* Endangered Species Act Close to Extinction
When you read this, it may be too late. The Endangered Species Act is now under threat from special interests, and the politicians they give money to. The House of Representatives has passed a bill, HR 3824 (Rep. Pombo) that would significantly weaken protections for endangered fish and their habitats. If this bill, or some version of it, becomes law, it would eliminate habitat protections, abandon the commitment to recovering species, repeal protections against hazardous pesticides, and politicize the scientific decision-making process. In addition, it would set up an unprecedented entitlement program that would require the federal government to use taxpayer dollars to pay developers for complying with the Act's prohibition against killing or injuring endangered species. The ESA in its present form is the best and most effective conservation law we have to protect fish and wildlife. If the Senate has not acted on this by the time you read this, please phone Senators Feinstein and Boxer and let them know you support the ESA.

* Snapshot Day 2006
Snapshot Day is a program that spans more than 300 miles of coast from Pacifica in the north to Morro Bay in the south. Snapshot Day volunteers monitor water quality and collect samples to assess the health of as many streams as possible. 2006 will be the seventh annual one-day water quality monitoring event in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. The Coastal Watershed Council is asking for volunteers to help in the local 2006 sampling effort. In order to participate, you will need to participate in a training session.
The Santa Cruz training will be on Sunday, April 30th, from 9:30-12:30 at the Natural Bridges State Park Interpretive Center. For more information and to volunteer, contact: Debie Chirco-Macdonald, of the Coastal Watershed Council at (831) 464-9200 or visit the website at www.coastal-watershed.org.
A training session in Monterey will be on Saturday, April 29th at the CSUMB Watershed Institute. Contact Debie Chirco-Macdonald, Coastal Watershed Council (831) 464-9200 or email volunteer@coastal-watershed.org.
Last year's Snapshot Day results look better than previous years. The number of exceedances of water quality objectives was down in just about every parameter measured. E. coli and orthophosphate continue to be the two parameters that most commonly exceed their water quality objectives throughout the Sanctuary. They are seeing a lot of consistency between years.

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