Daniel Salzler No. 1100 EnviroInsight.org Nine Items April 30, 2021
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If your watershed is doing something you would like others to know about, or you know of something others can benefit from, let me know and I will place it in this Information newsletter.
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Please note that all meetings listed are open.
Enhance your viewing by downloading the pdf file to view photos, etc. The attached is all about improving life in the watershed. If you want to be removed from the distribution list, please let me know. Please note that all meetings listed are open.
Enhance your viewing by downloading the attached pdf file to view photos, etc.
The attached is all about improving life in the watershed.
1. Celebrating Earth Day- Again . Celebrate Earth Day by implementing different ways to save the planet Earth and all of Nature that makes up this glorious place we call home.
- Help friends, family and neighbors understand the importance of biodiversity. To do this, we need policies and programs as well as people to choose to live more in balance with Earth.
- Pay attention to all you eat. Avoid products containing Palm oil. Rain forests are being cut down so that Palm oil trees can be planted. Buy local to reduce greenhouse gasses associated with transportation. Make sure food consumed are sustainable. Choose plant-based foods. 75% of all crops and pastures are used for livestock.
- Pay attention to what you don’t eat. A third to one half of all food spoils from farm to processing and delivery, and 40% of what is delivered we toss off our plates. Buy and prepare what you are going to eat, and nothing more. If some of your food does spoil, toss it into you compost pile.
- Lower your carbon footprint. Buy a more fuel efficient vehicle with small emissions. Install solar panels on your roof. Maximize your fuel efficiency when running errands. Switch out all you light bulbs to the most efficient bulb you can find. Turn these lights off when you leave the room.
- Research the positions of political candidates and vote for those support imperiled species and public lands.
- Support environmentally friendly businesses, buy local when possible, and, when traveling out of country, be careful you don’t bring home a souvenir made from an imperiled species.
- If you have a yard, think of it and treat it like a little piece of nature around you. Avoid pesticides, plant native species to support wildlife, and use rain barrels where appropriate.
Consider what you put down your kitchen drain. F.O.G. (fats, oils, grease) coagulate and plug the lines. This does nothing for sewer lines and if you are on city sewer lines, they can plug the lines causing the city to spend more money to “blow out“ the lines with high pressure hoses and treat the F.O.G. with special enzymes. Use a paper towels to soak up the F.O.G. and toss them in the trash can.
8. If you are in a position to influence changes at work, promote conservation – like not stocking single-use plastics, moving toward renewable energy and inspiring employee to participate in “Meatless Monday’s”
9. Never think you can’t make a difference or that it’s somebody else’s problem to solve. Each of us has a role to play to make the Earth a better place.
Source: “Defenders of Wildlife” Fall 2020
2. There Is More To Read On A Container Than Ingredients. Of course it is important to read the label on packaged goods to determine the ingredients within the package. But it also important to read the chasing arrows on the bottom of any plastic or glass container for the “chasing arrows” and the number within the triangle so you know if the container can be recycled – usually a 1 or 2 and not disposed of in a landfill.
3. Reduce, REUSE, Recycle. The need to reuse is illustrated by the numbers:
36 million tons of plastic waste are produced in the U.S.
90% of the plastic generated in the U.S. end up in the landfill
8.5% percentage of plastic waste that is recycled
By tonnage, the majority of the packaging comes in the form of water bottles, milk jugs, shampoo and laundry detergent bottles. These fetch around 30 cents a pound.
All plastic containers should be washed and dried before they are tossed into the recycling bin. Source: Wall Street Journal 1/16/21
4. Highway Safety. Now that more of us are leaving our homes for short and long trips, there is added need to be watchful of wildlife crossing the road. For the better part of 2020, animals crossed roads with reduced fear of being hit/killed. Hitting animals kills 200 people (and a lot of animals) as a result of collisions. More than 30,000 motorists are injured every year.
In the U.S., drivers hit 1 million to 2 million animals each year, according to the Federal Highway Administration. This costs drivers $8 billion each year in the U.S.
5. Bees and Neonics. Past Watershed Info Newsletters have included articles concerning “colony collapse disorder” where as many as 90% of the bees die with few returning.
This has been worrisome to many as bees are the principle pollinators for over 400 different agricultural crops.
Repeated exposure to neonicotinoid pesticides start to change a bee’s life and impact the entire colony. Science shows there are a number of different outcomes after neonics exposure.
Illness and death. Neonics make it hard for bees to groom themselves, making them susceptible to disease and mites and weakening their immune systems.
Lost and Confused. Neonics affect bees’ ability to navigate back to the hive. Unable to find their way home, they die. Worker bees supply the colony’s food. If they don’t come back, the entire colony can starve.
Colony Contamination. If a bee is able to return to the hive, they return covered in the contaminated pollen. As other bees store the pollen, they all become contaminated. Source: Earthjustice.
A new analysis of more than 4,000 bees from 60 native species of bees, showing that the more diversity in a hive, the more resistant the community is to pathogens. The University of Michigan researchers examining bees from 14 winter squash farms with managed honeybee colonies found seven to 49 native bee species also pollinated the squash flowers, and that lower virus levels were consistently linked to greater species diversification.
It seems that sharing flowers with many different bee species prevents or limits the viruses’ ability to spread. [Could it be that “Dilution is the solution to pollution?” Editor’s quote] Source: Defenders of Wildlife, Spring 2021.
6. OSHA Refresher. Need to update you OSHA Certificate? Reserve your space for May 15 by calling or emailing Dan. Space is limited. Cost $80. Continental breakfast and lunch is provided. 623-930-8197 or sconflict@aol.com
7. Controlling Dust. Living in the desert South West residents know about dust when the summer Haboob’s come rolling through. Dust from Haboobs is only one form of dust to be concerned with.
If you work in the chemical processing industry, pharmaceutical manufacturing, metalworking, agriculture or food processing, you should be aware of the dusts the process is generating. Dusts can be toxic if swallowed, can cause vision problems when the dust gets in the workers eyes, and can be explosive if not controlled.
Industrial processors need to have their air tested and filters put in place based on the findings of particulate size and density to prevent explosions.
To stay safe at home, when a dust storm rolls through, one needs to close all windows and doors and turn off the air conditioning unit(s) or the dust will be sucked in and blown throughout the home for residents to inhale.
Residents can subject themselves to the airborne fungus known as “Valley Fever”. Valley fever is a fungal infection caused by coccidioides (kok-sid-e-OY-deze) organisms. This initial, acute illness can develop into a more serious disease, including chronic and disseminated coccidioidomycosis. An in-home air purifier such as an MSA air purifier can remove 99.97 % of allergens, dust, odor, smoke and pollen from an 800 square feet room in just a few minutes.
Once the dust storm passes, if you do not have an air purifier, wait for 30 to 45 minutes before turning on the home A/C. If you own a Dyson, Shark, or other vacuum cleaner equipped with a HEPA filter, turn it on just before turning on the A/C. Let the vacuum run for between 45 and 60 minutes, depending on the size of the home or until the air has been cleared.
8. ADQ Meetring Announcement
ADEQ Talks Surface Water Quality
Evolving federal programs, a new state program, permit questions and changes, standards updates, impaired waters, rulemaking and more!
Join us for ADEQ Talks Surface Water Quality:
Date: Thursday, May 6, 2021
Time: 1 – 2 p.m.
Location: Online via GoToWebinar
What can I expect?
A one-hour virtual, informational update for permittees and other stakeholders. ADEQ surface water quality improvement, permitting and compliance staff will provide updates on past accomplishments, current activities and upcoming projects.
Following this session, attendees will receive an email being asked to complete an evaluation to help us determine if these sessions provide valuable information and to guide the topics chosen for our next session.
Please share this invitation with others in your network who may be interested.
Questions?
Erin Jordan – jordan.erin@azdeq.gov
Justin Bern – bern.justin@azdeq.gov
Surface Water Managers
Water Quality Division
9. Catfished: More Channel Catfish Stocked Into The CAP Canal. Last week, CAP stocked 6,500 channel catfish for caddisfly control into CAP canal waters where these insects have been especially annoying.
One of those insects found in the CAP is the caddisfly, which spends a majority of its life in water. Although they are harmless to humans and our pets, they can be a nuisance when they emerge from the water every spring and fall.
Larval caddisflies feed on algae and mature in the water, typically in self-made casings. Changes in water temperature trigger the caddisflies to leave their casings and swim to the water surface where they emerge as adults.
They survive for several weeks after emergence with the sole purpose of mating. During this time, they are most active at dawn and dusk, and they search for shade (vegetation, patios, etc.) during the heat of the day. In Arizona, we see the primary emergence of caddisflies in May and September. After mating, females return to the canal to lay their eggs and start the cycle all over again.
Caddisflies are extremely important to the aquatic ecosystem because they are an integral component in the food chain. Not only are they a food source for many species of fish, they also filter much of the algae and other organisms in the water that can cause taste and odor problems. Regardless of the importance of caddisflies to the environment, scientists have been trying to control nuisance populations since the early 1900s. Source: CAP
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