Jim’s Blog: A Winter to Remember, For Many Reasons
Although the news media has made a great deal about the frozen stuff falling from the skies, there’s a more important story that they are missing: the fact that liquid is falling at all. Back in early spring of 2013, I was talking with a colleague about the drought issue; I posited then that “eventually the rain pendulum will swing the other way.” Not sure how I nailed it, but indeed that’s what has happened.
How Wolves Change Rivers
“When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe.” – John Muir When wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park in the United States after being absent nearly 70 years, the most remarkable “trophic cascade” occurred. What is a trophic cascade and how exactly do wolves change rivers? George Monbiot explains in this movie remix. Video provided by Sustainable Man – http://sustainableman.org/ Learn more about
Aquascapers Step Up in Storm
There are probably at least as many individual stories of heroism, kindness and perseverance to be told after Snow Jam ’14 as there were cars stuck on the road last week. For all of the frustration and eventual blame, the experience revealed that plenty of Metro Atlantans are willing to step up and help each other in a time of need. Aquascape’s Jeremy Brown and Paul Slovisky are among those who went above and beyond
Icy Ponds = Thin Ice!
In this especially cold Southeastern winter, we’d like to remind everyone to stay off of frozen ponds and lakes. Sadly, during this week’s weather events one of the few fatalities was a 13-year-old boy in Calhoun who drowned after falling through the ice on a private pond. It takes almost half a foot of clear, solid ice to support an average adult’s weight. Here in the Southeast we simply do not have the sustained periods
Fill ‘Er Up … With Algae?
The green goo that defiles your pretty pond in the hot summer months may turn out to be “green gold”! Research engineers at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have created a process that produces usefeul crude oil — which can be used to fuel automobiles and jet engines — from harvested algae. The byproducts of the chemical process can also yield burnable natural gas and nitrogen-rish water that can be used to grow more
Last Minute Gift Ideas for Water Lovers
As the pre-Christmas shopping season draws to a close, here are a few gift suggestions for folks on your list who live on, love, or long for the water (and all are available for either electronic delivery or two-day shipping): 1. A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold: A longtime favorite here at Aquascape Environmental, this is a classic of nature writing, widely cited as one of the most influential nature books ever published. With
A Collection of Some Creepy Freshwater Dwellers …
Happy Halloween! We’re getting into the spooky spirit by looking at some scary freshwater animals. The Frankenfish (aka Snakehead Fish) It sounds like something spawned in a low-budget horror movie: an eel-like fish with sharp teeth, the ability to breathe air and move on land, and unpleasantly aggressive tendencies. But snakehead fish are neither Hollywood nightmare nor urban legend – they’re real freshwater fish from Asia, first imported to the U.S. for food and as
Aquascapers Pitch in on Rivers Alive Cleanup
Aquascapers Amy Davidson, Paul Slovisky, Evan Carpenter, Jeremy Brown and Zach Burrell joined other volunteers from the Georgia Association of Water Professionals on Friday, October 18 to cleanup Rottenwood Creek in Marietta. The group walked (and waded) to remove litter, debris and even several shopping carts from the creek and its banks! The Rottenwood Creek cleanup event was part of Rivers Alive, Georgia’s annual volunteer waterway cleanup event that targets all waterways in the State including streams, rivers,
Lake Leeches
The Aquascape Environmental office recently received a call inquiring about lake leeches. "Do they exist?" the anxious caller wanted to know. "Are they dangerous? And can you get rid of them?"
Paddling Through History on the Etowah River
Aquascape Environmental’s Jim Lanier is part of the 2013 hosting committee for “Paddling Through History,” an event to benefit the Coosa River Basin Initiative and the Etowah River Water Trail Project on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2013. Several Aquascapers have attended in past years, and it’s gotten a universal thumbs up! This special event takes in one of the most significant antebellum historic sites in the Etowah River Valley: Valley View plantation, a home that predates the
