Down to Earth Blog

Environmental Early-Warning System: The Associated Press reported Nov. 25 that a coalition of organizations plans to monitor the environmental health of the Appalachian Trail "to build an early warning system for the 120 million people along the Eastern Seaboard."

The coalition includes the American Hiking Society, the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service.

The groups will have professional scientists and "citizen scientist" volunteers collecting data about the trail's health, including "measuring tree diameters, taking photographs to illustrate visibility, tracking the arrival times of migratory birds and dating the blooming and leaf loss of trees."

Noting changes along the trail, such as the number of bad smog days in the Great Smoky Mountains, could help raise public awareness about environmental issues on the Eastern Seaboard.

The long-term project, called the Appalachian Trail Mega-Transect, is just getting started.  It sounds like a great way to participate in monitoring and protecting a national treasure and the eastern part of the United States in general. You can read more about the A.T. Mega-Transect here:  Appalachian Trail Conservancy.

Will you volunteer to help?

Technorati Tags: Appalachian Trail, Environment, Environmental Health

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• #4 Comment from tayloroceans
  12/10/06 11:53 AM | Permalink

  this has been a very serious situation for many years. It seems to me; after alot has been said; but what has really been done? For all the generations to come how will they cope with this? If we all work on it now; they could stay with the plan! However we need to implement; a planning commision; a group that are especally eguiped to work on this very serious issue. The groups listed above are just whats really needed; I wish them all the very best! A sincere entry from one who truely does care!! GOD'S SPEED
• #3 Comment from tayloroceans
  12/10/06 11:53 AM | Permalink

  this has been a very serious situation for many years. It seems to me; after alot has been said; but what has really been done? For all the generations to come how will they cope with this? If we all work on it now; they could stay with the plan! However we need to implement; a planning commision; a group that are especally eguiped to work on this very serious issue. The groups listed above are just whats really needed; I wish them all the very best! A sincere entry from one who truely does care!! GOD'S SPEED
• #2 Comment from rbrsoik
  11/30/06 6:23 PM | Permalink

  This a farce ... I remember 20 years ago when hiking the trails and noticing how many trees at higher elevations were dying from acid rain and the "BIG" business scientists were all saying there wasn't any conclusive proof that global warming and polution was causing this ... how stupid can we Americans be .....gawd
• #1 Comment from radar446
  11/26/06 7:35 PM | Permalink

  I will have to look into this.  The AT is something near and dear to my heart.  Thanks for the heads-up.
  
  Greg
  http://journals.aol.com/radar446/PhotoTrek/
  http://journals.aol.com/radar446/WaterfallTrekking/