Hey Did You Know?

[Auntiesue]

This planet is a living thing and as all living things do, they change, they adapt, they have "cycles". Either the human race will survive or it won't depending on how our planet evolves. Who do we think we are that we can control that? Mear humans cannot control weather, what makes anyone think they can control the evolution of our planet? Can't be done. In the meantime, we are dumping tons of money by way of government subsidies, light bulbs, green this and green that, to the point that it is huritng our way of life financially. Very sad indeed!!!

Locally, a bridge was found to be unsafe so it was closed. The county wants to use it as a foot bridge instead of for traffic. They want to build a new bridge just a wee bit down the way to replace it. The Sierra club filed suite asking for an enviornmental impact study. It will be years before this is done. In the meantime all those motorists have to find alternative routes, use more gas, loose time on the road!!! This has really gotten insane.

Sue

[Fishbreeder]

Save the planet???? Where's it goin'? Heck I think we need to think about saving ourselves, the planet will take care of itself.

Back to water.....

Most koi ponds are not very consumptive of water as compared to other consumptive uses. Taken altogether, its not even a drop in the ocean.

Lets take a look at water usage near to where our friend Mustardseed lives in Central Texas....Number one by far and away, think it is flushing the john? Well maybe if he;s got what we call here a "King of the Hill water saving commode" that hasta be flushed five times to um, er, get all the solids down. How about drinking water for kids? Ever see a kid drink out of a hose, the tap in the kitchen, or bathroom sink? Me either, even though thats where I drank from when I was a kid, my kids think drinking water comes only in a plastic bottle. Well then, how about brushing your teeth then? The laundry, that must be it? Or perhaps bathing? Well, maybe in my house because I took out the "Nancy Pelosi flow restrictor" in my shower head, I want a real shower, not just getting damp and soapy. Washing the car, now that's gotta use a ton of water...but the car wash recycles thier water....hmmm...

None of those things, in fact all of them together are literaly not a drop in the bucket so where does water go in Central Texas??????

Carpet grass front lawns, number one consumptive use where it don;t rain much. San Antonio, Austin, Big D, Foat Wuth, go to those places drive in any subdivision and you see lush, green lawns. My M-I-L in Port Aransas (coastal community but very dry with respect to rainfall) put in a "xeroscape" as her water bill was over $200/month to keep the lawn alive. Now its around $25/month. It looks fabulous and uses zero water.

Golf courses, close second. Gotta play golf if you work in an office, right? I never got into it, not enough time in the day. Actually a precious few enlightened communities actually use "grey water" or treated sewage to irrigate golf courses, but precious few.

I learned these things while working on the largest water well ever drilled on planet Earth, 17 miles SW of San Antonio. It was a fish farm, near perfect one, until it got imminent domained so the water could go to capretgrass lawns and golf courses. Papers would have you beleive it took the water from the mouths of children.

Outlaw carpet grass and golf courses West of Interstate 45 and you save half of the water consumed in Texas. Think that'll happen? Much easier to outlaw koi ponds, they gotta use more water than the front lawn, right? No way, but perception is hard to change.

Now a few good ideas are being implemented here. I drive up and back I 45 maybe three days a week to Houston and surrounding areas (where the money is). I have yet, in the last two years, made the trip and not seen gigantic windmills being taken from the port to North Texas. So big are they that it takes an 18 wheeler to transport just one blade.

No windmills won;t save us, but, it is feasible to get as much as 20% of our electric power from windmills (more properly termed "wind turbines"). My B-I-L puts them up around Sweetwater. I been there. Ugly, yes, clean, also yes. Thousands upon thousands of them, some making as much as 3 megawatts each. Texas generates more elctricity from wind turbines than any state or country. If they figure out how to keep them from rusting away in the warm, humid, salty air offshore (them you see in Northern Europe offshore are in a cool, dry climate, not warm and moist) then we can get as much as 50% from them. Ugly, yes. Kill birds???? Not compared to how many birds are killed by housecats (number one cause of bird mortality).

There's a huge landfill in the next county (Galveston). They blow air into one side and take biogas out the other side. The gas engines (16 cylinder) are so large that if you stand on the intake manifold you can't see over the valve covers.

Many small time fuel users (me included) collect used vegetable oil (mine from a seafood joint in Galveston) and make biodiesel or "greasel" from it. I filter it and add paint thinner is all. Burn it in one banger diesels made in China or India. My biofuel is kinda coarse so it won;t work in my kubota. 'Course the engines that are able to use this waste made to fuel do not meet EPA tier 3 requirements for emissions, not smoky, too noisy. So they are getting hard to get. Go figure.

Now, for sure we will have to change some of our ways. One Texan per double cab dually ain't gonna cut it much longer. But we don't all havta drive cracker boxes on wheels either.

I'm not yet sure how I'll vote....I have voted mostly Libertarian these last few elections. I had hoped Ron Paul (local politician that votes his concsience) would have had a chance, he paid my lunch once, even after I told him I didn;t live in his district. That's like an infinite amount more'n any other politician ever did for me.

Louisiana governor Jindal? I really like that guy, he's kinda young though, maybe next time. I could care less what color the President is, I care greatly about how the President acts, thinks, and votes.

Gotta git, time to save the planet later.....

Brett

[KDSD]

For what its worth and if any one does care here is the info..........................



Residents of Wisconsin and Pond owners Nationwide, ALERT-ACTION REQUIRED
For your Attention: Immediate 9-03-08
IPPCA Legislative Action Team Alert
From IPPCA Headquarters
Woodstock, Georgia
The Pond and Waterscape Industry’s Trade Association
info@IPPCA.com
866-4U-IPPCA
Current comment period ends September 5th, 2008.
WHAT IS GOING ON: In reviewing some Wisconsin state proposed legislation last week, we here at the IPPCA discovered some disturbing language in a newly proposed Invasive Species law for the state of Wisconsin. See following:

Here is the phrasing that we are very concerned about, and why:
Taken from the “definitions” section of proposed Wisconsin Invasive Species Act, NR-40

*”Safe Facility” means “for fish, a facility that does not directly drain into a water of the state, is not subject to intermittent or periodic flooding, is not connected to any water of the state, and is not an open pond. Note: Highlights and underlines added by IPPCA staff.
Being concerned about the State of Wisconsin’s interpretation of the term “an open pond”, we contacted the appropriate personnel at the Wisconsin Bureau of Endangered Resources yesterday, left a voice mail and requested a return call to clarify. A very polite gentleman who identified himself as Bill Horns from that division did call just a short while ago, and when asked to give a definition to the term “open pond”, we were informed that it would be considered any body of water outdoors that was open to the air.
When asked directly, would this impact or affect private koi or goldfish inhabited waters or ponds, we were assured that they would be banned under this act.

WHAT TO DO: Send your polite and concerned comments to: DNRNR40comments@wisconsin.gov and William.Horns@wisconsin.gov, and feel free to carbon copy the IPPCA at info@IPPCA.com.
We here at the IPPCA (International Professional Pond Contractors Association) feel that any and all concerned citizens of the State of Wisconsin , as well as pond owners Nation wide, should very quickly voice their concerns and resistance to this phrasing and possibly ill-informed opinion.
We would also note, that we were met with an open minded dialogue by Mr. Horns, and were assured that the proper officials would be very interested in working closely with us to get the language and facts straightened out.
This is the IPPCA’s request to the Wisconsin authorities involved with this act: WE ARE HEREBY FORMERLY REQUESTING A MINIMUM 30 DAY EXTENSION TO THE COMMENTS PERIOD IN ORDER TO WORK WITH THE WISCONSIN BUREAU OF ENDANGERED RESOURCES TO REACH A TRULY PROFESSIONAL AND ACCEPTABLE ALTERNATIVE TO THE CURRENT APPROACH AND LANGUAGE IN WI 21092 2008, CITATION NR-40.
Let the media and other concerned pond owners be made aware of this. ACT NOW, the comments period ends September 5th. DON’T DELAY, RESPOND TODAY!!!!!
The IPPCA is already working on proposed alternate language that will address this concern, and we are operating on the premise that we may not get the extension. As time is critical on this one, please keep an eye open for a follow up e-mail either tomorrow or Friday for your consideration on our proposed alternate language.
The IPPCA needs your continued support to adequately and efficiently address this and other issues that can negatively affect our industry and hobby. One of the ways you can show your support for the IPPCA and its Legislative Action Team is by becoming a member of the IPPCA today. To find out more on becoming a member, visit www.IPPCA.com or call the IPPCA at 866-4U-IPPCA (866-484-7722).

Dave A. Jones
Executive Director and Chairman of the Board
IPPCA “The Pond and Waterscape Industry’s Trade Association”
Dave@IPPCA.com
Our mission: “To Promote, Protect and Advance the Pond and Waterscape Industry”.

[Fishbreeder]

Just a quick question...

How long has the IPPCA been around?

Curious as it wasn't long ago (coupla summers) when Texas tried to place a ban on all "ponds and lakes whose sole purpose is aesthetics." This ban was aimed squarely at subdivision lakes in the Houston area, but would have included all koi ponds, water gardens, water features and other waters in the state as well.

It was TAA (Texas Aquaculture Association) that led the way to quash this silliness on many levels. The aim, to save groundwater. But not only was it a misperception that such bodies of water were large consumers of groundwater, hardly any of these could have been characterized as "solely aesthetic."

Drainage, flood control, wildlife habitat, fisheries development, and a host of other uses for the primary target lakes and ponds. Once the perception that these were only for looks, the entire bill was scrapped not making it necessary to do anything else.

Brett

[KDSD]

Quote: Originally Posted by Fishbreeder Just a quick question... How long has the IPPCA been around? Curious as it wasn't long ago (coupla summers) when Texas tried to place a ban on all "ponds and lakes whose sole purpose is aesthetics." This ban was aimed squarely at subdivision lakes in the Houston area, but would have included all koi ponds, water gardens, water features and other waters in the state as well. It was TAA (Texas Aquaculture Association) that led the way to quash this silliness on many levels. The aim, to save groundwater. But not only was it a misperception that such bodies of water were large consumers of groundwater, hardly any of these could have been characterized as "solely aesthetic." Drainage, flood control, wildlife habitat, fisheries development, and a host of other uses for the primary target lakes and ponds. Once the perception that these were only for looks, the entire bill was scrapped not making it necessary to do anything else. Brett

I beleive they started around 04-05 .......Your comment on this is spot on (But not only was it a misperception)as to why a lot of these bills can just be plain deceptive nature by just wording alone. As is this one in WI, as you can see by the responce below. I have highlight in red some key comments.

Quote: IPPCA Legislative Action Team Update Re: Wisconsin Invasive Species Act Update 9-4-08 From: Freddie Combas, IPPCA Director of External Affairs IPPCA - The Pond and Waterscape Industry’s Trade Association info@IPPCA.com 866-4U-IPPCA I would like to take the time to publicly thank Mr. Horns of the Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources, the IPPCA Legislative Action Team, and The Pond and Waterscape Industry Coalition members that took the time today to respond to the IPPCA email titled “ALERT: Residents of Wisconsin and Pond owners Nationwide Action Required!” Mr. Horns assured the IPPCA Legislative Action Team in the email below that the intent was NOT to ban outdoor ponds and the addition of koi and goldfish to them. Dear Mr. Combas: Thank you for your comment and your offer to assist. The proposed rule would NOT ban outdoor ponds, nor would it prevent people from holding koi or goldfish in them. I have received other messages on this subject today, and I spoke with Mr. Dave Jones about this at some length this morning. After reviewing the rule with Mr. Jones, I can see that intent of the rule could easily be misunderstood. Over the next month or so Department staff will meet to consider your concerns along with others that have been raised. If needed, we can modify the wording to clarify the intent. If you would contact me in October, I can update you on rule development, and if your concerns have not been resolved we can discuss the problem further. Further action will not be taken on the rule until early next year. Thank you, again, for your interest in this rule. William H. Horns Great Lakes Fisheries Specialist 101 S. Webster St. Madison, WI 53707-7921 608-266-8782 608-266-2244 (fax) william.horns@wisconsin.gov The IPPCA will be working on proposed language as it pertains to the sections in the Wisconsin Invasive Species Act, NR-40 referring to “open ponds” and “safe facility” to help in creating clearer language that will be easily understood by the regulating authorities, contractors and hobbyists alike. Your input and support in this and all other IPPCA Legislative Action Team issues is always welcomed. If you have a Pond and Waterscape Industry regulatory issue or concern in your city, state or region do not hesitate to contact the IPPCA Legislative Action Team at 1-866-4U-IPPCA (484-7722) or info@IPPCA.com . The IPPCA needs your continued support to adequately and efficiently address this and other issues that can negatively affect our industry and hobby. One of the ways you can show your support for the IPPCA and its Legislative Action Team is by becoming a member of the IPPCA today. To find out more on becoming a member, visit http://www.IPPCA.com or call the IPPCA at 866-4U-IPPCA (866-484-7722). Freddie Combas Director of External Affairs, IPPCA Legislative Action Team Our Mission: “To Promote, Protect and Advance the Pond and Waterscape Industry”