Thursday, June 3, 2010
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Denver tolerates no fireworks, so why should Fayetteville weaken its rules?
The only argument that might make me hesitate to think for even a moment before condemning the current discussion by Fayetteville city government about softening the firework ordinance would be that shooting off fireworks on fourth of July is patriotic.
Visit with a Vietnam or middle-east vet living in the hillside woodlands and stream riparizn zones in south Fayetteville and ask about their reactions to the sounds of fireworks. Some may be afraid to talk to you. Others will explain exactly what their generation experienced that led to the replacement of the WWI classification of shell-shocked with "victims of post-dramatic trauma."
If you don't care about the human victims of the intrusive noise of fireworks, how about the thousands of pets that disappear in the vain attempt to escape the pain of firework noise.
Whatever one calls it, a person who has been helpless under heavy fire in battle usually doesn't enjoy fireworks. Especially if he lives as quietly as possible in a Fayetteville forested area and is awakened in his bed on the ground by assorted expensive fireworks lighting the sky above him.
Denver's zero tolerance firework policy outlined
POSTED: 06/30/2009 12:53:58 PM MDT
UPDATED: 06/30/2009 07:20:35 PM MDT
Fireworks that are illegal in Denver were displayed at the press conference on June 30, 2009. (THE DENVER POST | RJ SANGOSTI)
Denver has zero tolerance for fireworks.
That means fireworks can't be stored, used, manufactured or sold in Denver.
Today, Denver police and paramedics gathered outside the emergency room at Denver Health Medical Center and used graphic pictures to illustrate why the city has the policy.
Mangled fingers. Mutilated arms. Badly burned hands and faces.
"The only things that are legal are non-ignitable items such as paper-wrapped, small poppers," said Denver Police Technician Dean Christopherson. "We allow nothing that ignites or explodes."
The prohibition includes sparklers.
"The problem with sparklers are that they burn at over a thousand degrees," he said. "They are very flammable. Anything that you have around
them could set a lot of fires."
Christopherson said another consideration is the hope that the "quality of life" can be preserved in Denver.
He said the vast majority of fireworks calls are in the evening as people try to sleep and pets are "trying to get some peace."
Setting off the fireworks wakes some and upsets the pets, he said.
Lt. Scott Homlar, a lieutenant with Denver Paramedic Division, said that annually in the United States between 8,000 and 10,000 emergency room visits are caused by fireworks injuries.
The vast majority of the blast and burn victims are kids 15 years and younger and most injuries occur in the months around July 4th, Homlar said.
"You have to understand that these are little explosives," said Homlar. "Most of the injuries are either to the head or to the extremities — to the hands, eyes, ears and facial injuries."
Christopherson said that so far this year, there have been about 350 complaints about fireworks in Denver, which is half the number of the calls at this time last year.
He said it could be the result of a down economy, a lack of available fireworks or people obeying the law.
He noted that the maximum penalty for setting off fireworks in Denver is a
Paramedic Scott Homlar of Denver Health Medical Center speaks during a press conference to outline the laws and dangers of fireworks on June 30, 2009. (THE DENVER POST | RJ SANGOSTI)
fine up to $999 and one year in jail.
Homlar said he has personally treated people injured by fireworks. "Fortunately, it is not a common occurrence," he said. "I think it is reflective of the law in Denver which makes it illegal for people to even possess the items."
Still, Homlar doesn't want to be a holiday killjoy. "We want you to have a good time, we want you to have an enjoyable 4th of July but we want you to be legal," he said.
To report the use of illegal fireworks in Denver, call police either at 311 or 720-913-2000.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Boozeman, Lincoln and Pryor all promised in 2009 to cooperate to get federal money appropriated to buy sale-barn property; instead, their failure to act has resulted in wet-prairie land north and west of the National Cemetery being dredged and filled for burial sites
Fayetteville National Cemetery photo set. Scroll to bottom of set for more of today's photos This didn't have to happen. Could it be related to the fact that none of the three is a U.S. military veteran? Or did they have more important people's votes in mind? The percentage of veterans who vote is pretty high. The right to vote has always been a reason for many to agree to fight to protect our Democratic form of government. 
Please click on image to ENLARGE view of land dredging at Fayetteville National Cemetery on April 23, 2010.
Please click on image to ENLARGE view of land dredging at Fayetteville National Cemetery on April 23, 2010.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Earth Day Festival began Friday night with Caring for Creation at Mount Sequoyah; Earth Day at World Peace Wetland Prairie from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 18, 2010, offers eduction and fun for all ages
Please click on image to ENLARGE for closer view of sample photos from WPWP.
PLEASE double-click the image to ENLARGE view and ENLARGE further with your computer's tools to read small type. For more about World Peace Wetland Prairie please see www.flickr.com/photos/7295307@N02/collections/ www.flickr.com/photos/7295307@N02/collections/
PLEASE double-click the image to ENLARGE view and ENLARGE further with your computer's tools to read small type.
MANY REASONS TO PROTECT LAND SUCH AS WORLD PEACE WETLAND AND PINNACLE PRAIRIE FOREVER:
World Peace Wetland Prairie is the riparian zone of a small stream that historically was fed by seep springs and rainwater from three directions when the first westward immigrants settled Fayetteville, Arkansas. World Peace Wetland Prairie has the deepest layer of dark, rich soil in its subwatershed because leaves and other vegetative matter accumulated as the flowing water slowed and soaked into the absorbent soil and enriched that soil. Pinnacle Foods Inc.'s mounded wet prairie to the west is the main source of clean water flowing to World Peace Wetland Prairie at this time. Before the railroad was built, water flowed off Rochier Hill to the northwest and from the prairie and savannah to the north of WPWP that has been replaced by fill dirt and paving for apartments. Water from the east and north slopes of the high land where Pinnacle Foods Inc. now sits flowed to WPWP along with all the water from the high ground near 15th Street, which moved north to WPWP before flowing east to the Town Branch of the West Fork of the White River. Such remnants of prairie help keep the water where it falls and recharge the groundwater. Like the many similar remnants of such prairie in our diverse geographical area, WPWP and Pinnacle Prairie are the surface manifestation of a significant bedrock fault. Such sunken wetland is a characteristic feature that appears above geological faults worldwide. The Karst map of Washington County Arkansas shows the WPWP watershed in red, meaning that it is a critical groundwater recharge area. Preserving such depressional wetland in our city is the least expensive way to reduce downstream flooding and siltation of our water supply. Hundreds of native plants grow. Many birds and other wildlife prosper on healthy wetland vegetation. And prairie vegetation sequesters carbon dioxide and cleans the ground water.
KEEP the WATER where it FALLS!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
John Bame and Fayetteville High School students look at old rail trestle and discarded rail ties blocking construction of city trail through old tunnel under existing Arkansas & Missouri Railroad
I might not have discovered this for some time had not John Bame brought some FHS students to World Peace Wetland Prairie and then taken them on a walk of the Pinnacle Prairie Trail and the part of Tsa-La-Gi Trail as yet uncompleted from the Hill Place Apartments through the old rail tunnel to the west to Razorback Road and beyond. Thanks to the environmentally aware students for caring and wanting to learn more about the delicate geography and geology of our city. Please click on image to enlarge view of railroad ties over mouth of tunnel and then watch video below the photo to learn reaction of workers when they learned that the ties should not be dumped there.
Rail ties being dumped in mouth of tunnel in Fayetteville AR Aubrey james | MySpace Video The Fayetteville city trail administrator telephoned the railroad manager in Springdale an hour later and the railroad official confirmed that the ties were not to be dumped there but were to be dumped at Cato Springs Road. Rail ties are creosoted and very dangerous to human beings and other living things when the chemicals leach into the watershed.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Restore clean-water act to original strength Now!
Please double-click "view as webpage" link near top right to see full post.
I would like to express grave concern over the loss of protection for many of our small streams that provide clean drinking water for 117 million Americans in communities across the country. Supreme Court decisions in the Rapanos and Carabell cases have made it confusing and burdensome for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to protect small streams and wetlands under the Clean Water Act. As a result, enforcement actions against polluters have declined sharply the EPA estimates that over 1,000 cases have been shelved or dropped altogether. More recently it has become clear that some polluters are using the decisions as a justification to avoid any permitting and reporting requirements for discharging pollutants into our waters. For the Clean Water Act to fulfill its goal of restoring the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation's waters, all waters must receive protection corresponding with Congress' original intent when passing this landmark law. Upstream waters must be protected from pollution and destruction if we expect downstream waters to be fit for swimming, drinking, and fish and wildlife, and downstream communities to be safe from flooding. I urge you to act in the interest of preserving clean water for healthy communities and wildlife. Please support introduction and passage of the Clean Water Restoration Act, which would clarify the definition of waters to eliminate uncertainty and ensure clean water in accordance with the goals of the Clean Water Act. Thank you for your consideration.
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Katherine Baer Senior Director, Clean Water ProgramFriday, March 12, 2010
World Peace Wetland Prairie spider milkweed, false indigo bush, dogbane, blue-eyed grass and cottontail rabbit photographed on May 21, 2009
Please click on individual images to ENLARGE view of a sample of what you won't see on Earthday at World Peace Wetland Prairie but may see again if you visit in May. Native wildflowers and tall grass emerge later than the typical nonnative species found in many gardens in Arkansas.
Photo above reveals view northwest with Amorpha fructicosa bush in bloom. Also known as false indigo or indigo bush on May 21, 2009, at World Peace Wetland Prairie. 
Cottontail rabbit reluctant to leave his grazing area and hoping photographer will back away on May 21, 2009, at World Peace Wetland Prairie. 
In photo above, the tiny blue-eyed grass is seen growing near a tall dogbane or Indian Hemp plant. 
Above, Asclepias viridis, also known as spider milkweed or antelope horns, is nearing full bloom. Viridis is the earliest of the milkweeds to bloom in Northwest Arkansas. 
Above is an instance of a tall dogbane or Indian hemp plant with a shorter spider milkweed at right. Dogbane seems always to pop out of the ground before the milkweed and the leaves of the two are similar. Both are plentiful at World Peace Wetland Prairie. For more photos of wildflowers at WPWP, please see WPWP wildflowers
Cottontail rabbit reluctant to leave his grazing area and hoping photographer will back away on May 21, 2009, at World Peace Wetland Prairie. 
Above is an instance of a tall dogbane or Indian hemp plant with a shorter spider milkweed at right. Dogbane seems always to pop out of the ground before the milkweed and the leaves of the two are similar. Both are plentiful at World Peace Wetland Prairie. For more photos of wildflowers at WPWP, please see WPWP wildflowers
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