Dave Burdick

Prairie Dog Day Won't Be a Colorado Holiday Any Time Soon, But We Will Make Dead Marmot Robots

2010-02-04T20:36:42-05:00

This week was big for enviros in Boulder, but I wanted to give a quick nod to a quixotic effort to recognize rodents.

But lost among the very cool news of local director Louie Psihoyos' "The Cove" nabbing an Oscar nomination for best documentary was the plight of an attempt to create a new holiday: Prairie Dog Day. Perhaps feeling that groundhogs get a little too much attention this time of year, environmentalists asked that we all stop to consider the not-quite-endangered black-tailed Prairie Dog.

No, I didn't hear of any prairie dog parties or festivals, and I certainly didn't hear about anybody gathering 'round any holes to see if a prairie dog would pop out (though there was the one remote-controlled dead marmot about which I am not kidding). That starts about 4:23 in this video, and is somehow funnier at 5:39:

He's more machine than marmot now....

Sorry, Team Prairie Dog Day, but your holiday just wasn't meant to be. But I will wave at the little guys next time I'm on the bike paths out east of 30th Street.

Poultry Industry Still Fighting Passed Animal Cruelty Initiative

2009-06-19T16:15:12-04:00

FRESNO, Calif. — By one of the biggest margins in California's rich initiative history, voters decreed last year that egg-laying hens must be able to stretch their wings without touching another bird or a cage wall.

But the details of the new animal welfare law are bedeviling egg farmers.

The 10 Worst Cars For The Planet

2009-06-19T15:27:14-04:00

Enough with the wimpy gas-sippers! Here are some cars that rip, roar and burn through several gallons on your daily drag race to the mall.

Specifically, here are the 10 cars that the worst for the planet, as per the Environmental Transport Association.

Greenmailing: When Unhappy Laborers Use Green Causes To Hurt A Company

2009-06-19T15:24:37-04:00

How Greenmailing Works
Now, on the surface, requesting that a company conduct environmental surveys before proceeding with a project seems like a pretty straightforwardly good idea. But we all know there can be too much of a good thing.

Evidently, by overloading companies with unnecessary environmental study requests, the unions can make life miserable for just about any company. Any company, that is, except the ones that go ahead and hire unionized labor. Unions can evidently slow progress on a solar project to a halt, and make going ahead much more expensive--sometimes by up to a staggering 20%.

10 Republican Environmental Accomplishments

2009-06-19T09:49:11-04:00

With the Republican Party at a crossroads, the Green Conservative -- that's Jim DiPeso, policy director for Republicans for Environmental Protection -- takes us on a historical tour of the GOP's greatest achievements. Also see the 10 environmental policies Republicans should champion today.

Twittering The Air Quality In Beijing

2009-06-19T08:43:25-04:00

The embassy data is published on its own Twitter feed, and while the U.S. doesn't actively promote the information, it has slowly been getting more attention from Beijing residents concerned about the city's air quality. "The U.S. Embassy has an air quality monitor to measure PM 2.5 particulates on the Embassy compound as an indication of air quality," says Susan Stevenson, a State Department spokesperson. "This monitor is a resource for the health of the Embassy community." She cautions that citywide analyses cannot be done from a single machine, but because the embassy has the data available, it makes it available to others.

Path To Climate Solution: Reduce Emissions

2009-06-19T08:30:19-04:00

WASHINGTON — Finding an economical way to capture carbon dioxide from existing coal burning power plants is key to getting China to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions as well as for U.S. efforts to combat global warming, says a study being released Friday.

The report by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology concludes that the United States cannot meet its targets for stabilizing greenhouse gases unless it finds a way to economically capture carbon dioxide emissions coming from existing coal-burning power plants.

New Prius Orders Soar To 180,0000

2009-06-19T07:59:19-04:00

TOKYO — Toyota Motor Corp. got 180,000 orders for the new Prius hybrid in Japan in just a month, far surpassing its target of 10,000 vehicles in monthly sales, the automaker said Friday.

The third-generation Prius, which rolled out a month ago, has been a big hit here, partly because of tax-breaks and other new government incentives that are meant to perk growth during the nation's downturn.

Extra-Soggy June For Most Of The US

2009-06-19T07:55:32-04:00

WASHINGTON — Mud season has been extended. From North Dakota to Long Island, rain after rain after rain has dampened spirits and swamped roads. Picnics and kids' baseball games have been washed out, rescheduled and rained out again. Big-time sports, too.

_ In Farmingdale, N.Y., Tiger Woods' defense of the U.S. Open championship was delayed Thursday as rain pelted an already soaked course and postponed most of the first round until Friday. "Where's my canoe," England's Ian Poulter wrote on his Twitter feed.

$500 Billion In Funding For Saharan Solar Project?

2009-06-18T17:56:18-04:00

Desertec seeks to transform Saharan Africa into a solar hub for Europe by constructing a supergrid of concentrating solar thermal plants (CSP) on 6,500 square miles of North African desert. They claim their scheme could eventually meet much of the continent's electricity needs.

Multinationals Going Shopping For Lithium Below Bolivia's Salt Desert

2009-06-18T17:12:43-04:00

Stand in the middle of Salar de Uyuni, the world's greatest salt desert, and the first word that springs to mind is Ânothing. As far as the eye can see, Ânothing. Not a shrub or tree, not a hill or valley, just an endless expanse of white.

Cow Escapes Massachusetts To In New Hampshire Mud

2009-06-18T16:37:37-04:00

NASHUA, N.H. — Two wayward cows decided to abandon their Massachusetts farm and walk at least five miles into New Hampshire, generating 911 calls from drivers. Nashua Deputy Fire Chief Michael O'Brien said he and his partner spent 45 minutes with ropes in hand trying to chase down the cows Tuesday, WMUR reported.

One of the adolescent heifers was finally captured, found up to her neck in mud.

Phoenix's Light Rail Has 60% More Riders Than Expected

2009-06-18T14:44:17-04:00

he sprawling city of Phoenix, of all places, is showing us how light rail should be done. They just opened a 20 mile line with 28 stops last December, and ridership statistics are beating all forecasts (evidence that the same might be true in other cities where they are afraid to invest because their forecasts are too low) with 40,000 weekly riders instead of the 25,000 expected.

Make Your Own Natural Mosquito Repellent

2009-06-18T13:21:26-04:00

Since the 1999 appearance of mosquito-borne West Nile virus in North America, it's more important than ever to keep these pests at bay. You can outsmart mosquitoes with this homemade, Earth-friendly solution.

Notorious Rabbit Hoarder Caught Again (VIDEO)

2009-06-18T13:00:20-04:00

PORTLAND, Ore. - Washington County's "Bunny Lady" is back in the hutch after violating a court order banning her from owning animals for five years. Miriam Sakewitz, 47, was arrested Tuesday at a hotel in the Portland suburb of Tigard after an employee reported finding rabbits hopping around in her room.

Problems for Sakewitz started in October 2006 when police in Hillsboro, about 15 miles west of Portland, found and confiscated nearly 250 rabbits in her home, including about 100 dead ones in freezers and refrigerators.

Police said she broke into the facility where the survivors were being cared for in January 2007 and stole most of them back. Authorities found her a few days later in Chehalis, Wash., with eight live rabbits and two dead ones in her car. Another 130 rabbits were recovered at a nearby horse farm.

Sakewitz was sentenced in April 2007 to five years probation and was banned from owning or controlling animals. She also was told not to go within 100 yards of a rabbit.

That summer, Sakewitz was ordered to spend three days in jail for violating her probation by keeping a rabbit in her house. County probation officer Susan Ranger also said Sakewitz had canceled counseling sessions and refused to open the door for unannounced visits. Ranger said she found no rabbits when she finally got inside but did find a half-empty 10-pound bag of carrots.

Since then, Sakewitz has remained "pretty quiet" -- until this week, said Washington County probation officer Bob Severe. "We hadn't heard much further from her," he said, adding she was thought to be living in Clackamas County.

On Tuesday, Washington County animal control officers removed eight adult rabbits, five young ones and a dead one from Sakewitz's hotel room, Tigard police spokesman Jim Wolf said.

Sakewitz was in custody Wednesday, and Wolf said he did not know if she had an attorney. She was to be arraigned Wednesday afternoon on animal neglect charges.