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Tuesday, March 31, 2015

A Year Round Fire Season?

From the USDA:


A pine burns with snow on the ground on the Boise National Forest (Photo Credit: US Forest Service)
A pine burns with snow on the ground on the Boise National Forest (Photo Credit: US Forest Service)
There was a time when fire season for Western states meant only certain months out of the year. Not so long ago the U.S. Forest Service considered it primarily a summer problem with a few regions breaking the trend in early spring and late fall.
But climate change, according to most wildland fire experts, has turned fire season into a year-round issue.
What used to slow down fire season was winter—a long and cold time of year with lots of snow that killed off many invasive or destructive pests and filled rivers and reservoirs with ample water to supply the needs of millions living in the West.
Now winter is shorter and has far less snow accumulation in many areas. Case in point is California with near tinderbox conditions of dry wood from a decade long drought that is being recognized as one of the worst in the state’s history—if not the worse. The snow pack this year was so sparse in the Golden State that some scientists from NASA are concerned that the state has literally only one year of water left.
If this dire prediction proves true, California could witness a natural resource disaster no state since the dust bowl years of the Great Depression has ever had to face. However, many other Western states in the coming years may face similar crises of water resource depletion.
To help mitigate the effects of climate change on our forests, the Forest Service is asking that visitors follow all rules to avoid starting uncontrolled fires in our national forests and grasslands. Information about what you can do to help is available at www.smokeybear.com.
The agency is also reducing hazardous fuels across two to three million acres per year to help make wildfires easier to control. Additional information is available athttp://forestsandrangelands.gov/resources/reports/index.shtml.
It will take years to slow and hopefully reverse the effects of climate change on our wildlands, but it’s not impossible — we just all have to pitch in.
    

Forsythias & Dumpster - 3 Views

Why did the prettiest forsythias have to be next to a dumpster?  March 27, 2015.


Samsung Galaxy 4:



Sony Cyber-shot:



Canon Rebel T3i:








Looking Up the Street - 3 Views

The following photos were taken at the same location with three different cameras.  March 27, 2015.


Samsung Galaxy 4:



Sony Cyber-shot:



Canon Rebel T3i:





Beautiful Flowering Tree in Independence, MO - 3 Views

This beautiful flowering tree was photographed from the same location with three different cameras.  March 27, 2015.



Samsung Galaxy 4:



Sony Cyber-shot:



Canon Rebel T3i




Flowering Tree on House Corner - 3 Views

These photos of an interesting flowering tree on the corner of a house were taken from the same location with three different cameras.


Samsung Galaxy 4:



Sony Cyber-shot:



Canon Rebel T3i



Maple in Spring in Independence, MO - 3 Views

This maple tree was photographed from the same location with three different cameras.  March 27, 2015.


Samsung Galaxy 4:



Sony Cyber-shot:



Canon Rebel T3i:




Bradford Pear in Cul-de-Sac - 3 Views

This Bradford Pear tree in Independence, MO was photographed from the same location with three different cameras:


Samsung Galaxy 4:



Sony Cyber-shot:



Canon Rebel T3i:



Bradford Pear Tree in Independence, MO - 3 Views

Photos were taken standing in the same spot in with three different cameras.  March 27, 27, 2015.


Samsung Galaxy 4:




Sony Cyber-shot:




Canon Rebel T3i:


Celebrate National Nutrition Month with MyPlate at School!

From the USDA:


MyPlate is the perfect teaching tool for nutrition education! Discover classroom materials at ChooseMyPlate.gov and from Team Nutrition.
MyPlate is the perfect teaching tool for nutrition education! Discover classroom materials at ChooseMyPlate.gov and from Team Nutrition.
In honor of National Nutrition Month®, MyPlate is sharing resources to help you bite into a healthy lifestyle everywhere you go! This blog highlights resources for encouraging a healthy lifestyle in the classroom. Learn about healthy eating at homework, and throughout thecommunity here.
MyPlate can be used to teach students of all ages about healthy eating. Start early and introduce preschoolers to fruits and vegetables through garden-themed nutrition education using the Grow It, Try It, Like It! Nutrition Education Kit. Elementary school teachers can integrate nutrition education into other subjects including Math, Science, English Language Arts, and Health withServing Up MyPlate: A Yummy Curriculum.
Additional kid-friendly activities can be found at MyPlate Kids’ Place. At MyPlate Kids’ Place, kids can take the MyPlate Champions pledge and print a personalized certificate stating their commitment to eating healthy and being active each and every day. Students will also love Blast Off, an interactive online game which challenges them to fuel their MyPlate spaceship with smart food choices from each of the food groups and 60 minutes of physical activity to fly to Planet Power.
In USDA’s interactive Blast Off game, kids have to fuel their spaceship with smart food choices and 60 minutes of physical activity to fly to Planet Power. Available at ChooseMyPlate.gov.
In USDA’s interactive Blast Off game, kids have to fuel their spaceship with smart food choices and 60 minutes of physical activity to fly to Planet Power. Available at ChooseMyPlate.gov.
MyPlate also offers resources to support older students in adopting a healthy lifestyle they can maintain into adulthood. High-school level lesson plans using the interactive tool, SuperTracker, encourage teens to think critically about their food and physical activity choices. Meanwhile college students around the country are championing healthy eating with peer-to-peer education through the MyPlate On Campus initiative. Learn more about this effort and get inspired by our MyPlate On Campus Ambassadors at Rutgers University and University of North Carolina at Wilmington.
Although National Nutrition Month is coming to a close, the resources featured this month can be utilized year-round in schools, homes, the workplace, and in your community. Find these and many more MyPlate resources on our website!
The Serving Up MyPlate curriculum is available in 3 levels; Level 1 (grades 1-2), Level 2 (grades 3-4), and Level 3 (grades 5-6).  Each curriculum includes a teacher’s guide, games, songs, posters and parent handouts.
The Serving Up MyPlate curriculum is available in 3 levels; Level 1 (grades 1-2), Level 2 (grades 3-4), and Level 3 (grades 5-6). Each curriculum includes a teacher’s guide, games, songs, posters and parent handouts.
    

Misc. Lakewood 33

Sign near spillway.  Photo taken with Samsung Galaxy 4.  March 27, 2015.



Misc. Lakewood 32

Spillway outlet.  Photo taken with Samsung Galaxy 4.  March 27, 2015.



Misc. Lakewood 31

Spillway inlet.  Photo taken with Samsung Galaxy 4.  March 27, 2015.



Misc. Lakewood 30

Aesthetic display from a different angle.  Photo taken with Samsung Galaxy 4.  March 27, 2015.



Misc. Lakewood 28

Aesthetic display.  Photo taken with Samsung Galaxy 4.  March 27, 2015.



Monday, March 30, 2015

Misc. Lakewood Photo 27

Looking downstream from top of dam.  Photo taken with Samsung Galaxy 4.  March 27, 2015.



Misc. Lakewood Photo 26

Lake and dam.  Photo taken with Samsung Galaxy 4.  March 27, 2015.



Misc. Lakewood Photo 25

Lake.  Photo taken with Samsung Galaxy 4.  March 27, 2015.



Misc. Lakewood Photo 24

Lake and dam.  Photo taken with Samsung Galaxy 4.  March 27, 2015.



NE Lakewood Boulevard 23

Misc. Lakewood photo.  Photo taken with Samsung Galaxy 4.  March 27, 2015.



NE Lakewood Boulevard 22

Blossoming tree.  Photo taken with Samsung Galaxy 4.  March 27, 2015.



NE Lakewood Boulevard 21

Miscellaneous Lakewood photo 21.  Photo taken with Samsung Galaxy 4. March 27, 2014.



NE Lakewood Boulevard 20

Misc. Lakewood 2.  Photo taken with Samsung Galaxy 4.  March 27, 2014.



NE Lakewood Boulevard 19

Misc. Lakewood Photo 1.  Photo taken with Samsung Galaxy 4.  March 27, 2015.



NE Lakewood Boulevard 18

Street marker.  Photo taken with Samsung Galaxy 4.  March 27, 2015.



Sunday, March 29, 2015

NE Lakewood Boulevard 17

Looking downstream from top of dam.  Photo taken with Samsung Galaxy 4.  March 27, 2015.



NE Lakewood Boulevard 16

Upstream face of dam.  Photo taken with Samsung Galaxy 4.  March 27, 2015.



NE Lakewood Boulevard 14

Lakewood Boulevard going across top of dam.  Photo taken with Samsung Galaxy 4.  March 27, 2015.



NE Lakewood Boulevard 13

Forsythia bushes near dam abutment.  Photo taken with Samsung Galaxy 4.  March 27, 2015.



NE Lakewood Boulevard 10

Street sign.  Photo taken with Samsung Galaxy 4.  March 27, 2015.



NE Lakewood Boulevard 09

Looking west-ish.  Photo taken with Samsung Galaxy 4.  March 27, 2015.



NE Lakewood Boulevard 08

Looking north-ish.  Photo taken with Samsung Galaxy 4.  March 27, 2015.



NE Lakewood Boulevard 07

Looking north-ish.  Photo taken with Samsung Galaxy 4. March 27, 2015.



NE Lakewood Boulevard 06

Looking west-ish.  Taken with Samsung Galaxy 4.  March 27, 2015.



NE Lakewood Boulevard 05

Street marker.  Photo taken with Samsung Galaxy 4.  March 27, 2015.