New research shows toll of human activities on rivers

New research findings, long in the making, show that the recent outbreak of a non-native deadly fish parasite on the Yellowstone River was probably the result of the cumulative impact of human activities that degraded the river's "immune system." A recent study summarizing much of the research, which you can get here, demonstrates the potentially destructive long-term effects on rivers from such activities as homebuilding, dams, irrigation and channelization. (environment 360)