Indian Wildlife Club Forum

Here is a report published on 13 December, 2016
U.S. EPA Releases Final Report on Impacts from Hydraulic Fracturing Activities on Drinking Water Resources 
EPA’s report concludes that hydraulic fracturing activities can impact drinking water resources under some circumstances and identifies factors that influence these impacts

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is releasing its scientific report on the impacts from hydraulic fracturing activities on drinking water resources, which provides states and others the scientific foundation to better protect drinking water resources in areas where hydraulic fracturing is occurring or being considered. The report, done at the request of Congress, provides scientific evidence that hydraulic fracturing activities can impact drinking water resources in the United States under some circumstances. As part of the report, EPA identified conditions under which impacts from hydraulic fracturing activities can be more frequent or severe. The report also identifies uncertainties and data gaps. These uncertainties and data gaps limited EPA’s ability to fully assess impacts to drinking water resources both locally and nationally. These final conclusions are based upon review of over 1,200 cited scientific sources; feedback from an independent peer review conducted by EPA’s Science Advisory Board; input from engaged stakeholders; and new research conducted as part of the study. 

"The value of high quality science has never been more important in helping to guide decisions around our nation’s fragile water resources. EPA's assessment provides the scientific foundation for local decision makers, industry, and communities that are looking to protect public health and drinking water resources and make more informed decisions about hydraulic fracturing activities,” said Dr. Thomas A. Burke, EPA's Science Advisor and Deputy Assistant Administrator of EPA's Office of Research and Development. "This assessment is the most complete compilation to date of national scientific data on the relationship of drinking water resources and hydraulic fracturing."

The report is organized around activities in the hydraulic fracturing water cycle and their potential to impact drinking water resources. The stages include: (1) acquiring water to be used for hydraulic fracturing (Water Acquisition), (2) mixing the water with chemical additives to make hydraulic fracturing fluids (Chemical Mixing), (3) injecting hydraulic fracturing fluids into the production well to create and grow fractures in the targeted production zone (Well Injection), (4) collecting the wastewater that returns through the well after injection (Produced Water Handling), and (5) managing the wastewater through disposal or reuse methods (Wastewater Disposal and Reuse). 

EPA identified cases of impacts on drinking water at each stage in the hydraulic fracturing water cycle. Impacts cited in the report generally occurred near hydraulically fractured oil and gas production wells and ranged in severity, from temporary changes in water quality, to contamination that made private drinking water wells unusable.

As part of the report, EPA identified certain conditions under which impacts from hydraulic fracturing activities can be more frequent or severe, including:

• Water withdrawals for hydraulic fracturing in times or areas of low water availability, particularly in areas with limited or declining groundwater resources;
• Spills during the management of hydraulic fracturing fluids and chemicals or produced water that result in large volumes or high concentrations of chemicals reaching groundwater resources;
• Injection of hydraulic fracturing fluids into wells with inadequate mechanical integrity, allowing gases or liquids to move to groundwater resources;
• Injection of hydraulic fracturing fluids directly into groundwater resources;
• Discharge of inadequately treated hydraulic fracturing wastewater to surface water resources; and
• Disposal or storage of hydraulic fracturing wastewater in unlined pits, resulting in contamination of groundwater resources.

The report provides valuable information about potential vulnerabilities to drinking water resources, but was not designed to be a list of documented impacts.

Data gaps and uncertainties limited EPA’s ability to fully assess the potential impacts on drinking water resources both locally and nationally. Generally, comprehensive information on the location of activities in the hydraulic fracturing water cycle is lacking, either because it is not collected, not publicly available, or prohibitively difficult to aggregate. In places where we know activities in the hydraulic fracturing water cycle have occurred, data that could be used to characterize hydraulic fracturing-related chemicals in the environment before, during, and after hydraulic fracturing were scarce. Because of these data gaps and uncertainties, as well as others described in the assessment, it was not possible to fully characterize the severity of impacts, nor was it possible to calculate or estimate the national frequency of impacts on drinking water resources from activities in the hydraulic fracturing water cycle. 

EPA's final assessment benefited from extensive stakeholder engagement with states, tribes, industry, non-governmental organizations, the scientific community, and the public. This broad engagement helped to ensure that the final assessment report reflects current practices in hydraulic fracturing and uses all data and information available to the agency. This report advances the science. The understanding of the potential impacts from hydraulic fracturing on drinking water resources will continue to improve over time as new information becomes available. 

For a copy of the study, visit www.epa.gov/hfstudy.

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PANORAMIC 150 GAME CAMERA

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The Panoramic 150 is a specialtyMoultrie game camera for capturing high quality, super-wide digital images ofdeer and other wild game on your land or hunting camp. With an incredible150-degree field of view, Moultrie Panoramic cameras cover more than 3 timesthe area of most traditional game cameras – giving that elusive trophy buckvirtually nowhere to hide. With rugged construction that stands up to theelements, and stealthy design that make it virtually invisible to game, thePanoramic 150 doesn’t just work hard; it works smart. It’s a big world outthere, so make sure you’ve got a game camera that can capture it: the MoultriePanoramic 150.

Super-Wide Panoramic Field of View:

Ideal for open woods or fields, thePanoramic 150’s super-wide field of view lets you see so much more of the worldaround it. The 150-degree field of view is almost 3 times more than most gamecameras, so you get a more comprehensive picture of your territory.

Decked out in Mossy Oak® Treestandcamouflage and powered by Moultrie’s advanced 100-foot Low-Glow infrared flashtechnology, the Panoramic 150 is designed to capture images of nearby gamewithout disturbing them. Day or night, the motion sensors detect prey within 45feet – and the lens silently rotates to capture the panoramic photos or HDvideos.

FEATURES:

Motion Detection:

The Panoramic 150 employs a passiveinfrared (PIR) motion sensor that’s triggered by heat and movement within 45feet.

MOTION DETECT DELAY:

Delay is a low-power "sleep"state entered after image capture. Longer delays extend battery life and limitthe images recorded in high-traffic situations (e.g. – on a very busy gamefeeder). The camera can be set for 5, 10, or 30 second delays as well as 1, 5,10, 30, or 60 minute delays.

MULTI-SHOT MODE:

When using the Motion Detect function,multi-shot mode allows the camera to record multiple photos per trigger. ThePanoramic 150 can be set to take 2 or 3 photos in succession after motion isdetected.

PANORAMIC MODE:

Still photos are taken when an animal isdetected. When any of the sensors detect an animal, the camera will take aseries of three photos, one at each position (right, center, left) and combinethese into one panoramic photo.

SINGLE MODE:

Still photos are taken when an animal isdetected. The number of photos taken when an animal is detected is configurablein Settings. The position in which the photo is taken (right, center, or left)depends on which sensor detects an animal.

TIMELAPSE MODE:

Timelapse mode disables the PIR sensorand instead triggers the camera through a countdown timer that will activateduring sunrise and sunset, and is adjustable from 1-4 hours.

HYBRID MODE:

The camera can be triggered by both itspassive infrared (PIR) motion sensor and a time-lapse program.

TRIGGER SPEED:

The Panoramic 150 resets rapidly afterimage capture, taking only 1 second after a motion trigger until the camera isfully ready to detect motion and capture more.

NIGHT ILLUMINATION:

The flash is equipped with 30 LightEmitting Diode (LED) lights. This 850nm Low-Glow LED technology is minimallyintrusive and can illuminate game up to 100 feet away in total darkness.

MOTION FREEZE / EXTENDED FLASH:

For night-time operation of the camera,you can select between reduced motion blur or extended flash range to maximizeimage clarity and visibility.

OPTICAL FIELD OF VIEW (FOV):

Features a 150-degree diagonal viewingarea recorded by the camera.

BATTERIES & BATTERY LIFE:

Camera requires 6 C-cell Alkalinebatteries that should last up to the capture of 9,000 images. This is aconservative estimate of photos that can be taken before the camera’s batteriesare depleted. Actual results vary based on user settings and environmentalfactors.

With Regards,

Devenjeet

Deven Jeet

(Proprietor)

For JEETEKNO

P.O. I.P.E., Kaulagarh,

Dehra Dun, Uttarakhand, India.

PH: 91-135-2751893; FAX: 91-135-2751893

Mobile: 91-9897800710

e-mail: jeetekno@gmail.com; jeetekno@yahoo.com

www.jeetekno.com

CONSERVE FOREST & WILDLIFE

PooyamKutty is a less known destination blessed with scenic hill ranges, small waterfalls and abundant wildlife. I visited Pooyamkutty with my friends back in 2015 when we heard a few stories about the tribes who lives in harmony with the elephants. The forest is one of the main migration route for elephants here. Encounter with elephants are part of their lives now, but both of them live in harmony. Bamboo trees constitute a massive part of the vegetation which is a favorite diet of the elephants.

The Pooyamkutty forest is separated by Pooyamkutty River and you need to cross the river to get into the forest. We had to trek nearly 10 kms through the forest to get to the tribal village. Since the village is in the middle of the jungle, encounters with wildlife are part of their daily life. Major wildlife here includes leopards,macaques, spotted deer, wild boars, civets etc.

It was a one day trip, we reached there early by 9:00 AM in the morning and came out of the forest by 5:00 PM. It would be better to go early and come back before it is dawn, because it’s dangerous to walk through the jungle when it is dark.