Thrive to 105

I’m going to get on a little soapbox this morning and tout the efforts of one of my favorite environmental organizations, The Nature Conservancy.  I’ve been a supporter of theirs for years.  What I like about this organization is that they actually purchase the land that they are trying to conserve so they can have decision-making rights over it.

This morning I was reading my Summer 2010 issue of their magazine and learned about some of the great (in my opinion) projects they’re taking on.

Asian Carp Invasion – Sounds ominous, doesn’t it?  Well, actually, it could be serious for the fishing industry based in the Great Lakes Region of the U.S.  Asian Carp were imported here at one time to clean up algae in catfish ponds in the South.  Unfortunately, floods enabled them to escape into the Mississippi River system.  Now that they’ve made their way upriver, scientists worry they will starve the fish native to the Great Lakes and change the ecology.  Almost a decade ago, an electric barrier was placed on the canal between the Mississippi River Basin and Lake Michigan.  Last year, however, the Nature Conservancy’s “Great Lakes aquatic invasive species director (gotta love it!) found DNA of Asian Carp in several places beyond the barrier.  Of course, they are now trying to coordinate doing whatever it is they need to do to prevent an all out, full-scale “invasion”.

Zion National Park Easements – in Utah The Nature Conservancy has designated a total of 2,700 acres as conservation easements on ranches that are above Zion National Park in order to restrict development in these areas, thereby maintaining habitats that are of utmost importance to wildlife, such as cougars, elk, black bears, etc.

Penobscot River Dams – Truly amazing is the work they’ve done with the Penobscot tribe in Maine, along with other organizations, forming the Penobscot River Restoration Trust.  The long-time goal of the Penobscot Tribe has been to realize the fishing rights promised by treaties that have been in existence for centuries.  Through the collective efforts of not only The Nature Conservancy, but also such organizations as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, they have been able to purchase dams along the Penobscot’s watershed from Pennsylvania Power and Light (PPL) in order to tear them down, opening up 100 miles of the river in the “main stem” (and tributaries where the fish can spawn) to Atlantic Salmon, American shad, as well as up to 11 other species.  Really fantastic!  I love reading stories like this that are helping people and our environment.  So much goes on around us that we are just never aware of, yet the ways in which lives are impacted are tremendous!

Alright, I’ll get off my soapbox now; but if you want to support an environmental group that does a lot of great “stuff”, consider The Nature Conservancy!  

Now on to other Information Junk!

• You know those coin-counting machines you see in the grocery stores?  I tend to avoid them, because they charge a percentage of your money to count it for you!  What I didn’t know is that you can put the amount of your change into a gift card, in which case you can get the full value of your coins!  The retail businesses involved include:  Amazon, iTunes, Lowe’s, Old Navy, and Starbucks!

• Look out for health insurance scammers!  Why am I not surprised!?  It’s sad that there are so many people out there willing to prey on others in order to make a buck!  Anyway…some are going door-to-door identifying themselves as federal employees offering to sign you up and getting credit card numbers or bank accounts.  Some of them, of course, are working through telemarketing and e-mail.  So if you are health insurance poor (as I am), don’t be scammed!  Keep your guard up and your wallets closed!

• Here’s a bit of information that I found important:  If you’ve survived breast cancer, you should watch your intake of alcohol.  If you average three or more drinks each week, your chances of having a recurrence of your breast cancer increase by 34%.  It also increases the likelihood of dying from the cancer by 51%!!!  These findings could make a teetotaler out of me!

• Last, but certainly not least, if you’re a cat or dog lover, be aware that lilies are toxic for cats (Tiger, Easter, stargazers, etc.), causing kidney failure and possibly death for a kitten.  Also, your dog can actually get poison ivy…on his tummy…because there isn’t usually enough fur there to provide a buffer from the plant oil.  Wash him right away with soap and water if you think he’s been exposed.

That’s it for this Wednesday’s Information Junkie!  I realize I got a little verbose today, but there’s just so much great “junk” out there…it’s hard to stop sometimes!

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