[BCNnet] From The Daily Herald
judymellin
judymellin@netzero.net
Mon, 16 Feb 2004 18:23:59 -0800
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Maybe, since I'm the bird monitor, I did not know that road salt can =
pave the way for reed canary grass but I am a bit confused. There was a =
chart that did not copy but it stated that native cattails hate salt but =
East Coast cattails love it. In places where cattails coexist- and =
thrive- with reed canary grass, are these not native cattails?
Judy Mellin
Bird Monitor
Poplar Creek Prairie Stewards
Hoffman Estates (Cook County)
Road salt poses big threat to suburban ecosystems=20
By Dave Orrick Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted 2/14/04=20
It's a good to be a solidago sempervirens in the suburbs these days.=20
While other roadside plants are hunkered down for the winter, getting =
bent by snowplows and choked by road spray, solidago sempervirens, more =
commonly known as seashore goldenrod, is being fertilized - by road =
salt.=20
We won't notice it until October, but when we do, we'll see the =
goldenrod's waxy stems unleash brilliant yellow flowers.=20
Ironically, the plant isn't supposed to be here. It's native to East =
Coast salt marshes but making one of its few non-seaside homes in the =
Chicago suburbs because the climate along local roadways is looking less =
and less like the Midwest and more and more like Nova Scotia.=20
Ecologists are warning that the accumulation of suburban road salt =
appears to be gradually transforming suburban woods and wetlands, even =
well away from pavement.=20
And this snowy winter is shaping up to be a delicious year, if you're a =
plant with a palate for sodium chloride.=20
With a grain of ...=20
No one's predicting Lake Michigan will turn into the Dead Sea anytime =
soon, and few studies have been done locally on how road salt affects =
native habitat.=20
Several years ago, the Army Corps of Engineers wanted to find out why =
some manmade wetlands weren't supporting native plant life.=20
"One of the biggest reasons was salt," says Wayne Lampa, a researcher =
hired by the Army Corps to study six DuPage County wetlands. "It really =
harmed the native plants, or prevented them from being there by allowing =
salt-loving plants like reed canary grass and (seashore) goldenrod to =
supplant them."=20
Lampa found up to 60 times the normal salt levels in ponds in the =
spring, when rains wash the roads. Levels soon plummeted, but still =
stayed above normal through the fall. "It never went away," he says.=20
Salty water on Illinois' clay-rich soil will be murkier than clear =
water, choking algae and other weeds from their source of energy - =
sunlight.=20
Sodium chloride, or road salt, kills ground-dwelling plants and trees in =
two ways, liquid runoff and dusty spray.=20
Dissolved chloride ions in the soil near road runoff get sucked up by =
roots, causing plants to "get scorched" from the inside out, says Tom =
Tiddens, a plant expert with the Chicago Botanic Garden, which is =
experimenting with salt-tolerant bushes and trees along the Edens =
Expressway.=20
When fast-spinning tires meet dry, salty roads, clouds can coat trees up =
to 1,000 feet away with a toxic frosting that attacks the buds, =
according to various studies. Several of those studies were paid for in =
the last few years by the Canadian government, which has a program to =
reduce road salt.=20
Abbas Shirazi, a horticulturist with the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, says =
the search for salt-tolerant evergreens to brave winters along the =
Eisenhower Expressway led him to seek an ecosystem of cold, wet salty =
winds.=20
He found Nova Scotia.=20
The native spruce he found there might someday be a highway landscaper's =
dream, but Shirazi cautions that planters need to take care they don't =
introduce invasive species that will knock out native ones.=20
No end in sight=20
Hundreds of thousands of tons of toxic road salt are spread across the =
region's roads every winter. There are no regulations on the state or =
federal level, and officials with the U.S. EPA and Illinois EPA say =
there's no talk of limiting the amount laid down.=20
It's abundant. At $33 a ton for most suburbs, it's cheap. And, it works. =
Local agencies don't measure long-term salt use, but salt tends go where =
the cars are, and the paving of the collar counties means cars are =
everywhere.=20
McHenry County, for example, used to mix sand and salt, but sand, which =
helps traction but does little to melt snow and ice, was phased out =
several years ago as traffic increased.=20
On the other hand, advances in de-icing materials and techniques, =
combined with frugal public works chiefs under tight budgets, are =
keeping a check on salt use, officials say.=20
"Our job is tough: Get it bare and clear, and do it as fast as possible =
- but don't use too much of anything," says Mark DeVries, salt guru for =
the McHenry County Highway Department.=20
Veggie solutions?=20
Salt trucks owned by many suburbs today are increasingly equipped with =
computers to mix salt with ice-hating and less toxic calcium chloride or =
salt water, which reduces by up to 30 percent the number of grains that =
bounce off the road when dry.=20
Other advances include non-toxic de-icing materials. The Illinois =
Department of Transportation is experimenting with corn derivatives. =
Kane County is playing around with molasses, and McHenry County is =
spraying a concentrated juice from sugar beets.=20
None of those could replace salt, because they're as much as 20 times =
more expensive.=20
"What it boils down to is a real delicate balance between public safety =
and keeping our waters clean," says Cameron Davis, executive director of =
the Lake Michigan Federation.=20
Salt: Some departments trying new means of de-icing=20
.
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<DIV><SPAN class=3Dheadline>Maybe, since I'm the bird monitor, I did not =
know that=20
road salt can pave the way for reed canary grass but I am a bit =
confused. =20
There was a chart that did not copy but it stated that native cattails =
hate salt=20
but East Coast cattails love it. In places where cattails coexist- =
and=20
thrive- with reed canary grass, are these not native =
cattails?</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3Dheadline></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3Dheadline>Judy Mellin</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3Dheadline>Bird Monitor</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3Dheadline>Poplar Creek Prairie Stewards</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3Dheadline>Hoffman Estates (Cook County)</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3Dheadline></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3Dheadline>Road salt poses big threat to suburban =
ecosystems=20
</SPAN><BR><SPAN class=3Dbyline>By Dave Orrick Daily Herald Staff=20
Writer</SPAN><BR><SPAN class=3Dpostedon>Posted 2/14/04</SPAN> </DIV>
<P>It's a good to be a solidago sempervirens in the suburbs these days.=20
<P>While other roadside plants are hunkered down for the winter, getting =
bent by=20
snowplows and choked by road spray, solidago sempervirens, more commonly =
known=20
as seashore goldenrod, is being fertilized - by road salt.=20
<P>We won't notice it until October, but when we do, we'll see the =
goldenrod's=20
waxy stems unleash brilliant yellow flowers.=20
<P>Ironically, the plant isn't supposed to be here. It's native to East =
Coast=20
salt marshes but making one of its few non-seaside homes in the Chicago =
suburbs=20
because the climate along local roadways is looking less and less like =
the=20
Midwest and more and more like Nova Scotia.=20
<P>Ecologists are warning that the accumulation of suburban road salt =
appears to=20
be gradually transforming suburban woods and wetlands, even well away =
from=20
pavement.=20
<P>And this snowy winter is shaping up to be a delicious year, if you're =
a plant=20
with a palate for sodium chloride.=20
<P>With a grain of ...=20
<P>No one's predicting Lake Michigan will turn into the Dead Sea anytime =
soon,=20
and few studies have been done locally on how road salt affects native =
habitat.=20
<P>Several years ago, the Army Corps of Engineers wanted to find out why =
some=20
manmade wetlands weren't supporting native plant life.=20
<P>"One of the biggest reasons was salt," says Wayne Lampa, a researcher =
hired=20
by the Army Corps to study six DuPage County wetlands. "It really harmed =
the=20
native plants, or prevented them from being there by allowing =
salt-loving plants=20
like reed canary grass and (seashore) goldenrod to supplant them."=20
<P>Lampa found up to 60 times the normal salt levels in ponds in the =
spring,=20
when rains wash the roads. Levels soon plummeted, but still stayed above =
normal=20
through the fall. "It never went away," he says.=20
<P>Salty water on Illinois' clay-rich soil will be murkier than clear =
water,=20
choking algae and other weeds from their source of energy - sunlight.=20
<P>Sodium chloride, or road salt, kills ground-dwelling plants and trees =
in two=20
ways, liquid runoff and dusty spray.=20
<P>Dissolved chloride ions in the soil near road runoff get sucked up by =
roots,=20
causing plants to "get scorched" from the inside out, says Tom Tiddens, =
a plant=20
expert with the Chicago Botanic Garden, which is experimenting with=20
salt-tolerant bushes and trees along the Edens Expressway.=20
<P>When fast-spinning tires meet dry, salty roads, clouds can coat trees =
up to=20
1,000 feet away with a toxic frosting that attacks the buds, according =
to=20
various studies. Several of those studies were paid for in the last few =
years by=20
the Canadian government, which has a program to reduce road salt.=20
<P>Abbas Shirazi, a horticulturist with the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, =
says the=20
search for salt-tolerant evergreens to brave winters along the =
Eisenhower=20
Expressway led him to seek an ecosystem of cold, wet salty winds.=20
<P>He found Nova Scotia.=20
<P>The native spruce he found there might someday be a highway =
landscaper's=20
dream, but Shirazi cautions that planters need to take care they don't =
introduce=20
invasive species that will knock out native ones.=20
<P>No end in sight=20
<P>Hundreds of thousands of tons of toxic road salt are spread across =
the=20
region's roads every winter. There are no regulations on the state or =
federal=20
level, and officials with the U.S. EPA and Illinois EPA say there's no =
talk of=20
limiting the amount laid down.=20
<P>It's abundant. At $33 a ton for most suburbs, it's cheap. And, it =
works.=20
<P>Local agencies don't measure long-term salt use, but salt tends go =
where the=20
cars are, and the paving of the collar counties means cars are =
everywhere.=20
<P>McHenry County, for example, used to mix sand and salt, but sand, =
which helps=20
traction but does little to melt snow and ice, was phased out several =
years ago=20
as traffic increased.=20
<P>On the other hand, advances in de-icing materials and techniques, =
combined=20
with frugal public works chiefs under tight budgets, are keeping a check =
on salt=20
use, officials say.=20
<P>"Our job is tough: Get it bare and clear, and do it as fast as =
possible - but=20
don't use too much of anything," says Mark DeVries, salt guru for the =
McHenry=20
County Highway Department.=20
<P>Veggie solutions?=20
<P>Salt trucks owned by many suburbs today are increasingly equipped =
with=20
computers to mix salt with ice-hating and less toxic calcium chloride or =
salt=20
water, which reduces by up to 30 percent the number of grains that =
bounce off=20
the road when dry.=20
<P>Other advances include non-toxic de-icing materials. The Illinois =
Department=20
of Transportation is experimenting with corn derivatives. Kane County is =
playing=20
around with molasses, and McHenry County is spraying a concentrated =
juice from=20
sugar beets.=20
<P>None of those could replace salt, because they're as much as 20 times =
more=20
expensive.=20
<P>"What it boils down to is a real delicate balance between public =
safety and=20
keeping our waters clean," says Cameron Davis, executive director of the =
Lake=20
Michigan Federation.=20
<P>Salt: Some departments trying new means of de-icing=20
<P>
<P>
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