tuesday, october 21, 2003
news
the university daily. kansan
5A
Lawrence's wetlands proposal dampens spirits
By Amber Bylaray abyarlay@kansan.com kansan staff writer
The South Lawrence Traficway has been in the city's plans since 1950. However, the controversy surrounding its placement in the Haskell-Baker Wetlands didn't start until 1986.
Since then, groups have sued the city to stop the trafficway for various reasons ranging from environmental protection to its spiritual importance to Native Americans.
In the city-approved plan, the trafficway would run through the wetlands. The plan was approved
in January 2003, though funding to build it is not available. The plan would also move part of 31st Street into the wetlands.
Proposals have been made to create new, larger wetlands in a different location. The new wetlands would be wheelchair-accessible and have a new education center, said Sharon Ashworth, a biologist who specializes in wetlands ecology.
Ashworth is active in trying to preserve Lawrence's wetlands. On Sunday Ashworth led a tour of the wetlands, in an effort to better educate people about the controversy surrounding the trafficway.
"When you know
The native wetlands once covered 18,000 acres on both sides of
about where you grow, you learn to care about and take care of it."
Sue Kidd
Jefferson County resident
the Wakarusa River. Now the wetlands cover approximately 600 acres. The wetlands south of 31st Street are mitigated, or restored wetlands.
The original wetlands were drained in the early 20th century so Native Americans could farm them. The farmers lived at Haskell Indian Nations University, which
was then a boarding school Because the land was too wet, farming was stopped in the 1930s. Baker University bought the wetlands in the 1960s and has maintained the land since.
If the wetlands were relocated, they would not be exactly the same as those that were destroyed, Ashworth said. Even slight alterations in the landscape, such as a small change in the land elevation, will affect which plants grow where and if they survive. This will affect the animals living in the wetlands and the overall ecosystem.
Many of the 25 people who attended the immersion trip said that the wetlands should not be
"I feel the behavior of breaking down things and putting them up again is fundamentally wrong and immoral," said Kim Le, Wichita junior and student event coordinator for the trip.
disturbed by the trafficway.
Sue Kidd, Jefferson County resident, is a Lawrence educator who works with teachers. She went on the wetlands trip because she is working on projects that teach students who they are by focusing on the history of the community they grew up in.
"When you know about where you grow, you learn to care about and take care of it." Kidd said.
Megan Ehlers, Lawrence resident, said she thought it was possible Kansas residents didn't appreciate the wilderness they had near them as much as residents in other states did. Ehlers said she wondered if more Kansans would become more involved with the protection of Kansas' nature if they experienced it more often.
Ashworth said that people took the wetlands for granted. Le said that because Lawrence was a college town and many people only live here for four years they weren't diligent about protecting the land.
"Your children aren't going to be here, so why do you care about this land?" Le said.
Online fitness industry grows
Edited by Ehren Meditz
By Danielle Hillix
dhillix@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
Everything is available online these days, even personal trainers.
Americans spend more than $30 billion a year on diet and fitness products, according to the American Council on Exercise. More and more, that money is being spent online.
"Online fitness programs are growing by leaps and bounds," said Gregory Florez, spokesman for the council.
Florez estimated that in the past five years, more than 10 million people have signed up for online dieting and coaching services. These programs offer everything from personalized workouts to encouraging daily e-mails, typically for much less than the cost of a personal trainer. Florez, who also owns an online fitness company, said these programs could be beneficial. He warned, however, that there were as many downfalls to the services as there were perks.
"It's buyer beware," he said.
Most online fitness programs begin with a series of questionnaires, asking participants to enter their height, weight and measurements, along with food
"The program was too routine for a college student who doesn't have a routine."
Cheri Whiteside Durant, Okla., junior
and workout preferences and dieting goals. From that information, the Web site's trainers generate workout and eating strategies designed for a participant's individual goals.
Florez said that sites were often completely automated and gave out the same information to all users.
"On some sites, you feed in a height and weight and they spit you back a program," he said. "You should make sure there is someone behind the curtain."
Cheri Whiteside learned that lesson the hard way. The Durant, Okla., junior signed up for an online fitness program last year thinking that a personalized plan would help her reach her goals.
"But it wasn't personalized at all," she said. "I picked out what foods I liked, buttthat was about it."
Whiteside said that many of the recipes and workouts provided by
the site took up too much time for a busy college student.
"I couldn't afford half the recipes and I couldn't keep up with the daily workout schedules," she said. "The program was too routine for a college student who doesn't have a routine."
The online training sites work better for those more advanced in fitness, said Jill Urkoski, fitness director with Recreation Services. Because the sites can't explain how to use a machine or provide any feedback on form, beginners would do better with a live personal trainer, she said.
"If you're a highly skilled person that has been working out, it may be all you need," Urkoski said. "But online services can't push you and motivate you."
Recreation Services offers 40 free personal training sessions a week. Students can sign up for two sessions per week. Additional sessions are available for $10 each.
Florez said live personal trainers were a great supplement to online programs.
"Online personal training is valuable," he said, "but it typically is not as effective as having one-on-one contact with a certified fitness professional."
CHECKING IT OUT
— Edited by Michael Owells
Gregory Florez, spokesman for the American Council on Exercise, said there were several precautions to take before signing up for online personal training.
Check with the American Council on Exercise to confirm that the site has certified trainers. Call 1-800-825-3636.
Ask for names and phone numbers of former and current clients. Get testimonials.
Surf the site and make sure that it is maintained by real people with real experience.
EXERCISE ONLINE
Some offerings from the World Wide Web for online exercise and diet training.
www.workoutsforyou.com
$17 per month with a one year commitment
www.iShape.com
$45 for 12week-program
■ www.dietsmart.com
$15 registration fee and $10 per month
www.fantasyfit.com Range from $50 per year to $30 per month with $50 registration fee
Student charged for box cutters
The Associated Press
BALTIMORE — A college student who said he hid box cutters and other banned items on two airliners in an act of "civil disobedience" to expose weaknesses in U.S. security was charged with a federal crime yesterday, and a prosecutor said he committed a "very serious and foolish action."
Nathaniel Heatwole, 20, was charged with taking a dangerous weapon aboard an aircraft. He was released without bail for a preliminary hearing Nov.10.
According to authorities, he told federal agents he went through normal security procedures at airports in Baltimore and Raleigh-Durham, N.C. Once aboard, he said, he hid the banned items in compartments in the planes' rear lavatories.
Heatwole sent an e-mail to federal authorities in mid-September saying he had put the items aboard two specific Southwest Airlines flights. But the objects were not found until last week five weeks later.
The discovery of the items Thursday aboard Southwest
planes that landed in New Orleans and Houston triggered stepped-up inspections of the entire U.S. commercial air fleet. But after consulting with the FBI, the Transportation Security Administration rescinded the inspection order and no other suspicious bags were found.
The charge against Heatwole, a junior at Guilford College in Greensboro, N.C., carries up to 10 years in prison.
U. S. Magistrate Judge Susan K. Gauvey set a number of conditions for Heatwoles release. Among other things, he must not enter any airport or board any airplane.
Heatwole sat stone-faced during the courtroom. His parents were in the courtroom but did not greet or acknowledge him during the hearing and did not comment afterward.
According to an FBI affidavit, Heatwolves signed e-mail "stated that he was aware his actions were against the law and that he was aware of the potential consequences for his actions, and that his actions were an 'act of civil disobedience with the aim of improving public safety for the air-traveling public.'"
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