• Work will begin soon on the Rock Island side of the Sylvan Slough Trailhead. Instead of the traditional "dig and haul" cleanup method of excavating contaminated soil and depositing it in a hazardous-waste landfill, the City of Rock Island has hired EnviroNET Inc. of Davenport to clean the soil on-site and deposit it back from where it came, in a process known as bioremediation. Contaminated soils will be mixed with wood chips, horse manure, and sand, laid out in five-foot-high piles, and covered in black plastic. Air and water will be added to the mixture, which will cook from sunlight and from the internal rise in temperature resulting from the breakdown of soils by microorganisms. Once contamination is reduced to an acceptable level, the resulting compost will be returned to the site. Eighty percent of the estimated $73,000 cost will be covered by a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The rest will be paid from funds placed in reserve by the property's former owner. The city has teamed with River Action, a local not-for-profit environmental group, to design a park that offers more than scenic vistas. The Sylvan Slough Natural Area will be a demonstration project for "Retain the Rain," River Action's effort to educate the public about stormwater runoff. The park will feature a rain garden and bio-swales to collect drainage before it enters the slough. A permeable parking lot and natural plantings will absorb the rain instead of shedding it to nearby storm sewers. Walking paths through the park will be permeable as well, formed from ground brick and concrete salvaged from buildings on the site scheduled to be demolished later this year. The city has acquired two of three properties needed for the park and has filed an eminent-domain lawsuit to obtain the third. Three small buildings have already been demolished.
• Iowa's growing deer population is an increasing problem for motorists on the state's roads and highways. Annually, an average of 7,400 deer-vehicle collisions are reported in Iowa, totaling $13 million in vehicle damage. Ten Iowans were killed in car-deer accidents in each of the past two years. Deer-vehicle crash reports and deer-death reports have increased dramatically in recent years. From 1980 through 2002, the number of deer killed on Iowa roadways nearly tripled. In addition to public-safety concerns, Iowa's burgeoning deer population causes major tree and crop damage for landowners and increases the threat of disease. In an effort to help control the problem, the Senate Natural Resources Committee last week unanimously approved legislation that takes a number of steps to shrink Iowa's massive deer herd. The legislation would increase the number of free hunting licenses for resident landowners and tenants from six to 10; allow for more special deer hunts; and make it mandatory for the Department of Natural Resources to issue depredation permits, which are designed as population-control mechanisms. The bill also would create a reporting system for hunters, which would help state officials track problem areas in the state.
• The Children's Charity of the Quad Cities, in conjunction with Davenport Council #10 of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), will present bicycles, bike locks, and helmets to 30 area children as part of Variety International's "Bikes for Kids" project at the LULAC Club (located at the 4224 Ricker Hill Road in Davenport). Additional funding for the bikes comes from the Community Foundation of the Great River Bend and the Rausch I Foundation.
• The Rock Island Community Foundation has announced that $26,388 in grants were awarded to 25 not-for-profit organizations. Founded in 1967, the foundation has given away nearly $618,000 to community groups. The Rock Island Community Foundation is a community organization formed for the purpose of promoting the civic needs and general welfare of the City of Rock Island and the surrounding areas. The foundation is funded through gifts, bequests, or grants from the citizens of the community and from area businesses.
• The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) on February 21 began taking comments on the 2004 draft of the Impaired Waters List, also referred to as the "303(d)" list. The 2004 draft list of impaired waters includes 211 water bodies, including 161 stream or river segments, 47 lakes, one flood-control reservoir, and two wetlands. There were 205 water bodies listed on the 2002 list. To be listed as impaired, a water body must be assessed based on the available monitoring data. The resulting data is used to determine if the water body meets its designated use, which could be for drinking water, primary contact recreation, aquatic life, or general uses. In Iowa, most impairments are due to habitat alterations, organic (nutrient) enrichment, siltation, indicator bacteria, turbidity, and suspended algae. Turbidity and algae are primarily problems in lakes, while high levels of nitrate are a problem for rivers that have been designated for drinking-water uses. Additional information and a state map of the impaired waters is available on the DNR Web site at (http://www.iowadnr.com/water/tmdlwqa/wqa/303d.html). Federal law requires all states to monitor and evaluate their water bodies every two years and to issue a report of which monitored waters are not meeting these designated uses.
• The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) reports that cannabinoids prevent the neurodegenerative decline associated with Alzheimer's disease in animals and in human brain tissue, according to clinical-trial data published in the current issue of the Journal of Neuroscience. Researchers at Madrid's Complutense University and the Cajal Institute reported that the intracerebroventricular administration of synthetic cannabinoids prevented cognitive impairment and decreased neurotoxicity in rats, and reduced the inflammation associated with Alzheimer's disease in human brain tissue. Recent reviews published by the Society for Neuroscience and in the journal Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Clinics of North America have noted that cannabinoids might be clinically useful in the treatment of several neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimers, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and Parkinson's disease. Previous human trials on synthetic THC (Marinol) and Alzheimer's found that administration of the drug reduced agitation and stimulated weight gain in patients suffering from the disease. For more information, look at (http://www.norml.org).
• Iowa's growing deer population is an increasing problem for motorists on the state's roads and highways. Annually, an average of 7,400 deer-vehicle collisions are reported in Iowa, totaling $13 million in vehicle damage. Ten Iowans were killed in car-deer accidents in each of the past two years. Deer-vehicle crash reports and deer-death reports have increased dramatically in recent years. From 1980 through 2002, the number of deer killed on Iowa roadways nearly tripled. In addition to public-safety concerns, Iowa's burgeoning deer population causes major tree and crop damage for landowners and increases the threat of disease. In an effort to help control the problem, the Senate Natural Resources Committee last week unanimously approved legislation that takes a number of steps to shrink Iowa's massive deer herd. The legislation would increase the number of free hunting licenses for resident landowners and tenants from six to 10; allow for more special deer hunts; and make it mandatory for the Department of Natural Resources to issue depredation permits, which are designed as population-control mechanisms. The bill also would create a reporting system for hunters, which would help state officials track problem areas in the state.
• The Children's Charity of the Quad Cities, in conjunction with Davenport Council #10 of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), will present bicycles, bike locks, and helmets to 30 area children as part of Variety International's "Bikes for Kids" project at the LULAC Club (located at the 4224 Ricker Hill Road in Davenport). Additional funding for the bikes comes from the Community Foundation of the Great River Bend and the Rausch I Foundation.
• The Rock Island Community Foundation has announced that $26,388 in grants were awarded to 25 not-for-profit organizations. Founded in 1967, the foundation has given away nearly $618,000 to community groups. The Rock Island Community Foundation is a community organization formed for the purpose of promoting the civic needs and general welfare of the City of Rock Island and the surrounding areas. The foundation is funded through gifts, bequests, or grants from the citizens of the community and from area businesses.
• The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) on February 21 began taking comments on the 2004 draft of the Impaired Waters List, also referred to as the "303(d)" list. The 2004 draft list of impaired waters includes 211 water bodies, including 161 stream or river segments, 47 lakes, one flood-control reservoir, and two wetlands. There were 205 water bodies listed on the 2002 list. To be listed as impaired, a water body must be assessed based on the available monitoring data. The resulting data is used to determine if the water body meets its designated use, which could be for drinking water, primary contact recreation, aquatic life, or general uses. In Iowa, most impairments are due to habitat alterations, organic (nutrient) enrichment, siltation, indicator bacteria, turbidity, and suspended algae. Turbidity and algae are primarily problems in lakes, while high levels of nitrate are a problem for rivers that have been designated for drinking-water uses. Additional information and a state map of the impaired waters is available on the DNR Web site at (http://www.iowadnr.com/water/tmdlwqa/wqa/303d.html). Federal law requires all states to monitor and evaluate their water bodies every two years and to issue a report of which monitored waters are not meeting these designated uses.
• The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) reports that cannabinoids prevent the neurodegenerative decline associated with Alzheimer's disease in animals and in human brain tissue, according to clinical-trial data published in the current issue of the Journal of Neuroscience. Researchers at Madrid's Complutense University and the Cajal Institute reported that the intracerebroventricular administration of synthetic cannabinoids prevented cognitive impairment and decreased neurotoxicity in rats, and reduced the inflammation associated with Alzheimer's disease in human brain tissue. Recent reviews published by the Society for Neuroscience and in the journal Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Clinics of North America have noted that cannabinoids might be clinically useful in the treatment of several neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimers, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and Parkinson's disease. Previous human trials on synthetic THC (Marinol) and Alzheimer's found that administration of the drug reduced agitation and stimulated weight gain in patients suffering from the disease. For more information, look at (http://www.norml.org).
