"Missile tests like the one the Navy performed off the coast of Southern California on Saturday night present military officials with something of a conundrum."...public fear...conspiracy theory...UFO or trust the government? Really? Over a major city and in major airspace? How stupid is the government?...no, wait...don't answer that. Conspiracy? Read more here...
"It was a UFO filled with aliens: Strange unidentified light in the sky? Of course, it’s the mothership coming to take over the planet! That was by far the most popular conspiracy theory among those who witnessed the bizarre light show happening across the Western sky. As many social media users pointed out, the UFO, which many immediately and frantically assumed to be an extraterrestrial spacecraft, appeared first as a brilliantly bright white light that could be seen from hundreds of miles away. Now, while that alone doesn’t prove an alien invasion, many pointed out that the UFO-shaped clouds were seen in South Africa...
...the day after the L.A. sighting. Some were also suspicious over the fact that the government didn’t announce the missile test ahead of time, and it was conducted over a densely populated city rather than a deserted desert, as is typically the case." More on UFO Sighting In Los Angeles: Top 5 Conspiracy Theories Revealed here...
Coverage here...
My favorite reaction...
What about this coincidence? Tijuana, Mexico...same night as L.A...
Map shows location of earthquake. (U.S. Geological Survey / May 23, 2013)
By Robert J. Lopez
May 23, 2013, 9:15 p.m.
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck Northern California on Thursday night and was felt across a large area, according to officials.
The quake was occurred around 8:47 p.m., and its epicenter was 27 miles southwest of Susanville and seven miles west northwest of Greenville, about 150 miles northeast of Sacramento, and zero feet deep, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
A Chico resident told The Times that he felt a slow steady roll that lasted about 30 seconds. People on Twitter reported feeling the quake in Sacramento.
Smaller earthquakes followed, including a magnitude 3.5 temblor at 8:55 p.m.
Jagtar Singh gazes from the doorway into one of the bedrooms that collapsed as the ground gave way beneath his home in Lakeport, Calif. Shortly after Singh moved his wife, 4-year-old daughter and his parents, the hill behind his home collapsed. Rich Pedroncelli / The Associated Press
LAKEPORT, Calif. — Scott and Robin Spivey had a sinking feeling that something was wrong with their home when cracks began snaking across their walls in March.
The cracks soon turned into gaping fractures, and within two weeks their 600-square-foot garage broke from the house and the entire property — manicured lawn and all — dropped 10 feet below the street.
It wasn’t long before the houses on both sides collapsed as the ground gave way in the Spivey’s neighborhood in Lake County, about 100 miles north of San Francisco.
“We want to know what is going on here," said Scott Spivey, a former city building inspector who lived in his four-bedroom, Tudor-style dream home for 11 years.
Eight homes are now abandoned and 10 more are under notice of imminent evacuation as a hilltop with sweeping vistas of Clear Lake and the Mount Konocti volcano swallows the subdivision built 30 years ago.
The situation has become so bad that mail delivery was ended to keep carriers out of danger.
“It’s a slow-motion disaster," said Randall Fitzgerald, a writer who bought his home in the Lakeside Heights project a year ago.
Unlike sinkholes of Florida that can gobble homes in an instant, this collapse in hilly volcanic country can move many feet on one day and just a fraction of an inch the next.
A mystery
Officials believe water that has bubbled to the surface is playing a role in the destruction. But nobody can explain why suddenly there is plentiful water atop the hill in a county with groundwater shortages.
“That’s the big question," said Scott De Leon, county public works director. “We have a dormant volcano, and I’m certain a lot of things that happen here (in Lake County) are a result of that, but we don’t know about this."
Other development on similar soil in the county is stable, county officials said.
While some of the subdivision movement is occurring on shallow fill, De Leon said a geologist has warned that the ground could be compromised down to bedrock 25 feet below and that cracks recently appeared in roads well beyond the fill.
“Considering this is a low rainfall year and the fact it’s letting go now after all of these years, and the magnitude that it’s letting go, well it’s pretty monumental," De Leon said.
County officials have inspected the original plans for the project and say it was developed by a reputable engineering firm then signed off on by the public works director at the time.
“I can only presume that they were checked prior to approval," De Leon said.
The sinkage has prompted county crews to redirect the subdivision’s sewage 300 feet through an overland pipe as manholes in the 10-acre development collapsed.
Consultant Tom Ruppenthal found two small leaks in the county water system that he said weren’t big enough to account for the amount of water that is flowing along infrastructure pipes and underground fissures, but they could be contributing to another source.
“It’s very common for groundwater to shift its course," said Ruppenthal of Utility Services Associates in Seattle. “I think the groundwater has shifted."
If the county can’t get the water and sewer service stabilized, De Leon said all 30 houses in the subdivision will have to be abandoned.
Looking for help
The owners of six damaged homes said they need help from the government.
The Lake County Board of Supervisors asked Gov. Jerry Brown to declare an emergency so funding might be available to stabilize utilities and determine the cause of the collapse. Last week, state Sen. Noreen Evans, D-Santa Rosa, wrote a letter of support asking Brown for immediate action. The California Emergency Management Agency said Brown was still assessing the situation.
The state has sent a water resources engineer and a geologist to look at the problem. Sen. Dianne Feinstein sent a representative as well.
Lake County, with farms, wineries and several Indian casinos, was shaped by earthquake fault movement and volcanic explosions that helped create the Coast Ranges of California. Clear Lake, popular for boating and fishing, is the largest fresh water lake wholly located in the state.
It is not unusual for groundwater in the region to make its way to the surface then subside. Many natural hot springs and geysers receded underground in the early 1900s and have since been tapped for geothermal power.
Homeowners now wonder whether fissures have opened below their hilltop, allowing water to seep to the surface. But they’re so perplexed they also talk about the land being haunted and are considering asking the local Native American tribe if the hilltop was an ancient graveyard.
Entire neighborhood in Northern California sinking
into the ground for unknown reason
Monday, May 13, 2013
An entire neighborhood of homes in Lakeport, Calif., is literally being swallowed by the Earth.(KABC Photo)
LAKEPORT, Calif. (KABC) -- A slow-moving disaster in a Northern California community is taking its toll on homeowners.
An entire neighborhood of homes in Lakeport is literally being swallowed by the Earth. No one knows exactly what's causing the huge cracks in the ground, but a dormant volcano could be the cause.
This all began in March when a homeowner noticed cracks snaking across walls. Those cracks turned into fractures, and within weeks, several homes were beginning to sink.
As of Monday morning, 30 homes were threatened; eight have already been abandoned and 10 are under notice of imminent evacuation.
"Anybody would be afraid of here. It's only because of the unknown. You don't know what's going to happen. I'm told I'm safe, I assume I'm safe, but does anybody really know yet?" said resident Alberta Diaz.
Officials have suspended mail delivery to keep carriers out of danger. They've also redirected sewage because manholes collapsed.
10 April 2013 CHINA - More than 200 dead pigs have been retrieved from the waterways of Changzhou in Jiangsu province, local media reported on Tuesday, 9 April. As of Monday (8 April), 113 pigs had been fished from rivers in the city's Tianning district, while another 100 decomposed carcasses were found in waterways in Wujin district, the Changzhou Daily reported.
source: thepigsite.com
City must consult federal agency when removing dead sea lions at La Jolla Cove *GRAPHIC*GROSS*
Tuesday, April 9, 2013 18:31
Sea lion carcasses found at La Jolla Cove are part of a rash of pup deaths occurring from San Diego to Ventura.
Masses of fish found dead on a lake in eastern Sweden have left experts theorizing that the harsh winter and icy conditions prevented the fish from getting enough oxygen.
The Dannemore lake, near Östhammar in the east of Sweden, was discovered to be covered with floating fish this weekend as the ice began to melt. Among the dead fish were pike, perch, roach, and bream.
"It was not a pleasant sight, there were tonnes on fish on the lake," Timo Hakulinen, who made the discovery, told the Aftonbladet newspaper.
23 Dolphin deaths add to mystery in Indian River Lagoon since Jan. 1
Scientists work to explain link, cause of manatee, pelican deaths Apr. 10, 2013 Written by Jim Waymer FLORIDA TODAY Mysterious manatee and pelican deaths mount: Manatee deaths have reached 100 and pelican deaths top 250 in the Brevard County region. Video by Jim Waymer. Add bottlenose dolphins to this year’s list of species dying mysteriously in the Indian River Lagoon. Researchers have documented 23 dead dolphins in the lagoon since Jan. 1, all but a few in Brevard County. That’s more than twice what researchers would expect, based on the death rate during the past decade. "It’s especially scary now to be losing so many manatees, and now dolphins," said Teresa Mazza, a biologist with the Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute, which gathers the carcasses for research purposes. The lagoon has seen at least 100 mysterious manatee deaths in just over eight months and 250 dead pelicans in the past two months, with most in Brevard. Most of the dead dolphin have been adult females. The bottlenose deaths have occurred from Titusville to Central Brevard. source: floridatoday.com and there are many, many more...most of which have no explanation.
WASHINGTON (AP) - An unpredictable North Korea, with its nuclear weapons and missile programs, stands as a serious threat to the United States and East Asia nations, the director of National Intelligence warned Tuesday in a sober assessment of worldwide threats.
Testifying before a Senate panel, James R. Clapper delivered the U.S. intelligence community's overview of global threats posed by terrorism, cyber attacks, weapons of mass destruction, the months-long civil war in Syria and the unsettled situation in post-Arab Spring nations.
The outlook on North Korea comes as the communist regime announced that it was "completely scrapping" the 1953 armistice that ended the Korean War and has maintained peace on the peninsula for more than half a century. The Obama administration on Monday slapped new sanctions against North Korea's primary exchange bank and several senior government officials as it expressed concern about the North's "bellicose rhetoric."
"The Intelligence community has long assessed that, in Pyongyang's view, its nuclear capabilities are intended for deterrence, international prestige and coercive diplomacy. We do not know Pyongyang's nuclear doctrine or employment concepts," Clapper told the Senate Intelligence Committee. "Although we assess with low confidence that the North would only attempt to use nuclear weapons against U.S. forces or allies to preserve the Kim regime, we do not know what would constitute, from the North's perspective, crossing that threshold."
North Korea, led by its young leader Kim Jong Un, has defied the international community in the last three months, testing an intercontinental ballistic missile and a third nuclear bomb.
Pressed on North Korea, Clapper said he was "very concerned about the actions of the new young leader." He described the talk emanating from Pyongyang as "very belligerent."
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon will spend $1 billion to deploy additional ballistic missile interceptors along the Pacific Coast to counter the growing reach of North Korea’s weapons, a decision accelerated by Pyongyang’s recent belligerence and indications that Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, is resisting China’s efforts to restrain him.
The new deployments, announced by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Friday, will increase the number of ground-based interceptors in California and Alaska to 44 from 30 by 2017.
The missiles have a mixed record in testing, hitting dummy targets just 50 percent of the time, but officials said Friday’s announcement was intended not merely to present a credible deterrence to the North’s limited intercontinental ballistic missile arsenal. They said it is also meant to show South Korea and Japan that the United States is willing to commit resources to deterring the North and, at the same time, warn Beijing that it must restrain its ally or face an expanding American military focus on Asia.
“There’s been a quickening pace of provocations,” said one senior administration official, describing actions and words from North Korea and its new leader, Mr. Kim. “But the real accelerant was the fact that the North Koreans seemed more unmoored from their Chinese handlers than even we had feared.”
Although American and South Korean intelligence officials doubt the North is close to being able to follow through on a nuclear strike, or that it would even try, given its almost certain destruction, analysts say the country’s aggressive behavior is an important and worrying sign of changing calculations in the North.
Thousands of dead starfish have washed up on a beach in Lincolnshire after a period of stormy weather.
Shocked photographer Simon Peck estimates that 4,000 starfish - along with whelks' eggs and pieces of shell - had surfaced on Cleethorpes beach.
Experts think that the animals were dislodged by rough waters in the recent wintry weather, with a similar incident happening at the same time last year.
Puzzle: Photographer Simon Peck was shocked to find around 4,000 starfish and bits of shell on the beach
Wetlands: Whelks' eggs also appeared at Cleethorpes beach. In the past, sea potatoes have washed up
Poignant: It's thought that rough seas dislodged the sea creatures at a sandy part of the coastline
Richard Harrington, communications manager at the Marine Conservation Society, said: 'These are all common starfish Asterias rubens.
'The fact that there's what appear to be whelk eggs and different shells in these pictures, both shallow water residents, along with the common starfish, would back up the likelihood that it is simply stormy weather that has caused this big strand.
'We were aware of a strand like this in the region at this time last year, too.
'Mass strandings of starfish and sea potatoes, a kind of sand-dwelling sea urchin, happen quite regularly in different parts of the coast.
'They seem to occur most in winter, and around sandy areas, when it's likely that rough seas in shallow water dislodge them in large numbers.
'Strandings like this may be associated with breeding, indicated if all of the specimens that washed up are mature adults, but the common starfish tends to aggregate and spawn most in spring and summer - so that is unlikely.'
Millions of common starfish live in British seas. About the size of a hand, they are pinky orange when alive, but turn a bright orange when dry.
Their ideal feeding ground is a mussel bed, where millions of starfish will congregate at any one time. And it's here where they are most at risk.
Violent storms can send terrifically strong currents through the mussel beds where they are feeding, pluck them off their prey, carry them to the shore and dump thousands at a time on to a beach.
In the past, some mass strandings have been blamed on overfishing - with dredgers used to scrape the sea floor for mussels dislodging starfish or covering them with mud and sand.
(MY NOTE: THEY JUST BLAMED THIS ON STORMY WEATHER)
Coastal confusion: Similar 'mass strandings' have happened in the past - mostly in winter, around sandy areas
Strange: A similar stranding was seen last year. Sometimes they happen in Spring during breeding season
Although tides and strong currents are the most likely cause of this recent mass stranding, in a similar incident in Japan last year, starvation was to blame.
"Mass Death of Olive Ridleys & Leather Back Turtles at Bay Of Bengal,India"
petition : www.thepetitionsite.com
NATURE DRIVE NDTI_
Jan 2, 2013_ Once again Olive Ridley Turtles found dead in thousands. On 10th December 2012 NDTI volunteers reported from Barunei sea beach (Near Gahirmatha), Paradip sea beach , Astaranga sea beach, Chandrabhaga sea beach and Satapada (Chilika lake) of Odisha coastal belt (Bay of Bengal) a new wave of dead Olive Ridley Turtles. * Thousands of Olive Ridley turtle corp ...
THE FOLLOWING IS FOR THE VIDEO WHICH IS POSTED HERE, BUT ALSO ON YOUTUBE: Dec 18, 2012
"Mass Death of Olive Ridleys & Leather Back Turtles at Bay Of Bengal,India" petition :
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/214/98... NATURE DRIVE NDTI: Jan 2, 2013: Once again Olive Ridley Turtles found dead in thousands. On 10th December 2012 NDTI volunteers reported from Barunei sea beach (Near Gahirmatha), Paradip sea beach , Astaranga sea beach, Chandrabhaga sea beach and Satapada (Chilika lake) of Odisha coastal belt (Bay of Bengal) a new wave of dead Olive Ridley Turtles. * Thousands of Olive Ridley turtle corpses were found floating in areas around Paradip and stretches from Gahirmatha to Astaranga Sea beach.
We all know this Coastal Belt of Odisha, like Gahirmatha ,Astaranga Sea beach and the Rushikulya river mouth for mass nesting of the Olive Ridley Turtles and many other Turtle species from prehistorically times feeding on Jelly fish. They are part of the Oceanic flora and fauna that builds and preserves our fish stock. We have reason to suspect unnatural death of Olive Ridley turtles by external causes.
We deeply regret the man made environmental degradation of this place by increasing of traffic of trawlers and other ships, poor water quality and the pollution by some industries that mixes directly with Marine water without any proper treatment of water as required by Indian Environmental Norms. We presume that these developments are the main cause for the unusual deaths before nesting can take place.
NDTI demands action to protect the victims and punish the culprits who are directly and indirectly involved in this painful incident.
* 18-12-202 JOINT INSPECTION WAS HELD AT PARADIP SEA BEACH with a Forest Range Officer and his team and our NDTI Coordinators. Already on 25 Meters we have buried 20 Turtles together with Forest Department staffs. We made the point that the cause of large scale animal death must be investigated by the Forest Department before we blame any party for this disaster. Now we have to bury the dead Turtles to prevent a possible infection of others, so our work will continue for some days.
"Dead sea turtles at Paradip sea beach ( Bay Of Bengal ) - Shocking news from Paradip at the Coastal belt of Odisha ( Bay of Bengal ): Since last week thousands of sea turtles were found dead on the shoreline. Nature Drive NDTI is planning to bury the dead sea turtles on Wednesday in the sand at the beaches. We will send two of these sea turtles to the laboratory for further investigation to find the cause of their death. On first sight it seems to be caused by unhealthy water condition like increased acid levels rather than fishing activities. Whatever the reason for this massive death might be, it is very sad news for animal lovers. Dec 2012"
Iceland investigating mass herring deaths
Associated Press – Wed, Feb 6, 2013
Associated Press/Brynjar Gauti - Herring worth billions in exports are seen floating dead Tuesday Feb. 5 2013 in Kolgrafafjordur, a small fjord on the northern part of Snaefellsnes peninsula, west Iceland, for the second time in two months. Between 25,000 and 30,000 tons of herring died in December and more now, due to lack of oxygen in the fjord thought to have been caused by a landfill and bridge constructed across the fjord in December 2004. The current export value of the estimated 10,000 tons of herring amounts to ISK 1.25 billion ($ 9.8 million, euro 7.2 million), according to Morgunbladid newspaper. (AP Photo/Brynjar Gauti)
REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) — Researchers in Iceland are blaming low oxygen levels in a shallow fjord for the deaths of tens of thousands of tons of herring.
Masses of dead herring have been found in Kolgrafafjordur fjord for the second time this winter, raising concerns about Iceland's fishery.
The Morgunbladid newspaper estimated the value of the 10,000 tons of fish found dead this week at 1.25 billion kronur ($9.8 million). An even larger number of fish died in December.
Roughly one season's worth of herring has been lost, Johann Sigurjonsson, director of Iceland's Marine Research Institute, said Wednesday.
He said herring tend to winter in large populations and may have depleted the oxygen in the shallow fjord. The danger should ease in spring when the herring spread out into a wider area, he said, downplaying fears that the entire herring fishery is in danger.
"We regard this as a serious event," he said. "We are investigating; we would like to find out if it is necessary to try to step in somehow."
The government's economic minister has increased funding for monitoring in the area to determine what can be done to prevent more fish from dying off. Some blame recent construction in the region for the kills.
Schoolchildren, town workers and volunteers have been cleaning up the dead fish, which can be turned into feed for mink and other animals.
Revenue from the sale is expected to go to local children and to area schools.
SO, I WAS WONDERING HOW THE WATER COULD ACTUALLY HAVE LESS OXYGEN, AS MANY OF THESE WATER DWELLING CREATURES DEATHS ARE BEING BLAMED ON LESS OXYGEN...
"Oxygen depletion can result from a number of natural factors, but is most often a concern as a consequence ofpollutionandeutrophicationin whichplant nutrientsenter a river, lake, or ocean, andphytoplanktonblooms are encouraged. While phytoplankton, throughphotosynthesis, will raise DO saturation during daylight hours, the dense population of abloomreduces DO saturation during the night byrespiration. When phytoplankton cells die, they sink towards the bottom and are decomposed bybacteria, a process that further reduces DO in the water column. If oxygen depletion progresses tohypoxia,fish killscan occur and invertebrates likewormsandclamson the bottom may be killed as well.
Still frame from an underwater video of the sea floor. The floor is covered with crabs, fish, and clams apparently dead or dying from oxygen depletion.
Hypoxia may also occur in the absence of pollutants. In estuaries, for example, because freshwater flowing from a river into the sea is less dense than salt water, stratification in the water column can result. Vertical mixing between the water bodies is therefore reduced, restricting the supply of oxygen from the surface waters to the more saline bottom waters. The oxygen concentration in the bottom layer may then become low enough for hypoxia to occur. Areas particularly prone to this include shallow waters of semi-enclosed water bodies such as the Waddenzee or the Gulf of Mexico, where land run-off is substantial. In these areas a so-called "dead zone" can be created. The World Resources Institute has identified 375 hypoxic coastal zones around the world, concentrated in coastal areas in Western Europe, the Eastern and Southern coasts of the US, and East Asia, particularly in Japan.[6]
Hypoxia may also be the explanation for periodic phenomena such as the Mobile Bay jubilee, where aquatic life suddenly rushes to the shallows, perhaps trying to escape oxygen-depleted water. Recent widespread shellfish kills near the coasts of Oregon and Washington are also blamed on cyclic dead zone ecology.[7]"
THEN I WONDER, CAN THE VOLCANIC ACTIVITY HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH WHAT IS GOING ON IN ICELAND WITH THAT HUGE FISH DIE OFF RIGHT NOW. CAN THAT TAKE OXYGEN OUT OF THE WATER? ANSWER: YES
Asphalt volcanoesare ocean floor vents that erupt asphalt instead of lava. They were discovered in the Gulf of Mexico during an expedition of the research vessel SONNE, led by Gerhard Bohrmann of the DFG Research Center Ocean Margins in 2003. In 2007, seven more such structures were discovered off the coast of Santa Barbara, California. The largest of these domes lies at a depth of 700 ft (213 m). The structures were larger than a football field and about as tall as a six-story building, all made completely out of asphalt. You needn’t wonder why so many dead fish are washing up on the coast of California. Most of these asphalt volcanoes emit huge amounts of methane and, along with other submarine hydrothermal volcanic vents, they are the leading causes of hypoxia (dead-zones) in oceans, rising temperatures, ocean acidity and worsening oscillation weather patterns (El Niño/La Niña) as I mentioned in my book. -The Extinction Protocol
Thousands of fish bob in the Fitzroy River near South Yaamba RoadContributed ROK
10am: The State Labor Party members are calling on the State Government to launch an independent inquiry into whether the release of mine water into the Fitzroy River led to the death of thousands of fish.
Shadow Environment spokeswoman Jackie Trad said reports of dead fish piled along the river were extremely concerning, particularly given the government recently approved the release of toxic mine water into the Fitzroy River.
Thousands of dead fish found at Weir Park near Gogango after the floods. Photo Contributed by Garrett Kirk.
Photo: Garrett Kirk.
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"The people of Rockhampton and surrounding communities deserve answers," Ms Trad said.
"The fact remains if the fish kill and toxic water are linked, then any of the water testing promised by the government has not made a difference.
"The people who end up drinking that water need to know the facts.
"The State Government has been arrogantly deflecting questions about the environmental and health impacts of their mine water releases which is why any investigation into these deaths must be independent.
"Any investigation should be led by experts with first-hand knowledge of the local environment and are on the ground to undertake immediate assessments."
Member for Rockhampton Bill Byrne said the State Government had so far failed to consult or engage with locals about this issue, leaving the community completely in the dark.
Bill Byrne.
"This government waited until late on a Friday before the Australia Day long weekend, after newsrooms had clocked-off, to announce the first release of mine water," Mr Byrne said.
"The government knows it has made an unpalatable decision that local residents completely oppose.
"Instead of forcing mining companies to deal with their own excess water, the LNP are simply allowing the problem to flow through to our local communities and local environments."
9.40am: GREENPEACE campaigner Louise Matthiesson says one of the paragraphs in this story could be read incorrectly and wishes to clarify the matter.
She is talking about this paragraph - "She believed the state government was responsible for the mass wastage of river stock because more than 20 mine sites were discharging "polluted" water into the Fitzroy River."
Ms Matthiesson says she was very careful not to say that the mine discharges are responsible for the fish kill, because there is currently no evidence of that, and there are a number of possible causes.
"I did say that the state government is responsible for investigating the cause of the fish kill. I also said it is reasonable for residents to be concerned about the discharge of polluted water from mines upstream and the impact it could have on water quality in the river."
5am: WHEN Sharon Meehan got to the Fitzroy River near her house yesterday she saw thousands of dead bodies in front of her.
Mass murder, carelessness ... call it what you want, Sharon has never seen such a disaster on this scale.
Sharon lives near the Fitzroy River in South Yaamba Road at Alton Downs.
Just yesterday she was able to get to the river, after floodwater blocked access to the bank, only to find more than a thousand fish bobbing on the water.
Some she said were lifeless on the bank, gasping for air.
She scooped up a one-metre-long catfish, dead.
"It's absolutely heartbreaking," she said.
"I have fished down here for many years and have never seen anything like this before.
"The smell is absolutely vomitous. I don't know what caused this but I know the death of so many fish has something to do with what's in the water.
"If this has happened because of mine discharges into the river then the State Government has a lot to answer for ... they're just seeing dollar signs at the end of the day."
Among the dead fish species were barramundi, bream, catfish and others.
Thousands of small dead fish were piled in Rockhampton's East Street as their bodies emerged after the water subsided.
More dead fish, in the thousands, were found wasted at Weir Park near Gogango after the floodwater receded.
Now Sharon is gravely concerned about the quality of the water, which she drinks if her tank runs out.
She is now left to pump "dirty and smelly" water from the river to her house.
"This water helps me with my everyday chores like washing the dishes, clothes and cleaning."
Queensland campaigner for Greenpeace Louise Matthiesson said she believed the State Government was responsible for the mass wastage of river stock because more than 20 mine sites were discharging "polluted" water into the Fitzroy River.
"It's very unusual for this amount of dead fish to wash up in a large body of water because it's not as confined as a small creek," Ms Matthiesson said.
"These residents, and the rest of Rockhampton, have a right to know what's going on ... we have got to get to the bottom of this
"It really stinks out here at Alton Downs and the river goes for kilometres. I don't know how much more dead fish is out there on the river bank."
Yesterday Rockhampton residents were out in force on Quay St scooping up live fish, flapping around in shallow water, and filling small bins to take home.
The Department of Environment and Heritage Protection is working with Rockhampton Regional Council to investigate a number of fish deaths around the Rockhampton region, including South Yaamba.
"The council has advised water quality sampling to date indicates very low dissolved oxygen levels as the likely cause of the fish deaths," a department spokesman said.
"Low dissolved oxygen levels are a common, natural occurrence following significant flood events, caused by large amounts of vegetation and other organic matter being washed into waterways and decomposing.
"Because it had previously been so dry, there was significantly more organic material than usual around to be washed into the river by the rains from ex-tropical cyclone Oswald."
Massive Honeybee Die Off in Montecito updated: Jan 30, 2013, 10:55 AM
By Todd Bebb of Santa Barbara Beekeepers Association
Santa Barbara Beekeepers Association announces: Massive Honeybee Die Off in Montecito
Last October, SBBA was called out to several backyard beekeepers' properties in response to massive honeybee die-offs. Local amateur beekeeper, Carrie Kappel, called SBBA when she noticed hundreds of dead and dying bees outside her backyard beehive. "It was devastating to see the number of dead bees outside the hive, and watch those in their death throes, twitching and stumbling around in front of the hive, unable to fly. I watched the whole hive go from healthy and vigorous to empty over a few short weeks."
A total of 16 formerly healthy hives, with an average population of 30-60,000 bees each were lost. SBBA estimates approximately 750,000 bees lost their lives, all within a 1.5-mile radius. The Association submitted four test samples to Penn State University for a comprehensive pesticide screening and just received the reports back from the USDA labs.
As SBBA leaders suspected, there were several commonly used pesticides found in bee food stores, brood cells and wax. These include bifenthrin (found in hundreds of agricultural and household pesticide products), chlorpyrifos (used on orchards, golf courses, and crops, and banned from residential use), cyhalothrin (found in household and commercial products like Demand®, Karate®, and Warrior®), and fipronil (used in over 50 products to control ants, termites, fleas and other insects, e.g., Frontline®, Goliath®, Nexa®, and Regent®). All of these chemicals are known to be highly toxic to bees. Also found at low levels were two legal miticides used by beekeepers to control mites. While this does not prove that pesticides were behind the die-offs, it does point to them as a possible factor.
According to Penn State Senior Extension Associate, Maryann Frazier, "Honey bees across the country are being exposed to a great diversity and sometimes high levels of pesticides. While the evidence associated with the Montecito die-off is not conclusive, the symptoms of colony deaths and detections of low levels of pesticides toxic to honey bees are suspicious and cause for concern."
While SBBA is very upset about this loss, its leaders hope that by spreading the word about the die-off, community members will become more aware of the potential dangers of pesticides for honeybees and other pollinators. The organization encourages pest control companies, horticulturalists, landscape contractors and homeowners to evaluate the products that they are using and how they are being applied and work to reduce risks to honeybees and other beneficial insects.
Honeybees have been in decline worldwide. Frazier notes, "We believe that pesticide exposure is an important factor contributing to pollinator decline and possibly Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD)." Colony Collapse Disorder has wiped out honeybee hives in the US and elsewhere, threatening both the viability of commercial beekeeping and the sustainability of the pollination services that honeybees provide to agricultural crops, domestic gardens, and wild plants. Whatever the cause of the Montecito die-off - whether acute pesticide poisoning, CCD, or other stresses - it may be symptomatic of a general decline in the quality of our environment for honeybees. "Honeybees and other pollinators are getting hit hard, but there are things we can do to reduce the threats to them," said SBBA President, Paul Cronshaw.
Pesticides applied to plants that are in bloom can be transferred to the hive by bees foraging for nectar and pollen, and thus the pesticides can impact the entire colony. SBBA urges Santa Barbara community members to please speak with your gardener, pest control company and anyone else that may use these products to make sure that they are being used properly. Commercial pesticides should only be applied by registered, licensed pesticide applicators. They should be applied carefully, according to the instructions on the label, and only as needed, avoiding applying them to blooming plants and at times when pollinators are active. "Working together, we can reduce both our own exposures to pesticides, and also the honeybee's, so that she may continue to help us feed the planet," says SBBA Vice President, Todd Bebb.
SBBA Mission Statement
The Santa Barbara Beekeeper's Association is dedicated to the promotion and advancement of beekeeping through best management practices, the education and mentoring of people about honey bees and beekeeping, and increasing public awareness of environmental concerns affecting honey bees.
If you have questions about bees or beekeeping, please contact SBBA. If you would like to help SBBA, a 501(c)3, fulfill its mission, please consider a donation: www.sbba.org.
Links:
Learn more about how to reduce bee poisoning from pesticides, from Oregon State University Extension:
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