The amount of smog and particle pollution in Central Valley air could be playing havoc with the health of Californians, particularly children, according to the American Lung Association. In 2005, ALA released findings from air quality monitoring stations across the state. The organization found that in 32 of 58 counties, residents were being exposed to air pollution at levels considered unhealthy. Amador, Butte, Calaveras, El Dorado, Mariposa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama and Tuolumne counties were some of the places with the unhealthiest air.

The ALA report may point to one reason why respiratory specialist Dr. George Bensch of Stockton is seeing more patients with lung damage and asthma. "The pollution counts undoubtedly are adding to allergies," Bensch said. "We think allergies are increasing in children probably 7 percent here." The American Lung Association estimates that 4.2 million Californians live with lung diseases such as asthma, emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In March, the Environmental Protection Agency launched a set of multibillion-dollar smog restrictions it called "the most stringent standards ever." The new, primary eight-hour standard is .075 parts ozone per million and the new secondary standard is set at a form and level identical to the primary standard. The previous primary and secondary eight-hour standards were set at .08 ppm. However, because ozone is measured out to three decimal places, the standard effectively became .084 ppm, according to the EPA.

It has to get worse before it gets better. In less than two months, thousands of people who use a popular stretch of I-5 will experience a major inconvenience. That's when a resurfacing project begins, closing down sections of the freeway for weeks at a time. In Rocklin, some major roadway construction will cause problems for several weeks. Caltrans is closing the Westbound Interstate 80 on and off ramps beginning today until April 14th. Then on the 15th, the entire interchange and overpass will be closed for another 10 days. Amador residents who commute or have any reason to travel to Sacramento are advised to avoid the area whenever possible. "We bid the I-5 project for 27 million dollars for 114 days.

Currently we're discussing a compressed schedule which will limit the traffic interfering work to 40 days, 24 hours a day seven days a week," says Caltrans Manager Ken Solak. That was the good news for last Monday's packed house at the Sacramento library galleria. The I-5 construction project through downtown Sacramento will now take only 40 days instead of four months. The bad news: expect delays, and look for traffic signals at ramps to determine if they're open or closed. Based on Caltrans maps, construction on I-5 will be done from R Street to Richards Boulevard. Caltrans says 190,000 drivers use this route every day. Businesses downtown and in Old Sacramento will remain open. Caltrans will release a list of alternate routes on their project website in the coming days. The project kicks off May 30th at eight at night. If you don't have alternate plans in place for that Monday, June 2nd, you're in for a long wait.

Preliminary results from DNA analysis of wolverine scat samples collected on the Tahoe National Forest do not match those of historic California wolverine populations, according to U.S. Forest Service scientists. Geneticists with the agency’s Rocky Mountain Research Station recently began analyzing samples, when wildlife biologists with the Tahoe National Forest and California Department of Fish and Game began sending hair and scat samples they collected from wolverine detection sites on the national forest to a lab in Montana.

The interagency effort began in March after an Oregon State University graduate student working on a cooperative project with the U.S. Forest Service’s Pacific Southwest Research Station photographed a wolverine, an animal whose presence has not been confirmed in California since the 1920s. DNA analysis is critical to scientists working to determine if the animal first photographed on February 28 and in later detection work is a wolverine that dispersed from outside of California, escaped from captivity or is part of a historic remnant population. Key findings from the preliminary analysis indicate the animal in the photographs is a male wolverine that is not a descendent of the last known Southern Sierra Nevada population, said Bill Zielinski, a Forest Service scientist with the Pacific Southwest Research Station and an expert at detecting wolverine, marten and fisher. It also does not genetically match populations in Washington, he said.

Yesterday in Placerville, Forest Supervisor Ramiro Villalvazo signed his decision designating a total of 1,847 miles of roads and trails open for motorized public use in the El dorado National Forest. The decision follows two and one half years of environmental analysis and public involvement. The long anticipated decision also creates a seasonal closure of dirt roads from January 1 to March 31 and allows visitors to safely park their vehicles one car length off a designated route. Villalvazo’s decision is expected to assist in the environmental protection of meadows, watersheds, wildlife habitats, and other sensitive areas, and provides quiet recreation opportunities. “I am pleased to say that we have a new starting point for travel management within the Eldorado National Forest,” said Villalvazo. Villalvazo says his final decision met the standards and guidelines found in the Forest’s Land and Resource Management Plan, minimized impacts to meadows, and reduced impacts to stream courses and riparian habitat. For more information on this decision, visit the El Dorado National Forest website on your screen.