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Powder Valley Nature Center Children’s Event: “YOU AND ME UNDER THE CANOPY: OH, DEER!”

Photo by Diana Linsley, Webster-Kirkwood Times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wondering what topic story time at the Powder Valley Nature Center will be this month? Find out by attending “You & Me Under The Canopy: Oh, Deer!”

Location: Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center
Date: Wednesday, May 17, 2017, 10 – 11 a.m.
Ages: 2 – 6

Meet in the nature center lobby for a “nature” adventure. Everyone will hike with the naturalist to a special place in the forest and enjoy a nature story under the tree canopy. Siblings are welcome.

(Reservations required by calling 314-301-1500. Reserve by May 16, 2017) MDC website event link – HERE.

 

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Posted on May 9, 2017 in Local Events

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Flooding Once Again Spotlights Levees: “We Knew Better”

Photo by Ursula Ruhl, South County Times.

The issue of building levees to hold back the local rivers is again in the spotlight due to the latest round of flooding in areas, such as Fenton, Pacific, Eureka, Valley Park and Kirkwood. (Look for more coverage about the current flooding soon on Environmental Echo.)

Last year, Don Corrigan interviewed Professor Bob Criss, with the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Washington University. The interview contains some valuable insight into what could be a continuing flooding situation.

This was Criss’s comment last January about the December 2015 round of flooding – “Our flood problems in St. Louis and St. Louis County have been hugely magnified by what I would call idiotic decisions since 1993 especially,” Bob Criss said. “And we knew better.”

Check out the interview from last January below. We’ve come full circle back to where we were last year and Criss’s observations are still relevant today.

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Posted on May 2, 2017 in Environment, Podcasts

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Earth Day & Beyond

by Don Corrigan (South County Times)

This has been an Earth Day Month. From the very beginning to the very end of April, there have been so many notable events to remind us how to become better stewards of the planet.

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Posted on April 30, 2017 in Environment, Local Events

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Kirkwood’s Earth Day RESCHEDULED To May 6

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Posted on April 28, 2017 in Home

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Bees Take Up Residence In Florissant Parking Lot

This was the scene in a Florissant parking lot on April 24 – Bees swarming in a tree outside several businesses. The sight created quite a stir. People were taking photos, and gathering outside business entries to watch the spectacle. Watchers wondered what the bees were doing and why they decided to do it in that spot.

We don’t have answers to those questions, but it was an unusual and interesting sight to see.

Photos by Holly Shanks.

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Posted on April 26, 2017 in Home, Outdoor/Nature

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Redear Sunfish: New State Record Caught By O’Fallon Resident

Photo by MDC Staff, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation.

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reports James Lucas of O’Fallon became the most recent record-breaking angler in Missouri after catching a redear sunfish from a private pond in Lincoln County.

The “alternative method” record fish was caught by Lucas on March 24 and weighed 1 pound, 1 ounce. The previous state record was 6-ounces, caught in 1996.
Read more from the MDC release below.

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Posted on April 26, 2017 in Outdoor/Nature

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Outdoor Passion & Beauty Meet In The Night Sky

Pictured: Dan Zarlenga, the St. Louis Regional Media Specialist for the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Dan Zarlenga is the guest on this week’s Environmental Echo podcast series.

Zarlenga, the St. Louis Regional Media Specialist for the Missouri Department of Conservation, has a unique hobby – he photographs the star filled night sky while incorporating night-time landscapes. The photographs are stunning!

In the podcast interview, Zarlenga shares his technique, how long it took to learn the craft of nighttime photography, and his passion for the outdoors.

All photos courtesy Dan Zarlenga.

 

The topic of light pollution and how it affects wildlife and the environment is also briefly discussed. Find out more about light pollution at the International Dark Sky Association – HERE.

To hear the interview with Dan Zarlenga and Holly Shanks click continue reading below.

 

 

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Posted on April 24, 2017 in Outdoor/Nature, Podcasts

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New Weekly Missouri Weather Podcast

Photo courtesy James Kramper, NWS.

Starting the week of May 22, Environmental Echo will begin a series of weekly podcasts about the most destructive tornadoes to ever hit Missouri. The stories will be based on the research by Don Corrigan for his book, “Show Me … Nature’s Wrath,” and he will be interviewed by Holly Shanks of Environmental Echo. Stay Tuned.

The first tornado covered will be the half-minute hurricane that beat down St. Charles. We hope you will add to the conversation by posting your own observations about Missouri’s tornadic tales. Should Missouri be included in Tornado Alley?

 

 

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Posted on April 23, 2017 in Podcasts

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Groundwater In Short Supply?

Photo by Holly Shanks.

From Carl’s Climate Letter #886 dated April 4, 2017.

Carl’s analysis:
Groundwater depletion will soon affect supplies and prices of food around the globe.  Irreplaceable groundwater now supplies global agriculture with 43% of its crop irrigation needs, simultaneously reducing its ability to meet future emergency needs in times of drought, which is sure to intensify in many places.  This post discusses the problem as revealed by a new study.

Read the Climate News Network story referenced by Carl’s Climate Letter HERE.

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Posted on April 19, 2017 in Environment

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Are St. Louisans Breathing Clean Air? Environment Missouri Research & Policy Center Releases New Report

Environment Missouri Research & Policy Center recently released a new report spotlighting the concerns of air pollution and air quality in St. Louis and the U.S.

The report,  Our Health at Risk: Why Are Millions of Americans Still Breathing Unhealthy Air?, “comes during National Public Health Week, a celebration of efforts to tackle the underlying causes of disease – like air pollution – and ensure that all people have a chance to live long and healthy lives.”

“There’s no safe level of exposure to smog and particulate pollution,” said Elizabeth Ridlington, policy analyst with Frontier Group and co-author of the report. “Elevated levels of air pollution – even levels the federal government says are safe for most people – hurt our health.”

“Even one day with unhealthy air is too many,” said Taylor Hale, campaign organizer with Environment Missouri.

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Posted on April 17, 2017 in Environment