tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63142243205318970502024-03-05T15:04:24.308-08:00Another PathJeffrey Barbeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14778260919261735837noreply@blogger.comBlogger132125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314224320531897050.post-31537508302447042712013-04-28T05:02:00.003-07:002013-04-28T05:02:33.837-07:00Thirsty Elephants<span class="notranslate"></span><br />
We are planning the Botswana, Kalahari
stage of this project over the next two weeks for <a href="http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-high-cost-of-cheap-gas" target="_blank">The High Cost Of Cheap Gas</a> project. We have to balance our
need to maintain our breaking news story with the need to share with our
backers and possible backers the very shocking nature of this news
angle. We will breaking open a story that has not been covered by any
mainstream media at all, one that will affect the lives of the San
Bushmen people, the farmers of Botswana and the wild animals of the
Kalahari Desert.<br />
<br />
This is the most news-based environmental story our
team has ever worked on, and we are taking this responsibility very
seriously. Known as the first people, the Kalahari San people and the
animals they depend upon for their survival will bear the brunt of this
vast development that will change the face of this unspoilt place
forever.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBJOeS1FrjlaN60l-C6LDyy34hEfbG9l8YbHaMDdKLws_lsPkBZqI-UnmrAyyc7p83Js4NHMUrkvzoSEdVrmEEbmdudfi5pVJGVO9yWgeKaIDeRMO__6cOTokE4EEHfJBisGJjU51SBa1d/s1600/Botswana+elephant-jeffbarbee-com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="462" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBJOeS1FrjlaN60l-C6LDyy34hEfbG9l8YbHaMDdKLws_lsPkBZqI-UnmrAyyc7p83Js4NHMUrkvzoSEdVrmEEbmdudfi5pVJGVO9yWgeKaIDeRMO__6cOTokE4EEHfJBisGJjU51SBa1d/s640/Botswana+elephant-jeffbarbee-com.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elephants like these ones in the Tuli Block of Botswana are completely dependent on wells for their water, wells that may run dry from de-watering of Coal Seam Gas developments and fracking.</td></tr>
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Jeffrey Barbeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14778260919261735837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314224320531897050.post-3199074614597291012013-04-14T01:11:00.000-07:002013-04-14T01:11:09.668-07:00Great Partnerships<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">On the road in the Karoo with cameraman Graham Abbot and grip Carlos Quiroga.</span></span></span></td></tr>
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<br />
<br />
Dear Backers and Friends,<br />
I am happy to
announce that we have indeed received 75% of the funding for this film
from the Open Society Foundation. It would not have happened had we not
put up the Kickstarter campaign, and it could not happen without all of
you. That 66 people from around the world gave their time and energy
and cash to the project was one of the factors that helped us get the
funding. Thank you all for your help. <br />
Now we have a way forward
and a new crowd-funding campaign to raise the rest of the money. It
would be fantastic if you all gave again to the film, and most
importantly spread the message out to your networks that we are going
ahead with it and need more people on board. <br />
The link to the new film project on Indiegogo is here: <a href="http://igg.me/at/high-cost-of-cheap-gas/x/2920799" target="_blank">http://igg.me/at/high-cost-of-cheap-gas/x/2920799 </a><br />
<br />
We
are off into the Karoo Desert in the next few days to interview
farmers, scientists and communities. We will be camping out under the
stars, taking pictures and making this film. We will keep you all up to
date from the Indiegogo campaign page and this blog.<br />
<br />
You can also follow
us on Facebook here: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/TheHighCostofCheapGas" target="_blank">http://www.facebook.com/TheHighCostofCheapGas</a><br />
<br />
Thanks Again and We Hope You All Join Us!<br />
<br />
Director Jeffrey Barbee and Producer Mira Dutschke</div>
Jeffrey Barbeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14778260919261735837noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314224320531897050.post-70465955702279550762013-04-09T01:48:00.000-07:002013-04-09T01:48:01.323-07:00The High Cost Of Cheap Gas - The Path ForwardDear Friends and Backers,<br />
<br />
First of all a huge “Thank You” for
supporting our project, <a href="http://allianceearth.org/the-high-cost-of-cheap-gas-fracking-in-the-karoo/" target="_blank">“The High Cost of Cheap Gas”</a>. <br />
<br />
The 30 day crowd-sourcing
campaign led to many great things: South Africa's most watched
current-affairs show is interested to run this story in the format we
envisioned. We received funding separately from the kickstarter
campaign to bridge the time between now and the time we get further
funding. A foundation has indicated interest to fund about 80% of the
entire budget.<br />
<br />
Often the only thing that separates success from failure
is whether we quit, well that won't be happening. <br />
<br />
This has been a
great learning experience for us and helped us decide to start a
similar campaign on a different website. If you, as one of our 66
backers still want to support this project, you can transfer your
backing to our new page on Indiegogo that we will send out to you this
week.<br />
<br />
Since the kickstarter campaign has ended your pledges are
returned to your bank accounts this week. The 3,600 USD we raised here
would go a long way in helping us to create a powerful and compelling
story, especially when combined with the other funding and partnerships
we have secured.<br />
<br />
We have put a 10K USD budget together for the
new proposal on Indiegogo on a flexible funding model, meaning we get to
use the all of the donations you make. This allows all of you to still
be personally part of this project and makes sure that the story
continues. If you would like to make a direct contribution please let
us know through email or phone.<br />
<br />
We would like to thank each one of
you for believing in us and supporting this important work, without you
it would not be possible. Feel free to contact us if you have any
questions, and please sign up to our <a href="http://www.facebook.com/TheHighCostofCheapGas?fref=ts" target="_blank">Facebook page</a>.<br />
<br />
Warm Regards<br />
Jeffrey and Mira <br />Jeffrey Barbeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14778260919261735837noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314224320531897050.post-10349111778848912562013-03-25T02:27:00.001-07:002013-03-25T02:27:17.754-07:00The High Cost Of Cheap Gas- 12 Days and Counting<div class="body">
<br />
It's 12 days and counting down for the 30 day funding period for the film, The High Cost Of Cheap Gas. For all of you
like me who are new to Kickstarter, if we don't raise the 22K for this
project, then we get nothing at all and all the pledges get refunded to
everyone's credit card. <br />
<br />
It would be great if this project went "viral"
and things turned around, and so me and my team have worked this weekend
to renovate the project page and bring new ideas to bear (so to speak).<br />
<br />
The new look on the page is aimed to focus some attention on something most fracking journalists have so far overlooked: <a href="http://www.endocrinedisruption.com/chemicals.introduction.php" target="_blank">The effect of fracking chemicals on people's endocrine system</a>.
Led by scientists like Dr. Theo Colborn, the latest data is suggesting
that the millions of liters of chemicals injected into the ground during
fracking operations can lead to severe medical problems, including
infertility, birth defects, and long-term debilitating illnesses of many
different kinds. <br />
<br />Choosing Mimi Jordan, the amazing
mother-to-be for this shoot was important to graphically show this
causal link that is now well established by independent scientists. <br />
I
wanted to share some more pictures from the shoot on Saturday with
everyone. Special thanks to Mimi, her partner, artist Andrea Rolfes,
and Jurgen Meekel. It is an honour to work with such a talented team.<br />
Jeffrey Barbee EX: Johannesburg South Africa<br />
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Jeffrey Barbeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14778260919261735837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314224320531897050.post-17255217032053478642013-03-21T04:13:00.002-07:002013-03-21T04:13:34.782-07:00Help Crowd Source The High Cost Of Cheap Gas<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Camera Technician Francois gets up close and personal with the huge skies of the Karoo Desert of South Africa while on a shoot for the High Cost Of Cheap Gas film project.</td></tr>
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<br />
I have been working now for almost two weeks to crowd-source funding for the new film The High Cost Of Cheap Gas. We are only 13% funded with nearly half the funding time elapsed. We are looking for conscientious companies, NGOs and individuals to assist in raising the rest of the money. Please send this along to your networks and freinds who may be able to help. This is the fist time I am working through my network to raise money like this, so its been a good learning experience, but it would be great if we could reach our funding goal as well!<br />
<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1865912331/the-high-cost-of-cheap-gas">Click Here</a> or cut and paste this link far and wide: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1865912331/the-high-cost-of-cheap-gas<br />
Thanks,<br />
Jeffrey Barbee EX: Johannesburg<br />
<br />
So what is Fracking?<br />
<br />
The High Cost Of Cheap Gas<br />by Jeffrey Barbee<br />1 of a series of articles about Natural Gas Development in Southern Africa<br />Accompanying Photographs Available<br /><br />As natural gas production fans out from America to the United Kingdom, Poland, and now South Africa, real questions remain about it’s long-term benefits and long-term effects. The latest research suggests that operations like fracking, drilling and producing natural gas are much more damaging than previously thought, both to the people around the sites and the environment which supports them. Mis-information campaigns and a lack of clear knowledge about the process have made it hard for people to understand what the real problems with this development are. Scientists and communities are starting to wonder whether the current price of gas covers the damage that the extraction of it will cost in the long term.<br /><br />What is Gas Production?<br /><br />Natural gas production in shale formations consists of essentially three stages. Drilling is done with huge rigs like the ones used to drill oil wells. The rig drills many wells from one pad, as close as a few meters away, using directional drilling techniques to fan out the wells like an octopus from the drill pad as much as ten kilometers away in any direction horizontally. Companies like Shell say they have been drilling and hydraulic fracturing safely for sixty years, but this is misrepresenting the facts. Horizontal drilling is new and only came into industrial use about twenty years ago in Texas and Colorado.<br /><br />Once the drilling is complete, the rig is taken away and service trucks bring millions of liters of water, sand and chemicals to the site where they are mixed and injected under great pressure in a process called hydraulic fracturing, also called hydrofracturing or simply fracking. At roughly two thousand to four thousand meters deep, past where the drill hole becomes horizontal, the pipes have holes where this extreme pressure drives the fluid into the shale and cracks it, releasing the methane gas and other chemicals.<br /><br />Once the wells from the pad have been fracked, some 20-80% of the millions of liters of polluted water mixed with fracking fluids return up the well shaft to the surface where the toxic liquid must be disposed of, often in settling ponds next to the drill pad where the liquids and volatile compounds can evaporate into the air. The rest of the mixture remains in the well, the silica sand propping open the cracks and the chemicals slowly leaching away into the ground or coming up with the methane and dirty water.<br /><br />For the 8 to 20 year life of the well, trucks must take away this polluted waste mixture that emerges with the gas. The waste can be 50% of everything coming up the well, mostly volatile organic compounds mixed with polluted water and the remains of the fracking chemicals.<br /><br />The potential problems with this process are not just relegated to the fracking of the well, as many believe, but every aspect of production, from drilling to final well closure. The most clear danger is when fracking fluids and trapped gas leak out of the sides of the well shaft into the water table though cracked well casings. Dr. Van Tonder, a geohydrologist from the University of the Free State explains that when they frack the wells so close to one another, the small earthquakes caused by the fracking the cement well casings crack. The deep water and trapped gas will migrate up through these cracks and into the drinking water aquifer he says. “In 50 to 100 years, all the wells will leak, this is a given”. <br /><br />Surface Pollution<br /><br />The fracking chemicals are mixed on the surface and stored in large ponds that must be very carefully insulated from leakage, which is sometimes not done. American energy analyst Randy Udall says, “We dont have a clear idea, is this water really being safely handled? and clearly in some circumstances, it is not.” Udall has studied the gas industry in western Colorado’s Garfield Country for fifteen years and believes that there is not sufficient environmental oversight to guarantee that companies are not polluting. <br /><br />The ponds next to drill sites also evaporate off large amounts of chemicals into the air, and researchers believe this also extremely dangerous. Dr. Theo Colborn, a medical doctor who founded the Endocrine Disruption Exchange, recently completed a study about the chemicals used in natural gas production. Of the 353 identified chemicals, 25% cause cancer, 45% affect the brain and nervous system as well as the immune system and heart, and 37% of them affect the endocrine system. As alarming as this may be, it seems it is the endocrine disruptors that should have everyone very worried. This class of chemical causes severe physical and mental disorders and interferes with fetal development in the womb. It can also harm the very genome that we pass along to our unborn children, harming generations of offspring both in humans and animals around drilling sites. <br /><br />Once the well is drilled, fracked and in production it can still be invisibly polluting. A new study from Cornell Univeristy in the USA has found that during production as much as 9% of the methane and compounds like benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, and xylenes may leak out of the wells. This seriously besmirches the green pedigree of natural gas, and according to the study’s author, makes it even more of a danger to global warming than using coal for power generation.<br /><br />One of the more misunderstood dangers from natural gas development is the simple arithmetic behind the development of a well. For many wells where water must be trucked to the drilling site, it takes as many as 2000 truck visits to frack a well. In South Africa Shell plans to develop ten wells on one drill pad and fifty pads to a development. So one pad can take 20,000 large truck visits, and the entire development? Thats one million large heavy vehicles using public roads and releasing tons of diesel smoke that contains arsenic, benzene, and other pollutants over a ten year period. <br /><br />Raymond Claasens is a Khoi San farmer in the Klein Karoo near Barrydale and he is concerned about the unseen dangers of shale gas drilling: “So it can bring in a lot of jobs, a lot of money, but what about the land? what about the environment we depend upon? As I see it, it is going to bite us back if we do this”.<br /><br />In rural areas where wells are being fracked, large amounts of diesel smoke containing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like these mix and react with sunlight, creating ground-level ozone. In Wyoming the US Environmental Protection Agency says natural gas expansion has pushed ground level ozone readings to four times the federal limit and has given the industry three years to correct the problem.<br /><br />The latest science coming out of the gas fields of America seems to bring into question many of the industry’s activities and much of their research that suggests this is a benign and green answer to coal or oil usage. Since many of the effects of natural gas development are only felt decades in the future, it is telling that only after ten years does the peer reviewed science emerging from the large scale developments in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming show serious side effects to natural gas drilling. <br /><br />Award-winning journalist and film maker Jeffrey Barbee is working on a project about natural gas development around the world. Right now he is crowd sourcing funding for a film about fracking the Karoo desert. <br /><br />EX Jeffrey Barbee, Johannesburg<br />Support the film project: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1865912331/the-high-cost-of-cheap-gasJeffrey Barbeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14778260919261735837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314224320531897050.post-40364552307069995032013-03-13T06:38:00.001-07:002013-03-13T06:38:21.439-07:00The First Farmers Of The Karoo<br />
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This is Raymond Claasons, a Khoi San farmer from Barrydale in the Karoo. Raymond owns a farm near the Barrydale hot springs. This spring, like many in the Karoo Desert is artesian, meaning a well where pressured drives water to the surface. Reliant on this spring as a source of water for his indigenous nursery, Claasons is worried that proposed natural gas development in the area may interfere with how the spring works.<br />
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He may not be far wrong, considering that Prof Gerrit Von Tonder, a geo-hydrologist from the University of the Free State, is worried about the effects of hydraulic frackuring for precisely this reason. Because springs like the one that feeds Claason's farm are often channeling water up from very deep in the shale along dolerite dykes that act like elevator shafts, Von Tonder says fracking could damage the springs that feed the people of this desert. <br />
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In this image Raymond stands on the deck of his house in Barrydale while a police van is parked on the road to oversee a demonstration by farm workers for increased pay. The Khoi San people were the first farmers in the Karoo and have been living in this desert for thousands of years. <br />
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Raymond has a story to tell. <a href="http://allianceearth.org/the-high-cost-of-cheap-gas-fracking-in-the-karoo/">The High Cost Of Cheap Gas Reporting Project</a> is a chance for everyone to be a part of this project and help make his story told. <br />
<br />The link the kickstarter campaign <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1865912331/the-high-cost-of-cheap-gas">is here</a>: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1865912331/the-high-cost-of-cheap-gas<br /><br />You can also see a short of the film on <a href="http://www.linktv.org/video/8686/fracking-hell-south-africas-gas-dilemma">LinkTV</a>: http://www.linktv.org/video/8686/fracking-hell-south-africas-gas-dilemma<br /><br />Jeffrey Barbeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14778260919261735837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314224320531897050.post-40945887114298427032013-03-10T05:07:00.000-07:002013-03-10T05:07:20.898-07:00The High Cost Of Cheap Gas On Link TVThe short promo film has already been picked by LinkTV! watch it here:<br />
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The Longer Film Needs Backers. With 27 more days to go we need to raise 22,000 dollars to make this film into a feature documentary. Support this blog and Journalist Jeffrey Barbee to share the what the HIgh Cost Of Cheap Gas really is. <br />
Click <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1865912331/the-high-cost-of-cheap-gas?ref=card">here:</a><br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="380" src="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1865912331/the-high-cost-of-cheap-gas/widget/card.html" width="220"></iframe><br />
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Jeffrey Barbeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14778260919261735837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314224320531897050.post-42674945589358544932013-03-08T03:36:00.001-08:002013-03-08T03:36:13.368-08:00The Launch of The High Cost Of Cheap Gas Financing CampaignHi Another Path Followers and Readers,<br />
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I have launched the High Cost Of Cheap Gas financing campaign on Kickstarter today! The link to that campaign <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1865912331/the-high-cost-of-cheap-gas?ref=live">is here.</a> I ask all of you, my readers and friends, to please forward this important campaign on to your networks if you feel like it is worthwhile. A simple email will do, and this is the hyperlink to do it with (just cut and paste it):<br />
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http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1865912331/the-high-cost-of-cheap-gas?ref=live <br />
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I will be updating this blog daily with information about the campaign and the story, and hope to bring all of you along on this expedition, at least in cyberspace.<br />
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This film is for everyone concerned about natural resources like the air, water and soil we depend on for our survival. It is for voters, activists, gas drillers decision makers and communities who are facing natural gas extraction around the world. It is for everyone who is concerned about their own and their children’s health and future.<br />
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This project takes a critical look at the gas industry in the United States, providing a crucial perspective to the debate around the proposed gas development in Southern Africa. Scientists and researchers are revealing that the explosion of the gas industry with horizontal fracturing in the US has come at the expense of people’s health and the environment. The promised economic prospects and growth were often s unsustained. A country like South Africa marked by high unemployment and poverty, needs the knowledge in this film to avoid the same mistakes that were made in the US.<br />
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Knowledge is power, and today through portals like Kickstarter, the people consuming the media have the chance to be in charge of its creation. Become a commissioning editor or a backer and be part of the creation of this project. Never before has the media had to answer so directly to the people we create these pieces for, and that is an exciting part of launching this type of project.<br />
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The oil and gas industry has almost unlimited resources to spread misinformation and suppress unbiased and critical reporting. The shortage of money in the independent media makes it hard to counteract these reports, but also offers this unique opportunity to be directly involved in cutting through the propaganda.<br />
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Do you care about gas drilling? Do you want to know the latest and most pertinent information? Then join our team. As a sponsor you can make your voice heard. We keep you up to date in our online community forum with reports from the field, cutting edge research, poignant stories and behind the scenes photographs delivered directly to you. This project is for you and everyone out there who needs this information to make informed decisions about our common future. <br />
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Thank You,<br />
Jeffrey Barbee, Johannesburg March 4, 2013<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="600" src="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1865912331/the-high-cost-of-cheap-gas/widget/video.html" width="800"> </iframe>Jeffrey Barbeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14778260919261735837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314224320531897050.post-47952188666861717282013-02-22T02:25:00.000-08:002013-02-22T02:25:50.971-08:00Reportage: In Lesotho's Highlands A Garden Grows<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuEHWH6VCkIrWRAhYf_qqltX1JzYEPwP5EHeH76HW4GpWCjVUL3sQftmobzRrjasJ9l8OF-10gRPhxRT7avPl2vvh4npo9ilNUF2acPM_ft_dMY-b_97RarWtte-bHYxL2XJsjS7xyHpMU/s1600/Lesotho-3C-jeff_barbee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuEHWH6VCkIrWRAhYf_qqltX1JzYEPwP5EHeH76HW4GpWCjVUL3sQftmobzRrjasJ9l8OF-10gRPhxRT7avPl2vvh4npo9ilNUF2acPM_ft_dMY-b_97RarWtte-bHYxL2XJsjS7xyHpMU/s640/Lesotho-3C-jeff_barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Katse Damn high in the Lesotho Mountains. It is Africa's second largest and supplies Johannesburg with a steady water supply.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdpilcelo-DO-GInqpIdSjsU24szXgy4PtybQ0Q7REpKGonOWXKzU8dAM0FIyrWcxZ3yaXbNrvyKG1nieoMhgUhEG2Z9sCpj6EVGWxcJAUknrE5ia73UT30NtIPXAHVYg2P6sNHHBkEgE_/s1600/Lesotho-RSA-+Jeffrey+Barbee-A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdpilcelo-DO-GInqpIdSjsU24szXgy4PtybQ0Q7REpKGonOWXKzU8dAM0FIyrWcxZ3yaXbNrvyKG1nieoMhgUhEG2Z9sCpj6EVGWxcJAUknrE5ia73UT30NtIPXAHVYg2P6sNHHBkEgE_/s640/Lesotho-RSA-+Jeffrey+Barbee-A.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking out over the Lesotho border with South Africa, from near Ficksburg just after a rainstorm.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbVXm7ByXDqhIlckX5TYywViJPO71Tyw7ZLouGA1uGKKWvsXXLaA4JBvXui3WamAACM1j3WIbGitp1-v8xLMq6szhTBzdFM1j0rfkAOsFWj-F6IIHIAUxlTxudpdBpMlbY86D9mHeE1BRc/s1600/Lesotho-RSA-+Jeffrey+Barbee-B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbVXm7ByXDqhIlckX5TYywViJPO71Tyw7ZLouGA1uGKKWvsXXLaA4JBvXui3WamAACM1j3WIbGitp1-v8xLMq6szhTBzdFM1j0rfkAOsFWj-F6IIHIAUxlTxudpdBpMlbY86D9mHeE1BRc/s640/Lesotho-RSA-+Jeffrey+Barbee-B.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A hiker enjoys sunset in a cave on the Lesotho border with South Africa, in the foothills of the Drakensburg Mountains.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAMHk4BBPf3xGra7aWLqjUlCWWNVOfmNWGt6oROT-ZvI68U9nXOtP01UXx-sKr41BfbQR4LCl2KxMHtDu1aLWrgPfYoJpMQi7F0qbC28oG-uhMRYoLdjTpNz-RNJAenvoiYdh52Pt-wiOV/s1600/Lesotho-RSA-+Jeffrey+Barbee-G.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAMHk4BBPf3xGra7aWLqjUlCWWNVOfmNWGt6oROT-ZvI68U9nXOtP01UXx-sKr41BfbQR4LCl2KxMHtDu1aLWrgPfYoJpMQi7F0qbC28oG-uhMRYoLdjTpNz-RNJAenvoiYdh52Pt-wiOV/s640/Lesotho-RSA-+Jeffrey+Barbee-G.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCe3LJlbRWi18Qd1XOVvXOrXNuLA1Yai3g0uXJqOeJYte2CGTln2KkgZEmglRAz_kLatg3iLyOC9JMthWXPoE7CrtGc-Wh_jizr5Dm8PRw73lZL0qI7jmwQC0fKVE6qGRtngwqSxHUASem/s1600/Lesotho-1R-jeff_barbee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCe3LJlbRWi18Qd1XOVvXOrXNuLA1Yai3g0uXJqOeJYte2CGTln2KkgZEmglRAz_kLatg3iLyOC9JMthWXPoE7CrtGc-Wh_jizr5Dm8PRw73lZL0qI7jmwQC0fKVE6qGRtngwqSxHUASem/s640/Lesotho-1R-jeff_barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gardener Thabo Palesa tends lettuce at his garden in the Lesotho Highlands. The country has promoted gardening as a cheap way to give people he nutrients they need. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1OHPCenBiuYcFyiRNjqPcKH0XorpVn7-Gdn3IYfiFVt5cOA33uVj_EXad91sIuR5Z-H8PcZ8ASzXe4Fy3GGUgb_mzyCB0CvjKpV3iIXeIow9kmpDI3DHcJlvoRXOqjqeg2hXfG5yDeP9t/s1600/Lesotho-2B-jeff_barbee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1OHPCenBiuYcFyiRNjqPcKH0XorpVn7-Gdn3IYfiFVt5cOA33uVj_EXad91sIuR5Z-H8PcZ8ASzXe4Fy3GGUgb_mzyCB0CvjKpV3iIXeIow9kmpDI3DHcJlvoRXOqjqeg2hXfG5yDeP9t/s640/Lesotho-2B-jeff_barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Theboho Rantiso, left and his friend Moshoeshoe Matlali tend their herds near Bobete</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqbuvBAZJu4Jqu42w4g-1EvWv7FTgVAVVH_mVtfoqtTzBQFWOh6nkDedRB_ZjDn0hjNrfu0Ft3S6vHqfpL8LLqdO6CrwMsvdzKZL2PvcsvILzpn4svS7KmjhiN8okK2rIc1mwyioarBIuZ/s1600/Lesotho-1Y-jeff_barbee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqbuvBAZJu4Jqu42w4g-1EvWv7FTgVAVVH_mVtfoqtTzBQFWOh6nkDedRB_ZjDn0hjNrfu0Ft3S6vHqfpL8LLqdO6CrwMsvdzKZL2PvcsvILzpn4svS7KmjhiN8okK2rIc1mwyioarBIuZ/s640/Lesotho-1Y-jeff_barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The small road leading through Lesotho's highlands to Bobonong.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq5ZH2Q_5njPT47_xAwgiF5EyPxvpVQOgA0lCj2lyrTd4_GnBE8s9HsiwAP1uD6nKCK3IIDzUJtiwJ5bKRzSnAynKixU5IkKZS2FT3vuIxXzwRa8HViPmg4sYGJ9eg-IkmpR1RtIFPqhy4/s1600/Lesotho-3H-jeff_barbee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq5ZH2Q_5njPT47_xAwgiF5EyPxvpVQOgA0lCj2lyrTd4_GnBE8s9HsiwAP1uD6nKCK3IIDzUJtiwJ5bKRzSnAynKixU5IkKZS2FT3vuIxXzwRa8HViPmg4sYGJ9eg-IkmpR1RtIFPqhy4/s640/Lesotho-3H-jeff_barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Henry Suthisi, 78, sits in his front garden near Bobonong, Lesotho.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoQkx5Bok61IQ8puHqM4rGNV7drheK_DbUXUjyDSgmb0f_98xqvgvFJmvj_8V6AjhG6mRAILXPglJZUhexoEWpDByAVfEiqKNYZeKNAf0FkJ9-CZfOVPtWpaV7HuomCCyyhuPOzgUN-Npz/s1600/Lesotho-1S-jeff_barbee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoQkx5Bok61IQ8puHqM4rGNV7drheK_DbUXUjyDSgmb0f_98xqvgvFJmvj_8V6AjhG6mRAILXPglJZUhexoEWpDByAVfEiqKNYZeKNAf0FkJ9-CZfOVPtWpaV7HuomCCyyhuPOzgUN-Npz/s640/Lesotho-1S-jeff_barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ladies carried every rock from 1.5 kilometers away to build the Lebokang Clinic in Lesotho. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6mS4oVxkJueW54SO1BqvIpstpjDY3CmnP5iBG2HREzdPkKCnClabajIhs3cHC2PHIgvOzM75GnImK8gG8-9ikM8pcqqL9ReWhhitHbpVKV2cced5475a7-dZSHu8u9q1oa3GuahU3eGZP/s1600/Lesotho-3I--jeff_barbee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6mS4oVxkJueW54SO1BqvIpstpjDY3CmnP5iBG2HREzdPkKCnClabajIhs3cHC2PHIgvOzM75GnImK8gG8-9ikM8pcqqL9ReWhhitHbpVKV2cced5475a7-dZSHu8u9q1oa3GuahU3eGZP/s640/Lesotho-3I--jeff_barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Makopanang Suthisi, 78 with her keyhole gardens. She feeds two families with the vegetables from here all year. Lesotho has one of the highest HIV/AIDS infection rates in the world, roughly 23% of the population is living with the disease. </td></tr>
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Jeffrey Barbeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14778260919261735837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314224320531897050.post-25648872656495871352013-01-25T01:53:00.002-08:002013-01-25T01:53:15.718-08:00The High Cost Of Cheap Gas-Fracking in the Karoo<br /><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCrCSLnoJ042scaEi9fe2FbSGXbaJJ-_6eeDgSbwrwPscL4CKibh_9AZ_pONrCmRtX82OsJcq4Et27FHSK6F-dmKquR1n8pTHXJV8AQM5De5F-FopWmUaDSxbX3uD9oDDbsVmvpe-HqnCc/s1600/Natural+Gas+Extraction-RSA-1P-Barbee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCrCSLnoJ042scaEi9fe2FbSGXbaJJ-_6eeDgSbwrwPscL4CKibh_9AZ_pONrCmRtX82OsJcq4Et27FHSK6F-dmKquR1n8pTHXJV8AQM5De5F-FopWmUaDSxbX3uD9oDDbsVmvpe-HqnCc/s640/Natural+Gas+Extraction-RSA-1P-Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The producer working in the Swartberg Mountains, on the far southern edge of the Karoo Desert.</td></tr>
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I am originally from western Colorado where Natural Gas development really took off about thirteen years ago. At the moment there are more drilling rigs working in Garfield county than there are in the whole of the Arabian peninsula. This unrestrained development in one of the most picturesque places in America has brought some jobs, a lot of money for gas industries, and become a focul point in the dispute around the technology’s safety and it’s side effects. <br />
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Now I live in South Africa, and today the gas companies are lining up to break into the shales of the Karoo desert here in search of a large gas resource. The size of the deposit locked into the deep shale layers of this magical desert could be 500 trillion cubic meters, the fifth largest on the planet. The government hopes this development will enrich the country and give it s source of cheap energy that is clean and abundant. <br />
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Up until September last year there was a block on all development, but the moratorium has been lifted, and Shell Oil is waiting for their exploration permit to be issued. Once these licenses are issued a large-scale drilling and fracking project will begin, so the window of opportunity to educate communities who will be affected by this development is closing fast.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhohrGMFC4xsKS4x9pON1ZGSEhfyktOHJgiwICGH1iRk_EGElKEmEGnq8LSuz8PJvJV459IxDUpQ-9JcTeWFvT8VLM26abmHNYLXC3V-yIihbNHyw0vr7T7hkh2X94HSXZfjrBR0TZlknP-/s1600/Natural+Gas+Extraction-RSA-2L-Barbee.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhohrGMFC4xsKS4x9pON1ZGSEhfyktOHJgiwICGH1iRk_EGElKEmEGnq8LSuz8PJvJV459IxDUpQ-9JcTeWFvT8VLM26abmHNYLXC3V-yIihbNHyw0vr7T7hkh2X94HSXZfjrBR0TZlknP-/s640/Natural+Gas+Extraction-RSA-2L-Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starry
nights near Touws River in the Karoo Desert. Venus in the upper middle
of the image shines most brightly. The Karoo is home to the largest
optical telescope in the Southern Hemisphere.</td></tr>
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But South Africa is water scarce, with only 70% access to cleandrinking water and there is little enforcement for existing laws governing pollution. It is home to the most polluted beachfront in the world and a mining pollution legacy that affects more than 7 million people’s health. If the past is anything to go by, natural gas production will largely be regulated here by the very industries that are carrying it out and the benefits will flow to the rich and powerful while local communities deal with the cost.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVbxhMBXPQSabo6yuIwbrXn71gKqf-NnXbuceYE3QfDCRuLicZIPDw6swtGeS3ZQTD65okw19otSQOvyClnlJYg_hA0eakyUXTVt0ZnAOxHHuvhEHoGadApf_T2DB20uj36OSQ84uKtcOJ/s1600/Natural+Gas+Extraction-RSA-1Q-Barbee.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVbxhMBXPQSabo6yuIwbrXn71gKqf-NnXbuceYE3QfDCRuLicZIPDw6swtGeS3ZQTD65okw19otSQOvyClnlJYg_hA0eakyUXTVt0ZnAOxHHuvhEHoGadApf_T2DB20uj36OSQ84uKtcOJ/s640/Natural+Gas+Extraction-RSA-1Q-Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A
rare rainstorm in the Karoo fills the dry gullies with rushing water.
Water is the key to the abundant ecosystems in this semi-desert area,
and ranchers worry that Natural Gas Development may endanger this scarce
resource. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Here in South Africa most people are not aware of this large scale gas development on the horizon and what it means to them. This project’s goal is to change that. The newest science tells us that natural gas production is actually dirtier than coal, creates ground level ozone and noxious pollution that is a serious danger -especially to our children, and does not necessarily bring economic benefits to the communities where it happens. In this film, these long-term costs of this technology are balanced against it’s perceived and championed benefits, showing clear examples of a possible fracking future.<br />
<br />
From Colorado to the Karoo town of Carnarvon, we share the lessons of my home with the people of my adopted country. Following intersecting needs and value chains we examine how the SA government is invested in Shell, we follow where the money, pollution and water will flow, what it costs to clean up a well and the health impacts of little known but terribly dangerous chemicals called endocrine disruptors. <br />
<br />
Through it all we will bring you on Safari through the rich treasures of the Karoo Desert and share one last look at a landscape that may change forever. This is<a href="http://allianceearth.org/the-high-cost-of-cheap-gas-fracking-in-the-karoo/"> The High Cost of Cheap Gas</a>.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlZKIGWXEVhtFXAWUK1HVPILk9jVATBn4sG9a8O2On0IxXSeYwkSQo6zB3AeJEAH2Mmn7YaWE32XESQeTdGhHbCEPvCe5CYPyCxK30v3eeVGfVj9vggMn6kd0JE8a14oxR_0F4XL90Iq7_/s1600/Natural+Gas+Extraction-RSA-3S-Barbee.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlZKIGWXEVhtFXAWUK1HVPILk9jVATBn4sG9a8O2On0IxXSeYwkSQo6zB3AeJEAH2Mmn7YaWE32XESQeTdGhHbCEPvCe5CYPyCxK30v3eeVGfVj9vggMn6kd0JE8a14oxR_0F4XL90Iq7_/s640/Natural+Gas+Extraction-RSA-3S-Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The
Square Kilometer Array near Carnarvon in the Karoo Desert will be the
largest telescope on the planet, with around 3000 radio telescopes like
these working in unison. The success of the project could be derailed
by the dust, communications and development brought by large-scale
natural gas extraction.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />Jeffrey Barbeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14778260919261735837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314224320531897050.post-48123249144238497322012-12-18T14:20:00.000-08:002012-12-18T14:20:12.665-08:00Namibia's Solar Revolution<iframe width="560" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/mUmIe-ijIVE?hl=en_US&list=UUg1cR85QydzGVd03P5ZATEg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Jeffrey Barbeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14778260919261735837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314224320531897050.post-75311279446298615202012-11-14T00:11:00.002-08:002012-11-14T00:11:36.926-08:00Botswana Goes Hi-Tech Green For Cellphones<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEU4_kw8Z5nPGQP22NNGtrlQRoVisCa7guPhtdGIcHPC9KQtyhSe-uyEEwisWTyitor-W3tBVzpljC0ArUEswOFsn5UHarJ08BUms4mV1s1yEfbiBWzaVPy-Srp3Papqj2S1y8uFF52qfI/s1600/Botswana-Namibia-1M-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEU4_kw8Z5nPGQP22NNGtrlQRoVisCa7guPhtdGIcHPC9KQtyhSe-uyEEwisWTyitor-W3tBVzpljC0ArUEswOFsn5UHarJ08BUms4mV1s1yEfbiBWzaVPy-Srp3Papqj2S1y8uFF52qfI/s640/Botswana-Namibia-1M-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enoch Lekgoa set up this system in Leshibitse working as a senior technician for cellphone provider Mascom.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In the vastness of Botswana's Kalahari Desert, the sun is powering a communications revolution. Huge distances separate electrical utilities in this desert country of two million people, and there are very few fixed phone lines. <br />
<br />
In the past Botswana relied on expensive diesel generators to run hundreds of remote cellphone towers but that is changing rapidly as the costs of solar systems drop.<br />
<br />
Enoch Lekgoa works in the main city Gabarone as cellphone provider Mascom's Senior Technician. "The system works very well and its better than the diesel systems because diesel is expensive to run, but with these we just harness the energy from the sun and it runs more or less maintenance free".<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin3u7xglMI9-qXhfI5xsR1IMvzglOOxDduf0zu92CGfRlYvF1s_cw83DA6CHa8rBifpBQMfazpIK8-7An5jdWkcA1DFjxLEYau-YER6-0wIN6eMTFGlY0M60tfFVQiA_vvMEINslosqkIh/s1600/Botswana-Namibia-1L-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin3u7xglMI9-qXhfI5xsR1IMvzglOOxDduf0zu92CGfRlYvF1s_cw83DA6CHa8rBifpBQMfazpIK8-7An5jdWkcA1DFjxLEYau-YER6-0wIN6eMTFGlY0M60tfFVQiA_vvMEINslosqkIh/s640/Botswana-Namibia-1L-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A self-contained solar cellphone tower in Leshibitse Botswana.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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According to the World Bank, Botswana has 143 cellphone subscriptions per one hundred people. That’s more than the UK, Germany, the United States and Japan. Cellphones here are as ubiquitous as donkey carts, wild animals and gorgeous sunsets.<br />
<br />
Now affordable solar cellphone towers offer a better, cleaner way to connect. The old diesel systems each consumed 3,200 gallons of fuel every year. And that didn’t include the fuel used to drive trucks across the country to maintain and refuel the generators and in a country chronically short on power users say solar towers have been remarkably dependable. <br />
<br />
Tumagole explains the problem and the solution very clearly. "Even the national grid is not that reliable, we have a lot of power out-ages and all that, while we have enough energy from the sun".<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Z5DgikNyAOuiPRiXFi1AozDSQ2DfvMK0zPpA2TBOfB02ELkDQ4_-NJa2xnU0psIIXNf5t6UG9D3MzhCi7IvU1g0afBjO7BbYyg-dAf2P4Zk6ZJSswyprXFge5w5Mazb_2jGPgBUWYBGB/s1600/Botswana-Namibia-1D-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Z5DgikNyAOuiPRiXFi1AozDSQ2DfvMK0zPpA2TBOfB02ELkDQ4_-NJa2xnU0psIIXNf5t6UG9D3MzhCi7IvU1g0afBjO7BbYyg-dAf2P4Zk6ZJSswyprXFge5w5Mazb_2jGPgBUWYBGB/s640/Botswana-Namibia-1D-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The night sky over our camp near Leshibitse, Botswana while researching this story.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
Botswana has one of the highest solar energy indices in the world, according to the UN.<br />
<br />
To take advantage of it, the system uses solar photovoltaic panels to run the cellphone microwave equipment and charge a bank of deep cycle batteries. At night, batteries power the system until morning in the remote town of Leshibitse. <br />
<br />
It has changed lives for people like 19 yr old Oteng Mooketsi, who uses his phone to keep in touch with his far-flung family, organize school work, and speak to his girlfriend two towns away. Standing in the sand holding his phone he says, "We can make calls easily because the Mascom tower is always working".<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4yfL8H1arO1NL2N5W9V2kZSXZWvl-ESDiyl-FW7JJCB5KffEsEQtvXXdc0yDC9ZumFCUrzIa3p7s9wjCGdxfE9tJtdqtyXdQhyphenhyphenQaT8_nGiX4CLLJhyphenhyphenuDH5IZwuh8RMFiPFgYKRk7O-n8k/s1600/Botswana-Namibia-1B-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4yfL8H1arO1NL2N5W9V2kZSXZWvl-ESDiyl-FW7JJCB5KffEsEQtvXXdc0yDC9ZumFCUrzIa3p7s9wjCGdxfE9tJtdqtyXdQhyphenhyphenQaT8_nGiX4CLLJhyphenhyphenuDH5IZwuh8RMFiPFgYKRk7O-n8k/s640/Botswana-Namibia-1B-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">19
yr old Oteng Mooketsi, who uses his phone to keep in touch with his
far-flung family, organize school work and chat to his girlfriend, in
Leshibitse Botswana.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
At Mascom headquarters in Gabarone, the country’s capital, there is more to come. Soon they plan to roll out a fourth generation data system to deliver broadband internet to most subscribers. <br />
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Mascom's Tumagole, sitting in an office building that is becoming linked wirelessly to the remote villages of the Khalahari Desert explains the hunger here for more internet. "Data Utilization is the main call for everybody to access internet, downloads, and we are making that possible of course".<br />
<br />
Jeffrey Barbee<br />
Leshibitse Botswana<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRAtKjj7ulXaFxwxiphTywkRTzbA4CAA_aAlK6hMWtzWkcM1mjG8E-a2onU0Q4Y6s3YpERC3xvZ4-leyUED09OhfqzPUEoDhjZEl5ZkkeExycF2LlQoIIcOQEJq_a4zYbnOziRKda8Blqm/s1600/Botswana-Namibia-1G-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRAtKjj7ulXaFxwxiphTywkRTzbA4CAA_aAlK6hMWtzWkcM1mjG8E-a2onU0Q4Y6s3YpERC3xvZ4-leyUED09OhfqzPUEoDhjZEl5ZkkeExycF2LlQoIIcOQEJq_a4zYbnOziRKda8Blqm/s640/Botswana-Namibia-1G-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After
working in Leshibiste on this Cellphone story, a long drive towards
Windhoek through the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, where we saw this
Kudu stooping down for a late morning sip.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRo9BSgvH5Mh2ZJyfR9YWH2RSUCdGzx2wW2L5txa-4_B5-YPHpNcseG672-vHVWo3MWveX0RYN0gj-0VtvXULPHImJzJGVwW_2m_nT2E2VHu6sUDlQMfMDBmbfYEaoUaAfASZJrxzxrTRo/s1600/Botswana-Namibia-1I-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRo9BSgvH5Mh2ZJyfR9YWH2RSUCdGzx2wW2L5txa-4_B5-YPHpNcseG672-vHVWo3MWveX0RYN0gj-0VtvXULPHImJzJGVwW_2m_nT2E2VHu6sUDlQMfMDBmbfYEaoUaAfASZJrxzxrTRo/s640/Botswana-Namibia-1I-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Spotted Eagle Owl in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, which the team passed after leaving Leshibitse.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Jeffrey Barbeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14778260919261735837noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314224320531897050.post-7739996266753160682012-10-29T14:43:00.001-07:002012-11-14T00:20:03.601-08:00Hurricane Sandy CompilationBlog edited November 14 to reflect a new 14 minute long footage compilation of the power of hurricane Sandy.<br />
<br />
Point Pleasant, N.J.<br />
<br />
This live storm cam, courtesy of NOAA, shows huge waves smacking the New Jersey beach. In the stream, power lines and a flag pole shake back and forth in the strong winds and massive waves crash on the beach.<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZIKolNQppts" width="420"></iframe>Jeffrey Barbeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14778260919261735837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314224320531897050.post-61026053691795059862012-10-08T01:24:00.001-07:002012-10-08T01:24:01.454-07:00Quiet Like A Lion Sneaking Up On Prey<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiThAEe_M0-SnS55FK4SzwG648cBwmC7NxYAEttyIoYIsmu-_JVJzZH4iXKlWvBZE41qc36NldLRKF0rW7AbA4Cl2pZAH3b3UVsUsZr9J962xxYenWPLAye8nu2-mgBNLrhjVULK1XOvxPN/s1600/Electric+4x4-1A+By+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiThAEe_M0-SnS55FK4SzwG648cBwmC7NxYAEttyIoYIsmu-_JVJzZH4iXKlWvBZE41qc36NldLRKF0rW7AbA4Cl2pZAH3b3UVsUsZr9J962xxYenWPLAye8nu2-mgBNLrhjVULK1XOvxPN/s640/Electric+4x4-1A+By+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This model was given to the premier reserve Londolozi to test. It came through with flying colours.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Quiet like a lion sneaking up on prey, Landrover’s new electric 4x4 concept vehicle is made for the African Bush. The company saw a place for a vehicle that’s both better for the environment and better on safari. Designed from the ground-up as a safari vehicle, it is quieter, more sustainable and more powerful than the normal diesel-driven landrover. Using no smelly fuel or dripping dirty engines, the 4x4 resembles its legendary namesake in form only. Under the hood this is a vehicle of the future.<br /><br />Sitting next to the front of the car in the last light of day, the Direct Sales Manager for Jaguar-Land Rover South Africa Jean-Pierre Joubert explains how the vehicle works. “It has a lithium phosphate battery, a sealed electric motor, and an inverter that basically is the brain between the motor and the battery.”<br />
<br />
<br />The concept has been well received in South Africa, where its range, economy, power and, most of all, silence has attracted the interest of high-end safari companies. <br /><br />“why is it so in demand?” asks Joubert, “because It gets you a lot closer to the animals and basically gives you an incredible game viewing experience which you would not experience with the likes of a diesel or a petrol engine because of the sound.”<br /><br />59 kilowatts of power suffice to get tourists out of the way if an elephant charges. It whispers driving up hills, and its sixty mile range allows long game drives at low speeds.<br />It gives safari companies the ability to creep along slowly and silently over obstacles, which a normal vehicle struggles to do.<br /><br />The truck charges on a regular power outlet in about six hours. In Africa fuel costs are more than triple the US, so the vehicle’s purchase price can be recouped in three years of daily safari driving. And its battery is fully recyclable, making it even more earth friendly.<br /><br />Joubert and his team are excited by the surge of interest. “The reception we have had, and the call to get this type of product into production very very quickly has been quite overwhelming and very encouraging”. <br /><br />Landrover expects to finish testing the prototype and start full production in 2013. Already the long list of eager customers seems to ensure it’s future success. Game drives may never be the same again.<br /><br />Jeffrey Barbee, Johannesburg South Africa.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcFnByAJSb5KFAgO8uPXrmjuDPffm4mWi1uG1JLTmcX056BhecNouiTUdbhW5k4R1Sem79Fu7fSBJ5X-JhfzaU8sJPQXcG8TkCdIUieUWugl96ABqStSXKONugFI-hmc6hOD_E6IwKb0wd/s1600/Electric+4x4-1B+By+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcFnByAJSb5KFAgO8uPXrmjuDPffm4mWi1uG1JLTmcX056BhecNouiTUdbhW5k4R1Sem79Fu7fSBJ5X-JhfzaU8sJPQXcG8TkCdIUieUWugl96ABqStSXKONugFI-hmc6hOD_E6IwKb0wd/s640/Electric+4x4-1B+By+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The vehicles are assembled in the UK and tested in South Africa.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Jeffrey Barbeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14778260919261735837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314224320531897050.post-38035748459348284742012-08-23T10:12:00.001-07:002012-08-23T10:12:09.935-07:00Around The World With Solar<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjws6Ls7l_TGosXqdi0Iaqc5WZqZgMhpdyQe59brCjf-c8KmxSPC2gUo2xN_0-Tb722vZFqfUi5MX5pUxIqKyKulZp8BJlD-zN2CPsyghxmDs_YXhXLArdZR1X6-1M2OmaB2WCH70roGjH7/s1600/Solar+Ship+Turanor-1T-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjws6Ls7l_TGosXqdi0Iaqc5WZqZgMhpdyQe59brCjf-c8KmxSPC2gUo2xN_0-Tb722vZFqfUi5MX5pUxIqKyKulZp8BJlD-zN2CPsyghxmDs_YXhXLArdZR1X6-1M2OmaB2WCH70roGjH7/s320/Solar+Ship+Turanor-1T-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Turanor in Valletta Harbour, Malta.</td></tr>
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<br />For those who worry that fighting climate change means sacrificing comfort, the luxurious Turanor might be a revelation. The world's biggest solar-powered vessel, run by Planet Solar from Switzerland, returned to the Mediterranean in May, after completing the first-ever round-the-world fueled solely by solar energy.<br /><br />Captain Eric Dumont, standing on the deck of the ship on top of the panels explains,<br />"Its time to realize it is a lot of pollution everywhere, and this boat is a messenger and maybe an alarm to say stop pollution on this planet."<br /><br />The name Turanor comes from JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings saga, and means "the power of the sun". And that power is precisely what the 32 meter ship is intended to showcase. This summer, it’s traveling to cities in the Mediterranean like Valletta, Malta. Each stop attracts a crowd of reporters and government ministers eager to see how it works. Captain Dumont, sitting up in the futuristic ship’s cockpit explains the local reaction: “They are looking at us like a hero from the new modern times, just because we decided to respect and use this solar energy"<br /><br />The ship's systems are simple at first glance. Sunshine falls on 537 square meters of solar panels, made by the company Sunpower. They’re the world’s most efficient -- converting about 18% of the energy into electricity, which charges two huge 6 ton lithium ion batteries in each of the hulls. When captain Eric Dumont pushes the throttle forward, power is transferred to the two electric motors, which turn special low-speed propellers. The 91-ton boat can travel for three days on the batteries without getting any charge from the sun, but there is a surprising problem with the power system.<br /><br />"It's not complicated to understand,” He says with a smile, “we have too much sun. Because for sure these batteries are full all the time, so we have to cut, we have to stop the charge, you know, sometimes. So the problem is too much energy."<br /><br />The ship is a traveling experiment. Technicians in Switzerland monitor the boat via satellite around the clock. Data from its round-the-world trip will be used to improve the technology, increasing its speed, for example. Right now it travels at a stately four knots.<br /><br />It might not be fast, but it’s very quiet. The Turanor is practically silent as it moves past ancient walls, around the breakwater and out to sea. Leaving Valletta harbor through the gates of the city built by the knights of St John, the ship’s captain says it’s easy to forget you’re traveling on a state of the art machine.<br /><br />Looking out onto the ocean, Captain Dumont waxes philosophical, "It is my dream to be on the sea. I have been on the sea since I was two years old. It's nice to be silent on the sea, we can see dolphins, we can see whales, very close, every day. So this boat is very perfect to be in harmony, you can think you can dream. For me, it is the best job in the world".<br />Jeffrey Barbeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14778260919261735837noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314224320531897050.post-18743021594245710442012-08-10T13:35:00.002-07:002012-08-10T13:35:30.206-07:00Sexy, Fit and Happy To RunThe Turanor solar sailing vessel in Valletta, Malta. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaiPTqeooxNEhZWel3IjiVRtmKYJNHdPzKKE12mmwH1zfrNu_CKA1jMtWu-7NxGGlrfnyW7PKmgzP_R2UUFxJCZvil4zHtmj7RMBUeScq4TzIZO3kE-Z1k2XTNNmXnfjVtbtx1HJXIXQGZ/s1600/Solar+Ship+Turanor-2M-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaiPTqeooxNEhZWel3IjiVRtmKYJNHdPzKKE12mmwH1zfrNu_CKA1jMtWu-7NxGGlrfnyW7PKmgzP_R2UUFxJCZvil4zHtmj7RMBUeScq4TzIZO3kE-Z1k2XTNNmXnfjVtbtx1HJXIXQGZ/s640/Solar+Ship+Turanor-2M-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The crew gets the vessel ready to get under way in Malta.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcia1EYnFhI383HUbfKvAGS2JVxvktnPrmDRPsV8NsGTwsJIAzjnzCQC7jkqe6fckJW4yNJ0ELYOqVdX-Uyr9JBsYeNumny7IApnieYdJXcDclmEU1Sm2FvVr3vle9wiL0PAMy2B122yjf/s1600/Solar+Ship+Turanor-2Z-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcia1EYnFhI383HUbfKvAGS2JVxvktnPrmDRPsV8NsGTwsJIAzjnzCQC7jkqe6fckJW4yNJ0ELYOqVdX-Uyr9JBsYeNumny7IApnieYdJXcDclmEU1Sm2FvVr3vle9wiL0PAMy2B122yjf/s640/Solar+Ship+Turanor-2Z-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Capitan Eric Dumont (holding the plaque) together with the Sunpower team.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFl2VsHHxLYUdLZseCG5fP1UyiK0-D0FuxhK2I69eAxjNLLOqerfjCvLIwdw6RH7JiENV2IbrQPz-k6YWlNz6fjtWzUapmcads_GhRLRvdC3fXb2cljdtNZfGUTKh5tWinPr-DhZYiN1i5/s1600/Solar+Ship+Turanor-3B-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFl2VsHHxLYUdLZseCG5fP1UyiK0-D0FuxhK2I69eAxjNLLOqerfjCvLIwdw6RH7JiENV2IbrQPz-k6YWlNz6fjtWzUapmcads_GhRLRvdC3fXb2cljdtNZfGUTKh5tWinPr-DhZYiN1i5/s640/Solar+Ship+Turanor-3B-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the water the ship looms high in the air. Built of carbon fiber and powered by four electric engines, the ship is a high-tech example of what humanity can achieve by using the latest clean-energy solutions in transport and fabrication. It looks cool too. </td></tr>
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I caught up the <a href="http://www.planetsolar.org/">Planet Solar</a> team in the Valletta harbor, where she was parked beneath the bastions of the old castle of the Knights of St John. This unique ship holds the world records for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by solar boat and the <a href="http://www.firstpost.com/topic/place/monaco-the-turanor-planetsolar-ship-arrives-in-the-port-o-image-035lbCQc158iT-2173-1.html">longest distance ever covered by a solar electric vehicle</a>. It was built by <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40417010/ns/world_news-world_environment/t/thousands-solar-panels-make-one-cool-catamaran/#.UCVm9kT-i5Y"> Immo Stroher, a German investor</a> who partnered with Swiss adventurer Raphael Domjan. It is meant to show what solar power can already do, and is an ambassador for solar energy on a "victory lap" through the Mediterranean sea during the summer of 2012, carrying the banner for renewable energy to places like Malta, which currently generates most of its power by burning fuel oil. In the next week I will explain more about this remarkable achievement, but in the meantime I wanted to share these images from the deck of the Turanor. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjMcUVtaYkvSxlmo4HPeSH9awSz4N0IcSoR8MpgMdtIS3J8KP7g5U6CICzkWMo0_0L3FlO2EC6MfMtWVfIbIRO-0ePew0Fftuj-PIAqO8g6EwYy77O6YyTQhNQm7-FxYdR2zVlKu9AhGwL/s1600/Solar+Ship+Turanor-2Q-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjMcUVtaYkvSxlmo4HPeSH9awSz4N0IcSoR8MpgMdtIS3J8KP7g5U6CICzkWMo0_0L3FlO2EC6MfMtWVfIbIRO-0ePew0Fftuj-PIAqO8g6EwYy77O6YyTQhNQm7-FxYdR2zVlKu9AhGwL/s640/Solar+Ship+Turanor-2Q-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The
boat is an ambassador for solar power, a proof-of concept designed to
showcase to the world what renewable energy can accomplish. Wherever it
goes people talk about, photograph it, and it helps create a dialogue
about what can be done with today's technologies when they are
implemented in new ways.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmrILigLKq80ZBmfhSDdZP3wKEmEjvaIvfa_wXNIRVRm9EXN1L9j6sZGVvM6OrMnDCJ8kG9d2dccJL7jsuYE7pMfMgP6Id9pnCRPM5Ag4QIlkPN_R9gGfcGluLzp4v6xovtWPsGT7Xnige/s1600/Solar+Ship+Turanor-1L-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmrILigLKq80ZBmfhSDdZP3wKEmEjvaIvfa_wXNIRVRm9EXN1L9j6sZGVvM6OrMnDCJ8kG9d2dccJL7jsuYE7pMfMgP6Id9pnCRPM5Ag4QIlkPN_R9gGfcGluLzp4v6xovtWPsGT7Xnige/s640/Solar+Ship+Turanor-1L-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">537 square meters of solar panels power the ship. It has no back-up diesel power of any kind. The lights of Valletta at night are reflected in the coating of the panels. The ship can operate for days without sunlight on just the batteries alone.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmhdTrJ2V_X_hSTiXs_-WOvuw5uuPJi1Jr5upXw-EHjz_JbsV2lW5TI73EWnpcWs4vKK8coW-u6RpMFBtWa-d0dXnHFZSLYkt9wXpX6IeFw2gKPGLItwd5skpC1PxnSULVG2MCfPTtvEZh/s1600/Solar+Ship+Turanor-1N-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmhdTrJ2V_X_hSTiXs_-WOvuw5uuPJi1Jr5upXw-EHjz_JbsV2lW5TI73EWnpcWs4vKK8coW-u6RpMFBtWa-d0dXnHFZSLYkt9wXpX6IeFw2gKPGLItwd5skpC1PxnSULVG2MCfPTtvEZh/s640/Solar+Ship+Turanor-1N-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cockpit shines red at night, lit by navigation-grade LED lighting systems. When Captain Eric Dumont arrived at the wharf, the attendant asked him what kind of shore power the boat takes, Eric offered to give the island power from his own batteries.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt1ShsYUkgr3eNhkYQpsWNhRPLgwLoxLZlIFVhoiwsvRV5l5PF6vCehB-Dt2hYq0gJkCWGVKpQctGpl6Cs43FC2NnjgyQpnYPWG6VbBa7UfC4Tm_Rqh48fCRQuzFFBmRN16zD1PHWXD_0-/s1600/Solar+Ship+Turanor-1O-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt1ShsYUkgr3eNhkYQpsWNhRPLgwLoxLZlIFVhoiwsvRV5l5PF6vCehB-Dt2hYq0gJkCWGVKpQctGpl6Cs43FC2NnjgyQpnYPWG6VbBa7UfC4Tm_Rqh48fCRQuzFFBmRN16zD1PHWXD_0-/s640/Solar+Ship+Turanor-1O-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Turanor just after sunset. The boat is heavy, about 82 metric tons, and made to slice through the water using it's sharp pontoons. Inside the pontoons are six and half tons of lithium ion batteries, each.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5qwKWffEC7Vh3JUFgyrbcY6rg115IMR5TXHECR3fkPApEzGsGsNUZljoXQJYqPTjcSdAWOsAjeGT5cC_HbbYxZbtnn1lumjSuOCRMbF_JmGn5QDPr97cLJnOHjAUWnJW51e8VVxkgpqgJ/s1600/Solar+Ship+Turanor-1U-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5qwKWffEC7Vh3JUFgyrbcY6rg115IMR5TXHECR3fkPApEzGsGsNUZljoXQJYqPTjcSdAWOsAjeGT5cC_HbbYxZbtnn1lumjSuOCRMbF_JmGn5QDPr97cLJnOHjAUWnJW51e8VVxkgpqgJ/s640/Solar+Ship+Turanor-1U-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunpower manufactures the solar panels on the ship, and maintains that the panels can still generate power even when the sun is low in the sky like this. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjKvXNQNj9sprr1bLNKjvW15SZZaQEx8FeSV12SBxv5Io4ttVbJFX_1hEwMgEZWxqn2bjoJ50cNSdRhoSOB0y4gwGRfgb4cCyKWJFwX4TvHOt0dzzR-Xzvy7FIklIbd3F9N6UzNTC1Xd2g/s1600/Solar+Ship+Turanor-2D-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjKvXNQNj9sprr1bLNKjvW15SZZaQEx8FeSV12SBxv5Io4ttVbJFX_1hEwMgEZWxqn2bjoJ50cNSdRhoSOB0y4gwGRfgb4cCyKWJFwX4TvHOt0dzzR-Xzvy7FIklIbd3F9N6UzNTC1Xd2g/s640/Solar+Ship+Turanor-2D-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ship navigating out of Valletta harbor. The ship runs slowly, using a minimum of power. It can go about 14 knots, but usually navigates at about 4-7, carefully structuring it's use of power. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhIYx3Z3UIEYjodJgaoOq_Mp9AzelJ2hEuL22rM3Za7Br3sAdZSyGuX9uFY__z0mfoNTKsVU12gLWZyvsMacboHlOanskbw7YRzRLtiP_W9N7-zoTW4zaUT0jO0qLPx8Zkp_3_YXu7Q-qJ/s1600/Solar+Ship+Turanor-2F-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhIYx3Z3UIEYjodJgaoOq_Mp9AzelJ2hEuL22rM3Za7Br3sAdZSyGuX9uFY__z0mfoNTKsVU12gLWZyvsMacboHlOanskbw7YRzRLtiP_W9N7-zoTW4zaUT0jO0qLPx8Zkp_3_YXu7Q-qJ/s640/Solar+Ship+Turanor-2F-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaving Valletta, the capital of Malta. The ship needs only a crew of four, but can travel with as many as forty people on board.</td></tr>
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All Images Copyright Jeffrey Barbee/Allianceearth.org<br /><br />Jeffrey Barbeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14778260919261735837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314224320531897050.post-15817892656992653542012-08-02T05:34:00.001-07:002012-08-02T06:14:45.227-07:00Colorado's High Country In PicturesThe past few months I have had a chance to spend some time in Colorado where I was born. I have been hiking, biking, even driving around this amazing state. Most people know about the wildfires that struck the eastern part of the state this year, driving hundreds of thousands of people from their homes. But the Western Slope, across the Continental Divide, managed to dodge that bullet, and got some much-needed rainfall by July. Still, <a href="http://learnmoreaboutclimate.colorado.edu/">Climate Change has hit Colorado with a vengeance</a>. Longer and hotter summers not only make the forest susceptible to forest fires, but provide for an extra generation of <a href="http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05528.html/">Pine Beetles</a> to thrive. These beetles attack water and pollution-stressed forests all the time, but now that the summer season is at least a month longer due to warmer summers, they have a chance to spawn further generations.<br />
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According to <a href="http://www.colorado.edu/news/releases/2012/03/14/discovery-pine-beetles-breeding-twice-year-helps-explain-increasing-damage">a new study by scientists from the University of Colorado</a>, what this means is if you have twenty pine beetles born in May, they would normally die before spawning, but now they are being born in April, then grow, make Pine Beetle love, and manage to spawn another generation, so each of those twenty beetles spawn twenty of their own, so instead of 20, you have 400 of the pine-munching little ones. So Colorado's forests are dying, and it is tough to watch them go. In the Vail valley, <a href="http://www.skinet.com/ski/resorts/2010/08/biomass-plant-proposed-in-vail">according to this report in Ski magazine,</a> they will lose 80% of all their pine trees. But there are some interesting points. One is that the beetles won't kill all the trees, only about 4/5s of the old ones. Young ones can resist the attack. Less pine trees often mean more of the gorgeous Aspen trees, which create more open woodlands that in turn support many more species of plants and animals. According to other reports, <a href="http://www.hcn.org/issues/44.8/bark-beetle-kill-leads-to-bigger-fires-right-well-maybe/">like this one from the High Country News</a>, all those dead trees also open up forests, create diverse habitats, and surprisingly don't add fuel to future fire threats.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWiyFuGLlZ91Wm8iKrccykVQsBfzDQMMvA0x8G2jFmoEM0vuTIwsyWKVZaR3k2XZgfBr73tRUNX0nw12pNXsj67o04MiJGSV93OPU46JnQ4_bNyz5l1WeQctbqm_1YfJNWCl0BXTSDXBX0/s1600/2N+Colorado-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWiyFuGLlZ91Wm8iKrccykVQsBfzDQMMvA0x8G2jFmoEM0vuTIwsyWKVZaR3k2XZgfBr73tRUNX0nw12pNXsj67o04MiJGSV93OPU46JnQ4_bNyz5l1WeQctbqm_1YfJNWCl0BXTSDXBX0/s640/2N+Colorado-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colorado's vast forests of pine trees, like this one above Leadville, are beginning to disappear.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEu5My2ZOonJWoVo2KMbNnxxZE7Ek8pFuhS0Jq89BBRfRZOapk1e7TUmc5V48Wst487t68NK2DqlNhrdaNJiHY5vz5HCuub7N6x5SNUMdrybPjoYHBqNdszkqzH90g3ASOyoqeHn2kb5bn/s1600/2A+Colorado-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEu5My2ZOonJWoVo2KMbNnxxZE7Ek8pFuhS0Jq89BBRfRZOapk1e7TUmc5V48Wst487t68NK2DqlNhrdaNJiHY5vz5HCuub7N6x5SNUMdrybPjoYHBqNdszkqzH90g3ASOyoqeHn2kb5bn/s640/2A+Colorado-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Pine Tree in the Frying Pan River Valley ravaged by Pine Beetles.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcb4XbCcpCTwv7d5Ll9Bd-LuFWqX639f8ByDarzeSSPLsVVsmIt2p-8CP32HrPAPC4jbGUqW2W9ZaysCzH3hP2eekrQkWq4g4a5nCaAGkmMYpodcc0-EEly4NdAlmFaXQIz-EuyRikVmGz/s1600/2O+Colorado-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcb4XbCcpCTwv7d5Ll9Bd-LuFWqX639f8ByDarzeSSPLsVVsmIt2p-8CP32HrPAPC4jbGUqW2W9ZaysCzH3hP2eekrQkWq4g4a5nCaAGkmMYpodcc0-EEly4NdAlmFaXQIz-EuyRikVmGz/s640/2O+Colorado-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As the pine trees pass away, eventually they will be replaced by Aspen trees like these ones, or so it is hoped.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigyUe98QwGXJv1pS4lt4zXFNUlBFLl70LlNsfUCkkyTnL5M3Yn2rddcbhXoi8c7jy-f6n1q4cI2GtjxX45WoAL2Ji0ixRxYqKt3fcmXT_z8cfoXk6FYstOZVvp-ri3SAX1RBrwnKXQGIJk/s1600/1E-Barbee-North+Fork.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigyUe98QwGXJv1pS4lt4zXFNUlBFLl70LlNsfUCkkyTnL5M3Yn2rddcbhXoi8c7jy-f6n1q4cI2GtjxX45WoAL2Ji0ixRxYqKt3fcmXT_z8cfoXk6FYstOZVvp-ri3SAX1RBrwnKXQGIJk/s640/1E-Barbee-North+Fork.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The snow covered mountains of Lamborn, left, and Landsend, right stand proud in the spring air above the North Fork Valley where I grew up.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgya__nl9Af1YIBCpXPF0pA84-O5bUbL2Z7rQadQE5eJB5Mtx2gbdkXwJ0EAxfzEKVQSWHlV0XDfoCvM8Tm95-Zt6Z6tcLwwRpNn8JXj76TPaPhbf4fuS72lw47_FfjMuyy2lk4oz_b1bgt/s1600/1F+Colorado-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgya__nl9Af1YIBCpXPF0pA84-O5bUbL2Z7rQadQE5eJB5Mtx2gbdkXwJ0EAxfzEKVQSWHlV0XDfoCvM8Tm95-Zt6Z6tcLwwRpNn8JXj76TPaPhbf4fuS72lw47_FfjMuyy2lk4oz_b1bgt/s640/1F+Colorado-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maroon Bells lake reflects the top of Highlands Ski area in the far distance above Aspen, Colorado.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi47rFMz879WR7kUa5IaRAhe8_slaGq5lhoNj-9_6pz7AKdCLJtowfnDwPa1TqOT5W2O11DfcxC4eeVlTBaHtWoZPdTiNzSzzOL9msytoqmT45SCAfGLjUrLW2jSF_AAtMqnpfgdc23Ohat/s1600/1G+Colorado-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi47rFMz879WR7kUa5IaRAhe8_slaGq5lhoNj-9_6pz7AKdCLJtowfnDwPa1TqOT5W2O11DfcxC4eeVlTBaHtWoZPdTiNzSzzOL9msytoqmT45SCAfGLjUrLW2jSF_AAtMqnpfgdc23Ohat/s640/1G+Colorado-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maroon Bells Lake with the top of the 14,000 ft tall Pyramid Peak. It is possible that this rock came all the down from near the summit of this high mountain.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvuVOnWCZEaTpHW31WT0NDPLCtQdXTDaxl7s-UvTMTQohZuUAaVFziKD0CjU95GlwDHi2K3cqEijIkKx5Gc0SGylBDT3mkAFqdeN0BWOvkK4BmdcC0qiockC8CxXwI43lHUqCKoL5panJt/s1600/1N+Colorado-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvuVOnWCZEaTpHW31WT0NDPLCtQdXTDaxl7s-UvTMTQohZuUAaVFziKD0CjU95GlwDHi2K3cqEijIkKx5Gc0SGylBDT3mkAFqdeN0BWOvkK4BmdcC0qiockC8CxXwI43lHUqCKoL5panJt/s640/1N+Colorado-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lower of the three main Frying Pan Lakes in the Frying Pan wilderness. The Continental Divide is at the top of the ridge on the far right of the image.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgfn-X0NCx5ZoqTi6jggNS6fwVYEANaTDRUD_KtBXhbQc52xYQtYbx-jruAj-F2zCwBDDXxJ4H2T_PCgzPZQGlz8Ga3q-dw7qt25A5FX3UhavCzlqX_JrJSbEO-ptZ66Wcqvlsg14iwZBo/s1600/1T+Colorado-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgfn-X0NCx5ZoqTi6jggNS6fwVYEANaTDRUD_KtBXhbQc52xYQtYbx-jruAj-F2zCwBDDXxJ4H2T_PCgzPZQGlz8Ga3q-dw7qt25A5FX3UhavCzlqX_JrJSbEO-ptZ66Wcqvlsg14iwZBo/s640/1T+Colorado-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The highest of the Frying Pan Lakes. Lakes like these are Tarn lakes, formed when the Glaciers pushed up a damn-wall in this huge valley.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIi5VxKKLIpAg-MoWKcg2WaGLlE_95Miy_wKm2TkH4lgZmpcEiOGd6jJ8iAvEXiZFgr1QKOiQvlyq39PsTPw9WnO8MIEqqZm-BgGVqlrChVz2yTwse1i5uJRDC6xJcDtb8aOhq0Qq5ZMZL/s1600/1Z+Colorado-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIi5VxKKLIpAg-MoWKcg2WaGLlE_95Miy_wKm2TkH4lgZmpcEiOGd6jJ8iAvEXiZFgr1QKOiQvlyq39PsTPw9WnO8MIEqqZm-BgGVqlrChVz2yTwse1i5uJRDC6xJcDtb8aOhq0Qq5ZMZL/s640/1Z+Colorado-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The mily Way Galaxy framed by a rank of pine trees in Colorado's high Rocky Mountains, more than six hours hike from the nearest road of any kind.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4hRiAay20fUaPBy_mVcLVPAf86nJ0KR0V2fQb61_2WBNjpmNdFzp6ny5AfLDgCsTpRQkbLpzYRT_6zU0zgxXSByfafUpaflxblYSyGLae04F_SXNfGQOC3XOvYMu4L61WMRSSW2ZqMYYz/s1600/2D+Colorado-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4hRiAay20fUaPBy_mVcLVPAf86nJ0KR0V2fQb61_2WBNjpmNdFzp6ny5AfLDgCsTpRQkbLpzYRT_6zU0zgxXSByfafUpaflxblYSyGLae04F_SXNfGQOC3XOvYMu4L61WMRSSW2ZqMYYz/s640/2D+Colorado-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Carbondale Rodeo, int he Roaring For Valley. Colorado ranchers love their rodeo.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqUydA4pHsEWcEHUEL3Uhvo74l7HqLS9M6rXlD3J87uJD-2XuXFZoigu5Mzt7UPhzl7RYadxW399B5SRGxrfwC8Mf-nAJezm8WayNVF8Uhl2ODO3c4iDOVFWlccblsz8SRgDisPfRuzYZh/s1600/2H+Colorado-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqUydA4pHsEWcEHUEL3Uhvo74l7HqLS9M6rXlD3J87uJD-2XuXFZoigu5Mzt7UPhzl7RYadxW399B5SRGxrfwC8Mf-nAJezm8WayNVF8Uhl2ODO3c4iDOVFWlccblsz8SRgDisPfRuzYZh/s640/2H+Colorado-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Independence Pass in Colorado, to left of the picture water flows to the Mississippi River, to the right it flows down into the Colorado River. This is the Continental Divide. </td></tr>
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Whatever the long-term Climate Change threat is to our high-country in Colorado, there are still some stunning places, and I put together a selection of some of my favorite ones here in pictures. I send out a special thank you to everyone who hosted me and supported the <a href="http://allianceearth.org/">launch of Alliance Earth</a>, and a very special thank you to my parents who helped instil in me a love of nature, wild places and environmental stewardship.Jeffrey Barbeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14778260919261735837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314224320531897050.post-45844929060812420922012-07-17T08:25:00.001-07:002012-07-17T08:25:49.688-07:00An Extravaganza In Dance, Film Puppetry and Images - Aspen Colorado July 22, 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLOP3Q04OlW2cGkeBKLsNN1Dd6htoCKQZzrSXpt6F2Tw_i5yY81lCamj7rMCx9D3GDKpEsPn0LFbZsX9fBFL5uF9iYGVyOgKrQjHjAlhN777fhPT-WcELcpw_xm_hRtUFIWQo5chocf7dm/s1600/Alliance+Earth-Invite-July22+S4l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLOP3Q04OlW2cGkeBKLsNN1Dd6htoCKQZzrSXpt6F2Tw_i5yY81lCamj7rMCx9D3GDKpEsPn0LFbZsX9fBFL5uF9iYGVyOgKrQjHjAlhN777fhPT-WcELcpw_xm_hRtUFIWQo5chocf7dm/s320/Alliance+Earth-Invite-July22+S4l.jpg" width="236" /></a></div>
<br />Jeffrey Barbeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14778260919261735837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314224320531897050.post-55725742178531228742012-06-06T21:46:00.004-07:002012-06-06T21:46:50.317-07:00The Key To Coral Recovery<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeYdx-7wDRh6uG4LqPFU7Lv_Rc-C6YczlTPG1_3YpyE28N0CO2GHzVdwBtl2lsWMb0LD5Ar1YXI65QExYmfasIEOiibi1RyOWmoE_SUN2ounDwxeJIGw_F703_E8BEYdgRwhx1SOVLbyXc/s1600/Coral+Restoration-1H-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeYdx-7wDRh6uG4LqPFU7Lv_Rc-C6YczlTPG1_3YpyE28N0CO2GHzVdwBtl2lsWMb0LD5Ar1YXI65QExYmfasIEOiibi1RyOWmoE_SUN2ounDwxeJIGw_F703_E8BEYdgRwhx1SOVLbyXc/s640/Coral+Restoration-1H-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Latticework
that supports growing coral at the Foundation's nursery near Key Largo.
It is the biggest coral nursery in the world.</td></tr>
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When <a href="http://www.coralrestoration.org/CRF/index.php">Ken Nedimyer</a> collected fish for a living he learned a few things about keeping sea life alive and healthy. He would go out and sustainably harvest fish for people's aquariums around the world from the reefs around the Florida Keys. He would keep the fish safe and alive, even growing some species larger to fetch a higher price. But over the decades, he realized that the fish were disappearing, even species that used to be plentiful. He suspected that it was not the few collectors operating, but the degradation of the thousands of square kilometers of coral reefs where the fish lived and bred.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoJWisRc-3ph17o9rl3RCyypBl3Fcp1ESKKrJSdgYsNpyyc-B8t6cGnaRRP6CAKGFLMcz1vnAxp9k2lOqJxSa4yhxClBn7FMD0VU4DA5aI1anXB6TCVDeLqfJ4nLOweGbBN-Vlaj2A3EbZ/s1600/Coral+Restoration-1A-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoJWisRc-3ph17o9rl3RCyypBl3Fcp1ESKKrJSdgYsNpyyc-B8t6cGnaRRP6CAKGFLMcz1vnAxp9k2lOqJxSa4yhxClBn7FMD0VU4DA5aI1anXB6TCVDeLqfJ4nLOweGbBN-Vlaj2A3EbZ/s640/Coral+Restoration-1A-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ken Nedimyer photographs a group of corals to be transplanted from the nursery to the reef. By cataloging what genotypes of coral he and his team plant and using digital photography to reference them, he is able to keep track of the thousands of corals they are planting in Florida's Keys.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQlo5f08_iGTyhMvoQn36aO_NBKOa3NCvdIfK1ZhsIfHs_rVKJ4QN4iL6iY8UnRAbD9UtM4aQrmMJVxNVH5LVk6-6OX0iIY6wQese09b_Xtxz7W2ZqdX0el5SAC29-68Dwm9XaAwNvj7pc/s1600/Coral+Restoration-1C-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQlo5f08_iGTyhMvoQn36aO_NBKOa3NCvdIfK1ZhsIfHs_rVKJ4QN4iL6iY8UnRAbD9UtM4aQrmMJVxNVH5LVk6-6OX0iIY6wQese09b_Xtxz7W2ZqdX0el5SAC29-68Dwm9XaAwNvj7pc/s640/Coral+Restoration-1C-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ken Nedimyer, left, talks in hand signs with Biologist Stephanie Roach, the Science and Education Director at the Coral Restoration Foundation.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAyq8qwKPC_ZhId0GvYCOhUuhPyIW2Ejo_4dxy17WinuUz612E0Ctt3QMiFOMtEYnitTu-xNnvfPwNr2W51ttMgA-kBwACM37cL_R_dmJXG162jtlSheYdGc6RjqpmYIIXS2A9tTPQ_lmI/s1600/Coral+Restoration-1R-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAyq8qwKPC_ZhId0GvYCOhUuhPyIW2Ejo_4dxy17WinuUz612E0Ctt3QMiFOMtEYnitTu-xNnvfPwNr2W51ttMgA-kBwACM37cL_R_dmJXG162jtlSheYdGc6RjqpmYIIXS2A9tTPQ_lmI/s640/Coral+Restoration-1R-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mira Dutschke snorkels onto a dead coral reef head on Molasses Reef. According to researchers only 7% of the coral reefs in the Florida Keys are still alive and healthy.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsFhD1wGOk_cXiafZC_KqamrozSrmI4yDggRAL69T3BtAOTPm_RumCsp5CxZwuKLnZzy0IKySsmaO70fGAdfkFfXWbQjh09uxKI-wZ_8x_IRHKSxWzBAa1bzxRcfSEbd-K7jiF7-DGh5ep/s1600/Coral+Restoration-1G-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsFhD1wGOk_cXiafZC_KqamrozSrmI4yDggRAL69T3BtAOTPm_RumCsp5CxZwuKLnZzy0IKySsmaO70fGAdfkFfXWbQjh09uxKI-wZ_8x_IRHKSxWzBAa1bzxRcfSEbd-K7jiF7-DGh5ep/s640/Coral+Restoration-1G-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A partially healthy head of coral on Molasses reef, with fish.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjo6HQrsmRnos0PCqiGge1CM2pfEjdLWrDMTw7MWFuZobulbw14di_DZaCpRbMOmXLMYTGL4O7av9QOdTvLuldno1ifrro66FjnOC9Oc0etdMnWFhNhMQqmk9bE20km1luIbnvqpTYZjuD/s1600/Coral+Restoration-1S-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjo6HQrsmRnos0PCqiGge1CM2pfEjdLWrDMTw7MWFuZobulbw14di_DZaCpRbMOmXLMYTGL4O7av9QOdTvLuldno1ifrro66FjnOC9Oc0etdMnWFhNhMQqmk9bE20km1luIbnvqpTYZjuD/s640/Coral+Restoration-1S-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where ever the reef is alive, fish crowd into it. </td></tr>
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He was witness to a catastrophic drop in reef ecology.<br />
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The Keys drip down off the tip of Florida in a broad arc and are the third largest tropical barrier reef in the world. According to specialists like <a href="http://www.fau.edu/hboi/ProjectManagers/BrianLapointe/blhome.php">Dr. Brian Lapointe from Florida Atlantic University</a>, only 7% of reefs in the Keys are still healthy. There is a large argument about whether the reef die off is a result of a bacteria that killed the sea urchins that were sort of custodians of the reef, or if it is a result of what scientists like Dr. Lapointe call "non-point water pollution". Essentially he and many others blame fertilizers from big, government supported agribusinesses like the sugar industry, as well as regular people using fertilizer on their lawns. These effluents often flow from the islands and mainland Florida strait out into the sea and cause algae blooms that then use up all the available oxygen in the water, leaving none for the corals and the fish that depend upon them.<br />
<br />
As Nedimyer watched the reef die, not only did his way of life come under
threat, but he felt a pang of loss for what he watched these islands
lose. Unlike many people who use the reefs from outside the water he
has been diving here for years and as he says "I kept wondering
what who was going to do something to stop this decline? Then I
realized no one was going to do anything". He stares out across the water to the slipway where he puts his project boat into the water, pausing in his own slow
island drawl. "After a while I thought, well…why don't I do something?".<br />
<br />
Ken Nedimyer believes that there is a host of reasons for reef die off, and many of the arguments are right, probably a combination of them. He feels that if everyone could stop arguing about the particular causes and fixed all the possible ways this tragedy could have happened, then it would be easier to get on with rebuilding the reef. This is incredible considering that many people believe there is no way to rebuild a reef. Conventional wisdom once said that when it is broken it is gone forever.<br />
<br />
So this independent man started using his skills in catching and growing fish to create a Foundation who's sole aim is to breathe the life back into the <a href="http://floridakeys.noaa.gov/">reefs around Key Largo</a>. Today the <a href="http://www.coralrestoration.org/">Coral Restoration Foundation has</a> a <a href="http://www.coralrestoration.org/CRF/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=62&Itemid=101">huge coral nursery</a>, the largest in the world, and is working across the Caribbean to help save and restore coral reef systems.<br />
<br />
<br />
"We have quite a few species that exist only in our nursery, they are extinct in the wild as far as we know". Nedimyer has corals growing in the largest coral nursery in the world that may hold the key to creating climate change resistant coral, oil resistant coral, even people-resistant coral. "We often find a large dead area with one small coral head, and this represents the only survivor of what was a huge die-off…how did it survive, why was it not affected like the other corals? I am convinced that the answers to the future of coral reef survival are tied up in the these survivors". <br />
<br />
He grows small coral pieces a few centimeters across on large wooden latices. After a year they are branched out coral, healthy and strong enough to be transplanted onto the reef. He and his tiny team have special permission through the <a href="http://myfwc.com/">Florida Fish And Wildlife Conservation Commission</a> to go out day after day, "replanting" these coral seedlings into like Molasses Reef that have seen huge die-offs.<br />
<br />
We had a chance to join him on an average day, when he and his small crew went out to the huge nursery to collect dozens of mature coral seedlings and followed them as they took them to a badly degraded reef and stuck the seedlings back onto it.<br />
<br />
In a world without sound they worked together using hand signals with the efficiency of a quiet military unit. Biologist Stephanie Roach worked at choosing which corals would be replanted, moving up and down the lattice system, cutting them off and letting them float to the clean sandy floor of the sea, while volunteer biologist Ben Rakov and Ori Galili went along and collected them and got them ready in small bunches to replant, their bubbles bouncing off the tall stacks of corals growing above them.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzBW69CPvhkIJ6mYuU8naLbx7CDhI-UqgT-twY5-KpdSw7r4YVfw4s_33Byi9BYYzY6_9y3U2MbnuduuFaZRht1zJYpi9FFANn5FSHSUiAToM7oNTxeUvqEcd67Z-2BrFJNXiQtz30Xjua/s1600/Coral+Restoration-1O-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzBW69CPvhkIJ6mYuU8naLbx7CDhI-UqgT-twY5-KpdSw7r4YVfw4s_33Byi9BYYzY6_9y3U2MbnuduuFaZRht1zJYpi9FFANn5FSHSUiAToM7oNTxeUvqEcd67Z-2BrFJNXiQtz30Xjua/s640/Coral+Restoration-1O-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Biologist
Stephanie Roach, the science and education director at the Coral
Restoration Foundation, places coral pieces to be "reseeded" into the
reef. The ferns in the background are signs of an unhealthy ecosystem.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuGskQMT4DlUAV4qPQZZ7YotWd3lM5yIigt9PHDeMoHKZzBk05i6ylN2iP3tac0jh5OHMvOWgWtJNQSofcC0EKHTWtqhex056T1NIy9yrDVG1amIXX8lKNO_yRafXaQk41uo6gWoWGJMWh/s1600/Coral+Restoration-1J-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuGskQMT4DlUAV4qPQZZ7YotWd3lM5yIigt9PHDeMoHKZzBk05i6ylN2iP3tac0jh5OHMvOWgWtJNQSofcC0EKHTWtqhex056T1NIy9yrDVG1amIXX8lKNO_yRafXaQk41uo6gWoWGJMWh/s640/Coral+Restoration-1J-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ken Nedimyer "replants" coral on a degraded wall at Molasses Reef.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Nedimyer and his team replant the corals in these little bunches with as much genetic diversity as possible, making a rough circle on the rocks that contains all the different genotypes he has been able to collect. This ensures that there is no inbreeding, and these geographically fixed species can enjoy a mixed genome that hopefully makes them more resistant to attack from many different threats. The corals take to their new homes with gusto, growing rapidly enough that in just a few years a real change is obvious. <br />
<br />
Beneath the waves, the damaged reef looks all right at first glance, but only when <a href="http://www.coralrestoration.org/CRF/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=62&Itemid=101">healthy staghorn coral</a> looms does the real tragedy of the reef collapse become clear. These tiny little islands of biodiversity stand like small monuments to what this area once looked like. Like devotees, the fish crowd around these isolated outcrops, refusing to even enter water that hangs above the dead coral outcrops. "They do not want to be around the dead coral, they simply will not live near it". <br />
<br />
By contrast the bare sand of the seabed never hosted reef fish, but above it in the nearby nursery corals are growing and a host of fish trail in the current behind these newly growing "trees" created by Nedimyer and his team. Here is the hope for the future. These <a href="http://www.fla-keys.com/fishing/">islands are dependent upon fishermen</a> and visitors who are here to see the reef or to catch a memory-giving fish that calls these places home. The whole economy of this little line of barrier islands is completely reliant on the coral reefs. Ken Nedimyer and his team may have discovered how to give this whole area's economy a new lease on life. <br />
<br />
This is not a touchy-feely story above how we should embrace coral, but a
wake up call that we can all be part of the solution to its disastrous
loss. The Coral Restoration Foundation needs everyone's help. Concerned people can adopt a coral for a small fee, watching it grow throughout the year and then tracking it as it is transplanted onto a reef. People around the world can volunteer their time, the project needs lawyers, accountants and marketing people, and yes even hands-on folks can come down here and help rebuild reefs. Everyone can be part of this solution, <a href="http://www.coralrestoration.org/CRF/index.php?option=com_forme&Itemid=67">just contact them</a>. The Foundation is happy to share knowledge and help others set up their own reef restoration projects. Already they have another project in the southern Caribbean in Bonaire, but the main purpose is help people everywhere reverse coral reef destruction before we have lost our ocean economies, people's ways of life, and the ecology that supports our very existence. <br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVSKm41oJhERLHsDuMTe7NIt_nhABNPOS5V1nh7UTyvy9hYvY40If2lQb7tJ6Wte5f-U9j8yq5RCPoBR6a6Gd7LOtoCbKB-3uMs1DfwKJ-e2FpvBQtXOdfiRYBgiH1LE-HTPzOedc-LD2J/s1600/Coral+Restoration-1Y-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVSKm41oJhERLHsDuMTe7NIt_nhABNPOS5V1nh7UTyvy9hYvY40If2lQb7tJ6Wte5f-U9j8yq5RCPoBR6a6Gd7LOtoCbKB-3uMs1DfwKJ-e2FpvBQtXOdfiRYBgiH1LE-HTPzOedc-LD2J/s640/Coral+Restoration-1Y-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stephanie
Roach, the science and education director at the Coral Restoration
Foundation chisels into the dead reef to create an area of hardness
to anchor a new living reef piece.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgetiOiXGpJNMHQNVK08KyEyCsvYYalxCOMGOIKaYL1sjFhSikjC5bvNGnIvJlnn-XDdSHPLvT7R0dCNXF4QaMW-qyhDqYZgWSlXG7H9IrV8g-6BFsAShHqhxfq9JTDDa2RmJhyjwOJzQaH/s1600/Coral+Restoration-1Z-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgetiOiXGpJNMHQNVK08KyEyCsvYYalxCOMGOIKaYL1sjFhSikjC5bvNGnIvJlnn-XDdSHPLvT7R0dCNXF4QaMW-qyhDqYZgWSlXG7H9IrV8g-6BFsAShHqhxfq9JTDDa2RmJhyjwOJzQaH/s640/Coral+Restoration-1Z-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Healthy piece of reef with fish, amongst a larger area with no living reef.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiTcUaE_84_meRP2jcLxKqtTNNm7bY6lLFYs2G4-4z8YIygOiOsNlLfQTmLNzOt4bvPlcRGyIvqei-K3ldFw9XcuFjMgE7NIA074tabPw8UAvnYtF_72ETA5S8sMkhl-Q529EQVHadsYNO/s1600/Coral+Restoration-1N-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiTcUaE_84_meRP2jcLxKqtTNNm7bY6lLFYs2G4-4z8YIygOiOsNlLfQTmLNzOt4bvPlcRGyIvqei-K3ldFw9XcuFjMgE7NIA074tabPw8UAvnYtF_72ETA5S8sMkhl-Q529EQVHadsYNO/s640/Coral+Restoration-1N-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Biologist
Stephanie Roach, the science and education director at the Coral
Restoration Foundation working in the coral nursery. Nedimyer believes
that some corals are capable of withstanding temperature and water quality problems much better than others, and hopes to help corals adapt to these changes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Jeffrey Barbeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14778260919261735837noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314224320531897050.post-36070724488945311492012-05-29T14:13:00.001-07:002012-05-29T14:13:52.076-07:00An Island Working For Everyone<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFRg6ZedpTu9Dfb9I8Z6vG_sONMaTos8Ken5DOfFT8XcX2FtF4EnoY-wtAapwHcW_Qh0tuCxz_WgNm2x80mt3m9VjgYKvsyaEsyNwV7A-SyVgC1lq7cuQzqhPwJ1dB743Fl_inHbgYSVok/s1600/Eastern+Islands-USA-1N-copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFRg6ZedpTu9Dfb9I8Z6vG_sONMaTos8Ken5DOfFT8XcX2FtF4EnoY-wtAapwHcW_Qh0tuCxz_WgNm2x80mt3m9VjgYKvsyaEsyNwV7A-SyVgC1lq7cuQzqhPwJ1dB743Fl_inHbgYSVok/s640/Eastern+Islands-USA-1N-copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sargasso
Grass on Cumberland Island's Atlantic Beach. The grass provides the
building blocks of a coastal ecosystem, giving small animals that become
food for coastal seabirds a place to live.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT_cdMqApt4YA7Hu9wagd9m8yBftEoLjfqQn9OCOne1llh4w6GTb9GYjKTuc9leYRH63cp3T1BIYiYe4s_bCEGXy3laWGLaclBxlGnL_ryJ2ABLA0DsgMFDPR3cvSmVH5OM0hYlSabTzfw/s1600/Eastern+Islands-USA-1H-copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT_cdMqApt4YA7Hu9wagd9m8yBftEoLjfqQn9OCOne1llh4w6GTb9GYjKTuc9leYRH63cp3T1BIYiYe4s_bCEGXy3laWGLaclBxlGnL_ryJ2ABLA0DsgMFDPR3cvSmVH5OM0hYlSabTzfw/s640/Eastern+Islands-USA-1H-copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Biking down the center of Cumberland Island through the Oak Forests festooned with Spanish Moss<br />
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Probably the most amazing thing Cumberland Island National Seashore is that it works. It is an island, serviced by a ferry, across a long stretch of water that takes forty five minutes to cover. It does not welcome cars in any way, and insists on foot and bicycle travel for everyone but the rare long-term resident. But it works, and people, like the birds that call it home, flock here with enthusiasm. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz36R2l-bSpWcFjrfGcp6sMAJ61ff_IRi53MOPNk7Wh7HsfSBoygSrppHnoxMPEbfI7iKm489sXWM-FhRCNHoGPZSMWbl1oBqN7IEk9y826qHO6Fv5a7c1TuwxZPIdsf5VZ5zsXuMepyUB/s1600/Eastern+Islands-USA-1G-copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz36R2l-bSpWcFjrfGcp6sMAJ61ff_IRi53MOPNk7Wh7HsfSBoygSrppHnoxMPEbfI7iKm489sXWM-FhRCNHoGPZSMWbl1oBqN7IEk9y826qHO6Fv5a7c1TuwxZPIdsf5VZ5zsXuMepyUB/s640/Eastern+Islands-USA-1G-copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dungenesse was designed by Lucy Carnegie as a 50 room Scottish castle on the south of the island. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh98HdJVym7igPAgZZxZ1lW1-aWD-LFNYdK1OISHsy2yB0fyHe-Be7U8R0oknNVaeykO3s1zz9JRpuS4lMixDSVypKxoP0ivmOmuBP5pF90tDpj23ompq8GmsOo35eXomvxc6uYWHSnqcM1/s1600/Eastern+Islands-USA-1W-copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh98HdJVym7igPAgZZxZ1lW1-aWD-LFNYdK1OISHsy2yB0fyHe-Be7U8R0oknNVaeykO3s1zz9JRpuS4lMixDSVypKxoP0ivmOmuBP5pF90tDpj23ompq8GmsOo35eXomvxc6uYWHSnqcM1/s640/Eastern+Islands-USA-1W-copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Atlantic coast of Cumberland Island from 20 meters up in our camera Kite.</td></tr>
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According to the <a href="http://www.nps.gov/cuis/index.htm">National Park Service website</a>, "Cumberland Island is one of the largest undeveloped barrier islands in
along the Atlantic coast. The island has one of the largest maritime
forests remaining in the United States and one of the largest wilderness
areas in a National Seashore on the east coast of the USA."
<br />
<br />
One family we met hiked the length of the island with their children, reveling in the wilderness, camping out every night at the convenient park campsites. Much of the park is booked out most of the time, even though there is only one main campsite with clean drinking water and no other places to stay except one extremely expensive bed and breakfast spot. Most people come for a day and travel around the south part of the island by foot or rental bicycle then leave in the afternoon.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqc8uPYNk5l3sRt1GizPrVhG9uGJ3ujmZJklDxeo9wsjJUQwrFu3iqkOmfMLCJC8QWJVv55i0HdWJBR2EqUc-B2sVQZpbSJMAbSiD3i-SQb9KaxruDAM0bg_aOqfV9DfOUkOlyqX-ee8f6/s1600/Eastern+Islands-USA-1F-copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqc8uPYNk5l3sRt1GizPrVhG9uGJ3ujmZJklDxeo9wsjJUQwrFu3iqkOmfMLCJC8QWJVv55i0HdWJBR2EqUc-B2sVQZpbSJMAbSiD3i-SQb9KaxruDAM0bg_aOqfV9DfOUkOlyqX-ee8f6/s640/Eastern+Islands-USA-1F-copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The wild horses in front of the ruins of Dungeness have been around since as early as the 1500s and were thought to have been abandoned by the Spanish.<br />
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<br />
One of the other most amazing things about this island is the wildlife. Most places in the world wild animals are just that... wild and prone to hiding out when people are around. Not the case with Cumberland. The animals will walk right up to a human, even deer and armadillos. Under the dense forest canopy most furry critters have such little fear of humans that a local raccoon walked right up to a fellow camper and stole the scrubby he was using to do his dishes. One deer even stood right in the path and refused to budge out of the way for a mother of two. <br />
<br />
Cumberland Island is protected through a special partnership between the National Park Service and the <a href="http://www.cumberlandisland.com/conservancy-goals-mission.aspx">Cumberland Island Conservancy.</a> The conservancy is proud to be a co-steward of the island, and helps raise money for the protection of the park. They also help with the research and protection of the Loggerhead and Leatherback turtle species that come to nest on the island. One night we went out after the moon had set and walked kilometers up the beach from Sea Camp with our red headlamps, trying to find one of these gentle marine giants digging a nest for her young. We did not see one, but this year has been a huge year for returning turtles on this barrier island and already more than 95 nests have been logged, a marked increase from last year. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Lt_wfyxisuX6_2YE7TQ12s5aTaeTGTWq40uU6Xqba6UUenPujWtqPKEs-GtP71lEsRU3Umu_oAICl2ZsLeCfK9jkI1jlfpQ-xLAOHZEu8r-fLsf8qGlH8yl4ZiKLla_c-qRn-zEEQTfv/s1600/Eastern+Islands-USA-1M-copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Lt_wfyxisuX6_2YE7TQ12s5aTaeTGTWq40uU6Xqba6UUenPujWtqPKEs-GtP71lEsRU3Umu_oAICl2ZsLeCfK9jkI1jlfpQ-xLAOHZEu8r-fLsf8qGlH8yl4ZiKLla_c-qRn-zEEQTfv/s640/Eastern+Islands-USA-1M-copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The
Atlantic Beach of Cumberland Island under starlight and the light of
far-away savannah Georgia on the left. It is here that Green,
Leatherback, and Loggerhead Turtles drag themselves up on the beach to
lay their eggs.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1SE0oLMUOQOqTBBH91OQpkA63_iE0_wxLRXjR65s3FwnnJTBKcaeO2_7rbE-dk3BYv-szovYjcDoyPyt6QWxhUc6m1l6i3osNedUqD0Lfny-6M0ZpZGMii3DN1pyUYeS_MLPleczUM5QK/s1600/Eastern+Islands-USA-1X-copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1SE0oLMUOQOqTBBH91OQpkA63_iE0_wxLRXjR65s3FwnnJTBKcaeO2_7rbE-dk3BYv-szovYjcDoyPyt6QWxhUc6m1l6i3osNedUqD0Lfny-6M0ZpZGMii3DN1pyUYeS_MLPleczUM5QK/s640/Eastern+Islands-USA-1X-copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A
Loggerhead turtle nest on Cumberland Island. The nest is covered by a
mesh laid down by conservation workers to protect it from feral pigs and
racoons. <br />
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According to the website <a href="http://wildcumberland.org/?page_id=10">Wild Cumberland</a> more than 50,000 people visit this island every year, but the website alleges that the owners of the expensive <a href="http://www.greyfieldinn.com/">Greyfield Inn</a> lobbied congress to remove the north end of the island from official wilderness designation. Alarmingly, it alleges that: "The commercial hotel lobbied Representative Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) for
the removal of Wilderness designation. In late 2004, Kingston managed to
slip a rider on the Omnibus Spending Bill taking the route of the
Greyfield Inn motorized tours out of Wilderness designation, as well as
the entire north end of the island and the beach. It was the first time
in U.S. history that Wilderness has been removed and fragmented." If these allegations are true, it is a sad testament to <i>Conde Nasts'</i> ratings that they do not include a caveat that staying at this establishment may endanger the very wildlife people have come here to appreciate.<br />
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Despite these challenges, the island remains a very special place, and one that carries an important lesson: For every wilderness area, people have fought for it to be named and remain protected. Every National or local park enjoys national and local champions. These people are real heroes, directly responsible for giving us these amazing wilderness areas we enjoy today and we all owe them a deep debt of gratitude.<br />
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For our little team on the Lily Rose, Cumberland Island is our last stop on our way north through the barrier islands of Florida and Georgia. The boat has been taken out of the water at Rocky's marina in St Marys, and we were "evacuated" (along with the rest of the public) off of Cumberland Island two days ago. Tropical storm Beryl was barreling down on the area and the Park Service was taking no chances in leaving campers on the island. Fortunately, the island is resilient in its natural state and the storm caused little damage, but according to local residents we spoke with they are already seeing some beach-front property disappear due to rising sea levels. Whatever the future of this grand island, for now it's present is a gift that everyone can cherish.<br />
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The journey up from Miami has been an amazing adventure. We would like to particularly thank the researchers and most importantly the crew of the Sailing Vessel <i>Lily Rose</i> for making this such a special trip. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp9qvS2724MW4GiGN18RPNixS472CyCnql_39_-5eFYNuOOSH0xa3rNXpQ8vTp0jMVnhiu8_WE8ShdfW9YVQlJBuAz4dofMvM_Zbv1vqvtqnc8H5V4FUqgfpvGI6sS4cZlvaiWCyJay2OX/s1600/Eastern+Islands-USA-1R-copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp9qvS2724MW4GiGN18RPNixS472CyCnql_39_-5eFYNuOOSH0xa3rNXpQ8vTp0jMVnhiu8_WE8ShdfW9YVQlJBuAz4dofMvM_Zbv1vqvtqnc8H5V4FUqgfpvGI6sS4cZlvaiWCyJay2OX/s640/Eastern+Islands-USA-1R-copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raising the sailing vessel Lily Rose out of the water for the hurricane season.<br />
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We will be heading down the coast through the far south of Florida to the Keys, the third largest barrier reef in the world, and the front line of the battle over the future of Florida. There we will find out how researchers are battling to save the less then 10% of the healthy coral still remaining, and hopefully bring some of it back. There also we will see how tiny islands are being affected by the global changes still to come. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu5quzqWHxAr4IwGrP7JANABgJsUt5tti5cgodHxuwMA2yFn_lFFr23VeVhN4g9glUrRRlybgjVs9PBhuadhczS7Xsx9nPlIad3mDFHuNSCKQjYXB5HgoSVFxW0I6YvN-IYKD2fQwg4pjr/s1600/Eastern+Islands-USA-1A-copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu5quzqWHxAr4IwGrP7JANABgJsUt5tti5cgodHxuwMA2yFn_lFFr23VeVhN4g9glUrRRlybgjVs9PBhuadhczS7Xsx9nPlIad3mDFHuNSCKQjYXB5HgoSVFxW0I6YvN-IYKD2fQwg4pjr/s640/Eastern+Islands-USA-1A-copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A
lady and her young son are evacuated off of Cumberland Island before
tropical storm Beryl hit the Island. The Island lays in the background.<br />
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These islands in the ocean and the long thin barrier islands of the eastern US coastline are the "canaries in the coal mine" of Climate Change, and we will be listening very carefully to the lessons that they tell us. <br />
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SPECIAL GUEST BLOG: Mira Dutschke's Images from the Islands<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfNzvvdUORx9TA97nUVp6HLIW5Yrvh_XFf0YSOVoPil_EdT80pUT4thSHLJnuebxIO5P1-5JYzQtijQHD5ywNjImJ8f6m_ex4BencBff-0g4ZdT-4QrSY9XlGYlFIht_jRarxprLOCOOga/s1600/IMG_8227.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfNzvvdUORx9TA97nUVp6HLIW5Yrvh_XFf0YSOVoPil_EdT80pUT4thSHLJnuebxIO5P1-5JYzQtijQHD5ywNjImJ8f6m_ex4BencBff-0g4ZdT-4QrSY9XlGYlFIht_jRarxprLOCOOga/s320/IMG_8227.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Storm on the Atlantic - photo by Mira Dutschke</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBqGXDRQQZ4aB-zBhL_ejX4kqfOh0er4HXgdefLBM1IVIjrpBZezLOr89KVk5NBXwYImPNOCrTsMTfWMvg-juBXLsz_bjkTBxgwZgdLatzcSXi9bh1crivrYvV7-C8uDfmzErwq8dOXVKV/s1600/IMG_8647.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBqGXDRQQZ4aB-zBhL_ejX4kqfOh0er4HXgdefLBM1IVIjrpBZezLOr89KVk5NBXwYImPNOCrTsMTfWMvg-juBXLsz_bjkTBxgwZgdLatzcSXi9bh1crivrYvV7-C8uDfmzErwq8dOXVKV/s320/IMG_8647.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tall man in little window - photo by Mira Dutschke</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMKNYR4lft5SuVyTXPq8nLjPLjonwJEQ9lCts7PZNhFTc7IZJBQxmGqr5UrFIwzsxjKBcFlfg1xiA8BTHAviXlhnP2Pgh0m4tDo3N0-Z7x3Lv8bKEA5_OQ5zhmqDwT9r6YbWUuIO5x7tub/s1600/IMG_8703.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMKNYR4lft5SuVyTXPq8nLjPLjonwJEQ9lCts7PZNhFTc7IZJBQxmGqr5UrFIwzsxjKBcFlfg1xiA8BTHAviXlhnP2Pgh0m4tDo3N0-Z7x3Lv8bKEA5_OQ5zhmqDwT9r6YbWUuIO5x7tub/s320/IMG_8703.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flying the Camera Kite at Nettle's Island - proof that good things can happen at spoils photo by Mira Dutschke</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGkDF6DmDI-CmWdd2ChdT8TMHah09-JSb_jf-AfX9Gd7KfeG-TwNiLCKFyQvHkWiEpvK4d0jODnMZ9Pf1rKNMz1NmZsDuGy306JMYTwGCaFHh_yK_V0c3SVhykCRQBUM9gna3KdLjP2ncb/s1600/IMG_9061.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGkDF6DmDI-CmWdd2ChdT8TMHah09-JSb_jf-AfX9Gd7KfeG-TwNiLCKFyQvHkWiEpvK4d0jODnMZ9Pf1rKNMz1NmZsDuGy306JMYTwGCaFHh_yK_V0c3SVhykCRQBUM9gna3KdLjP2ncb/s320/IMG_9061.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yellow eye and foot color coordinated snowy Egret feasting in the shore photo by Mira Dutschke</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioX-eVEeQ4kFg4PpK6IGf0WEcuPGKPgrSE6LWtNgRogH0aZlWkY4_YBtwbkQTZPxRl7k4yNBYsS0nf8n8XpMdEkFiJncEAz5JK9hFpUNfaPYvRjsFQejNyE8jhNVf3Oztku0yMqnyk3Bga/s1600/IMG_9352.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioX-eVEeQ4kFg4PpK6IGf0WEcuPGKPgrSE6LWtNgRogH0aZlWkY4_YBtwbkQTZPxRl7k4yNBYsS0nf8n8XpMdEkFiJncEAz5JK9hFpUNfaPYvRjsFQejNyE8jhNVf3Oztku0yMqnyk3Bga/s320/IMG_9352.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Augustine Fort - was attacked by the Brits but never taken photo by Mira Dutschke</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwaGe7fq1R4TeZ5a7CZDqXp9zy6FrbfjJDNDsUeaDJFDQOB1GpcQ39AY94v_jUDu5fZ0VT9Xav7pjonpFv7pZDXbGAkg9eSQY6xXUheQQcKY5UYV_Ycr7_zu9GJo5gh9oFcd1nTZ-LRkE-/s1600/IMG_9477.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwaGe7fq1R4TeZ5a7CZDqXp9zy6FrbfjJDNDsUeaDJFDQOB1GpcQ39AY94v_jUDu5fZ0VT9Xav7pjonpFv7pZDXbGAkg9eSQY6xXUheQQcKY5UYV_Ycr7_zu9GJo5gh9oFcd1nTZ-LRkE-/s320/IMG_9477.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Armond the Dillo coming to visit at Seacamp on Cumberland Island photo by Mira Dutschke</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHkxzILhaUh82i3Z8EOXv-7qrtJrr5qM7ZBYTNtS5yqN7MFI9goGbg9S_LPpPc6Z1Kd5uIq_DGDIsJ2zuC4RaMaHfg8usS3rxhh2ankHW4yZ7HJ98j2tcCj8hm68lF1s89HqcbPdwDJbLK/s1600/IMG_9490.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHkxzILhaUh82i3Z8EOXv-7qrtJrr5qM7ZBYTNtS5yqN7MFI9goGbg9S_LPpPc6Z1Kd5uIq_DGDIsJ2zuC4RaMaHfg8usS3rxhh2ankHW4yZ7HJ98j2tcCj8hm68lF1s89HqcbPdwDJbLK/s320/IMG_9490.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Punk Bird "Male Cardinal" aka the Anarchist photo by Mira Dutschke</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcwClLF1ehBA6sFGy815_MI86l03UpkBNIfRDpj-on7nmbIE6rMotHKwjUcNNEEcyE2rPpAr4ONRdmqEAz3MnppFOEcVHhUA9qLXICkbNv33CyDsUa3iJC9ZUe03R-xM5bgRlgNQ-BTXkg/s1600/IMG_9583.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcwClLF1ehBA6sFGy815_MI86l03UpkBNIfRDpj-on7nmbIE6rMotHKwjUcNNEEcyE2rPpAr4ONRdmqEAz3MnppFOEcVHhUA9qLXICkbNv33CyDsUa3iJC9ZUe03R-xM5bgRlgNQ-BTXkg/s320/IMG_9583.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wild horses at Cumberland Island Do not feed, do not attempt to ride photo by Mira Dutschke </td></tr>
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<br />Jeffrey Barbeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14778260919261735837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314224320531897050.post-63351932758896035512012-05-24T21:32:00.000-07:002012-05-24T21:32:27.705-07:00Our Dynamic Coastline - Success in St AugustineSmyrna Beach receded into the distance and we made our way up through the long thin canal of the Intracostal waterway, surrounded by bird life and the hanging Spanish moss. We were headed for one of the oldest towns in the USA, St Augustine Forida. This town is known for its ancient fort, built by the spanish, and the alleged site of the fountain of youth, but those are mere side attractions to one of the most amazing festivals in Florida, the annual <a href="http://staugustine.com/news/local-news/2012-05-20-3#.T78D-o4pO5Y">sea turtle festival</a>. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivp-Kg3GrQVdyVUGyJhqSP7WS3b4zozY91nJvWJsVInVNfmGz9tNMTJCSGNz3sLw0jbwjLTVFH9IMnEGiM1xMt7tKfVcQxr166ih9ax8Zu21XkU_nznSbb_wBgRe3YgW1gvhvKZynOqbCB/s1600/Florida-Copyright+1C-Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivp-Kg3GrQVdyVUGyJhqSP7WS3b4zozY91nJvWJsVInVNfmGz9tNMTJCSGNz3sLw0jbwjLTVFH9IMnEGiM1xMt7tKfVcQxr166ih9ax8Zu21XkU_nznSbb_wBgRe3YgW1gvhvKZynOqbCB/s640/Florida-Copyright+1C-Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The main square in St Augustine is one of the oldest public spaces in the USA.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitxJVYwty_JGQuO9JXw4pXvbKJeHYJatDiOwtrASY_0x20jp5xW-OWaRhw2ULqOXy67rgmdSRi3ts-h0bGxxUZ6lUs-DfeVf43P2srisP_3yBtrrqMoZPcJH5qkozlZTAZJ3Yg2kcBRiuJ/s1600/Florida-Copyright+1E-Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitxJVYwty_JGQuO9JXw4pXvbKJeHYJatDiOwtrASY_0x20jp5xW-OWaRhw2ULqOXy67rgmdSRi3ts-h0bGxxUZ6lUs-DfeVf43P2srisP_3yBtrrqMoZPcJH5qkozlZTAZJ3Yg2kcBRiuJ/s640/Florida-Copyright+1E-Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Katie Jackson of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at the 6th Annual Sea Turtle Festival shows children where the baleen of a whale comes down on her own mouth.</td></tr>
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Tara Dodson is the President of <a href="http://keepersofthecoast.org/">Keepers of the Coast</a>, an NGO that supports dialogue between different stakeholders in the community. As the festival wound down on Sunday she explained that having so many different participants and the full support of the municipality really showed that this coastal community had turned corner and now started to give the natural ocean resources real support and recognition for the "ecosystem service" that they deliver to St. Augustine.<br />
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Kati Jackson from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Service sat in front of the baleen jaws of a huge whale, explaining to children and at least one inquisitive journalist how a baleen whale really eats, and why right whales have narrow inlet jaws. It happens that in fact they are surface feeders and go around hoovering up the phytoplankton that occur on or near the surface of the ocean. The waters off of Matanzas Bay are the north northern Right Whale's critical breeding habitats, and the huge gentle giants are slowly rebuilding their population here after generations of decline. <br />
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But this was the turtle festival, and here both Loggerhead and Leatherback turtles, the largest in the world, are slowly pulling themselves up the beaches in the darkness of night and painstakingly laying their eggs before dragging themselves back to their watery home. May is the heavy egg laying season, and we hope to find some of these 800 kilogram creatures over the next few weeks. Already early one morning near place called Nettle's Island we found a "false crawl" of a loggerhead in the morning, where she had crawled up to the beach but decided to return to the deep before laying her eggs.<br />
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With Climate Change, vital turtle habitat will likely be one of the first things to disappear and already there has been a sharp decline in egg laying last year, though no one knows for sure the reason. This is not true of the festival however. Six years ago, the first event brought seventy people, but this year more than one thousand five hundred attended. Slowly people are starting to wake up to the magic of the nature in their own back yards, and that can only be a good thing for people and turtles.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlxv1eVZWywkP1jgm75fnqVWrOKKyFZPq5eKZ2kUdQVfayfBczjdkykTWkqiPh1Sr1z9_dJv9E2B1beR5XvwuUCNUEOl5ZRYYGNiuzYCRnomnTdz5Q5kldrPd-ynR_zZdLjtiJFLp3m0f/s1600/Florida-Copyright+1D-Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlxv1eVZWywkP1jgm75fnqVWrOKKyFZPq5eKZ2kUdQVfayfBczjdkykTWkqiPh1Sr1z9_dJv9E2B1beR5XvwuUCNUEOl5ZRYYGNiuzYCRnomnTdz5Q5kldrPd-ynR_zZdLjtiJFLp3m0f/s640/Florida-Copyright+1D-Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The old entry at the Hotel Ponce De Leon hotel in St Augustine, now a University.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6TnS6KSd6EzVr5ZqB0txECrAV7YpZ2kSgdZ5RxvebaruNUFPZiefuSg-teIJfFFbT08yHF_IbO2Lehctu9GI5DWXFeJgV-yUgUOCRRdlNg-h5jeJ4LcPvUevCdRTjyvWG6-WW9y1rFWUU/s1600/Florida-Copyright+1A-Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6TnS6KSd6EzVr5ZqB0txECrAV7YpZ2kSgdZ5RxvebaruNUFPZiefuSg-teIJfFFbT08yHF_IbO2Lehctu9GI5DWXFeJgV-yUgUOCRRdlNg-h5jeJ4LcPvUevCdRTjyvWG6-WW9y1rFWUU/s640/Florida-Copyright+1A-Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Augustine Florida.<br />
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<br />Jeffrey Barbeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14778260919261735837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314224320531897050.post-43980252377092254472012-05-18T19:29:00.002-07:002014-02-20T13:08:25.150-08:00Mosquito Lagoon<br />
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Right now we are sailing up the Intracoastal waterway between the mainland of Florida and the protective barrier islands. We just left the Indian River Lagoon, and entered into the Mosquito lagoon, just north of the United States spaceport of Cape Canaveral. Over the last two days we watched the massive complex slowly get ready for a launch of the first private spaceflight in it's history, run by Elon Musk's SpaceX company. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-p8BZH9Wub5u3GT9tBqruVug1VABaZDFm3vUsC59kY_y8mYgoSU-6BcyyQkcIuXmyshxjYsgIhaTlqV2ANem1g2PaGxZ_HDMM1o86DEOFl4626uNn4t8wsQao51HtXWszCJNZQUucdjiv/s1600/Islands+Project-FLA-1B-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-p8BZH9Wub5u3GT9tBqruVug1VABaZDFm3vUsC59kY_y8mYgoSU-6BcyyQkcIuXmyshxjYsgIhaTlqV2ANem1g2PaGxZ_HDMM1o86DEOFl4626uNn4t8wsQao51HtXWszCJNZQUucdjiv/s640/Islands+Project-FLA-1B-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" height="418" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The entrance to Mosquito Lagoon. Many fisherman and birds come here to feast upon the abundant fish species that feed on the myriad insects that breed here.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZz8SKM_OyhIpPPDbSVlPv6BVJUchmJJC4xAGrTRnJDe7r1NeOjkCt5DQT_ugCgxMtpcThQqsShCWFtlppmIdu7YPYoietTOTkLwOo4TQPbtn5X72u0i5aYJJPnRzQZWoQNJEIi9RqAw24/s1600/Islands+Project-FLA-1E-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZz8SKM_OyhIpPPDbSVlPv6BVJUchmJJC4xAGrTRnJDe7r1NeOjkCt5DQT_ugCgxMtpcThQqsShCWFtlppmIdu7YPYoietTOTkLwOo4TQPbtn5X72u0i5aYJJPnRzQZWoQNJEIi9RqAw24/s640/Islands+Project-FLA-1E-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frances Tisdel at the helm, as we make our way up the Intra-coastal Waterway through Mosquito Lagoon.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgicUlPsrDkflwGgtGvdsbT2QJZimBJqPZ_QdBarB9DSH7j5Ri48D9rB8cLkgD3zEC0qrd_mAo_0tPRE0mQfiUG4jdR0BOCXdCGIQwCP3RtQtnsdChvpudYcqD4YJShFquXeNmVNCjvS5I-/s1600/Islands+Project-FLA-1D-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgicUlPsrDkflwGgtGvdsbT2QJZimBJqPZ_QdBarB9DSH7j5Ri48D9rB8cLkgD3zEC0qrd_mAo_0tPRE0mQfiUG4jdR0BOCXdCGIQwCP3RtQtnsdChvpudYcqD4YJShFquXeNmVNCjvS5I-/s640/Islands+Project-FLA-1D-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mira Dutschke gets ready to attach our bowline to the mooring buoy so we ride out an intense storm above the lagoon. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNeK4s6SKIHuVL7GciE3KIv0zhChHfqSG1i6l6T5LnC-ixMksZqvjJY-50yR6HtoLG6VEHxQYT_xt9xFRjJULUZkR424dGa5gTfb7Fdc1n67Qei_wdgIzGyJVQa8JJl84lzFpNorknLlRv/s1600/Islands+Project-FLA-1C-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNeK4s6SKIHuVL7GciE3KIv0zhChHfqSG1i6l6T5LnC-ixMksZqvjJY-50yR6HtoLG6VEHxQYT_xt9xFRjJULUZkR424dGa5gTfb7Fdc1n67Qei_wdgIzGyJVQa8JJl84lzFpNorknLlRv/s640/Islands+Project-FLA-1C-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our
New Zealand neighbors at a mooring in the Indian River Estuary, just
before a big storm swept in. This area of Florida has had a terrible
drought, but now is experiencing intense storms with hail and massive
rainfall.</td></tr>
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The New York Times reports that the South African born Musk will be owner of the first ever private launch of a service flight to the International Space Station. Its funny to look out across this well-preserved place and think of the massive derrick far in the distance that houses this groundbreaking inauguration of a new chapter of America's space flight. 72 hours before the flight the area all around us has become a high-security zone, and we are forbidden from leaving the intracoastal waterway channel to explore deeper into this insect infested wilderness, full of abundant wildlife and some of the best preserved coastline in this low-lying state.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmLi4qKGebWA78If-jcdAPXZkDDo7D2w8SMzGTXIq93iVmpSdp-pnT8jGrZZ0WZ24y5-xK7oElZKTiNsJe7qHn-H_hW6dAGxXMkxI8lPBsn4GIfDzoHeMGK28vlbXKHIax8_mnkTAWNKlw/s1600/Islands+Project-FLA-1A-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmLi4qKGebWA78If-jcdAPXZkDDo7D2w8SMzGTXIq93iVmpSdp-pnT8jGrZZ0WZ24y5-xK7oElZKTiNsJe7qHn-H_hW6dAGxXMkxI8lPBsn4GIfDzoHeMGK28vlbXKHIax8_mnkTAWNKlw/s640/Islands+Project-FLA-1A-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sailing up the Indian River Lagoon on Florida's East Coast before entering Mosquito Lagoon</td></tr>
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The Indian River Lagoon/Mosquito River lagoon complexes are huge and make up 40% of Florida's entire east coast. Like areas further south, here the major danger for the moment from Climate Change seems to be increased runoff from larger storms that deposit large amount of sulphates and nitrogen based fertilizers into the lagoon. This "non-point source" pollution, as Charles Jacoby calls it, comes mostly from homes and farms. <br />
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Already a small crew of the largest deer flies I have ever seen have joined our little expedition, and no doubt the mosquitoes are following them up with a vengance…I can almost hear their winey little voices crying out to us: "come baaaack! Cooooome baaaack! we are waiting for youuuuuuu!". It has been a narrow escape perhaps, but then there is always tonight, when they may come for us in our bunks.<br />
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Mosquito Lagoon is a bird's paradise. It is also an oyster's paradise, a mosquito's paradise and a rocketship paradise. That such a breathtakingly beautiful place should so quickly move behind us is a tragedy, especially since we were supposed to meet up with Troy Rice and his team from the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program. We had a great chat with him and project scientist Charles Jacoby in Vero Beach a few days ago when we came through there. They invited us to join them in Mosquito lagoon yesterday morning where they were working to re-establish oyster beds. Sadly our sailing vessel the Lily Rose just could not get there in time, and our window of opportunity closed with Saturday's launch.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgssYVwJzz-pJ30ptwR3xENbIDovpOPkQqBSR3VAYFKx7r_morM6N8vH9VDg_a42WzpySVlU-7kLl4zAvJol20OB11IdM09-geJiUg_O519kZHvE2np79KniD9Yyk8qsEb5sse8yiFSEPh/s1600/Islands+Project-FLA-1I-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgssYVwJzz-pJ30ptwR3xENbIDovpOPkQqBSR3VAYFKx7r_morM6N8vH9VDg_a42WzpySVlU-7kLl4zAvJol20OB11IdM09-geJiUg_O519kZHvE2np79KniD9Yyk8qsEb5sse8yiFSEPh/s640/Islands+Project-FLA-1I-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" height="358" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Florida Atlantic University, Harbor Branch from our Camera Kite.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggwoOe433WZbgtDPANxMunSYLjDmDKyfC_mAoMrtrAJXhVeEDCBQv7mzHgzFFolzc7Vo4mUhJctc8l0BS2Zng93pBDv-cxea34ShIGq0TDQtJ3U8ldmPfpj_o824PqRDqQU3lOMQ3FAAwR/s1600/Islands+Project-FLA-1H-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggwoOe433WZbgtDPANxMunSYLjDmDKyfC_mAoMrtrAJXhVeEDCBQv7mzHgzFFolzc7Vo4mUhJctc8l0BS2Zng93pBDv-cxea34ShIGq0TDQtJ3U8ldmPfpj_o824PqRDqQU3lOMQ3FAAwR/s640/Islands+Project-FLA-1H-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Lily Rose at anchor at Florida Atlantic University, Harbor Branch.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimT-7LXIWLaneLtEjxkr2r3a8LEUdRkG7tXmkP7fy2fWzr83OpiMTbNl44yaV_gINm0nXSM6wetyC8yLdgtLNyXBr17yuLYs5e954xC6VQ_eaGlKQbKZzhV7jiGU74RWMFttUs-iKgmSNh/s1600/Islands+Project-FLA-1F-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimT-7LXIWLaneLtEjxkr2r3a8LEUdRkG7tXmkP7fy2fWzr83OpiMTbNl44yaV_gINm0nXSM6wetyC8yLdgtLNyXBr17yuLYs5e954xC6VQ_eaGlKQbKZzhV7jiGU74RWMFttUs-iKgmSNh/s640/Islands+Project-FLA-1F-Copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At a dock for the night in the central part of the Indian River Lagoon.</td></tr>
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Jeffrey Barbeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14778260919261735837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314224320531897050.post-59083875149153925442012-05-15T05:47:00.000-07:002012-05-24T20:55:28.169-07:00Adventures in a Changing World-Del Ray to Vero BeachWe are currently at our mooring buoy in Vero Beach, Florida, after having made our way up from Del Ray through the Intracoastal Waterway. Yesterday we were at the Harbor Branch of the Florida Atlantic University, meeting with scientists and learning about the threats that climate change is bringing to Florida. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqng12Xe1z8Tiu9h6e8WweCEaIuAQ1yAkOPoAqgEZCbtDj0VIinhnQieiPOqijeUoyxL9EXveQbpn0odYfzDjLVR5FvIntui8qSoSGbxwg5LNkb4huIiY-R9emYyZRldZ9R5wQfnMfN1qr/s1600/_DSC1717.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqng12Xe1z8Tiu9h6e8WweCEaIuAQ1yAkOPoAqgEZCbtDj0VIinhnQieiPOqijeUoyxL9EXveQbpn0odYfzDjLVR5FvIntui8qSoSGbxwg5LNkb4huIiY-R9emYyZRldZ9R5wQfnMfN1qr/s320/_DSC1717.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our anchorage at Vero Beach last night.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYVHgl2IShCCh-OBCYVvTufktjJcgHr_WwUgSBvYvIO66Z9rexAPDenJz1jxIGQijOlNYux2DrYXS64-vLfOMggFARhCKCq_-guQVMcukwRu8bIiiP1OJZd2ZECss6jGWFbovYcEQgrWlv/s1600/Florida+Islands-copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee-1E-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYVHgl2IShCCh-OBCYVvTufktjJcgHr_WwUgSBvYvIO66Z9rexAPDenJz1jxIGQijOlNYux2DrYXS64-vLfOMggFARhCKCq_-guQVMcukwRu8bIiiP1OJZd2ZECss6jGWFbovYcEQgrWlv/s320/Florida+Islands-copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee-1E-.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The team sailing with watermelon.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE11O1dnKUEldsTPXxmaFWkXmKvGNZiGb6Oxefh-auvEsfHLeSgwVfGVpxg4VQYkMp2-crv-3_1bhyphenhyphen-5p2J-tFuG0C2x8-w0zz9xZZ2ZdahdEhpIWBK0Ay9XAqGN9zUO_vs-vRTD4l_msF/s1600/Florida+Islands-copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee-1F-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE11O1dnKUEldsTPXxmaFWkXmKvGNZiGb6Oxefh-auvEsfHLeSgwVfGVpxg4VQYkMp2-crv-3_1bhyphenhyphen-5p2J-tFuG0C2x8-w0zz9xZZ2ZdahdEhpIWBK0Ay9XAqGN9zUO_vs-vRTD4l_msF/s640/Florida+Islands-copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee-1F-.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The author meeting with researcher Nicki Desjardin, who is studying Loggerhead and Leather-back turtles on the Atlantic beach in front of Nettles Island.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_weXG8tTS7USdJerduNGAC-mbXHJpTykqhCudts7pkKqTfgsiBtFpVrYiOlf6jc0Wg_ki6Y3lO6NNWwgUNfrPFXm-MRIv9TvCXj6l0AURaAq_kqHlEOwcdGzMOoEtBXSPtsK9Vs0ckm-j/s1600/Florida+Islands-copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee-1C-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_weXG8tTS7USdJerduNGAC-mbXHJpTykqhCudts7pkKqTfgsiBtFpVrYiOlf6jc0Wg_ki6Y3lO6NNWwgUNfrPFXm-MRIv9TvCXj6l0AURaAq_kqHlEOwcdGzMOoEtBXSPtsK9Vs0ckm-j/s320/Florida+Islands-copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee-1C-.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Never a good idea...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr. Brian Lapointe getting interviewd by the team at Florida Atlantic University</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj6_wxjVHEVyi3zjzfHbgQEgyrehva4Ojj3OH5jDFBNCPj829fk3dbxi0a82GlkQtumnVCWbzDSpwulnrUyGQWuBy3Y18GIadSWB02XsbSANGjG7uSeyyvPkyl3dKVMzyVyoz1bZimKrPK/s1600/Florida+Islands-copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee-1A-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj6_wxjVHEVyi3zjzfHbgQEgyrehva4Ojj3OH5jDFBNCPj829fk3dbxi0a82GlkQtumnVCWbzDSpwulnrUyGQWuBy3Y18GIadSWB02XsbSANGjG7uSeyyvPkyl3dKVMzyVyoz1bZimKrPK/s640/Florida+Islands-copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee-1A-.jpg" width="640" /> </a></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sailing away from Harbor Branch, Florida Atlantic University</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPEGB2fbZBAxIQORXZO41c__PX9Yt_OhCLvRhqg-urbH3S1wjPv2E8N6NROYcMmyV0HTayk0yioT9b9UftFEc7wFbx0WNx2HXDZMGk9EW4w_0HrONn1eyxlIPFyjp61CuzT0HBUkOnqMIN/s1600/Florida+Islands-copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee-1G-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPEGB2fbZBAxIQORXZO41c__PX9Yt_OhCLvRhqg-urbH3S1wjPv2E8N6NROYcMmyV0HTayk0yioT9b9UftFEc7wFbx0WNx2HXDZMGk9EW4w_0HrONn1eyxlIPFyjp61CuzT0HBUkOnqMIN/s640/Florida+Islands-copyright+Jeffrey+Barbee-1G-.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kite camera above the Florida Barrier islands</td></tr>
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There are many serious issues, including the loss of fresh water lenses on the Keys of Florida. These little islands poke southwards form the state, and bring thousands of tourists a year to this low lying coastal area. They are surrounded by coral reefs. The islands themselves, like many coral islands in the world, have a "lense" of fresh clean water that "floats" on the sea water around it in the porous island coral. Researchers like Dr. Brian Lapointe are studying how these fresh water lenses are disappearing, mostly due to inundation by rising sea levels caused by Climate Change. He suggests that sea levels have already risen by as much as a foot (roughly 15 cm) around Florida.<br />
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But this is not the most dire of issues. In Florida, the politically powerful farms that lie just above the world famous Everglades pump millions of tons of fertilizer into their crops, mostly sugarcane. With Climate Change comes greater rainfall and these increasing flood events cause more runoff into the fragile marine ecosystems around the Florida Keys. Greater runoff forces these unsustainable farms to pump even more fertilizer onto their land. In this runoff into the ocean are huge amounts of fertilizers, and these cause algae blooms and over-oxygenation of the water. <br />
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<b>(this post has been corrected on May 25th, 2012): This is not true as my brother John Michael Barbee, who has a masters degree in environmental engineering, points out: "I noticed in your recent blog that you posted a comment about the fertilizer loading on land that drains into the ocean, causing algal blooms and, eventually, "over-oxygenation". You seem to imply that over-oxygenation is the problem but it is not--it is the depletion of oxygen that comes from the cycle of algal bloom life and death where bacteria demand oxygen for their own survival when they "eat" the detritus from the algae blooms. this leads to dead zones where there is not enough dissolved oxygen for life, especially fish, which are the most sensitive, usually hope that clarification is helpful."</b><br />
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My apologies for the confusion and my huge thanks to Mike for pointing this out.<br />
-Jeff Barbee<br />
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Dr. Lapointe told us yesterday that maybe only 7% of all the coral in the keys is still clean and healthy. This has had terrible financial repercussions for the state, local communities and fisherman, who all rely on this valuable resource to provide a living for themselves and their families.<br />
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Today we are headed up to Indian River Lagoon, to meet with the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program scientists. They are working at restoring the ecosystems that help clean some of the runoff from the large scale farming in the state before it enters the sea. <br />
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<br />Jeffrey Barbeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14778260919261735837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314224320531897050.post-76922790578857375222012-05-11T08:47:00.000-07:002012-05-11T08:47:16.772-07:00Islands Project: Days 1 to 3 - A Photographic DiaryWe flew into Miami, and met the Lily Rose and her crew at the MiaMarina docks after a huge Argentinian feast following a nine hour air-journey from Denver Colorado. We are traveling up through the barrier islands of the US coastal states of Florida and Georgia, following scientists who are working at the forefront of global climate change. <br />
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These coastal islands are the American front line in the world of rising sea levels, and we are here to find out if these changes are already happening and whether this low-lying state is at risk. We are also here to celebrate some amazing conservation triumphs and some interesting challenges that are only now coming to light.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Fort Lauderdale Beachfront. Called the Miracle Mile...for no reason we could discern.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiampfl3TMlMfTf_GTz1I9TyP60fouIHbX3bJJZxvo3nekxqlCYOa-iHiGU9hYy2pKJZDnFKUZqrGYLIJvtvSxmqG5kCc56nLB1qkHarX1cXoDtDYAO_Q_OHlUGeTCuXSYYeCof63JtmREC/s1600/A-Copyright+1G+Jeffrey+Barbee-Florida+ICW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiampfl3TMlMfTf_GTz1I9TyP60fouIHbX3bJJZxvo3nekxqlCYOa-iHiGU9hYy2pKJZDnFKUZqrGYLIJvtvSxmqG5kCc56nLB1qkHarX1cXoDtDYAO_Q_OHlUGeTCuXSYYeCof63JtmREC/s640/A-Copyright+1G+Jeffrey+Barbee-Florida+ICW.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Sailing ship Lily Rose underway, moving north from Miami to Ft Lauderdale.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAYIjOFdGB2AwLukAyoeTMSCxtxSLSaxPczoYOT3tmuC7RsxbtBQLyPt9tR8kJhH7nzwpw0N1gbSdKFnfxnoNV65JXY5SHBgPqR68e55svwPkW-ptpIkwHw_Go0LWmXgjJ_3WR2PHtS1Xq/s1600/A-Copyright+1H+Jeffrey+Barbee-Florida+ICW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAYIjOFdGB2AwLukAyoeTMSCxtxSLSaxPczoYOT3tmuC7RsxbtBQLyPt9tR8kJhH7nzwpw0N1gbSdKFnfxnoNV65JXY5SHBgPqR68e55svwPkW-ptpIkwHw_Go0LWmXgjJ_3WR2PHtS1Xq/s640/A-Copyright+1H+Jeffrey+Barbee-Florida+ICW.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of s series of rather large bridges that must be raised for us to pass through. There may be as many as 20. It seems at odds with our little sailing ship to be able to hold up bridges and even cars, but it is nevertheless the case.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-8AZOJIstiOpSEps7ynkmfLB2lTX6BR7fPUKeQt27azOcQoSTt2RpPcNukZB8UGwyJv7SKYNgK5jnWCssTrFMSiPz5Ib03pFTeEsLz3X6smXWE8V019IgWVRRztR0M4KbUPNapQD9SRsO/s1600/A-Copyright+1I+Jeffrey+Barbee-Florida+ICW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-8AZOJIstiOpSEps7ynkmfLB2lTX6BR7fPUKeQt27azOcQoSTt2RpPcNukZB8UGwyJv7SKYNgK5jnWCssTrFMSiPz5Ib03pFTeEsLz3X6smXWE8V019IgWVRRztR0M4KbUPNapQD9SRsO/s640/A-Copyright+1I+Jeffrey+Barbee-Florida+ICW.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miami on our first night. This huge city's water supply is at risk from rising sea levels.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimFPkumnyEQTazreHrK2-FzrfPXaj4Huw7lvvXrye5MdYEssbOrZvdw8mSHnL_BTYzvCCFZSQ51Ge64XmMln9V-FeS5MWCqZ2EJ22PmWHnQVRh2tdHq6Ot8UhQIjU-Q0fft64S5gva1U1y/s1600/A-Copyright+1e+Jeffrey+Barbee-Florida+ICW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimFPkumnyEQTazreHrK2-FzrfPXaj4Huw7lvvXrye5MdYEssbOrZvdw8mSHnL_BTYzvCCFZSQ51Ge64XmMln9V-FeS5MWCqZ2EJ22PmWHnQVRh2tdHq6Ot8UhQIjU-Q0fft64S5gva1U1y/s640/A-Copyright+1e+Jeffrey+Barbee-Florida+ICW.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Fort Lauderdale area, Los Olas Marina at sunset.</td></tr>
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We are sailing today and over the weekend from Del Rey, up through the Intra-coastal Waterway towards Fort Pierce, where we will meet with researchers from the Harbour Branch of Florida Atlantic University. <br />
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Our sailing boat is the 40ft Lily Rose, an Island Packet single-hull sailing ship in the prime of her life. She is ready for the deep sea, but on this journey we will be staying mostly in the protected waterways of Florida and Georgia, seeking out islands and researchers who can tell us more about how our planet is changing. <br />
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This is the first journey of many where we will be visiting the most exposed places in the world to Climate Change, and we hope to share what we find in photos, stories and films that we are producing as we sail. Our team consists of Captain Larry Moser, Bob Whitehead, researcher Mira Dutschke, myself and the indomitable Frances Tisdel, chief Cook and Admiral.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-P8s4Einbo_r2X8VLZIuKVpVv6WH9V8qY3GTnO3W2Ue5XyMmrNKxBQU7gs0s8cgaGuXKUnCdn7Az1dlq9PzkAcTxBiWkpSXt7EsinT4PH4UzMhjiBBK2yw7bf3a2bBn4OgmZRJI-3-WgP/s1600/A-Copyright+1B+Jeffrey+Barbee-Florida+ICW.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-P8s4Einbo_r2X8VLZIuKVpVv6WH9V8qY3GTnO3W2Ue5XyMmrNKxBQU7gs0s8cgaGuXKUnCdn7Az1dlq9PzkAcTxBiWkpSXt7EsinT4PH4UzMhjiBBK2yw7bf3a2bBn4OgmZRJI-3-WgP/s640/A-Copyright+1B+Jeffrey+Barbee-Florida+ICW.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Intracoastal Waterway is mostly man-made, but utilizes may natural features. There is not much nature in this area here, but as we move northwards, a vast array of parks and protected marine areas will hopefully open up for us. </td></tr>
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As you can see from the pictures we have been cruising up through heavily industrialized areas, with lots of different boat traffic and huge bridges that have to be raised for us to pass under. We are hoping to get up into some conservation areas tonight and spend the night far from lights, under the stars of the Florida spring in a little anchorage surrounded by (dare we hope?!) the Florida Manatee.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwi0iT3QtOzO45GqK7Fte3IncpxQKnB9c-3bX9zaYITkzArLuuGipO2w8OkbTKtlVDshJRrf4RAnWIERJMKGEi_axJw6oHi7TuxUOF6lTesxfXrWsHmv6A3VnpnjikHZKgxEvnjh-fGGAs/s1600/A-Copyright+1D+Jeffrey+Barbee-Florida+ICW.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwi0iT3QtOzO45GqK7Fte3IncpxQKnB9c-3bX9zaYITkzArLuuGipO2w8OkbTKtlVDshJRrf4RAnWIERJMKGEi_axJw6oHi7TuxUOF6lTesxfXrWsHmv6A3VnpnjikHZKgxEvnjh-fGGAs/s640/A-Copyright+1D+Jeffrey+Barbee-Florida+ICW.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Lily Rose at rest right now, and the lower photo...last night from the same location: The Del Ray Yacht Club</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtthsHQw-NliJFe1zKHuNqNABZQDwZDE8gwk31huW0ZaZNanEctl-4HhspAyWgNOihN_ddhBzvnmBJ4Olw6PPhRQe8zLXZ3kxcnDwp7ngow8UxdgMK5LyWpMo6yfP03WrzMOWipMEh3zXO/s1600/A-Copyright+1C+Jeffrey+Barbee-Florida+ICW.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtthsHQw-NliJFe1zKHuNqNABZQDwZDE8gwk31huW0ZaZNanEctl-4HhspAyWgNOihN_ddhBzvnmBJ4Olw6PPhRQe8zLXZ3kxcnDwp7ngow8UxdgMK5LyWpMo6yfP03WrzMOWipMEh3zXO/s640/A-Copyright+1C+Jeffrey+Barbee-Florida+ICW.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Lily Rose, at rest last night on the Intracoastal Waterway.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSxpTz7DyZzJh1O-OKIJV-C0hdS0iTnz1KJzMoBqRmzMjkbc2kDqqs9qxZ-eWsM8INP4kksSWcrGQeuSH-k_mu6Q9NKV8Pungsp3dVOKJX2XpqxPH3xVWmAUg2q3b13dtxTJSnZIQBiGSL/s1600/A-Copyright+1A+Jeffrey+Barbee-Florida+ICW.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSxpTz7DyZzJh1O-OKIJV-C0hdS0iTnz1KJzMoBqRmzMjkbc2kDqqs9qxZ-eWsM8INP4kksSWcrGQeuSH-k_mu6Q9NKV8Pungsp3dVOKJX2XpqxPH3xVWmAUg2q3b13dtxTJSnZIQBiGSL/s640/A-Copyright+1A+Jeffrey+Barbee-Florida+ICW.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No
matter where we go, we are always followed by this strange, evil
looking animal. We think this may have something to do with climate
change, but we are not sure. I think we will sail as much as possible
and try to get away from it...<br />
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<br />Jeffrey Barbeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14778260919261735837noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6314224320531897050.post-49451804046880488042012-04-22T22:49:00.000-07:002012-04-22T22:49:05.184-07:00Happy Earth Day!For the last few weeks I had the great pleasure of visiting the southwest of the US. This region is home to many indigenous peoples, the Hopi, The Navajo, The Ute and and Paiute, and others. Many of these people trace their lineage back to an ancient people called the <a href="http://www.mesaverdecountry.com/tourism/archaeology/people.html" target="_blank">Ancestral Puebloans</a>. These people lived in the southwest for almost ten thousand years, maybe even more. Their way of life included the construction of some technologically impressive building sites from Mesa Verde in Colorado to <a href="http://www.firstpeople.us/articles/Chaco-Culture/Exploration-And-Excavation-in-Chaco-Canyon.html" target="_blank">Chaco Canyon</a> in New Mexico.<br />
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As I hiked over the top of Chaco canyon with a little field guide to the ancient ruins, I got to the top of the hill at a place called Pueblo Alto. This is the highest dwelling-place the ancients built on this site and it has views across hundreds and hundreds of kilometers to the mountains of Colorado and Utah and even Arizona. This was the Chacoans ancient realm and scientists believe they have traced an ancient line-of-site communication system that spanned tens of thousands of square kilometers. Thin pieces of mica or vermiculite may have been sewn on onto huge round stretched hides and transmitted a morse-code type system, at night they may have used fires.<br />
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Around the middle to the end of the 10th century AD, the Chacoan civilization seems to have ended. No more impressive cliff dwellings or huge settlements, no more wall building, and no more long distance communication. <br />
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Even then this was marginal land. In the hearths and middens of these ancients are the leftovers of foods stuffs that are still grown in the area. Perhaps they exhausted their surroundings or were driven off by invaders, but whether environmental or political, their systems disappeared.<br />
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The massive roads of paving stones they built have fallen to ruin, but new ones have taken their place. Around these footprints of the ancients the new world of cars and interstates and cities and 7-11s holds sway. On this Earth Day, perhaps we should remember the old people, who's lives at the time exuded permanence and solidity, but who's settlements and successes now lie as a warning for us. What warning or message of hope will we leave? How can we escape their fate?<br />
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I always feel that there is positive message to deliver, and if there is one here it is this: we now hold the key to our future. It is clear what we must do, and (to quote the six million dollar man) we have the technology, and we can rebuild ourselves and our shattered ecosystems into what we want them to be. It is up to each one of us now, and collectively we can leave a legacy that outlasts ourselves and echoes through the generations yet to come. <br />
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It is our decision now. We have a responsibility, we have the means and the talents to make the hard choices and survive, thrive and show in our works that we can live together with each other and with this Earth. <br />
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Some may baulk, and some may be hopeless, but in fact we have never been more powerful, and that power is both destructive and constructive. Let us use it the best way we know how.<br />
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Happy Earth Day!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5B7VqKggBOttYgqRMH3zE9zC6YaVQ7tjLRswFpmlrcPgP1DMn9NGahUEnVjMx_FW7i6kYms-mGaoZizMgURSghZ3KPKK5CIBfhRot69bLTsTnu912VwIBbHfHeB3n9DvPbFIYBa045wTR/s1600/Chaco+panorama.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="109" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5B7VqKggBOttYgqRMH3zE9zC6YaVQ7tjLRswFpmlrcPgP1DMn9NGahUEnVjMx_FW7i6kYms-mGaoZizMgURSghZ3KPKK5CIBfhRot69bLTsTnu912VwIBbHfHeB3n9DvPbFIYBa045wTR/s320/Chaco+panorama.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chaco Canyon, the center of the ancestral Puebloan Culture</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Camping at Chaco Canyon beneath the stars. The canyon is not as impressive as other sites from a nature point of view, but the historical relevance and deep cultural history is almost palpable. This is the most studied archeological site in North America, and a place of deep spiritual significance to the indigenous peoples of the area.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7YxLk-uGQBwxWc6gIpJfT5-y_3TNyFtzoGdUHZ1c_mgqM_HQFYK0ouNwb91BiT4hrpY56tAO52vM-Bggsy7f8dcJLJmKmrZLYzpwkmDOLenTt2cMR_wkqqbd7kNolP7PgZucmhJMST5vM/s1600/_DSC0439.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7YxLk-uGQBwxWc6gIpJfT5-y_3TNyFtzoGdUHZ1c_mgqM_HQFYK0ouNwb91BiT4hrpY56tAO52vM-Bggsy7f8dcJLJmKmrZLYzpwkmDOLenTt2cMR_wkqqbd7kNolP7PgZucmhJMST5vM/s320/_DSC0439.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kin Kletso ruin in Chaco Canyon.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7j4l6Qhgi_BUjwgTiAv6Dh8EI1__kEEB-bixilrDgcV8Fc11hazpQyr0wjigfHvjK3MGSy7Vc-IhTyMQtvPWsX0YF6Q0z0sbK_voIlp9Ipb6b-DKDhENj8f31G1nyFmLTFSrqeLtDPJkQ/s1600/_DSC0457.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7j4l6Qhgi_BUjwgTiAv6Dh8EI1__kEEB-bixilrDgcV8Fc11hazpQyr0wjigfHvjK3MGSy7Vc-IhTyMQtvPWsX0YF6Q0z0sbK_voIlp9Ipb6b-DKDhENj8f31G1nyFmLTFSrqeLtDPJkQ/s320/_DSC0457.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kin Kletso sits south of the more famous Pueblo Bonito. The valley was the epicenter of an ancient culture that had trading ties with peoples as far south as the Yucatan Peninsula in Central America. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7nvEpjK1AbRWaZZMKxnlqVEVb7pjaWXRXsX1duBcy8P0hry6l-94KEoWQfsbMrEQOVczxePwkmeyBEU_TrsghJPclieYCI93Ajen8ZTtwZIuuvLvwiT58b8qoyi_6OJzwdnm2SpmWQldL/s1600/_DSC0537.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7nvEpjK1AbRWaZZMKxnlqVEVb7pjaWXRXsX1duBcy8P0hry6l-94KEoWQfsbMrEQOVczxePwkmeyBEU_TrsghJPclieYCI93Ajen8ZTtwZIuuvLvwiT58b8qoyi_6OJzwdnm2SpmWQldL/s320/_DSC0537.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the Navajo Reservation in the town of Crown Point, a bi-monthly auction helps local craftspeople sell their unique art to collectors around the world. This wool rug represents hundreds of hours of work, and sold for 1200 US Dollars. Many historians believe that the main reason Chacoan culture grew so strong was through an integrated trading system. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit8ky8S2Ki2nFfF5-iIDqzgjlVP43kA6bv4nfoXWWwQS7F0tKriFMj-zgvibh3WulmwvoQBDGgR7RSIZsqi1jvbxLnLlPrNXpPejeSAd676X9FD930vPdTpozBgM5tE8fNekgEttpjxgX6/s1600/_DSC0657.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit8ky8S2Ki2nFfF5-iIDqzgjlVP43kA6bv4nfoXWWwQS7F0tKriFMj-zgvibh3WulmwvoQBDGgR7RSIZsqi1jvbxLnLlPrNXpPejeSAd676X9FD930vPdTpozBgM5tE8fNekgEttpjxgX6/s320/_DSC0657.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Early spring clouds hang over Monument Valley in Arizona. The Ancestral Pueblo people, based out of Chaco canyon, may have communicated regularly with the people here, 480 kilometers away.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOv4N4ZCaXvRlgOPedsWkq2V-wSGkuBUl4ctJmJPU-hvC0pRafxCo7AIn3Y1FioA6N9admxvb5Y9TMh7tANWjnSD8QljN_3JcwMwyb-hZN2RySYmNsNaxq7LL3atTCStJSD76EIOdVcd9P/s1600/_DSC0875.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOv4N4ZCaXvRlgOPedsWkq2V-wSGkuBUl4ctJmJPU-hvC0pRafxCo7AIn3Y1FioA6N9admxvb5Y9TMh7tANWjnSD8QljN_3JcwMwyb-hZN2RySYmNsNaxq7LL3atTCStJSD76EIOdVcd9P/s320/_DSC0875.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hite, in Utah, is one of the farthest flung parts of the ancient Chacoan world. Here the sun is embraced by a struggling old juniper stump, still growing possibly from the time of the ancient peoples.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0fNe3jXFFjrqtMxRnWiXAXqJWYNY8QXJTIUTY95RLTivQBeDP5VwOICYNNLLiZLwmuWN7P3uvW5vd-hUfCTdfZQwfr7RwsL1QTkUBaCHUHw5VRmUhX02wWuSrLYoSQR-6G2yMms33wdID/s1600/_DSC1066.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0fNe3jXFFjrqtMxRnWiXAXqJWYNY8QXJTIUTY95RLTivQBeDP5VwOICYNNLLiZLwmuWN7P3uvW5vd-hUfCTdfZQwfr7RwsL1QTkUBaCHUHw5VRmUhX02wWuSrLYoSQR-6G2yMms33wdID/s320/_DSC1066.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cadence of the ancient world was determined by the march of the seasons, much like our world today. At the beginning of spring the sun sets over the Henry mountains in Utah, from the top of which could be seen all the way to Chaco Canyon, 580 kilometers distant. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglgAGaXeC2czp9epr7jJErMZbvoLdvUaYvRSJtwWbJi2Z_9lJow5QVgkT3aHmY3Aw8YlK8bl2Mzg_zK6ej8p-Wwxm5Bx_kpt1qgzKp6jPREtQpf0UO_aaPIZRb2Wm32msiEDtTof6Ed95k/s1600/_DSC1085.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglgAGaXeC2czp9epr7jJErMZbvoLdvUaYvRSJtwWbJi2Z_9lJow5QVgkT3aHmY3Aw8YlK8bl2Mzg_zK6ej8p-Wwxm5Bx_kpt1qgzKp6jPREtQpf0UO_aaPIZRb2Wm32msiEDtTof6Ed95k/s320/_DSC1085.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Venus sets over the desert near Glen Canyon in Utah. Chaco and many ancient sites in the area are aligned directly to the rising and setting of different stars and the sun and and the moon. The ancients were aware of the the solstices and equinoxes, and like even our culture today may have given certain seasons, constellations and planets a variety of meanings as clear to them as our horoscope is to us. </td></tr>
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<br />Jeffrey Barbeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14778260919261735837noreply@blogger.com0