Another Green Monday
“I was - enchanted—overwhelmed—with the beauty and grandeur of everything I saw. It lay just as nature had made it, with nothing to mar its virgin glory.” James Glover 1873 upon first seeing the Spokane River.
In case you were wondering, we love that quote. This is about the fifth time we've shared Glover's observation in a blog post but can you blame us? It works quickly at exciting us about anything Spokane River related. And if it does the same for you, hopefully you'll consider the following opportunity.
DTE on the Spokane River - Thursday, August 5th
Join DTE, the Spokane River Forum and the Spokane Riverkeeper for a beautiful afternoon kayak trip down the Spokane River on Thursday, August 5th at 2:30 p.m. This event is part of the Spokane River Forum's "Meet Me At The River Raft and Kayak Passport Series", a summer-long series that encourages citizens to enjoy the river, learn more about recreational opportunities, learn about struggles on the river and with the surrounding ecosystem, and most importantly embrace it for everything that it is.
DTE is proud to support this series and we hope you can join us for a nice leisurely kayak trip down the Spokane River from the Upriver Dam to C.I. Shenanigan’s. This stretch will afford you views of Downtown Spokane that you've likely never seen, and it will give you a chance to experience our great city from a new angle.
The cost of trip is $25, which includes all of your gear and instruction. You can sign up by visiting this page - http://www.spokaneriver.net/?page_id=386
Make sure you pick the correct date, August 5th.
If you're a member of the Spokane River Forum the cost of the trip is only $15. Memberships are $20 per year so if you do two trips the membership pays for itself. Not to mention supporting restoration and conversation of the Spokane River is just great to do anyways.
Further instructions will be emailed if you sign up for the event, but basically we'll meet at 2:30 at the Upriver Dam river launch site, put in and float down to C.I. Shenanigans where we'll take out around 5 p.m. We'll then proceed inside C.I. Shenanigan for drinks and conversation.
Support a great non-profit, get out of your office for an afternoon and on to the Spokane River, and hang out with DTE. What could be better!
After the jump are stories from last week you might have missed.
If you have any questions, please email us at bartly7@gmail.com or jamespauldillon@gmail.com
Public comment period open for Upper Coeur d’Alene Basin. Starting on July 12 and running to August 25th, you can submit comments on EPA’s Proposed Cleanup Plan for the Upper Coeur d’Alene Basin. In addition, there will be an Open House and Public Meeting on August 4, 2010. Shoshone Medical Center, Health & Education Center, 858 Commerce Drive, Smelterville, ID 83868 5-6:30 p.m. Proposed actions will address protecting human health and the environment, in ways like reducing metal concentrations in surface water to safe drinking levels.Read more HERE.
Clean comes at a cost. News out of Seattle last week where the Seattle Public Utilities announced a 15-year, $500 million project to reduce the amount of untreated sewage that washes into local waterways during storms. Combined with King County's adopted 2011 rate increase to help pay for the Brightwater treatment plant and other capital projects, the typical household's monthly cost for sewage handling would rise by $12.27 from the current $63.87 to $76.14 by 2012, officials announced. Read more HERE.
"Why Louisiana's ecosystems should sue BP". Thomas Linzey, executive director of the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund and legal catalyst behind Envision Spokane wrote an op/ed in the Huoma Today newspaper based in LaFourche Parish, Louisiana called, "Why Louisiana's ecosystems should sue BP". Here's the most important part: "Whether private property — the land that you own; or property owned by government or the public — such as bayous, rivers, or zones of the ocean, nature is still defined as property by the law. Rights, of course, can‘t belong to property — rights belong only to people. That means that when nature and ecosystems are destroyed, courts don’t inquire about how much it would cost to restore those ecosystems back to their undamaged state." Read the entire piece HERE.
There’s fireworks in your Fresca! Do you love Fuze Refresh “Peach Mango” with its strong flavors? Is Tang with its 100% Vitamin C label and astronaut endorsement your thang? Sharing a Smirnoff with your frat brothers? Grist has a must read about some beverage bandits. Take Four Loko (aka liquid cocaine) as an example: This alcoholic energy drink is like the bastard child of an orgy involving a Steel Reserve 40 ounce and about four Red Bulls hopped up on Crystal Lite. With 12 percent ABV and enough sugar and caffeine to fuel Justin Bieber's 12th birthday, it is only a matter of time before the FDA and others throw the Loko in the Looney Bin.” Full article HERE. Nasty stuff. 
Flickr image courtesy of 1funkymunky.
