In our part of the country a new season is upon us. Remarkably the relationship of the sun and the earth in space remains intact and, with much predictability, the weather patterns and the length of day change and we experience the repetition of the cycle of...

The services required to keep soil and water healthy are much like the services required to keep a child healthy. Soil and water cannot come into the doctor’s office to get care; but professionally trained soil and water specialists can make care plans for soil and water health. Of course, it is...

Gray squirrels scampering in the leaves, burying nuts in secret places, and conniving to get at the sunflower seeds in our “squirrel-proof” bird-feeders are just more signs that fall is here and winter is not far behind.             “Many...

Like the last piece of a puzzle, a pet fills the empty space in many lives. Researchers continue to show benefits to human health when you have a pet. The choice of pet is different for different folks but many persons especially love cats. All pets are very dependent on their owners for a...

When everything is working the way we think it should we barely notice. That’s true about the availability of water. Where we live we use it routinely. Then comes a drought and we notice.  Without rain (and snow) our fresh water supply...

Technology does not stand still. Note the new applications for phones and computers. Technology gave us gasification, invented in the early-1800s. Gasification was first used to produce “town gas” for light and heat. And –until development of natural gas supplies and transmission lines in the...

As we go about our daily lives, periodically we need to remind ourselves of some basic facts. One of these important facts is that water is a recycled resource not a renewable resource – water molecules are not being created or...

 “For eight years dust blew on the southern plains. It came in a yellowish-brown haze from the South and in rolling walls of black from the North. The simplest acts of life — breathing, eating a meal, taking a walk — were no longer simple. Children wore dust masks to and from school, women...

Every plant uses energy from the sun to grow. The energy stored in plants is the source of food and energy for human life. Humans use the energy of plants for cooking, making electricity, transportation, and heating. Long ago, wood was burned for cooking and heating and, in many places of the...

When you use a river for recreation, you get to know the river. The relationship you have with the river helps you see how you can befriend the river. The Pecatonica River Water Trail was recognized by the Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar as a model for the “America’s Great Outdoors Rivers”...