Sunday, December 30, 2012

Episode 142 (12-31-12): Encore of John McCutcheon's "Water from Another Time"

As a the old year of 2012 passes into the new one of 2013, we present an encore of the June 6, 2011, episode, featuring a John McCutcheon song that uses water to symbolize the passing of wisdom and traditions between generations.


TRANSCRIPT
From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of June 6, 2011.

This week we feature a song by a Wisconsin native who adopted the South as his chosen home, including living for many years in Virginia.  The song reflects on how family history is vital to future generations’ spirits, just as water is vital to their bodies.  Have a listen for about a minute. 

MUSIC

You’ve been listening to part of “Water from Another Time,” by John McCutcheon on his 1987 album “Gonna Rise Again,” from Rounder RecordsPraised by Johnny Cash as “the most impressive instrumentalist I’ve ever heard,”  Mr. McCutcheon has been exploring and creating folk music since the 1970s.  Prior to moving to Atlanta in 2006, he was a long-time resident of Charlottesville and wrote many songs there, including “Water from Another Time.” 

For other water sounds and music, and for more Virginia water information, visit our Web site at virginiawaterradio.org.  From the Virginia Water Resources Research Center in Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening wishing you health, wisdom, and good water.

SHOW NOTES
"Water from Another Time" is copyright John McCutcheon and Appalseed Productions, used with permission.  Information on John McCutcheon and “Water from Another Time” was taken from So long: McCutcheon signs off in song, Charlottesville Hook, 11/13/07; John McCutcheon's back for show at Haven, Charlottesville Daily Progress, 4/1/11; John McCutcheon page on Web site of Walnut Valley Festival of Winfield, Kansas, 6/2/11; and John McCutcheon’s Web site, www.folkmusic.com, 6/3/11.

Monday, December 17, 2012

Episode 141 (12-17-12): A Year of Water Sounds

Click to listen to episode (2:41).

Please see below (after the transcript and show notes) for links to news and upcoming events.

TRANSCRIPT

From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of December 17, 2012.

This week, we feature a year of mystery sounds.  Have a listen for about 70 seconds to 12 sounds that you could hear from January to December in a Virginia water year.

SOUNDS.


Let’s see how many you recognized!  The sounds were whales spouting; a Special Olympics “Polar Plunge”; Spring Peepers; an American Toad; a Red-winged Blackbird; a beaver’s tail-splat; a Belted Kingfisher; shorebirds and waves; a kayak paddler; the New River; Snow Geese; and a fog horn.  I hope that your upcoming year is full of water-related sounds and many good things.  Thanks to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the whale and shorebird sounds, and to Lang Elliott for the Kingfisher and Snow Geese sounds.

For other water sounds and music, and for more Virginia water information, visit our Web site at virginiawaterradio.org, or call us at (540) 231-5463.  From the Virginia Water Resources Research Center in Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening, and wishing you health, wisdom, and good water.

SHOW NOTES

 
A 2012 Virginia water view: South Fork Shenandoah River at Rileyville (Page County), July 22.


Acknowledgments:
The sounds of the Belted Kingfisher and Snow Geese were taken from the Stokes Field Guide to Bird Songs-Eastern Region CD set, by Lang Elliott with Donald and Lillian Stokes (Time Warner Audio Books, copyright 1997), used with permission of Lang Elliott, whose work is available online at http://www.langelliott.com/ and the “Music of Nature” Web site, http://www.musicofnature.org/ (as of 12/17/12).  The whale and shorebirds/waves sounds were taken from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s “Sound Clips” Web site (public domain sounds) at http://www.fws.gov/video/sound.htm, accessed 12/17/12.

Recent Virginia Water News
            For news relevant to Virginia's water resources, please visit the Virginia Water Central News Grouper, available online at http://vawatercentralnewsgrouper.wordpress.com/.

Water Meetings and Other Events
            For events related to Virginia's water resources, please visit the Quick Guide to Virginia Water–related Conferences, Workshops, and Other Events, online at http://virginiawaterevents.wordpress.com/.  The site includes a list of Virginia government policy and regulatory meetings occurring in the coming week.

Monday, December 10, 2012

Episode 140 (12-10-12): "Exploring the Rivers," by Timothy Seaman


Please see below (after the transcript and show notes) for links to news and upcoming events.

TRANSCRIPT

From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of December 10, 2012.



This week, we feature a musical selection commemorating voyages to explore the Chesapeake Bay region in the early 17th Century.  Have a listen for about 40 seconds.



MUSIC.



You’ve been listening to part of “Exploring the Rivers,” by Timothy Seaman on his 2006 CD “Jamestown: On the Edge of a Vast Continent,” from Pine Wind Music.  The tune commemorates the voyages by English colonists at Jamestown to explore the lands, waters, and native peoples of the Bay and its tributaries.  Led by Captain John Smith, the expeditions between 1607 and 1609 covered some 3000 miles of Bay waters, including rivers we now call the Elizabeth, James, Potomac, Rappahannock, and York.  In 2006, Congress designated the routes of those expeditions as the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail, the country’s first national water trail.  Historic and natural resources sites on the trail range from First Landing State Park in southeastern Virginia to the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania.  Thanks to Timothy Seaman for permission to use this week’s music.  



For other water sounds and music, and for more Virginia water information, visit our Web site at virginiawaterradio.org, or call us at (540) 231-5463.  From the Virginia Water Resources Research Center in Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening, and wishing you health, wisdom, and good water.



SHOW NOTES

Captain John Smith’s 1612 map of Virginia.  Image provided for public use by the Maryland State Archives, “Charts and Maps Used by the Early Settlers of Maryland,” online at http://msa.maryland.gov/msa/educ/exhibits/html/mpt.html (accessed 12/10/12).


Acknowledgments: “Exploring the Rivers” and the 2006 CD “Jamestown: On the Edge of a Vast Continent” are copyright by Timothy Seaman and Pine Wind Music, used with permission.  Mr. Seaman’s Web site is http://www.timothyseaman.com/.



Sources: Information on the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail was taken from the National Park Service Web site at http://www.smithtrail.net/; the “John Smith Voyages of Exploration” Web site by Penn State University and the Smithsonian Institution at http://johnsmith.psu.edu/home.aspx; and the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network Web site at http://baygateways.net/smithstudy.cfm.  For more information on the trail, contact the National Park Service’s Chesapeake Bay Office at 410 Severn Avenue, Suite 314, Annapolis, MD 21403; phone (410) 260-2470.



“Virtual Jamestown” provides an interactive map of the Smith voyages, where users can see the routes, names used by Smith on his maps, current names, etc.; online at http://www.virtualjamestown.org/smith_voyages/introduction.html.  “Virtual Jamestown” is a project of Virginia Tech, the University of Virginia, and the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities and Public Policy.


Recent Virginia Water News
            For news relevant to Virginia's water resources, please visit the Virginia Water Central News Grouper, available online at http://vawatercentralnewsgrouper.wordpress.com/.

Water Meetings and Other Events
            For events related to Virginia's water resources, please visit the Quick Guide to Virginia Water–related Conferences, Workshops, and Other Events, online at http://virginiawaterevents.wordpress.com/.  The site includes a list of Virginia government policy and regulatory meetings occurring in the coming week.

Monday, December 3, 2012

Episode 139 (12-3-12): Winter Weather Preparedness


Please see below (after the transcript and show notes) for links to news and upcoming events.

TRANSCRIPT

From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of December 3, 2012.

This week, we feature a series of mystery sounds.  Have a listen for about 25 seconds and see if you can guess what kind of weather preparedness activities these sounds represent.  And here’s a hint: if you’re experiencing some of Virginia’s mild temperatures this week, think the opposite!

SOUNDS.

If you guessed winter-storm preparedness, you’re right!  The sounds of winter winds, a hand-cranked radio, a smoke alarm-test, and water filling a container are reminders that this is winter-storm preparedness week in Virginia.  Here are some tips from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management to help you stay safe from winter’s hazardous roads, low temperatures, power outages, and fire hazards.

*Get where you need to be before the weather gets bad.  You can get road conditions by phoning 511.

*Have a battery-powered or hand-cranked radio, especially one with a weather radio band that provides reports directly from the National Weather Service.

*Get fireplaces, wood stoves, and chimneys inspected and cleaned.

*Install a smoke detector in every bedroom and on every floor level, and check the batteries regularly.

*If you use space heaters, plug them into wall outlets, not into extension cords; keep heaters at least three feet from other objects, and turn them off before going to bed.
*Use flashlights, not candles, during power outages.

*And make a family emergency plan that includes a meeting place if your family cannot return home; an out-of-town emergency contact; and at least a three-day emergency supply of food, water, and medications.

More details on preparing for severe weather and other emergencies are available online at www.ReadyVirginia.gov.

For other water sounds and music, and for more Virginia water information, visit our Web site at virginiawaterradio.org, or call us at (540) 231-5463.  From the Virginia Water Resources Research Center in Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening, and wishing you health, wisdom, and good water.

SHOW NOTES 
Photo from Virginia Department of Emergency’s Web site, http://www.vaemergency.gov/readyvirginia, 12/3/12.

Acknowledgments: The winter storm sound was from a recording make available for public use on Freesound.org (http://www.freesound.org; recording DMP013016 HEAVYSNOWSTORM.wav), accessed 12/3/12.  Other sounds were recorded by Virginia Water Radio.

Sources:  The winter-preparedness tips were taken from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management’s Winter Preparedness Week public service announcement, “What Should You Do to Get Ready for Winter Weather?”, online at http://www.vaemergency.gov/readyvirginia/winter/winter-preparedness-week (accessed 12/3/12); and Governor McDonnell Proclaims December 2-8 Winter Preparedness Week in Commonwealth, Virginia Governor’s Office News Release, 11/28/12.

Road conditions are available in Virginia online at www.511Virginia.org.  A mobile-phone app is available, as well.

Additional sources of information for winter preparedness are the following:
American Red Cross, at http://www.redcross.org/prepare/disaster/winter-storm, or contact your local Red Cross chapter;
Federal Emergency Management Agency, http://www.ready.gov/winter-weather.

Recent Virginia Water News
            For news relevant to Virginia's water resources, please visit the Virginia Water Central News Grouper, available online at http://vawatercentralnewsgrouper.wordpress.com/.

Water Meetings and Other Events
            For events related to Virginia's water resources, please visit the Quick Guide to Virginia Water–related Conferences, Workshops, and Other Events, online at http://virginiawaterevents.wordpress.com/.  The site includes a list of Virginia government policy and regulatory meetings occurring in the coming week.

Monday, November 12, 2012

Episode 136 (11-12-12): Ducks at the Dance


Please see below (after the transcript and show notes) for links to news and upcoming events.

TRANSCRIPT

From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of November 12, 2012.

This week, we drop in on a rich Virginia cultural tradition—a Saturday-night square dance—where calls of “Duck for the oyster!” got dancers talking about a key part of Virginia’s rich aquatic-wildlife tradition!  Sound unlikely?  Well, just have a listen for about 50 seconds. 

MUSIC AND VOICES.

You’ve been listening to Blacksburg-based string band The Jugbusters playing at a recent community dance, while several dancers called out some of the duck species found in Virginia.  About 25 kinds of ducks occur regularly or occasionally on the Commonwealth’s ponds, streams, wetlands, and coastal waters.  They include dabblers, like Mallards, which feed from the water surface; divers, like mergansers, which submerge below the surface to feed; and sea ducks, like the Bufflehead, which spend part of their life over marine areas.  Some ducks can be found year-round in Virginia, but most species are winter residents, migrating to spring breeding grounds in Alaska, other northwestern states, Canada, or Greenland.  Whenever they land in the Old Dominion, ducks are as Virginian as an old-time string band.  Thanks to The Jugbusters and our duck-name callers for permission to use this week’s music and sounds.

For other water sounds and music, and for more Virginia water information, visit our Web site at virginiawaterradio.org, or call us at (540) 231-5463.  From the Virginia Water Resources Research Center in Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening, and wishing you health, wisdom, and good water.

SHOW NOTES


Black Ducks.  Photo made available for public use by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Digital Library, online at http://digitalmedia.fws.gov, accessed 11-12-12.


Acknowledgments:
Music in this episode was performed by Blacksburg, Virginia band The Jugbusters during a November 10, 2012, dance in Blacksburg, and the names of ducks were spoken by people attending that dance; all used with permission.  More information about The Jugbusters is available online at https://www.jugbusters.com/.

Sources:
Information on ducks was taken from the “Wildlife Information” Web page of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, at http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/, which includes the March 2010 “Official List of Native and Naturalized Fauna of Virginia”; this database provides maps and detailed accounts of the range and present distribution of each species in the database (as of 11/12/12); the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Web site “Waterfowl ID,” online at http://www.flyways.us/duck-identification-resources (as of 11/12/12); Life in the Chesapeake Bay, by Alice Jane Lippson and Robert L. Lippson (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006; and A Guide to Field Identification of Birds of North America, by Chandler S. Robbins et al. (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2001).

Other sources of information on Virginia ducks include the following:
*Virginia Society of Ornithology at www.virginiabirds.net; or

*Cornell University Lab of Ornithology’s “Bird Guide” Web site at http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/search, and the Cornell lab’s “Birds of North America Online” at http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna.  Both Cornell sites include photos, distribution maps, recordings of calls, and ecological information on birds throughout the Western Hemisphere; a subscription is required to use the “Birds of North America Online” site.

*E-bird Web site at http://ebird.org/content/ebird/, maintained by the Cornell Lab and the Audubon Society.  Here you can find locations of species observations made by contributors, and you can sign up to contribute your own observations.

Recent Virginia Water News
            For news relevant to Virginia's water resources, please visit the Virginia Water Central News Grouper, available online at http://vawatercentralnewsgrouper.wordpress.com/.

Water Meetings and Other Events
            For events related to Virginia's water resources, please visit the Quick Guide to Virginia Water–related Conferences, Workshops, and Other Events, online at http://virginiawaterevents.wordpress.com/.  The site includes a list of Virginia government policy and regulatory meetings occurring in the coming week.