New release of BioMap provides powerful tool for conservation in the Commonwealth

MassWildlife | Division of Fisheries and Wildlife

"An updated version of BioMap, an online tool that identifies critical lands and waterways throughout the Commonwealth in need of conservation, was released in November by MassWildlife and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in Massachusetts. The web portal delivers the latest scientific data and resources to help state and local governments, land trusts, non-government organizations, and other conservation partners strategically plan projects to conserve wildlife and their habitats. The latest version of BioMap combines more than 40 years of rigorously documented rare species and natural community records from MassWildlife with cutting-edge climate resilience data from The Nature Conservancy and spatial data identifying intact fish and wildlife communities, habitats, and ecosystems that are the focus of the Massachusetts State Wildlife Action Plan. BioMap offers users a detailed view of habitats, species, and resilient landscapes, both locally and statewide. BioMap users can customize data and use the site’s new online Habitat Restoration Resource Center to plan habitat management and land stewardship projects. Additionally, BioMap provides strategies to help communities prepare for, recover from, and adapt to climate change, while bolstering habitat resilience. Taken together, these efforts help to protect the state’s extraordinary biodiversity now and into the future." Read More & Start Exploring the BioMap

Thousands of Cape Cod homeowners may need to replace septic systems under new state regulations

Barbara Moran | WBUR

"A proposed change in state regulations could require tens of thousands of Massachusetts residents to replace or upgrade their septic systems in the next five years, unless local water districts come up with plans to mitigate nitrogen pollution. The new regulations would at first affect only Cape Cod, where decades of nitrogen pollution — primarily from septic systems — has led to severely diminished water quality in bays and estuaries. But the regulations will eventually expand to include other affected areas in Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket and the south coast of Massachusetts. [...] In most Cape Cod households, wastewater from toilets, dishwashers, sinks and showers runs through septic systems that release liquid into nearby soil, rather than centralized water treatment plants.Because the soil on Cape Cod is so sandy and porous, dissolved nutrients — like nitrogen from urine — make their way to nearby waterways. Excess nitrogen prompts overgrowth of algae and invasive plants that smother native ecosystems, resulting in murky, foul-smelling water." Read More

How a dangerous stew of air pollution is choking the United States

Virginia Gewin | Nature

"In September 2020, the skies in Oregon turned crimson as dozens of wildfires scorched forests in the Cascade Mountains. In just three days, the blazes engulfed nearly 4,000 square kilometres — more than had burnt in Oregon during the previous 36 years combined. For two weeks, the acrid air held residents hostage in their homes. The Oregon Health Authority documented a 38% increase in respiratory-related visits to hospital emergency departments during September 2020, compared with the previous month. It was “the worst two-week period I’ve ever experienced for air pollution anywhere — including India, China and Bangladesh”, says Perry Hystad at Oregon State University in Corvallis, who studies the health impacts of the worst air pollution worldwide." Read More

Unlocking the clean energy beneath our feet

HEET Press Release

"In Framingham, Massachusetts, two University of California Berkeley scientists, a New Hampshire driller and a climate nonprofit director stare down the same 600 foot borehole. This unlikely crew is gathered on an Eversource Gas worksite, where the gas utility is installing an energy system to heat and cool homes—without gas. HEET, a Massachusetts climate nonprofit, has been planning this moment for years. HEET first pitched this energy system, known as networked geothermal, as a clean heat business model to gas utilities in 2017. Networked geothermal accesses the natural temperature of the earth and distributes it through pipes filled with water. In Framingham, it will heat and cool over forty homes and businesses, including low-income housing managed by the Framingham Housing Authority. [...] In preparation for utility-run systems like the one in Framingham to become a reality, HEET has convened top scientists and experts from across the country to evaluate networked geothermal as a viable pathway to zero-emissions heating and cooling. Massachusetts Clean Energy Center awarded HEET a $5 million grant for the multi-year research effort. " Read More

Squirrel Talk: What Does That Noise Mean?

Laurie D. Morrissey | Northern Woodlands

"...The gray squirrel [Sciurus carolinensis] is one of two species of tree squirrels in the Northeast. The other, the red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus), is more territorial than its larger cousin and is the more vocal of the two. In a mostly coniferous forest, the squirrel you hear chattering is likely a red squirrel, which feeds mainly on the seeds of evergreen trees. Gray squirrels are more common in mature hardwood forests or mixed deciduous-conifer forests, where they find tree nuts, holes for nesting, and a dense canopy to hide in. [...] In spite of how ubiquitous gray squirrels are, there has been surprisingly little study of their communication system, according to biologist Thaddeus McRae, of Lee University in Tennessee, who has studied gray squirrels in Florida, New York, and other locations. “The species has quite a varied repertoire of vocalizations, including a squeak similar to that of a mouse, a low-pitched noise, a chatter, and a raspy 'mehr mehr mehr,' he said. These vocalizations are used to alert other squirrels, shoo predators away, and attract mates." Read More

Solar panels must cover parking lots, rules French Senate

Carlton Reid | Forbes

"French senators have ruled that parking lots with 80 or more cars must have at least half of the spaces covered with solar panels. The decision—passed on November 4—still has to gain assent in the Assemblée Nationale upper house. The stipulation could generate up 11 gigawatts, or the equivalent of ten nuclear reactors, says the French government. The proposal was part of a package urging for the acceleration of renewable energies. Car parks, away from protected areas, with more than 400 spaces must fit solar panels within three years, states the bill." Read More