Happy Valentine's Day!

VALENTINE’S DAY!!!  You can smell chocolate in the air—do you ever wonder about the origins of the chocolate you are enjoying?

All chocolate begins with cocoa beans, the fruit of the cacao tree (also called a cocoa tree).  Cocoa trees grow only in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, South America and Central America, within 15 to 20 degrees of the equator.   These regions are best for the cocoa trees to survive because the trees require constant warmth and rainfall to thrive.  These regions usually have rainfall of 45 to 200 inches of rain per year.  Another key factor for the cocoa trees to flourish is a rich, volcanic soil which is found in these regions.  The trees also need to be grown in the shade of other trees to protect them from direct sunlight and are sheltered from the wind.  Cocoa trees can produce fruit for 75 to 100 years or more.

Happy Valentine’s Day—here’s to another successful year of growing cocoa trees!

Order of the Day: Conservation

Last week I traveled to Texas for some much needed rest and relaxation.  While there we stayed at Canyon Lake in the Texas Hill Country near San Antonio.  While the area had received several inches of rain the week prior and experienced some flooding, it was hard to tell by the time we arrived a week later.  Impacts of the past year’s drought were quite apparent.  Canyon Lake was down about 10 feet from its normal capacity and many of the boat ramps were inaccessible to the lake.
 

Later in the week we were in Austin and ate lunch at the Oasis near Lake Travis.  The restaurant is suppose to be on Lake Travis but with the current drought the lake is down almost 50 feet and looks more like a river than a lake.  As we ordered lunch, we asked for water as it is not automatically served.  Of course, taking a look at that lake made one sure to finish the glass of water you had ordered.  Especially when just down the road in the community of Spicewood Beach residents have had to truck in water as their wells are all but dry. 

 

Conservation is the order of the day for Texans as it should be for all of us all the time.  The challenges that Texas and many other places are facing reminds us all that we need to be responsible in the use of our water resources. 

Make Plans Now For Groundwater Awareness Week

By Brian Reetz

Here’s a quick question! What is coming up in March? Well on a personal note I know it’s both my grandma’s, my mom’s and my sister’s birthdays. There is March Madness and all of the hoopla that surrounds the NCAA basketball tournament, but there is also an important week.

It’s Groundwater Awareness Week – March 11-17, 2012.

I’ve been talking with each of the communities that are part of my program about gearing up for an activity that week.  I want them to do something to protect our groundwater, something that makes our groundwater sustainable for future generations.  I encourage you to do likewise.

So maybe you pick that week to put in a rain garden at your home or your work. Maybe you put a rain sensor on your irrigation system for your yard. Maybe you take that motor oil that is just sitting in your shed, with a chance to spill, down to a recycling center.

What is important is that you do something! All of us can do our part!

Mark your calendars and start planning what you will do during Groundwater Awareness Week.

Read more and get more ideas at: http://www.ngwa.org/Events-Education/awareness/Pages/default.aspx

New Year, New Resolutions

by Jennifer Wemhoff, Program Manager

Ah, January.  The start of a new year.  A clean slate for all those changes we hope to make.

The Chamber of Commerce website lists the following popular New Year’s resolutions:

• Drink Less Alcohol
• Eat Healthy Food
• Get a Better Education
• Get a Better Job
• Get Fit
• Lose Weight
• Manage Debt
• Manage Stress
• Quit Smoking
• Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
• Save Money
• Take a Trip
• Volunteer to Help Others

While these are all great things, my personal New Year’s resolutions are much simpler:

• Floss more.
• Keep my kitchen table clutter free.
• Get back to being a regular blood donor.

Last, but certainly not least:

• Conserve water.

I wouldn’t say my household is a “water waster” by any means, but I know there are things we can do better.  You may have read last week’s blog about our new five-minute shower timers.  I resolve to use this every day, and encourage my husband to do the same.  While we don’t generally water our lawn regularly in the spring and summer, I know we can be more efficient when it may be necessary; the same with watering the garden.  For example, watering in the morning or evening to minimize evaporation.  Another way I plan to save – collecting the water used for rinsing fruits and vegetable and using it to water my potted plants.  See more ways to conserve.

How about you?  Is water anywhere on your resolution list?