 |
| November 2004 | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
In this issue: |
||||||||||||
The House Resources Committee passed the Endangered Species Data Quality Act of 2004 (HR 1662), by a 26 to 15 vote. The bill requires that the Secretary of the Interior take into account peer review and field studies before determining if a species is endangered. Supporters believe that the bill will ensure accurate decision making, while critics argue that it will weaken protections for threatened and endangered species. By a similar margin, the committee also passed the Critical Habitat Reform Act of 2004 (HR 2933), which sets stricter standards for critical habitat designation. Both bills now move to the full House where they face an uncertain future during the lame duck session scheduled for this week. Read on...
The US Coast Guard has been connected in some capacity to the lighthouses that protect our coastlines since 1716, when the first American lighthouse was illuminated in Boston Harbor. In the ensuing three centuries, technology has improved to the point where the role of the romantic and rugged lighthouse has diminished as an aid to navigation. To save the taxpayers money, the Coast Guard is relinquishing ownership of the lighthouses and light stations that it has operated from Maine to Hawai'i. In some cases, it will continue to operate the beacons, which are now automated and require only periodic maintenance rather than constant monitoring. Before a government entity can transfer or lease any property, it must research and disclose any known environmental conditions, past or present, that might affect the new owners or lessees. Tetra Tech has conducted environmental due diligence audits of over fifty Coast Guard facilities in California, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and Hawai'i. Read on...
Where in the world can you go for the thrill of rafting whitewater, of hiking in ponderosa pine forests, or of riding horses, off-highway vehicles, and mountain bikes? One place is western Colorado's 65,000-acre Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area (NCA) and Wilderness. To help protect the resources and guide human use, Tetra Tech is helping the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) prepare a land use plan for the NCA. Home to the Gunnison River and administered by the BLM, the Gunnison Gorge NCA supports a diversity of wildlife, ecosystems, recreational opportunities, and traditional uses. The proposed resource management plan (RMP)/final environmental impact statement, released in January 2004, is the culmination of over two years of public collaboration and scientific analysis. Read on...
It's not your father's Army. As world events change, the US armed services also must change. New technologies are shaping how combat is waged, and one of the ways the Army is meeting the challenge is with its advanced technology combat vehicle, the eight-wheeled highly maneuverable Stryker. It looks something like a tank, but the advantage of this combination troop carrier and combat vehicle over the old military tank is that it can move troops more efficiently and faster to where they are most needed. Tetra Tech and its team of subconsultants spent many months preparing the exhaustive environmental impact statement to address the public's concerns about the potential effects of Army's transformation on the natural and human environments of O'ahu and Hawai'i. Read on...
Have you noticed more annoying pop-up ads on your computer lately or that your computer's speed has slowed to a crawl? You could be infected with spyware. These small hidden programs are used by advertisers to track which Web sites you're visiting. If you've downloaded a program from the Internet--say, one that offers those little smiley faces for your e-mail--you may have unknowingly downloaded a spyware program. Fortunately, there are a number of free spyware removal programs available. Two that work well are Lavasoft's Ad-Aware (http://www.lavasoftusa.com/) and Spybot Search & Destroy (http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html). You might also try Spyblaster, a program that purports to prevent spyware from being added to your computer in the first place (http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html). If your operating system is Windows XP, Microsoft is providing a free upgrade, which it claims will fix many of the system's deficiencies that up till now have compromised your computer's security. You can download it from their Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/protect/default.aspx. With a little effort, you can take control of what gets downloaded to your computer without your knowledge. Think of it as computer counterintelligence.
Tetra Tech has scheduled NEPA and Natural Resources classes for Honolulu next spring. These include ♦ NEPA Workshop (3 day)♦ Cumulative Impacts Evaluation (1 day) ♦ Wetlands and the Endangered Species Act (1 day) Date and venue information will be available in early December. If you would like more information please email Honolulu@ttsfo.com.  |
||||||||||||
Recent Contract Awards:
|
||||||||||||
|
Tetra Tech, Inc.
[GSA contract ordering information: www.tetratechwest.com/services/GSA] |
