Anything is realistic?

Last night 60 Minutes aired an interesting and frightening piece in which Arnold Schwarzenegger spoke about his "vision" for addressing California's water crisis. After painting a grim picture of the impact that overconsumption and a multi-year drought have had on California's agriculture and environment, the investigation shifted to what the Governator will do to combat the problem. Though he has proposed adding storage capacity through $11 billion in modifications to the State's dams and supports a canal to divert water around the Bay-Delta, instead of taking the opportunity to present additional details on his ideas, Mr. Schwarnegger spoke in platitudes. When Ms. Stahl asked whether his visions of cranes as far as the eye can see and farmers and fish coexisting in perfact harmony were really possible, Mr. Schwarzenegger stated simply "Anything is realistic. It doesn't mean because it's a desert that we cannot go and bring water in here and start growing things. All we have to do is deliver water and then we can grow anything we want."

Now that I think about it, the Governor's plan would have perfectly addressed the request Munson's boss made of him in Schizopolis:

"It should lay out a new course of action... but one that can change direction at any moment. If you must mention facts and figures, don't do so directly. The general thrust... should remain embedded in one's mind forever... but specific words should be forgotten the moment they are heard. It should contain nothing that can be confirmed or denied. It should be on my desk Friday morning."

Check out the video below and suffice to say that I hope this action plan addresses the situation more thoughtfully.


Watch CBS News Videos Online

Space-age water gauge

A very cool and innovative use of Landsat data.

A few bits

In an interesting blog post on the San Francisco Chronicle site last Friday, Peter Gleick raises a provocative question regarding whether "beneficial uses" of water from California's Sacramento River should be redefined to account for the scarcity of water in the region: "Maybe it is time to explicitly demand that the SWRCB determine whether and how much water for watering lawns and outdoor landscapes is "beneficial" or "reasonable.""

A bit about getting green roof construction right in Architecture Week.

Lastly, a depressing story about Akwesasne, the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe, and the impact that PCBs have had on the men that live there.

Happy World Oceans Day and more

First of all, happy World Oceans Day.

Second, some interesting news over the weekend, including:

1. A  piece in the San Francisco Chronicle about a NMFS plan to restore salmon in the Bay Delta.

2. A bit in the New York Times about green roofs in New York.

3. A short article in the Boston Globe about water use in Massachusetts.

Rooftop crop

Thought I'd briefly highlight an inspiring article about rooftop gardening in Milwaukee, with a pretty ingenious irrigation system.

New news and new work

A couple of interesting tidbits of note:

1. A new lawsuit in the delta smelt world.  This one was filed last Thursday by the Pacific Legal Foundation, and claims that the application of the Endangered Species Act to the delta smelt is unconstitutional because the fish has no commercial value.

2. A favorable judgment for California farmers/potentially unfavorable judgment for delta smelt.  Basically, folks managing water diversions must reconsider the impacts that export reductions have on the state's farmers.

3. A real-life Chinatown scenario involving California's environmental water account, designed to buffer the effects fo reduced water flows from the Delta, and a wealthy Beverly Hills businessman.

4. The Nature Conservancy released a report on Thursday on the condition of shellfish reefs in temperate estuaries worldwide.  The authors note that in 70% of bays and 63% of marine ecoregions, oyster populations have experienced population decline of >90% from historic levels.  The paper cites five actions critical to improving the condition of shellfish beds: improve protection efforts, restore and recover reefs, manage fisheries sustainably, stop the spread of exotic shellfish, and improve water quality.  Here's a brief teaser from the TNC blog.

5.  I will be working with Eco Brooklyn to source materials, design, and build a green roof on their show house in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn.  Check their blog here for more information, though I will post my research findings, etc. here as well.

Of conflict and culture

California’s Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is, in many ways, a useful arena in which to study the water struggles that may face the world in coming decades.  The Delta and its water are subject to competing interests: while the ecosystem supports sensitive endemic species and an array of other ecologically- and commercially-important organisms, agricultural interests and water resource management agencies seek to utilize the system to mitigate California’s dry climate and promote economic growth.  Shifting patterns of precipitation and climate change complicate the situation.  The competition for water, exotic species invasion, widespread pesticide use, and increases in stormwater runoff has caused myriad ecological impacts, including the listing of the delta smelt as a federally-threatened species.  The result has been a protracted and complicated legal battle, and pieces included in Friday's San Francisco Chronicle and Sacramento Bee suggest that despite a resolution reached in December 2008 to reduce water exports, the fight for water is not yet over.

On a slightly different, but related, note photographer Lukas Felzmann has examined California's inland waterways, wetlands, fields, and industrial agriculture landscapes from an interesting perspective.  Check out a review of, and images from, the resulting book here and order it here.  It is phenomenal.

Innovation station

While perusing the Environmental Defense webpage today, I found a very cool Innovations Review section wherein ED examines new and interesting products and techniques that make sense from both the business and environmental perspectives.  Since managing watering operations in my very small garden can prove exceedingly tricky, my favorite innovations focus on managing water more efficiently by accounting for weather patterns and soil moisture.  But there's also an exciting bit about Iowa soybean farmers practicing "adaptive nutrient management" -- using aerial imagery, GPS, yield-calculating combines, and off-season meetings -- to optimize fertilizer application and balance expenditures on fertilizer with improvements in yield.  I strongly encourage you to check out the remainder of the innovations, here.