6 minute read
Green
from June 28, 2012
Whether it’s raining in June or dry in December, Truckee Meadows Water Authority always values responsible water use. That’s why we encourage Weather-Wise Watering.
Assigned-Day Watering only applies to your sprinklers. Run your spinklers when it’s cool and not windy, usually early in the morning. Turn them off when it’s raining. Water Weather-Wisely on your assigned days.
Advertisement
Also, give your sprinklers a rest on Mondays, as it is TMWA’s day to replenish and maintain our water system.
For more on your assigned days and other conservation tools, visit
www.tmwa.com www.tmwa.com
This message is brought to you by the water lovers at Polluted air
Nevada representatives voted no on two legislative actions and are now facing the disappointment and anger of the state’s environmental advocates.
Last week, Sen. Dean Heller voted against updates proposed by Environmental Protection Agency to the Clean Air Act, a measure that ensures air quality regulation. The Senate disagreed and voted to update the act and will now require power plants to make changes throughout the next three years to reduce toxic emissions. A bill to rewrite smog standards will be voted on this week.
But it’s not all good news for clean air—the Domestic Energy and Jobs Act was passed in the House of Representatives, which promotes the expansion of oil and coal-centric projects, such as the Keystone XL pipeline, in the name of job creation.
Heller and Sen. Harry Reid both voted no on an amendment of the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act that would require that all consumable items be labeled if the “product contains a genetically engineered ingredient,” according to Senate.gov. With a 73-to-26 vote, the bill did not pass.
In response, several petitions have been started online, as well as letter writing campaigns to Heller and Reid.
Controlled burn
Nevada is no stranger to wildfires, and the Active Fire Mapping Program by the U.S Department of Agriculture may help states better track and prepare for the influx of fires during the summer season. Fire detection maps are available for each state, as well as other resources like fire data web services, satellite images and last detected fire activity. As of June 25, Nevada, along with Utah, Colorado, Wyoming and several others, is classified as a “red flag warning” zone. No surprise there, so take extra caution while camping or using flammable items outside. Visit http://activefiremaps.fs.fed.us/ to check out the resources.
Arrays of light
The Yerington Paiute Tribe installed four new solar arrays to help power tribal facilities. A ceremony on June 21 also featured the dedication of a commemorative sundial by artist Louise Mackie. According to Black Rock Solar, which designed and build the arrays for the tribe, the “sundial has been placed in the center of a 43.5 kW solar photovoltaic array that was designed in the shape of the geometric sun.” Three of the arrays were created in a pictograph style, symbolizing the sun, the gavel—the tribe’s official symbol—and the basket weave. The tribe received rebates for all four arrays through NV Energy’s rebate program, and is expected to save an estimated $21,500 each year. The money will go toward “education, health and elder services in the community,” according to a statement released by Black Rock Solar. —Ashley Hennefer
ashleyh@newsreview.com
ECO-EVENT
Learn about which flowers to eat at the “Food of fairies” workshop hosted by Hungry Mother Organics. Last year, recipes included salad with pansies, nasturtium butter and lavender mint lemonade. Participants will sample various dishes and learn new recipes. $20. RSVP required. Email nanci@hungrymother.cc.
Got an eco-event? Contact ashleyh@newsreview.com. Visit www.facebook.com/ RNRGreen for more.
Big fish
Zeb Hogan
PHO TO/A SHLEY HENNEFER
Zeb Hogan ties deep water concerns to desert issues.
Treat yourself to gift certificates up to 75% OFF!
Zeb Hogan and the Megafishes Project could easily be the name of a band. But fame isn’t really Hogan’s thing, even though he was recently selected as one of by the 50 sexiest environmentalists in the world, according to green living
Ashley publication Rodale. He comes right before Justin Timberlake on the list,
Hennefer which also features Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts, and is one of only three ashleyh@ actual scientists on the list—the rest are actors, socialites and athletes. newsreview.com Hogan, a National Geographic Explorer and researcher at the University of Nevada, Reno, is more concerned with conservation than celebrity. He heads the Megafishes Project, a research endeavor that takes him all over the world studying the populations of very large, and often somewhat unnerving, fish. The project also works with the World Wildlife Fund, and seeks to “document and protect the planet’s freshwater giants.” Currently, Hogan is filming a television series with NatGeo called “Monster Fishes.” No release date has been set. Hogan holds a doctorate in ecology from UC Davis. His love for marine biology began as a child, and academia eventually led him to focus on fish. “What I focus on is anything related to freshwater fish ecology and conservation,” he says. “So I do a lot of assessment on the world’s largest fish
Learn more about to determine endangered status.” Hogan’s research at Hogan spends time studying fish abroad, including southeast Asia,http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ explorers/bios/ where he spent a few years as a Fulbright Scholar. So how does a scientist, whose research is primarily focused on large fish in substantial bodies of zeb-hogan/. water, end up in the high desert ecosystem of Northern Nevada? “The university was very supportive of the overall project,” he says. It also helps fund his research. Last semester, he taught a class at the university about Nevada’s fish species, and he also studies the Lahontan trout population. Part of Hogan’s research requires him to be an activist about topics like water conservation and endangered species, he says. But many of the issues Hogan aims to address are complicated, such as shark finning, overfishing, and Nevada’s droughts and water usage. “With shark finning, the problem is pretty clear, and there’s a relatively straightforward way to solve it,” he says. “But it’s still difficult to enforce rules so that sharks are harvested sustainably. The same goes for other issues. It’s really hard to get the message about water conservation when people are sort of living in a bubble.” Besides research, Hogan is a photographer and hopes to use photography as a way to raise awareness about the many fish species that go unnoticed. This is especially useful, he says, to document rare fish. “I’ve dedicated my life to these fish, and I’m lucky if even I get to see them,” he says. “If we can capture them with photographs, we can show people what’s out there, and perhaps they’ll take a more active approach to protecting them.” Hogan acknowledges that there are many problems affecting the world’s bodies of water, but any progress humans can make toward conservation is good progress, “Freshwater is so scarce,” he says. “There’s a competition between the way we use freshwater and the wildlife that needs it. So it’s a step by step issue. Right now we’re just hoping for small victories.” Ω
