Thursday, October 25, 2007

U.N. Warns of Rapid Decay of Environment

I hope you all have time to read this. Here is a small part

“The human population is now so large that the amount of resources needed to sustain it exceeds what is available at current consumption patterns...”


http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/26/world/26environ.html?ex=1193976000&en=2e3234f7b1c651e3&ei=5024&partner=BLACKBOARD

Monday, October 22, 2007

Pesticides

Pesticide is a term to describe any kind of chemical used for controlling various kinds of pests, of fungi, weeds, mites or insects. Its a substance used to destroy pests.
A pesticide is absorbed by organisms of the lower level of the food chain the higher organisms food chain will eat many of the lower organisms to retaine the chemical.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Water shortages will leave the worls in dire straits

usatoday.com/news/nation/2003-01-26-water-usat_x.htm

USA Today published an article in January of 03 warning us of the potential outcome if we don't learn how to conserve our water.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

California's Water Issues

I posted this earlier last week but was just finally able to view it as well. So here it is... Just recently a very important rally took place in Sacramento with Alan Autry trying to come up with ideas on how to find a solution to California's lack of water resources. Some believe that adding a dam could possibly help this issue, but others believe that the problem will still persist.

Water issues take center stage in SacramentoStory Published: Oct 4, 2007 at 9:15 PM EDTStory Updated: Oct 6, 2007 at 5:51 AM EDTBy Adam SextonWatch the story After one of the driest water years in recent memory state lawmakers are grappling with how to plan for the future of California’s most precious resource.For Valley leaders, the answer is simple: add more surface storage with a new dam above Millerton Lake.Fresno Mayor Alan Autry and others led a rally at the capitol Thursday afternoon to highlight the Valley's pressing water needs.At the end of August, California’s reservoirs held 20.4 million acre feet of water, down from 29.2 million a year before.The looming threat of drought underscores the crisis, but state Democrats say they don't want to rush a solution. In this special session, Republicans are looking to get a $9 billion bond for dam building, while Democrats are advocating for about half as much money on less expensive projects. It doesn't appear either plan will make it on the February ballot. Republicans in the legislature are threatening to torpedo any solution that does not put up bonds for dam-building. But experts say dams alone won't solve the problem. In the meantime, two stubborn facts remain: California’s water supply is finite and the demands being made on that supply continue to grow. Click on the video link to watch Adam Sexton's report.

http://www.ksee24.com/news/local/10248141.html

Monday, October 15, 2007

Nunes bills targets 28 projects....

This article is from the Oct. 4,2007 issue of the Fresno Bee. It basically states that Rep. Devin Nunes proposed and then revised a bill for restoring the flow of water to the San Joaquin River. There are going to be feasiability studies of 28 projects in which are different ways to improve water conservation in the Central Valley. With this restoration plan comes with its pros and con. One of the negative outcomes of this plan would be the percentage loss in the Fraint-area irrigation dilveries. There are many good outcomes to what Nunes is proposing. Alot of it has to do with just the lack of water in our San Joaquin river since the construction of the Friant Dam. This is a good action that Nunes is taking. With this plan it should increase our aquatic life in the Central Valley and this could help our farmers.

Water Issues Take Center Stage in Sacramento

In the beginning of the month, legislation and government officials joined together in Sacramento to discuss the water issues that are growing here in the Valley. They said that building dams alone will not be enough to control the problem. Read more or watch this story by going to www.ksee24.com. What can we do in our everyday lives to help preserve our water? If we don't act now, it is very likely that we will run out and that's a scary thought.

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Fresno County water shortage

Fresno bee

www.fresnobee.com/263/story/154460.html

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Arsenic in drinking water

I found this article/fact sheet from the World Health Organization website, called "Arsenic in drinking water" at http://www.who.int/en/.

This article is about arsenic which is a semi-metallic naturally-occurring chemical. It is found in water which has flowed through arsenic-rich rocks into underground water supplies. It is odorless and flavorless. If poisoned, a person will usually die. There are many other health problems associated wiht arsenic, such as cancer, kidney failure, skin thickening, etc. "Environment Protection Agency of The United States of America has estimated that some 13 million of the population of USA, mostly in the western states, are exposed to arsenic in drinking- water." There are technologies used for arsenic removal in water supply, but it is costly and requires technical expertise. People just need to be more aware of the problem and take drastic measures to prevent themselves and their families from arsenic poisoning because it can happen.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Water Conservation

http://www.americanwater.com/49ways.htm

I found a neat website that gives tips on how to conserve water and I think it is worth looking at. Just utilizing a few of these simple tips, everyone can do their part to help mend this terrifying water issue. There can be great incentives for those whose water is monitored by a meter because you can save a lot of money. I agree that there is a growing problem with the water supply and I know that doing only these tips will not fix the issue but it can be a great start.

Water Conservation on Farms

I found this article titled "NRDC: Wasting Water on California Farms" www.nrdc.org/water/conservation/fcawater.asp

This is a very interesting article that discusses how central valley agriculture wastes huge amounts of water. The article pointed out that alfalfa crops use the most amount of water with the least return in profits. Also, there are more conservation conscience irrigation methods that are not being put into practice. For example, drip irrigation and bedded alfalfa. Instead the farmers are using methods like flooding the crop. I found that it was interesting that there are a few alternatives that are not being practiced that would make since. The article, stated that crops could be reduced slightly to save tons of water. I think that Educating people about waste of resources is important. However, it has to start at a governmental and Big business level. After all they are setting the example.

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Bottled Water

I know we're talking about water issues, but I'm still thinking about the bottled water issue.

Should Fresno join this campaign?
4 cities join anti-bottled water campaign
http://www.fresnobee.com/state_wire/business/story/160178.html


" So people who are concerned about what they put in their bodies - clean water- start to worry about what's going on outside their bodies: global warming, pollution, overflowing landfills, profligate use of fossil fuels to import and ship plastic bottles of water." - Judy Stark writer for Fresno Bee

Fresno's Environement

Well, living in the Central Valley of California is fun for food lovers. One can get farm fresh vegetables from the local farmers market almost every day. You can grow your own vegetables without much effort in your backyard and of course all the organic farmers and CSAs such as TD Willey Farm are there in the central valley of California. One can also be close to the mountains... you can hike to the Giant Redwoods and Yosemite or any other parts of Sierras at any time during the week or weekends. However, all of these come with a price - price that you pay for your health! San Joaquin Valley's air quality is one of the worst in the Nation. Asthma, allergies and other health issues that can cause by the air pollution are in the rise. The population growth in Cental valley is projected to be highest in the state in next few years. On the other hand, central valley is host of many endemic species of flora and fauna. California is one the 17 "Biodiversity Hotspots" of the world. The Tulley Elk and San joaquin Kit foxes are few to name.

What can we do? What should we do? What can we learn? How can we cope with the growth and natural environment? We also worry about global environmental issues on growth, pollutions, natural resource use and overuse, global warming. These are some of the issues we discuss in the class. This Blog is about discussion in the Natural Science 115 class.