Yukon Kuskokwim Nushagak science

“a simple formula for calculating the value of a development.

‘Is it environmentally sound? Does it pay its own way? And do the people want it?

‘Because he subjected proposals to those three tests, sometimes he made decisions that were popular, sometimes not,’ she said.”

Former Lt. Gov. Fran Ulmer, a Democrat, spent six of her first years in Alaska working in Republican Hammond’s Juneau office, first as his legislative liaison and later as head of his Office of Policy Development and Planning.

Link: http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/6777146p-6666290c.html

from the Environmental Protection Agency newslist on aging [aging_initiativ] May, 2006 EPA Aging Initiative List Serve. Note that they are suggesting the use of “disinfecting” soaps, although by EPA’s own rules these soaps cannot be labelled as “disinfectants” and the active ingredient has not been demonstrated as any more effective than plain soap.

The City of Bethel has been providing copies of the Alaska state 2006 Spring Flood Breakup Guide available in pdf format here http://www.ak-prepared.com/community_services/ acrobat_docs/2006_SpringFloodBreakup_SOP.pdf.
It has some good recommendations for preparedness, few of which Bethel has implemented. A most important addition would be a topographic map of all the low-lying areas so newcomers would know when their roads would be cut-off.

EPA Urges Caution When Working in Areas Exposed to Contaminated Flood Water - Website Available with Flooding Information
http://www.epa.gov/aging/press/epanews/2006/2006_0517_1.htm
(Boston, Mass. - May 17, 2006) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is cautioning the public and all responders about the potential hazards associated with flood waters. Every effort should be made to limit contact with flood water due to potentially elevated levels of contamination associated with raw sewage and other hazardous substances.

EPA offers the following guidelines for those in contact with flood water:

Read the rest of this entry »

Pigs test positive for bird flu in village See comment
19 May 2006

JAKARTA: Pigs have tested positive for bird flu in the same village on Indonesia’s Sumatra island where five people have been confirmed infected with the H5N1 avian influenza virus, a minister said….

The H5N1 virus is endemic in much of Indonesia.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3672308a12,00.html

I wanted some confirmation of this newstory before posting. As those of you who have educated yourselves on influenza know, moving from ducks into pigs can be significant.

Here is what ProMED has to say–
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ProMED-mail

[Serological or other evidence for the possible current involvement of pigs in the epidemiology of HPAI H5N1 in Indonesia deserve to be carefully analysed and confirmed by a reference laboratory.

An official notification, sent by the Indonesian Veterinary Services to the OIE on 23 May 2005 (see 20050601.1526), said that H5N1 AI virus was detected in nasal swabs from clinically sound pigs in 2 locations within the Tangerang district, Banten province, West Java. Out of 26 swabs sampled
on 23 Feb 2005, 14 Apr 2005 and 26 Apr 2005, 12 were reportedly found positive. It further stated that “partial stamping out” was “to be undertaken.”

Thus far, no clinical cases in pigs have been reported from Indonesia. - Mod.AS]

The Anchorage Daily News has some photos of how the birds are caught and sampled, including this one.

http://www.adn.com/life/health/birdflu/story/7739824p-7651487c.html