This week has been a great one, I must say. But first, I have to brag that my daughter took one in the face for her basketball team and still scored 8 points in the game. Way to wear a shiner to the dance, and make your team proud!
Our visit to the Elwha River last weekend was a great opportunity to become more familiar with the Olympic National Forest and to hang out with the other Seniors from the peninsula campuses of Huxley. The rivers in Western Washington were all running at or just above flood stage, so the Elwha was raging, and it made the discharge falls from the lower dam loud and powerful.
We all chose our top three category picks to work on for the Environmental Impact Statement of the dam removals, and I'm hoping to get Natural Resources so I can have a chance to research the historic fish run numbers. It will be interesting to keep an eye on recovering run numbers and see if, and how long it takes to see those numbers again. So far, I haven't seen anyone else choose the category.
I'm interning much closer to home these days, and have a lot of great projects lined up at the City of Arlington. Last year the city was able to obtain enough grant money to combine with their funds to purchase the old Country Charm Dairy. Plans for the lower flood plain portion of the acreage include a large open play field (which I intend to write a low-mow plan for), a community farm and garden on existing farmland, a fishing pond, trails, a 26 site campground, and a safe swim area with an interpretive salmon education sign system. To connect this property with the future downtown riverfront park plan an interpretive ecological and historical water trail for human powered watercraft with four pull-out areas is being designed. Then Arlington will be a walkable and rowable city. How cool is that?
I'm also helping a fellow Senior intern with a four night ecology class curriculum sponsored by the city. I'm not a great teacher, but I'm getting more patient. At least this will be in front of a crowd and not as frustrating as tutoring. I'm thinking about what portions I would be able to teach well and I'm leaning towards toxicology, flooding and perhaps some forest ecology if my friendly ex-forester neighbor will let me borrow some books. The final night will be a green networking night, and I'm hoping to get the SnoCo PUD, the SnoCo Green Team and SnoCo Public Works there. The Public Works biodiesel booth was an absolute hit at the Darrington Community Science night two years ago when I asked them to make some on site. I love watching the public get excited about science, especially loggers.
A bit of my view...
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Prescription for Reduction
A recent assignment in my pollution class was to weigh in on how every citizen can reduce toxic pollution in our nation's waters. As a class we had all agreed that the indulgent consumption of the average American's lifestyle made everyone responsible for toxic pollution. Whether you drive too much, dispose of large piles of plastic every week, fly excessively, leave pet waste, wash your car on pavement, use excessive fertilizer on your garden, or use birth control you are contributing to water and air pollution.
While it is ridiculous to force a choice between peeing estrogen or having babies (or hot flashes if you're on the mega-estrogens), there are many other things we can all do to reduce our contribution. Many people have become astute to picking up their pet waste, using car washes and using phosphorous free soap products, but there are many other things that can cut down on contaminants even further.
One solution is to learn xeroscaping and growing low or now mow lawns. Seed mixes are available for every state to ensure growth and nativity, and most include nitrogen fixing clover to eliminate fertilizer application. If you have the money, some no mow meadow mixes include native wildflowers to entice butterflies. No mow lawns also reduce green house gases by eliminating the need to mow and weed eat. Xeroscaping refers to growing native plants that are drought resistant, and can include beautiful succulents in California and Arizona. Another solution is to plant a rain garden or bioswale ditch. All surface run off is infiltrated by the native plants before it becomes groundwater or runs to the nearest stream.
A problem that most people don't think about is the disposal of their pharmaceutical medications. Some pharmaceuticals are hormones or endocrine disrupters, others can bioaccumulate like anti-depressants, and antibiotics that linger in the water lead to resistant bacteria. Unfortunately we also face a time of record prescription abuse, and many teenagers and adults have died from overdoses, so to keep it out of the wrong hands, dispose of any unused narcotics immediately.
For a long time the proper disposal method was to flush meds down the toilet. However, after the 1999-2000 USGS survey, the EPA and FDA recommend placing the medication in used cat litter or coffee grounds and throwing it away, or placing it in a sealed container, filling it with water, and throwing it away. While these disposal methods keep it out of the immediate water supply, it can seep into the groundwater in the future during the breakdown process in a land fill.
As a pharmacy technician, I recommend taking your medication to your local sheriff's office or Group Health Pharmacy. Washington state only has a pilot pharmaceutical take-back program in effect, so you are limited to those drop off locations. This program is funded by the tax payers, so I do not see it expanding. In some other states, the pharmaceutical manufacturers are mandated to fund take-back programs and you can dispose of them at any licensed pharmacy or through the mail.
Another thing you can do to reduce pharmaceutical waste is to ask your doctor for a trial supply of a new medication to ensure you will not be disposing of 3 weeks worth if it does not work for you. Finish ALL of your antibiotics, and DO NOT flush them what ever you do. Last, call your state legislators and ask them to demand the pharmaceutical companies pay for a pharmaceutical take-back program in Washington.
While it is ridiculous to force a choice between peeing estrogen or having babies (or hot flashes if you're on the mega-estrogens), there are many other things we can all do to reduce our contribution. Many people have become astute to picking up their pet waste, using car washes and using phosphorous free soap products, but there are many other things that can cut down on contaminants even further.
One solution is to learn xeroscaping and growing low or now mow lawns. Seed mixes are available for every state to ensure growth and nativity, and most include nitrogen fixing clover to eliminate fertilizer application. If you have the money, some no mow meadow mixes include native wildflowers to entice butterflies. No mow lawns also reduce green house gases by eliminating the need to mow and weed eat. Xeroscaping refers to growing native plants that are drought resistant, and can include beautiful succulents in California and Arizona. Another solution is to plant a rain garden or bioswale ditch. All surface run off is infiltrated by the native plants before it becomes groundwater or runs to the nearest stream.
A problem that most people don't think about is the disposal of their pharmaceutical medications. Some pharmaceuticals are hormones or endocrine disrupters, others can bioaccumulate like anti-depressants, and antibiotics that linger in the water lead to resistant bacteria. Unfortunately we also face a time of record prescription abuse, and many teenagers and adults have died from overdoses, so to keep it out of the wrong hands, dispose of any unused narcotics immediately.
For a long time the proper disposal method was to flush meds down the toilet. However, after the 1999-2000 USGS survey, the EPA and FDA recommend placing the medication in used cat litter or coffee grounds and throwing it away, or placing it in a sealed container, filling it with water, and throwing it away. While these disposal methods keep it out of the immediate water supply, it can seep into the groundwater in the future during the breakdown process in a land fill.
As a pharmacy technician, I recommend taking your medication to your local sheriff's office or Group Health Pharmacy. Washington state only has a pilot pharmaceutical take-back program in effect, so you are limited to those drop off locations. This program is funded by the tax payers, so I do not see it expanding. In some other states, the pharmaceutical manufacturers are mandated to fund take-back programs and you can dispose of them at any licensed pharmacy or through the mail.
Another thing you can do to reduce pharmaceutical waste is to ask your doctor for a trial supply of a new medication to ensure you will not be disposing of 3 weeks worth if it does not work for you. Finish ALL of your antibiotics, and DO NOT flush them what ever you do. Last, call your state legislators and ask them to demand the pharmaceutical companies pay for a pharmaceutical take-back program in Washington.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Winter Work
Rain, rain, rain! I haven't been so excited to see rain in a long time. Over the last 3 weeks, we've only had 2 days of green lawn between the ice and snow. I know everyone in the lowlands was excited for snow, but I'm happy to see the rain. Sorry guys.
This Saturday I will be headed over to the Olympic National Forest, near the Olympic Hot Springs to the site of the Elwha dam removal. It's part of our project for our comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment class, but is a historic project for the state of Washington, and a victory for the Elwha Salmon runs. Billy Frank, chairman of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission provides a great commentary on the dam removals in last Spring's NWIFC News. This website contains pictures of some recent, very large catches by the US Fish and Wildlife service on the Elwha. Increased breeding habitat should increase runs within 5-8 years, and with fish that size, it should provide some great fishing (and eating).
I'm not a big fan of winter field work, but it comes with the territory, and this will be a great project for my resume. I'm not worried about being cold at all this year. The Hermit finished my winter field wardrobe with a fully insulated Carhart work jacket and another wool hat under the Christmas tree. I'll be dry and warm with the jacket, hat, Atlas gloves, Columbia pants, wool socks and Columbia boots. Last year I was the nice guy and parted a lot of my gear to unprepared people, then ended up being cold later. This year, they are on their own. I don't think you have any business being in the ecology field if you don't know what kind of clothes to wear anyway.
However, I don't know what kind of field gear repels sparkly vampires. I'm tired of that joke guys. And no, I'm not going to Forks, and no, I will not pick you up some of the vampire wine that goes with the gay vampire books.
This Saturday I will be headed over to the Olympic National Forest, near the Olympic Hot Springs to the site of the Elwha dam removal. It's part of our project for our comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment class, but is a historic project for the state of Washington, and a victory for the Elwha Salmon runs. Billy Frank, chairman of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission provides a great commentary on the dam removals in last Spring's NWIFC News. This website contains pictures of some recent, very large catches by the US Fish and Wildlife service on the Elwha. Increased breeding habitat should increase runs within 5-8 years, and with fish that size, it should provide some great fishing (and eating).
I'm not a big fan of winter field work, but it comes with the territory, and this will be a great project for my resume. I'm not worried about being cold at all this year. The Hermit finished my winter field wardrobe with a fully insulated Carhart work jacket and another wool hat under the Christmas tree. I'll be dry and warm with the jacket, hat, Atlas gloves, Columbia pants, wool socks and Columbia boots. Last year I was the nice guy and parted a lot of my gear to unprepared people, then ended up being cold later. This year, they are on their own. I don't think you have any business being in the ecology field if you don't know what kind of clothes to wear anyway.
However, I don't know what kind of field gear repels sparkly vampires. I'm tired of that joke guys. And no, I'm not going to Forks, and no, I will not pick you up some of the vampire wine that goes with the gay vampire books.
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