What might be?

This photo is not much to look at, but if several things fall into place this piece of earth could be generating a tremendous amount of electricity. What you are seeing is the 2010 view of Virginia's largest Superfund Site, Avtex Fibers, in Front Royal. There is a proposal in the works to convert the area in the photo to a large solar energy generating array. I am not confident that this will happen due to a variety of reasons, but we can hope. There are several hundred acres which would be an ideal location.

Aftermath of a Storm

After the snow has fallen and the melt has begun, the damage is just starting. Chemicals used for de-icing roads and sidewalks wash into streams which can potentially impact vegetation and wildlife. Historically, the major chemical used is sodium chloride (rock salt) which lowers the melting point of water and keeps ice and snow from sticking on roadways. Some localities are now looking at alternatives which are not as damaging. The emerging method is to replace salt with a brine solution prior to a storm. Sometimes the brine is mixed with a naturally-occurring sticky substance to help it adhere. In addition to the chemical impact, if a storm is follow by quick warming, flooding can be a real problem.

Visibility

"The greatest distance under given weather conditions to which it is possible to see without instrumental assistance" is one definition of visibility. Usually when we say "it is good visibility today", this means that distant objects can be seen clearly. Winter days like the one above will usually have good visibility due to little moisture in the air [dew point at time of photo = 10 degrees F]. The mountain in the photo is known as Signal Knob, due to its use as a signalling venue by both Northern and Southern armies during the Civil War. It is only eight miles from the camera, but it is still a good visibility day.

Money could be spent wisely if...

Realistically, this is not an expensive amount of money to pay for gasoline. The sad fact is that most of this expense is going overseas to pockets that could care less about what effect that burning fossil fuels is having on the health of the environment. It is time [past time] to increase spending on developing alternative forms of energy. It will take a gigantic effort to bring this about, but keeping the status quo will not help the situation.

Recycling

Recycling household materials sometimes is not real pretty. One has to go beyond the aesthetics of the practice to see the benefits. We all have to do our part. Shown here is quite a bit of corrugated cardboard thrown in with the rest of the household garbage.

Water has never been more precious

As pretty as it is shown here, nonetheless, the Shenandoah River is troubled. Almost every recent year there have been fish kills, and testing has shown the river is polluted. This should be a reminder to us all that we have to take care to protect our water supplies. If you have a few minutes, this link will allow you to view a 10 minute trailer of Shenandoah: Voices of the River, a documentary on the health of the river.

Extreme Weather

This first photo of the year illustrates that this part of Virginia has experienced recently more than its normal share of winter weather. The snow is left over from a December 19th storm of 20", the most ever recorded in modern times in the month of December. I believe that we will continue to face extremes like this for the future. I truly suspect that this is part of our climate changing, and part or most of the transformation is due to the modern world's impact on the environment.