Virginia Water Radio: August 2012

Monday, August 27, 2012

Episode 125 (August 27, 2012): "Crabtree Falls," 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 August 27, 2012.

This week we feature an instrumental tune about one of Virginia’s most well-known waterfalls. Have a listen for about 45 seconds.

MUSIC.

You’ve been listening to “Crabtree Falls,” by Timothy Seaman, on the 2002 CD “Sycamore Rapids,” from Pine Wind Music. Crabtree Falls, in Nelson County, is a series of large and small cascades over which water falls about 1200 feet on its way to the South Fork Tye River. This is reported to be the longest drop of any waterfall east of the Mississippi River. Fans of the 1970s television show “The Waltons”—created by Nelson County native Earl Hamner— may remember hearing that fictional family talk of Sunday outings to the popular and remarkable Crabtree Falls.

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

Acknowledgments: “Crabtree Falls” and “Sycamore Rapids” are copyright 2002 by Timothy Seaman and Pine Wind Music, used with permission. Mr. Seaman’s Web site is http://www.timothyseaman.com/. “Crabtree Falls” was previously featured in the sound segment of Virginia Water Radio Episode 41 (week of 11-8-10).

Sources and More Information: Information on Crabtree Falls was taken from the “Visit Nelson County” Web site at http://nelsoncounty.com/visit/crabtreefalls/, 8/27/12. Information on Earl Hamner and “The Waltons” was taken from http://www.earlhamner.com/, 8/27/12.

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, August 20, 2012

Episode 124 (August 20, 2012): Fog

This episode has been replaced by Episode 512, 2-17-20.

Monday, August 13, 2012

Episode 123 (August 13, 2012): "Turtles Don't Need No 401-K," by Bob Gramann, and an Introduction to Reptiles

Click to listen to episode (2:34).

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 August 13, 2012.

This week, we feature a quick-moving song about a group of animals known for moving rather slowly. Have a listen for about 40 seconds.

MUSIC.

You’ve been listening to part of “Turtles Don’t Need No 401-K,” by Bob Gramann, on his 1995 album “Mostly True Songs.” While turtles don’t need a retirement account, they do need water. Two key water-saving features have allowed turtles—and fellow reptiles the snakes, lizards, and crocodilians—to range farther away from aquatic habitats than is possible for reptiles’ evolutionary ancestors the amphibians. One is skin covered with scales, and the other is eggs enclosed in a water-tight shell. Still, despite their water-saving adaptations, many species of turtles, snakes, and of course alligators and crocodiles live in aquatic areas, from wetlands to rivers to the ocean. Over 7000 reptile species are known worldwide, and Virginia is inhabited by about 10 species of lizards, over 20 species of turtles, and over 30 species of snakes. Thanks to Mr. Gramann 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

A female Loggerhead Turtle—one of five sea turtle species found in Virginia—at Back Bay National Wildlife in Virginia Beach. Photo courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Digital Library, online at http://digitalmedia.fws.gov.

Acknowledgments“Turtles Don’t Need No 401-K” and “Mostly True Songs” are copyright by Bob Gramann, a Fredericksburg, Va., singer-songwriter; used with permission. Mr. Gramann’s Web site is http://www.bobgramann.com/.

Sources Used
“Reptiles,” by Laura Klappenbach, at The New York Times’ About.com Web site, http://animals.about.com/od/reptiles/p/reptiles.htm, 8/13/12; The Reptiles of Virginia, by Joseph C. Mitchell (Washington and London: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1994); the Web site of the Virginia Herpetological Society, at http://www.virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com/index.html, 8/13/12; and the “Wildlife Information” Web site of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, at http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/, 8/13/12.

For More Information
Information on endangered reptile species in Virginia is available from A Guide to Endangered and Threatened Species in Virginia, by Karen Terwilliger and John Tate (Blacksburg, Va.: McDonald and Woodward, 1995.

Diamondback Terrapins are featured in the Virginia Sea Grant article “Terrapin Files,” in the Summer 2012 issue of Virginia Marine Resource Bulletin, online at https://vaseagrant.org/category/vmrb/ (this is the Web site for the Bulletin archives).

The “Estuary Education” video series, from the National Estuarine Research Reserve System, online at https://coast.noaa.gov/estuaries/videos/, has several short videos on reptiles that live in or near water, including the following: American Alligator; Freshwater Turtles in an Estuary; New Jersey Terrapin Close-up; Texas Alligators Q&A; Totally Turtles; Tracking Turtles; Turtle Hospital; Turtle Tales; and Turtle Trails.

Alligators are not native to Virginia but are occasionally spotted. For examples, see “Reston Woman Wrangles an Errant Alligator into Captivity,” Washington Post, 6/29/07; and “Alligator Captured in Virginia Beach Pond,” Virginian-Pilot, 9/10/07.

Monday, August 6, 2012

Episode 122 (August 6, 2012): World Water Needs

Click to listen to episode (2:06).

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 August 6, 2012.

This week we feature another mystery sound. Have a listen for about ten seconds, and see if you can guess what’s making the squeaking sound. And here’s a hint: You may not see many of these anymore in Virginia, but they can still work very well.

SOUND.

If you guessed a hand water pump, you’re right! This one was recorded in 2010 at a camping site along the C&O Canal Towpath in Maryland, just across the Potomac River from Virginia. While such pumps are no longer routinely seen at residences or in communities in the United States, hand-powered well pumps are one of many strategies being used to try to provide clean, reliable water to developing countries. At least three-quarters of a billion people worldwide are estimated to lack access to clean drinking water, and this global challenge becomes ever more complicated with climate change and population growth. The challenge is being tackled by governments, businesses, non-profit organizations, and many groups and individuals. If you’re interested in this issue, some good sources of information are UNICEF, the World Health Organization, and the United Nation’s Food and Agricultural Organization. And our online show notes this week list several Virginia efforts.

SHOW NOTES
[These notes were reviewed on 4-27-15 to check Web links and update some information.]

Acknowledgements: This episode’s water-pump sound and information were previously used in Episode 26 (week of 7-26-10).

Sources and More Information: The 2012 report of the World Health Organization/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation estimated that in 2010 about 780 million people worldwide lack access to safe drinking water; a link to that report and to other sources of information on world water needs and responses is available at http://water.org/water-crisis/water-facts/water/ (as of 8/6/12). Other information from the World Health Organization on water needs is available at http://www.who.int/topics/water/en/. Information on World Water Day, held each March, is available at http://www.unwater.org/worldwaterday/ (as of 8/6/12) Information about hand pumps and other technologies for providing water is available at many Web sites, such as the following (functional as of 4/27/15): Global Water, at http://www.globalwater.org/description-facilities.html; and Rural Water Supply Network, at http://www.rwsn.ch/.

Here in Virginia, as of 2013, about 12,000 (0.04%) of the Commonwealth's 3.02 million occupied households were estimated to lack complete indoor plumbing facilities, according to the U.S. Census’ "2009-2013 5-Year American American Community Survey" (information for Virginia available online at http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/community_facts.xhtml, as of 4/27/15).

The following is a small sample of Virginia-based groups and projects seeking to improve water supplies in developing countries:

American Water Resources Association, Virginia Tech student chapter: http://vtawra.blogspot.com/p/projects.html;

Engineering Students Without Borders, University of Virginia student chapter: http://eswb.org/;

Engineers Without Borders, Virginia Tech student chapter: http://www.ewbvirginiatech.org/;

Engineers Without Borders, Hampton Roads professionals chapter: http://www.ewbhr.org/;

Water and Health in Limpopo Province, South Africa Project at the University of Virginia: http://whilproject.wordpress.com/;

Walking for Water” for Burkina Faso, by Wisdom Spring, Inc., of Leesburg, Va.: http://www.wisdomspringinc.org/walkingforwater.html.