Welcome to UXOInfo.com's free monthly E-Newsletter on Unexploded Ordnance (UXO). UXOInfo.com is the largest site on the Internet for UXO related news and information. If you have not checked out the UXOInfo.com website, we encourage you to do so at www.uxoinfo.com.

In addition to bringing you the latest UXO news and information, the UXOInfo.com website also provides the following:

• UXO Resume Response Line
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The UXO E-Newsletter is issued monthly to provide the industry with important news and information related to UXO. For information on how to advertise in future UXO E-Newsletters please email the UXOInfo.com Marketing Coordinator, Ms. Jenna Coven at jenna@uxoinfo.com.

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UXO E-Library Updated and UXO Resume Response Line Reminder

I wanted to let everyone know that we recently completed an update of the UXO E-Library. The UXO E-Library can be accessed from the link on the right hand side of the UXOInfo.com homepage. A search feature has been added to the that allows users to quickly search the documents in the UXO E-Library based on keywords. Uers can also search by subject category. Along with the new updated pages, we also added over 60 new documents to the UXO E-Library. We are working on adding more documents to the UXO E-Library and, as always, we welcome any donations of documents and files for posting.

I also wanted to remind our readers from industry that subscriptions are availble for the UXO Resume Response Line. A subscription to the UXO Resume Response Line Runs $100/month or $270/3-months. These rates are 10% of what sites like Career Builder charges to view resumes. Other resumes services are not UXO focused and do not have nearly the amount of UXO related resumes as UXOInfo.com.

• Unlimited views and downloads of resumes
• Weekly email updates of new resumes entered in the database
• Free on-line help with custom searches

To subscribe to the UXO Resume Response Line, simply email me at jenna@uxoinfo.com or call CORE at (267)295-8010. The UXO Resume Response Line is free for Corporate Sponsors of UXOInfo.com. For information on Corporate Sponsorship packages, please see the advertising information page or view the UXO Opportunities Brief that I put together. If you have any questions about UXOInfo.com, please call or send me an email. Thank you and please stay safe.

Anecdotal Information of Munitions in Lake Results in Search

Llandrindod Wells, United Kingdom rumors and other anecdotal information passed down throughout the years suggests that hand grenades and other munitions may have been dumped in a 10-acre lake during WWII. These rumors are now being taken seriously as dredging plans for the lake become a reality.

The British Royal Engineers recently completed a magnetomer survey of the lake and sent a dive team down to investigate the detected anomalies. To date, no munitions have been found, but a second dive has already been planned. The planned dredging operation is part of large-scale project to improve the water quality of the lake and to revitalize the ecosystem. Local council members and environmentalists however are very concerned over the potential for munitions in the lake, even if it's only a rumor.

Two Separte Incidents Involving Fire and Ordnance

Military Training Sparks Fire, UXO Concerns Hinder Response

Fort Bliss, Texas a wildfire raging in the Organ Mountains has caused the closure of thousands of acres nearby recreational land area managed by the federal Bureau of Land Management. The fire is suspected of being caused by a Canadian live-fire exercise involving military munitions. Hundreds of acres have burned while fire officials watched and monitored the situation from a distance due to explosive safety concerns from UXO that is suspected of being in the area. Fire breaks were used to contain and control the fire.

UXO BIP Operation Causes Major Brush Fire

Vandenberg Air force Base, California a 1950s era UXO (type not reported) was discovered on the base which was determined by EOD to be too hazardous to move due to its age and condition. The only option at hand was to deal with the UXO in place. Therefore, it was decided that a Blow In Place or BIP open detonation operation would be performed on the UXO. The BIP operation however destroyed more than just the intended UXO when it sparked off a brush fire that escalated and burned over 45 acres of land in the process.

It took over 150 firefighters, ten fire trucks, two water trucks and several dozers to control and extinguish the fire. No structures or people were endangered but some evacuations were ordered as a precaution.

Apartment Building Inadvertently Hit By Practice Bomb

Tulsa, Oklahoma -An Air National Guard plane en route to the Smokey Hill Gunnery Range in Salina, Kansas accidentally dropped a BDU-33 practice bomb shortly after taking off. The BDU 33 reportedly hit the foundation of an apartment building within the Canyon Creek Apartment Complex causing minor damage. No one was injured by the incident.

Local residents called the Tulsa Police Department who responded with a team from the ATF with technical support provided by a military EOD unit. The practice bomb was safely removed from the apartment complex by the EOD unit. An investigation has been launched to determine why the bomb fell from the aircraft. The aircraft involved in the incident is part of the Oklahoma Air National Guard's 138th Fighter Wing.

This is not the first time a practice bomb has been accidently dropped within a civilian location. UXOInfo.com reported on an incident that occured in Virgina Beach back in October 2007 and an incident in Cambridgeshire, United kingdom involving a British Royal Air Force (RAF) Harrier jet back in January 2008.

Postal Service Considering Ban on Inert Munitions Shipping

Washington, D.C.- The Postal Service is proposing new standards that will prohibit the mailing of replica or inert munitions and other simulated explosive devices. The proposed ban is meant to ensure the safety of postal employees as well as to minimize disruptions. In 2006 alone, the Postal Service recorded 849 suspicious incidents involving mail that exhibited characteristics of possible explosives. Postal facilities were evacuated on 100 separate occasions due to these occurrences. Postal Inspectors or local emergency first responders reacted to each of these occurrences to assess the items which resulted in budget impacts as well as creating unnecessary stress for employees.

Canada initiated a similar ban over a year ago which was also reported by UXOInfo.com in an article posted on the UXO News Wire Service Blog in November 2006. The ban will impact the UXO industry as many UXO contractors ship inert items for use in geophysical prove out (GPO) sites across the country. Ordnance collectors will also be impacted by the ban.

The Postal Service is seeking public comments on the proposed rule before April 7, 2008. Details on the proposed rule including a point of contact for submitting comments can be found in the Federal Register posting which can be viewed using the link below.

View the Federal Register posting on shipping ban.

First on the program will be Mr. J. Scott Stevenson, Acting Assistant Deputy Minister (Infrastructure and Environment), National Defence. Mr. Stevenson joined the Department of National Defence in September 2001, when he was appointed Director Cabinet Liaison in the Policy group. In 2003, he was appointed as Director of the Secretariat for the Minister of National Defence's Advisory Committee on Administrative Efficiency and subsequently Director General Policy Coordination at the Department of National Defence. Since his appointment, Mr. Stephenson has been very much involved with UXO issues at all levels within DND.

The keynote address by Dr. Yohadish Das, head of the Threat Detection Group with Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC), will focus on Early Canadian R&D on UXO Detection. Detection of buried UXO is a central part of any UXO risk mitigation effort. Dr. Das' presentation will highlight the R&D program that was initiated at the DRDC and will also explain how some of the ideas and techniques developed for the early detection systems evolved and contributed to the development of the Improved Landmine Detection System (ILDS) currently deployed in Afghanistan by the Canadian Forces.

Rounding out the first morning of the Forum will be a presentation on ''Formerly Used Defense Sites" by Mr. J. C. King of the US Department of the Army, Office of the Assistant Secretary.

Also on the program, Dr. Pierre Yves Robidoux, National Research Council of Canada, Biotechnology Research Institute, will address the topic: "Preliminary Soil and Groundwater Quality Guidelines for the Protection of Environmental and Human Health at Military Training Sites."

On Thursday, April 24th, the program will conclude with two panel presentations which will include the participation of a number of expert panelists. The first panel discussion will be on Geophysics and the second one will be on Underwater UXO - The Way Ahead. These panel presentations will be very interactive and dynamic.

To register or for additional information, check the Forum web site: http://www.goldenplanners.ca/UXO/2008/UXO_e

3 Live Marine Flares Found Along Public Beach

Falmouth, Massachusetts Three live marine flares that had washed ashore were found along Surf Side Beach. Fire officials along with technical support provided by the state bomb squad responding to the call. The bomb squad moved the flares to a remote part of the beach where they were safely detonated.

Schonstedt Instrument Company is the world's leading manufacturer of hand-held Fluxgate magnetometers for UXO and weapons detection. Schonstedt magnetic locators find ferrous metal targets used in landmines, buried ordnance, other munitions and explosives of concern (MEC), and hidden weapons. They have been tested and proven by the US military, private contractors and NGOs in military and humanitarian de-mining operations around the globe. For a 1-page overview of the company's magnetic locator product line, go to www.findordnance.com

Schonstedt Instrument Company
100 Edmond Road
Kearneysville, WV 25430
USA
Contact: Tylee Ulmer

Information on Corporate Sponsorships can be found in the UXO Opportunities Brief. If you have any questions on Corporate Sponsorships or want to sign up, please contact the UXOInfo.com Marketing Coordinator, Ms. Jenna Coven at jenna@uxoinfo.com or 267.295.8010.

Antique Railroad Explosives Found

Pownal, Vermont a local resident came across an antique railroad emergency kit that contained explosives. The explosives labeled "railroad torpedoes" were designed for railroad employees to signal an upcoming hazard. The emergency kits have not been in use since the 1970s. Each railroad torpedo is equivalent to a quarter stick of dynamite. The man who discovered them called local authorities who responded with technical support from the Vermont State Bomb Squad. In all, 24 railroad torpedoes were safely destroyed by the bomb squad.

Large WWII Era Weapons Cache Found

Zhengzhou, China a large cache of discarded unexploded munitions from the WWII era were found at a construction site in the capital of the Henan Province. A total of 1,320 unexploded grenades, bombs, and mortars were recovered in all. Authorities suspect that the weapons were buried by the Japanese Army during the 1940s. A underground gas pipeline was located less than 1 foot away from the cache so extreme care had to be taken during the removal process. Authorities plan to dispose of the unexploded discarded munitions at a safe place long the banks of the Yellow River.

Check out the updated UXO Resume Response Line - an on-line employment referral service specifically designed for the UXO industry. Through the UXO Resume Response Line, the skills of UXO professionals are matched with the needs of UXO remediation and consulting companies.

Simply fill out a profile and to submit your resume on-line using the UXO Profile Entry Form. From temporary part-time positions to full time permanent placements, let the UXOInfo.com Resume Response Line find a position for you. Best of all, there is never a fee to complete an on-line UXO Profile.

Subscriptions are available to browse the UXO Resumes on-line. For more information on the service, see the UXO Profile Viewer. The return on investment is significant in terms of decreased time and effort to find qualified candidates as well as providing you an expanding pool of available candidates from which to select from to support your UXO projects.

For more information about the UXO Resume Response Line or to post a Help Wanted Ad, please email the UXOInfo.com Marketing Coordinator, Jenna Coven at jenna@uxoinfo.com

Large-Scale Range Clearance Has Never Been a Military EOD Responsibility

These days most people in the UXO industry understand that large-scale operational range clearance operations are typically not an EOD reponsibility. Instead, these services are contracted out to industry as highlighted in the recent solicitation posted by the Naval Facilities Southwest Division for Range Sustainment, Clearance and Remediation Services.

However, most people do not know exactly how far back the position that large-scale range clearance efforts are not an EOD responsibility has been maintained and in some cases debated. In this article, UXOInfo.com provides an answer to that question.

The responsibilities of range clearance have been argued for years within the military. Military EOD is certainly qualified to conduct range clearance operations and has at numerous ranges over the decades. However, EOD has generally maintained the stance that large-scale range clearances are not one of their primary responsibilities. A series of memos from April and May 1943 found by a UXOInfo.com reader at the National Archives shows just exactly how far back this position has been voiced by EOD.

The series of memos from 1943, which can be downloaded from the UXOInfo.com UXO News Wire Service Blog (see link below), starts with a request from the Office of the Ordnance Officer at Fort Shaftner to the 232nd Ordnance Company (Bomb Disposal). The memo request that EOD conduct a range clearance on the artillery and bombing ranges and "place all recovered projectiles and fragments into drums". Col. Custis from the Bomb Disposal unit promptly fired back a response stating "the policing of ranges is specifically not; repeat not; a function of the Bombs Disposal Unit". Col Curtis' response further stated that range clearance is a function of the local range authorities and Unit Ordnance Officer.

Story continued on the UXO News Wire Service Blog - Historic - Large-Scale Range Clearance is Not an EOD Problem

Truck Owner Finds Munition at Auto Repair Yard and Transports it To Police

El Mirage, Arizona A man who dropped off his truck for a repair a few weeks prior stopped by the repair yard to check on it. When he inspected the truck, the man was surprised when he found a bazooka round in the bed of the truck. The man reportedly called police before transporting the round himself down to the police station.

Story continued on the UXO News Wire Service Blog - Truck Owner Transports Munition Find