July, 1998

Grazing In the Grass
The National Science Foundation reports that grazing animals may play a role in preserving biodiversity among grasses. After a 10-year study of Kansas prairies, scientists suggest that regular mowing or grazing allows sunlight to reach the ground, causing more grass species to thrive.

Good News on Biodiversity
A study by the United States and Canadian branches of the World Wildlife Fund suggests that North America harbors a far more critical share of the world's biodiversity than has been generally recognized, with over 30 of its 116 bioregions ranked as globally outstanding.

A Stinky Problem
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, America's cattle, hog and poultry farms generate 1.37 billion tons of manure a year. That's 100 times what the human population produces and amounts to 5 tons of animal waste for every person. The manure has become an ecological threat.

Down in the Valley
The US Geological Survey calls the San Joaquin Valley's well water worse than half the water tested nationwide. The San Joaquin River is also polluted. Farm drainage and pesticides are the cause, according to the federal study.

Mixed Blessing
Vegetation and trees, such as eucalyptus, emit oil-based hydrocarbons to protect themselves from the sun's heat and destructive insects. They have been identified as Ventura County's second-worse producer of this essential ingredient of smog—in addition to oxygen, essential to life.

Vampire Plant
The Ventura Marsh Milkvetch, thought to be extinct for 30 years, made a reappearance in oil-polluted sand dunes near the City of Oxnard. The discovery came as a result of an environmental impact study and will possibly affect building plans for a subdivision of homes and an artificial lake.

Doctor Lizard
A UC Berkeley insect biologist has found a substance in the blood of the Western fence lizard that kills Lyme disease bacteria in ticks that feed on it. Lyme disease is prevalent on the US east coast, which is not host to the lizard. There, the disease is carried by infected deer ticks.

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