Sunday, November 14, 2010

Unit 6

Adam DaSilva
Unit 6
                I live in the least populated county in the state of Kansas.  There is a saying around here that the jackrabbits have to carry canteens to get where they need to go.  Besides the fact that we are in an extremely dry area, once you get out of the city of Tribune the farm houses are few and far between. 
                Everyone in Tribune pretty much sticks together on a lot of issues.  Seems that people know when you’re going on vacation before you request one off.  In a lot of sense, it’s not that bad.  The one thing people can be proud of here is the hospital.  We are the only hospital in a 45 mile radius, and a good one at that.  We have a group of young doctors, and a few old ones left to keep the young ones in check.  One of the strongest focal points in our community is the church.  We have Roman Catholic, Baptist, and United Methodist.  Between these churches we have quite a few programs and other things going on to keep us busy.  We also have a “food pantry”.  This is where people can donate non perishable items for the needy.  Usually around Christmas time they go around to homes that need extra food and supplies to keep them going.  One of my most favorite things here is the Trap Shooting Club.  One of the only reasons we still have one is because we have a hometown hero that competes nationally in Trap Shooting.  He has been all American Team Captain numerous times and has been all around point’s winner too many times to count.  He really is one of the best. 
                I think the one common goal in our community is survival.  People leave here and no one comes in.  This is an issue that has plagued this community since the railroad stopped having the turnaround track here.  Used to be this was one of the most populated counties in western Kansas.  We had a YMCA and numerous railroad houses here that kept our population alive.  The one issue we have finally passed is to allow SeaBoard to come and put up hog barns.  This will create at least 35 more jobs here, and will bring more people in to help with the tax situation. 
                One amazing story that needs to be told is when we had a blizzard New Year’s day in 2007.  It had snowed over 14 inches and then the wind started blowing.  We had lost power to numerous country houses and had to get it restored.  So many people that could help did.  Farmers were digging their tractors out to help plow the roads to get to stranded houses.  We never once asked for the government or state assistance.  We all just knew what needed to be done and we did it.  No one asked for payment when they did this either.  I am proud to be a part of a community that will help you and not ask for help in return. 
                The community I am the closest to is the town and social activities.  When we have projects going on here it really takes a lot of people to lend a hand and to help with more ideas.  We had just recently purchased the movie theater that used to be owned by a private owner, now it belongs to the city.  It took a lot of people and even more community service hours to renovate it.  The upkeep on it is strictly community service members, and the hours to run the snack stand and the movie reels are all donated time.    
                The one thing that we need most here in Tribune is a Community Day Care facility.  We do have day care providers but they are usually too full to handle any more children.  I have decided that I will push this issue with commissioners because I have three children that need a day care provided for them.  If I was to be the administrator of this day care I would have lots of ways to bring creativeness out of the children.  The building I am thinking about proposing to the commissioners leaves a lot of room to work with when it comes to art.  We don’t have any art on display in our community, so this will be a good start.  I would picture a huge American Flag on the front of the brick building, and maybe some type of mural.  A community story that is told through artwork will be tough.  I know we are all patriotic and mostly conservative Republican, most people don’t view art as I do now.  I do know that the daycare would have to strive to develop self esteem and self worth.
                Tory Read also has an awesome idea that I would like to see here in Tribune because of all the old buildings that still stand.  Most of the owners must view the buildings as a part of our history but most of them are very dilapidated and have no purpose in our community.  I would like to at least see them remodeled, and if all fails they need to be torn down.  Most of all I would like a community project that aims at getting our community closer.

Monday, November 1, 2010

unit 5 essay


Adam DaSilva
Unit 5
                One of the most beautiful things about where I live is undisturbed nature, or maybe the thought of it.  I do know one thing, if you disrupt the natural balances that nature created it could be devastating to the environment.
                Irrigation in this part of the state is getting out of control.  Irrigation leads to higher profits, but to at what, or whose expense?  As you can see in the backgrounds of my pictures, everything that needs moisture is brown and now dormant.  At the same time we are recording record breaking corn crops in our area and we have to “pile” it in huge piles all across our sales territory.  Some of the bushels in my pictures are from dry land farmers, but most are from irrigation acres.  You can also see one of three creeks that used to flow in this part, but have all dried up.  It’s the only place where tree’s have actually token root and held.  I talked to an old farmer whose parents farmsteaded here in the early 1900’s, and he said the creeks used to be full, that’s how everyone got their water, including the livestock.  He also said that most trees got chopped down to build farm houses.  Since the introduction of irrigation, it has forever changed this environment.  No more running creeks, no more rain, no more water.  There are numerous reports across this part of the state that wells have ran dry and people are having to bring water in by the truckloads.
                A 200-bushel corn crop uses about 600,000 gallons of water — nearly 3,000 gallons per bushel.  This is about what a circle of irrigated corn averages in bushels around here.  The first time someone hears how much water corn requires, “they are usually very surprised. It seems excessive. But an acre of corn, during a hot July, can lose 7,000 or 8,000 gallons daily.  Think about a 160-acre cornfield irrigated with only 10 inches of water. That would take more than 250,000 gallons per acre, or some 40 million gallons for the field.
                When you start pumping water out of the ground it lowers your water table.  When you lower your water table you cannot support water on top of the ground, which is why we don’t have streams or small lakes anymore.   The aquifer was first tapped for irrigation in 1911. Directly under this part of the state is the Ogallala Aquifer. About 27 percent of the irrigated land in the United States overlies this aquifer system, which yields about 30 percent of the nation's ground water used for irrigation. In addition, the aquifer system provides drinking water to 82 percent of the people who live within the aquifer boundary.  While groundwater is a renewable source, reserves replenish slowly.  The USGS estimated that total water storage was about 2,925 million acre feet in 2005. This is a decline of about 253 million acre feet, or 9%, since heavy irrigation began in the 1950s.  The Ogallala will run out of water, and at the rate we’re going, soon. Scientists have estimated that it would take 6,000 years for the aquifer to naturally replenish itself, but we are taking water at much faster rates. Within the boundaries of the North Plains Groundwater Conservation District, the water level is dropping at 1.74 feet per year.
                The U.S. Department of Ag has realized that there is a water problem, but they are way too late.  They have placed restrictions on water usage, and are now offering incentives to stop irrigation.  Irrigation leads to better yields, in turn leads to higher profits per acre.  The cost of irrigation is lowering the water table.  The higher the water table, the more running water you have.  Rain makes moisture, moisture makes rain.  It is a cycle in nature that we have disrupted and I believe that every effort has to made to get nature back on its cycle.  Farmers here are starting to realize that with better farming practices you can still make your profit margin without irrigating.  Through these pictures I have definitely realized that we can make a change to this environment by better water practices. 
                I can relate to Anita Schmidt blog pictures.  If you look in the backgrounds of her pictures you can see all the green grass, nothing it dying or dormant.  We also have the same aspect of pictures, of nature and our environment.  I love the thought of Social Activism, and through these pictures there definitely needs to be a change in the way we think about water.  I don’t know where she lives but you can see my backgrounds are dry and dead, hers are green and alive.  Both blog pictures describe what I am, a worried consumer of water.