Friday, December 31, 2021

Front Range Firestorm

Fanned by hurricane-force winds and fueled by tinder-dry vegetation, raging wildfires raced across Boulder County, northwest of Denver, yesterday afternoon.  Currently believed to have been ignited by downed power lines, the fires destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses.

While wildfires are common in the foothills and on grasslands of the High Plains, such devastation has never before occurred in the suburbs of Metro Denver.  Unfortunately, a prolonged drought and above normal temperatures this fall and early winter, set the stage for this disaster.  There is no doubt that global warming is playing a major role and such tragedies will likely recur across the Western U.S. where large, sprawling cities occupy arid or semiarid terrain.

Ironically, this firestorm developed the day before a significant snowfall is expected, the first since last spring.  Recent Pacific storms have replenished the mountain snowpack but the Front Range urban corridor desperately needs precipitation.  Hopefully, we will enter the New Year with a fresh blanket of snow.

Tuesday, December 28, 2021

The Magpies & the Fox

On this cold, clear December morning, I was drawn to the window by the raucous cries of black-billed magpies.  A dozen or more had gathered in our large honeylocust, making repeated sorties across the pasture; a few were clearly swooping toward a target.  My suspicions were confirmed when a red fox suddenly bounded through the tall, dry grass, retreating toward the barn with the magpies in pursuit.

Currently the top predator on our farm, the fox has little to fear but is not immune to annoying battles with the magpie patrol; the demands of the magpies notwithstanding, the fox eventually wins the war, as the remains of magpies occasionally confirm.

Indeed, the large, truculent magpies are easily the most conspicuous residents of our farm.  They seem to feel invincible but the wily fox and the powerful Cooper's hawks ensure that their confidence is tempered with a healthy level of respect.     

Saturday, December 25, 2021

Nature's Gift to the West

During this Holiday Week, a strong Pacific storm, centered off British Columbia, swept copious moisture across the drought-plagued landscape of the Western U.S.  The persistent onshore flow produced heavy snow (measured in feet) along the Cascades and Sierra Nevada and steady rains across the lowlands of California and the Desert Southwest.

As it pushes inland, the storm will also bring heavy snow to the mountains of the Great Basin and Rocky Mountain corridor before stretching out across the Northern Plains.  On its heels, another Pacific storm will drag in additional moisture, further enhancing mountain snowpacks throughout the West.

After years of "sub-normal" precipitation, especially in the Four Corners region, relief has arrived.  Time will tell if this snow machine will remain active through the winter and what effects global warming will have on the American West.  While we wait to find out, continued efforts to conserve water and reduce demand make sense. 

Friday, December 24, 2021

The Death of Conversation

Hopefully, most partners, lovers, close friends and family members still have long, productive, honest conversations on a regular basis.  Nevertheless, this practice, long a vital feature of human civilization, is under attack in the modern world.

Short texts and tweets have now replaced phone calls and, to ensure brevity, are sprinkled with abbreviations and emojis to limit word usage and emotional expression.  The social media companies even offer capsulized, ready-made responses for our use, just in case our imagination has completely shut down; among their most used suggestions are "Like the Image," "Congratulations," "Same to You," and other favorites.

It is no wonder that many individuals feel isolated and that human friendships have been marginalized.  When most of our interactions are digital, we lose the capacity for personal conversation.  The most unique trait of our species is disappearing and the emotional health of humans and of society as a whole will suffer as a consequence.

Sunday, December 19, 2021

Time for Free Childcare

As access to affordable, quality childcare is limited by a number of economic and social factors, it is time for free childcare for all Americans, financed by the Government and by large corporations that do not already provide that service.  To be effective, the care must extend trough the entire work day for all children too young to care for themselves.

Currently, too many children are deprived of early education and socialization and their parents cannot seek gainful employment with young children at home.  Furthermore, childcare workers do not receive a high enough wage to stay in the field, further diminishing the availability of care for working parents.

There are few, if any, public/private services more worthy of our tax dollars.  The lives of all Americans will be improved by early, quality education of our youth and our economy will benefit significantly from a workforce that is not hamstrung by childcare concerns. 

Saturday, December 18, 2021

Counting Birds in the Country

This morning, a friend and I participated in the annual Christmas Brd Count, conducted by the Columbia Audubon Society.  We were assigned an area that stretches across the lower watershed of Bonne Femme Creek, south of the city; forested valleys and ridgetop farmlands characterize the region.

During our 4.5 hour, 32 mile excursion, we encountered 28 species.  Red-winged blackbirds were, by far, most abundant; their massive flocks totaled more than 6000 individuals.  Other large populations included blue jays, American robins and dark-eyed juncos; among the highlights were 15 red-tailed hawks, a few red-shouldered hawks, a pileated woodpecker and a pair of field sparrows.  Noticeably absent were mourning doves.

It was a cool, beautiful morning and the pastoral landscape was especially pleasing.  The opportunity to contribute data to the Audubon Society, so valuable in assessing the health of regional bird populations, was, of course, most rewarding.  Happy Holidays and joyous birding!

Monday, December 13, 2021

Flashback Post XXVII

While watching the coverage of the tornado damage in Mayfield, Kentucky, I felt compelled to republish a post from March of 2011.

See:  Disasters & Miracles 

Sunday, December 12, 2021

Feeding the Manatees

Yesterday, I read an article in the New York Times about Florida's decision to feed manatees, the regional "sea cows" that are threatened with extinction.  Their demise is primarily related to the destruction of sea grass beds in bays and rivers of the Sunshine State.

This ongoing destruction has resulted from toxic algal blooms, fueled by the inflow of nitrogenous pollutants from wastewater plants, septic tanks, farmlands and industry; the rising sea level, a direct result of global warming, is also damaging the beds.

It is easy to garner public support for efforts to rescue these gentle, aquatic mammals, familiar symbols of the State itself (and valuable agents for the tourist industry); besides, feeding them is easier than confronting the powerful industrial and agricultural concerns that are responsible for their demise.  Furthermore, feeding these mellow and innocent victims seems to be the humane thing to do.  But the effort to manipulate natural ecosystems is fraught with complications and we cannot "zoo-ify" the planet to balance the damage we continue to inflict.  In my opinion, we should concentrate on restoring, protecting and rewilding the natural environment of our planet, the only means we have to protect its countless species and to support the complex interrelationships that are vital to its welfare.

Saturday, December 11, 2021

The Violent Side

The ongoing winter storm that brought heavy snow to the Western mountains and the Northern Plains has also unleashed violent thunderstorms and tornadoes across the South.  Mayfield, Kentucky, was ground zero for the violence, the site of widespread destruction and many deaths.

Like giant, counterclockwise pinwheels, these massive storms race across the U.S.  Ahead of the storm, southerly winds pull up warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico which, in the cold air north and west of the central zone of low pressure, produces heavy snowfall.  South and southeast of the low, the storm's cold front knifes into the warm, humid air and it is in this clash zone that the violent weather is spawned.  Furthermore, intersecting winds, coming from the west and the south, create wind shear that triggers rotation in the thunderstorms and, as a result, tornados form.  Generally tracking southwest to northeast, they leave paths of destruction that may stretch for many miles.

As residents of Mayfield sift through the remnants of their city, the storm continues to push eastward and its cold front is now raking the Southeast where more severe thunderstorms may yet develop.  Beyond the human misery that they cause, these violent storms remind us that our effort to harness the power of nature is pure folly; we can only get out of the way or retreat to our storm shelters.

Friday, December 10, 2021

A Dose of Snow

For the first time this season, measurable snow fell along the Front Range urban corridor this morning.  Here in Littleton, we received about two inches; while hardly sufficient to dent the dryness, the coat of snow has beautified our farm, covering the brown "grass" and lining the tree limbs.

More importantly, the mountains received a good dose of snow, a hopeful sign that our water supply may yet be rescued.  Since the high country snow season will last into May, there is plenty of time for Pacific storms to deepen the snowpack and, in spring, fill our mountain reservoirs.

Unfortunately, the current storm moved rapidly across the State and, tapping into Gulf of Mexico moisture, is now dumping much heavier snow across the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest.  It is not uncommon for winter snowstorms to be rather light and brief along the urban corridor;  our long-lasting, upslope storms are more likely to develop in the spring, providing most of our annual snowfall in March and April. 

Thursday, December 9, 2021

No Sympathy for Anti-vaxxers

As a physician, I was trained to provide state of the art medical care for anyone, regardless of their personal beliefs, personality or philosophy.  When it comes to treatment, there is no room for discrimination.

However, I must admit that I have no sympathy for those adult COVID patients who refused vaccination, only to die, stress hospital resources or suffer from prolonged symptoms.  Indeed, I am especially unaffected by the illness and death of those who actively encouraged others to forego vaccination by spreading false information.  Over the past year, public education has been relentless regarding the effectiveness and safety of the vaccines and those who decline to take advantage of their life-saving benefits put the lives of others at risk as well.  One wonders how many innocent children and immune-compromised individuals have died due to the behavior of these zealots.  Furthermore, the unvaccinated segment of our society is responsible for the emergence of new COVID strains, some of which could prove to be resistant to our vaccines.

I am certainly fortunate to have grown up during an era when medical care was not politicized; the polio vaccine, broadly accepted, was a godsend for my generation and those that followed.  Unfortunately, the health of today's children is too often determined by the political allegiance and anti-science fervor of their parents. 

Monday, December 6, 2021

A Winter Blast without Snow

After a week of remarkable warmth along the Colorado Front Range, winter returned at 3 PM yesterday.  In concert with sudden, strong, northeast winds, the temperature dropped from 65 degrees F to 50 F within ten minutes; an hour later, it was 35 degrees and, this morning, it was 19.

While the air took on a hazy appearance as the cold front arrived (reflecting the clash of cold and warm air in addition to windblown dust), there was not enough moisture to induce precipitation.  Once again, we were denied snow even as the temperature fell do dramatically.

In fact, the local weather conditions will rebound over the next few days, with afternoon highs in the 50s.  Our next chance for snow (currently handicapped at 40%) will be December 10.  We can only hope. 

Saturday, December 4, 2021

Reducing Energy Consumption

Despite our dysfunctional Federal Government, private corporations, cities and utility companies are making efforts to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.  Nevertheless, we must all do our part to combat global warming and, for most Americans, solar panels and electric vehicles are not yet affordable. But there are some simple measures we can all take; individually, they may seem futile (if not silly) but, collectively, they will lead to a significant reduction in energy use:

1. Turn off lights that are not being used (a habit I learned from my Conservative, religious, father). Switch to low-energy bulbs as well.

2. Walk, bike or take mass transit whenever possible.

3. Reduce the size of your lawn to decrease mower use and get rid of all electric/gas trimmers, leaf blowers etc.  The exercise will be an added benefit.

4. Reduce your use of hot water for showers, dishwashing and laundry.

5. Combine errands (including child transport) to decrease your vehicle fuel consumption.

There are other measures, of course, but these five are a good start and certainly enough to prompt ridicule from climate change deniers.

Disclaimer: no major research was done to verify the effectiveness of these recommendations; results may vary and common sense may be difficult to accept. 

Friday, December 3, 2021

Great Weather, Mediocre Birding

The weather has been glorious along the Colorado Front Range this week, with temperatures well above normal.  The unseasonable warmth has been great for walking, biking and hiking but not so much for birding.

At this time of year, as autumn gives way to winter, birds are focused solely on survival; all of the activity related to breeding, nesting and raising young are in the past (and potentially in the future).  When the weather is mild, they can easily hang out in the thickets, tall grass, shrubs and cattails, finding plenty of seeds, berries and insects (or larvae or eggs) to fuel their metabolic requirements.  They have no need to search the driveway or the feeding area unless heavy snow blankets their natural habitat; in addition, mild conditions reduce their caloric needs and negate the importance of activity to stay warm.  Finally, in this region of the country, heavy mountains snows send a variety of avian species to the adjacent lowlands, a phenomenon that is currently on hold.

Here along the Front Range, mediocre birding is the least of our concerns.  Unless the current weather pattern shifts soon, the winter mountain snowpack will be significantly reduced and the water supply for the urban corridor will take a major hit.  Yes, some things are more important than bird counts.

Thursday, December 2, 2021

Marketing Charity

This is the Season of Giving in America, during which citizens are encouraged to donate to their favorite charities and non-profit organizations.  After all, these groups are vital to the welfare of a large segment of our population and their work is a major factor in our efforts to deal with the inequities in human society.

In recent years, CNN has drawn attention to the achievements of various persons across the globe who have made a significant impact on the lives of the less fortunate.  Called "heroes" by the network, they receive valuable exposure for the work that they do and, as a result, likely receive far more funding than they would have without that exposure.

But, unfortunately, CNN has turned their charitable programs into a game show, running frequent ads about the contest and encouraging viewers to vote for their favorite hero; the finalists and eventual winner are celebrated at a gala, also marketed and televised by CNN.  In my opinion, this approach, while shining a spotlight on the valuable achievements of the heroes, comes across as a distasteful marketing ploy, demeaning their work in the process.