Reindeer Games

This is a holiday mini-quiz based on the National Wildlife Federation's article Reindeer: The Truth Behind the Legend. Select either true or false.

1. Reindeer are called caribou in North America.

2. Dasher, Dancer et. al are male.

3. Reindeer have two pairs of "shoes".

4. Reindeer cannot swim.

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Answers:
1. True! Reindeer are caribou. Who knew?

2. False (probably). They are probably female since male reindeer shed their antlers in the fall while females retain their's.

3. True (kinda). Their hoof changes from a soft footpad in the spring when the tundra is wet and soggy (good for bouyancy) to a hard rimmed hoof in the fall (perfect for breaking through ice.) Of course, if they are female, the shoe thing makes much more sense.

4. False. They are good swimmers thanks to an adaptation in their coat.

Fifth Graders on the Big Sioux

Last September, fifth grade students in the Sioux Falls Elementary Gifted Program tested the water quality on the Big Sioux River. Since they are following standard scientific process, they wrote up the results and published their report on the SD Discovery Center's website.

Mom Was Right: Go Before You Go.

China, apparently, is working on changing its color from red to green. According to British newspaper, The Guardian, China is working on doubling its use of renewable energy by 2020 in response to worsening air and water quality as well as increased greenhouse gas emissions.

Related to, although not part of, this initiative is that Chinese Southern Airlines is now encouraging passengers to use the bathroom before boarding a flight in order to reduce the amount of fuel used in flight. According to the article, one flush uses one liter of fuel. And then there are the fuel costs related to hauling the extra weight from the human waste, although I tend to think if someone can't use the bathroom before the flight does it really matter if it's in or out of the person?

I don't really want to know the answer to that, just mindless speculation on my part.

I have no idea if these fuel figures are applicable to US airlines.

So, when your mother told you that you should have gone before you left home, you didn't know she was being environmentally responsible. Props to moms everywhere.

Citizen Scientists on the Appalachian Trail

The Appalachian Trail is a long way from South Dakota. But I will be keeping an eye on doings out there per this AP article in the NY Times this morning. For those who don't wish to register (even though it's free) I'll paraphrase and quote.

The National Park Service, in cooperation with a slew of other non-profit and educational partners, including one corporate entity, is going to attempt a comprehensive environmental monitoring project of the Appalachian Trail in an attempt to document changes that have environmental and human impacts. Part of the monitoring will be conducted by citizen scientists which is similar to what volunteer, water- quality monitors do in South Dakota.

The purpose of this project according to Brian Mitchell, coordinator with the Park Service's Northeast Temperate Network in Woodstock, VT, is "to get a better understanding of what's happening on the trail so we can better manage it. ...[and] to take the lessons we learn from the trail and show people that what's happening on the trail does actually affect us."

Reports will be issued from the data collected, providing information about the environment/human impact link.

Dave Startzell, executive director of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy in Harpers Ferry, said smog levels and air quality in the Great Smoky Mountains were good examples of useful information.

"People will read that on 25 or 30 days in a given year, it's considered
unhealthy to walk on the Appalachian Trail," Mr. Startzell said,"and we think that's going to grab people's attention more than if they just read about air quality trends in general."

As with most projects of this ilk, the purpose isn't just to provide information but also to more deeply engage citizens in what is known in the environmental education field as "responsible environmental behavior".

"Part of our hope is that as people become more aware of trends affecting those lands, they'll be motivated to take action," Mr. Startzell said, "whether that means switching to a hybrid car or just conducting their own way of life in a little more energy efficient manner, or going to a town hall meeting and
advocating for more open space."

Project coordinators (the article never did make clear which agency was the lead sponsor) are hoping to have two volunteer programs available within the next year. If Cornell is involved, I am betting one of them will involve birds.

A cursory internet survey via Google doesn't show a central webpage for this project.

The Worst Hard Time

The National Book Award for non-fiction was awarded Wednesday, Nov. 15 to The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived The Great American Dust Bowl. This past weekend, I heard author Timothy Egan speak courtesy BookTV about this project. (Watch now). It is now on my "must read" list.

The Dust Bowl, according to Mr. Egan, was caused by a "perfect storm" confluence of economic, geographic and climatological events and the result was indeed horrific. By turning ever increasing amounts of grassland into cropland, the stage was set for disaster when a ten year drought hit.

The book focuses mainly on the lower part of the Great Plains, the Texan pan handle through Nebraska, but in his speech Mr. Egan fields a question about the impact of the Dust Bowl on the Dakotas (thanks to a North Dakotan in the audience). The Dakotas, while severly impacted by the Dust Bowl, did not suffer the same degree of decline since they had not experienced the same degree of prosperity during the 20's.

There are modern day lessons for us in this tale. Mr. Egan spoke of how the Dust Bowl survivors knew they were pushing the limits and likened it to the same sense people have about the current drawdown of the Ogallala aquifer. Sobering, indeed.

Incidently, the Soil Conservation service was born from this time thanks to the foresight and passion of Hugh Hammond Bennet as well as well timed Dust Storm.

Fighting Poverty, One Toilet at a Time

A recent article published by the NY Times (registration required) underscores the critical need for clean water on a global scale.

The toilet and the latrine, which helped revolutionize public health in New York, London and Paris more than a century ago, are among the most underused tools to combat poverty and disease in the developing world, says a United Nations report released yesterday.

“Issues dealing with human excrement tend not to figure prominently in the programs of political parties contesting elections or the agendas of governments,” said Kevin Watkins, the main author of the report. “They’re the unwanted guests at the table.”

The human cost of that taboo, however, is more unspeakable than the topic itself, he said. Every year, more than two million children die of diarrhea and other sicknesses caused by dirty water and a lack of “access to sanitation.”

That is the common euphemism for the reality that more than a third of the world’s people — 2.6 billion — have no decent place to go to the bathroom, while more than a billion get water for drinking, washing and cooking from sources polluted by human and animal feces.

At any time, almost half the people in developing countries have one or more of the main illnesses associated with inadequate water and sanitation and fill half the hospital beds, the report said. They are plagued by diarrhea, cholera, typhoid, trachoma and parasitic worms. Toilets Underused to Fight Disease, UN Study Finds

Two sentences from this article stop me cold.

Sentence one: The toilet and the latrine ...are among the most underused tools to combat poverty and disease in the developing world

Sentence two: At any time, almost half the people in developing countries have one or more of the main illnesses associated with inadequate water and sanitation and fill half the hospital beds,.

Whoa.

I don't begrudge AIDS or genocide in developing countries being a cause celebre. Heaven knows we need to address those things and loudly. But someone needs to speak up for the value of basic infrastructure improvements which will have a quick and positive impact on the quality of life of so many, especially children and the elderly.

There are many good and worthwhile organizations involved in bringing clean water to developing countries. World Vision is one I support and yes, they have Clean Water programs.

Autumnwatch

The BBC (British Broadcasting Company) has this odd little show dedicated to nature watching. In the spring, it's called Springwatch and in the fall, it's - not surprisingly - Autumnwatch. It's not your typical American nature show. The hosts and the reporters toodle around the countryside, watching badgers and puffins and the like. People send in video footage of foxes cavorting in their gardens. There are lots of nest cams. Nothing really happens and the production values are a little quieter and more restrained than what you see on your average Discovery Channel show. It's very British.

We had the good fortune to be visiting the United Kingdom this past June when the spring version of the show was airing. We got sucked into the drama (yes, drama) of the migration of brent Geese from Ireland to their summer breeding grounds in Arctic Canada. Ten geese were tagged, transmitter-ized, then christened after a famous historical pilot They were released, of course, so their migratory progress could be documented in semi-weekly updates on a map. The first goose to reach Canada was quite a compelling story and we all got a little more involved than we'd like to admit.

Thanks to the miracle of modern communications and the internet, I can check back on the geese. Out of the ten geese, four are "lost", which may mean dead or it may mean that the transmitter fell off. One, Douglas, may he rest in goosey peace, is confirmed dead. And five returned to Ireland, having completed the 8,000 kilometer (almost 5 thousand miles) round trip trek.

These are fun pages to look at it and if you are a closet anglophile, you'll enjoy feeling as if you are there.

Autumwatch

BBC - Wild Britain