Posted on May 15, 2008 | Filed Under Quotes

Lindsay Martin, Web Editor
River Quotes: Your Daily Escape

“It is pleasant to have been to a place the way a river went.” — Henry David Thoreau

* When Henry David Thoreau visited Maine’s Allagash Wilderness Waterway a century and a half ago, he was inspired by the beauty of this 92-mile ribbon of rivers, lakes and streams. Now the Allagash is threatened by attempts to weaken protections that safeguard the area’s recreational, economic and ecological values. But you can help protect the Allagash. More

River Quotes are posted weekday mornings. Want to see your favorite river quote here? Email it to lmartin@AmericanRivers.org.

Ramble around on the Potomac: June 19-22

Posted on May 14, 2008 | Filed Under Blue Trails, Events, Mid-Atlantic, River Heritage

Jamie Mierau, Director
Blue Trails, River Heritage

The Potomac River Rambles are a series of weekend canoeing and kayaking expeditions that feature educational programming, riverside camping, restoration projects, festive meals, meeting with elected officials, and much more. Novice and experienced paddlers alike enjoy a unique on-the-water experience. The Rambles aim to elevate awareness of the Potomac River’s importance to the region and to encourage local residents to play an active role in its restoration. Find out more information and register with the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin.

Rivers are the primal highways of life… –Tom Robbins

Posted on May 14, 2008 | Filed Under Quotes

Lindsay Martin, Web Editor
River Quotes: Your Daily Escape

“Rivers are the primal highways of life. From the crack of time, they had borne men’s dreams, and in their lovely rush to elsewhere fed our wanderlust, mimicked our arteries, and charmed our imaginations in a way the static pond or vast and savage ocean never could.” — Tom Robbins

* The Eightmile River in Connecticut was recently designated as a federal Wild and Scenic River. More

River Quotes are posted weekday mornings. Want to see your favorite river quote here? Email it to lmartin@AmericanRivers.org.

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