For over a century, salmon technocrats (fisheries scientists and kindred technical experts) have played an important role in Pacific Northwest salmon policy, but their involvement has caused them and others discomfort. The discomfort is summarized by the following observations: (1) the public, apparently, supports maintaining wild salmon runs, (2) there are competing societal priorities, many of which are partially or wholly mutually exclusive, (3) increasing numbers of people in the Pacific Northwest create additional pressures on all ecological resources (including wild salmon), (4) policy positions in the salmon policy debate are entrenched, (5) society expects salmon technocrats to help solve the salmon problem, (6) each of the many sides of the policy debate attempts to utilize salmon technocrats to bolster its argument, (7) it has proved nearly impossible for salmon technocrats to avoid being categorized as supporting a particular policy position, and (8) many policy advocates frame their policy views in scientific terms rather than value-based preferences. Involvement with salmon policy can be the professional undoing of a salmon technocrat unless his proper role is understood. From a technocrat's perspective, and in order to survive professionally, I propose several rules: (1) be honest, (2) focus on science, (3) accept that politicians covet legitimacy, (4) recognize that framing the policy question largely defines the analytical outcome, (5) avoid the allure of junk science and policy babble, (6) concede that societal values and priorities evolve, and (7) avoid technical and scientific hubris

Determining if and when a potential accident scenario is subject to requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 has long been an open question. This issue is routinely addressed by some agencies, yet is virtually ignored by others. Certainly, not all federal proposals merit a detailed analysis of accident scenarios. Yet, how does one determine under which circumstances an analysis of accident scenarios should be subject to a NEPA analysis versus those that are not? The implications of this issue are particularly important with respect to low-probability high-consequence events. Beyond the obvious risk of increased exposure to litigation, this question is of interest for other reasons, not the least of which being that such an analysis can substantially increase schedules and cost. This paper examines this question and provides a tool consisting of seven tests for assisting practitioners in reaching a determination.

Cooperation among waste generators to co-compost institutional, agricultural, and municipal solid waste can balance carbon: nitrogen ratios, yield a value-added product, and ultimately reduce solid waste disposal nationally. A study was conducted to determine concentrations of indicator bacteria and other bacteria in compost components, immature compost, and cured compost. Compost components included pulped institutional food waste, newsprint, farm animal waste, and municipal landscape waste. Carbon:nitrogen ratios were balanced (mean = 30:1) through cooperative co-composting of institutional and agricultural waste with municipal landscape waste. Compost windrows were mechanically turned an average of 15 times during 60-days of composting, reaching highest internal mean temperatures of 62° C. Raw food waste, animal waste, immature and cured compost samples were collected aseptically and analyzed for total and fecal coliform, Enterococci, Staphylococci, and heterotrophic bacteria using standard culturing techniques. Initial indicator bacterial concentrations of 4–8 log10 colony forming units (cfu) per milliliter (ml−1) or gram (g−1) dry weight recovered from animal waste and 2–3 log10 cfu g−1 dry weight recovered from raw food waste were reduced to below the detection limit of approximately 20 cfu g−1 dry weight in all compost samples analyzed. Staphylococci and heterotrophic bacteria concentrations recovered from immature compost samples were also reduced in cured compost. Results indicated that cooperative waste composting reduced culturable indicator bacteria concentrations in compost samples analyzed. Results suggested that cooperative solid waste composting may reduce environmental health concerns associated with institutional, agricultural, and municipal wastes, while generating a value-added soil amendment and reducing solid waste volume.

We compared different sources of land use/land cover data using the percentages of forest, agriculture, urban, and mined lands in approximately 400 watersheds of the U.S. Mid-Atlantic region. The primary data sources were digital Land Use/Land Cover maps (LULQ from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and data derived from Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) imagery obtained by the Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics (MRLQ Consortium and interpreted at the Earth Resources Observation Systems (EROS) Data Center (version 2). The latter is referred to as MRLC-TM. We also used aerial photographs (AP), topographic maps, field comments, and qualitative watershed assessments as ancillary information. The LULC and MRLC-TM data differed in age, source material, classifications, format (vector vs. raster), and resolution. However, Pearson correlation coefficients between LULC and MRLC-TM were high for broad (composite) forest, agriculture, and urban categories (0.95, 0.96, and 0.92, respectively). Correspondence varied by forest type and by percentage. Where deciduous forests comprised less than 50% of the watershed, MRLCTM data depicted greater amounts than did LULC, while the reverse was true where deciduous forests were dominant Agriculture and forest percentages were inversely related in all cases. Urban land percentages were consistently lower for MRLC-TM than LULC. Relatively few watersheds contained strip mines, quarries, or gravel pits and the MRLC-TM vs. LULC relationship was weak (correlation coefficient = 0.41). Detection of reclaimed mines seemed problematic for LULC and MRLC-TM, but these were readily discerned on AP. A single “snapshot” of land cover data will inadequately characterize a watershed if rapid landscape changes occur (e.g., forest clearcuts). Each data type has strengths and weaknesses, depending on a study's objectives, but individual limitations may be alleviated by using multiple data sources.

This paper describes seven institutional problems that plague subnational public sector environmental decision making. These problems are: (1) turnover among decision process participants, (2) difficulties in building and maintaining expertise in government, (3) lack of credibility of participants in environmental decision making processes, (4) difficult relationships between government and the public, (5) difficult relationships among state/regional/federal governments, (6) lack of institutional support for decision makers, and (7) difficulties in making decisions under high degrees of uncertainty. These findings were drawn through extensive and intensive interactions with people engaged in environmental decision making through their roles in government, the private sector, and the nonprofit sector. It can be argued that these types of institutional problems now overwhelm other factors traditionally thought to be worse plagues upon environmental decision making, such as lack of scientific data and deficient decision making models. It can also be argued that with respect to the general practice of public administration, institutional issues associated with environmental decision making may pose the most significant challenges of all public policy issues because these problems entail scales of political, technical, ethical, and decision making complexities unmatched in other areas. Several recommendations for overcoming these problems are provided, including solutions related to pay, training, evaluation, and information technology.