What we think of as normal was at one time unusual. In a recent edition of the Waterbucket, Dr. Daniel Pauly, Global Fisheries Scientist at UBC is quoted: “We transform the world, but we don’t remember it. We adjust our baseline to the new level, and we don’t recall what …
In 1912, Alfred Wegener proposed the idea of continental drift. The complementary shapes of western Africa and eastern South America were one bit of evidence. The chemical similarity of minerals on those two coasts was additional evidence. But no one could explain how continents could “drift,” so the idea was …
Have you got an orange? The classic method is to throw an orange into the stream and time how long it takes to float from point A to point B. You then measure the average width and average depth of the stream, do some math and voila! you have a …
We did our usual sampling, visiting all our creek every other week. We retrieved level data from various wells and checked the conductivity of the water in each one. We had sub-committee meetings and moved administrative projects along. We sorted some refundables. All very routine. The ups and downs caused …
If you play pickle ball, Bill has probably beaten you many times. If you’re on the Ships Point Fire Department, you’ve spent a lot of time with Bill at training sessions and callouts. If you’ve had any involvement with the SPVFFA (the volunteer association that raises money for the Ships …
One falls into a watershed full of old-growth Douglas-fir. It works its way through the lush, moss-covered branches to the ground where it is absorbed by spongy humus on the forest floor. The other raindrop falls into a watershed that has been clear-cut. It takes a direct path to dry …
For the Beaufort Watershed Stewards (BWS), spring means more than sunshine and robins. It also means time to train! A formal, documented training program for our stream samplers is critical. It assures those who might use our data that standardized protocols were followed in its collection. On a cool but …
A tribute to our outgoing President: We are an enthusiastic group, and board members have joked that running a BWS meeting is like herding cats. I thought a lot about that comparison during the day that we constructed the storage tent for processing refundables. There was really no one in …
Everyone loves a puzzle. Witness the popularity of the online game Wordle. But we have a different sort of puzzle to talk about today. Regular readers of this column will know it’s an exciting puzzle, because it involves graphs! The magical tool that turns information into insights. In August of …
We are not status seekers. We’re humble citizen scientists. We go about our business with no need for fame or adulation. Swaggering, after all, doesn’t help when you’re clambering down a creek bank or slogging through a freshet in chest waders with rushing water up to your thighs. But last …
