Watershed Info No 1202


 Daniel Salzler                                                                         No. 1202                                  

EnviroInsight.org                    Six Items                       May 19, 2023     

     —————Feel Free To Pass This Along To Others——————

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 .  

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                              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.

Check our website at EnviroInsight.org



  1. Control Your Environment, Control Your Mosquitoes.  The experts are predicting an especially bad year for mosquitoes this year. We all need to be on alert because mosquitoes can transmit more that just a bite that itches incessantly.  For example, mosquitoes can transmit West Nile Virus. Less than 1 percent of all mosquitoes are infected. Approximately 20 percent of people infected with WestNile Virus will feel symptoms. Most people who experienced symptoms will have:
    Fever       Headache       Body Aches       Nausea       Vomiting

      Sometimes swollen lymph glands or a skin rash on the chest, stomach and back.

       A small percentage of people who are infected with WNV will experience severe symptoms such as meningitis, encephalitis, paralysis and even death. Persons over the age of 50 are generally at a higher risk for severe symptoms.  More information can be found athttp://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/index.htm or by calling 888-246-2675.

Mosquitoes have a life cycle.  All they need is a few Tablespoons of water for the mosquitoes to lay an

“Egg Raft” (about the size of a grain of rice) producing as many as 400 mosquitoes anywhere between 4

to 30 days.

 The mosquitoes then go through their larval and pupa stage until they emerge as adults when the adults start looking for a source of protein,  particularly blood.

  Eliminate standing water, which allows mosquitoes to breed. Check for conditions outside your home that may provide potential mosquito breeding conditions, such as poorly, maintain swimming pools, cans bottles, jars, buckets, old tires, drums, and other containers that hold water.  Change water in flower vases, bird baths, planters, and animal watering pans at least twice a week.



What To Do To Protect Yourself

If you are sitting outside enjoying the cool morning and or evening temperatures and mosquitoes are pestering you,. consider using some or all of these : Off,  a Citronella Candle with one teaspoon of Cedar oil placed near the wick, an electronic bug zapper.

And did you know your soap could be making you seem tastier to bloodsucking mosquitoes.

Washing with certain brands of soaps made some people more attractive to a species of mosquito that spreads yellow fever, Zika, dengue and chikungunya viruses in a study published Wednesday in the journal iScience. One soap, Native Coconut & Vanilla Body Wash, made people less attractive to mosquitoes, the study said. 


Previous studies have established that a person’s smell can be more or less attractive to mosquitoes. This study added the effect of personal-care products to the mix. The scents of some of the soaps appeared to amplify some peoples’ natural appeal to the bugs, the study showed. 

“Smell is critical in how mosquitoes find us,” said Clément Vinauger, an assistant professor of biochemistry at Virginia Tech and co-author of the study.

Four people tested each of the four soaps: Dial Body Wash Marula Oil; Dove Deep Moisture Nourishing Body Wash; Simple Truth Organic Honey Blossom Baby Shampoo and Body Wash, and the Native body wash. Dr. Vinauger and his colleagues picked them because they are among the most popular brands in the U.S. Their manufacturers didn’t respond to requests for comment. 

The participants washed one arm with a particular soap then wore nylon sleeves on both arms for an hour. The sleeves were exposed to mosquitoes in a lab and researchers counted how many landed on each. 

Three study participants were found to be “mosquito magnets.” Their natural body odors—captured in a nylon sleeve worn on an unwashed arm—attracted more mosquitoes than an unused nylon sleeve, the researchers said.

Three of the soaps—the Dial, Dove and Simple Truth varieties—made the participants more attractive to mosquitoes compared with their unwashed odor, the study found. Only the Native soap made participants less attractive to mosquitoes. The researchers said the Dial and Dove soaps contained chemical compounds associated with smells that appear to be attractive to mosquitoes, while the Native soap contained compounds associated with scents that seemed to be more repellent.

Of the thousands of mosquito species, only a handful are specialized to target humans. Aedes aegypti is among the most dangerous. At least 100 million people worldwide are sickened each year with dengue and some 40,000 die from the disease, said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes need the nutrients in blood to produce eggs. They find people to feed on by detecting car.bon dioxide, research suggests. Once close to prey, they appear to use smell to choose whom to bite, research shows.  Source: Editor OSHA Class and Wall Street Journal, May10, 2023



2. Where Are You The Most Likely To Find Sabulous Soil?
Jungle

Desert

Valley

Forest                                       Answer at the end of the newsletter.



3.  OSHA 8 Hour Refresher Class. Need to refresh your OSHA Certification?  There will be a class on May 29 (Memorial Day) taught by Dan Salzler, OSHA Certified Instructor since 2009.   

Class will begin at 7:00 a.m. and end at 3:00 p.m.

Location:  4840 W Las Palmaritas, Glendale, AZ

Cost:  $80.00 includes a continental breakfast and lunch.

To Register, call dan at 623-930-8197 or cell at 623-203-7178 or e-mail me at sconflict@aol.com

Deadline to register is May 26th.



4. Oak Creek Cleanup Memorial Day Event.   Join the Oak Creek Watershed Council for a cleanup event at Sunset Park in Sedona!

 Memorial Day weekend marks the kickoff for the busy summer season in northern Arizona. The campgrounds and day use areas in Oak Creek Canyon will soon be bustling, and the combined symphony of bird song and rushing water will provide a soundtrack to it all!


Holiday weekends mean heavy use for our most beautiful and popular outdoor locations, with lots of families and large groups flocking to picnic areas and creek access points to enjoy the stunning setting and warm weather. With that in mind, the Oak Creek Watershed Council is partnering with the City of Sedona for a post-Memorial Day cleanup event at and around Sunset Park on Tuesday, May 30th. RSVP at the link below and join us for a day of sunshine and service in beautiful Sedona!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sunset-park-cleanup-tickets-635535171807



5. Water Factsheet For Yavapai County Published. May 11, 2023 Water Resource Research Center.



 The Yavapai County Water Factsheet is now available! As the fifth installment of the WRRC’s Arizona Water Factsheet initiative, this eight-page resource provides wide-ranging examples and essential contextual information to understand water supplies, demands, and management in Yavapai County.  

Recognizing the legacy of agriculture and ranching, Yavapai County prepares for continued residential growth and economic expansion including the emerging prominence in Arizona’s wine industry, which plays an important role in local tourism. The factsheet highlights efforts to balance water use that supports human communities and the natural environment, including the perennial flows in the Verde River – a major perennial river in Arizona and the longest stretch of continuous riparian habitat in the state. Along with groundwater overdraft in the Prescott AMA, active collaboration among local governments, engaged environmental organizations, state and federal agencies, businesses, and the public are working to address these challenges.

For Yavapai County, the Technical Advisory Committee was led by Leslie Graser of the City of Prescott and Matthew Halldorson, Yavapai County Cooperative Extension Director. Additional members of the TAC include: Yavapai County Cooperative Extension, City of Cottonwood and The Nature Conservancy, with additional input received from other stakeholders within the county.


6. CAWCD Board Approves Conservation Agreements And Sets Tax Rates. The Central Arizona Water Conservation District Board met Thursday, May 4 at CAP Headquarters. General Manager Brenda Burman kicked off the meeting with a recap of CAP activities the past month, including the Arizona Forward Governor’s Award for Arizona’s Future, which was presented to Central Arizona Project and Arizona State University at the end of April.

The Board approved ICS Preservation Program Agreements involving CAWCD, the Arizona Department of Water Resources and each of the following entities: Apache Junction Domestic Water Improvement District, the Central Arizona Groundwater Replenishment District, the Cities of Mesa, Scottsdale and Surprise, Copper World Inc., EPCOR, Freeport Minerals Corporation, Salt River Project, and the Town of Queen Creek. Currently, the projected total volume of participation in the ICS Preservation Program is 41,776 acre-feet. At $330 per acre-foot, the total cost is $13,786,080, which will be split one-third from CAWCD ($4,595,360) and two-thirds from ADWR ($9,190,720). CAWCD’s contribution is within the amount previously budgeted for the 500+ Plan.

Additionally, the Board approved United States System Conservation Agreements including the United States, CAWCD and each of the following entities: ASARCO LLC, the Cities of Glendale, Peoria, Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tucson, Metropolitan Domestic Water Improvement District and the Town of Gilbert. Water conserved under this program is for the benefit of the Colorado River system and not any individual Colorado River contractor or entitlement holder.


Related to rates and taxes, the Board also:


On the consent agenda, the Board approved:



The Board also heard a number of presentations including:


The CAWCD Board of Directors is a popularly elected, 15-member board. Ten members are from Maricopa County, four from Pima County and one from Pinal County. Members serve six-year, unpaid terms. The board typically meets publicly the first Thursday of each month to establish policy and set rates and taxes for CAP. Meetings are open to the public – in person and via livestream.

For additional details on the May 4, 2023 board meeting, take a look at the agenda. Board minutes and video will be posted here, as well.

Answer to No. 3 Above:  Desert Soil.  From Latin sabulōsus, from sabulum sand.  “Coarse sand, gravel”. Words related to Fabulous include: dusty, grainy, rough, arenaceous, abrasive, calculous, crumbly, friable, gravelly, loose, lumpy, permeable, porous, powdery, rasping, sandy, scratchy, acervulus, ammophilous, arenicolous



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