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Friday, April 4, 2014

The Tobacco Growing Industry in Meath


 
Randlestown House, entrance front
Gillman collection, Irish Architectural Archive
 
From 1898 to 1938 the Randlestown area of Navan was central to plans to introduce tobacco growing on a commercial basis in Ireland. The industry centred on the 300-acre Randlestown estate, the ancestral home of Sir Nugent Everard. The estate had its own tobacco plantation and also acted as a rehandling station – taking in tobacco from the local growers and processing it for sale to factories. At its peak, the industry provided almost 100 jobs and played a vital part in the local economy.

Over a period of more than thirty years, from 1898 to his death at the age of eighty in 1929, Everard devoted his energy, enthusiasm and financial resources to the cause of tobacco growing. After his death the local growers formed the County Meath Co-Operative Tobacco Growers Society. The Co-Operative continued into the 1930s, and closed in 1939, the last year in which tobacco was grown in the county.


http://www.askaboutireland.ie/reading-room/environment-geography/flora-fauna/the-tobacco-growing-indus/

Flora and Fauna of Wexford Sloblands

A 1,000-hectare low lying flat polder land situated on the north side of Wexford Harbour was reclaimed from the sea in 1847. A two and a half mile long dyke was built from north of the Raven Point at the entrance of the harbour to the shore at Ardcavan, one and a half miles northeast of Wexford. This dyke enclosed 2,500 acres of mud flats and several islands the most important of which are Begerin Island, Big Island and Middle Island. These islands which comprise about 150 acres of the North Slobland stand out as low ridges in the other wise flat landscape.
The North Slob is roughly semi circular in shape, the sea-dyke forming the east-west diameter. A horseshoe shaped wide and shallow channel runs through the slob, ending abruptly at the sea-dyke near its east and west extremities.

This channel acts as a reservoir for the rainwater draining off the Sloblands and as the water rises in the channel it is pumped into Wexford Harbour via a pump-station on the sea-dyke at the west end of the channel.

Sloblands are below sea level. The reclaimed mudflats were divided up into large fields and kept dry by constant pumping. For about 100 years much of the Sloblands provided rough summer grazing for livestock, although parts were cultivated for cereals and root crops.

Horseriding on the slob

Nowadays most of the lands are sown with high quality grasses and winter/spring cereals although on occasions, a variety of other crops have been planted. Water plants and reed beds flourish along the edge of the drainage channels. The slobs are reminiscent of the Dutch polders. This is by its very nature, immensely attractive to wildfowl and waders.

The North Slob in Wexford is internationally famous for its wintering flock of 10,000 Greenland Whitefronted Geese (approximately one third of the world population), and for the wintering flocks of Brent Geese, Bewick's Swans and Wigeon. The North Slob is also very attractive to many other species of wildfowl and birds with almost 250 species now recorded.

There are many excellent vantage points to observe the birds and other fauna on the Wexford Sloblands.

http://www.askaboutireland.ie/reading-room/environment-geography/flora-fauna/flora-and-fauna-of-wexfor/

Invasive Species

Invasive species are organisms introduced into habitats in which they are not native. They are a major cause of biological diversity loss throughout the world and are considered biological pollutants. Without predators, parasites, and competitors that have kept their numbers in check, invasive species introduced into new habitats often overrun their new homes and crowd out native species. Once established, invasives can rarely be eliminated and the cost of control measures can be very high.
Eurasian Water MilfoilHumans cause most invasive species introductions. Invasives are carried in or on animals, vehicles, ships, commercial goods, produce and even clothing. Along the Clearwater, Snake and Columbia Rivers, there have been several introduced invasive species in the past few years, with the threat of further infestation by new species in the near future.
One invasive of particular concern is the zebra mussel. The zebra mussel is a nasty invasive species that spreads to new places by attaching to any hard surface in the water, this includes boat hulls, trailers, and fittings, and even aquatic plants. Colonies of these tiny shellfish have already infested numerous waterways in the east and midwest, causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damage through clogged pipes, ruined boat motors, and degraded fish and wildlife habitat.

Before moving your boat between bodies of water:

  • Inspect your boat, trailer, and boating equipment (anchors, centerboards, rollers, axles) and remove any plants and animals that are visible before leaving the immediate vicinity of any water body.
  • Drain water from the motor, livewell, bilge and transom wells on dry land before leaving the dock area.
  • Dispose of bait in proper disposal facilities. Never release live bait into a water body or release aquatic animals from one water body into another.
  • Wash and dry your boat, tackle, downriggers, trailer and other boating equipment to kill harmful species that were not visible at the boat launch. This can be done on your way home or once you have returned home. Be aware that some aquatic invasive species can survive more than two weeks out of the water.
  • Learn what these organisms look like. If you suspect a new infestation of an invasive plant or animal, immediately report it to your natural resource agency.
http://www.ndwt.org/ndwt/natural_world/invasive_species.asp

Endangered Species

Bull TroutSeveral threatened and endangered animal species share the waters and shorelines of the Northwest Discovery Water Trail. These animals range from the western pond turtle and bald eagle, to certain species of fish, such as steelhead, bull trout and salmon. The stories of declining species and the ongoing efforts to help restore their populations are intertwined with the human stories of survival and development.
For many, salmon define the spirit of the Pacific Northwest. Salmon have been central to the culture, religion and livelihood of the region’s native people for thousands of years. Salmon are anadramous fish. This means they are born in freshwater, mature at sea and return upstream to spawn and die in the stream where their lives began. This cycle can take years and thousands of miles journeying through fresh and saltwater. There are five species of Pacific salmon found along the trail: Chinook, chum, sockeye, coho and pink.
Bull trout are no longer found throughout their native waters. Today they survive only in some upper tributary streams and several lake and reservoir systems. Some bull trout spend their entire lives close to where they hatched. They are cold water fish and more sensitive to increased water temperature, poor water quality, and low water flow than salmon.
Humans are also affected by water quality and climate conditions. Care and study of threatened and endangered species is important to us all.
For more information on endangered species go to: http://endangered.fws.gov

Other Wildlife

The variety and number of wild animals match the wide diversity of landforms found near the Northwest Discovery Water Trail. Native animals will sometimes appear in huge numbers at unexpected places or be hard to find at refuges designed to protect them. Birds, mammals, and reptiles are part of the fascinating array of sights and sounds on the river.
Water birds, such as the gull and great blue heron, join raptors like vultures, eagles and osprey overhead. At certain times flocks of hundreds of geese and swans are migrating. Numerous other seasonal or resident waterfowl can be found in marshes and wetlands. Swallows dart quickly by on their hunt for water loving insects. Songbirds use low-lying shrubs and trees to nest and feed. Deer and elk use river and stream valleys as places to browse, drink and rest. Bighorn sheep and marmots appear high above on rocky outcrops, finding patches of grasses to eat. Sightings of beaver and river otter are not uncommon.
Refuges are one way to save native habitat for plants and wildlife, and to support fish and other water dwellers. Local, state, and federal parks, natural areas, and refuges have different regulations and closures during nesting or critical times for the survival of various species. Please observe wildlife with care, watch where you are stepping on fragile shoreline, and take only pictures from these special places.
Respect wildlife. Do not approach animals or attempt to feed them. If animals approach you while on the water, it is okay to let them, but do not move toward them. When moving on, do so directly away from the animal or its current path.

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Why Go Green?

There are a number of important reasons to Go Green with your business, the most significant being that preserving the world’s natural resources is the responsibility of every individual both at work and at home.
You can Go Green by:
  • Setting a positive example for staff which boosts morale and company loyalty
  • Gaining a competitive advantage by differentiating yourself as a Greenified company
  • Improving efficiency and potentially lowering operating costs
  • Providing a cleaner and healthier work environment
Going Green can be an incremental process. As with many other business efforts, there will be easily attainable action steps and more advanced requirements. It is impossible to say how far along the Green path any business should travel, but a focused effort can have a meaningful impact.
There has never been a more appropriate time to Go Green. Its value is recognised more so now than ever before. 











http://www.goldengate.com.mt/Content/34/why%20go%20green/

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

New 'Pompeii' movie begs the question: Could Mount Vesuvius erupt again?

A professor of Roman archeology and a volcanologist weigh in on deadly volcanoes, the new film and the surprising evidence that some people may have survived the epic event. 
 
Pompeii
Photo: Sony Pictures

In the summer of 79 A.D., Mount Vesuvius erupted, obliterating the seaside resort of Pompeii. Volcanic ash covered everything, preserving evidence of the disaster for nearly two millennia. The story endures too, in accounts by eyewitness Pliny the Younger, who viewed the eruption from a nearby town, and in books, TV movies and films inspired by the catastrophe.
 
Director Paul W.S. Anderson’s “Pompeii” (opening Feb. 21) is the latest in the genre, focusing on a fictional love story to recount the explosive event, while endeavoring to recreate an ancient world as precisely as possible. His CGI Vesuvius erupts spectacularly, but how accurate is it? Is “Pompeii” true to history? And could this kind of cataclysmic eruption happen again there — or elsewhere on Earth? For answers, we turned to two experts, Sarah K. Yeomans, professor of Roman archeology at West Virginia University, and Dr. Rosaly Lopes, volcanologist and senior research scientist and manager of the Planetary Science Section at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
 
Yeomans, who has taken students to Pompeii many times over the last decade, characterizes the ruins there as uniquely “flash frozen in time. When we visit this site we get a real sense of how Romans lived and the things that were important to them. It’s the best insight we have into this ancient culture,” she says, which coupled with a morbid curiosity about devastating disasters, is what makes it so eternally fascinating.
 
“One of the things I really enjoyed was the way Paul Anderson reconstructed the site. He clearly has been there, had done the photography. For example the streets of Pompeii had [raised] stones that people would walk across to avoid mud, sludge and water,” she points out. “The way he reconstructed the houses was really well done, right down to graffiti inscribes on the walls.” The latter was often political or sexual in nature, but the phallic images had a purpose, “what we call an apotropaic function,” Yeomans explains. “They would put images of the phallus next to the doorways. It was a symbol to ward off evil and bad luck. Not all of them did this, but it does account for some of the ubiquity of phallic images.”
 
Visually, Yeomans believes the film “did a nice job with the layout of the city, with respect to where the amphitheater is and respect to other buildings,” and she appreciated its portrayal of the Pompeiian resentment of Rome, which had annexed it 150 years before. But she sees artistic license at play in the depiction of the volcanic eruption. “There was never a lava flow and these firebombs you see launching out of the volcano. That did not happen in this particular type of eruption. But it’s a movie, not a documentary,” she adds.
 
What killed most the population was a combination of heat and ash. “The most deadly phase of the eruption is what’s called a pyroclastic flow — basically super-heated mud that comes racing down at about 80 mph and that kills people pretty much immediately. Most of the people died of heat shock,” says Yeomans. "Nevertheless, there were a few who lived.”
 
“There is plenty of evidence that people did survive. We have inscriptions in other towns that were made by survivors of Pompeii who had relocated. We know that many people left when the earthquakes began. There are tunnels in Pompeii, evidence that people may have come back to tunnel down and retrieve some of their possessions.”
 
Yeomans, who “fell in love with Roman archaeology in my junior year in college” while studying abroad in the Roman ruins-laden region of southern France, says that Pompeii’s ruins are in a vulnerable state due to excavation and tourist traffic, “a pretty large concern at the moment. There have been several recent collapses of houses at the site. They’ve really slowed down on the granting of excavation permits and limit tourist traffic. There’s a great deal of the site that tourists are not allowed access to. The focus is on conserving what’s been excavated.”
 
Will a volcano catch us by surprise?
Also of concern is the possibility, however remote, that Mount Vesuvius — an active volcano — might erupt again. If it did, “It would be equally as dangerous and would affect many more people because now the area is much more populated. We have better technology for evacuation and detection now, though,” Yeomans points out. “Volcanoes are not going to catch us by surprise.” She explains that earthquakes precede volcanic eruptions, “which is what happened with Vesuvius in AD 79. The region is volcanic, and the Romans were used to seismic activity, but there’s no evidence to suggest that they connected the two. They didn’t realize that it was a warning sign of a coming eruption.”
 
According to Lopes, “Vesuvius has not erupted since 1944, and that was not a violent eruption. Not all eruptions of Vesuvius are as violent as the 79 A.D. eruption was; most are not. It could erupt again. The most violent eruptions of Vesuvius tend to occur after the volcano has rested for several hundred years. Vesuvius is very well monitored, so we will have some warning.”
 
Rosaly Lopes in Vanuatu
Dr. Rosaly Lopes in Vanuatu (Photo courtesy NASA/JPL)
 
Globally, “There are many other volcanoes in the world that have the potential to have violent eruptions such as the 79 A.D. one. Mount St. Helens in 1980 was a violent explosive eruption,” she offers as an example. “There are about 600 volcanoes on land considered active, meaning they have been active in historic times and we think they are likely to erupt again. There are many underwater volcanoes along the spreading ridges. As for volcanoes in the U.S., Kilauea erupts often — and it has been active for decades — but not in a violent, explosive way. The most hazardous volcano in the U.S. is considered to be Mount Rainier. This means it could erupt in the near future and has the potential to be very dangerous — it could erupt in an explosive way like St. Helens in 1980. What makes it more dangerous is that it has glaciers at the top, and even a not-very-violent eruption could cause ice to melt, creating mudflows, which are very destructive.”
 
Lopes, who holds a degree in astronomy from the University of London, got into volcanology via a planetary geology course (when the professor missed class to cover a Mount Etna eruption; “I thought that sounded really exciting, and decided that I wanted to do that too.”) She says that in analyzing hazardous volcanoes, modern scientists “look at frequency of eruptions in the past, and how likely one is to happen again in the next few decades.”
 
For example, Yellowstone National Park is a hotbed of volcanic activity. “Yellowstone has had enormous eruptions in the past, it is the largest volcanic caldera on Earth. Calderas are formed by collapse following very violent eruptions. Yellowstone's violent eruptions last occurred hundreds of thousands of years ago. Although its eruptions could potentially be far more devastating than Mount Rainier's, they are less likely to happen in the near future,” she says. Consider yourself reassured. Or forewarned.
 
Sarah K. Yeomans with students at Pompeii. Mount Vesuvius is in the background. (Photo: Alyssa Beall)
 
 
 
 
http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/climate-weather/stories/new-pompeii-movie-begs-the-question-could-mount-vesuvius-erupt

Monday, February 17, 2014

Siamese crocodiles released into the wild

Hope for Siamese crocodile conservation as the second group of crocodiles is released into a secret site in southern Cambodia.
After an idle lifetime in the soupy water of a concrete pond, a young Siamese crocodile tests out a new element – the clear flowing water of a jungle river. One of eight individuals, this croclet is part of a test case release project that plans to rewild Cambodia’s rivers with this Critically Endangered species.
Fauna & Flora International (FFI) has been working to conserve Siamese crocodiles in Cambodia since rediscovering a remnant population during a survey of the Cardamom Mountains in 2000. Now numbering fewer than an estimated 300 individuals, the wild population crashed after facing multiple threats. Crocodiles were hunted for their skins, and driven out of former habitats by human encroachment; while young crocs were easily tangled and drowned in fishing nets. But for FFI’s and the Forestry Administration’s intervention, this species was doomed to slip into extinction.
In January this year, the Cambodian Crocodile Conservation Project (CCCP) released the second batch of crocodiles into a secret site in southern Cambodia. The first release in December 2012 saw 18 individuals released, including croclets bred in a specialised facility in Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre. The site was specially chosen: a remote forested stretch of prime habitat – somewhere that crocodiles used to live before they were extirpated by hunters and fishermen.
A number of the release crocodiles were fitted with radio tracking devices, enabling the CCCP team to monitor their movements. “Tracking the crocs after release is an essential part of the work, allowing us to see how they are faring, whether they stay in this location, or move on,” said Sarah Brook, FFI Cambodia’s Species Programme Manager.


Radio tagged croc basking among flowers (carnivorous bladderwort) on the riverbank. Credit: Jeremy Holden/FFI
Radio tagged croc basking among flowers (carnivorous bladderwort) on the riverbank. Credit: Jeremy Holden/FFI
“Five of the original ten transmitters we placed on the crocodiles have now outlived their battery life,” says Sam Han, CCCP Manager, who leads the team that monitor the radio tagged animals. “We are still picking up signals from three of the remaining transmitters, and regularly see other crocs that weren’t tagged. They have moved up and down stream, but return to the original release site and seem to be doing well.”
Siamese crocodile in the soft-release pen. Credit: Jeremy Holden/FFI
Siamese crocodile in the soft-release pen. Credit: Jeremy Holden/FFI
Community wardens now visit the location each month to ensure that hunting or fishing doesn’t threaten these new colonists. So far there have been no recorded casualties.
“This project is really a test case to see if the release initiative works,” said Sarah. If it does, we eventually plan to release crocodiles into suitable, well-protected river systems across Cambodia, and truly bring this species back from the brink.
“This will be a long-term prospect, and will require cooperation from zoos and breeders around the world. But if we are successful, we could see the return of one of Cambodia’s most charismatic species – an important part of both Cambodia’s ecosystems and its culture.”


http://www.fauna-flora.org/news/siamese-crocodiles-released-into-the-wild/