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March 2008 • Volume 8, Issue 101
Soil Survey On March 17th - A True Story. Dorothy Gonick - January 18, 2007 It began as an ordinary workday on the lovely spring day of March 17th. Walt, a Soil Scientist with the US Department of Agriculture, had been assigned to survey and make maps of the soil types found in a swampy area near Norwalk, CT. In general, Soil Maps will indicate if the best use of the land is for farming, development or just left as nature had created it. Walt had been given permission to use the parking lot of a nearby nursery school. When he arrived, the playground was filled with laughing, shouting children, and the two teachers supervising the group. Since the swamp was soggy and filled with sharp brambles, Walt donned his green waterproof suit. He then gathered his knapsack, shouldered his spade and auger, and made his way across the parking lot to start down the slope toward the swampy area. The children began shouting and grew excited, and he soon heard commands of "Come back! Don't go down there! Come back! Come back!" Turning around, he saw a lively group of small children eagerly approaching him, followed by the teachers madly waving and calling for them. The children were pointing at Walt and excitedly calling, "We've found him, we've found him! We've found the leprechaun!!!" That green suit and the shovel were evidence enough that they'd found a leprechaun on his way to burying a knapsack filled with gold. Two of the bigger boys ignored the teachers and had caught up with Walt, and began begging for gold coins. They wouldn't believe that Walt was not a leprechaun. And of course he had no gold coins to give them. Throughout the day, Walt could be heard chuckling about his 'ordinary' workday.