Great Morning for Invasives Observations

A beautiful morning for a walk. The weather was clear and in the 50's.

I decided to walk one of the city trails and make some Invaders observations. I chose the Falls Trail between the entrance to Lucy Park and the pedestrian bridge behind the MPEC.

The picture to the left is of a mimosa tree, one of the 134 species of plants the Texas Master Naturalists are helping to document in Texas. I made 25 observations in just this short section of trail. I am sure I would have made more if I was better at plant ID.

If you haven't discovered the city's trails system yet, it is one of the best-kept secrets in the city. This particular section is not as heavily used as some of the areas, probably because of concerns for safety. Personally, I have never had a problem, but I have had others tell me they don't walk that stretch as a portion of it goes through a run down area of town. But it is a very scenic stretch of the river (as scenic as the Wichita River gets anyway) except in the winter, when the vegetation dies back and you can see all of the trash.

Blog Action Day for Climate Change

Today is Blog Action Day for Climate Change.

The idea that climate change is bogus has a lot of traction in Wichita Falls and many conversations about improving sustainability have gotten side-tracked on the "climate change is Al Gore's personal campaign to stay in the spotlight and make piles of money" argument. Although sustainability and climate change are related, there is a lot more involved in sustainability than the issue of climate change (although that's a big one.)

I really don't care about whether we're getting hotter or colder. I am not overly concerned about the arguments about how fast the climate is changing and the precise impacts. What I am certain about is that people are using resources, many of which are finite. I am also certain that not all of the changes in the climate (or other environmental factors) are good. If past history proves out, some of them will have far-reaching and as yet unknown negative impacts.

Finally, I know that if Al Gore and the majority of climate scientists are right, we have to tame the climate change monster. If we act and there is no climate change issue, then we have some severe economic shifts we will have to cope with. As resources dwindle (especially oil), we will have to make these adjustments anyway. If climate change is indeed coming upon us quickly, then action is a matter of life and death for many.

There's the bottom line. It's a matter of doing a risk analysis. Likely neither side of the argument is 100% correct. If we could be certain, we would know what we have to do. We don't. So where is the greater good? It is in working toward a sustainable lifestyle that ensures our children and grand children have access to the resources they need for a healthy and happy future.

Stop the Spread!

On September 19, I attended an Invaders of Texas workshop. This is a citizen science project to document the range of invasive species in Texas. As usual our area has not been well studies and many invasive plants are not noted as present in our area.

Travis Gallo, our instructor, said the training would ruin our walks, because we would notice all of the invasives. I can't say my walks have been ruined, but I will agree that I never realized just how much of our local flora shouldn't be in Texas (and often, not in the US.)

If you missed the Invaders training, you can still participate in this project by taking the on-line Voyager training (guess what sci-fi program the person who came up with these names is fond of.) Then with digital camera, GPS, pen and paper, you're on your way! You can learn more about this program and sign up for the on-line program at texasinvasives.org. If you take the training and want to sign up to upload observations, our satellite is the Rolling Plains Invaders.

Yesterday's EcoFair

I had to teach class yesterday, but managed to get by the EcoFair at the very end of the day about the time the rain started. In talking to several people there, River Bend had a steady stream of visitors for this event. I didn't have my camera (I finally broke down an bought a small camera and haven't gotten into the habit of carrying it with me) to take pictures, but there were some good ones in the Times Record News this morning--in fact, if you hurry, one of them is posted on their website this morning.

Good job to Samantha McMahen and the rest of the River Bend folks for continuing this worthwhile and fun event.

Vote for Green Initiative

I received an interesting e-mail from Ashoka about an initiative from Google. Called 10 to the 100, Google is promising to spend $10 M to support some social entrepreneurship ideas. Check out http://www.project10tothe100.com/vote.html and vote for your favorite idea by October 8.

Monarch Butterfly Tagging Event

Monarch butterflies migrate through Wichita Falls in their way to Mexico. This year the butterflies seem to be passing further to the west of us in large numbers; we aren't having the large numbers we normally do so far. For the past few years Master Naturalists have been taggin ghte butterflies to help learn more about their migration. This is a chance to learn more about monarchs in an up-close-and-personal way.

The Rolling Plains chapter of the Texas Master Naturalists is hosting a Monarch Butterfly tagging event in Lake Wichita Park on Monday, September 28 and Tuesday, September 29 beginning at 6:00 PM until dusk. We will set up near the parking lot at the entrance at the end of Fairway Blvd. Bring the kids; we'll have nets.

If you want to learn more about monarchs try Monarch Watch at http://www.monarchwatch.org/. It's a great site.

Big Sit October 11

The annual Wichita Falls Big Sit will be held Sunday, October 11, from sunrise until we get tired and go home (usually by noon.) We gather behind Wild Bird Rescue on what we optimistically call "the peninsula."

The Big Sit is a nationwide event (although some international groups are now taking part)--so groups all sit on the same day. This is a lazy birder event as the rules require that participants have to sit inside a 17-ft circle and count birds from inside that area. Groups compete for having the birdiest site. Most groups are a little more competitive than we are and start in the dark; end in the dark. We are out for the portion of the day that yields the most birds.

This event is sponsored by the North Texas Bird and Wildlife Club. It is free and open to the public. You don't have to know anything about birds to take part--there are plenty of experienced birders on hand. This is a come and go, so if you are not inclined to be up and functional at sunrise, come a little later in the morning (although you will miss some great sights.)

Dress appropriately (there is almost always a breeze off the water.) I advise layers as you will likely shed them as the morning warms. Also bring a lawn chair, your binoculars, a field guide, bug spray if you need it, and whatever you want to drink.We have had some excellent birding mornings in the past, so come on down! By the way, check out the video on the BirdWatchers' Digest website about the event.

Good birding!