The expression, “like a canary in a coal mine” was used to describe the alarm system for coal miners in the late 19th and early 20th century. The small birds were brought down into the mines to be a zoological early warning to alert miners of toxic gases or fumes. The canaries would choke and die earlier than people so the men knew they should take action! Explanations of large scale bird and fish deaths over the past 7 days are as follows: hail, lightening, heavy winds fireworks, disease, tornado, upper atmospheric disturbance, mass confusion, hit by something, bird government experiments, power lines, extreme temperatures (hot or cold), massive trauma, struck by a car or my personal favorite, the 2nd coming of Christ. I think we should add chemicals to the list ~ Don’t you? The experts may be overlooking several chemicals because they do not consider these chemicals to be deadly. Why? Because the same chemicals are found in 90% of every man, woman and child in the USA. One more thing, pollution and poison HAS been ruled out. I believe that ruling out “pollution” is unwarranted and too early. New Years Eve ~ between 3,000-5,000 dead red-winged black
Read more →Hoosier Environmental Council 2011-2012 Legislative Policy Guide http://www.hecweb.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/2011LegGuide10-3.pdf According to the 2010 Impaired Waters List, Indiana has more than 2,600 impaired waters that are unsafe for drinking and recreation. The following is a summary of information presented in the guide regarding water issues: Issue 1) Restriction unnecessary use of phosphorus in lawn fertilizers on turf grass unless it is TRULY needed. This is the first issue discussed because lawn fertilizer has been linked to “dead zones” in Lake Erie, where over 50% of our fish from the Great Lakes come from! (pg 4) Issue 2) The Clean Water Act’s Anti-Degradation Policy was adopted by the Indiana General Assembly, but IDEM’s proposed rules do not meet this standard and must be improved. Too many exemptions allow companies to avoid justifying their new or increased discharges. There are several weaknesses in proposed rule so it needs to be strengthened. (pg 4) Issue 3) Confined Feeding Animal Operations (CAFO’s) in Indiana number over 3,000. At 80% of these operations; hogs and dairy cows are confined by the thousands or chickens are raised by tens of thousands at a single facility. These large scale operations lead to public health disasters like fish kills, and Salmonella tainted eggs, blue-green algae blooms.
Read more →Everyone should hug a farmer. Thank them for the food we eat and marvel at their ability to use the land for such bounty. American farmers are people that made our country great. I obey laws because that is what people do who live in a civilized society. Do you remember how people in England discarded their waste before the black plague killed 1/3 of the population (25 million people)? In the 14th century people would throw their chamber pots’ contents out of their window and into yards and streets. The rats would then walk through the feces while seeking food and finally carry it back to the larger rat populations. The flees that resided on the backs of rats were also exposed to the waste causing the plague. This is ONE theory of a disease called Black Death and is still studied today as one of the most deadly pandemics in history. Keep poop out of our water, just like what was enacted into federal law in 1973 – called the Clean Water Act. So leave our small farm owners alone for a moment; but immediately impose current law on factory farms that contain animals on an industrial scale.
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