Covering for the slovenly among us, hundreds of thousands of volunteers are expected to participate in an annual trash collection effort on Sept. 15, 2007, along the shores of the world's oceans, lakes, and rivers.

Along with the usual spooky and spine-tingling sights we have come to expect in caves, another scary inhabitant is turning up — contaminants such as PCBs, pesticides, dioxins, gasoline, fertilizers, sewage, and caffeine. These pollutants, which are leaching into caves from the surface and groundwater, can pose a threat to the delicate underground environments that are prized by many, and that provide benefits to people, plants, and animals on the surface. The presence of these contaminants underground also serves as a blunt reminder of how pervasive pollutants are.

On Oct. 2, the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act turns 40. How are your local rivers faring? Here's a collection of ideas, sources, and resources for river-related stories.

The US military has created at least 31,487 toxic sites at 4,624 military facilities or properties. Many of these have been cleaned up to some degree over the past few decades, but 7,056 still haven't had any cleanup, nor is there an accepted cleanup plan in place, according to the Sept. 18, 2008, testimony of Wayne Arny (703-695-2880), Deputy Under Secretary of Defense, before the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee.

In addition to casting their vote for president on Nov. 4, 2008, many people will be voting on environmental ballot measures of one type or another. At the state level, there are several dozen ballot measures related to issues such as agriculture, energy, or natural resources.

The long-running battle over the status of wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains is heading into another critical stretch.

The deliberate sale of invasive plants, through nurseries and similar venues, is one of the many routes through which they spread.

The Bush administration's strategic NextGen plan to enable the tripling of US air traffic ignores global warming, a report out today charges.

Throughout the West, farmers' fields are covered in tall grass. That's not neglect - it's profitable.

The US Forest Service is expected, possibly as soon as mid-July 2007, to release its environmental assessment for aerial applications of fire retardant.