The clean air challenge. (Clean Air, Beaver Benefits, Bison).

National Parks, March, 2003

The Clean Air Challenge [November/ December 2002] serves as a wake-up call to people who care about the health of our national parks. In my state of Maine, we are acutely aware of threats to the once pristine beauty of our forests and waters. As the National Parks Conservation Association points out in its recent report, Code Red: America's Five Most Endangered Parks, air pollution is making Acadia National Park a dangerous place to breathe. The report cites high ozone levels, fog sometimes as acidic as grapefruit juice, and high mercury concentrations in the park's freshwater fish. While visibility from Cadillac Mountain, and other scenic vistas, normally averages 110 miles, haze from air pollution reduces it to 33 miles during the summer months. On the worst days, you...

Read the rest of this article with a Free Trial at HighBeam Research.

Premium Content Partnership | HighBeam Research provides an in-depth online archive library of reference works.