Crater Lake

Crater Lake in Oregon is said to be one of the clearest lakes in the world, although some websites report it as being the “cleanest.” Perhaps it is both the clearest and the cleanest, either way, it is beautiful.

 

The National Park Service (NPS) describes Crater Lake as having a depth of 1,943 feet (592 meters) making it the deepest lake in the United States, and the seventh deepest in the world. It is interesting to note that the depth of the lake was first measured in 1886 using a simple sounding machine made from a crank and piano wire which showed the lake to be 1,996 feet deep. Modern equipment certainly is amazing, but it’s probably more amazing that measurements with such simple tools were that close to the real figure.

 

According to the NPS: “Crater Lake was formed when a massive eruption of Mount Mazama 7700 years ago caused the mountain to collapse, leaving a steaming caldera. Centuries of rain and snow filled the caldera creating Crater Lake.”

 

Aside from attracting tourists from around the world, Crater Lake is used as an outdoor laboratory by scientists, researchers, and teachers. There is also an Artist-in-Residence Program where the imaginations of musicians, painters, and photographers have been inspired by the natural beauty of the surrounding areas.

 

The NPS is working hard to protect and maintain parks like Crater Lake, but there is much that needs to be done to protect the world’s drinking water. Water is being polluted every day by hydraulic fracturing and other types of industrial pollution.

Take part in your community’s effort to protect your drinking water supply. 

Further information on Crater Lake available at http://www.nps.gov/crla/index.htm

Forsaken Waters Exhibit

Be sure to check out the 'Forsaken Waters' exhibit by Derek Jecxz at Twenty-Two Gallery in Philadelphia: Sept 14 to Oct 7, 2012.

Visit Derek's website at www.derekjecxz.com

Like Derek's Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/derek.jecxz.photographer

What's in Your Water?

Camp Lejeune Water Contamination

Jerry Ensminger started an online petition earlier this year on Change.org to call for medical coverage for victims of water contamination at Camp Lejeune. He collected 135,000 signatures from supporters and was present in the Oval Office on August 6, 2012 when President Obama signed a bill providing medical coverage for those exposed to cancer-causing chemicals at the North Carolina military base.

Jerry Ensminger and his daughter.

Although not widely talked about nowadays, Camp Lejeune is the site of the worst case of water contamination in US history where up to one million people were exposed to cancer-causing chemicals. While living near the base Ensminger's daughter developed childhood leukemia and died at the age of nine. 

Most of us are not paying much attention to how our water supplies are being compromised and poisoned. Help spread the word about our most precious resource: water.

Visit Jerry's website to read more about his 15 year battle to seek medical assistance for those suffering from the exposure through the water at Camp Lejeune. The Few, The Proud, The Forgotten

Take the time to find out what's in the water in your community. You'll be glad you did.

Please 'Like' my Facebook page Occupy Your Water Rights for more updates on water conservation and preservation.

The New Greeting: Thirsty?

The question we all will be asking one another soon.

When we greet each other we ask, "How are you?" In Thailand the greeting is, "Have you had your rice yet?" These greetings are really more of a politeness than wanting to know how a person is doing or if they have eaten yet.

In the coming years I expect that we will be greeting each other by asking, "Thirsty?" With dwindling potable water supplies and the shrinking of natural water reserves, we're in for a dry spell. Saving water today will save your future. No one wants to go around being thirsty. Find out what your water footprint is and take steps to reduce it at home, at work, in your community.

Calculate Your Water Footprint


Photo via Global Informer on Facebook.

Water Wars: The Coming Crisis

Water wars are getting closer.

What are you doing about it?

Video - Water Wars: The Coming Crisis

http://youtu.be/pJVo76pC8wc

Wired magazine dubbed Jerry Yudelson the Godfather of Green for his work over many decades in the green building industry. In his video series "Water Wars: The Coming Crisis" Jerry highlights the upcoming water shortages and water wars around the world. And while many people may not have heard much about water wars--they are already happening.

Visit Jerry's website to see how you can contribute to the preservation and conservation of water in your area. Click here Green Building Consulting

Water: Soothing, Calming, Healing

Soak in nature's beauty.

Help the Rainforests of the World

Via The Pragmatic Progressive Page / Facebook

The tropical rainforests of the world are the Earth's oldest ecosystems and one of the Earth's most precious gifts to us.

How do we define a rainforest? Although rainforests may vary, there are similarities that we can identify:

·         Location: rainforests are found in the tropics,

·         Rainfall: rainforests receive around 80 inches (200 cm) of rain per year,

·         Canopy: rainforests have a canopy, which is the layer of branches and leaves formed by closely spaced rainforest trees. Most of the plants and animals in the rainforest live in the canopy. The canopy may be 100 feet (30 m) above the ground.

·         Biodiversity: rainforests have a high level of biological diversity or“biodiversity”. Biodiversity is the name for all living things—like plants, animals, and fungi—found in an ecosystem. Scientists believe that about half of the plants and animals found on Earth’s land surface live in rainforests.

·         Symbiotic relationships between species: species in the rainforest often work together. In a symbiotic relationship, two different species benefit by helping each other—you can think of it as a partnership. For example, some plants produce small housing structures and sugar for ants. In return the ants protect the plants from other insects that want to feed on the plant’s leaves.

HOW CAN WE SAVE RAINFORESTS?

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Rainforests are disappearing very quickly. The good news is there are a lot of people who want to save rainforests. The bad news is that saving rainforests is not going to be easy. It will take the efforts of many people working together in order to ensure that rainforests and their wildlife will survive for your children to appreciate, enjoy, and benefit from.

Some steps for saving rainforests and, on a broader scale, ecosystems around the world can be abbreviated as TREES:

·         Teach others about the importance of the environment and how they can help save rainforests.

·         Restore damaged ecosystems by planting trees on land where forests have been cut down.

·         Encourage people to live in a way that doesn't hurt the environment

·         Establish parks to protect rainforests and wildlife

·         Support companies that operate in ways that minimize damage to the environment.

Source: Mongabay