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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 26, 1979)
THE BATTALION THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 1979 Page 7 ■ol No-man s land getting facelift H-totiiwL 357 \j; - banlt^* wed-n icago sludge to restore land heir wejj the shoi, n °t drop Tloyeeij way, ft er rotljjj 'eas s opinionij ‘lllf ouse Ai ee. One t Sunfc! ed at and the» lay at a f j irty fordi a, D-Wir e meml Schroedeii nice." Api sport hyj solving || II was United Press International ARRISBURG, Ill. — A 192- acre no-man’s land in the Shawnee National Forest is getting a facelift with liberal applications of Chicago sludge. It is the Palzo Project, 17 miles southwest of the Harrisburg head quarters of Shawnee, on strip- mined land acquired by the federal government in 1966 and added to the forest system. ■ he Metropolitan Sanitary Sewer trict of Greater Chicago picked up the tab for an application of 51 million gallons of liquid sludge to 81 acres. Shawnee officials are now negotiating with the district on ap plying dried sludge to some remain ing acres in the highly acid tract in Southern Illinois. HgGrasses and small trees are grow ing in an oasis-like setting against a kdrop of barren untreated acres and the gray skeletons of trees ex- ed to the acid runoff, ne planting of cereal rye was so it brought offers from neighbor ing farmers to harvest it and one said that unmined land in the area had never produced a crop its equal. ■Foresters from throughout the nation have visited the tract and tinning test results have brought international inquiries. • 1 . • I rung letected m Venus United Press International MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — A jst rift valley discovered by the loneer Venus Orbiter probe may the result of planetary activity ikingly different than that experi- iced on Earth. The 15,000-foot-deep, 900-mile- ng valley, seems to be the work of temal planetary forces that have reed open the planet’s crust, ese were findings released Wed- [esday in a report from the National eronautics and Space Adminis- ation’s Ames Research Center. Other information relayed from Sioneer Venus Orbiter include evi- ence of a “polar vortex” near enus’ north pole, a 650-mile wide. Highly circular region of down- iwing winds which may be a key echanism in the planet’s atmos- heric circulation. The discovery is based largely on dramatic new series of photos of loud formations in the planet’s at- nsphere. The report also presents findings hich confirm reports of virtually ntinuous lightning between 2 and 12 kilometers above the planet’s sur- ;ace, first detected by the Soviet nion’s Venera probe last De ember. “Chemical fires” due to reactions f various compounds in the super- leated atmosphere have been cited is a possible source for these erup tions of light, which occur as fre quently as 25 times per second. Electrical discharges like those which cause lightning on Earth also have been cited as a possible source although increased intensity close to the planet’s surface and the un usually steady character of the glow make this explanation less likely. The probe’s magnetometer also has identified what seem to be unique magnetic field structures in the planet’s ionosphere. Scientists suggest these magnetic structures may be caused by the strong “solar wind” coming into contact with the planet’s ionosphere. Polar bear dies in zoo after beating United Press International ■ ST. PAUL, Minn. — An intruder h at the Como Zoo apparently beat to r death Kuma, the zoo’s popular polar & bear, with a piece of pipe and a con- vCrete block. Zoo Director John * Fletcher said the beating took place after hours. ^ Police said they had no early | |ileads, but Fletcher said it was pos sible the intruder got in through a ^section of fence that was being re- paired. The pipe and concrete block Kwere found in the bear grotto Tues- Kday. | “I don’t know the reason, but Sears are the subjects of a lot of at tacks in zoos,” Fletcher said. Zookeepers found Kuma dead *' when the zoo opened. Her mate, J- Mato, had to be tranquilized before *!the body could be removed. The St. Paul Zoological Society of- j^fered $500 for information leading to ’ the arrest of the attacker and the ’.Minnesota Humane Society added ‘ ;$ioo. Recently, four huge trucks rolled into the project with 80 cubic yards of dry sludge which was applied to a 73-foot square test plot. Liquid sludge from the district’s Calumet lagoon was used earlier to treat the 81 acres of the plot, re garded as probably the “hottest” strip mined land in the United States. It was applied during a three year period from 1975-78. Mikeal Jones, a Tucson, Ariz., na tive and a hydrologist for Shawnee, is mothering the land restoration project. Jones said the strip mining opera tion, before the federal government acquired the Palzo acres, recovered two seams of coal, exposing a double dose of shale with high deposits of sulfur. The shale, exposed to the air and rainfall, created sulfuric acid in levels dangerous to man, animal and vegetation. The mining also created problems with iron, aluminum and cadmium. The runoff from the Palzo acres flows into Sugar Creek which rims the plot on the west and then runs into the south fork of the Saline River and ultimately into the Ohio River. “Normally you can expect three or four years’ wear out of a pair of leather boots, but working around Palzo you can go through a pair in one year,” said Jones. Neutral soil has a pH rating of seven on the acid-alkaline scale with numbers below it growing progressively more acid and higher numbers more alkaline. Before the liquid sludge applications, the Palzo acres had a pH of 2.5 — not quite at the battery acid level but too “hot” to grow anything. With a special plow, the liquid sludge was incorporated into the top 12 inches of the acid soil. The treatment has brought the pH up to five. Jones said the main accomplish ment of the project thus far is to cover crops which help check ero sion. No positive effects have been noticed yet in the runoff water “but tests on water on the plots show good results,” he said. A Southern Illinois University re search team planted 17 types of trees on the treated acres, including white pine, green ash, silver maple, sycamore and autumn olive, Jones said. The best results have been ob tained with green ash, white pine and autumn olive. Jones sees definite possibilities for the restored area as a recreation area or perhaps for timber produc tion. Years of testing remain, how ever, before it will be known if the land can produce crops or cattle that could be safely consumed by man. ■ I THE BATT DOES IT DAILY Monday through Friday The Cow Hop RESTAURANT WITH ANOTHER GREAT BURGER! BACON $^55 BURGER ^ I * WITH FRIES “AN AGGIE TRADITION" 846-1588 317 UNIVERSITY DR. (NORTHGATE)J WOODSTONE GRAND OPENING SALE! Grand Opening Special Offers! REG. Gripper (Saucony) 26.95 Ms. Gripper (Saucony) 24.95 Runner (Adidas) 41.95 Runner Super 48.95 Shooting Star (Adidas) 13.95 Lady TRX (Adidas) 29.95 Mens TRX 29.95 Tom Okker (Adidas) 34.95 Fred Perry T-311 (Etonic) 21.95 Fred Perry T-160 24.95 Brooks Champion 18.95 Brooks Classic 18.95 SALE 20.95 18.95 35.95 3 7.95 10.95 26.95 26.95 29.95 18.95 15.95 10.95 10.95 Grand Opening Special Offers! REG. SALE Wooden 3700 (Wilson) 2 7. 95 15.95 Wooden 3102 29.95 16.95 Wooden 3702 23.95 13.95 Jayhawk (Tiger) 29.95 22.95 Hardcourt (Puma) 31.95 25.95 Hardcourt Smash 32.95 25.95 Angel (Puma) 22.95 16.95 Poly Match 5 22.95 16.95 Dove (Saucony) 20.95 13.95 Quickstar (Converse) 29. 95 24.95 Staubach (Brooks) 9.95 6.95 Come By This Saturday And Meet Former Aggie & Current Pro Greats ED SI MONIN I, FRANK MYERS & MARK DENNARD ED SIMONINI — Many said Simonlnl would be too small for pro football but after his rookie season, Simonlnl has been a starting linebacker, for the Baltimore Colts for the past 2 seasons. Simonini, who Is one of the most popular players ever to play at A&M, was an all-SWC selection four times, a rare honor. Simo nini helped A&M produce one of the nation's best defenses in 1975. Texas A&M University FRANK MYERS, 6-4, 255, A two-time all- SWC choice at offensive tackle. Drafted by the Minnesota Vikings where he started much of the 1979 season. MARK DENNARD, the 6-2, 245-pound center was an all-SWC selection his last season at A&M (1977) and was drafted by the Miami Dolphins where he spent most of the season last year on the dis able list. Honorable mention ail-american his junior year. Athletic Attic is located behind Monterey House. WOODSTONE SHOPPING CENTER 907 HARVEY RD. (HWY.30) 693-1609