Daily Roundup: June 22, 2009

River, Cleansed: Today is the 40-year anniversary of Ohio's Cuyahoga River catching fire, also igniting the environmental movement and helping to pass the Clean Water Act (it also inspired an REM song). As a result, the river is significantly more pristine today. NPR

Dying Namesakes: At Joshua Tree National Park, the Joshua trees are disappearing victims of global warming, pollution, and invasive species. Experts say there’ll be none left in 100 years. ENN

Cross-Country Comeback: The West Coast’s condor population and the East Coast’s red wolf population, while still in precarious positions, are recovering. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, here and here

Cold Comfort: Greenpeace has launched a campaign based on new evidence that proves that refrigerant chemicals, called “F-gases,” are a more serious global-warming threat than previously thought. Greenpeace

Serve the Earth: Sierra Club volunteers are coordinating environment-related service events and projects in anticipation of Barack Obama's United We Serve initiative. Sierra Club

--Avital Binshtock