"Global freshwater use tripled during the second half of the twentieth century as population more than doubled and as technological advances let farmers and other water users pump groundwater from greater depths and harness river water with more and larger dams. As global demand soars, pressures on the world’s water resources are straining aquatic systems worldwide. Rivers are running dry, lakes are disappearing, and water tables are dropping. Nearly 70 percent of global water withdrawals from rivers, lakes, and aquifers are used for irrigation, while industry and households account for 20 and 10 percent, respectively" World's Water Resources Face Mounting Pressure
"When regular desert sand lies beneath, water bleeds endlessly downward leaving roots dry until the next watering.
With new hydrophobic sand in place, traditional watering of desert plants five or six times a day can be reduced to one watering, saving 75 per cent more water, a precious resource that is dwindling...One of the advantages of the hydrophobic sand... is that while it allows aerobic activity to move upward from the soil, it prevents underground desert salinity deposits from passing through to plant roots above; salt is corrosive and kills plants."
"The average American family of four can live on 3 gallons of water a day, yet 400 gallons is closer to the daily usage. We can blame faulty faucets leaks and inefficient toilets, or we can start taking small steps to decrease our consumption. The infographic gives some simple ideas on how to start like turning off the tap water while brushing and only showering for 10 minutes (darn, they had to mention the showers)..."
"Running to the Gulf of Mexico from Alberta's oil fields, the pipeline would cut through the Great Plains and threaten oil spills into the Oglalla aquifer, the single largest source of fresh water in the United States. Though federal permits haven't yet been granted, landowners on the pipeline's path have been threatened with eminent domain land seizures; the federal review process has been corrupt, steered by oil company executives with insider connections and industry-hired consultants."
"The Condit Dam in Washington State has been dramatically dismantled, to restore a salmon stream for the first time in a century.
For 98 years, the 125-foot high Condit Dam in southeastern Washington State held back the White Salmon River, creating a serene lake, but choking off the waterway to salmon. In an historic effort, the dam was dramatically breached. Ecologists hope the increased flow of water will restore the waterway to fish and other aquatic organisms, as well as the birds and mammals that rely on them."
"The sea is stained red with blood – the blood of hundreds of pilot whales, flowing into the waters off the Faroe Islands as the sea creatures are slaughtered. The small-toothed whales have been rounded up and beached in shallow waters, and now the whalers wield knives while children play close-by. Later, the meat will be divided amongst the people, either to be frozen or preserved by more traditional means – salting or air-drying. First, though, there is the butchery to deal with."
From a gallery of about 200 entries, posted at Outdoors Weekly:
"The $15 Federal Duck Stamp is a vital tool for wetland conservation, with 98 cents of every dollar generated going to purchase or lease wetland habitat for the National Wildlife Refuge System. Since the stamp’s inception, sales have helped to acquire nearly six million acres of wildlife habitat at hundreds of refuges in nearly every state.
The Federal Duck Stamp art contest is the only art competition of its kind sponsored by the federal government. Since the first open contest was held in 1949, thousands of wildlife artists from throughout the nation have submitted art to the annual contest. While the winner receives no money from the federal government, the winning artist may benefit from the increased visibility and sale of prints and artwork."
A U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientist is trying to learn what is causing the decline in bumble bee populations and also is searching for a species that can serve as the next generation of greenhouse pollinators.
Bumble bees, like honey bees, are important pollinators of native plants and are used to pollinate greenhouse crops like peppers and tomatoes. But colonies of Bombus occidentalis used for greenhouse pollination began to suffer from disease problems in the late 1990s and companies stopped rearing them. Populations of other bumble bee species are also believed to be in decline.
Entomologist James Strange is searching for solutions at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Pollinating Insects-Biology, Management and Systematics Research Unit in Logan, Utah. ARS is USDA's chief intramural scientific research agency, and this research supports the USDA priority of improving agricultural sustainability.
Many greenhouse growers now use commercially produced Bombus impatiens, a generalist pollinator native to the Midwest and Eastern United States and Canada. But scientists are concerned about using a bee outside its native range, and some western states restrict the import and use of non-native bees. If B. impatiens were to escape and form wild colonies in the western United States, they could compete with native bees for food and resources and expose native bumble bees to pathogens they are ill equipped to combat.
Strange has been studying a pretty, orange-striped generalist named Bombus huntii, native to the western half of the country, that could be used in greenhouses in the western United States. He is determining how to best rear B. huntii in a laboratory setting, a vital step in commercializing it.
To understand the decline of B. occidentalis, Strange and his colleagues also have been tracking its habitat range and population trends. Evidence gathered so far shows that the range and populations of B. occidentalis have declined, that it is not as genetically diverse as it used to be, and that it has higher pathogen prevalence than other bee species with stable populations. The results were recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The researchers also have assembled a large database with information on more than 80,000 Bombus specimens representing 10 species throughout the country, including B. occidentalis. With Geographic Information System (GIS) modeling technology, they were able to construct historic and current range maps of several bumble bee species. The mapping process is described in the Uludag Bee Journal.
More information: Read more about this research in the August 2011 issue of Agricultural Research magazine. http://www.ars.usd … bees0811.htm
Provided by United States Department of Agriculture
"Harry James, premier trumpet virtuoso, Jazz superstar and Big Band leader performs his arrangement of the Rimsky-Korsokov classic, FLIGHT OF THE BUMBLEBEE, in this clip from the hit MGM musical, BEST FOOT FORWARD. The popular bandleader and trumpet star was prominently featured with his band in this film along with Lucille Ball, June Allyson, Nancy Walker and Tommy Dix. Harry James was probably the most famous trumpeter of the twentieth century due to his many hit records, feature films and big band tours across the United States,"
"Peter Gleick, scientist and freshwater expert, talks about his latest book : Bottled and Sold : The Story Behind Our Obsession with Bottled Water.
In 1976, the average American consumed a gallon and a half of bottled water each year. By 2008, the number had grown to about 30 gallons of bottled water per person in the U.S. That amount, says Peter Gleick, "equals about 115 liters of water each year, most of it from single-serving plastic containers."Gleick, a freshwater expert, is the author of Bottled and Sold: The Story Behind Our Obsession with Bottled Water. In the book, he examines how drinking water was commodified and branded over the past 30 years, turning what was once a free natural resource into a multibillion-dollar global industry — while raising questions about the taste and safety of drinking tap water."
to view this 52 minute look at our use of water please click fora.tv
