Greetings all…in case you didn’t get my note, look back at Nature News #29 that describes the role of lookouts in Fire Towers around the country and how important their role is, still today! https://walkinjim.com/blog/
I wanted to highlight another Naturalist/Biologist/Trickster and mentor of mine, Tom Nicholls. Tom has been a mentor and friend for decades. He introduced me to bird banding and gave me the opportunity to be a coleader on many educational safaris in Tanzania and other countries in Africa. Through time, Tom has been writing his Focus on Nature column for the local paper in his community and sharing his vast experiences in the natural world. This past week, Tom wrote about a topic I feel is one we need to be most concerned about: WATER!
Enjoy this and if you want to receive Tom’s weekly article, send him a note and let him know!
Leslie
Tom & Mary Lou Nicholls, nicho002@umn.edu
Nature Education Center (NEC), Fifield, WI
Enjoying & Sharing the Beauty & Mysteries of Nature & Gardening with outstanding photographs & easily understood information – to help people enjoy the wonders of our natural world while promoting its preservation.
eNature Report No. 221, Oct. 23,2021
FOCUS ON NATURE—
Imagine a Day WITHOUT WATER!
By Thomas H. Nicholls, Nature Education Center, Fifield, WI | nicho002@umn.edu
(This article was published in part in the Price County Review & The Country Today)
October 21st was Imagine a Day Without Water (https://imagineadaywithoutwater.org/), a nationwide effort to highlight why water is essential, invaluable and in need of investment and protection because water is essential to all life on Earth.
The first time I imagined a day without water was the first time I went to Africa in 1988. Since then, I have been to six African countries leading Natural History Safaris and the one thing that impressed me more than any other was the consistent lack of clean water for drinking, cooking, and bathing. From the time our groups entered each country to the time we left, we had to depend upon bottled water—TO SURVIVE!
Unlike many African countries and other countries around the world, we in Wisconsin are lucky to have so much abundant fresh clean water that sustains life. Even so, Wisconsinites still face some serious water problems that need to be addressed.
| Wisconsin is home to 84,000 miles of rivers and streams, 15,000 lakes, 800 miles of great lakes shoreline, 190 miles of Mississippi River shoreline, over 5 million acres of wetlands, and 2 quadrillion gallons of groundwater. We are fortunate to have all these water resources in our state, but we still face some water problems, and the Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources (DNR) is doing just that, but they need your help. Here is some helpful information provided by the Wisconsin DNR related to all things about Wisconsin’s valuable water resources that we all should know about so we all can take action to protect and conserve OUR precious resource for now and future generations. Safe, clean drinking water is what everyone should expect when they turn on the faucet as well as in our rivers, lakes and streams. Unfortunately, all Wisconsinites do not have access to safe, clean drinking water. From emerging contaminants to ongoing issues concerning lead, runoff and other classic pollutants, working toward clean drinking water carries on the Wisconsin way – forward. In August, the department launched the Safe Water For All Campaign (https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/DrinkingWater/SafeWaterForAll.html) to spotlight the need for Wisconsinites to have safe, clean drinking water. To help keep the public informed on the state of water in Wisconsin, the DNR hosted the Safe Water For All panel series. Spend time learning about the leading contaminants that threaten water resources and the measures being taken to ensure clean water for all using the following resources. Protecting The People – Safe Drinking Water For All Learn how Wisconsin is working to protect your health and what you can do to get involved. Click on or use this link to watch: https://youtu.be/TYQIKZegviI Threats On Tap – Marginalized Communities At Risk Learn about efforts underway to understand and secure safe and affordable drinking water for every community. Click on or use this link to watch: https://youtu.be/mLuaUqz041U Sowing The Seeds For Change Learn about how the agriculture carbon market is changing the supply chain, how America’s farmers are helping reduce their carbon footprint and what it may mean for water quality. Click on or use this link to watch: https://youtu.be/u06Io1mseQ0 Learn more about the DNR’s efforts to protect drinking water. Click on or use this link to watch: https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/wnrmag/2019/Winter/Drinkingwater READERS SHARE—Enjoy! |
| You can see Leslie’s latest Nature News from GREATER YELLOWSTONE ECOSYSTEM #29 by clicking on: https://walkinjim.com/blog/ |
Yellowstone/ Grand Teton Country by Leslie Stoltz
Giant puffball by Ann Wick
Puffballs are round ground-hugging fungi that are sometimes mistaken for golf balls, but not this one; it couldn’t even fit inside a shoe!
PARTING SHOTS
| Photos courtesy of Linda Wadsworth |
Imagine what would happen to wildlife WITHOUT LIFE-GIVING WATER!
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Sharing & Enjoying Nature & Gardening, Naturally!
You can provide life-giving water for wildlife in your own backyard like Carl & Marge Jessen did in St. Anthony Park, St. Paul, MN with a water feature like this one or with just a simple bird bath!
Tom & Mary Lou Nicholls, nicho002@umn.edu