Poisoned water; a PBS special

Over the last two days, I have in spurts and when I have time between other activities, been watching the PBS special "Poisoned Waters". This documentary just came out over the last couple days. This documentary while almost two hours long takes a hard look at the quality of two bodies of water, the Chesapeake bay and the Puget Sound, that bracket this country. 

Poisoned water shows the condition of the two bodies of water and if one were to read between the lines has a very powerful message for those of us living within the Pacific Northwest region. If we were to take the Chesapeake bay as a view of the sound as seen through a crystal ball 50 years into the future it is quite a dismal view. In its current state the bay is dying at a rapid pace due to the urban sprawl that is taking place in its watershed. Here in the Northwest we have not got to the stage where we are so over populated however looking at cities such as Seattle and Issaquah as we become more of an attraction and as the quality of life for those currently living their gets better, more and more people are going to want to get in on the action. What then and how will it affect the sound?

I cant say how the next several years will play out for these two bodies of water nor does this film attempt to do so which gives each one of us a role to play in it. Now as actors in this documentary what will we do to write the next phase, the next chapter or the next scene that future generations will be looking at? What will their reaction to our actions be? Will they say, "wow, thats the year, the month, the day when things were turned around and it started to get better". Will there be a holiday dedicated to us as the day when we took a stand to make our corner of the world be the tip of the spear in the movement to bring about a healthy world? Well I guess its time we do something about it.

1/10th done.

It seems amazing how fast this quarter is progressing. It feels like it just started and its already a tenth done. It is possible that this is because I have not had any major assignments due so far but I guess that will come with time. 

On the other hand spring seems to be taking a while coming. For a few weeks It seemed that the grip of winter was over and that spring was in the air, not so. Old man winter seems to have reached from the icy past and has laid his grip so tight that spring is strangling. But it cant last too long. Sooner or later like the few flowers and buds that have broken through the grip spring too shall spring forth and bring about warm days and sunshine.

Its the weekend and at least I can look forward to some time off to go explore the surrounding hill sides and gage for my self the process of the break out.

What's been going on...

Its been a few days since I have had the time to post here. This is not because I have not had anything to post, more so because I have been very busy this week that I have not had the time to post. And while one might say... it only takes but a few minuets to put something up I must confess that the posting of blogs has become an activity that requires time to think and relax. 

Well having the disclaimer out there... over the past several days I have been quite active at the college in both personal projects as well as those related to classes. One activity, the photo shoot of last weekend, has to a small extent extended into the week worming its way into my time with minor clamor for attention. I have been able to edit a couple images and fine tune them and have posted them on my Deviant Art site. 

In addition to this I would also like to share with you a web-casted presentation that is of interest to me and possibly might catch your attention as well. This presentation which deals with the topic of Environmental Stewardship from a Christian perspective.

Inspired by cut grass.

This afternoon as I stood outside enjoying the balmy weather that the Chinook wind was bringing the valley and enjoying a moment of conversation with a colleague I was regaled with the sound of a gasoline lawn mower. As I looked towards the sound I saw a gentleman in the distance mowing a patch of grass no larger than my living room. This grass which had withstood the crushing grip of a couple feet of snow, locked in its icy cocoon without the light of day was freed from this only to be cut down as it raised its blades to the bright and warming sun that was shining today. 

I was recently listening to a talk by Michael Pollan on the Ted Talks site. While his talk had a distinctive Darwinistic twist to which I cant say I give much credence to I was nevertheless fascinated by his overall idea that we humans though we think of our selves as the king of the hill, top dog in the pound and such similar titles we may indeed be just being led along by the lowly grass, corn... other more intelligent ones.

Among other things though this brief encounter of sound and sight took me down memory lane it also inspired me to go out and spend some time further exploring my environment through the eye of the camera and see what other interesting encounters I might find.

More snow and more pictures

Being as the white stuff keeps falling it is an occasion for staying indoors and working on my pictures. And being that the last shoot gave me something to work with this seems like the perfect opportunity. 

First snow of the season

Well the white stuff keeps falling and falling. The first big storm of the season... well at least thats what the meteorologist are saying... is bringing a dumping of snow. Within the last several hours at least 2 or three inches have fallen and it doesn't seem to be stopping. I have not decided if this is something good or bad yet. On the one hand it makes for some very interesting photography and on the other its cold. 

I cant say I am not accustom to the cold having experienced at least 10 winters now, but on the whole I think I like the warmer weather as far as something to live in. It just might have something to do with my being born and raised on an island 7 degrees north of the equator. But winter is officially here and with it the snow. Well at least the option of building snowmen is there... and maybe an igloo as well....

Fishing the Yak... again

Well on the way back from Seattle, determined to get in some time on the water I stopped along the Yakima river to wet a line. The evening was quite productive with the trout being quite willing to take a fly. Being as it is starting to get colder these fish seem eager to stock up on what little insects they may happen by before the icy grip of winter takes hold.

Hiking to the sun

The gloom of fog shrouding the valley with its cold and clammy fingers prodding and poking into bodies as they hurried down paths leading to errands and places. Being a sun loving tropical kind of person I was missing seeing the big shiny orb in the sky and to some extent was starting to go though withdrawal... I needed a fix... and as far as I knew, short of driving to Tollgate the other place I could access the sun would be up Blacksnake ridge. Convincing a buddy of mine to go on a hike I headed out for the sun. The fog was thick going up the steep and narrow road and often we could not see for more than 20 feet in front of the car. But we made it to where the car could not go any further without damage to the underside and hiked from there. 

As we climbed though the cold of the mist still hung around us we were greeted by the scent of pine and fir needles wafting through the air. This sweet smell drove us on with renewed energy to reach higher up the ridge.

And sun, the faint rays poking holes through the mist was our reward. Enjoying the sun for about 20 minuets when it started to drop below the tree line we sighed a satisfied sigh and began the trudge back to the depths of the gloom and back home. But sun we had if only for a moment and that small glimmer recharged us for a while.

Frost and fishing

Another weekend has come and gone, and with each passing day the air gets colder as the march of winter comes close. Determined to get a few more days of fishing in before I must hang up my waders for the winter I set out to once again ply the waters of the Walla Walla river and discover what bounties of aquatic delights awaited me. 

Arriving at the parking lot to the area I spent a few minuets chatting with some of the locals who had bagged themselves a couple birds. We chatted about our fortune of having such an ideal accessible area so close to where we lived and the fortune it provided through the seasons. 

A few minuets later donning my gear I sally forth into the thicket that encompasses the river. I have on previous occasions traveled down stream so today I decided to explore upstream. During the last couple weeks heavy rains, well heavy for this end of the state, caused a rise in the river level and with it caused the bed of the river to be scoured in some places and the substrate to be deposited in others. But as this was relatively new area to me while I could see the effect of the rushing water the holes and lies of the trout were yet to be explored. 

I did not find the monster that broke me off when I was last here but my day was not a complete bust. One thing that I enjoy about the trout in these small streams are that they fight like they have something to prove and that no lure is a match for them. It may also be the case that being a smaller stream they need to be more opportunistic in their diet and feed on whatever may come their way.

After catching and releasing a couple my eye was drawn to the frosty leaves along the high water mark. Though clumped together, cottonwood and aspen leaves formed a intricate pattern with the crystals of ice heralding the end of Fall and the near arrival of winter.

Back at home

Well the adventure over I am back at home. It was not exactly what I had planned but not all things happen as we expect. Anyway I did get to go fishing today and saw the sun so overall it was a good day. As an added bonus I got to see Dalls Sheep in the Yakima canyon.  Pictures from this weekend.

Off on another adventure...

Well I am out the door and looking forward to another adventure. I will be going fishing in the morning with a fellow fly fisherman that I met online via a fly fishing forum so it will be a great opportunity to met someone new as well. 

Went on a lovely walk this afternoon with some friends and it was cloudy and cold, but the kind that makes you want to be out and just enjoy the mist as it faintly swirls around you. When a warm jacket is like a long hug. And the colors of the fall though past its prime still lingers in the limbs and on the ground covering the trail in a golden carpet. 

But, I must move on. More later...

Energy from the sun and other clean energy

As a graduate with a degree in Environmental Science I am always interested in seeing what new technological advances are made that would create clean energy. While browsing though the articles I came across a couple that caught my attention.

Sun + Water = Fuel

This article in the MIT tech review caught my attention as the concept of plants capturing energy from the sun to perform such feats as to grow for hundreds of feet or like varieties of bamboo a foot per day where you can almost watch it grow... How can such a humble organism with its fragile proteins and enzymes do what keeps scientist scratching their heads. Well looks like we have finally caught up. This discovery combined with another recent discovery for black silicone might bring about a new revolution in clean energy. Interesting times.

On another note, Walla Walla is surrounded by hills where wind farms are common. I have on occasion had the opportunity to go close to these giants and watch as the sometimes 50 ft blades swing round with a commanding swish. Another new discovery that may make this form of energy more efficient is right now being tested up in Canada at a wind farm. 

Laser Sensors for Wind turbines

Maybe one day soon all these new devises will go into production and we can gain the benefits.