NWRC Weekly Highlights 5/25/2007

Weekly Highlights

MEMORANDUM

From: Susan Horton
Subject: Weekly Highlights, USGS National Wetlands Research Center, May 25 2007

Current News

Science Center Hosts Meeting on Lower Mississippi River Valley: On May 24, the USGS National Wetlands Research Center (NWRC) hosted an informational meeting on work in the Lower Mississippi River Valley. Attending from the USGS Central Region were Stan Ponce, Acting Regional Executive for Biology; Elly Brouwers, Regional Science Officer; Charlie Demas, Director, and Dennis Demcheck, Supervisory Hydrologist, Louisiana Water Science Center (LWSC) and Greg Smith, NWRC Director. Also attending was Bill Uihlein with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. NWRC and LWSC staff members presented overviews of their work in the Lower Mississippi River Valley. Smith and Uihlein presented information on the unique science alliance that the USGS has with the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service regarding their agencies’ work in the region. (Gaye Farris, Lafayette, LA, 337-266-8550)

USGS Scientist Speaks At EcoSummit 2007 in China: USGS scientist Ken Krauss was invited to visit China from May 20 – 31 to give talks and meet with Chinese scientists. Krauss will present a paper, “Scaling physiological processes and modeling landscape migration of mangroves,” at EcoSummit 2007 in Beijing. Then he will travel to Nanjing to give a seminar on the ecology and salt tolerance of coastal, tidally influenced freshwater forested wetland tree species from the southeastern United States to scientists at the Nanjing Botanical Gardens. Krauss will also discuss aspects of the Global Delta Science Network and how it might be complementary to larger, on-going efforts by the Chinese government for coastal windbreak forest protection for areas along the mouth of the Yangtze (Chang Jiang) river. (Ken Krauss, Lafayette, LA, 337-266-8882)

USGS Scientist Presents Paper at International Meeting: USGS scientist Beth Middleton will be presenting a paper at the Society of Wetland Scientists European Chapter in Trebon, Czech Republic on May 30. The paper entitled “Latitudinal variation in height of Lythrum salicaria in Eurasia vs. North America” is part of a special session highlighting the joint USGS/European collaborative study on purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), an invasive plant in North America but native in Europe. (Beth Middleton, Lafayette, LA, 337-266-8618)

Notable Congressional Activity

USGS Provides Map for Senator Mary Landrieu: On May 14, USGS provided an electronic copy of the map, “Hurricane Protection Projects in Southern Louisiana,” produced at the National Wetlands Research Center to Senator Mary Landrieu’s (D-LA) office. On May 15, Senator Landrieu used the USGS map as a visual aid when she spoke to the Senate on the Water Resources Development Act of 2007. (Linda Broussard, Lafayette, LA, 337-266-8692)

Press Inquiries/Media

USGS scientists Tommy Michot and USGS geographers Larry Handley and Chris Wells were quoted in a May 23 article in The Advertiser (Lafayette, LA) about gomme de mer or sea gum. Gomme de mer is floating petroleum tars found along the coast of Louisiana that occur from natural oil seepage from the ocean floor.

On May 15, USGS scientists Wylie Barrow, Clint Jeske and Tommy Michot provided information on Catahoula Lake, Breton National Wildlife Refuge, and the Chandeleur Islands for an Audubon article on Important Bird Areas in Louisiana. The article is at www.audubon.org/bird/iba. Michot was also interviewed by The Independent (Lafayette, LA) for an article about birding in Louisiana that will be published May 30.

USGS scientists Tom Doyle and Tommy Michot were interviewed May 25 for an article about the impacts of hurricanes on Louisiana’s wetlands that will be published June 3 in The Advertiser (Lafayette, LA). On May 31, USGS scientist Clint Jeske will show The Advertiser reporter field study sites along the southwest Louisiana coast and discuss the impacts of hurricanes on migratory bird habitat in that area for inclusion in the article.

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