WEB SITES
Organizations’ and Research Associations’ Web Sites
International Web Sites
U.S. Federal Government Agency Web Sites
Commercial Web Site
BOOKS
Organizations’ and Research Associations’ Web Sites
Biodiesel: National Biodiesel Board Web Site
http://www.biodiesel.org/
This site is a source for consumer and trade information about biodiesel, defined on the site as, "a domestic, renewable fuel for diesel engines derived from natural oils like soybean oil." Background information is provided along with a list of FAQ as well as links to press releases and news features. A Reports Database offers searchable access to .PDF files of technical reports from government agencies and private organizations. This official Web site of the National Biodiesel Board explains the board’s purpose as “a national trade association representing the biodiesel industry as the coordinating body for research and development in the US." (Adapted from Librarians’ Index to the Internet, LII, copyright 2004, http://lii.org)
Climate of Uncertainty: American Radio Works Documentary
http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/climate/
This is a one-hour audio program produced by Daniel Grossman and John Rudolph that examines potential effects of global warming on the northern half of the United States in future decades. Sections of the program concentrate on ice cores used in paleoclimatology, the status of a massive current known as the great ocean conveyor belt which affects climate, and possible actions humans could take to reduce climatic catastrophe. (This site was reviewed in 2004 by the Internet Scout Project ( http://scout.wisc.edu); see copyright statement at the end of this section.)
Environment Media Services (EMS): Library
http://www.ems.org/library.html
The EMS is “a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing journalists with the most current information on environmental issues,” and its Web site has been featured in this column before, but it bears another visit to remind readers of the valuable Library section. Background information, fast facts, press releases, summaries of news stories, and links to reliable Web sites are provided for major topics within the broad categories of: Environmental Health; Energy; Transportation & Sprawl; Climate & Air; Land & Ecology; Oceans & Water; Government; and Consumer. Options for the reader to find stories of current events or an overview of a particular topic are clear and well organized.
Extreme Oil
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/extremeoil/
This Web site provides background to a documentary produced by the Educational Broadcasting Corporation and Thirteen/WNET New York that aired in September 2004 presenting the extremes to which oil industry operators must go to find the resource now that the easy sources have been exhausted. Three visually appealing segments, entitled: The Journey, The History, and The Science, present aspects of the story. The Journey traces oil from four specific sources in the world from its origins in the earth to consumer use, elaborating on how source sites determine equipment needed, businesses involved, environmental factors, political decisions, and what happens to enormous amounts of money. The History segment reveals how rapidly the oil industry changed from the late 19th century to the present along with scientific developments that found increasing use for petroleum products in a variety of industries. The section on Science examines exploration, production, transportation, and refining, with a special Excavation Feature in which readers may learn about oil extraction methods and determine which make the most sense based on advantages and drawbacks presented. Includes a visual chronology depicting key discoveries, geographic locations, and players in the evolution of the oil industry. (This site was reviewed in 2004 by the Internet Scout Project ( http://scout.wisc.edu); see copyright statement at the end of this section.)
Frogs: A Chorus of Colors
Exhibition of the American Museum of Natural History
http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/frogs/?src=e_ce
This visually appealing site offers thorough background information as an online companion to an exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH). Quoting from the Web site, the Museum is a “pioneer in modern frog research and has one of the largest frog collections in the world. AMNH expeditions to remote mountaintops, as well as surveys of local wetlands, continue to uncover new populations and species—but also reveal environmental changes that threaten frogs' existence. Many efforts are underway to reverse this downward trend globally and in our own backyards. As just one example, all of the live frogs displayed in this exhibition have been captive-bred, to protect their populations in the wild.” A FrogCam enables visitors to the Web site to watch frogs at the AMNH and to see them getting fed; an audio section lets users hear the sounds made by a variety of species. An excellent site for educators and anyone interested in experiencing a captivating introduction to the world of frogs. (This site was reviewed in 2004 by the Internet Scout Project (http://scout.wisc.edu); see copyright statement at the end of this section.)
National Association of Conservation Districts
http://www.nacdnet.org/
Although known by different names across the nation, such as soil and water conservation districts, natural resource districts, or land conservation departments, this Web site consolidates details about the 3,000 districts in the United States. An interactive map displays links to district officers, board members, and other contact persons. Educational activities are described, and online publications are available, such as a weekly newsletter entitled E-notes, monthly NACD News & Notes, and Forestry Notes, a joint publication of NACD, USDA Forest Service, and the National Association of State Foresters. (This site was reviewed in 2004 by the Internet Scout Project ( http://scout.wisc.edu); see copyright statement at the end of this section.)
Problem Aquatic Plants:
Invasive, Exotic, Aquatic, and Wetland Plants in the Western United States
http://www.wapms.org/plants/
This Web site, maintained by the Western Chapter of the Aquatic Plant Management Society, aims to promote management of non-native and nuisance aquatic vegetation by encouraging scientific research, advertising student scholarships, offering scientific information to society members, and fostering public interest in aquatic plant management activities. (Adapted from Librarians’ Index to the Internet, LII, copyright 2004, http://lii.org)
Science Bulletins from the American Museum of Natural History
http://sciencebulletins.amnh.org/
Tune in to this Web site to follow news in areas of astrophysics, earth science, and biodiversity delivered with data visualizations and documentary feature stories on scientists in the field. Bulletins’ contents are complied by curatorial and scientific staff of the American Museum of Natural History together with in-house writers, producers, and designers, all in collaboration with institutions worldwide dedicated to fostering scientific understanding. NASA is a primary partner in providing educational programming support.
International Web Sites
Avibase: The World Bird Database
http://www.bsc-eoc.org/avibase/avibase.jsp
Bird Studies Canada, the Canadian copartner of Birdlife International, hosts this Web resource that is managed by Denis Lepage. Presenting information about all the birds of the world, this Web site contains over 1.4 million records describing 10,000 species and 22,000 subspecies of birds, including distribution information, taxonomy, synonyms in several languages and more. The section called Birdlinks is arranged by geographic area to present Web sites containing checklists, bird names and taxonomy, organizations, and search engines peculiar to regions of the world. Birdlinks are categorized in other groupings as well such as backyard birds, books, conservation, humor, images, monitoring, software, sounds, and webcams. Avibase may be searched in any language, and the site itself is available in eleven languages, with Icelandic and Afrikaans as the most recent additions. (This site was reviewed in 2004 by the Internet Scout Project (http://scout.wisc.edu); see copyright statement at the end of this section.)
Electronic Biologia Centrali-Americana
http://www.sil.si.edu/DigitalCollections/bca/
Digital edition of an important and out-of-print, 58-volume publication that describes over 50,000 species of plants and animals as well as 18,000 images. Partners in the Biologia Centrali-Americana Centennial project are working on this digitization project in order to make information sources available that currently exist in print or other formats and are widely distributed so that they are difficult to discover and use. Over time, new descriptions of species will be linked to the original text. Key partners sponsoring and carrying out the work to develop this resource come from the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History, Natural History Museum of London, Smithsonian Institution Libraries, Missouri Botanical Gardens. Dave Remsen is Project Manager and Universal Biological Indexer and Organizer. (This site was reviewed in 2004 by the Internet Scout Project (http://scout.wisc.edu); see copyright statement at the end of this section.)
Freshwater: The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
http://freshwater.unep.net/
The UNEP’s Environment Network Web site (http://www.unep.net/) has six thematic portals, one of which is this Freshwater site. Staff at the UNEP study the world’s freshwater resources and monitor decline in quantity and quality. The Freshwater Web site brings together publications such as conference proceedings, fact sheets, descriptions of research initiatives, case studies, maps, datasets, photographs, and background papers on several topics. The Web site is divided in sections by key issues, specifically: water scarcity, irrigated agriculture, water quality, ground water, transboundary water management, water and ecosystems, floods and drought, and urban water. (This site was reviewed in 2004 by the Internet Scout Project (http://scout.wisc.edu); see copyright statement at the end of this section.)
GeoServ: Geological Survey of Canada – Terrain Sciences
http://sts.gsc.nrcan.gc.ca/clf/geoserv.asp
Developed by staff in the Terrain Sciences Division of the Geological Survey of Canada (all part of Natural Resources Canada), GeoServ “delivers interactive maps on the Web and provides access to key geoscience data in the form of dynamic maps and associated databases.” GeoServ integrates access to several databases developed by other projects within the Canadian Geological Survey. Notable resources include: the National Permafrost Database containing data on permafrost thermal regime and permafrost thickness; the Canadian Diatom Database with nearly 5,000 samples with descriptions and geographic locations; Flood Disasters Database with summary information on floods occurring between 1900 and 1997; Canadian Peatland Database describing nature and distribution of peatlands as a base for monitoring effects of climatic change; and Mapping Ancient History, with information about archaeological and palaeobiological sites in Canada and surrounding areas over the past 18 millennia. (This site was reviewed in 2004 by the Internet Scout Project (http://scout.wisc.edu); see copyright statement at the end of this section.)
Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF)
http://www.rerf.or.jp/
The foundation is a Japanese-United States “scientific research institution organization which focuses on the study of health effects in survivors of the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.” Introductory information on the Web site describes the organization’s mission as one of analyzing cancer incidence and mortality data for the large affected population in order to contribute risk management information to guide radiation protection standards worldwide. The Web site is produced in both Japanese and English, and offers a list of FAQ and a glossary to help educate readers about radiation in general and the RERF’s work in particular. (Adapted from Librarians’ Index to the Internet, LII, copyright 2004, http://lii.org)
U.S. Federal Government Agency Web Sites
Historical Photographs Collection -- Bureau of Land Management
http://www.photos.blm.gov/hist_index.asp
This new addition to the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) digital photo library (http://www.photos.blm.gov/index.asp) presents over 3,500 digitized images dating from 1890 to the 1980s. The collection helps to “document the nation’s westward migration and highlight the activities of the General Land Office and the Grazing Service, which were later consolidated to form the BLM.” As the Web site explains, “the BLM is an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior with responsibility for managing more than 262 million surface acres of America's public lands and their natural resources primarily in twelve Western states. The agency is also responsible for administering 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation.” Visitors to the site may browse the entire collection or search by keywords or in fields such as date, description, and photographer. Images may be downloaded free of charge and reprinted within guidelines published on the Web site. (Adapted from Librarians’ Index to the Internet, LII, copyright 2004, http://lii.org/)
NOAA Fisheries: Office of Protected Resources
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/prot_res/index.html
Information about marine life in waters surrounding the United States is available on this Web site, such as reports on conservation efforts, current threats, legislation, and publications. Whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals, and sea lions are mammal species under NOAA’s jurisdiction. Staff in the Office of Protected Resources are responsible for implementing the Marine Mammal Protection Act, Endangered Species Act, and Fur Seal Act. Sections of the Web site make it easy to locate educational information and recent news on topics including: endangered species, marine mammal conservation, coral reefs and biodiversity, international activities, and links to publications. (This site was reviewed in 2004 by the Internet Scout Project (http://scout.wisc.edu); see copyright statement at the end of this section.)
Nonindigenous Aquatic Species, from the United States Geological Survey, Center for Aquatic Resource Studies
http://nas.er.usgs.gov/
Covering the United States, this Web site is the, “central repository for accurate and spatially referenced biogeographic accounts of nonindigenous aquatic species.” The site provides scientific reports, an option to search a collection of aquatic invasive species databases, spatial data sets, regional contact lists, and general information.
Commercial Web Site
Science Daily
http://www.sciencedaily.com/
Science Daily is chock full of news items on topics in all areas of science with late breaking stories that have integrated links to related items published earlier, weekly digests, and options for e-mail updates or a RSS-based newsfeed. The site is maintained by science writer/editor Dan Hogan and his wife Michele, a teacher and specialist in science education; they have offered the service since 1995. Archives are searchable with keywords and options to select a topical section as well as relevance or date ranking of results. The overwhelming volume of content on Science Daily is made manageable by its organization including segments such as News Sections, Science Topics, Health Topics, Computing, Encyclopedia, and Science Shop. News Sections on Plants & Animals and Earth & Climate and Science Topics on Earth Sciences and Environment may be of particular interest to Electronic Green Journal readers. Content comes primarily from universities and research agencies and institutes. The encyclopedia links to the wikipedia project, developing an open-access, community-authored reference source available in several languages. (Adapted from Librarians’ Index to the Internet, LII, copyright 2004, http://lii.org)
Copyright Statement for Items from the Internet Scout Project: Copyright Susan Calcari and the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, 1994-2004. The Internet Scout Project (http://scout.wisc.edu/), located in the Computer Sciences Department of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, provides information about the Internet to the U.S. research and education community under a grant from the National Science Foundation, number NCR-9712163. The Government has certain rights in this material. Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of the entire Scout Report provided this paragraph, including the copyright notice, are preserved on all copies.
BOOKS
Artiola, Janick F., Ian L. Pepper, & Mark L. Brusseau. (Eds.). (2004). Environmental monitoring and characterization. Boston: Academic Press. ISBN 0120644770. US$74.95
Bass, Rick. (2004). Caribou rising: Defending the porcupine herd, Gwich-'in culture, and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Berkeley, CA: Sierra Club/University of California Press. ISBN 1578051142. US$19.95
Baumgartner, Ruedi and Ruedi Hoegger. (Eds.). (2004). In search of sustainable livelihood systems: Managing resources and change. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. ISBN 076199808X. US$54.95
Black, Maggie. (2004). The No-nonsense guide to water. New York: Verso/W.W. Norton. ISBN 1 84467 509 2 (paper). US$10.00
Blewitt, John, & Cedric Cullingford. (Eds.). (2004). The sustainability curriculum: The challenge for higher education . Sterling, VA: Stylus Publications. ISBN 1853839493 (paper). US$29.95
Bocking, Stephen. (2004). Nature's experts: Science, politics, and the environment. Piscataway, NJ: Rutgers University Press. ISBN 0813533988 (paper). US$24.95
Child, Brian. (Ed.). (2004). Parks in transition: Biodiversity, rural development and the bottom line. Ster ling, VA: Stylus Publications. ISBN 1844070697 (paper). US$29.95
Earley, Lawrence S. (2004). Looking for Longleaf: The fall and rise of an American forest. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 0807828866. US$27.50
Falkenmark, Malin, & Johan Rockstroem. (2004). Balancing water for humans and nature: The new approach in ecohydrology. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing. ISBN 1853839272 (paper). US$37.50
George, Susan. (2004). Another world is possible if... New York: Verso/W. W. Norton. ISBN 1844675106 (paper). US$16.00
Gerold, Gerhard, Michael Fremerey, & Edi Guhardja. (Eds.). (2004). Land use, nature conservation and the stability of rainforest margins in Southeast Asia (Environmental science) New York: Springer Verlag. ISBN 3540006036. US$119.00
Gunter, Michael M. (2004). Building the next ark: How NGOs work to protect biodiversity. Lebanon, NH: Dartmouth College/University Press of New England. ISBN 1584653833. US$26.00
Hannesson, Roegnvaldur. (2004). The privatization of the oceans. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. ISBN 0262083345. US$35.00
Hindmarsh, Richard, & Geoffrey Lawrence. (Eds.). (2004). Recoding nature: Critical perspectives on genetic engineering. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press. ISBN 0868407410 (paper). US$26.95
Hunt, Constance Elizabeth. (2004). Thirsty planet: Strategies for sustainable water management. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 1842772430 (paper). US$22.50
Karnosky, D.F., K. E. Percy, A.H. Chappelka, C. Simpson, & J. Pikkaraine (Eds.). (2003). Air pollution, global change and forests in the new millennium (Developments in environmental science, 3). Amsterdam: Elsevier Science. ISBN 0080443176. US$140.00
Kondratyev, Kirill Ya., V. F. Krapivin , V.P. Savinykh, & C.A. Varotsos. (2004). Global ecodynamics : A multidimensional analysis (Springer-Praxis books in environmental sciences). New York: Springer Verlag. ISBN 3540204768. US$199.00
Kuetting, Gabriela. Globalization and the environment: Greening global political economy (SUNY series in global politics). Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. ISBN 0791461351. US$40.00
Leaf, Sue. (2004). Potato City: Nature, history, and community in the age of sprawl. St. Paul, MN: Borealis Books / Minnesota Historical Society. ISBN 0873515072. US$22.95
Margulis, Sergio. (2004). Causes of deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon (World Bank working paper, no. 22). Washington, DC: World Bank Publications. ISBN 0821356917 (paper). US$22.00
Mayers, James, & Stephen Bass. (2004). Policy that works for forests and people: Real prospects for governance and livelihoods. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publications. ISBN 1844070964 (paper). US$59.95
Mottershead, Terri (Ed.). (2004). Sustainable development in Hong Kong. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press. ISBN 9622094910. US$49.50
Mowat, Farley. (2004). No man's river. New York: Carroll and Graf. ISBN 0786714301. US$25.00
Mueller, Greg M., Gerald F. Bills, & Mercedes S. Foster (Eds.). (2004). Biodiversity of fungi: Inventory and monitoring methods. Boston: Academic Press. ISBN 0125095511. US$99.95
Orr, David W. (2004). Earth in mind: On education, environment, and the human prospect. Washington, DC: Island Press. ISBN 1559634952 (paper). US$19.95
Peacock, Alan. Eco-literacy for primary schools. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing. ISBN1858563046 (paper). US$25.00
Perez, Oren. Ecological sensitivity and global legal pluralism: Rethinking the trade and environment conflict (International studies in the theory of private law, 3). Oxford, United Kingdom: Hart Publishing. ISBN 1841133485. US$84.00
Perlman, Judith. (2004). Citizen's primer for conservation activism: How to fight development in your community. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press. ISBN 0292702906 (paper). US$18.95
Ralston, Bruce. (2004). GIS and public data. Clifton Park, NJ: Delmar Learning/Thomson Learning. ISBN 1401877818. US$74.95
Reid, Catherine. (2004). Coyote: Seeking the hunter in our midst . New York: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0618329641. US$19.00
Roberts, Jane. (2004). Environmental policy (Environment & society texts; Routledge introductions to environment series). New York: Routledge/Taylor & Francis. ISBN 0415198860 (paper). US$31.95
Rosenberg, Norman J., F. Blaine Metting, & R. Cesar Izaurralde (Eds.). (2004). Applications of biotechnology to mitigation of greenhouse warming: Proceedings of the St. Michaels workshop, April 2003. Columbus, OH: Battelle Press. ISBN 1574771418 (paper). US$45.00
Sayer, Jeffrey, & Bruce Campbell. (2004). The science of sustainable development: Local livelihoods and the global environment. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521534569 (paper). US$35.00
Scott, Doug. (2004). The enduring wilderness: Protecting our heritage through the Wilderness Act. Golden, CO: Fulcrum Publishing. ISBN 1555915272 (paper). US$12.95
Sobel, Jack A., & Craig P. Dalgren (Eds.). (2004). Marine reserves: A guide to science, design, and use. Washington, DC: Island Press. ISBN 1559638400. US$70.00
Speth, James Gustave. (2004). Red sky at morning: America and the crisis of the global environment New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. ISBN 0300102321. US$24.00
Steger, Ulrich (Ed.). (2004). The business of sustainability: Building industry cases for corporate sustainability. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN1403933960. US$65.00
Stenseth, Nils, Geir Ottersen, James W. Hurrell, & Andrea Belgrano (Eds.). (2004). Marine ecosystems and climate variation: The North Atlantic—a comparativeperspective. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0198507488. US$124.50
Stewart, C. Neal. (2004). Genetically modified planet: Environmental impacts of genetically engineered plants. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195157451. US$29.95
Tamm, Eric Enno. (2004). Beyond the outer shores: The untold odyssey of Ed Ricketts, the pioneering ecologist who inspired John Steinbeck and Joseph Campbell. New York: Four Walls 8 Windows/Publishers Group West. ISBN1568582986. US$26.00
Turney, Jon. (2003). Lovelock and Gaia: Signs of life (Revolutions in science). New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 0231134304. US$19.50
Tveten, John L., & Gloria Tveten. (2004). Our life with birds: A nature trails book. College Station, TX: Texas A & M University Press. ISBN 1585443808. US$24.95
Vallero, Daniel A. (2004). Environmental contaminants: Assessment and control. San Diego, CA: Academic Press. ISBN 0127100571. US$68.98
Vermeij, Geerat J. (2004). Nature: An economic history. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. ISBN 0691115273. US$35.00
Wehr, Kevin. (2004). America's fight over water: The environmental and political effects of large-scale water systems (Studies in American popular history and culture). New York: Routledge/Taylor & Francis. ISBN 0415949300. US$85.00
Weyler, Rex. (2004). Greenpeace: How a group of journalists, ecologists and visionaries changed the world. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN1594861064. US$24.95
Wojtkowski, Paul A. (2004). Landscape agroecology. New York: Food Products Press/Haworth Press. ISBN 1560222530 (paper). US$49.95
World Bank Board of Executive Directors. (2004). A Better Investment Climate for Everyone: World Bank Development Report 2005. New York: Oxford University Press and World Bank Publications. ISBN 0821357247 (cloth); 0821356828 (paper). US$50.00 cloth; $26.00 paper. Available online: http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTWDR2005/Resources/complete_report.pdf |