Sage grouse unlikely focus of Wyoming wind wars

Ed Stoddard, Reuters 3 Aug 09;

CARBON, Wyoming (Reuters) - They used to mine coal in the abandoned town of Carbon. Now this patch of southern Wyoming is a battleground in the debate over what many hope will be the clean energy source of the future: wind power.

At the heart of the dispute are plans to build a network of wind farms in the American West that conservationists fear could disrupt threatened habitat such as sage brush, a dwindling piece of the region's fragile ecosystem.

This has made the greater sage grouse -- which as its name suggests is totally dependent on sage brush -- an unlikely poster child for some U.S. environmentalists, in much the same way that the rare spotted owl became a symbol in the 1980s of pitched battles with the logging industry.

Wyoming is home to 54 percent of the greater sage grouse population in North America. The bird's status is being evaluated for inclusion on the U.S. government's threatened or endangered species list, which would give it more protection.

The problem: The chicken-sized bird lives in the vast tracts of wind-whipped open spaces that make Wyoming highly attractive to the wind industry.

Near Carbon, the focus is on a 198-turbine, $600 million wind farm proposed by Horizon Wind Energy.

"They want to build it around here but we need to be thinking truly green. It is not just about our carbon footprint," said Alison Holloran of the National Audubon Society in Wyoming, as she pointed to clumps of grayish sage brush along a dirt road.

Wind power will play a huge role in any move by the United States to reduce its emissions of the greenhouse gases that most scientists believe are the main causes of rapid climate change. The burning of coal and the use of other fossil fuels such as oil are the largest single source of carbon emissions, so the race is on for "clean energy" alternatives.

SHADES OF BROWN

In the public mind, wind is regarded as about as "green" an energy source as you can get. But some environmentalists see shades of brown in the industry.

They say the wind turbines and the development that goes with them, including roads and transmission lines, will further fragment critical sage habitat and disturb the grouse and other wildlife.

Horizon says the grouse issue requires more study.

"There is no peer-reviewed research on how sage grouse respond to turbines," said Arlo Corwin, Horizon's development director for the western region. "We believe that obtaining this research is essential to see if wind turbines and sage grouse are going to be able to coexist."

There have been several wind power skirmishes in the United States. Off Cape Cod in Massachusetts, there is a battle over plans for an offshore wind farm that opponents say will disrupt navigation and shipping. There have also been concerns about bird/turbine collisions in some places.

Wind now delivers about 1.25 percent of the United States' electricity supply, but the industry is growing fast, according to the American Wind Energy Association. It says wind power generation now offsets about 54 million tons of carbon a year.

In Wyoming, there are about 20 wind farms and four additional projects under construction, the association says. It ranks the state 12th in U.S. wind production but seventh in potential generation -- meaning a lot of untapped capacity.

Wind turbines already spin in Carbon County not far from Horizon's proposed development area, where the treeless countryside looks stark. The town of Carbon was abandoned over a century ago and only a few brick foundations remain.

HARSH LANDSCAPE

In this harsh landscape, sage sustains life. The greater sage grouse and around 20 other bird species depend on it for survival, and the sturdy plant also sustains big game species such as elk and mule deer during the cold Wyoming winter.

Corwin said Horizon's planned wind development, known as the Simpson Ridge project, would make use of existing transmission lines that run through the area, removing at least one concern.

Horizon is evaluating when to apply for a permit to develop the site, which is also attractive because landowners have agreed to host the turbines on their property.

Last year, Wyoming said it would restrict development on greater sage grouse habitats it has designated "core population areas."

U.S. government wildlife officials say that other kinds of development have not been favorable for the grouse.

"The impact of fragmentation is very, very clear. We know that they won't occupy habitat close to an interstate for example. They are a landscape species and need big open intact habitats," said Brian Kelly, a field supervisor for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Wyoming.

Kelly said such concerns applied to all developments, including gas, oil and even housing -- not just wind.

About 20 percent of the state is regarded as "core" for the bird.

"If we conserve that 20 percent we effectively conserve 40 percent of the birds in North America. That's why it is significant," Kelly said.

The state government estimates that only about 14 percent of Wyoming's "economically viable wind areas" -- which is based on factors like wind strength, speed and duration -- is within core sage and grouse grounds while 86 percent is outside.

"We don't need to pick one or the other, grouse or wind. We can have robust sage grouse populations and robust wind development in Wyoming -- no problem," said Aaron Clark, an energy advisor to the governor of Wyoming.

The wind industry has disputed these figures and some of the definitions used by wildlife and state officials.

Horizon's Corwin noted that sage, which has lost about half of its historic range by some estimates, is also under threat from climate change. And reducing greenhouse gas emissions by harnessing energy sources such as wind is seen as the best way to slow or stop global warming.

(Editing by Doina Chiacu)

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New El Niño threatens world with weather woe

Forecasters say this one is brewing up to be the second-strongest on record
Michael McCarthy, The Independent 3 Aug 09;

A new El Niño has begun. The sporadic Pacific Ocean warming, which can disrupt weather patterns across the world, is intensifying, say meteorologists.

So, over the next few months, there may be increased drought in Africa, India and Australia, heavier rainfall in South America and increased extremes in Britain, of warm and cold. It may make 2010 one of the hottest years on record.

The cyclical phenomenon, which happens every two to seven years, is a major determinant of global weather systems. The 1997-98 El Niño combined with global warming to push 1998 into being the world's hottest year, and caused major droughts and catastrophic forest fires in South-east Asia which sent a pall of smoke right across the region.

At present, forecasters do not expect this El Niño to equal that of 1998, but it may be the second-strongest, and concerned groups, from international insurance companies to commodity traders, to aid agencies such as Oxfam, have begun to follow its progress anxiously. Its potential for economic and social impact is considerable.

Professor Chris Folland, of the Met Office Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research, said: "We are likely to see more global warming than we have seen in the past few years, which have been rather cool. In fact, we are already seeing it."

El Niño is a periodic warming of the normally cold waters of the eastern tropical Pacific, the ocean region westwards out from South America along the line of the equator. Since the Pacific is a heat reservoir which drives wind patterns around the world, the change in its temperature alters global weather. An El Niño is defined by ocean surface temperatures rising by more than 0.5C above the average.

This El Niño is well beyond that, says the Climate Prediction Center of the US National Weather Service. "Sea surface temperatures remain +0.5 to +1.5 above average across much of the equatorial Pacific Ocean," the centre reported last week. "Observations and dynamical model forecasts indicate El Niño conditions will continue to intensify and are expected to last through the northern hemisphere winter of 2009-10."

The last El Niño was in 2006-07 and, at its peak, sea surface temperatures averaged about 0.9 degrees above normal. But this is a stage which has already been reached by this one.

The last El Niño, comparatively weak though it was, is thought to have been partly responsible for the extraordinarily warm weather in Britain between the summer of 2006 and the spring of 2007: July 2006 was Britain's hottest month, autumn 2006 (September, October and November) was the warmest autumn, winter 2006-07 (December, January and February) was the second warmest in Britain, and April 2007 was our warmest April.

People have forgotten this because there then began our recent cooler and wetter period, with Britain's two "washout summers" of 2007 and 2008, and they may, in turn, have been associated with the counter-phenomenon of La Niña, a cooling of the eastern tropical Pacific waters, which followed. The start of the present El Niño was one reason the Met Office predicted a "barbecue summer" for 2009.

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Save the Planet: Have Fewer Kids

livescience.com 3 Aug 09;

For people who are looking for ways to reduce their "carbon footprint," here's one radical idea that could have a big long-term impact, some scientists say: Have fewer kids.

A study by statisticians at Oregon State University concluded that in the United States, the carbon legacy and greenhouse gas impact of an extra child is almost 20 times more important than some of the other environment-friendly practices people might employ during their entire lives - things like driving a high mileage car, recycling, or using energy-efficient appliances and light bulbs.

"In discussions about climate change, we tend to focus on the carbon emissions of an individual over his or her lifetime," said study team member Paul Murtaugh. "Those are important issues and it's essential that they should be considered. But an added challenge facing us is continuing population growth and increasing global consumption of resources."

Reproductive choices haven't gained as much attention in the consideration of human impact to the Earth, Murtaugh said. When an individual produces a child - and that child potentially produces more descendants in the future - the effect on the environment can be many times the impact produced by a person during their lifetime.

A child's impact

Under current conditions in the United States, for instance, each child ultimately adds about 9,441 metric tons of carbon dioxide to the carbon legacy of an average parent - about 5.7 times the lifetime emissions for which, on average, a person is responsible.

The impact doesn't only come through increased emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases - larger populations also generate more waste and tax water supplies.

Other offbeat environmental impacts have been in the news recently:

* One 2007 study found that divorce squanders resources, because people who once shared resources such as energy now use twice as much under two roofs.
* The current obesity epidemic may also be hurting the climate, because food production is a major contributor to global warming.

The impact of having children differs between countries. While some developing nations have much higher populations and rates of population growth than the United States, their overall impact on the global carbon equation is often reduced by shorter life spans and less consumption. The long-term impact of a child born to a family in China is less than one-fifth the impact of a child born in the United States, the study found.

However, as the developing world increases both its population and consumption levels, this equation may even out.

"China and India right now are steadily increasing their carbon emissions and industrial development, and other developing nations may also continue to increase as they seek higher standards of living," Murtaugh said.

Not advocating law

The researchers note that they are not advocating government controls or intervention on population issues, but say they simply want to make people aware of the environmental consequences of their reproductive choices.

"Many people are unaware of the power of exponential population growth," Murtaugh said. "Future growth amplifies the consequences of people's reproductive choices today, the same way that compound interest amplifies a bank balance."

Murtaugh's findings are detailed in a 2009 issue of the journal Global Environmental Change.

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India to enforce energy efficiency in climate fight

Krittivas Mukherjee, Reuters 3 Aug 09;

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India will make energy efficiency ratings a must for electric appliances, including airconditioners and refrigerators, from January, stepping up domestic efforts to fight climate change, officials said.

Power distribution transformers and fluorescent lights will also carry labels that provide information about the energy consumption of a product and enable customers to make an informed choice.

Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said the efficiency ratings system will extend to all electric motors, color televisions and LPG stoves by June, 2010. Labeling is currently voluntary.

"This will include all appliances in these categories to be sold in India or for export," Ramesh said.

Energy efficiency is a key focus in India's national climate change policy, unveiled last year and which lays out a roadmap to a green economy but doesn't fix a target for carbon emissions.

The government hopes to save 10,000 megawatts of power by efficient use of energy by 2012.

A top climate official said India would unveil a trading scheme centered on energy efficiency certificates that could possibly expand to renewable energy.

The plan involves creating a market-based mechanism that would allow businesses using more energy than stipulated to compensate by buying energy certificates from those using less energy or using renewable energy.

The government is setting up energy benchmarks for each industry sector. Companies that do not meet the benchmarks would have to buy these certificates under a reward and penalty system. "The broad outlines are ready and we should be able to finalize it within a few months," the official, who asked to remain anonymous, said.

Most firms in India, which is Asia's third-largest economy and the fourth-largest emitter of planet-warming carbon dioxide, have yet to plan for the impact of climate change and do not measure emissions or have deadlines to curb them, according to studies.

India's top firms also face little stakeholder pressure to combat climate change with only about 40 percent of major companies setting voluntary carbon emission reduction goals, according to a survey of CEOs by KPMG consultants last year.

(Editing by Alistair Scrutton and David Fogarty)

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Nobel Halo Fades Fast for Panel on Climate Change

Andrew C. Revkin, The New York Times 3 Aug 09;

Two years ago, an international scientific panel seized worldwide attention by reporting that human activity was warming the planet in ways that could greatly disrupt human affairs and nature.

The work of the group, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with former Vice President Al Gore. After two decades of delivering climate reports to the world without fanfare, it suddenly had a wide following.

But as the panel gears up for its next climate review, many specialists in climate science and policy, both inside and out of the network, are warning that it could quickly lose relevance unless it adjusts its methods and focus.

Although the panel, founded in 1988 and operating under the United Nations’ auspices, has garnered awards and acclaim, there is scant evidence that nations are acting on its warnings. Emissions of heat-trapping gases have grown. Talks about a new climate treaty remain largely deadlocked.

“Like grabbing the tail of a tiger, the I.P.C.C. has gotten the world’s attention, but now the challenge is to get the tiger to head in the right direction,” said Michael MacCracken, a longtime contributor to panel reports and a chief scientist for the Climate Institute, a nonprofit group. “For the I.P.C.C., this means providing guidance that will minimize climate impacts and maximize investments in a prosperous and sustainable future.”

Environmentalists assert that the reports by the panel are watered down by a requirement that sponsoring governments approve its summaries line by line.

Some experts fret that the organization, charged with assessing fast-evolving science, has failed to keep pace with an explosion of climate research.

At the same time, scientists who question the likelihood of a calamitous disruption of the Earth’s climate accuse the panel of cherry-picking studies and playing down levels of uncertainty about the severity of global warming.

“It just feels like the I.P.C.C. has gone from being a broker of science to a gatekeeper,” said John R. Christy, a climate scientist at the University of Alabama, Huntsville, and a former panel author.

In an interview, Rajendra K. Pachauri, chairman of the I.P.C.C., rejected the charge of bias, noting layers of transparent peer review.

But he acknowledged the challenges that the group faces in translating complex science in a way that produces meaningful responses.

Under its charter, the group cannot recommend a course of action to cut climate risks. It has laid out specific paths for emissions of greenhouse gases that governments would need to follow to avoid overheating the planet, but governments need not follow those paths.

For example, Dr. Pachauri noted that while the leaders of the Group of 8 industrial nations pledged last month to try to limit global warming to 2 degrees Fahrenheit beyond the planet’s current temperature, they failed to embrace the emissions reductions that the panel says would be needed to keep that promise.

Finding ways to guide nations without being prescriptive is a prime focus as the network of scientists embarks on its fifth assessment of research on climate trends, projections and policy options.

While the new study is not scheduled for release until 2014, its shape will be determined at an October meeting of government representatives from more than 80 countries.

In preparation for that meeting, 200 scientists who have held leading roles in the climate assessments met in Venice last month to identify new priorities. Building on a “vision document” developed by Dr. Pachauri, they began writing an outline of the fifth report to present to the government representatives meeting in Bali in October.

One goal for the next report is a much more thorough assessment of how fast and far seas could rise from unabated warming. The panel’s 2007 report expressly excluded the influence of melting ice sheets because of limited understanding of how fast they could melt.

Shying away from discussing such possibilities because there is low scientific confidence can imply there is also a low probability they may occur, said Stephen H. Schneider, a climatologist at Stanford and longtime panel member. That is not necessarily the case, he said.

More attention will be devoted to research on the potential for dangerous changes in ocean chemistry as seas absorb billions of tons of carbon dioxide. Another focus will be large-scale artificial methods of countering warming, called geo-engineering.

The panel will also try harder to identify anticipated impacts of climate change on certain regions, and options for fostering resilience in especially vulnerable places like sub-Saharan Africa.

Dr. Pachauri noted that the panel put its Nobel Prize winnings, around $670,000, into an account for helping the world’s poorest countries respond to drought, flood and other climate risks. (Mr. Gore gave his share to the Alliance for Climate Protection. )

But tens of billions of dollars in aid will be needed as explosive population growth and shifting climate patterns make poor nations more vulnerable, according to a variety of studies.

Some specialists in climate modeling warn that governments may have overinflated expectations that science can reliably forecast how global warming will play out locally.

Gavin A. Schmidt, a climate modeler at the Goddard Institute for Space Studies in Manhattan, part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, said that efforts to use computer simulations of local conditions to forecast specific results of climate shifts over a decade or so were still in early stages of development.

“Simply hoping that higher resolution will magically improve predictability at smaller scales is just wishful thinking,” Dr. Schmidt said in an e-mail message.

Other scientists involved in shaping the next report worry that the runaway growth in peer-reviewed studies of climate change is making a broad, fair assessment of such research impossible.

In Venice, Neville Nicholls, a lead writer on several parts of the last report, submitted a chart showing that 4,500 climate studies were published in 2007, triple the total a decade earlier.

Given that the hundreds of scientists on the panel volunteer their time, this presents a daunting challenge, said Dr. Nicholls, a climate scientist at Monash University in Victoria, Australia.

He proposes that the group write more focused, expeditious reports on issues relevant to setting policy.

Dr. Nicholls suggested that the panel could eventually shift to reviewing the flow of research on more basic questions through a constantly updated Wikipedia-style system.

The panel already does occasional special reports, with one coming next year on the potential of renewable energy technologies to cut greenhouse emissions, and another in 2011 on limiting risks from drought and other climate-driven disasters.

Christopher Field, a participant and chairman of one section of the forthcoming assessment, said that an important focus was psychological and sociological research on how people act in the face of uncertain butsubstantial threats.

“We’ve identified the nature of the problem, and social science shows it’s of the toughest category,” said Dr. Field, who directs the Carnegie Institution department of global ecology at Stanford.

One hope is that the final October outline, once approved, will encourage governments to invest more resources in such research, so that the 2014 report can incorporate findings.

In the end, perhaps the most vital shift is for the panel to pay more attention to the murkier but most consequential possibilities in a warming world, said Dr. Schneider.

The panel, he said, could do more to distinguish between outcomes from warming that research shows are truly unlikely, like a shutdown of Atlantic Ocean currents, and those that are possible but uncertain. One example of this kind, he said, is the chance that the planet could heat up far more than climate models project; another is the possible sustained disintegration of ice sheets.

Dr. Schneider noted that society relied on risk analyses of this sort all the time, with issues like choosing treatments for rare but poorly understood cancers (Dr. Schneider survived such an episode) and with assessing military strategies.

It may be uncomfortable for scientists who seek certainty in data to turn to the issue of how to weigh uncertain threats. But decision makers are not well served if the spectrum of poorly known possibilities, along with the level of uncertainty, are not also conveyed by experts, he said.

“If you say nothing until you have high confidence and solid evidence,” he said, “you’re failing society.”

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Best of our wild blogs: 3 Aug 09

Blog Log, 26 July 2009 (continued)
from Pulau Hantu

Saving the Grey Heron
from Biodiversity Singapore

A Little Toddy Cat
from Life's Indulgences

A family of Olive-winged Bulbuls
from Bird Ecology Study Group by BESG

Mangroves at Mamam, Pulau Ubin
from wild shores of singapore

Sweet exchange
from The annotated budak

Monday Morgue: 3rd August 2009
from The Lazy Lizard's Tales

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SM Goh Chok Tong outlines 10 major challenges for next generation

Asha Popatlal, Channel NewsAsia 2 Aug 09;

Mr Goh asked the National Development Minister how much more land can be reclaimed for Singapore, and how will he deal with the problems of over-crowding?

SINGAPORE: Singapore has come a long way in 50 years of self-government, but Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong said Sunday the city-state's success has created its own set of problems.

Calling them the perils of success, Mr Goh threw down 10 challenges for Cabinet Ministers and Singaporeans for the next generation to be equally successful.

Singapore's economy has grown a whopping 125 times in the last 50 years, from S$2 billion to S$250 billion.

However, SM Goh warned guests at the Marine Parade National Day Dinner that keeping up the pace will be even more challenging for the next generation, compared to the problems he faced as Prime Minister.

Among 10 major challenges identified by Mr Goh, is keeping up the pace of high economic growth in an increasingly competitive world.

Mr Goh asked the National Development Minister how much more land can be reclaimed for Singapore, and how will he deal with the problems of over-crowding?

For the Health Minister, can lifestyle diseases like diabetes and heart problems be eradicated like typhoid and polio, while keeping health care costs affordable?

He asked the Transport Minister if he could satisfy the next generation's demand for convenient, punctual congestion-free travel while meeting their expectations of affordable fares and ERP charges.

Overall, while people of different faiths mix well, Mr Goh said Singaporeans are getting more religious and the society must be wary of compartmentalisation.

Said the Senior Minister: "The next generation must never forget that no matter how harmonious our multi-racial, multi-religious society is today, ours is a society with inherent cracks. We have successfully glued the various pieces together through purposeful, practical integration policies but the fault-lines remain."

Mr Goh said he did not intend to spoil the mood of the celebration with all the questions. Instead he wants people to think about the new challenges facing the nation which will largely be borne by the next generation of Singaporeans.

The Senior Minister also expressed some optimism, saying the next generation has four factors in its favour - ample financial resources, a growing talent pool, strong political leadership and a cohesive society.

- CNA/yb

The 10 perils of success
Esther Ng, Today Online 3 Aug 09;

THEY are the problems spawned by success, and in Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong's view, "even more challenging than the ones" he faced as Prime Minister of Singapore for 14 years.

For instance, when one's economy has shot from $2 billion to $250 billion in just 50 years, can the next generation maintain the growth?

And "how do you convince Singaporeans that their lives will get better", when they are already living in modern, quality housing? Back in 1959, citizens lived in slums and squalor. "It was a big jump in our standard of living when we moved into three-room HDB flats with modern amenities," he said; he himself had lived without electricity or modern sanitation.

Where he used to cycle 10km every day - under the hot sun, or occasionally drenched in a downpour - from his Pasir Panjang home to Raffles Institution, "today, students travel in air-conditioned comfort by cars, buses or MRT", he said.

"Even when they walk, they have linkways to protect them from the sun and rain."

Thus the challenge for the Transport Minister: How to satisfy the next generation's demands for comfort, convenience, congestion-free and affordable travel, all at the same time?

At a National Day dinner in Marine Parade last night, instead of dwelling on the achievements of 50 years of self-government, Mr Goh - who was Prime Minister from 1990 to 2004 - threw down what he called 10 challenges, what he called "perils of success", for Singaporeans and their leaders.

What he spent most time on, however, was an issue that also dogged the founding fathers: How to ensure Singaporeans of different faiths mix and respect each other's beliefs?

More than one Minister has noted with concern in recent months that Singaporeans have been getting more religious. The danger, in Mr Goh's view: Some may end up forming enclaves, socialising less with those of other faiths.

"If we do not make a conscious effort to mix, over time, Singapore will be a society compartmentalised by religion," he warned. And this makes for a powder keg.

We do not have a serious problem now, but the next generation should remember that "rising religiosity which encroaches on our common secular space, or worse, the practice of other religions, must result in a push-back by the rest".

No matter how harmonious our society is today, "ours is a society with inherent cracks. We have successfully glued the various pieces together through purposeful, practical integration policies but the fault-lines remain", he warned.

'Courageous team' at the helm

For specific ministers, Mr Goh laid down other gauntlets. Recounting how his own father died of tuberculosis at age 36, he said the diseases of today's affluent lifestyles - like diabetes and cancer - are the Health Minister's challenge to stamp out, while keeping costs down.

For the Manpower Minister and NTUC secretary-general, it is to design training programmes and Workfare schemes for grandparents, "maybe even great-grandparents", as the labour force ages. And how can the minister who chairs the committee on ageing issues find ways to support so many senior citizens?

For the Minister for National Development, the question was how to avoid overcrowding the island - but on the flip side, how could parents, schools, families, the Education Minister and, indeed, the Prime Minister, ensure the renewal of the population with the young and the talented?

Dwelling on two problems that have occupied Singapore in recent years - a low fertility rate and a brain drain - Mr Goh said he considered the chipping away of the "talent pyramid ... one of the most serious challenges" for Singapore's survival that needed immediate resolution.

Nevertheless, there were factors in Singapore's favour too - including its ample financial resources, investment in education and research, and outstanding political leadership.

Praising the younger team in charge these days, who are "constantly scanning the horizon for potential problems" and "working the ground", Mr Goh said: "They have shown themselves to be not only innovative and creative in solving problems, but also courageous and forward looking, for example, in evolving our political system to meet the aspirations of the next generation."

Singapore faces perils of success: SM Goh
But the country has strengths to overcome these challenges, he says
Emilyn Yap, Business Times 3 Aug 09;

(SINGAPORE) Singapore is facing 'perils of success' across economic and social fronts which leaders today must address, according to Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong.

'Our success creates its own set of problems,' he said at the Marine Parade National Day Dinner last night. These issues are even more challenging than the ones he faced when he was Prime Minister, he added.

Mr Goh highlighted 10 challenges confronting Singapore's leaders and the next generation. Key among them are how the country can maintain high economic growth, continue to raise living standards, and convince citizens that their lives will get better. Singapore will have to deal with land constraints as it grows, he underlined.

Transportation poses another challenge - Singaporeans will demand comfortable, convenient and smooth travel which is also affordable, he said.

Health care is also a concern, especially when diseases linked to an affluent lifestyle such as cancer and diabetes have become more common. Would it be possible to stamp out these diseases and keep healthcare costs down, he asked.

Mr Goh was also concerned about low birth rates and the ageing population. Senior citizens have to be supported; older workers may need new training programmes or Workfare and Job Credit schemes; while ideas are needed to encourage the young to marry and have children.

There are worries even when it comes to education. With more students going abroad, how will Singapore ensure that most will return home and contribute or at least stay bonded to the country, he asked.

The last question he posed was how Singaporeans of different faiths will continue to integrate and respect one another's faith.

While there are numerous challenges, Mr Goh believes that the next generation of Singaporeans will have ample financial resources to deal with them. The country also continues to invest in education and innovation, and is drawing talented foreigners to its shores.

Another plus - Singapore has forged a cohesive society and national identity, while its system produces leadership that has the will and ability to look after the country's interest, he added.

SM: Guard against religious enclaves
Rising religiosity may lead people to mix only with others of same faith
Clarissa Oon, Straits Times 3 Aug 09;

SENIOR Minister Goh Chok Tong sees a potential danger arising from Singaporeans becoming more religious.

It can lead to people of the same faith mixing only with each other, which over time could result in 'compartmentalisation of our society by religion', he said.

Should this happen, there is a great possibility of religious misunderstanding and conflict, he said at a National Day dinner in Marine Parade yesterday, in a speech on the challenges facing the Singapore of tomorrow.

Mr Goh's signalling of the need for social cohesion and inter-religious harmony is the second in two days by a top government leader.

Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng did so on Saturday, citing conflicts outside Singapore such as last month's violent clashes between Uighur Muslims and Han Chinese in China's Xinjiang province.

Their messages reinforce a concern flagged in the past month by a few other members of the Cabinet.

Yesterday, Mr Goh spelt out the fundamentals that must stay un-changed for Singapore to guard against fomenting tensions.

It has a secular government which represents Singaporeans of 'all beliefs, including those without a religion'.

'Hence, as a principle, public institutions or private organisations which receive public funding are not permitted to impose or advocate any religious belief or practice.

'This must remain the foundation of our inter-religious harmony,' he stressed.

For that reason too, there are policies ensuring public housing estates and schools remain common secular spaces, 'where nobody is made to feel uncomfortable whatever his colour or beliefs'.

Mr Goh pointed out that the Government sees religion as a positive force in society, giving 'spiritual guidance to help us cope with a fast-changing world'.

However, rising religiosity may lead people, unwittingly, to form religious enclaves, unless a conscious effort is made to continue socialising with people of other faiths, he said.

If such religiosity 'encroaches on our common secular space, or worse, the practice of other religions, (it) must result in a push-back by others'.

The theme of growing religious fervour made up a substantial part of Mr Goh's speech, which made the key point that in Singapore's successes 'are embedded the seeds of new challenges'.

The economy, for one, has grown 125 times from $2 billion half a century ago to $250 billion today.

This dramatic growth has given rise to new socio-economic challenges.

Mr Goh identified 10, to be borne largely by the next generation.

They range from maintaining high economic growth to social issues such as minimising urban congestion.

He also cited other problems, such as raising the birth rate and providing affordable care and jobs for the future elderly in Singapore.

However, Mr Goh is confident that the next generation can tackle the new challenges.

They have four factors in their favour: Ample financial resources, a growing talent pool, strong political leadership and a cohesive society enjoying racial and religious harmony for four decades.

But Mr Goh warned against taking it for granted, saying 'ours is a society with inherent cracks'.

Grassroots leaders interviewed shared his concern.

However, Residents' Committee member Edward Chua, 49, cautioned against overstating it because 'religious people can be trusted to exercise their faith responsibly and for the good of society'.

On the other hand, Mr R. Kalaichelvan, treasurer of the Marine Parade Community Complex, felt 'we must send a clear message to everyone that we have a secular society, and religion can only be practised in the private space'.

The exception would be if there are opportunities where religious groups can work together, then they should be brought into the common space, said the 51-year-old.

Singaporeans urged to 'stick together'
Stay united in face of threats, say DPM Teo, Vivian Balakrishnan
April Chong , Victoria Vaughan, Straits Times 3 Aug 09;

TWO ministers yesterday urged Singaporeans to band together and not let differences in the community be exploited for ill intentions.

A week before the country celebrates its National Day, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, speaking at a National Day dinner at the Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, reminded Singaporeans of the need to be vigilant in the face of terrorism.

'One of the objectives of these extremists is to use religion in the wrong way in order to split societies apart. We must realise this and...make sure we put in even more effort to understand our neighbours and friends and reach out to one another.'

In the same vein, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan also called for Singaporeans to 'stick together as one family and community' at a Cashew constituency National Day dinner last night.

Dr Balakrishnan said there would always be the temptation to split apart on the basis of race, language and religion; especially with the influx of new residents and foreigners working here.

'We must not discriminate. We must learn to live and let live. We must learn to accept people with open hearts,' he said, while reminding the 1,000 residents at the dinner that their forefathers had also once been newcomers to the island.

Both ministers were also optimistic the economic gloom was clearing up.

Mr Teo, who called the downturn a snow storm where everything was frozen, said: 'The economy has stopped falling, we are now bouncing along the bottom. Whether we will come up again sharply is not so clear yet, so we will have to see how the economy, especially the demand for our goods and services in Europe and America, turn out over the next six months.'

He said Singaporeans can face the future with confidence as the Republic is ready to bounce back. Despite the dismal economic scene, recent investments in biomedical and green energy areas will help the country grow, he added.

Dr Balakrishnan noted that property prices have started to move, with properties in the neighbourhood fetching healthy prices.

'But throughout all these, people are still working hard, people are still looking after their families and people are still sticking together,' he said. 'The economic downturn will pass.'

Ten challenges ahead for Singapore
Straits Times 3 Aug 09;

1. How to maintain high economic growth and improve living standard?

2. How to convince Singaporeans their lives will get better?

3. How to satisfy transport demands of the next generation?

4. How to stamp out new diseases and keep health-care costs down?

5. How to design job training programmes and wage supplement schemes for low-income older workers.

6. How to get younger Singaporeans to marry and have children?

7. How to support the growing elderly population?

8. How to deal with scarce land resources?

9. How to bond Singaporeans overseas to their homeland?

10. How to ensure Singaporeans of different faiths continue to mix with one another and respect one another's faith?

Read more!

Own a Singapore farm in Africa?

Singapore's plan to invest in farms overseas draws mixed reactions
Ho Lian-Yi, The New Paper 3 Aug 09;

FOOD produced abroad in operations owned by Singaporeans and aimed at Singaporean dining tables?

On Friday, National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said Singapore needs to look at investing in overseas food zones.

The purpose: To produce food for Singaporeans and the host country.

The rationale: To ensure that when food supplies are threatened, Singapore can depend on alternative sources.

Mr Lim Hongzhuang, 25, a Singaporean who runs a farm in Negri Sembilan in Malaysia, sees the plan by the Ministry of National Development as a good one.

But any attempt to procure foreign farmland must be executed very carefully. 'It has to be under the radar and tactful,' he said.

Political risk

There is a 'political risk', he added. Even if a foreign government is willing to lease or sell the land, the locals may ask: 'Why are you giving our land away?'

The object must be very clear - that you are not interested in owning the land, just the produce, he said.

Currently, he said he exports only 10 to 15 per cent of his produce (mostly vegetables like eggplants and ladyfingers) to Singapore.

Singapore imports a wide range of food produce, he said, adding: 'I have to compete with all these people. So for my security, I have to make sure I have a strong local market in Malaysia.'

But he added that while the Government could ensure supply stability, a private farmer like him has to think about price stability as well.

'No one will sell (something for) $1 because the government tells you to, when the market price is $2,' he said.

Mrs Ivy Singh-Lim, who runs the Bollywood Veggies organic farm in Singapore, said she was pleased that the Government is seriously looking at food sources at home.

But she doesn't believe that going overseas to secure food sources is going to work.

'A contract is only a piece of paper. Don't forget, when China starts buying everything they'll sell to China, they won't sell to you.'

Instead of looking overseas, she suggested growing local herbs and produce like papayas, bananas and coconuts in our HDB estates.

Singapore Management University law lecturer Eugene Tan said securing farmland overseas is not a new thing.

He said the priority should go to basic needs, which has already been pointed out - like chicken, pork, fish, eggs, leafy vegetables and rice.

'We don't need farmland for venison, right?' he said.

The big question mark, he said, is when there's a food crisis, which is when countries may decide to be nationalistic and protectionalistic.

'My personal view is that having farmland closer to Singapore is desirable, but you don't want to put all your eggs in one basket, so you want a variety of sources.

'The benefit of Malaysia and Indonesia is that they are close, but when relations get a bit tense you never know what may happen.

'But if you look at other South-east Asian countries like Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, they are a bit farther, but not as far as Australia,' he said.

More rich countries eyeing farmlands in Third World

POORER countries in Africa and Asia are more open to investments by rich countries in farmland.

Africa is especially popular. Land there is cheap and, in some regions of the mostly impoverished continent, extremely fertile, ABC News reported on Friday.

US investment management company BlackRock has set up a US$200 million ($289m) agriculture fund and set aside US$30m to buy farmland.

Renaissance Capital, a Russian investment company, has bought more than 100,000 hectares in Ukraine.

Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs have pumped money into pig breeding operations and chicken farms in China. These investments include the legal rights to the farmland.

South Korean conglomerate Daewoo plans to lease land half the size of Belgium in Madagascar to grow five million tonnes of corn a year by 2023, the BBC reported.

The company will also grow palm oil on another 120,000ha of leased land on the island off the African coast.

With food becoming scarce, it is turning into the new oil - the commodity du jour.

Worldwide grain reserves have dropped to a historic low since the beginning of last year, resulting in a price explosion.

But this has not stopped poorer countries from wanting to be bought over.

Ethiopia's prime minister has said that his government is 'eager' to provide access to hundreds of thousands of hectares of farmland.

Turkey's agriculture minister has told foreign investors: 'Choose and take what you want.'

Even Pakistan, which is waging a war against the Taliban, is jumping on the bandwagon. The government has staged a road show in Dubai to attract sheikhs with tax breaks and exemptions from labour laws.

What do these countries hope to get out of this deal? The development and modernisation of their ailing agricultural sectors. They expect rich countries to inject technology, capital and knowledge, modern seed and fertiliser - all the things that poor countries lack.

Feed the world

Then there is the bigger hope that foreign investments in Africa and Asia can eventually produce enough food for a planet soon to be populated by nine billion people.

But there can be problems. Because of the political sensitivity of modern-day land grab, it is often only the country's head of state who knows the details of the deal.

In some cases, provincial governors have already auctioned off land to the highest bidder. For instance, in Laos and Cambodia, even the governments no longer know how much of the territory they still own.

Over-fertilising, deforestation, over-consumption of water, reduction of ecological diversity and the loss of local species are real problems.

And when the soil becomes depleted after a few years, many investors simply move on. Land is so cheap that they are not forced to value sustainable farming practices.

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Yudhoyono urged to stop escalation of forest fires

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post 3 Aug 09;

A coalition of civil society groups has demanded President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono take firm action to stop deliberately lit forest fires, which have affected carbon-rich peat lands in many provinces.

Greenpeace and WWF Indonesia said forest fires, which are a problem every dry season, continue to rage in Riau, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and Sulawesi.

“In Riau, the forest fires have entered their third month but no concrete action has been taken by the government to stop them. We predict such fires will continue to increase this month,” Zulfahmi, a forest campaigner for Greenpeace Southeast Asia, told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

He said that most forest fires were lit on purpose to clear land for palm oil or paper plantations.
“President Yudhoyono needs to wake up to the climate crisis and take action by declaring a moratorium on deforestation,” he said.

He said that Yudhoyono would be among eight key world leaders who have an historic opportunity to lead global efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change at a UN climate conference in Copenhagen in December.

“To show his intent, the President should ensure a fire-free season this year and stop palm oil and paper companies from burning and destroying forests,” he said.

“Only then can the forest protection fund start to flow from developed countries to provide sustainable solutions to forests and people, encourage biodiversity and win the global battle against climate change,” he said.

Greenpeace recorded 2,800 fire hot spots in Riau in July alone.

The peat land fires have a larger environmental impact than dry land fires, as they generate thick smoke and haze and emit a huge amount of carbon.

The clearing, draining and burning of peat lands emits more 3 billion tons of Carbon Dioxide per year, equivalent to 10 percent of global emission from fossil fuels, according to assessment on peat lands, biodiversity and climate change.

Peat lands store about 10 times more carbon per hectares than other ecosystems.

Zaulfahmi said that Greenpeace had deployed a 15-person team to work with local communities to stop the fires in Kuala Cinaku, Southern Riau.

“But, we have only managed to contain fires in 10 hectares close to palm oil concessions, where fire recently claimed over 1,000 hectares of land,” he said.

He said the Greenpeace firefighters were denied access to put of fires on concession land owned by various palm oil companies.

The WWF’s coordinator of forest fires, Hariri Dedi, said that as of August 1, there were 705 fire hot spots across the country, including 186 in West Kalimantan, 175 in South Kalimantan, 123 in Jambi and 97 in Riau.

“The amount of forest fires has been increasing at an alarming rate,” he said.

As of July 17, the WWF has detected nearly 10,000 hot spots across the country, mostly in Riau and West Kalimantan.

A 1999 law made setting fire to forest land illegal. The crime carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail and Rp10 billion (US$1 million) in fines of penalties.

“But, the enforcement of the law is too weak,” Hariri said.

Forest fires are an annual occurrence across the country during the dry season. In 2006, 145,000 hots pots were detected, making it the second worst season since 1997.

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96 percent of Central Java mangroves damaged

Suherdjoko, The Jakarta Post 2 Aug 09;

Illegal lodging and baseless industry development are major factors leading to the widespread damage of mangroves in Central Java, says the provincial forestry agency.

Data from the agency shows that 96.95 percent of a total of 35,338 hectares of mangrove land are damaged, 61 percent of which is suffering from serious devastation.

Head of the agency, Sri Puryanto Karto Soedarmo, said Sunday that tourism and residential development conducted without proper environmentally-based conservation measures had caused the mangroves to be depleted quickly.

To anticipate further devastation, around 350 participants from the International Mangrove Jamboree planted 60,000 mangrove seeds alongside an aquaculture pond at Mangunharjo village, Semarang, on Sunday.

“Mangrove conditions around Semarang coastal areas are becoming worrisome. From the village's 226 hectares of land, for instance, only 70 percent of them are still able to produce,” said Abdul Aziz, head of the event organization.

Mangrove damage reaches 97% in Central Java
Suherdjoko, The Jakarta Post 7 Aug 09;

Thousands of hectares (ha) of mangrove forest in northern coastal areas have been seriously damaged due to fish farms, residences, industries, tourism and illegal logging, an official has said.

Data at the Central Java Forestry Office showed of the total area of 35,338 ha of mangrove swamps, 61 percent were severely damaged and 33 percent slightly damaged.

Office head Sri Puryono Karto Soedarma said mangrove damage was attributed to conversion into fish farms, residence, industry and tourism development that was not based on conservation, including illegal logging.

He expressed his full support for the International Mangrove Jamboree, which was held in Mangunharjo subdistrict in Tugu district, Semarang on Aug. 1 and 2, in which 350 participants planted around 60,000 mangrove seedlings around fish farms in the area.

"I participated in the jamboree to gain experience on how to cultivate mangrove," said Amri Kumandara from the fishery school of Semarang's Diponegoro University.

A participant from Germany, Sebastian, who is affiliated with the Indonesia International Work Camp supported planting mangroves.

"The mangrove can save the coast from abrasion. That's why I joined the event."

His colleague, Marius, agreed.

"The organization that I am affiliated with asked me to be involved in the program. I'm very happy to work with many people to save the coast."

The participants came from various circles, such as local and foreign activists, students from state and private universities, high school students, civil servants and employees from the private sector.

The jamboree was held jointly by the Coastal Community and Environment Empowerment Society (Lepaas), Indonesia International Work Camp, Central Java PKBI and Diponegoro University.

Central Java provincial secretary Hadi Prabowo, who inaugurated the jamboree, said mangroves could serve as a buffer against tides, while from the biological aspects, mangrove swamps could act as spawning grounds for shrimps, fish and crabs.

"That's why mangrove swamps must be preserved."

Indonesia is home to 89 mangrove species, or the largest number of mangrove species in the world, found along its coast, such as the bakau, api-api, pedada, tanjang, nyirih, tenger and buta-buta.

Indonesia has the largest mangrove forests, in terms of size, which are rich in bio-diversity, spanning 3.2 million hectares.

However, more than 50 percent are damaged. Indonesia dominates 75 percent of mangrove forests in Asia and 37 percent on the global level.

The mangroves are mostly found along the coasts of Sumatra, Kalimantan and Papua.

Sri Puryono said his office would set up mangrove banks in Semarang, Pemalang, Batang and Rembang.

" Mangrove preservation is essential to prevent coastal abrasion and erosion." Data at the Central Java Environmental Agency showed 112.03 kilometers (km), or 3,240.24 ha of the 486.03 km of coastline in the north coast has been damaged by abrasion, while 115.35 km, or 663.40 ha by coastal accretion. The extent of mangrove damage accounted for 2,642.97 ha.

Agency head Djoko Strisno said coastal abrasion could be overcome by building wave barriers and coastal belts and mangrove reforestation.

International Mangrove Jamboree organizing committee head Abdul Azis said the event was held given the alarming rate of mangrove damage, especially along the coast of Semarang.

"Mangrove, a habitat for marine life and a barrier against tides, is depleting. From the 226 ha of fish farms in Mangunharjo subdistrict in Semarang previously, now only 70 ha remain and are still producing."

Read more!

Bellamy backs 'butterfly world' plans in the UK

Emily Beament, The Independent 2 Aug 09;

More habitat needs to be created for butterflies to stop the declines in some of the UK's most well-loved insects, conservationists urged today.

Veteran botanist David Bellamy warned that butterflies were the canary in the coal mine for the health of the natural world, but the "good news" was they would return if provided with the right habitat.

Prof Bellamy is backing efforts by butterfly expert Clive Farrell to create a "butterfly world" just off the M25, complete with a tropical butterfly dome and an array of wildflower meadows to attract and support native species.

Mr Farrell said butterflies had been hit by the past two summers of bad weather, but they could bounce back under the right conditions.

Butterflies were good indicators of a healthy countryside, and creating the right habitat was not just important for them, he said.

"If you get it right for butterflies you get it right for virtually all nectar and pollen-eating species, such as bees, which are so important for the food chain."

And he said: "If you can have butterflies and moths in a scarred landscape at the junction of the M1 and M25 it will be a wonderful thing."

The scheme's first phase, Future Gardens, has seen the creation of a series of 12 show gardens outside St Albans, Herts, which aim to highlight sustainable gardening, along with acres of wildflower meadows, to provide habitat for butterflies, bees and bugs.

The meadow areas were stripped of topsoil before they were planted to take off weed seeds such as nettles and allow the wildflower annuals and perennials to thrive.

In one part, shaped like giant butterflies antennae, south and north facing banks have been created to provide varied habitats, while elsewhere the site has been planted with scrub, grasses and butterfly-friendly plants such as buddhlea.

The project's chief landscape designer Ivan Hicks said he hoped people would be able to take home ideas for butterfly friendly gardening to their own back yards.

He said the show gardens were full of "ideas to steal", while the meadows could also teach people about wildflowers and providing insect-friendly habitat.

Prof Bellamy said the wildflower meadows at the Butterfly World project would be able to show the 15.5 million people who could easily travel to the site that it was possible to "put butterflies back into our lives".

"They are there to show people if you can give them the right habitat they will come back on their own."

He said: "When I was a kid in war-torn London I could see butterflies all the time, I could pick a bunch of wildflowers for my mother on her birthday, but most of these things have gone.

"We can't live on this Earth all by ourselves, we need the biodiversity.

"If we lose these things we're in really, really bad trouble. But it's not rocket science to get them back, that's the good news."

He said he even wanted to see glow worms back in St Albans - and in every park in London.

Mr Farrell is hoping to find a major investor to help him complete the £27 million scheme, which will deliver a tropical dome complete with Mayan ruins and 10,000 butterflies.

He said the tropical butterflies in the dome - which aims to be the third biggest in the UK after the Millennium Dome and the would be "messengers from the rainforest".

"Our visitors will become more engaged with where these butterflies come from and how important it is to conserve it."

As for the future of butterflies in the UK, many of which have been in decline in recent years, "the British do love their gardens and flowers and wildlife, so there's always hope there," he said.

Read more!

Hawaii protecting coral reefs with big fines

Audrey Mcavoy, Associated Press Yahoo News 2 Aug 09;

HONOLULU – Wrecking coral will cost you in Hawaii.

A Maui tour company is paying the state nearly $400,000 for damaging more than 1,200 coral colonies when one of its boats sank at Molokini, a pristine reef and popular diving spot. Another tour operator faces penalties for wrecking coral when it illegally dropped an anchor on a Maui reef.

The state plans to sue the U.S. Navy to seek compensation for coral ruined when a guided missile cruiser the length of two football fields ran aground near Pearl Harbor in February.

The fines began issuing fines two years ago as part of its efforts to punish those who damage a resource critical to Hawaii's fragile environment and tourism, the state's No. 1 industry.

"People are going to have to be more careful out here, because it if keeps getting damaged, we're going to lose it," said Laura Thielen, chairwoman of the state Board of Land and Natural Resources, which decides how much to fine. "We have to take some very strong action or else it's going to be too late."

Hawaii is home to 84 percent of all coral under U.S. jurisdiction. About 15 percent of U.S. coral is in state waters surrounding the main Hawaiian islands from Niihau to the Big Island. Another 69 percent is in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands — a stretch of mostly uninhabited atolls President George W. Bush made a national marine monument in 2006.

Coral reefs provide vital habitats for fish, help protect shoreline areas during storms, and support a thriving snorkeling and scuba diving industry.

Experts say coral reefs in the marine monument are in good shape. But those near population the main Hawaiian island population centers are under pressure from sediment found in runoff, overfishing and invasive algae.

Careless ocean users, who can kill a 500-year-old coral in five minutes, are another danger.

"Each one may be considered fairly small. But when you add them together, then the impact gets to be even greater," said University of Hawaii coral reef expert Richard Richmond.

Kuulei Rodgers, a Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology assistant researcher, said injured corals will have a harder time recovering from global warming and rising levels of carbon dioxide the oceans are absorbing amid growing greenhouse gas emissions.

"It's the same as if when a disease hits people, it's the weaker ones that will normally be the ones that suffer the high mortality," Rodgers said.

The state imposed its first-ever fine for breaking coral in June 2007, when it ordered Lahaina-based tour operator Crystal Seahorse to pay $7,300 for illegally entering a natural area reserve and breaking 11 coral specimens there.

Hawaii had the legal authority to impose such fines before, but instead preferred to simply educate offenders about reefs and have them assist with the cost of restoration. It shifted course after realizing this wasn't prompting people to take necessary precautions around coral.

Maui Snorkel Charters, which runs tours under the name Maui Dive Shop, is paying the largest fine assessed so far.

In 2006, its Kai Anela tour boat headed to Molokini with 15 snorkelers and a captain armed with just three days of training. No tourists were hurt when the ship sank after developing mechanical problems, but the company tripled the original coral damage area by bungling salvage attempts.

The state's staff biologist estimates the area will take 80 years to recover.

Maui Snorkel Charters is paying $396,000 in a settlement, with part of the money up front and the rest in installments through 2011. The company apologized, and the Kai Anela is back in service.

The Navy is another target, for coral wrecked over a 6- to 10-acre area when the USS Port Royal ran aground. The Navy has already spent nearly $40 million on ship repairs and some $7 million restoring the reef, including dispatching scuba divers to help reattach more than 5,000 broken coral colonies.

Florida, which has 2 percent of U.S. coral — the most of any state after Hawaii — is also moving to shield the resource.

Under the newly passed Coral Reef Protection Act, approved by the Legislature this year, Florida may fine culprits up to $250,000 and sue offenders for unlimited compensatory damages. Until the law, which took effect July 1, Florida had to seek compensation through the courts.

The federal government has in the past fined offenders millions of dollars for coral wrecked in marine sanctuaries.

Tori Cullins, co-owner of Wild Side Specialty Tours in Waianae, supports fines.

"Unless you hit people in the pocketbook, I don't think it's going to matter much," said Cullins, who operates marine mammal viewing tours.

___

Associated Press writer Brian Skoloff in West Palm Beach, Fla. contributed to this report.

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