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Voices in Unison - Letters to the Editor

12/22/2015

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Voices in UnisonThis is a new monthly column that will include email feedback from Transition members.
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After reading your transition message, I was wondering if you had heard about the new law passed in California about seed saving?

It is now against the law to share seeds, not sure when it became law, but when we were at my sister's market, it was seed exchange day and they were letting people know about this law, and how they were breaking it.  Also, our son Jason went to a Neil Young concert in San Francisco, and they were tossing out seed packages to let people know about it, too.  I have been telling as many people about it here as I can, so that there is no chance of something like this happening here in Washington.    
Gilda

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Awesome newsletter.  The photos this gray morn brightened my day.  I am doing a small fire sculpture for the event on Feb.5.
Yes, give me food for Skagit People.  I have been trying to do the same thing in my neighborhood.  I saw the mobile cart in action at Nugent's Corner this season.  I was impressed by collective quality and variety.  I would be interested in working on getting such a wagon in Alger to coincide with handing things off to the Food Bank {that don't sell}.  Even adding the idea of connecting with a restaurant or two. 
I would like you to consider making a focus on forests and small wood lots in your planning.  The Raymer Reserve next to me was intended for educational purposes according to the benefactors wishes.  
Sincerely,
John Boetcher

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December 2015 Newsletter - Recharge: Water, Water Everywhere - Letter from the Editor

12/22/2015

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December 2015 Newsletter 
Recharge: Water, Water Everywhere

Winter is the season of recharge, to pause, observe and be still.  Stillness births reflection.  This December, as flooding rain drops leave interlacing ripples across brown puddled fields, we reflect on last summer's drought.  Climate scientists claim that the regular pattern of dry summers and wet winters will only get more extreme here in the Pacific Northwest.  As global temperatures rise, glaciers melt, annual snow packs continue to dwindle, and we must begin to pay attention to something most of us have previously taken for granted - water. While nations are creating plans to move towards zero carbon emissions, at home and within our neighborhoods, we must work collectively to change personal behaviors for greater resiliency and carbon reduction.

As climate weirding amps up, we must develop resilient systems that work. Most people of the Samish Watershed draw from private or community owned wells for home and garden.  Climate trends tell us that we will increasingly depend on rain water catchment and conservation.  This winter the Chuckanut Transition group will begin to share stories around the topic of water conservation, collection and rights.  Please stay tuned.

Last month I read, The Water Knife by award winning author Paolo Bacigalupi, which made my imagination shake and shiver over possible future power struggles regarding water usage.  Because all good fiction is rooted in reality, I was not shocked to read shortly after a Cascadia Weekly article on the Ten News Items the Media Ignored, which included the story of private investment firms, like Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, and the Carlyle Group, that have been maniacally buying up public water rights around the world and the growing public resistance in response to this dangerous trend.

It is easy to get caught up in the macro picture, which is frankly overwhelming and terrifyingly complex.  However, a huge part of the plan is to simplify, de-globalize and re-localize.  Can you say, "Chop wood, carry water."  Now in the spirit of Transition...let's say it together.

~Sarai Stevens
Newsletter Editor
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How Much Water Is Used in Meat Production? By Chuck Nafziger

12/18/2015

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How Much Water Is Used in Meat Production?

At the last Chuckanut Transition meeting, water issues were one of the topics discussed.  I brought up the amount of water used in beef production and it was agreed that it was high, but no one knew for sure how high.  A quick web search brought up three web sites: that gave numbers
Here are the numbers:
water req'd               site 1*        site 2**          site 3***

per pound beef        2500 gal    1800 gal       1800 gal
per pound wheat         25 gal              na         160 gal

Most of the water required to grow beef is used in growing the grain to feed the cattle.  It also must be remembered that these figures apply to industrial meat production.  That is hardly the same thing as using cattle to condition fallow fields during rotation of organic crops.  Grass lands are not healthy without grazing animals.  

On the other hand, industrial meat raising is an incredibly cruel and ugly process that destroys soil, pollutes water, creates resistant pathogens, and provides a tortured, toxic product that is sold as "food."  And yes, it uses lots of water.

We are very fortunate to have local, pasture grown meat around here and I raise meat rabbits (although I cannot find organic rabbit food pellets).  Personally, health issues have convinced me to cut down on meat.  I now eat meat at home once or twice a week and still eat meat in restaurants on occasion.  I imagine the restaurant meat is of the toxic variety.  I believe that cutting down on meat consumption, whether it is one meat free meal per week, eating only a couple of meat meals per week, or going totally vegan improves both one's health and the health of a livable planet, especially if care is taken to eat local organic meat.  There are lots of personal and economic factors that weigh in one's decision.  Water is only part of the issue, but it is a big part and it will get bigger as our society continues to waste and poison its water supply, and as climate change makes what is left less reliable.

*   http://vegetarian.about.com/od/vegetarianvegan101/f/waterpollution.htm
**   http://www.worldwatch.org/peak-meat-production-strains-land-and-water-resources-1
***   http://water.usgs.gov/edu/activity-watercontent.php

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Rain Nerd Report For November and December

12/18/2015

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Picture

Well it looks like Mother Nature has made up for our summer drought this fall. November brought us 11.99" of rain, and a lot of flooding. According to U.S. Climate Data the average rainfall for this area in November is 4.84". We received 4.47" in 48 hours on November 13th - 14th. The first 15 days of December has also surpassed the average rainfall of 3.98' with 5.94". Lets keep our fingers crossed that it stays cold in the higher elevations so we can get a good snow pack for this summer.
​
CoCoRaHS - Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow..._
View on www.cocorahs.org
 
You can view data at CoCoRaHS - Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Network station WA-SG-50.

The rain nerd
Anette 

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Silver and Bear Creak (important Friday Creek tributaries) Fish Count for November

12/18/2015

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Tuesday, November 3rd - Brady Green reported that the Coho and Chum were finally in!  He had been surveying for 3 weeks with no fish until Nov. 3rd.

Below is the counts for November:

Salmon Spawner Surveys for 11/03/15
Silver Creek
Flow Conditions: High, tea color
5 Live Coho and 1 Dead Coho; 1 Live Chum and 0 Dead Chum
Water Temperatures:
Silver Cr. @ Hwy 99 Bridge = 53.1 F (@10:54 am)(Air Temp. = 51.6 F @ 10:51 am)
Silver Cr. @ upper end of index = 53.4 F (@ 12:25 pm
 
Bear Creek
Flow Conditions: Medium, clear
22 Live Coho and 0 Dead Coho; 5 Live Chum and 0 Dead Chum
Water Temperatures:
Bear Cr. @ Lake Samish Rd. Bridge = 50.5 F (@ 1:12pm)(Air Temp. = 49.0 F @ 1:10pm)
Friday Cr. above Bear Cr. mouth = 56.0 F (@ 1:46 pm
 
Salmon Spawner Surveys - 11/10/15 & 11/16/15
Silver Creek
11/10/15
Flow Conditions: Medium, clear color
0 Live Coho and 4 Dead Coho; 11 Live Chum and 2 Dead Chum 
Water Temperatures:
Silver Cr. @ Hwy 99 Bridge = 47.9 F (@10:47 am)(Air Temp. = 42.5 F @ 10:45 am)
Silver Cr. @ upper end of index = 48.7 F (@ 12:00 pm
11/16/15
Flow Conditions: Very high flow, cloudy color
1 Live Coho and 0 Dead Coho; 4 Live Chum and 1 Dead Chum 
Water Temperatures:
Silver Cr. @ Hwy 99 Bridge = 47.3 F (@8:55 am)(Air Temp. = 37.6 F@ 8:52 am)
Silver Cr. @ upper end of index = 48.2 F (@ 10:20 am
Bear Creek
11/10/15
Flow Conditions: Medium, clear
10 Live Coho and 1 Dead Coho; 10 Live Chum and 0 Dead Chum
NOTE: Saw pair of Kokanee in Friday Creek across from mouth of Bear Creek)
Water Temperatures:
Bear Cr. @ Lake Samish Rd. Bridge = 47.0 F (@ 12:50 pm)(Air Temp. = 45.6 F @ 12:48 pm)
Friday Cr. above Bear Cr. mouth = 53.2 F (@ 1:20 pm
11/16/15
Flow Conditions: High, cloudy
11 Live Coho and 1 Dead Coho; 5 Live Chum and 0 Dead Chum
25+ Live Kokanee
Water Temperatures:
Bear Cr. @ Lake Samish Rd. Bridge = 46.4 F (@ 11:20 am)(Air Temp. = 42.4 F @ 11:18am)
Friday Cr. above Bear Cr. mouth = 51.3 F (@ 11:55 am
 

 
Thanks, Brady
 
D. Brady Green
8194 Skagit Way
Blaine, WA 98230-9554
Off Ph: 360-738-6496
Cell Ph: 360-201-5528
E-Mail: bgreen5645@aol.com
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