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Monday, April 21, 2008
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2008 Democratic National Convention
Here are the nuts and bolts of the nominating process from the 2008 Democratic National Convention Blog Convention 101. They write: "When the 45th Democratic National Convention is called to order on Monday, August 25, 2008 in Denver, Colorado, it will be the culmination of more than 24 months of formal planning by the Democratic Party to structure a nominating cycle and nominating Convention that represents the Party's principles of openness, fairness and diversity.
"These formal planning efforts occur on two fronts. The first is the written codification of rules and provisions to guide the selection of delegates and alternates by the national and state Democratic Parties to the National Convention. The second is the logistical and operational planning efforts by the Party to select a Convention host city and to produce a Convention that will allow Denver and the Party to shine before an international audience."
"2008 pres"
6:00:14 PM 
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Trust for Public Land: Conservation Almanac
Environmental News Network: "The first, single, comprehensive online database of land conservation in America was unveiled today by the Trust for Public Land (TPL), a national conservation organization. The website, www.ConservationAlmanac.org, is the definitive source of information about land conservation at the state and federal level, including acreage protected and dollars spent. TPL created the Conservation Almanac as a direct response to the numerous questions posed by policy makers, members of the media, and conservation leaders about the growing field of land conservation in America. The data has taken five years to collect and will be updated as new information becomes available."
"colorado water"
5:59:06 PM
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Animas River Stakeholders Group scores an Cooperative Conservation Award from the USGS
The USGS has recognized the Animas River Stakeholders Group with a Department of the Interior Cooperative Conservation Award today. From the press release:
The Animas River Stakeholders Group was recognized with the Department of the Interior's Cooperative Conservation Award today for significant improvements to water quality and aquatic habitat in Colorado's Animas River watershed. The award recognizes the strength of collaborative activities such as those of the ARSG. This group brought together perspectives from local stakeholders, including land owners and mine operators, with those of Federal and State agencies. The ARSG helped to bring about consensus among the diverse stakeholders on complex and costly cleanup efforts by providing a regular forum to explain the science behind decisions and organizing resources for voluntary mine reclamation. As part of the ARSG effort, scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey studied the geology of the watershed and the effects of historical mining on water and sediment quality and aquatic and riparian habitat. Research results were recently published and used to identify cost-effective strategies to prioritize restoration of individual abandoned mine sites. "The Animas River watershed is one of many in the Western U.S. where historical mining has left a legacy of acid mine drainage," said USGS Director Mark Myers. "This watershed, which reaches across 145 square miles of Colorado's San Juan Mountains, is rich in mineral deposits, recreational opportunities and historic interest. Through the collaborative efforts of the ARSG, people will be able to appreciate the area's beauty and opportunity, and better define environmental impacts from previous mining activity."[...]
An overview of recent USGS studies, "Environmental Effects of Historical Mining in the Animas River Watershed, Southwestern Colorado," is available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2007/3051/. The complete USGS report, "Integrated Investigations of Environmental Effects of Historical Mining in the Animas River Watershed, San Juan County, Colorado," is available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/1651/.
"colorado water"
5:57:47 PM
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? for U.S. Senate?
Politics West: "According to an article by Denver Post reporter Tim Hoover, Colorado Right to Life accused Schaffer of closing his eyes to reports from Chinese workers there about forced abortions."
Colorado Confidential: "There's an old saying that goes, 'all politics are local.' This quip even spans the 4,307 miles between Denver and Anchorage. In an investigative report in Sunday's Anchorage Daily News about jailed lobbyist Jack Abramoff's connection to Alaskan Republican Rep. Don Young, Republican U.S. Senate hopeful Bob Schaffer's name wasn't hard to miss."
"denver 2008"
5:54:33 PM
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Recycling
Mercury in the environment is an increasing problem. Here's an article about a new program for recycling compact fluorescents and thermostats from Xcel and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, from The Denver Business Journal. From the article: "The light bulbs and thermostats can be dropped off at any Ace Hardware location in Colorado. The retailer has 104 locations in the state. Although the light bulbs use less energy, the drawback is they contain small amounts of mercury. The recycling program is for individuals only, not for businesses."
"2008 pres"
5:52:54 PM
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? for President?
Andrew Sullivan: "Obama's Gallup bounce: Who knows what these fluctuations mean? But he's now back ahead nationally by seven points."
National Journal: "In scope and sweep, tactics and scale, the marathon struggle between Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton has triggered such a vast evolutionary leap in the way candidates pursue the presidency that it is likely to be remembered as the first true 21st-century campaign. On virtually every front, the two candidates' efforts dwarf those of all previous primary contenders[~]not to mention presumptive GOP nominee John McCain. It's easy to miss the magnitude of the change amid the ferocity of the Democratic competition. But largely because of their success at organizing supporters through the Internet, Clinton and, especially, Obama are reaching new heights in raising money, recruiting volunteers, hiring staff, buying television ads, contacting voters, and generating turnout. They are producing changes in degree from prior primary campaigns so large that they amount to changes in kind. "
Thomas Frank (via The Wall Street Journal: "If Barack Obama or anyone else really cares to know what I think, I will simplify it all down to this. The landmark political fact of our time is the replacement of our middle-class republic by a plutocracy. If some candidate has a scheme to reverse this trend, they've got my vote, whether they prefer Courvoisier or beer bongs spiked with cough syrup. I don't care whether they enjoy my books, or would rather have every scrap of paper bearing my writing loaded into a C-47 and dumped into Lake Michigan. If it will help restore the land of relative equality I was born in, I'll fly the plane myself."
Thanks to Andrew Sullivan for the link.
"2008 pres"
5:40:34 PM
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Colorado Trout Unlimited: April 2008
This is cool. Colorado Trout Unlimited is using their weblog to recap each month's activities. We'd like to see some links for background. In the weblog world links are golden.
"colorado water"
5:33:29 PM
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? for President?
Political Wire: "Just a day before the Pennsylvania primary, the latest Zogby tracking poll results show Sen. Hillary Clinton leading Sen. Barack Obama, 48% to 42%."
Pollster.com "Quinnipiac University: Pennsylvania - 4/18 through 4/20, n=1,027 likely Democratic primary voters, Clinton 51%, Obama 44%."
Pollster.com "Suffolk University (via The Page): Pennsylvania, 4/19 through 4/20, n=600 likely Democratic primary voters Clinton 52, Obama 42."
Political Wire: "The latest Strategic Vision poll in Pennsylvania shows Sen. Hillary Clinton leading Sen. Barack Obama, 48% to 41%."
Political Wire: "A new American Research Group survey in Pennsylvania shows Sen. Hillary Clinton leading Sen. Barack Obama by a 54% to 41% margin."
Update: TalkLeft: "The new World's Greatest Pollster now has Obama closing fast in PA, cutting a 14 point deficit to 6. The SUSA poll shows a 50-44 result (previously it was 54-40.)"
Update: Josh Marshall: "Finally Public Policy Polling poll: Obama 49%, Clinton 46%."
"2008 pres"
6:44:07 AM
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Aurora long-term contract
Here's an update on Arkansas Valley Native's attempt to join the lawsuit against Reclamation and Aurora over their long-term contract, from The Pueblo Chieftain. From the article:
A group of Arkansas River water users took issue Friday with a position taken by the Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and Aurora in a water lawsuit. The users, in business as Arkansas Valley Native, told a judge they object to an assertion those three litigants made earlier this week in a court filing about the lawsuit. In the lawsuit, the water district is asking a U.S. District Court judge to overturn a 40-year contract between Reclamation and Aurora for storage and exchange at Lake Pueblo, part of the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project...
The district, Reclamation and Aurora stated in the earlier court filing they agree that the contract would not decrease water supply from the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project to beneficiaries of the project or change "the allocation of project water supply to any project water users." The three litigants made the assertion as part of purported "undisputed facts" in their joint filing earlier this week. The Arkansas Valley Native water users group contended in a court filing Friday the contract "would cause a material change in the operations of the Fry-Ark Project and would violate" the law that authorized the project...
Arkansas Valley Native stated in the new filing that the contract authorizes Aurora to store nonproject water in project facilities, such Lake Pueblo, and to use project water stored in reservoirs north of Buena Vista. Under a paper exchange of water specified in the contract, Aurora would "book over" its water stored in Pueblo Reservoir to Reclamation, and the bureau would "book over" to Aurora water from the project reservoirs north of Buena Vista. The Arkansas Valley Native group contends the exchange of water would allow Aurora to export Fry-Ark Project water from the Arkansas River basin to the South Platte River basin. Aurora's water from the reservoirs north of Buena Vista is put into the South Platte River for the Denver suburb to use. Arkansas Valley Native alleges Aurora's export of water from the Arkansas basin "will diminish the physical supply of water above Pueblo Reservoir" and "will remove high quality water from the Arkansas River Basin, causing a diminution in water quality both upstream and downstream of Pueblo Reservoir." Arkansas Valley Native is waiting for a decision by Chief Judge Edward Nottingham on its request to intervene in the lawsuit, joining the water district as a plaintiff. In Friday's filing, the Arkansas Valley Native water users ask Nottingham, if he allows them to intervene in the case, to strike the purported "undisputed facts" from the filing earlier this week by the three litigants.
More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here.
"colorado water"
6:31:36 AM
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Crystal River Kayak races
Here's a report from yesterday's Crystal River Kayak Races, from The Glenwood Springs Post Independent. From the article:
For the 44th time in as many years, Colorado Rocky Mountain School treated kayakers and canoers to a good time at its Crystal River Kayak Races on Sunday. Sunny skies and relatively warm, gusting winds served as the backdrop for a day of slalom racing, which began at noon under the Crystal River Bridge in Carbondale. The PVC pipe slalom gates swayed in the wind -- adding to the course's degree of difficulty -- as the day's action began. Shooting into the water one a time, riders carefully weaved through each gate -- some requiring boaters to thread while traveling downstream and others upstream. Participants spanned the likes of competitive high schoolers -- CRMS students prominent among them -- and community members of all ages and skill levels. The Crystal River Races were the third in the five-race Colorado High School Whitewater Cup Series.
"colorado water"
6:15:08 AM
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© Copyright 2009 John Orr.
Last update: 3/14/09; 10:14:26 PM.
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