SOUDER'S SELLOUT - NUMBERS EVEN HIGHER IN OPPOSITION TO DUMPING IN LAKE MICHIGAN

Okay - I couldn't help myself after finding out the vote was even more lopsided than originally reported. It was not 387-26; it was 399-24 according to an article by Slyvia Smith over at JG. So here is the "official" news release with the Representative's out-of-touch musings:

Souder Votes for Energy Independence

Opposes Democrats' Stunt Targeting Hoosier Refinery

July 25, 2007

U.S. Rep. Mark Souder voted today to lower the cost of gasoline and reduce America’s reliance on Middle East oil by voting against H.Con.Res. 187, a resolution introduced by the House Democrat Caucus chairman that would express Congress’ disapproval of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management’s (IDEM’s) issuance of a permit relating to BP’s Whiting refinery. Despite Souder’s objection, the Democrat-controlled House passed the non-binding resolution by an overwhelming majority.

“We hear a lot of talk about energy independence and the need for lower gas costs, and yet the Democrat leadership has decided to target Indiana’s refinery in Whiting,” Souder said. “The expansion of this refinery will help us import more Canadian crude oil, which reduces our reliance on Middle East oil, and it will increase refinery capacity by 15 percent, which will lower the price of gas at the pumps.”

“BP is investing more than $3 billion in our state, and Democrats are targeting it—ostensibly for environmental reasons—despite the fact that the plant will still fall within federal pollution guidelines,” Souder added. “This appears to be a sham, and I’m frankly disappointed that the House passed the bill by such a wide margin.”

Last year, BP America Inc. announced that it will invest $3.5 billion in its Whiting, Indiana, refinery to reconfigure its operations to handle Canadian heavy crude oil processing. BP’s investment will create up to 80 new permanent full-time jobs and 2,500 jobs during the three-year construction phase.

By reconfiguring the refinery so as to handle Canadian heavy crude, the Whiting facility has the potential to increase its production of motor fuels by about 15 percent (resulting in about 1.7 million additional gallons of gasoline and diesel per day). Because refining Canadian crude produces more ammonia, BP was issued a new permit by IDEM relating to discharge from its wastewater treatment plant. The discharge falls within federal and state environmental safeguards.

The current lack of refining capacity in the United States is tied directly to the high price of gas.

Every time I read this misguided attempt at blaming Democrats, I don't know whether to get angry or to laugh a little harder. Souder calls the Resolution a "stunt" by Democrats. I bet he was shocked when dozens and dozens of his Republican colleagues jumped ship and sided with the Democratic "stunt."

Lake Michigan at Sunset

Below is the actual vote before correction. This shows the vote at the original numbers of 387-26. Democrats are in regular font; Republicans are in italics. Yes siree - what a stunt. The sad thing though is that all of Indiana's Republican representatives - Buyer, Pence, Burton, and Souder - voted to oppose the Resolution. All of Indiana's Democratic representatives voted to support the Resolution.

Of course, none of the four Republican representatives from Indiana has districts which border Lake Michigan and are impacted by its waters. But neither do three of the five Democratic representatives; only two - Pete Visclosky of the 1st district and Joe Donnelly of the 2nd district - have areas impacted by Lake Michigan. The difference is that the four Indiana Republican representatives failed to protect their own state's environment, while the five Democratic representatives recognized the environmental dangers of increasing toxic dumping in Lake Michigan as well as the dangers to the shores and environment of our sister states.

---- AYES 387 ---

Ackerman Aderholt Akin Alexander Allen Altmire Andrews Arcuri Baca Bachmann Bachus Baird Baker Baldwin Barrett (SC) Barrow Bartlett (MD) Bean Becerra Berkley Berman Berry Biggert Bilbray Bilirakis Bishop (GA) Bishop (NY) Blumenauer Bonner Bono Boozman Boren Boswell Boucher Boustany Boyd (FL) Boyda (KS) Brady (PA) Braley (IA) Brown (SC) Brown, Corrine Buchanan Burgess Butterfield Calvert Camp (MI) Campbell (CA) Capito Capps Capuano Cardoza Carnahan Carney Carter Castle Castor Chabot Chandler Clay Cleaver Clyburn Coble Cohen Cole (OK) Conyers Cooper Costa Costello Courtney Cramer Crenshaw Crowley Cuellar Cummings Davis (AL) Davis (CA) Davis (IL) Davis (KY) Davis, David Davis, Tom Deal (GA) DeFazio DeGette Delahunt DeLauro Dent Dicks Dingell Doggett Donnelly Doolittle Doyle Drake Dreier Duncan Edwards Ehlers Ellison Ellsworth Emanuel Emerson Engel English (PA) Eshoo Etheridge Everett Fallin Farr Fattah Feeney Ferguson Filner Forbes Fortenberry Fossella Frank (MA) Frelinghuysen Gallegly Garrett (NJ) Gerlach Giffords Gilchrest Gillibrand Gillmor Gingrey Gonzalez Goode Goodlatte Gordon

Granger Graves Green, Al Green, Gene Grijalva Gutierrez Hall (NY) Hall (TX) Hare Harman Hastert Hastings (FL) Hastings (WA) Hayes Heller Herger Herseth Sandlin Higgins Hill Hinchey Hinojosa Hirono Hodes Hoekstra Holden Holt Honda Hooley Hoyer Hulshof Hunter Inglis (SC) Inslee Israel Issa Jackson (IL) Jackson-Lee (TX) Jefferson Jindal Johnson (GA) Johnson (IL) Johnson, E. B. Johnson, Sam Jones (NC) Jones (OH) Jordan Kagen Kanjorski Kaptur Keller Kennedy Kildee Kilpatrick Kind King (IA) King (NY) Kingston Kirk Klein (FL) Kline (MN) Knollenberg Kucinich Kuhl (NY) Lampson Langevin Lantos Larsen (WA) Larson (CT) Latham LaTourette Lee Levin Lewis (CA) Lewis (GA) Lewis (KY) Linder Lipinski LoBiondo Loebsack Lofgren, Zoe Lowey Lucas Lynch Mack Mahoney (FL) Maloney (NY) Manzullo Markey Matheson Matsui McCarthy (CA) McCarthy (NY) McCaul (TX) McCollum (MN) McCotter McCrery McDermott McGovern McHenry McHugh McIntyre McKeon McMorris Rodgers McNerney McNulty Meek (FL) Meeks (NY) Melancon Mica Michaud Miller (FL) Miller (MI) Miller (NC) Miller, George Mitchell Mollohan Moore (KS) Moore (WI) Moran (KS) Moran (VA) Murphy (CT) Murphy, Patrick Murphy, Tim Murtha Musgrave Myrick Nadler Napolitano Neal (MA)

Neugebauer Nunes Oberstar Obey Olver Ortiz Pallone Pascrell Pastor Paul Payne Pearce Perlmutter Peterson (MN) Petri Pickering Pitts Platts Pomeroy Porter Price (GA) Price (NC) Pryce (OH) Putnam Radanovich Rahall Ramstad Rangel Regula Rehberg Reichert Renzi Reyes Reynolds Rodriguez Rogers (AL) Rogers (KY) Rogers (MI) Rohrabacher Ros-Lehtinen Roskam Ross Rothman Roybal-Allard Ruppersberger Rush Ryan (OH) Ryan (WI) Salazar Sánchez, Linda T. Sanchez, Loretta Sarbanes Saxton Schakowsky Schiff Schmidt Schwartz Scott (GA) Scott (VA) Serrano Sessions Sestak Shays Shea-Porter Sherman Shimkus Shuler Shuster Sires Skelton Slaughter Smith (NE) Smith (NJ) Smith (TX) Smith (WA) Snyder Solis Space Spratt Stark Stearns Stupak Sullivan Sutton Tancredo Tanner Tauscher Taylor Terry Thompson (CA) Thompson (MS) Thornberry Tiahrt Tiberi Tierney Towns Turner Udall (CO) Udall (NM) Upton Van Hollen Velázquez Visclosky Walberg Walden (OR) Walsh (NY) Walz (MN) Wasserman Schultz Waters Watson Watt Waxman Weiner Welch (VT) Weldon (FL) Weller Westmoreland Wexler Whitfield Wicker Wilson (NM) Wilson (OH) Wilson (SC) Wolf Woolsey Wu Wynn Yarmuth Young (FL)

---- NAYS 26 ---

Barton (TX) Bishop (UT) Blackburn Blunt Boehner Brady (TX) Burton (IN) Buyer Cannon

Cantor Conaway Culberson Flake Foxx Franks (AZ) Hensarling Lamborn Lungren, Daniel E.

Marchant Miller, Gary Pence Poe Royce Shadegg Simpson Souder

---- ANSWERED “PRESENT” 2 ---

Gohmert

Sali

---- NOT VOTING 16 ---

Abercrombie Brown-Waite, Ginny Carson Clarke Cubin Davis, Jo Ann

Davis, Lincoln Diaz-Balart, L. Diaz-Balart, M. Hobson LaHood Marshall

Peterson (PA) Sensenbrenner Wamp Young (AK)

As can be seen from the picture below, Lake Michigan is the only one of of the five Great Lakes to lie entirely within the boundaries of the United States.

YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING - SOUDER'S SELLOUT

The House of Representatives voted 387-26 Wednesday in favor of a resolution condemning the state of Indiana’s permit to allow British Petroleum to increase its daily dumping of ammonia and mercury into Lake Michigan. The Resolution was triggered by last September's joyful announcement from Governor Mitch Daniels and BP executives that the company - which touts its distinct British heritage as "making it as much a part of the UK landscape as football, tea drinking and the Royal Family" - planned to reconfigure its Whiting, Indiana, refinery to handle Canadian heavy crude oil processing. The company’s $3 billion investment is anticipated to create up to 80 new permanent full-time jobs and 2,500 construction jobs during the three-year construction phase.

The state says this is the largest capital investment it has ever had. Once the project is completed in 2011, the refinery will be able to supply motor fuel to about 6 million automobiles. Of course, in order to get BP to invest in its Whiting Foundry, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) offered incentives to assist in the company’s decision to expand its operations at the Whiting facility. The IEDC offered incentives including up to $450,000 in training grants and approximately $1.2 million in tax credits based on job creation and capital investment.

Additionally, the Indiana Department of Transportation and Indiana Department of Workforce Development will provide assistance in the form of infrastructure improvements and worker training. But of course, in expanding its current capacity, it also has to increase its dumping of toxic and hazardous materials straight into Lake Michigan.

BP - already one of the largest polluters along the Great Lakes - received permission from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to be exempt from environmental laws that cap the amount of toxins discharged into the lake. The refinery's discharges, which are expected to include 54 percent more ammonia and 35 percent more sludge daily, will remain within federal and state pollution water standards. While BP quibbles as to the characterization of its discharge as "sludge", the total suspended solids (TSS) as well as the ammonia it intends to discharge into Lake Michigan can have a disastrous impact by blocking light from reaching submerged vegetation, thus setting into motion a process that, ultimately, results in aquatic destruction and fish kills.

And, no surprise, Souder was one of the 26 to vote against the Resolution - imagine that! Representative Souder is astute at spinning his losing position. Here is a short snippet from his news release:

"U.S. Rep. Mark Souder voted today to lower the cost of gasoline and reduce America’s reliance on Middle East oil by voting against H.Con.Res. 187, a resolution introduced by the House Democrat Caucus chairman that would express Congress’ disapproval of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management’s (IDEM’s) issuance of a permit relating to BP’s Whiting refinery. Despite Souder’s objection, the Democrat-controlled House passed the non-binding resolution by an overwhelming majority. "

Wow! What a spin! And what a slap in the face to his own home state! Souder's news release shows a complete disregard for the environment of Lake Michigan and environmental issues in general. While Souder spins the situation to try to "pin the tail on the donkey" and blame the Democrats, he totally ignores the fact that the vote was 387 for the Resolution and 26, I say 26, against the Resolution. Looks to me like an awful lot of Republicans joined the Democrats to vote for the Resolution; yet, conveniently, Souder doesn't even put the vote tally in his press release.

Souder has decided that Americans need the increased oil and gas output more than they need to protect the largest fresh-water lake in the United States. He talks on the one hand about decreasing our reliance on oil, yet on the other hand he supports expansion of the Whiting Refinery. The difference is that the Whiting Refinery will be processing Canadian oil rather than Middle Eastern oil. And that makes it acceptable in his mind.

ROLLIN' ON THE RIVER - TRUE RIVERFRONT IMPROVEMENT

Yesterday evening I ate at Nick's Riverside Lounge, the open air eatery perched on the banks of the St. Marys River behind Hall's Old Gas House. What a relaxing environment! The Lounge is easily accessible and parking is in the same area as the Gas House. The new addition, located at the east side of the lengthy lounge, is just about done.

Diners can select seating, either in open spaces or covered gazebo areas. We chose seating in the gazebo at the west end since the early evening sun was still fiercely hot. I absolutely encourage residents to visit this establishment - it is an excellent example of riverfront improvement rather than riverfront destruction.

Too often the City and its planners focus on walling in our rivers with distasteful and graffiti-prone concrete walls or bulky earthen levees, implanting treeless walkways atop a few of the structures for those who are physically cabable of the effort to bike, walk, or jog along the pathways. This focus deprives Fort Wayne citizens of the true beauty of our rivers - the natural environment - which is usually destroyed during the construction of levees and walls.

During the couple of hours spent at Nick's, I saw people strolling along the edge of the river taking pictures, enjoying the breeze and the ambiance of the location. The gazebo area where I was seated was next to a huge old elm tree with bark reflecting the diamond shape pattern common to the elm. Elms can attain a diameter of two or three feet, occasionally more - the one next to the gazebo is probably two to two and a half feet in diameter. It is a beautiful specimen which contributes to the atmosphere of the Lounge.

This is riverfront improvement ........

And this is riverfront improvement - the St. Marys River - looking west from the gazebo at Nick's Riverside Lounge......

This is not .......

Too often the term "riverfront development" translates into riverfront destruction using methods that remove the natural environment of our rivers. The City is now in the process of constructing more walls and levees - walling off more of our rivers to provide questionable flood protection measures. Every wall, levee, or berm that is raised in the name of flood protection in one part of the City results in displacement of flood waters to other locations, whether upstream or downstream.

It truly would be a shame if the efforts put forth by the Halls to provide true riverfront improvement fell victim to future increased river waters forced downstream by the City's new round of flood walls, berms, and levees.

SPAN-TASTIC - THE TRUSS BRIDGES OF ALLEN COUNTY

Bridges are important structures which facilitate crossing of rivers, gorges, railroad tracks, and many other impediments that stand in the way of going to and from destinations. Bridges come in six types: girder, arch, cable stayed, truss, rigid frame, and suspension. Each type is meant to serve a certain purpose, both structurally and practically.

Of all the bridge types, the truss bridge is the most fascinating and, in my opinion, the most beautiful. Truss bridges are simple skeletal structures which contain beams which are mainly straight. By design, the individual beams are only subject to tension and compression forces and not bending forces. The many small beams that make up a truss bridge can support a large amount of weight and span great distances. Trusses are classified by the basic design used: the Warren truss, the Pratt truss, and the Howe truss. Each design is identified by its diagonal members, which all (except for the end ones) slant down and at an angle - either toward the center or away from the center.

It is a simple type of structure yet, in the use and arrangement of the beams and trusses, its design creates a graceful web of strength and functionality. The Wells Street bridge, built in 1884 by the Wrought Iron Bridge Company of Canton, Ohio, is a beautiful example of a restored truss bridge spanning the St. Marys River in downtown Fort Wayne. Access to the Wells Street Bridge is from either an inconspicuous entrance located on Superior Street or a somewhat convoluted drive off Wells.

The Bridge does not disappoint. The Bridge's portal is ornate with small amounts of red coloring standing out against the blackness of the structure. As I walked the bridge, I admired its simple structure and its straight iron trusses - the thinner lengths of iron crisscrossing the heavier beams. The construction is artistry at its best - the sturdy solid beams softened by the finials and scrollwork of the upper portions of the bridge.

The dark brown waters of the St. Marys River flow underneath, visible through the cracks in the weathered wood deck. Each side of the bridge is suited for foot or bicycle traffic with the pathways elevated about a foot from the broad bed of the bridge. The width of the bridge accommodated trolley rail cars in earlier days.

The Wells Street bridge was constructed in what originally was a residential neighborhood, but over time became dominated by commercial and industrial uses. The bridge has been closed to vehicular traffic since 1982 when a new bridge was constructed nearby to the west. The Bridge was restored and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

I can only imagine what it was like to have seen the original bridge as shown in the post card image below.

After visiting the Wells Street Bridge, I decided to drive out to the rural southeast part of Allen County and photograph two other truss bridges I knew existed. Although Allen County has perhaps a half dozen other truss bridges of various sizes located at different points along the St. Marys River, the St. Joseph River, and smaller waterways, two of the larger bridges are located in the rural southeast part of the county: the Bostick Bridge, threatened by its condition and now closed to traffic, and the Marion Center Road Bridge.

My search for the Bostick Bridge took me down country back roads, barely wide enough for two vehicles. As I drove up to within a few feet of the bridge, I immediately noticed the flaking paint and the worn beams. The Bostick Bridge was constructed by the same company that built the Wells Street Bridge, and, even though some of the same features were evident as I eyed the construction, the rural Bostick Bridge is not as ornate as its city cousin. It is also a one-lane bridge, and, unlike its two-lane counterpart, requires a certain "bridge etiquette." Similar to arrival at a four-way stop, drivers must determine who crosses the bridge first. No right or left turns - one or the other driver must be willing to give.

Today, the Bostick Bridge, a one-lane composite roadway across the St. Marys constructed in 1894, is closed - its aging hulk considered unsafe to vehicle traffic. Roads are sparse in rural southeast Allen County, and the bridge stands in the way of residents who live on each side - forcing them to drive extra miles to arrive home. Most residents just want the bridge gone - it is an inconvenience - it is a nuisance - it is not worthy of existence. But fortunately, not all feel that irritation for the bridge.

ARCH, Fort Wayne's historical preservation society, has been working to save the bridge. Last year the bridge was given a reprieve with tentative plans to dismantle the bridge and move it to an alternate location. With care and restoration, what a magnificent addition to a park or other community-centered project!

The Bostick Road Bridge in southeast Allen County

My third and final quest for the day was the Marion Center Road truss bridge, another one-lane bridge joining the banks of the St. Marys and located on the Marion Center Road. Marion Center Road is a gravel road and, as I drove the road toward the bridge, my truck kicked up dust and dirt, reminding me of my childhood days visiting my great grandfather's farm in rural Hendricks County.

Although a truss bridge, the Marion Center Road bridge is slightly different in the way the structure was erected. The structure is slightly off "kilter" with an appearance of being skewed. The west side is anchored a few feet ahead of the east side, and the pattern is continued the length of the bridge. The Marion Center bridge was constructed in 1895 and is the least ornate of the three bridges, but it still brings yet another dimension to the variety of truss bridge structures located in Allen County.

The Marion Center Road truss bridge

Bridges are amazing structures which afford us the opportunity to journey to places we otherwise could not reach. We take them for granted and don't realize just how much we depend on them until one is closed for any length of time or perhaps permanently, as is the case with the Bostick Bridge. Allen County's old iron truss bridges are a treasure that should be cherished and restored.

The sturdy truss structures with their ornamentation and their massive yet simple construction harken back to times when residents took time to stroll across them, to guide their carriages through the trusses, and to admire their intricate ornamentation. What a shame that, in today's nonstop 24-7 world, our aging truss bridges are seen as nuisances to be unceremoniously demolished rather than respected and admired.

In my research, I ran across the picture below of an ornate bridge in Pennsylvania. What a magnificent and breathtaking bridge and what a sight it must have been, and I say "must have been" because the bridge fell victim to demolition in 1970. Something that we, as Allen County residents should never allow to happen to our few remaining truss bridges which are, indeed, span-tastic.

THE MAJESTY OF A TREE

The Castle Gallery is located in West Central. It is a massive, old home that truly looks like a castle, but it is the tree in the backyard that fascinates me. Each time I drive by, I stare at this magnificent American Elm. According to a field guide I have which identifies Indiana trees, the towering tree in the Castle's backyard is an American Elm.

An American Elm is a member of the Elm (Ulmaceae) family. It is one of the tallest trees in Indiana with a height ranging up to 115'. Identification is made by its single trunk with upper limbs which fan out gracefully, forming a "vase" shape. The branch tips often droop forming a canopy. The bark is deeply grooved with flat ridges, and its girth can reach up to ten feet.



The leaves are simple, oval, alternately attached to the leaf base. They range from 3-6" in length with pointed tips and a double-toothed margin.


Elm trees first made an appearance in the Miocene period, about 40 million years ago. They are deciduous trees, which means they lose their leaves in the Winter and regrow them in Spring. Historically, economically, and aesthetically, the American Elm is one of the most important hardwood trees of eastern North America.

They are one of the most beloved trees in our country, and they can be found in the eastern United States from the Canadian border to central Florida. Indians used the tallest elms as council trees and as meeting places and sites for important events. The bark was used by Indians for canoes, utensils, and rope. Early American farmers clearing land often left Elm trees standing because their wood was too hard to cut through with early tools. George Washington took command of the Continental army and rallied the troops on Cambridge Common under what would become a famous elm tree.

But the American Elm is in peril; Dutch elm disease was first found in the United States in Ohio in 1930. It has now spread throughout North America and has destroyed over half the elm trees in the northern United Sates. Although Dutch elm disease has taken its toll, newer resistant varieties are again making the Elm a first-rate choice for planting in our neighborhoods.

Elm tree lined street in Washington, D.C.

GLOBAL WARMING BASICS - WORLD POPULATION 6,708,100,000 AND GROWING

The average temperature for February was 15.6 degrees, making it the third-coldest February on record in Fort Wayne. And it didn't take long for those who still deny global warming to gleefully say "see, no problem."

But to understand climate change, it is necessary to define certain widely misunderstood terms. The terms are greenhouse gases, global warming, weather, and climate change. Greenhouse gases are those gases that are capable of trapping heat near the Earth's surface. As they increase in the atmosphere, the extra heat leads to global warming. The atmosphere is the "skin" of the planet and is composed of four layers: the troposphere (closest to Earth), the Stratosphere, the Mesosphere, and the Thermosphere.

Greenhouse gases are a natural part of the atmosphere. Of those gases, carbon dioxide (CO2), a colorless, odorless, non-flammable gas, is the most abundant. The atmosphere also contains several other greenhouse gases. Carbon Dioxide is emitted into the air as humans exhale, burn fossil fuels for energy, and deforest the planet. Every year humans add over 30 billion tons of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by these processes, and it is up thirty percent since 1750.

The major producers of carbon dioxide are power plants, cars and trucks, major transportation, and factories and home heating systems.

As these greenhouse gases increase in the atmosphere, particularly carbon dioxide, they trap more heat which leads to global warming. Global warming is an increase in the average temperature of the earth's atmosphere. If the increase is sustained over time it can be sufficient to cause climatic change.

It is critical at this point to understand the terms weather and climate. Weather is what is experienced each day. When we get up in the morning we check to see what the weather is like - Is it raining? Is it snowing? Is it sunny? Is it hot? Weather is a daily phenomenon. The phrase "Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful" comes to mind. On the other hand, climate is the composite of prevailing weather conditions of a region. Climate factors include temperature, air pressure, humidity, precipitation, sunshine, cloudiness, and winds, throughout the year, averaged over a series of years. I sometimes hear people say they want to move to a warmer climate or a drier climate.

Naysayers chuckling about a cold winter month and downplaying global warming show a lack of understanding about our environment and the terms that are used. We may continue to have a supercold month now and then, but since the term global warming contains the key word "global", it is folly to look at daily weather as debunking global warming as an issue.

MOVIN' ON UP - TO THE NORTH

I receive the AARP Bulletin (something I swore I would never do - but I thought I could get some good discounts for traveling). The April 2007 Bulletin had an interesting article about the expanding "50-degree comfort zone" in our country.

The area of the United States averaging 50 degrees has been slowly creeping northward.

The chart above is of the central region of the United States over a 25 year-period of time for the month of April. The green line indicates a trend of a rising temperature. All six months in the cooler half of the year - October, November, December, January, February, March, and April - show an increase in the average temperature over the 25-year period. The charts can be constructed by visiting NOAA's home page and selecting "climate" in the site box on the left side of the home page or in the lower portion of the home page.

The AARP article notes that in 1979 the 50-degree zone covered the lower southern states and stopped at the southern border of Illinois and Indiana and the west half of Kentucky. In 2006, the boundary line crept up to include one half of the State of Illinois and one third of the State of Indiana and the entire State of Kentucky.

For snowbirds who are rethinking their yearly trek to Florida, this is good news, but for the region itself, even a rise of three or four degrees in temperature can bring dramatic changes in the environment. The change in temperature not only affects regions such as our central region but also impacts the Earth as a whole. The following pictures were taken in Glacier Bay National Park and Reserve's White Thunder Ridge. Muir Glacier has retreated out of the field of view, Riggs Glacier has thinned and retreated significantly, and dense new vegetation has appeared. Muir Glacier was more than 2,000 feet thick in 1941. 2004 USGS photo by B. F. Molnia; 1941 photo by W. O. Field.

Muir Glacier on August 13, 1941

Muir Glacier on August 31, 2004

While many still stubbornly cling to their position that global warming is a myth, the scientific data reflecting regional and global change such as that provided by NOAA and other environmental agencies speaks for itself.

The Beauty of a Bleeding Heart

My backyard is small and a little torn up right now, but I have one corner that has come alive after the bitter cold February and the unexpected freezing temperatures of April.

I love gardening; however, I am not a planner as far as my yard and garden. I start with an idea in my mind of what I want, and I end up many times with something different. About two years ago, I bought a small Bleeding Heart. I always read the little plastic stakes included in the pot, and this time was no different. The information on the stake said it would get about 2 feet across and about 18" to 24" high. Obviously some plants don't believe in abiding by that little stake's description.

My Bleeding Heart is now about 3 feet across and about 2 1/2 feet tall. Every morning when I leave home for work, I look at it and my other plants and flowers and marvel at their beauty. I loved my first Bleeding Heart so much that I planted more in the front of my home.

Although the April freeze was really hard on it, my Bleeding Heart survived, a little worse for the wear. Its flowers aren't quite as bright as usual, but it is still putting on a spectacular show for me every day. In about three weeks it will be done blooming, and it will slowly fade away until next year.

UNLESS - THE LORAX BY DR. SEUSS

And all that the Lorax left here in this mess was a small pile of rocks, with the one word......"UNLESS."

Whatever that meant, well, I just couldn't guess.

That was long, long ago.
But each day since that day
I've sat here and worried
and worried away.
Through the years, while my buildings
have fallen apart,
I've worried about it

with all my heart.

"But now," says the Once-ler,
"Now that you're here,
the word of the Lorax seems perfectly clear.
UNLESS someone like you
cares a whole awful lot,
nothing is going to get better,
It's not.

"SO.....
Catch!" calls the Once-ler.
He lets something fall.
"It's a Truffula Seed.

It's the last one of all!

You're in charge of the last of the Truffula Seeds.
And Truffula Trees are what everyone needs.
Plant a new Truffula. Treat it with care.
Give it clean water. And feed it fresh air.
Grow a forest. Protect it from axes that hack.
Then the Lorax
and all of his friends may come back."