You hear about it all the time, bottled water is better than tap water, and tap water is better than bottled.

But what’s the truth?

The League of Women Voters of Rockland County and the Rockland Water Quality Committee hope to shed light on the issue with a free program tomorrow, “Bottled Water vs. Tap Water: Which Is Better, Healthier, Safer To Drink?”

The program begins at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Town of Ramapo’s Senior Citizens’ Community Center, at the corner of Route 202 and Mayer Drive, in Montebello.

The speakers will be Dan Miller, Rockland County’s hydrologist, and Susan Golz, a Rockland Community College science professor.

About a third of 800 U.S. bird species are threatened or declining in numbers because of a host of threats including climate change, loss of habitat, and invasive species.

That’s according to a new report, The State of the Birds, which drew its conclusions from 40 years of data. While the report paints a troubled picture of the environment, as Science Daily points out, it also included some good news.

The report also shows that investment in conservation works, exemplified by the remarkable recoveries of waterfowl after more than 30 million acres of wetlands were restored and managed.

The U.S. State of the Birds report offers heartening evidence that strategic land management and conservation action can reverse declines of birds.

(Bird population indicators based on trends for obligate species in four major habitats.)

The graph above shows some of that good news, a nod to wetland conservation efforts. As State of the Birds points out:  “The upward trend for wetland birds in the U.S. is a testament to the amazing resilience of bird populations where the health of their habitat is sustained or restored. The overwhelming success of waterfowl management, coordinated continentally among Canada, the United States, and Mexico, can serve as a model for conservation in other habitats.”

The Washington Post story about the report includes a nice slide show of some of the birds.

Want to keep up on the latest concerning Mt. Redoubt, the volcano in Alaska that began erupting yesterday and is expected to continue doing so for the foreseeable future?

There’s a host of news stories about the eruption, the volcano’s first since 1989. So far, Anchorage, the closest big city, isn’t threatened. But a plume of ash that’s climbed some 60,000 feet into the atmosphere, according to this L.A. Times story, is threatening “parts of the Susitna Valley, an area of few people that is known for its excellent fishing.”

Ash is a well-known abrasive and can cause problems for those with respiratory problems such as asthma. It can harm the skin as well as exposed machine parts.

Here’s the Alaska Volcano Observatory page on Mt. Redoubt. Forget snowfall predictions. The National Weather Service is issuing ashfall advisories.

The photo, released by the Alaska Volcano Observatory/U.S. Geological Survey through the AP, shows steam rising from the top vent in the summit crater of Alaska’s Mount Redoubt, Saturday March 21, 2009.

When we last saw the Home Depot hawk, a.k.a the red-shouldered hawk who somehow winged herself into the Cortlandt Home Depot and was eventually rescued by some wildlife rehabilitators, she was flapping her way above the Teatown Lake Reservation.

Well, Erin Smithies of Teatown, one of the hawk’s rescuers, sent out an email Saturday evening with an update. The hawk was released last Wednesday, as some of you may recall.

I have wonderful news to report! Today (Saturday), Teatown had our annual pancake brunch, and local expert birder Charlie Roberto led a small group of folks on several bird walks on the property – they spotted our juvenile red-shouldered hawk sitting in some trees between the Swope’s and Hidden Valley fields, and she was busy eating something grasped in her talons – they suspected a vole.

The photo above by TJN photographer Frank Becerra shows the red-shouldered hawk. I’m not entirely sure what kind of hawk is in the second photo. Suzie Gilbert, one of the other Home Depot hawk rescuers, said it’s an immature red-tailed hawk. Anyway, this hawk, too, found its way inside. I’ll let the Mamaroneck homeowner, Gary Strauss, explain.

This bird crashed through the screen onto our back porch in January. He tore a hole in the screen, but couldn’t find a way out for probably 12 hours. He seems to have bounced against the various screened walls several times while attempting to fly out, never being able to get enough speed up to tear a hole to exit. After we opened the door and he figured it out, he eventually was able to fly away.

Atlantic bluefin tuna from the eastern part of the ocean meet your western cousins . . . turns out the two stocks of fish already have. It used to be thought that tuna living near the Mediterranean never mingled with the bluefin tuna that have their breeding ground in the Gulf of Mexico.

But new technology and research efforts employed by Cornell University scientists and others provides a more complete picture of life in the sea. From the Cornell Chronicle:

But new advances in miniature sensors and fish-tracking tags, ocean observing systems and computer models are providing much more insight into environmental changes and how fish are responding behaviorally and biologically to such changes, thereby enabling better modeling to predict fish populations. As a result, researchers are making more informed recommendations for strategies to address falling fish populations.

The project is known as Tag A Giant.

The Tag-A-Giant Foundation is committed to reversing the decline of northern bluefin tuna populations by supporting the scientific research necessary to develop innovative and effective policy and conservation initiatives. We will engage scientists, policymakers, fishermen and citizens to chart the course toward rebuilding and maintaining sustainable populations of northern bluefin tuna in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

In case you missed it, state wildlife authorities this week announced charges against 18 people for poaching and illegal sales of the state’s turtles, snakes and salamanders. Several others were charged by federal agents and Pennsylvania authorities following the undercover investigation, which was called “Operation Shellshock.”

The investigation began in 2007 and stretched across several states, as well as Canada.

“Our investigators began this operation with a simple question: Is there a commercial threat to our critical wildlife species? What they found was alarming,” DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis said. “A very lucrative illegal market for these creatures does exist, fostered by a strong, clandestine culture of people who want to exploit wildlife for illegal profit. I’m proud of the success of our officers. Their work sends a strong message that the buying and selling of New York’s native species will not be tolerated.”

More than 2,400 individual turtles, snakes and salamanders were involved in the crimes, according to the DEC, which is currently holding nearly 400 live animals in evidence. The DEC described the investigation as “one of the largest and most wide-ranging criminal investigations the agency has ever conducted.”

Pete Seeger, folk singer, activist and Hudson River champion, will celebrate his 90th birthday on May 3 with a few friends. Among them will be Bruce Springsteen, Emmylou Harris, Dar Williams, Dave Matthews and Kris Kristofferson. Here’s his bio from The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The concert that Sunday night in Madison Square Garden will benefit the Clearwater organization. Tickets go on sale March 30 to the general public. See the invitation below, which can also be found here. Here’s an earlier post about Pete.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation has a new resource available for communities looking to protect natural resources. It’s a handbook (with a long title) called “Conserving Natural Areas and Wildlife in  Your Community: Smart Growth Strategies for Protecting the Biological Diversity of New York’s Hudson River Valley.”

The guidebook provides a road map for municipalities to use their local powers to protect valuable natural resources. It includes “How They Did It” profiles of numerous Hudson Valley communities that already have consulted successfully with DEC to protect their natural areas, wildlife habitat and water bodies.

“Up and down the Hudson Valley, communities are recognizing the importance of fostering green and healthy communities – and the vital role planning plays in achieving local goals,” said DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis. “DEC is here to help. This new handbook provides practical guidance to communities on key topics such as conservation, mapping, public participation and education, and inter-municipal approaches to land use. We hope it serves as a ‘how to’ book for municipalities working to conserve the Hudson Valley’s natural heritage.”

The book can be downloaded here.

Several coyote attacks on pets in a Denver suburb has led to the community hiring a trapper to take care of some of the possibly offending coyotes.

You can read about the whole matter in this New York Times story.

Since a recent rash of coyote attacks on pets in Greenwood Village, an affluent suburb of Denver, Mr. Stewart, the owner and primary employee of Animal Damage Control Wildlife Management Services, has been on the hunt. When he comes across a coyote after being dispatched by the city, he closely observes its behavior until he has judged whether it is aggressive. Those he deems a threat to humans or pets he shoots with one of his .22-caliber guns.

Renowned for their adaptability, coyotes have been showing up with brazen frequency in the suburbs of Denver and in populated areas across the country. They have been spotted hanging out in local parks, trotting down city streets and lounging in backyards, content and seemingly unafraid of humans.

As for Lower Hudson Valley coyotes, the Wildlife Trust has been studying them.

Coyote populations are increasing in the New York region, and the potential for coyote human conflicts is increasing along with it. Now more than ever, it is imperative to locate areas where these conflicts may occur. This project uses camera traps to quantify the occurrence of coyotes in the Hudson Highlands of New York, and correlate their presence to particular habitats or land-use features.

The photo of the coyote comes courtesy of Teatown Lake Reservation, which has set up some of the camera traps mentioned in the Wildlife Trust’s work.

Spring begins at 7:44 a.m. EDT Friday. (OK, that’s enough applause.) To celebrate, maybe you want to get some new plants, shrubs and/or trees for your garden and yard.

The Putnam County Soil and Water Conservation District is holding its annual plant sale. Orders are due by March 25. An order form and more information can be found here.

The Putnam County Soil & Water Conservation District is once again offering a variety of trees and shrubs to assist landowners in providing food and shelter for wildlife, ground cover for erosion control, and natural native beautification.

The start of spring, as you might know, is the vernal equinox. From a handy-dandy Web site about all things equinoxy:

The March equinox is the movement when the sun crosses the true celestial equator – or the line in the sky above the earth’s equator – from south to north, around March 20 (or March 21) of each year. At that time, day and night are balanced to nearly 12 hours each all over the world and the earth’s axis of rotation is perpendicular to the line connecting the centers of the earth and the sun.