Poisoned Forests

Mention National Forests and most of us think of large, pristine ecosystems, composed of ground cover, shrubs and trees and harboring a diverse population of animal life.  But in areas reforested following wildfire and clear-cutting, that image is invalid.

As reported on PBS News last evening, private and public forest "managers" of those areas have been using glyphosate, better known as Roundup, to clear all undergrowth that will shade-out young trees and stifle their growth.  While studies by Monsanto, the company that produces Roundup have "failed to demonstrate any harm to the environment or toxic effects on humans," many toxicologists believe that this herbicide is likely carcinogenic.

As the Trump Administration opens up more of our National Forests to logging, the use of this agent will only increase.  Indeed, per the PBS report, traces of the chemical are currently found in all rivers and streams of Northern California. 

Biden's Fault

King Trump, his adoring Court and his do-nothing Republican Congress have ballooned our National Debt to 40 trillion dollars in just 19 months.  Of course, they insist it's Biden's Fault.

Never mind the tariffs, the massive tax cuts for the wealthy, Trump's grift and vanity projects, the deportation of trained, reliable workers, the exorbitant cost of the cruel Ice Program, the Federal Government's investment in private companies and Our Dear Leader's failed gamble in Iran.

Fortunately, our once-respected Treasury Secretary promises to tweak a few financial levers and solve our disastrous debt crisis.  If that doesn't work, he can always blame Biden.  The unwillingness to take responsibility for the consequences of one's actions (or inaction) is, in my opinion, among the most disturbing of human traits.  

The Joy of Mulching

Our tree service recently cut down some large, dead limbs on our Littleton farm and left a huge pile of chipped wood per our request.  It saved both of us a significant amount of money.

Having used bagged mulch when we owned smaller properties, I know that it can be a hassle and, even worse, yields a large number of plastic bags.  Able to shovel fresh mulch into a wheelbarrow is a luxury and we now have more than we'll likely use this year.

Of course, the recycling of home-grown wood and its use to retain soil moisture and release nutrients in this semi-arid climate is rewarding, not to mention the exercise that comes with the task.  In the end, we are simply speeding up nature's cycle of death and renewal. 

Facing our Demise

By the time we humans reach our sixties, we begin to focus on our longevity and our likely cause of death.  For those who are already dealing with one or more chronic medical conditions, the answers seem more evident while others are inclined to glean probabilities from their family history.  Of course, neither assumption may prove to be valid.

Facing their mortality, many choose to slow or obscure their aging through the use of supplements, cosmetics and plastic surgery but the underlying truth is impossible to hide or deny.  A healthy diet and regular aerobic exercise help to maintain good function but, of course, aging brings an increasing risk of serious and potentially fatal disease.

Those who live into their seventies or eighties in relatively good health are fortunate indeed; too many succumb to illness or injury at a young age.  Nevertheless, the various side effects of aging cannot be ignored and preparations for the inevitable demise are often on our mind.  Enjoying life in the face of these challenges should be our primary goal.

LaLa lands in Hawaii

Tropical storm LaLa (perhaps a Category 1 hurricane by now) will pass swiftly south of the Hawaiian Islands over the next two days.  Counterclockwise winds are expected to bring high waves and heavy rain to east facing beaches and mountain slopes, especially on the Big Island and Maui.  The storm's rapid forward motion will hopefully serve to minimize damage across the archipelago.

To date, the Pacific hurricane and typhoon season has been active while Atlantic storms have been suppressed by a strong El Niño (which increases wind shear in the Caribbean) and large clouds of African dust that interfere with storm dynamics.

Nevertheless, the Atlantic Hurricane Season does not generally peak until mid-late September and lasts into November.  Communities along the Gulf and East Coasts are just beginning their season of risk and, as we found out in recent years, inland cities are also vulnerable to these powerful storms and their flooding rains. 

Healing Rain

After at least a month of extreme heat, bright sunshine and no precipitation, our Littleton farm received significant rain over the past two days.  The Southwest Monsoon has intensified along the Front Range and our parched vegetation may green up a bit; at the very least, the risk of fire on our pastures has been greatly diminished.

Elsewhere in the Denver Metro Area, flash flooding has occurred, especially in foothill canyons and across higher terrain south of the city.  The Monsoon is notorious for its uneven distribution of rain, producing heavy downpours in some locations while missing others altogether.

Since the Monsoon Season usually persists into early September, we are hopeful that more healing rains will bless our property.  Now that the dome of heat has shifted eastward, that possibility has increased. 

Trump defunds National Parks

King Trump claims that his vanity projects, most notably his Ballroom, are paid for by himself and wealthy donors.  In his words, "taxpayers do not pay a dime."

Of course, like almost all of his proclamations, this is not true.  Indeed, much of the money is siphoned from other government programs and agencies (funded by taxpayers).  In other words, the Trump Administration has cut the budget for those programs, redirecting the previously designated funds to Trump's personal projects.

Among the victims of this scheme are the National Parks, beloved and heavily visited by American taxpayers.  Services, employment and, one strongly suspects, conservation programs have been significantly reduced.  This is of no surprise to those who understand Our Dear Leader's priorities: power, prestige and personal enrichment.  Protecting our National Parks does not even make his list (or cross his mind).

A Fruitless Year

We are fortunate to have a variety of fruit-producing trees and shrubs on our Littleton farm.  Unfortunately, following a nearly snowless winter, a hard freeze struck in mid-spring, wiping out fruit blossoms and eliminating most of our fruit crop this year. 

Apples, plums, mulberries, crabapples, apricots, wild cherries and pears have not appeared; there has been a limited supply of chokecherries.  The only fruit trees with their usual crop are the junipers, a welcome development for robins, cedar waxwings and for our lone Townsend's solitaire that arrives by October.  Indeed, the lack of fruit seems to have had a significant impact on the number and variety of birds observed on the farm this summer.

Growing fruit in this semiarid ecosystem is always a bit of a gamble but I do not recall any previous year when a spring weather event has been so deleterious.  Followed by an extremely hot and dry summer, that hard freeze seems to have been a warning sign of rough times ahead. 

Colombia's Earthquake

Yesterday's magnitude 7.4 earthquake in western Colombia developed where the Malpelo Microplate is subducting beneath the South American Plate.  This small tectonic plate, thought to have formed during the Miocene Period (about 15 MYA), is wedged between the Cocos Plate, to its west, and the Nazca Plate, to its south.

The latter two plates are remnants of the massive Farallon Plate; remnants of that oceanic plate are subducting beneath the Pacific Northwest, Mexico and South America, producing volcanic ranges along the western coast of the Americas.  The subduction of the Farallon Plate began as the Atlantic Ocean opened, some 160 million years ago, and continues today.

In addition to the earthquakes that occur in these subduction zones, tsunamis may develop if the leading edge of the Continental Plate rebounds upward.  See: Tsunamis and Subduction Zones  

Trump cuts Vaccine Recommendations

In his latest Executive Order, King Trump, on the advice of his medically-naive HHS Secretary, has cut the recommended childhood vaccinations by a third.  Despite a total lack of scientific evidence that such a move is warranted, Trump relies on his gut (and his supreme narcissism) to make such far-reaching and potentially disastrous declarations.

No doubt, pediatricians across the country object to this order and, fortunately, will not change the recommendations that they offer to parents.  Even Senator Cassidy of Louisiana, a pediatrician who cleared RFK Jr.'s appointment, has voiced his dissent (a bit late in the game).

Trump is systematically dismantling American Healthcare.  Politics is placed above science and, in this case, children are the potential victims.  Impeachment is the only effective response.  

Agents of Carbon Capture

Even if (and it is a highly unlikely development ) all countries across the globe made sincere efforts to wean themselves from fossil fuel use, it would be decades before that would be accomplished and we could significantly reverse the ongoing climate change.  Of course, from an individual point of view, all we can do is limit our consumption of fossil fuels, minimize our overall energy use and install our own sources of green energy (e.g. solar panels).

But we can all be agents of carbon capture by maximizing the green plants on our property and by donating time and/or money to organizations that protect forests and strive to plant as many trees as possible.  Perhaps this simplistic approach does not impress many readers but doing nothing is not an option.

Cities and towns must be encouraged to take part in this "greening effort" and, in light of the tragic wildfire season, reforestation will be especially crucial.  As I have suggested in the past, the vast Great Plains could be used as a carbon sink by planting "snow fences" of drought tolerant trees wherever possible. 

Into the Furnace

Heading back toward Colorado today, we left Columbia under sunny skies with a temperature in the mid 70s F.  Pleasant conditions persisted through Missouri and eastern Kansas but, west of Salina, the temperature began to climb.  Fueled by a strong south wind, it reached 104 degrees F (per a Hays, Kansas, bank) or 109 degrees F (per our car thermometer).  Once we were outside the vehicle, the steady wind produced a blast furnace effect.

Perusing the National weather map, we appear to be in the hottest bubble outside of the Desert Southwest.  Though I have no documentation, I cannot remember being immersed in such hot air at any time in my life (and that's a lot of time).

We'll set out early in the morning to complete our journey before the afternoon sun takes its toll.  Unfortunately, this is just a warmup (no pun intended) for summers to come.  Then again, perhaps our Dear Leader is correct and climate change is a cruel Liberal hoax!

 

Deluge in Columbia

Awakened by thunderstorms at 3 am, we soon realized that they were just the leading edge of a cold front that would dip across Missouri.  Indeed, within a couple hours, a swath of heavy rain with imbedded thunderstorms stretched from Kansas City to St. Louis.

Storms continued to move along the front throughout the morning, accompanied by frequent lightning and gusty winds.  Now under a flood watch, our region is expected to receive heavy rain into the early afternoon; as the front dips further south, the deluge should end.  Southern Missouri, southern Illinois and Indiana will then be on the receiving end.

In a prolonged drought earlier this year, Missouri has received an exceptional amount of precipitation since the high pressure dome that brought excessive heat moved southeastward.  A ridge of high pressure currently overlies the Western U.S., augmenting the wildfire risk throughout that region; Pacific storm systems ride across the northern rim of that atmospheric dome, eventually dipping through the Midwest and releasing their cargo of moisture.  

Psychological Inheritance

We all inherit physical traits, talents, disease susceptibility and other genetic factors from our parents.  But we also receive psychological inheritance.

Beliefs and prejudices, instilled during our dependent years, must be dealt with.  As we mature, they demand compliance or rejection, often placing us at odds with our parents and siblings.  In some cases, they have been associated with abusive behavior, augmenting their power and diminishing our ability to dislodge them; counseling may be necessary.  If the beliefs are especially rigid or extreme, they tend to ignite a reactionary response, breaking ties with those who instilled them.

Eventually, this psychological baggage and how we approach it determines our personal philosophy and greatly influences how we raise our own children. 

Setback at Eagle Bluffs

Six weeks after our last visit, a friend and I drove through Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area this morning.  The pristine wetland ecosystem that we had left behind was now crawling with construction equipment and farm tractors.  Water was primarily limited to the central channel and crops covered most of the fields.

Disappointed by the turn of events, we completed our usual loop drive and saw a fair variety of birds.  Great egrets, all huddled in one shallow pond, were most abundant while a trio of young scissor-tailed flycatchers proved to be the highlight.  Other than two turkey vultures, no raptors were observed.  In total, 19 avian species were encountered during our 90 minute visit.

How odd that a brief recovery was permitted to occur before this floodplain wetland was all but closed down once again.  No doubt, there are reasons related to wastewater management but this second round of devastation was difficult to accept. 

Back to Phillips Lake

After a prolonged absence, my wife and I returned to Perry Phillips Lake early this morning.  While "development" continues along the Park's rim, it was a pleasant visit, having completed our loop walk before heat became a factor.

Annual cicadas provided a background chorus while pockets of ironweed, trumpet vine and bright red wild plums added color to the verdant landscape.  Following recent heavy rains, the lake was full for the first time this year though swallows and a lone great blue heron were the only birds to take advantage of its bounty.  Birdlife was otherwise limited to common summer and permanent residents and, as is usually the case there, northern mockingbirds were most conspicuous.

While I have previously decried the development along the edge of the Park, this former farm lake and its adjacent woodlands, fields and wetlands continue to attract an interesting mix of wildlife.  We'll keep visiting whenever we're in Columbia.

Take your Average American

As this country struggles through the reign of King Trump, there is a great deal of discussion regarding who might return America to her previous glory, imperfect though it was.  I would suggest the average American will do.

Qualifications would include kindness, empathy, average intelligence, a sense of fairness and a willingness to consider varied points of view in a respectful manner.  A middle-aged individual (for the purposes of experience) would be best, as long as they have no history of political activity.  One would hope that such an individual would appoint Cabinet Members who are highly qualified in their area of service and would insure that both the Department of Justice and the Federal Reserve are completely independent of the Executive Branch.

Perhaps this solution seems a bit too simplistic for many but we do not need another political-minded leader who seeks to control corporations, universities and law firms and whose focus is on their personal power and enrichment.  I would volunteer but I'm too old.  

A Gift from August

August, long renowned for its heat, arrived overnight behind a cold front, bringing cool, misty weather to central Missouri.  Ahead of that front, heavy rain fell across Columbia, a welcome dose of moisture during this long, brutal summer.

While we certainly appreciate that a dramatic change in weather has arrived with the new month, there is little doubt that the heat will return as the front heads east.  But, for now, the cool respite will facilitate some much-delayed yard work.

Since it is the last meteorological month of summer, August invites us to look ahead to the glorious season of autumn.  Unfortunately, climate change is pushing back that transition and, before long, August may represent the midpoint of a prolonged summer season.