Upcoming Events

We (the Texas Master Naturalist chapter and a couple of other interested people) got that mess cleaned up on Rathgeber Rd, and the city did us a solid and picked up the bagged trash. We cleaned up about 35 - 40 lawn bags of trash in that short stretch. I need to go by to take a picture for a before and after.

This weekend is the semiannual compost giveaway by the city. Here are the details from their news release:

" Residents who participate in the Choose to Reuse Program can pick up a free load of compost at the Wichita Falls Organics Facility.   The City of Wichita Falls offers a variety of alternatives to diverting reusable waste from the city’s landfill, including organic collections. The organics collections are offered to both residential and commercial customers and can accept yard waste (grass, leaves, and branches), paper (newspaper, office papers, shredded paper, magazines, phone books, tissue paper, and paper bags), cardboard, chipboard, wood, and food waste. Organics recycling saves money, is environmentally friendly, and creates nutrient-rich compost that can be used to enhance soil for lawns and gardens.   The compost giveaway will take place Saturday, March 2, 2024, from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm at the Wichita Falls Landfill on Wiley Road.  The compost will be loaded by city employees for residents. There is a limit of one pickup truck or 4x8 trailer load per person.   To pick up the compost, residents must provide a City of Wichita Falls water bill showing the $3.00 recycling program charge. By State Law, all loads must be covered to ensure no blowing debris on roadways. City employees are required to see the participants cover material before loading the compost. No dump trucks, commercial vehicles, or oversized trailers will be loaded.  Commercial operation compost purchases can contact the Wichita Falls Landfill at 940-631-8274.   Landfill Address: 10984 Wiley Road Wichita Falls, Texas 76307   Directions to the landfill:  • Take Seymour Highway Southwest toward Seymour on Highway 258.  • At the Kamay “Y,” proceed West on Highway 258 toward Kamay.  • Travel approximately one mile to Wiley Road and turn right (North). • Remain on Wiley Road for two miles. The entrance to the landfill is located on the left. For questions or more information, please contact the Sanitation Department at 761-7977.  "

In addition, the annual plant swap, organized by the Wichita Falls Backyard Gardeners is coming up on April 6, 10 AM - noon. It will be at the Park Place Christian Church. Bring cuttings, seedlings, plants you have too many off, or other gardening items to swap. All of the guidelines are on the group's Facebook page. If you need a table, you need to let them know in advance.

Recycling Options in Wichita Falls

One of the most wanted city services by people who read this blog is curbside recycling. It is a frequent lament that "We can't recycle."

Progressive Waste provided single-stream recycling at central locations for several months but withdrew the service. Since that time, the city has been answering the question of why they don't offer curbside single stream recycling. It would be the most convenient option for citizens and other cities do offer it. The fact that Progressive Waste withdrew because they weren't making money at it explains a lot about why the city doesn't offer the service, especially as our citizens resist ANY increase in fees.

Progressive Waste trucked the recycling to the Metroplex and then anything that wasn't recyclable (or couldn't be sold for an economical price) was taken to a landfill--so less was recycled than the public thought.

In fact, we can recycle a very large percentage of the waste we produce here in Wichita Falls--I'm going to show you how.

Let's start before recycling. There would be less need to recycle if we generated less waste. We've all heard the slogan "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle."

We can cut down significantly on waste by using care in what we buy. Purposely choosing items with less packaging, or if that isn't possible, recyclable packaging. At the grocery store, this can also be a more healthy option, as you will purchase much less processed food. Most of us have much more "stuff" than we need.

Reuse is easy--can we use the items we buy as long as possible, use them again, or change them into something else. My husband saves a lot of "trash." He says you never know when something will come in handy. He was saving those little plastic pipe things in spray bottles when the lever wore out. I couldn't figure out why. But then something chewed through the little rubber piece that carries windshield washer between the reservoir and the windshield on my truck and, "Voila!" That little piece fit in the rubber tube just right, and more cheaply than trying to buy one. I have found some useful things at the thrift stores in town. Right now I am looking for a few cast iron pieces and some of those large glass condiment jars--if you come across any, let me know. Some people "upcycle"--changing trash into artwork and other useful items.

So that brings us back to recycling. The single greatest tool we have is the organics bin. Unfortunately, there is an extra $3 a month cost for the organics bin. This is offset by being able to pick up free compost twice a year on the first Saturdays in April and October (for reference, a pickup load of compost usually runs $30+ dollars). These used to be called "yard waste" bins, but the name was changed to reflect the broader range of items that can be put into them. Yes, yard waste is fine, but I put most of my yard waste, other than twigs and branches, into my home composting bins. But yes, if you don't have your own compost pile, then your organics bin can be used for grass clippings and leaves, as well as these tougher materials. But you can also place any organic item into the bin--paper, cardboard, garbage, wood pieces and shavings, magazines and books. If everyone did this, we could compost almost 70% of our city's waste.

What about the other 30%? Most people are aware that you can recycle glass and newspaper. Dumpsters are at various locations around town. I usually place mine at Market Street. Aluminum can be recyled at the city Sanitation Department on Sunset Dr. My husband crushes his and saves them in the garage until he has enough to take them to Bell Processing for a little extra money.

What about plastics? Not all plastics can be recycled in Wichita Falls, but the majority--#1 and #2--can. Remove the lids--they are a different composition of plastic and can't be recycled. You may place them in the bins at the Sanitation Department on Sunset Drive. The bins are behind the fence, so are only accessible during the Sanitation Department's business hours. This is because having "clean" loads is vital to being able to sell the plastic.

You can find dumpsters for plastic, aluminum, glass and newspaper at the Sanitation Department.

The biggest problem with recycling is contamination. If you look in the dumpsters behind Market Street, for example, you'll find plastic bags mixed in with the glass or newspapers. This can cause the entire container to have to be taken to the landfill.  It isn't that difficult--some people are just ignorant of the consequences; others are just plain lazy. We don't have a way to sort our recycling, which means we have to be conscientious about keeping recyclable items separated.

We have many options to be able to recycle the majority of the waste we generate, with a little effort. I am not ready to abandon the curbside recycling effort, but let's use what we have to show it is important to us and then work on the rest.

I do have one suggestion to encourage the use of the organics bins in Wichita Falls. Currently, during weeks with a holiday, there is no pickup of the organics bin. I fill my organics bin nearly every week, so this is a problem. I only put out the regular trash every two or three weeks. I pay more for the privilege of recycling, so I don't like losing that service. It would help encourage people to use the organics bins. I would like to see everyone with each bin with one pickup of each every week. The only bad thing there is that I can see people using the organics bins as regular trash bins and fouling the contents so they would still have to be hauled to the landfill instead of composted.

We have a lot to do to improve recycling. For now, I suggest we work hard getting people to divert as much of their waste as possible into the organics bins and making sure people are aware of the recycling options available and how to sort their waste for maximum effectiveness.

Circle Trail Tour May 3

We are so fortunate to have hiking/biking trails in Wichita Falls. Although not yet complete, the trail will eventually form a circle around the city and be about 23 miles long. 

A special event coming up will highlight a 14-mile section of the trail between Lake Wichita Park and Lucy Park. The City of Wichita Falls is holding a Circle Trail Tour on Saturday, May 3, 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM. This is a free event. Although  this event is being held to celebrate national Bike Month, you can walk, run, skateboard or rollerblade the trail.

There will be 10 sponsored “cheer stops” hosted by local organizations including: Bike Safe Wichita Falls, Texas Parks and Wildlife, German-American Club, Hotter ‘n Hell Hundred, The Bike Stop, YMCA, Texas Medical Association, Riverside Cycling Center, Wichita County Medical Alliance, Wee-Chi-Tah Trail Race, East of the Falls CDC and Wichita County Sheriff’s Office Citizens Academy.

Each stop will provide drinks and snacks. Some stops are planning entertainment, games and demonstrations. Participants can also pick up a passport from any sponsor, which can then be stamped at each stop and turned in for a chance to win prizes. The event will be officially start at 10:am at Lucy Park but participants can begin at any point along the route. 

For more information please contact the Public Information Office at 761-7401.

I am wondering if I can manage to walk the 14 mile trail in 5 hours. Hmmmm. Well. at least part of it. Hope to see some of you out there.

Drought Programs and a Proposal

Lake Wichita, 3/16/14, after rain yesterday

There is no doubt water is at the top of everyone's mind here in Wichita Falls. Although we did have a nice rain on March 15, it is way too early to declare victory. Even with the soaking we got yesterday, we are still nearly 2 inches below normal this year and still 30 inches behind over the last three years. So our water woes will continue. You can see by looking at the picture of Lake Wichita at the left, things are still looking pretty grim, although there is more water in the lake than there has been lately.

I am glad to see people finally taking water seriously. In spite of the fact we live in a relatively hot and dry part of the country, people have generally taken a ready source of water for granted. We don't have unlimited water resources and what we have isn't of the best quality. The city of Wichita Falls is the water provider for not only the city, but several other municipalities in the area. 

With lake levels standing at around 26%, the situation is dire and people have finally awakened to our reality--and one that is likely to become more common as our climate continues to change (whether you agree that humankind has a hand to play or the change is just part of a natural ebb and flow, the results are the same.) We cannot continue to treat water as an inexhaustible resource. The bottom line is, if it doesn't rain, we're in deep doo-doo.

On Saturday, March 1, River Bend Nature Center hosted a Save Our Trees workshop, sponsored by the county AgriLife Extension office and the local Texas Master Gardeners. The venue was packed. There was a lot of good information shared which essentially focused on proper pruning and mulching. 

On the following Thursday, there were two water-related programs. State Representative James Frank hosted a well-attended water town hall at Midwestern State University. I was pleased that he was very factual and gave the city appropriate credit for the steps they have taken over the past several years so that we were better prepared for this drought than we could have been. He also went over some of the difficulties in managing our water supply--evaporation being the main one. Initially the questions were reasonably on point, but fortunately I had to leave for the next program about the time the more partisan rants started.

Following the water town hall, River Bend was once again the venue for a workshop on greywater harvesting, attended primarily by members of the Rolling Plains Texas Master Naturalist chapter, but along with some other hardy citizens. Attending both the water town hall and the greywater program the same night was tiring. Chris Cornman of Best Exteriors of North Texas and Greywater Authority provided a lot of details for those interested in installing their own greywater systems.

Chris will be doing a portion of his presentation again on Thursday, April 17 at 7 AM at a business group. However, guests are welcome, so if you would like to attend, email me at green.wichitafalls@gmail.com, and I will add you to the list for that day.

These are all good things, but what are some of the things we should be doing going forward? Here's Penny's take:
  - We should never come out of Drought Stage 1 restrictions--we don't have the resources to allow people to use all of the water they want to whenever they want to.
  - We need to continue to promote water conservation, all the time.
  - Put limits on groundwater use. Texas has different rules for surface versus groundwater use. Basically if you can pump it, you can use it. It is ridiculous to curtail outside watering through the municipal water system but those who can find water can pump all they want--your little pocket of groundwater may be attached to my little pocket and you could suck it all out for non-essential use.
  - We should actively encourage replacing landscape with native plantings and drought resistant plants. We are going to lose a lot of trees, even if we have a fairly normal year, with the stress they have been under. We do not need to replace Bradford pear trees with more of the same, even though they are pretty in bloom. Whoever landscaped the house we bought a couple of years ago planted nonfruiting mulberry trees. They have nice shade, but are water hogs and destroy water distribution pipes. I am not going to take them out because of their shade, but when they bite the dust, something more drought tolerant is going in their place.
  - The city should use native, drought resistant plantings on the medians and in the parks. I personally think the planted medians are worth the time, effort and money, but is the way to go.
  - Give incentives for installing water conserving fixtures and appliances.
  - Continue to provide information on rainwater harvesting and greywater reuse and ensure they remain permitted within the city limits.
  - As the city and Chamber actively recruit new businesses, their water use ought to be a prime consideration.
  - No, the city population doesn't need to grow fast or a lot. This is going to be a big problem with Texas' stated philosophy of pulling in all comers. The state only needs to read its own water plan to figure that out--basic math works, unless you are talking about supporting a burgeoning population on water resources that can't keep up with the population we have. I recently read an Edward Abbey quote: "Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell."
  - Encourage permaculture and encourage people to convert water-sucking lawns to native plantings and gardens (we might as well tackle food security while we're at it.)
  - Continue the water reuse project. Many people are crying about drinking "potty water," but the bottom line is we all drink potty water. The water we pull from the lakes for our water came from someone else's effluent. Our effluent has been going downstream and other people have been drinking it for years.
  - Encourage composting and mulching. If people would add just a little bit of compost to their plantings every year, the need for water would decrease significantly (I had a number for this, but of course I can't find it now.) Remember, if you have a compost cart pickup, you can get two loads of compost free each year.

We don't live on Dune (if you never read the book, it's one everyone should read), but we can conserve now or pay later.

Spring Cleaning: It Doesn't Look Like It Will Happen in Wichita Falls

Trash along a trail near Lake Wichita

I don't know if you have been out and about the city very much, but if you have, you can't help but notice the large amount of trash in all parts of town. I took the photo to the left with my cell phone just walking down a trail near Lake Wichita while I was walking. Although it isn't the best photo, as it was taken with my cell phone, it is easy to see there are several pieces of trash in a small area. This is hardly the worst of the trash around town.

I have people tell me all of the time that the litter situation can't be helped because of the wind. I agree the wind exacerbates the situation as any unsecured trash is going to blow around. However, if people took more care to create less trash and to better dispose of that trash they do create, our community would look much better.

Some years ago the Clean City Commission used to oversee a community-wide cleanup in early April. It was a pretty big deal. In a purge of commissions, the Clean City Commission got the ax. Justifiably so, as the cleanup was about the only worthwhile thing the commission did (obviously, this is my own somewhat jaded opinion.) The citywide cleanup was turned over to a small non-profit, Keep Wichita Falls Beautiful. This non-profit was held together by a very small group of volunteers. They did continue to sponsor the cleanup for a few years, but with dwindling volunteer resources, the amount of time and effort put into the cleanup declined. Keep Wichita Falls Beautiful has since gone belly up. I checked with the city and there is no plan to conduct a citywide cleanup this year.

The city did add some money to the budget this year for additional litter pickup along Kell Blvd, which seems to be the main thoroughfare where Wichitans unload their trash. However, Southwest Parkway is a dump and the access road along Kell also looks trashy. The open field at the intersection of Hwy 287 and Kell is an eyesore. And there are other areas just as bad--these are just ones I happen to pass often, so are especially irritating to me.

I know there are volunteer groups who periodically clean up some areas. I am involved with some of them. The Rolling Plains Texas Master Naturalist chapter cleans up Plum Lake quarterly and Sikes Lake and the feeder drainage ditch annually. The Red River Sierra Club group does a regular pick up of a 2-mile stretch of Sisk Road as part of the Adopt-a-Highway program--there are many other organizations that are involved in this program as well.

It is obvious this is not enough. There is no way the city is going to pay for more litter pickup--they hue and cry from the addition of the monies for Kell Blvd makes it pretty clear that our citizenry is not interested in paying for this service. By the same token, I don't think any of us like to see our community looking unkempt, and it's an embarrassment when "company" comes. Our city has been doing a good job of selling Wichita Falls for conferences and events and we need to make a good impression.

So where am I going with this? We need some mechanism to create enthusiasm for a general cleanup. It would be nice if it was informal--in other words, people would just take personal responsibility to cleanup around their homes, businesses would clean up their areas and groups would each take an area and clean it up. But I know that's unlikely to work without a group of people organizing it.

What do you think? Is there a group of citizens who would roll up their sleeves in the next few weeks to get the ball rolling??? I'll bet the amount of work would be minimal if there was a dozen people to take it on. Mostly publicity and some coordination.

Lake Arrowhead Cleanup Saturday

Photo 09/14/13: worse now

The bad news is that Lake Arrowhead, the primary source of drinking water for Wichita Falls and surrounding communities is below 30% of capacity due to our long-running drought.

If you have been out to Lake Arrowhead lately, you have seen just how much trash is being exposed. Now is a great time to get the lake bed cleaned up before we get some much-needed rain (note the optimism.)

On Saturday, November 23, Lake Arrowhead State Park is hosting a lake cleanup. A number of groups are participating, including two groups I am involved with: the Friends of Lake Arrowhead and the Rolling Plains Chapter Texas Master Naturalist. The park and the City of Wichita Falls (which owns the lake) are asking for community support for this effort. Interested people should come to the park at 9AM. Bring work gloves. It is also suggested participants wear boots, and considering the expected weather on Saturday, it would be a good idea to dress warmly.

For more information, call the Park office at 940-528-2211.

Wichita Falls Community Garden Open...But Not!

A very good turnout for this opening

The big event in Wichita Falls recently was the ribbon cutting at the new community garden on the east side of town on November 14. (Yes, I am just getting around to posting about it.)

The Community Garden opened just in time for Stage 4 of the drought plan--no outside watering. But at least the garden is in place, ready to go.

There are some really neat things about this garden I wanted to highlight.

Note the demonstration rainwater harvesting system. The reservoir isn't big enough to allow watering these beds, but the point is to show people how much water can be gathered from such a small roof area.

Storage shed, sink and demonstration rainwater barrel

Looking down the row

Beds for disabled--great idea!

Beds raised especially high will be convenient for those who have mobility problems getting low to the ground. For some reason I had never thought of this. When I saw it, all I could say was, "well, duh!" Great planning...disability shouldn't prevent people from being able to garden a small area, like these beds.

Composting bins

And then I found the composting bins. I am assuming the citizen volunteers running the garden have an idea of how they will get the compost turned....but so glad to see it. Now all we need is some MULCH! These beds are going to turn into bricks without some cover in the summer.

If this garden takes off, the City is interested in placing other community gardens at other places.

Why are community gardens important? Yes, they provide an opportunity to grow fresh produce. It also provides a way for those new to gardening to learn from those with experience. It creates a sense of community by getting people out of their houses and into a common area where they can get to know one another. Community gardens can also fulfill social needs and those of us who garden also know it's a good physical activity and stress reliever. So many great things can come of this--I am looking forward to seeing it succeed.

It's Not Too Late!

Compost out of the barrel before sifting

Sifted compost ready for the garden

Lovin' my compost today--see the pics of the finished compost I just dumped out of my composting barrels today.

We didn't have a big group for the first night of the Master Composter course yesterday, but it's going to be a great class. However, if you weren't able to attend because you didn't get the word in time, no worries--you can still take part in the rest of the course. This Thursday's class will be at the Sanitation Department--the class will likely move after that to a location better suited to hands on compost making.

The first night we talked about the Yardwise program. Americans are crazy about lawns, which leads to a lot of problems, not the least of which is poor water quality. For example:

• 90% of the pesticides uses are used on lawns. 
• Lawn grass is the most heavily irrigated crop in the US.
• 75% of river and lake pollution comes from landscaping.

The basic elements of the Yardwise program are:

• Landscape design 
• Grasscycling (Don't bag it)
• Mulching
• Composting
• Integrated pest management

Of course, the primary emphasis of the course is composting. Other than water quality issues, the City wants to encourage composting to extend the life of our landfill by diverting a significant percentage of the waste out of the waste stream. Although Wichita Falls now diverts 22 - 25 tons of compostable waste from the landfill, only about 25% of homes participate in the program. Curbside pickup of compostable materials constitutes only 10% of the waste the city uses to make compost. This is crazy. Almost 2/3 of the stuff we throw in the trash can be composted. Landfills are costly to build and it takes a long time to get all of the permitting done, for good reasons. If you don't want to pay for a new landfill, quit sending stuff there.

We have a great city composting program. Although I compost most of my kitchen scraps (except meat/dairy) and a lot of yard waste, any organic can be sent to the city composting program. I put out a full can almost every week, filled with cardboard and paper primarily. I don't put out much regular trash. There are sometimes 2 or 3 weeks between putting out a regular trash container (and if I could get better cooperation from the other household members, I bet we could do twice as well.)

I was under the impression that if you live in a house with alley dumpster pickup you couldn't have an organics container. But according to Dave Lehfeldt at the Sanitation Department, that is not true. So those of you who heard the same thing, call them and order a cart (see the phone number is the link above.)

My point? Everyone needs to compost. If you don't have the room or the inclination for your own compost pile, then order up an organics container.  I hope to see more people at the Thursday night class.

Attention All Composter Wannabes!

Home composting system

My husband built me a great composting system that made it easier for me to make compost. Overall, I love it, but I think I should be turning out more compost than I am. I have also tried starting a worm bin multiple times, but stopped because I felt like a serial killer of worms.

If you're like me, you want to compost, but you could use some help. Have I got a deal for you! Well, not me exactly. The City of Wichita Falls has a deal for you. I just get to be a messenger.

The City will be offering a Master Composter course. For those wanting the Master Composter designation, you must attend all of the classes (20 hours) and do 30 hours of volunteer work. Volunteers offer programs on composting and on-site assistance for people having problems with their composting efforts. However, anyone with an interest in composting is welcome to attend some or all of the classes.

Here are the details:

• The class will be held from 6:00 - 9:00 PM on the following dates: 24 and 26 September and 8, 10, 22 and 24 October.
• The first class will be held at the Sanitation Department offices at 200 Sunset Dr (adjacent to the Lucy Park entrance).
• The class is FREE! Register by calling the Sanitation Department at 761-7977.

Individuals who complete the requirements of the Master Composting class receive a pretty green shirt, an opportunity to buy a worm bin and backyard composting bin for cost, a tour of the city composting facility and a load of compost. How cool is that?

I'm signed up. Hope to see you at the first class on the 24th.

A Trashy Weekend

Some people posted on a local newstation Facebook page that they were ashamed at the litter around town for the  Hotter 'n Hell Hundred. Of course, most of their ire was directed at the City of Wichita Falls which had been putting out a yeoman's effort to ensure the city looked nice for the 15,000 riders. I wasn't very nice and offered to direct the complainers to a number of groups that pick up litter around town on a regular basis. Not surprisingly, no one contacted me.

Trash at Sikes Lake

June got a little muddy

 One such cleanup was the annual Sikes Lake cleanup that is the Saturday following Labor Day each year. The Rolling Plains Texas Master Naturalist chapter joins up with Midwestern State University to do a lake cleanup. We have had as many as 200 volunteers show up. This year, there were probably about 25 - 30 people, which was enough.  Although the amount of trash in the truck may not seem like a lot, that's a big truck.

One of the hardest working volunteers was June, who ended up muddy, but keep up good humor throughout the project.

Trash near Lake Wichita

More trash in same area

There are still a lot of places that need a good cleanup. The next day I was birding out around Lake Wichita and came across this trashy area. I took the picture with my cell phone, so it isn't the best, but if you click on the photos you will get a better idea.

If everyone did their best to reduce the amount of trash they produce and to dispose of the trash they do responsibly, then we wouldn't have to be embarrasssed when we have company. We can all pick up around our houses and businesses. I have to do a litter patrol around our house at least once a week to pick up the trash people through out of their cars.

In addition to the annual Sikes Lake cleanup, the Rolling Plains Texas Master Naturalist chapter cleans up Plum Lake quarterly. The Friends of Lake Arrowhead State Park host at least one park cleanup a year and there are several groups that do Adopt-a-Highway areas. The one I participate in is along Sisk Road with the Red River Sierra Club group. Annually the Keep Wichita Falls Beautiful hosts a city-wide cleanup in April.

There are lots of places that need a cleanup. Take a trash bag with you when you walk, get involved in one of the groups that does a cleanup, or organize a group yourself.

Status of Community Garden

Kale from my backyard garden

It may seem it has taken years to get a community garden in Wichita Falls (it has), but we are almost there. The new community garden on Smith Street is nearing completion. It will have 75 spaces and should be open by the end of September.  The garden will be operated by a volunteer committee made up of residents of the neighborhood it's in.

Interested in a space? You can contact the oversight committee through the Martin Luther King Center at 940-761-7980.

If this community garden is successful, the City is interested in establishing additional gardens in other residential areas. Not only are community gardens a good way for people to take control of some portion of their diet, but it is a good way to bring neighborhoods together socially.

Opportunities to Get Involved

Most of the readers of this blog are interested in environmental issues and are individually working to live more sustainably. However, I wanted to bring up some opportunities to get involved in the community on some important issues.

- Lake Wichita Study Committee. The City Council has appointed a committee to look at options to improve the recreational and economic value of Lake Wichita. The main committee, comprised of members of the cities of Wichita Falls and of Lakeside City has begun meeting. At the last meeting, the committee decided on several subcommittees to work on various issues. In addition to the main study committee, I will be serving on the Public Awareness and Permitting Subcommittees. There are several other subcommittees. These subcommittees provide a way for interested people to get involved in planning the future of Lake Wichita. If you are interested in serving in some capacity, email me at green.wichitafalls@gmail.com and I'll be happy to put you into contact with the right person(s).
- Region B Water Planning Group. Nominations are being accepted for members beginning September 1. There is a short fuse on applications as the nominations close Friday, July 19. For more information, see the public notice.

The more people who get involved the better.

Great Program at River Bend

Last night River Bend Nature Center hosted Jan Spencer of Suburban Permaculture for a presentation on suburban transformation through permaculture.

Jan's presentation centered around what he considered the sensible actions we should all be taking:

• Downsize material lifestyle
• Reorient ourselves to live within what the Earth can accommodate
• Green homes, neighborhoods, communities, culture and economy

Personally, I was happy to hear Jan talk about the importance of civics. Too few people get involved with their local government and if we are to make progress, local action can have significant results faster. "Think globally, act locally." This saying was highlighted in Jan's talk by the examples of actions taken by individuals which are having an impact on his communities.

The crowd was relatively small but very interested. We agreed to set up a mailing list and look at ways we can help one another in our own initiatives and possibly collaborate on projects in the future.

Several questions came up about what is and is not permitted by the city. 

  - Can chicken/livestock be kept in the city? Yes, with certain restrictions. Permits are required which require inspection by animal control. No roosters, guineas or peafowl are permitted (noise). Livestock also require a permit and inspections. 

  - Can citizens harvest pecans from public property? (I wasn't able to find anything in the ordinance, but have a question pending with the city.)

  - Can homeowners plant vegetable gardens in their front yards, if there is no Homeowner Association restriction? (Again, I wasn't able to find any restriction in the ordinances, but have asked for a reading from the city.)

We also got an update about the community garden being organized on the east side of town.

If you missed the presentation, you missed a lot of ideas. We all learned what a "woofer" is (and no, it has nothing to do with a sound system.)

For now, I am going to encourage those interested in this topic to post their thoughts on the Living Green Facebook Page or comment here.

Spring Compost Giveaway

One can never have too much compost. I have three compost bins, and we bought 2 truckloads of compost this past weekend. We can still use more.

If you need compost, the City of Wichita Falls spring compost give-a-way is April 7, 9 AM - 3 PM. If you participate in the City's Wednesday recycling program, you can receive a free load of compost at the Wichita Falls Organics Facility at 10984 Wiley Road. You will be asked for a copy of your water bill showing the $3 recycling charge.

The compost will be loaded for you. There is a limit of one pickup truck or one 4x8 trailer load per person. You must bring a tarp to cover your load. Workers will not load commercial dump trucks or trailers.

For more information, call 940-761-7977.

Christmas Tree Drop Off

If you had a live Christmas tree this year, you need to know where to dispose of it, unless you have enough room for a nice brush pile on your own property.

The City of Wichita Falls Sanitation Department has opened locations at Lucy Park (at the back of the park near the river) and Kiwanis Park (next to the park maintenance building near the entrance to the park) for easy disposal of natural Christmas trees. The free drop-off areas are open twenty-four hours a day.

Only real trees that have been completely stripped of the tree stand, all decorations and lights will be accepted. No artificial trees will be accepted. The trees will be recycled as mulch and used around trees, shrubs and flower beds in each park. 

City residents can also use the Landfill or Transfer Station for FREE tree disposal anytime during normal operating hours. Residents are encouraged to take advantage of these disposal methods, as there is no curbside pickup of Christmas trees. Trees left out by the curb will not be picked up by sanitation crews. 


If you choose,  you may also drop off trees at the Inland Fisheries office at 409 Chester Avenue (off Old Jacksboro Hwy). Those trees are used to improve fish habitat at Lake Arrowhead State Park.

Water Continues to Be Lead Story in 2012

Texas Monthly had an article on their website about the continuing drought. We've had some rain lately and everything is green (or as green as it gets in this part of the world) but locally we are still a foot below our annual rainfall normal. In some places in Texas, it is worse than that. With the exception of the moronic statement leading the article about Perry's Presidential candidacy being an important Texas issue, the rest of the article sums up some of the impacts the drought is having on the state.

This points out the need to continue to conserve water. Plant drought resistant plants and water only when needed. For more water conservation tips, see the City of Wichita Falls website.

If you would like to learn more about the future climate in our area and the likelihood of continuing drought, make time to attend the League of Women Voters meeting on Wednesday, January 4, at Luby's cafeteria. Bryan Rupp, meteorologist, is the featured speaker, presenting "Future Climate of the Rolling Plains." The meeting begins at noon and is open to the public. Just go through the line for your meal and be seated by the noon start. The meeting ends at 1:00 PM.

Have You Noticed?

The City is testing perennials in some of the medians (the one in front of the fire station on Beverly Blvd for one). Currently the city plants annuals (which are beautiful) and they have to be replaced on a regular basis to stay colorful and looking nice. The perennials would save money and perhaps some maintenance. We'll see how they work out. Congratulations to the city for looking for more environmentally conscious ways to keep the city looking nice. I wonder if the plants are also natives?

Today's Recycling Program at League of Women Voters Wichita Falls

I mentioned earlier this month that Dave Lehfeldt, Sanitation Superintendent for the City of Wichita Falls, would be the speaker today for the League of Women Voters, talking about recycling.

As always, Dave gave an informative and interesting presentation. I wanted to share some of the information I gleaned from the presentation (if I make any mistakes, hopefully, someone will correct me.)

I think most citizens of Wichita Falls know the highlight of the city recycling efforts is the composting program. Potentially, this program could capture as much as 66% of the city's solid waste as any compostable material can be placed in the green compost bins. The primary detractor from the program is participation. Of the 33,000 accounts on the city trash routes, only 9,000 participate in the composting program.

• It costs the city $5/month to pick up the compost bins--they charge $3/month. When the $3 fee went into effect, 1800 accounts eliminated the green carts--most were accounts that weren't using them.
• The landfill takes in 160 - 170 tons of trash monthly; 20 - 25 tons enters the composting program (just think how much less trash would enter the landfill if everyone maximized us of the bins.)
• Contamination of compost bins with non-compostable materials still occurs, but is less than in the past. Some of the confusion is due to people calling the bins "recycle bins" and thinking they can put anything recyclable in the bin.

Why doesn't Wichita Falls recycle plastic? Basically, because it isn't economically feasible at this time. The two biggest types of recyclable plastic (#1 and #2) constitute about 2% of the waste in Wichita Falls. Capturing a significant amount would be unlikely (look at the results for the compost program.) It costs $300 to take a load of any recyclable material to the metroplex and they cannot get nearly $300 from selling the product. If there was a local market for the material, it would be look a relook. Currently, Walmart takes plastic for recycle--they can make money on it because they would be sending the trucks back empty, so any money they make on the plastic offsets the expense.

There is no city recycling on computer equipment. However, on the city website there is information on how to participate in the mandatory recycling offered by various computer manufacturers.

A couple of announcements that are exciting:

• The city will be providing compost bins for the Hotter 'n Hell this year.
• Business composting pick up is now available, but only for those with dumpsters, not curbside bins.

As a reminder, the League of Women Voters of Wichita Falls, in conjunction with the Red River Sierra Group, publishes a brochure on recycling opportunities in Wichita Falls. The brochure is due for another update, but is still accurate.

As far as plastic goes, I suggest we "just say no." Although it is impossible to get by without some plastics (I try), I have been fairly successful at eliminating plastics by choosing not to buy items in plastic whenever possible. I do occasionally purchase drinks in a plastic bottle if I am desperate and other options aren't available. A suggestion is to purchase a sturdy water bottle and fill it from the tap--we have good water in Wichita Falls.

Overall the audience learned new things about recycling. If we all concentrate on putting as much as possible into the compost bins, we can divert much of the city's waste stream into compost.

Public Input Sought By City of Wichita Falls

If you are a resident of Wichita Falls, plan to attend the public meeting on February 23, 5:30 pm - 7:00 PM in Room 203, Wichita Falls Public Library.

I couldn't find the press release on the city website so watch for more information in the Times Record News and local TV. This meeting is to get public input on funding priorities associated with parks, public works, streets, child care, neighborhood resources, housing, code enforcement, first time homebuyers and senior citizens. Be there if you want a voice.

Curbside Recycling

Unfortunately, I didn't know until yesterday AM that Samantha McMahen was going back to the City Council this morning to present a petition on curbside recycling to the Council. I think we could have had a larger group there with a little more notice. However, there were several citizens there and both Samantha and Kelly Maestas gave short presentations.

If you want to increase the opportunities to recycle in Wichita Falls, it is important to make your views known to your Council member. Contact information is on the City of Wichita Falls website.

Involvement and persistance are key to getting things done by government.

In the meantime, the newest edition of the Red River Sierra Club/League of Women Voters of Wichita Falls recycling brochure is available on line.