Toolbox: Database Helps Track Broken Promises on Parkland Conservation

April 24, 2013–Seattle-based InvestigateWest published a feature package last summer documenting illegal parkland conversions in Michigan, New York City, and Oklahoma. They could not cover all the other states — that was left for you to do, with the assistance of their database of some 40,000 federal grants under the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

Places: Habitats of a Human Lifetime

April 15, 2013–

Toms River

April 15, 2013–

Are We Ready for the Next Superstorm?

January 15, 2013–In this excerpt from the latest issue of SEJournal (Winter), Francesca Lyman asks "What does Hurricane Sandy tell us about coping with human health and consequences of climate change?"

Obama Administration Trying To Speed up Transmission Line Approvals

October 26, 2011–As part of its push to improve the nation's power system, the Obama administration is trying to expedite construction of 7 transmission lines, in various stages of planning and design, spanning 3,100 miles in 12 states.

EPA Finalizes 15 Additional Superfund Sites, Proposes 11 More

September 28, 2011–Sites in CA, GA, IL, IN, MS, NC, NJ, NM, NY, OR, SC, TN, and TX received a final designation of Superfund status, meaning they are among the most toxic in the country, due to contamination from industrial operations, mining, military activities, landfills, and other sources.

Urban Forest Projects Address Energy, Health, Education, More

August 31, 2011–Organizations in IL, NY, and TX received substantial funding from the US Forest Service so they can work on projects related to urban forests. The products and efforts are available for use by others around the country, making them of interest to any journalist covering urban environmental or health issues.

41 New Trails Span About 650 Miles

June 8, 2011–Just in time for summer, 41 new segments of the US National Recreation Trails system in AL, AR, CT, FL, IL, IN, KS, MA, MD, MI, MN, NJ, NM, OK, PA, TN, and WV, covering about 650 land and water miles in 17 states, are open for business. These are part of a much larger system of about 1,100 trails spanning 13,000 miles.

Natural Gas Hazards Drawing Federal Attention

July 7, 2010–After hearing for years about public concern over the adverse health and environmental effects of hydraulic fracturing used to increase production of natural gas, US EPA has begun a process (including 4 public meetings in July; CO, NY, PA, TX) to decide what the issues are and how to address them.

Boaters and Fishers Pay Taxes, Get Rewards

April 28, 2010–Dept. of Interior/US Fish and Wildlife Service awards $12 million for construction of docks, boat slips, and other recreational boating facilities at 13 locations in 10 states.