Dallas Trees

mSWM - mini Stormwater Management

philip.erwin@dallascityhall.com (P Erwin) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 01:24:00 +0000

"A Drop of Water" rain barrel created by Dutch designer Bas van der Veer.

One of the complaints - if any, really - that might come from people looking to find ways to be more sustainable by collecting rain water in their garden, is the annoyance of having to deal with 'ugly' rain barrel contraptions in their guest spaces. Actually, in my view, a well-used water catchment that's not so architecturally fancy is the mark of a bona fide gardener and 'green' entrepreneur. But, I can see where a big grey tub in the patio might be a bit of an eye sore for your weekend picnics.

The raindrop designed catchment (pictured above) by Bas van der Veer is one of multiple stylish versions that may soon be available to someone looking for a little flair to add to their green garden. It may not yet be available on the market, but you can try any of the other versions (or even simpler) provided courtesy re-nest.

You can try the Rain Barrel Watering System for those more 'industrious' areas and at a slightly heavier expense, a much simpler $25 DIY Rain Barrel version, another simplistic Rainwater Collection Barrel for cheap, or, my favorite, the Incognito Water Catchment System. Instructions on how to do-it-yourself are in each link.

I can think of at least one person who may just jump at this as a challenge.

The Incognito Rainwater Collection System -re nest (Janelle Laban) - Apartment Therapy

Texas: The Big 'D'uh

philip.erwin@dallascityhall.com (P Erwin) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 02:35:00 +0000

Pardon while I go on a political bend. These are my opinions as a Texan.

So, while the Guv Rick Perry keeps hoppin', skippin' and a'jumpin' around the state touting the wonderful financial gem known as the State of Texas, its citizens are losing their shirts, a quality of life, and the 'Jim Dandy' healthcare and educational opportunities provided to the people in this economic mega-machine.

The Dallas Business Journal commented Monday on a new report from the nonprofit Corporation for Enterprise Development. Based on their 2009-10 "Assets and Opportunity Scorecard", the state earned a 'D' grade when looking at the financial security of U.S. families under 58 performance standards.

Well, shoot. We did fairly well on a few areas. But does it make up for being 48th in overall net worth or 41st in unbanked households? Texas ranked 51st in both total uninsured and percentage of uninsured low-income parents, and also 51st in high school degree attainment. It really sounds bad when it looks like they're making up numbers just to keep you on the list. At least we made 50th in the percentage of uninsured low-income children.

I'm so proud.

Then this state with the massive economy is doing just spiffy industry-wise, but they're forgetting about a very important aspect of this great engine of prosperity. A lot of its American citizens are being left behind in the mega truck wheel tracks to fend for themselves. THAT's the American way dammit. Uhm, not my America, Rick. If they're weak and don't have an entrepreneurial bone in their body, what good are they to us? In America, we used to lend hands to those in need. Now it's just socialism.

When your own governor will stand before his peers of money-rustlers and bully about prosperity and actually ask the question, even in jest, "what recession?", I've got to be wondering what screw went loose under that mousse? It's not just the poor, the children, and the under-ambitious that are suffering. Many business leaders and developers are feeling the real pinch of economic struggles that ALL of America is suffering. Financial burdens are not discriminatory when they hit you. I'm glad to see he finally came around to try to mend his fences and admitting to recessionary problems - but Texas would be right as rain if the 'Federal decision-makers' would just leave us alone.

Guv Perry wants to throw the cause for the financial chaos squarely on the Federal government and help lay the seed of dissent within our society. They call it patriotism. It was the Fed that provided the stimulus money to the state which was trucked away by the state government to fortify a budget that was failing and then he says everything is just fine. Is that money building much needed infrastructure as intended? Let me guess. He says nothing to deregulation, run-amok capitalists, or the very culture of greed and gluttony we have all cherished. He doesn't have the vision to see that this state is also in a sorry position to cope with the looming effects of peak oil.

I guess my main point today is that we all have our opinions about certain people and I try my damnedest to not think ill of people. But sometimes they just bring it upon themselves - or myself. It's tough being a good man in a bitter society. People who I once looked to for cultural guidance and a moral compass are today apparently adrift in a mire of delusion.

They forget that America is more than themselves. America - our Constitution - is a government by the People. There are many of us with differing opinions on America. I hear plenty who say they want to protect me from the Federal government - a government, in part, by the people of Texas. We, not the State of Texas, are the Union.

No one is saying they will protect me from Governor Perry.

ARCHIVE: Interpretations of Nature: Parasites (10/8/08)

philip.erwin@dallascityhall.com (P Erwin) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 03:15:00 +0000

Back on October 8 of last year, we were in the midst of an economic stranglehold that was threatening the future of our nation. I really don't think that most - if any - of us really know how close to the precipice we came in those months. Frankly, I'm not confident that we won't be there again in the not too distant future as other economic crises are waiting their turns. During that time last year, I wrote a series of posts on capitalism, socialism, human nature and economy. Sure, I'm not a genius, but it was heartfelt, and if you think it's crap...? Well, that's really fine. It's my blog and I have a soul to share. Take it or leave it.

I re-present this post on the aspects of the human element that act as a parasite in our society. Greed and lies are not very noble aspects, and preached against in most circles. But the truth is those same circles value those aspects if there's a personal profit in it. A year after the collapses, it appears Wall Street still wants to pursue its old habits, and it also appears no one really gives a damn. Boys will be boys I guess. Of course, man is not alone in Nature in the art of deception. The chameleon adapts to its environment to gain a predatory advantage. Butterflies will be adorned with special patterns to confuse predators. The difference between deception in Nature and with man is that man has a choice. He has reason to help him determine if it is in the best interest of his community to act in any particular fashion that may cause harm. Then there is the self-rationalization that it was for the greater good. The acts of greed and falsehood for personal gain is a return to a base part of ourselves that we are ever so slow to depart.

__________________________

Everything I need to know I learned from a forest. Well, not really, but it sounds like a good book cover. As we enter uncertain days ahead as the 'Three Stooges' fiddle and faddle over fixing a potential global economic collapse created by 'The Marx Brothers', we should take our time and look back to our foundations as a civilization and find what it is that holds us up in the first place. Our lives appear to be in the hands of contemptible fools (never trust 'jump at a bug' nervous financial market cronies of money for the survival of your civilization) and we must return to our fundamentals. This seems to be the one point that the pundits and gurus are not preaching nearly enough. We seem to keep trying to fix our Edsel of an economy when it is apparent it needs to be transformed - or at least, given a rebuilt engine. As Scotty said, 'the more they overtech the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain.' The plunger ain't workin.

At its roots, even our economy is based on natural processes set in motion over the eons. Humans (as much as we resist it) are a part of Nature and the philosophies we create can be said to have derived from natural processes. It started with an idea, and then generated from that seed, and further grew into a mode of trade and prosperity for people across the globe that has transformed us, for better and/or worse, to a much healthier and stronger human civilization. But what exactly grew? Are we a blessing or a parasite?

The system has been transformed in recent years into an artificial and false economy built solely on extraordinary debts (we live on credit, of course) that no one fully controlled but was mostly steered by the compounding human element of greed and the unique human quality of lies. The fundamentals are still sound (a gun doesn't kill people, .... you know) but the controllers of our economy abandoned Nature and its laws and had sought to materialize something new with their 'interpretations of Nature'. As shown by many a lawyer, interpretations can be incorrect and numerous. As we become more god-like in our conceit, we begin to think we can recreate Nature in our own image. Capitalism of the 21st century is one bad hybrid.

But, again, let's look back at the fundamentals of where we are...or were. Adam Smith's concepts of capitalism was borne of a 'system of natural liberty' in which the 'pursuit of individual self-interest unintentionally produces a collective good for society.' This basic premise is sound by the measures of Natural Law. For example, there is give and take by individual plants and animals within a forest, that are universally in cooperation, that will uniformly function to make the forest healthy. Up close, the competition and support network within the forest is a feeding frenzy and a chaotic maelstrom of life and death. It's complete with food chains, life that is born and dies, bacteria consuming matter, and so on. It is from a distance that it appears tranquil and comforting and restorative. This goes back to a recent post (October 5) in which I described the socialist and capitalist aspects of our society. Individually, life is very selfish and prone to its own preservation, capitalizing, if you will, on what will help us sustain ourselves. We hunger, we obtain, we eat. The collective mentality, however, is for thepreservation of the whole to maintain the existence of ALL individuals, and also in reverse. Human behavior is extremely predictable. We act for ourselves. We defend the community to preserve our selves, our families, and our traditions and morals. We stand and fight as one Nation to repel those that would destroy us. We only fail if we have no adequate defense or offense. We do so for self-preservation.

It is when one introduced element of the forest, the parasite, seeks to consume the remainder in an excess of self-preservation and over-enrichment, the forest is reduced to an invaded and unhealthy world choked in shade and darkness or consumed by 'tyrannical' beasts. Invasive forces violate a forest for the first time and begin to transform it and outcompete the traditional adversaries for space and resources. Light is choked out deadening the forest floor or selective insects invade the majority trees and decimate their populations by consuming their life source. A lone hackberry tree can be consumed with the parasitic mistletoe to the point where in the process of reproduction and expansion and growth, it reduces the functions of its host tree to the point it cannot adequately sustain itself. The weakened tree withers and is attacked by other venturing adversaries and dies.

That forest world is either consumed by the introduced invader because the forest is defenseless against it, or is repelled by a stronger and healthier native system. Our danger is that we have no defense against our invader with the malicious avarice. The parasite is ultimately self-destructive when, in numbers, they overburden their host. This is the threat we place on our host world. This is the threat that human greed and falsehoods places on us.

Kseniya Simonova - Sand Animation

philip.erwin@dallascityhall.com (P Erwin) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 01:16:00 +0000

This stunning display of art is from the Ukraine's Got Talent program. Kseniya Simonova won the contest after this final performance with her sand animation. The passion and sincerity seen in the people's reaction can be understood once you can grasp how this nation and these people suffered during World War II. She allows the sand and the music to flow through her fingers to express her vision. It touched the hearts of her countrymen in a very deep place. This is what art should do.

Hearing about this on PRI's The World radio broadcast this afternoon, I was not disappointed by this wonderful vision. Check out her other performances. Part 1 Part 2

ARTICLE X: Alternative Methods of Compliance (10.135)

philip.erwin@dallascityhall.com (P Erwin) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 02:22:00 +0000

This is a continuation of the series on the City of Dallas' Article X landscape and tree ordinance. Passing through the valley of the landscape ordinance was fairly simple. We now have entered Mordor, a.k.a. the tree ordinance. Originated in 1994, it has been found to have a harder road though it has been, arguably, successful. Perhaps 'arguably' is to kind and 'successful' is in the eye of the beholder. It's not my place here and now to argue the case for the tree ordinance, one way or the other, but, rather, to provide for you a better understanding of how this ordinance works.

Section 51A-10.135, Alternative Methods of Compliance (of tree mitigation):

(a) If the building official determines that, due to inhospitable soil conditions or inadequate space, it would be impracticable or imprudent for the responsible party to plant a replacement tree on the lot where the protected tree was removed or seriously injured (the "tree removal property"), the responsible party shall comply with one or more of the following requirements:

The above paragraph provides some very key points to the process of tree mitigation. The scale of protected tree removal may far outreach the ability for a property owner to plant all of the mitigation inches (inch for inch mitigation of what is removed) back onto the "tree removal property." In order to address this, the Council approved measures that would allow alternative methods of mitigation to be applied that would be fair, allow for flexibility for the developer and builder, and meet the demands of the community's ordinance.

The PRIMARY method of mitigation is to plant back onto the property where trees were removed in order (over a period of time) to restore some of what was lost. A most crucial aspect to this process is that trees are living, they grow, and will in time establish themselves as a crucial part of the quality of life equation within the city. In order to provide for the healthy growing conditions, it's important that the architects take into account for how the trees will grow in each environment and not OVER-PLANT on the property. A balance must be met. Mostly, these trees are planted via an approved landscape plan that conforms with the LANDSCAPE provisions of Article X.

The following alternative methods provide answers to the question of how to resolve the REMAINING MITIGATION. I will go over several of the options here and go into greater detail on others in a later post.

Donate trees to the Park Department

(1) Donate the replacement tree to the city's park and recreation department. If the director of the park and recreation department does not accept the tree, the responsible party must comply with one or more of the other alternative methods of compliance listed below.

The Park Department is not always ready and able to accept trees for planting on park sites. However, it may be requested and if a maintenance provision is added, it may be a matter open to discussion when other times it is not. This is a form of mitigation by PLANTING.

Plant trees within one mile.

(2) Plant the replacement tree on other property in the city that is within one mile of the tree removal property, as long as the responsible party obtains the written approval of the building official for:

(A) A site plan indicating the location of the tree to be removed or seriously injured, the address of the property where the replacement tree will be planted, and a site plan indicating the location of the replacement tree; and

(B) A written agreement between the owner of the property where the replacement tree will be planted and the responsible party, to assume mutual responsibility for the replacement tree under this article.

Administratively, planting within one mile is a difficult process to track. However, it provides many options for a developer who seeks to add to his community and the neighbors in the vicinity. Although it is encouraged, it is under-utilized as a method of mitigation. It is a form of mitigation by PLANTING.

Make payment into the Reforestation Fund.

(3) Make a payment into a special city account, to be known as the Reforestation Fund, in accordance with Subsection (c). (This will be discussed further in the following post on Article X.)

The Reforestation Fund was established in 1994 and is the most common method of mitigation outside of planting on the tree removal property. I will go into the Fund in further detail in the following posting. The Fund can be used for the purchase of wooded land areas but is primarily used for the purchase of trees to go back into the community. Currently, a small program operates providing trees for community neighborhoods and public lands on a yearly basis.

The fourth option available to development is to grant a CONSERVATION EASEMENT to the City of Dallas. In the next post, I will go into some detail of how the conservation easement operates and how this can really provide tremendous benefits to the community. It is a tool that is under-utilized but has significant potential. The easement can be created anywhere within the boundaries of the City of Dallas so it does not have to be contiguous to the tree removal property.

NEXT: I will take the Reforestation Fund and the Conservation Easement into a more significant discussion.

ARTICLE X: Alternative Methods of Compliance - Reforestation Fund and Conservation Easements

philip.erwin@dallascityhall.com (P Erwin) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 03:16:00 +0000

Ooglak the Arborist making a new friend. (V for Vendetta blog)

In last night's turgid episode, the alternative methods of compliance (of tree mitigation) were cornered in the deep revine as the wretched beasts of Mordor stormed down upon them. As the dread horror of the knowledge of their demise crept upon them, the swift and valiant Aragorn swept in, blade swinging, dispatching the Orc horde in quick order. The great lords hailed the mighty hero ...... wait. Wrong story.

Last night, I started on the alternative methods of compliance under Section 51A-10.135 of the Dallas Development Code. Let's finish the business so I can get back to my little Middle Earth fantasy.

Under the Article X ordinance, the owner of the tree removal property is required to mitigate (replace inch for inch) the protected trees that were removed back onto the property. When they meet the criteria that will allow them to do otherwise, they can mitigate through one, or more, of the alternative methods of compliance listed in the ordinance. This includes 1) donating trees to the park and recreation department, 2) planting trees within one mile of the property, 3) pay into the Reforestation Fund, and/or 4) grant a conservation easement to the City. Let's go over the Reforestation Fund and the Conservation Easement.

Reforestation Fund
(c) (1) The director of development services shall administer the reforestation fund to purchase trees to plant on public property or to acquire conservation easements or wooded property.
(2) The amount of the payment required is calculated by using the formula for appraising the value of a tree, as derived from the most recent edition of the Guide for Establishing Values of Trees and Other Plants published by the Council of Tree and Landscape Appraisers, unless another publication is designated by the building official. If more than one tree is being removed or seriously injured or not planted, the values of the trees are added when calculating the payment required.
(3) All property purchased through this fund must be in or partly in the City of Dallas and may not extend further than five miles from the Dallas city limit.

The Fund originated in 1994 and is continually replenished with the completion of building projects or in the process of tree removal applications. Many sites apply all of their mitigation on the removal property. However, there are many other situations where there is excess mitigation than what can be reasonably planted back onto the property. The Fund may not be the most economical method available, but it would likely be the simplest for the developer to address in many circumstances. Planting trees does involve putting efforts and costs toward maintenance. Therefore, the Fund option is often selected. I won't go so far to say it's popular.

The Fund values are devised from a formula that is fairly easy to understand. An 8" caliper protected tree has a value of $1,090.00. For every inch above 8", the value raises $36.00. A 12" caliper tree would have a listed value of $1,234.00 on this basis. The monetary value of the tree stand is determined by calculating the combined values of each calculated tree value. The overall Fund value is reduced by what is planted.

_____________________________

Conservation Easement
(d) (1) The city manager is authorized to accept and approve on behalf of city a conservation easement to conserve trees and other natural features; upon:
(A) approval as to form by the city attorney; and
(B) a determination by the building official that the easement area is suitable for conservation purposes, based on:
(i) the likelihood that the proposed conservation easement area would preserve vegetation on a parcel otherwise attractive for development;
(ii) the overall health and condition of the trees on a conservation easement property;
(iii) the suitability of the area as a wildlife habitat; and
(iv) other unique features worthy of preservation, e.g. water channels, rock formations, topography, or rare herbaceous or woody plant species.

(2) The conservation easement may be structured to be monitored and managed by a nonprofit association dedicated to the conservation of land, with the city as a joint grantee having the right, but not the duty, to monitor the management of the conservation area. The joint grantee of a conservation easement may be an eligible grantee such that the grantor will have the option of receiving a property tax benefit on the assessed value of the conservation easement area.

(3) The city manager may not accept a sole or joint conservation easement on behalf of the city, unless and until the owner provides the building official with:
(A) A tree survey as set forth in Section 51A-10.132, or an estimate of the caliper and type of protected trees documented in a manner determined to be reasonably accurate by the building official; and
(B) a preservation strategy for the conservation easement area.

(4) No person may place playground equipment or park amenities in a conservation easement unless the building official has made a written determination that the amenities indicated on a site plan are unlikely to be detrimental to the conservation easement area.

(5) Conservation easement areas must be in or partly in the the City of Dallas and may not extend further than five miles from the Dallas city limit.

The conservation easement first appeared in Article X in 2003, but was a tool available under the Article VIII Platting regulations for some time prior to that. Each conservation easement will have its own preservation strategy to help determine the limitations of use for the property. The strategy and a recording of the dimensions of the property are recorded in the County record. The land is not open to development but must be protected under the dictates of the conservation easement.

When determining the effect on tree mitigation, the amount of reduction is determined from the overall amount of potential tree mitigation required. Once the level of reduction is attained for the conservation easement, the other alternative methods of mitigation are applied until full mitigation is completed. The calculations for reduction are determined under this section (10.135) as follows:

(4) Grant a conservation easement to the city in accordance with Subsection (d) and the following paragraphs:
   (A) The conservation easement area must contain protected trees with a combined caliper equal to or exceeding the caliper for which replacement tree credit is being requested.
   (B) If the conservation easement area is 25 percent or less than the area of the tree removal property, the responsible party will get credit for trees in the conservation easement area, on an inch for inch basis, up to a maximum of 50 percent of the total caliper of replacement trees required.
   (C) If the conservation easement area is more than 25 percent and less than 50 percent of the area of the tree removal property; the responsible party will get credit for trees in the conservation easement area, on an inch for inch basis, up to a maximum of 65 percent of the total caliper of replacement trees required.
   (D) If the conservation easement area is 50 percent or more of the area of the tree removal property, the responsible party will get credit for trees in the conservation easement area, on an inch for inch basis, up to a maximum of 80 percent of the total caliper of replacement trees required.
The replacement trees that cannot be planted on the tree removal property, and for which credit cannot be given through a conservation easement under this paragraph, must be replaced by other methods set forth in this subsection, such that the replacement trees equal in total caliper the total caliper of the trees removed or seriously injured.

The conservation easement, as determined by the City of Dallas, may not be the same as applied under the State of Texas and the tax applications, referenced above, may not be guaranteed. You should consult a Land Trust or an appropriate legal or finance consultant to determine the applicability of credits. Even if you do not choose to pursue a conservation easement on your tract of land in Dallas under the Article X provisions, such as a result of construction, you may still approach the State of Texas to discuss your options.

Not all land has to be developed. You do have choices. Really.

Dallas is about to get a lot 'greener'

philip.erwin@dallascityhall.com (P Erwin) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 01:20:00 +0000

Building Inspection steps up to the plate with the Green Building Ordinance because we like this place a whole lot.

The time has finally come. The green building ordinance takes effect on October 1 and the Building Inspection office is gearing up to meet it head on. Having spent years adapting itself to the green building standards with its own buildings, the City of Dallas' new ordinance for private development will now be channeled through the permit offices to residential and commercial developments across the city.

Phase 1 that begins now "includes requirements for energy efficiency, water conservation, and cool roofs for proposed projects affecting less than 50,000 square feet of floor area in a single 12 month period." Proposed projects at or over 50,000 square feet of floor area in a 12 month span must comply with Section 4304.4 of the Dallas Building Code.

The code addresses energy use where "proposed projects must use 15 percent less energy than the minimum provisions of Chapter 11 of this code or Chapter 4 of the Dallas Energy Conservation Code." Yeah, well, don't ask me.

I'm all about the water use portion of the code where "proposed projects must meet water reduction strategies that include installing high-efficiency (low-flow) fixtures or fittings" which meet certain standards for faucets, toilets, showerheads, dishwashers, clothes washers, or drip irrigation emitters for landscape purposes.

The cool roof section is .... cool. Do you recall talk from Stephen Chu, President Obama's Energy Advisor, who mentioned something about making roofs white and that would help with climate change? Well, here ya go. We're looking for reflective rooftops instead of baking ovens.

Really, you should read the full ordinance and concentrate, for now, on Phase 1. We still have two years for Phase 2 which should be well enough time to get all the kinks out of Phase 1.

If you don't like all the technical reading stuff, check out the HIGHLIGHTS. For a full run through with checklists, ordinance and other supportive information, look up GREENDALLAS.NET.

On a related note, October 1 is also bringing about some operational changes at Building Inspection that you should prepare for if you're looking for permits. Read here. Essentially, the walk-in customer service (consultation) hours are changing and will be from 2 - 4:30 p.m each day, or by appointment. However, the One Stop Permit Center will maintain its hours of 8 - 4:30.

In short, the world at Building Inspection is a'changing just a tad and it'll take some getting used to. It's not a communist plot, if that's what you were thinking.

AWESOME!

philip.erwin@dallascityhall.com (P Erwin) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 01:20:00 +0000

Entering the forests of the mighty redwood trees is said to be a spiritual undertaking. Photographer Nick Nichols and his team entered into the forest to uncover in photographs what only the mind's eye can truly perceive. You can find these photographs and the story in the October 2009 publication of the National Geographic.

"At least 1500 years old, a 300-foot titan in California's Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park has the most complex crown scientists have mapped. This photo, taken by Michael 'Nick' Nichols, is a mosaic composed of 84 images." View the related video of the expedition into the redwood forest.

And, yes, the photo is too big for this blog's frame. Kind of the point, ain't it?

Nature Makes Us More Caring

philip.erwin@dallascityhall.com (P Erwin) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 02:28:00 +0000

Zion National Park - P Erwin

A new study from the University of Rochester tells us that we need to get out of the house more often. According to this study, published October 1 in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, paying attention to the world around you not only makes you feel better, it also causes you to behave better.

Most of us tend to realize we feel better when we view beautiful natural scenes and are surrounded by Nature's graces. But did you realize that the benefits of Nature also "extend to a person's values and actions?" It seems that "exposure to natural as opposed to man-made environments leads people to value community and close relationships and to be more generous with money."

"Why should nature make us more charitable and concerned about others? One answer, says co-author Andrew Przybylski, is that nature helps to connect people to their authentic selves. For example, study participants who focused on landscapes and plants reported a greater sense of personal autonomy." Amen.

Also, "the richness and complexity of natural environments may encourage introspection and the lack of man-made structures provide a safe haven from the man-made pressures of society."

Lead author Netta Weinstein says that the findings highlight the importance of creating green spaces in cities and have implication for planners and architects." She says "incorporating parks and other representations of nature into urban environments may help build a stronger sense of community among residents." By contrast, "to the extent that our links with nature are disrupted, we may also lose some connection with each other."

The message: "We are influenced by our environment in ways that we are not aware of."

I think it's time to start taking some meetings outdoors.

Professor Richard Ryan - U. of Rochester

Climate Denial Crock of the Week: Birth of a Climate Crock

philip.erwin@dallascityhall.com (P Erwin) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 01:17:00 +0000

Peter Sinclair returns with another recent crock that has hit the air and radio waves. He shows how some rather unscrupulous types in the media take the words of a reputable scientist and skew them to try to make him appear to say something he did not say. This is the status quo for the 'fringe' right media who have taken global climate change and scientific discussion and turned it into a political misrepresentation for the sake of power and influence. The truth be damned. The world be damned.

"The observation that natural climate variability exists is not a new one.
Early in September 2009, at a gathering of experts on global climate change, one of the world's most respected and experienced climate modelers, Mojib Latif, made some observations on climate, media and human nature.

The message seemed clear.
natural variations in the long term warming might be misinterpreted,
by the media. out of ignorance, or malice.

Climate deniers were quick to take Latif's remarks, and begin
doing exactly that." - P. Sinclair

Powerpoint of presentation: http://www.wmo.int/wcc3/sessionsdb/documents/PS3_Latif.pdf
Analysis: Deep Climate
Analysis: Deep Climate - presentation
Audio of presentation: http://www.wmo.int/wcc3/rec_audios_en.html

Rethinking the front yard: The Saga of the Urban Farm

philip.erwin@dallascityhall.com (P Erwin) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 00:42:00 +0000

I just know I'm going to catch flack over this, but when you see a movement - not a trend - that really needs attention, you've just got to latch on and talk about it. No, I'm not advocating that you just willy-nilly start going out and tearing up your front yard to make a garden. Follow the laws of your community. Besides, do you really need that pool in the back? Now, where was I? Oh, yes.

The urban farm movement is spreading across the country and Dallas and other area cities are not immune. Community Gardens are taking root - so to speak - all over, and people are converting their bermuda to okra and cantelope and corn. Chickens are finding a new place in society. I say this isn't a trend due to the predictability that our economy, though we may find ourselves in mild recoveries off and on, will never recover to where we once were riding high on over-consumption and greed. People are learning, and re-learning, that when one way of life diminishes, you pick up another. What is more natural than to return to the land - especially the very land in your own yard?

This is especially about people and their neighborhoods. It's about people working together in cooperation for a common cause. It's about sustaining community and life where you live. Whether or not the local government can keep up with these changes is the challenge such bureaucracies must face and quickly. But it's not about the government. It's about the people. It's about sustainability and sustenance. Nature and human creativity is taking its course. Neighborhoods will become reinvigorated and bonded together not because someone in a city office says it should. It will happen because people need to return to that which does not change - the land. Putting something in the ground and watching it grow IS life to many. It's our real purpose to be a part of, and caretaker of, this land. In this we also remember what freedom and liberty can really mean in America. In connecting with the land and nature around us, we learn to establish in ourselves a land ethic that moves all of our future decisions. Freedom is not about the wealth of money, it's about the wealth found in creation and growing. It's about that pursuit of happiness that can be found more in a lump of clay between your fingers than a prize Mercedes.

Look back to how the city looked just 50 years ago. Many of the places where people are establishing gardens were agricultural fields then. We converted post oak savannah lands into a crop production bounty. Then we moved our homes onto that land as we started moving faster - and away from our older ways of life. We changed - not the land.

East Dallas

It's time to step outside, look at the nature around you - and me - and rediscover the bond that is always there waiting for you. Nature is always there. It's up to us to take up the plow and till the land. It is full of energy and ready to nourish us.

_______________________________

Read on to the following news report by Deena Prichep from Portland's OPB News. These people had some brilliant ideas. But before you go too far, just understand that Dallas ordinances and regulations are not those in Portland. Always verify what the current zoning ordinances are in place where you live and what they will allow - and then be patient. It takes time for people to adjust to new - excuse me - old ideas.

"Two women are running a rototiller, breaking up the dirt to plant fall crops. But this isn't a field in the country - it's a front yard in Southeast Portland.

The Sellwood Garden Club grows more than 200 varieties of crops, and sells to several local restaurants, using just a few dozen front lawns.

Co-founder Marie Richie got the idea from outer space.

Marie Richie: "The Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence inspired my garden you could say."

Now, bear with me here. Back in the late 90s, scientists were sorting through telescope data, looking for a message from another planet. But they had more data than their computers could handle.

So ordinary people volunteered to let their computers crunch the numbers at home.

Sadly, researchers didn't find an alien signal. But they did show how this system, called a distributed network, could work.

So Richie thought if unused computers could cycle through data, why can't unused yards grow vegetables? The club uses a distributed network of yards to put a new urban spin on a very old idea.

Marie Richie: "We call it sharecropping, but it's a modern take on it. It's sharing. I mean, the key word in there is share."

Members of the Sellwood Garden Club offer up their lawns and foot the water bill. In exchange, they get a delivery of produce every week.

Farms like this are changing the definition of urban agriculture.

Steve Cohen coordinates food policy programs at Portland's Bureau of Planning and Sustainability. He says having urban planners think about food at all is a fairly recent development.

Steve Cohen: "They thought about transportation, they thought about open space, they thought about housing. But food, which is a very basic requirement for all of us, it was never really on the radar."

Now that's changed. Cohen's agency has started teaching sold-out classes on beekeeping, food preservation, and chickens.

Cities all over are looking at their planning codes, to make sure there's a place for agriculture in urban life. Some existing regulations will stay in place - nobody wants to hear roosters crowing or tractors revving up at six a.m. - but codes are changing to recognize front-yard farming.

In another Portland yard, a dozen volunteers are learning about the urban bounty firsthand. They're here for a harvest party with the Portland Fruit Tree Project, and they're picking apples.

Katy Kolker: "Oh, this one's perfect."

Fruit tree owners with more plums, pears and persimmons than they can handle register their trees for a harvest with the Fruit Tree Project.

When the picking is done, half of the fruit goes to a food bank. The other half gets divided among the volunteers.

This year, the Project is on track to harvest an estimated 10,000 pounds of fruit from yards. Katy Kolker founded the group two years ago.

Katy Kolker: "We're kind of hitting on a need in the community, both from tree owners who aren't able to harvest their fruit, and see that fallen fruit is a nuisance as well as just a shame, and hundreds and hundreds of people who want to come out and help harvest with us."

When the group started, Kolker only knew of a few similar organizations. There was Lettuce Link in Seattle, and the Fruit Tree Project in Vancouver, BC. Kolker doesn't think the geography's a coincidence: much of the Pacific Northwest was built on orchards.

Katy Kolker: "The land that we're on is actually farmland - there's just a lot more houses on it."

Kolker has seen a greater need for the project during the current recession. But like Steve Cohen at the Food Policy Council, she hopes efforts like these lay the groundwork for future harvests, even when the economy improves.

Urban farmers see agriculture in the city not just as a money-saver, but as a way to connect people to their food and their neighbors. And, as Kolker puts it.

Katy Kolker: "The fun of just being out and harvesting fruit." (sounds of apple biting, chewing)

Katy Kolker: "That's a good apple.""

Sellwood Garden Club

Portland Fruit Tree Project

The City (1939)

philip.erwin@dallascityhall.com (P Erwin) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 01:37:00 +0000

In 1939, the Regional Planning Association of America released a documentary that was a 'plea for community planning.' The film contrasted the human living conditions of people in an industrialized metropolis to that of the serene life of an 18th-century New England town. But it also described the concept of the planned model community of a 'green city' of the suburbs.

This film is very descriptive, if not simplistic, in addressing how we transitioned from an idealistic agrarian society to industrialization, and finally to providing us a more 'satisfactory' lifestyle in planned suburban communities. I present this to you as a perspective of America from the past. It is most interesting in that such a socialist oasis of happy American living as presented in Part 2 is where America directed itself in the great vision for prosperity after World War II, in a capitalistic expanse of urban sprawl, as soldiers returned home to re-build lives spreading out away from the central city.

Perhaps, here too, this vision has not changed and we still pursue 'order and life together.' The central city wants you to return and end urban sprawl. Perhaps, between urbanism and a rural oasis, there is a balance that we can find in our day to day existence through neighborhood cooperation. Take a look at the idea of conservation subdivisions. It begins with the land. It just takes vision.

Enjoy the dramatic orchestration by Aaron Copland.

Part 1

Part 2

Invasive Big A - - Snakes!

philip.erwin@dallascityhall.com (P Erwin) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 02:07:00 +0000

A Burmese python and an Alligator encounter in South Florida - USGS (Lori Oberhofer). The python is in the bite of the gator. USGS News Release.

Invasive species have been critical factors to the survival and competition of native North American animal species since the introduction of - well, man, to put it bluntly. Certainly, the capacity of some species to flourish changes when a more aggressive and dominating animal or plant enters into the picture. One small introduction is of little consequence. But when that species can flourish above its competitors, it changes the game and the passenger pigeon is obliterated from the face of the earth. Technology helps too, I guess.

And so, we don't like other invasives either, but we manage to find ways to get them into places where they're not wanted. There are plants (aquatic and land), insects, trees, snails, fish, frogs, etc. etc. etc. The zebra mussel which can cause significant damage en masse has now been identified in Texas waterways. Often, exotic species of plants or animals are introduced to eradicate other problems but end up creating worst effects in different places. Kudzu is a rather famous invasive pain in the butt vine that was brought from Asia for forage and was encouraged for use by the government to minimize soil erosion. We learn slowly.

Now, the new friendly intruder is the Burmese python, and four other giant species, which have found a nice new niche in South Florida, but there is no reason to suspect they'll stop there. The U.S. Geological Survey has completed a report that shows the risk of the giant invasive snakes (not just pythons) in the U.S. It's been recognized their potential range could expand to one-third of the continental U.S., including Dallas. It's bad enough we have to tolerate Rick 'Snake Handler' Perry, but this! I've been trying to get used to rattlers and copperheads. I can't wait when we'll have team mascots named after Burmese pythons or yellow anacondas.

Areas of the continental United States with current climate matching that of the pythons' native range in Asia. - Science Daily - 2/24/08

You can learn more about all of Texas' invasive species of all types (except Rick) through various websites.

Texas Parks and Wildlife: Land and Water - includes many other great information resources.
Texas Invasives - a product of a partnership to manage non-native invasive plants. It is a resource for information and not a regulatory tool.
USDA National Invasive Species Information Center: Texas - a Texas-centric page of the site.
Common Texas Invasive Plants (AgriLIFE Extension)

Read more on this report from SciGuy (Eric Berger at the Houston Chronicle) from October 13.

C.R.O.C.

philip.erwin@dallascityhall.com (P Erwin) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 03:12:00 +0000

Carbon Regulatory Offset Committee

Earned Devastation Calculator

'C.R.O.C. was created to promote the benefits of carbon offsets to folks like you. Just like a pollution-belching corporation, you too are now able to wreak environmental destruction when you earn a sufficient amount of carbon offset points. If you do something good for the environment, it just makes sense you get to do something bad to it. Or vice versa. Keep the logic circular, is what we say. Spin baby, spin!'

Really, I couldn't pass this up.

It's from our friends at Greenpeace. It's always funny when a lefty environmental group takes up right wing moronic comedy to make a point. Throwing rabbits in the incinerator? That's sure-fire Rush material.

Here's a discussion on this site from Treehugger who enjoyed the comedy of it all. Check out the CROC site and then to get yourself all confused, go here. Again, I'm all about moderation and I like to give multiple points of view.

Dallas Trees' E-News of the Day, October 21

philip.erwin@dallascityhall.com (P Erwin) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 01:15:00 +0000

Guess who? Yes, it has been a long while since I've made a 'Environment News' segment for this blog, but I thought you might find some interest in some recent intriguing scientific research that has come about lately. Don't expect for me to come back daily with new clips, but I will be making an occasional new entry for your reading pleasure.

BBC EARTH NEWS
Cosmic Pattern To UK Tree Growth

"The trees had been planted in 1953 and felled in 2006.

The researchers froze the trunk slices, to prevent the wood shrinking, then scanned them on to a computer and used software to count the number and width of the growth rings.

As the trees aged, they showed a usual decline in growth.

However, during a number of years, the trees' growth also particularly slowed. These years correlated with periods when a relatively low level of cosmic rays reached the Earth's surface.

When the intensity of cosmic rays reaching the Earth's surface was higher, the rate of tree growth was faster.The effect is not large, but it is statistically significant.The intensity of cosmic rays also correlates better with the changes in tree growth than any other climatological factor, such as varying levels of temperature or precipitation over the years."

Eagles Filmed Hunting Reindeer

"One eagle was filmed swooping down and grabbing a calf, while another pulled out of an attack at the last minute.

A BBC natural history film crew gathered the extraordinary footage along a reindeer migration route in northern Finland.

It finally proves this eagle species does occasionally hunt reindeer, something suggested by forensic evidence and the local Sami people.

The crew filmed the behaviour while capturing footage of the reindeer migration for the BBC natural history series Life, though the images were shot at too far a distance to be included in the final cut of the high definition programme."

Weather 'shapes human body clock'

"Our internal body clocks are shaped by the weather as well as by the seasons, scientists have discovered.

Researchers used computers to model the workings of internal biological clocks.

They found the mechanism had to be so complicated because it was able to deal with varying amounts of light from hour to hour, as well as changing seasons.

It is hoped the research, led by a team from Edinburgh University, could help tackle sleep problems caused by jet lag and shift working.

The researchers said the findings gave them a greater understanding of what drives the internal rhythms of people, animals and plants.

Environmental signals, such as hours of daylight, affect the daily rhythms which many plants use to control flowering and ripening.

The findings may also help scientists develop crops that can cope with climate change."

SCIENCE DAILY
Arctic Lake Sediments Show Warming, Unique Ecological Changes In Recent Decades
"While environmental changes at the lake over the past millennia have been shown to be tightly linked with natural causes of climate change -- like periodic, well-understood wobbles in Earth's orbit -- changes seen in the sediment cores since about 1950 indicate expected climate cooling is being overridden by human activity like greenhouse gas emissions. The research team reconstructed past climate and environmental changes at the lake on Baffin Island using indicators that included algae, fossil insects and geochemistry preserved in sediment cores that extend back 200,000 years."

Climate Change Threatens Rice Production

"Rice Today’s October-December 2009 edition focuses on climate change and its potential impact on rice. It reveals that it is difficult to prove climate change is responsible for current weather events.

However, by using advanced modeling techniques, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) has mapped rice-growing regions in the Philippines that are most likely to experience the negative effects of climate change, showing the extent to which climate change threatens rice production."

ENERGY BULLETIN
The Oceans Are Coming

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
Leaves "Magnetized" By Air Pollution, Study Finds

"Tree leaves are "magnetized" by air pollution, and the phenomenon may offer a new and inexpensive technique for quickly identifying air-pollution hot spots, scientists say.

The technique, they add, could help city officials plan healthier bike paths, walkways, and running paths.

Vehicle exhaust and other sources of air pollution spew out metallic fragments that then adhere to nearby tree leaves, said study leader Bernie Housen, a geophysicist at Western Washington University in Bellingham,Washington.

Conventional tests for measuring the amounts of these tiny particles are often expensive and time-consuming, Housen said.

"But they are very easily detected using magnetic techniques," he said.

Even "a strong magnet wouldn't [attract] the leaf, but it definitely gives you a detectable signal."

The 10 Principles of Development Excellence

philip.erwin@dallascityhall.com (P Erwin) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:11:00 +0000

Working through the North Central Texas Council of Governments, regional leaders adopted a group of principles with which to encourage and direct future development in the Dallas-Fort Worth region. These principles are the backbone of the work of this Council as it works through Vision North Texas and other strategic programs.

These principles are also the foundation of sustainability. It is a promotion of conservation of our remaining resources and the establishment of community-focused growth where people are the center of our society, not our roadways, and not our government. Efficiency is a common anchor with each of these principles.

With the regional growth expected to expand dramatically in coming decades, it is imperative that we not only adopt these principles in action, but also in mind. As our resources become depleted in the decades to come, how we react today will have a significant say in how our children will adapt to more difficult social, energy and climatic challenges in the future. Each region, each city, and each neighborhood, have these same challenges. It's time to take action to move our society forward on a strong foundation of sound principles. In the coming weeks, as the world seeks to find ways to take action to conserve, and reduce our negative impact on this planet, we can do our part as individuals and as communities by following these simple and logical principles of sustainable growth.

"The Center of Development Excellence recommends 10 Principles of Development Excellence as a guide to cities, counties, school districts, other public agencies, and the private sector as they plan and create future development and redevelopment in the region:

Development Options
Provide a variety and balance of development options and land use types in communities throughout the region

Efficient Growth
Foster redevelopment and infill of areas with existing infrastructure and promote the orderly and efficient provision of new infrastructure

Pedestrian Design
Create more neighborhoods with pedestrian-oriented features, streetscapes, and public spaces

Housing Choice
Sustain and facilitate a range of housing opportunities and choices for residents of multiple age groups and economic levels

Activity Centers
Create mixed use and transit-oriented developments that serve as centers of neighborhood and community activity

Environmental Stewardship
Protect sensitive environmental areas, preserve natural stream corridors, and create developments that minimize impact on natural features

Quality Places
Strengthen community identity through use of compatible, quality architectural and landscape designs and preservation of significant historic structures

Transportation Efficiency
Develop land uses, building sites, and transportation infrastructure that enhance the efficient movement of people, goods, and services

Resource Efficiency
Provide functional, adaptable, and sustainable building and site designs that use water, energy, and material resources effectively and efficiently

Implementation
Adopt comprehensive plans and ordinances that support Development Excellence and involve citizens and stakeholders in all aspects of the planning process."

- Center of Development Excellence, NCTCOG

DEMOCRACY .... as told in the classroom in 1945

philip.erwin@dallascityhall.com (P Erwin) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 13:15:00 +0000

In 1945, the United States was beginning to lick its wounds from a long, hard fought global war. The red scare was just beginning to show its face as the Soviet Union was showing to be a threat to the democratic institutions world wide. It was time to teach our children how to find 'evil-doers' in America who would subvert our local communities and begin to turn them toward despotism, a form of government ruled by a single group. If the threat could be stopped at the community level, it could not spread regionally, or nationally.

One method of education was through films like "Democracy" and "Despotism" that gave a description of the basic principles, qualities and conditions that are found in democratic versus despotic societies. In "Democracy", we learn that SHARED RESPECT and SHARED POWER among individuals are the common traits of democracy and they are dependent on the traits of ECONOMIC BALANCE (with a strong and vibrant Middle Class) and an ENLIGHTENED and ACTIVE CITIZENRY.

I'm presenting this to you as an opportunity to look back to the basics of civic learning, to enjoy a little propaganda, and for you to reflect on where you think you are today, not only in America, but also in your local community. Are we really following the right path for the future of our democracy and our republic? What is your definition of democracy? Is it shared power and respect with those across the aisle, or is it power by a few who think to know better, and with no compromise, and with no respect for others who differ?

It begins...."Democracy has been defined in many ways...."

Encyclopaedia Brittanica Films - Internet Archives

There is shared power where people get out voluntarily and vote. Interesting concept really that the success of your democracy is inherent in how YOU take an active part in it. If you leave it to the will of a few elite people to make decisions, the scale declines from democracy to despotism. We'll go more into that in Part II which is on 'Despotism.'

Democracy is something that is never finished. Reflect on the world around you after watching this film and ask yourself if our democracy is as strong as it should be, and then, what can you do to improve it? Damn, if these films aren't good for something.

DESPOTISM - The Wrath of the Lolligaggers

philip.erwin@dallascityhall.com (P Erwin) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 01:19:00 +0000

In the previous posting, I introduced the first of two films on the subjects of Democracy and Despotism. What does that have to do with trees? Not a thing. But when you find a little gem like these, you just need to share.

In the film "Despotism", we expand on the discussion from where "Democracy" left off. It sets the rankings of local communities on scales that range from a high point of a democracy to a low point of despotism. Some places may be in the middle. A "competent observer" will look beyond "fine words and noble phrases" and see the underlying philosophy. I think the film has a bit of a liberal slant to it since I came out of this thinking Rush Limbaugh was Hitler. Maybe I'm just biased. Take it or leave it, but the film is worth the chill you get when you see the old teacher looking at her pupil with contempt. Jimminy!

The producers talk about some scales that can be used to help you identify just how despotic your community is. You can use the RESPECT SCALE and the POWER SCALE. RESPECT ranges from SHARED to RESTRICTED. You can also use the SHARED POWER or the CONCENTRATED POWER scale. Despotic power can disregard the will of the people. It rules without the consent of the governed.

In a despotism, opposition can be dangerous - whether or not it's official or unofficial. Just ask a forensic committee member.

The spread of respect and power in a community is influenced by certain conditions which can be measured by the ECONOMIC DISTRIBUTION and INFORMATION scales. A slanted economic distribution is a sure sign of a looming despotism - and McMansions. Well, some might argue against that point.

Controlled versus Uncontrolled scales of INFORMATION is rated by how the media operates and how it trains its teachers.

Whatever your slant on this, it's a good civic and history lesson of where we were after World War II in preaching against the dangers of falling into tyranny and warning against the red menace.

What sort of community, state, or nation do YOU live in? Personally, I've got the impression that we're not so naive about what is fair in this country since this film was made. We've been losing a 'middle class' since before Reagan and a slanted economic distribution is now the American way. 'Fair and balanced' news now means slanted to one extreme ideology or the other. I think we need to expand the definitions a little.

Dallas Trees' E-News of the Day, October 28

philip.erwin@dallascityhall.com (P Erwin) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:48:00 +0000

These days it seems to get tougher to put together any blog posts for your reading enjoyment - or amusement - or boredom - whichever it is. Anyway, I still find some occasional science information that I think you would find of interest. I'll take the opportunity in between arboristing and sleeping to send you these little footnotes of life.

EUREKALERT

Trees Facilitate Wildfires As A Way to Protect Their Habitat.

Savanna Pines (Pinus elliottii var. densa) - Florida - may help facilitate fires to ward off other trees from displacing the pines and shifting the savanna to a closed forest system.

"The promotion of fire by the savanna trees increases their own abundance by limiting the establishment and growth of tree species that are better competitors for resources and that might ultimately displace the savanna trees. The research results suggest that some trees may modify or "engineer" their environment, including the characteristic fire frequencies in a landscape, to facilitate their own persistence at the expense of their competitors, Beckage said.

The research proposes a scenario for the development of savannas in landscapes that would otherwise become closed forests. Examples of savanna trees that facilitate frequent low-intensity fires include the longleaf pine and the south Florida slash pine, both of which frequently shed their needles providing fodder for wildfires. The savanna tree initially invades grassland, but by facilitating frequent fires, it limits its own density and thus prevents conversion to a forest."

Frankly, this is not surprising to find this in studies. The natural savannah environment would have regular fire incidents except that we have continually disrupted the ancient process. It is due to these disturbances that our open prairie and savannah ecosystems - including our own post oak savannah ecosystem - has continued to decline and be taken over by agriculture or forest lands derived from abandonment and a lack of management of the land. This is where forest management is crucial to maintaining or restoring natural systems to help sustain the current wildlife populations and help continue the survival of related tree species in certain regions. We continue to learn more about how nature works in feedback processes which also happen to be some of the dangers of global warming.

___________________________

SCIENCE DAILY

EPA's New Green Parking Lot Allows Scientists To Study Permeable Surfaces That May Help The Environment.

"Paved parking lots and driveways make our lives easier, but they often create an easy pathway for pollutants to reach underground water sources and alter the natural flow of water back into the ground. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced a study that will investigate ways to reduce pollution that can run off paved surfaces and improve how water filters back into the ground. EPA is testing a variety of different permeable pavement materials and rain gardens in the parking lot at the agency's Edison, N.J. facility, which houses offices and its laboratory. Most major sources of pollution going into our waterways are well-controlled, but pollution runoff from hard surfaces remains a complicated problem.

This summer, EPA replaced a 43,000-square-foot section of the parking lot at its Edison facility with three different types of permeable pavement and planted several rain gardens with varying vegetation for the study. Over the next decade, EPA will evaluate the effectiveness of each pavement type and the rain gardens in removing pollutants from stormwater, and how they help water filter back into the ground. The parking lot will be functional during the study to accurately evaluate how the different types of pavement handle traffic and vehicle-related pollution like leaking oil."

_____________________________

If you saw the neat picture I posted with the big redwood recently, you know I like looking at the natural elements at their biggest that kick your butt when you try to take it all in. Well, heck. Here ya go. Sure, the picture looks small on this blog. But jump on in and take a swim in the Milky Way with thanks to Alex Mellinger. I hope you have a big freakin' computer screen!

Axel Mellinger, A Color All-Sky Panorama Image of the Milky Way, arXiv:0908.4360 [astro-ph.GA] (PASP, accepted for publication, 2009)

Forget THIS picture. Go HERE!!

"Cobbling together 3000 individual photographs, a physicist has made a new high-resolution panoramic image of the full night sky, with the Milky Way galaxy as its centerpiece. Axel Mellinger, a professor at Central Michigan University, describes the process of making the panorama in the November issue of Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. An interactive version of the picture can viewed on Mellinger's website: http://home.arcor.de/axel.mellinger/.
"This panorama image shows stars 1000 times fainter than the human eye can see, as well as hundreds of galaxies, star clusters and nebulae," Mellinger said. Its high resolution makes the panorama useful for both educational and scientific purposes, he says.
Mellinger spent 22 months and traveled over 26,000 miles to take digital photographs at dark sky locations in South Africa, Texas and Michigan. After the photographs were taken, "the real work started," Mellinger said." - EUREKALERT!

Climate Denial Crock of the Week: 2009 Sea Ice Update

philip.erwin@dallascityhall.com (P Erwin) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:51:00 +0000

Peter Sinclair returns once again in his 'Crock of the Week' series with an update on the condition of the 2009 polar sea ice. The 2009 ice melt season has just ended in the northern hemisphere and observations confirm that there is a continuing decline in the cover and mass of the Arctic sea ice.

"The last three melt seasons represent the three lowest summer ice areas in the satellite record. Satellite measurements of total summer ice surface have been on a downward slope for three decades." The ice levels had reached a dramatic drop in 2007 and the past two years has shown a modest rebound from that record 2007 level. As predictable, the skeptics came out en masse to provide "misleading headlines, incorrect interpretations, and bonehead conspiracy theories."

Although there has been some recovery of ice cover from the 2007 level, the level of ice MASS has continued to decline where second and third year ice has declined extensively. Also, of course, we need to keep in consideration long-term cycles and continuing trends. The Arctic sea ice is one of the primary indicators of the continuing global climate change that is occurring to our good home.

National Snow and Ice Data Center

1979 - 2009 September ice extent now at 11.2% per decade.

Quick Facts on Arctic Sea Ice

EPA Is Requesting Comments For Stormwater Rule

philip.erwin@dallascityhall.com (P Erwin) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:06:00 +0000

As the Dallas City Council prepares to look in December at possibly taking steps to venture into iSWM (integrated Stormwater Management) in a three phase process, the EPA announced onThursday that it is proposing a survey to help strengthen stormwater regulations and reduce stormwater discharges from 'newly developed and redeveloped sites.' They would look to take final action no later than November 2012. Somebody SAID this would be coming and sure enough....

The EPA is proposing to require three separate questionaires focusing on gathering data on current stormwater management practices. The data would be gathered from 1) the owners, operators, developers, and contractors of newly and redeveloped sites, 2) the owners and operators of municipal separate storm sewer systems, and 3) states and territories. The draft survey will require detailed information about stormwater management and control practices, local regulations, and baseline financial information.

The EPA is not requesting completion of the questionaires at this time, but the proposal will be open for public comment for 60 days following publication in the Federal Register.

For more information:

iSWM (Freese and Nichols) site with documentation of the city's proposal for amending the current drainage manual.

"EPA is proposing to disseminate a survey to owners, operators, developers, and contractors of developed sites, owners and operators of municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s), and states and U.S. territories, which is designed to inform a rulemaking to strengthen stormwater regulations and to establish a comprehensive program to reduce stormwater from newly developed and redeveloped sites. Stormwater discharges from developed sites can harm water quality through increases in stormwater volume and pollutant loadings into nearby waterways. Generally, as sites are developed there is an increase in areas where water cannot infiltrate, so stormwater volume increases. The resulting stormwater flows across roads, rooftops, and other surfaces, transporting pollutants that are then discharged into waterways."

Green Is Cool!

philip.erwin@dallascityhall.com (P Erwin) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:41:00 +0000

A new study was released Tuesday on how land use changes have distinct effects on surface temperatures. The study provides more detailed proof of the heat island effect and how land use changes from forest to urban development increases the heat island impact while, interestingly, changing the land use from forest to agriculture actually makes it cooler. This is probably due to 'increased evaporation.'

There are long range planning impacts on urban growth to these issues. Current high tech studies on the heat island effect, and on detailed information on the forest composition in Dallas, as well as the production of the Roadmap for Tree Planting, are intended to, in part, address these concerns. We will hear more about these research projects and programs in the coming weeks and months ahead. It's an exciting time to be an arborist in Dallas.

This map shows observation minus reanalysis (OMR) trends in the continental United States from 1979-2003. The trends are associated with land use and land-use changes. Researchers from Purdue and the universities of Colorado and Maryland conducted a study that showed land use can affect surface temperatures locally and regionally. Units are in degrees Celsius per decade.

From EurekAlert!, this report:

"Researchers say regional surface temperatures can be affected by land use, suggesting that local and regional strategies, such as creating green spaces and buffer zones in and around urban areas, could be a tool in addressing climate change.

A study by researchers from Purdue University and the universities of Colorado and Maryland concluded that greener land cover contributes to cooler temperatures, and almost any other change leads to warmer temperatures. The study, published on line and set to appear in the Royal Meteorological Society's International Journal of Climatology later this year, is further evidence that land use should be better incorporated into computer models projecting future climate conditions, said Purdue doctoral student Souleymane Fall, the article's lead author.

"What we highlight here is that a significant trend, particularly the warming trend in terms of temperatures, can also be partially explained by land-use change," said Dev Niyogi, a Purdue earth and atmospheric sciences and agronomy professor, and the Indiana state climatologist. He is the study's corresponding author.

Niyogi and Fall say the idea that land use helps drive climate change has been poorly understood compared to factors such as greenhouse gas emissions. But that is changing.

"People realize that land use cover also is an important force and not only at the local but also at the regional scale," said Fall, whose doctoral research focuses on the impacts of land surface properties on near-surface temperature trends.

The researchers used higher resolution temperature data than previous studies, meaning the data was more detailed, Niyogi said. They also employed dynamic data on land-use changes from 1992-2001, which was derived from satellite imagery.

Niyogi said having an understanding of land use's affects on climate change could have climatic and other benefits. For instance, creating green spaces and buffer zones in and around urban areas also could be aesthetically attractive, he said.

Among the study's findings:

In general, the greener the land cover, the cooler is surface temperature.
Conversion to agriculture results in cooling, while conversion from agriculture generally results in warming.
Deforestation generally results in warming, with the exception of a shift from forest to agriculture.
No clear picture emerged from the impact of planting or seeding new forests.
Urbanization and conversion to bare soils have the largest warming impacts.

In general, land use conversion often results in more warming than cooling.

There is more on this from Treehugger.

Dallas Trees' E-News of the Day, November 6

philip.erwin@dallascityhall.com (P Erwin) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:06:00 +0000

It's time to share a few tidbits of news that has filtered through research releases over the past week. If you don't pay much attention to science news in your day, you might consider coming back here periodically where I'll share some of the fascinating (and sca-a-a-a-ry) stories coming through the newswires. Some of these may seem like small-fry stories, but they may have serious long range implications.

SCIENCE DAILY
Water-conserving Irrigation Strategies Minimize Overwatering, Runoff

"Conserving water and reducing the environmental impact of runoff are two of the most important issues confronting container nursery operations. Current regulations and laws in five states limit water consumption by container nurseries, and some states also limit nutrient concentrations in runoff. Excessive runoff from container plants often results from poor irrigation efficiency; in some cases as little as 13% to 26% of overhead irrigation is retained in the container."

Big Air Pollution Impacts On Local Communities: Traffic Corridors Major Contributors To Illness From Childhood Asthma
"Heavy traffic corridors in the cities of Long Beach and Riverside are responsible for a significant proportion of preventable childhood asthma, and the true impact of air pollution and ship emissions on the disease has likely been underestimated, according to researchers at the University of Southern California (USC).

"The impact of roadway proximity on the overall burden of asthma-related illness is remarkable," McConnell says. "Air pollution is a more important contributor to the burden of childhood asthma than is generally recognized, especially to more severe episodes requiring visits to a clinic or emergency room."

Unlike regional air pollutants, the local traffic-related pollutants around homes and their effects are not currently regulated, he notes.

"This is a challenge to communities, to regulatory agencies and to public health," McConnell says. "Traffic-related health effects should have a central role on the transportation planning agenda."

Common Plants Can Eliminate Indoor Air Pollutants
"A long list of volatile organic compounds, or VOCs [including benzene, xylene, hexane, heptane, octane, decane, trichloroethylene (TCE), and methylene chloride], have been shown to cause illnesses in people who are exposed to the compounds in indoor spaces. Acute illnesses like asthma and nausea and chronic diseases including cancer, neurologic, reproductive, developmental, and respiratory disorders are all linked to exposure to VOCs. Harmful indoor pollutants represent a serious health problem that is responsible for more than 1.6 million deaths each year, according to a 2002 World Health Organization report.

Of the 28 species tested, Hemigraphis alternata (purple waffle plant), Hedera helix (English ivy), Hoya carnosa (variegated wax plant), and Asparagus densiflorus (Asparagus fern) had the highest removal rates for all of the VOCs introduced. Tradescantia pallida (Purple heart plant) was rated superior for its ability to remove four of the VOCs.

Left to right: The purple waffle plant, the Asparagus fern, and (bottom) English ivy

The study concluded that simply introducing common ornamental plants into indoor spaces has the potential to significantly improve the quality of indoor air. In addition to the obvious health benefits for consumers, the increased use of indoor plants in both ''green'' and traditional buildings could have a tremendous positive impact on the ornamental plant industry by increasing customer demand and sales."

Earthquakes Actually Aftershocks of 19th Century Quakes; Repercussions of 1811 and 1812 New Madrid Quakes Continue To Be Felt
"When small earthquakes shake the central U.S., citizens often fear the rumbles are signs a big earthquake is coming. Fortunately, new research instead shows that most of these earthquakes are aftershocks of big earthquakes (magnitude 7) in the New Madrid seismic zone that struck the Midwest almost 200 years ago."

North Atlantic Fish Populations Shifting As Ocean Temperatures Warm

"About half of 36 fish stocks in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, many of them commercially valuable species, have been shifting northward over the last four decades, with some stocks nearly disappearing from U.S. waters as they move farther offshore, according to a new study by NOAA researchers."

TREEHUGGER

36% of World's Flora and Fauna Now Threatened With Extinction

"The latest update to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is in and if you were expecting good news prepared to be disappointed. Of the more than 47,000 species surveyed, about 17,000 are at serious risk -- of those 21% of the world's mammal species, 12% of birds, 28% of reptiles, 30% of amphibians, 35% of invertebrates, 37% of freshwater fish and 70% of plants."

BBC EARTH

Logging 'causes Nazca collapse'

"The ancient Nazca people of Peru are famous for the lines they drew in the desert depicting strange animal forms.

A further mystery is what happened to this once great civilisation, which suddenly vanished 1,500 years ago.

Now a team of archaeologists have found the demise of the Nazca society was linked in part to the fate of a tree.

Analysing plant remains they reveal how the destruction of forests containing the huarango tree crossed a tipping point, causing ecological collapse.

The team have published their findings in the journal of Latin American Antiquity."

Hunt Oil Is Trying To Hunt Oil In A Peruvian Communal Reserve? Honestly?

philip.erwin@dallascityhall.com (P Erwin) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 03:10:00 +0000

Willy Corisepa, a Harakmbut Indigenous leader. Photo: Fenamad

The fellow blogger at Peruanista is reporting that there is the potential for new violence in the Peruvian Amazon between Indigenous peoples and Peruvian authorities.

You may remember back in June (and reported here) there were multiple clashes between the local Indigenous tribes and Peruvian police forces where scores of people were killed and more injured in conflicts over the opening of land areas the central government is offering up to international companies to explore and exploit for their resources - and to make a nice buck in the process. Peruanista was there blogging the news to the world the Peru media could not or would not do themselves.

Today, he follows with new reports from people on the ground in Peru where they are warning of possible clashes between police and the locals who are trying to keep wandering capitalists at bay. Of course, you have to take any news you get with a grain of salt, but the truth is buried in there somewhere among the dead challengers to the central authorities who politic and bargain the lands away from the people and allow outsiders to poison the waters and the land of the tribal home territories.

Some local 'tea baggers' might appreciate the dedication of people trying to protect their homes from the high central government of Peru. Yeah, I said that with a straight face.

ParksWatch

Now, Dallas based Hunt Oil is in the mix in the concession Lot 76 which holds the Amarakaeri Communal Reserve and lands of the Yine, Matsigenka, and Harakmbut Indigenous communities. It sounds like the locals don't like the visitors and Peru's police forces are being called out to defend Hunt Oil's presence in the territory. Peaceful attempts to persuade the 'legal' intrusion into these territories have failed and there is now a fear that violence may once again erupt. The search for new sources of fossil energy and other resources is not a clean or pleasant job, especially when the locals want to live where you decided to stake your interest.

Report from Peruanista:
"Peruvian government police and military forces are ready to attack Indigenous peoples in Peru in the town of Salvacion, located in the Amazon forest region of Madre de Dios in southern Peru, next to the borders with Brazil and Bolivia.

For the past weeks, independent media around the world have been warning of a possible violent clash, and here I'm posting information sent by reliable sources from the conflict area.

Peruvian police is protecting the interests of U.S. corporation Hunt Oil and Spain's Repsol-YPF, who are trying to explore / extract oil and natural gas in the state-created Lot 76 concession which includes the Amarakaeri Communal Reserve, and other lands of the Yine, Matsigenka or Amarakaeri and Harakmbut Indigenous communities.

For many, this could mean another Bagua massacre. Early on this week, I received this tip from a reader of this blog, but I had to confirm this information before posting it:

First I want to thank you on your great reporting of the massacre in Bagua. I cannot believe how many false/slanted reports were published [in Peru].

Sadly, I believe a similar situation will be happening very soon. This spring I worked [...] with Indigenous groups who wanted to draw attention to the escalating conflict between their community and the Texas [based] Hunt Oil Company who plans to extract billions of dollars of oil out of the Amakaeri Communal Reserve.

In a nutshell, Hunt Oil was given a concession for this land by the Peruvian government in a very hasty legal process which has alienated the local people from consultation. Furthermore, the project is being implemented on a massive communal nature reserve, the Amakaeri reserve, where uncontacted peoples are said to reside.

As of last Monday, the Harakmbut nation organized a massive protest against Hunt Oil and asked them to engage in a dialogue. This, however, left nothing resolved and the Hunt Oil project is going ahead as planned. Now the Harakmbut nation and their supporters feel they have exhausted all means of peaceful negotiations and have resolved to seek out violent means of resistance. This is very concerning. [...]

Below is an email sent out by one of our main contacts, [...] who was present for last week's meeting [in Peru]. Here she explains the position of the Harakmbut nation.

Dear friends, among the most important news is the following:

The meeting did take place in Salvación, but no ministers nor other requested authorities came, but only the same negotiators as usual. About a hundred people more, both natives and colonists, joined too. The three foreigners present were identified and intimidated by the district`s prosecutor and police officials who showed an aggressive attitude, besides there were heavily armed as if they were ready for a "second Bagua". No agreement was signed and Hunt Oil announced that it will continue its work. We also found out that:

a) The seismic lines have already been finished almost entirely without the communities knowing about it.

b) There are 1100 workers inside the Reserve.

c) There is a report of footprints of uncontacted Indigenous people made by an Indigenous worker from Shintuya.

After the meeting everybody opted for withdrawal from the place, the police followed us and settled down next to the "native camp", which made us "flee" to the Alto Madre de Dios river bank in order to travel downriver to Puerto Maldonado the next morning. The conclusion of the leaders is that at this point all possible peaceful means to stop the company`s activities and get the workers out of the Reserve "really" have been exhausted. Now they are thinking of violent measures as the last resource.

Hunt Oil Company has a reputation of environment destruction and a corrupted history. Only last month, Hunt Oil was fined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for violating federal regulations outlined under the Clean Water Act, found at its oil production facility of Henderson County, Texas.

Hunt Oil has several oil projects around the world and strong ties to the U.S. Republican party, and to the Bush family. Hunt Oil obtained the lease for the Camisea gas project in Peru, after then U.S. president George W. Bush visited Lima and he met with then Peruvian president Alejandro Toledo, a naturalized U.S. citizen.

If Hunt Oil can't protect the environment within the U.S. one has to wonder what they will do in Peru, where a weak and corrupt government doesn't have the political willingness nor the resources to enforce environmental protection rules.

Meanwhile, manipulated press in Peru is widely ignoring the Indigenous protests inSalvacion, the same way they ignored the peaceful road blockades in Bagua, before the massacre of June 5, 2009 where hundreds of Indigenous people died, including Indigenous police officers.

In order to distract the attention from the Indigenous uprising and to lobby in favor of Hunt Oil, president Alan Garcia has announced yesterday that more natural gas have been found in the Camisea region. Unpopular president Garcia tells Peruvians that this discovery represents a benefit for Peru and its citizens, but the experience lived by Native communities around Camisea, show that the extraction of natural gas for exportation only brings them pollution, death, and destruction of their ways of life.

As an attempt to avoid violence and stop the oil explorations Hunt Oil and Repsol-YPF were suedby the Indigenous group FENAMAD the Native Federation of Madre de Dios by the end of September 2009, after dialogue with the local Native peoples failed.

Also there are other issues in play here, as the area of Salvacion attracts many tourists coming to the worldwide famous Manu Natural Reserve, and it's also said to be an area used for cocaine production, sold mostly to Brazil consumers.

The current situation is described by Pablo, a anonymous Peruvian blogger who seems to know well the Madre de Dios region and warns of "another Bagua" attack in the region. Pablo describes the situation as very complex, and cites communities being bought up by Hunt Oil, others trying to protect their lands, and others trying to safeguard their individual interests. However, the blogger never mentions his sources of information.

Now Peruvian labor and Indigenous groups are demanding the government of Garcia to fire its minister of Environment. The Mining Federation of Peru (FEDEMIN) y la Federación Nativa de Madre de Dios (FENAMAD) have called for a 48-hour national strike on November 16 and 17, to demand for minister of Environment Antonio Brack to step down. Brack is a strong supporter of mining, oil and natural gas corporations but he attacks small mining producers, blaming them of polluting rivers and ecosystems.

After failed attempts of the Garcia government to dissolve AIDESEP, the biggest Indigenous organization of the Amazonian communities on Peru, and the main organizer behind the Bagua protests, that organization has expressed its support to the Indigenous protests in Salvacion.

More information is coming soon. For now please stay alert and spread the word about this current conflict, so we can find ways to avoid more bloodshed and violence against the Indigenous peoples in Peru."

Skeptical Science: Antarctic Ice Trends and the icebergs of distortion being dumped on the public

philip.erwin@dallascityhall.com (P Erwin) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 14:25:00 +0000

I thoroughly enjoy a good read on climate issues that tries to make a complicated subject simple and to the point. Skeptical Science is one of my good resources on communicating effectively. Many scientists have a real problem with communicating with the general public on complicated issues - especially something as comprehensive and vastly undulating in seemingly infinite patterns as the earth's atmosphere. The communication lag helps lead to the decline of understanding and interest of the general public. Even worse, skeptics with a political bent, or just looking for an argument, have no hesitancy in attacking the science and using misinformation to tell the public completely false and conclusive statements to research that is ongoing and inconclusive. They also tend to ignore the simple and direct physical evidence that is easier to recognize or simply push it off as 'life as usual.' There is apparently no one to hold them accountable. I still fail to understand the emotional rants by some skeptics (other than to suggest it is due to political or economic bias) while other skeptics (scientists and otherwise) will join in the debate to raise pointed questions that should be discussed openly.

Scientists, on the other hand, - well, at least the good ones - have an ethical directive to not speak in absolutes but rather to discuss what might occur if certain situations continue to follow current trends based on years of collecting data. Even when they do make a firm statement, they know that science is about discovery and new facts may bear out in the future. But they are naturally reluctant to state a fact without many data sets supporting their argument. You can't say that for certain media types out there who go unchecked into your living rooms every day. Many 'speakers' choose to distort and cherry pick the statements of reputable scientists and use them falsely. The real problem arises where someone misrepresents a statement that is placed in the public realm for digestion. At that point, the damage is done and it is much harder to remove that new bias placed on the individual who trusts their Svengali more than the odd scientist. This is why I just adore blogs. It provides an open forum for debate and discussion. I read blogs from all different directions and base my opinions - such as they are - on what I see before me. The truth is out there if you will just seek it out and learn to think for yourself.

On that point, John Cook at Skeptical Science discusses 'An Overview of Antarctic Ice Trends.' If you'll follow along, you might understand why ice patterns in the Antarctic are different than the 'receding hair line' we're getting in the Arctic - well, probably.

So, how is it that the Antarctic sea ice extent is getting greater while the Southern Ocean surface air temperature is getting warmer? You didn't READ it, DID you? Go back up to the link and quit listening to Glenn Beck.