http://webcat.library.wisc.edu:3200/EcoNatRes/

Developed by the University of Wisconsin Digital Collections group, the Ecology and Natural Resources Collection Web site brings together writings about research in ecology and natural resources conducted by University of Wisconsin faculty and staff, along with unique or valuable titles in these fields from the holdings of the University of Wisconsin Libraries. While titles will continue to be added in the future to this archive, the archive currently contains several important works, including Soils of Wisconsin, authored by Francis Doan Hole. The archive contains some other amazing material, such as 188 images from the papers of the late naturalist Aldo Leopold, author of A Sand County Almanac. Here visitors can peruse (and search) various images, including several pages of his hand-written journals, photographs of him out and about around Wisconsin, and hand-drawn maps of the places that were dear to him. Finally, users can look through the Wisconsin Land Economic Inventory maps (often called the Bordner Survey after its director, John Bordner), which offer a portrait of the Wisconsin landscape during the 1930s and 1940s. [KMG]

http://www.yale.edu/envirocenter/

Established in 1994 by the Yale Law School and the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, the Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy "draws on resources throughout Yale University to develop and advance environmental policy locally, regionally, nationally, and globally." This is not a surprising partnership, as the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies (founded by Gifford Pinchot) helped launch the conservation movement of the early 20th century, and graduates of the Yale Law School were some of the primary movers behind the environmental law movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. From the homepage, visitors can learn about ongoing research projects (such as those dealing with global environmental governance), read a number of publications authored by Center faculty, and learn about upcoming conferences and events sponsored by the Center. Rounding out the site is the Environmental Sustainability Index, which serves as "a measure of overall progress towards environmental sustainability". Here visitors can examine the ESI scores of 142 countries, which are based upon a set of 20 core indicators, along with reading a full report on the results from the 2002 findings. [KMG]

http://www.export.gov/iraq/

Recently, the United States Department of Commerce established this site to inform individuals and various business concerns about the efforts to rebuild Iraq. A broad range of material is covered on the site, such as various business opportunities throughout the country, the general commercial environment, and information on how to support humanitarian assistance. The section on the commercial environment includes a general business guide, an overview of commercial law in Iraq, and a number of news briefs. Within the section on awarded contracts and grants, visitors can look to see which contractors have received license to perform various tasks throughout the country, along with any subcontractors that might be in their employ. Finally, the site also provides information about internship opportunities with the Afghanistan and Iraq Reconstruction Task Forces. [KMG]

http://www-iurd.ced.berkeley.edu/pub/WP-2003-04-screen.pdf

Authored by John D. Landis and Michael Reilly of the Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of California at Berkeley, this working paper from the Institute of Urban and Regional Development addresses the issue of how and where future urban development may take place around California over the coming decades. It is estimated that by 2020 California will be home to between 43 and 46 million residents, and by 2050, the state's population could be as large as 70 million persons. Within its 114 pages, this report presents the results of a series of baseline population and urban growth projections for California's 38 urban counties through the year 2100. The report also includes a section dedicated to explaining the methodology and data used to develop the different projections, and a section that quantitatively assesses the impacts of these projections on wetland, hillside, farmland, and habitat loss. [KMG]

The American Heritage Book of English Usage
http://www.bartleby.com/64/
Webgrammar's Free Tips
http://www.webgrammar.com/

This first Web site takes visitors to the American Heritage Book of English Usage, which is a guide to current problems and debates in English language usage that will be valuable for native and non-native speakers alike. The work may be searched by keyword, or users may elect to browse through its 10 chapters. The subjects covered by the various chapters include gender, science terms, e-mail, word choice, and style. The second site, developed by Judy Vorfeld, is a good online writing guide that covers such topics as common writing mistakes, style questions, and the usage of idioms. Visitors also have the option to sign up to receive Vorfeld's monthly text e-zine, which contains answers to questions about grammar, various pieces of trivia, and feedback from other subscribers. [KMG]

http://www.hurricaneadvisories.com/

The mere mention of the word hurricane is enough to frighten many people, but this new Web site offers a great deal of material about the nature of current hurricanes, along with safety tips and storm outlook information that will at least assuage the fears of some. The Hurricane Advisories.com Web site contains information for preparing for hurricane season, along with detailed climate reports on current hurricanes that may be bound for coastline areas. Visitors to the site can also view the past tracks of different hurricanes going back to 1994. Along the side of the homepage, visitors can also use a number of drop down menus to browse for information about storm conditions in states bordering on the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. [KMG]

Researchers Ape Nature With Flapping-Wing Aircraft
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8852-2003Aug31.html
Project Ornithopter [pdf, mpg]
http://www.ornithopter.net/

A Washington Post article from September 1, 2003 looks back at a significant moment in aviation when, in spring 2002, researchers successfully demonstrated an ornithopter capable of hovering. An ornithopter is a kind of aircraft that mimics flying creatures by using flapping wings instead of conventional propulsion systems. Many potential applications exist for future ornithopters, including Mars missions and military reconnaissance. One of the researchers that led the development efforts maintains an excellent Web site of background material and image and video galleries. Several publications about ornithopter design can be downloaded from the Research section. September 12, 2003 NSDL MET Report. [CL]