Contents

International reports

Lose one, alter the ecosystem

How methane bubbles in Siberian lakes pose a threat to the global climate

Deep-sea fishing, acidification are threatening cold-water coral reefs

Around the nation

Unwelcome amenity may lurk in those woodsy new exurbs: more Lyme disease

A big African rat's  swell U.S. prospects may mean big trouble

The pandemic just off-stage: waiting for mutations

Composting and the  avian flu aftermath

The South's big land puzzle: putting the Roanoke back together again

Hunch confirmed: corridors rescue plant diversity

A federal judge reverses Bush policy on roadless areas, and challenges are likely

In New Jersey

Schoolchildren endangered by bus emissions, a  study says

Coastal conundrum: New Jersey bill may protect economy but not environment

In Virginia

Conflict zone: the future of Loudoun County's past

Emissions testing helps Northern Virginia meet Clean Air Act limits

Special Report: Shenandoah -- a national park at risk

The park feels the dollar drought

Acid/dirt/rocks/fish

'A bad time for Eastern forests' -- the ash tree beetle approaches

'Digging 'sang' is lucrative, criminal, tough to halt