A River Delta

in

Every drop of water that ever is, will travel to the sea. It could take a long slow meandering journey through a mud soaked river. Winding its way through the roots of trees, the mouths of fish, and drops soaking on wet grass. It separates into individual molecules of steam, gaining independence in the sunlight. Then, missing their absence, it falls back to the earth returning to its kin on the shores of a creek. This journey could take years for a small drop to see the vast stretches of ocean. Or, it could be there in an instant, a summer storm washed out to the deep. One thing however is true of all things on this planet, we have come from the sea and we long to return. Like a magnet she pulls her offspring back to her in overflowing vibrant green river deltas. Bringing with them as gifts to their mother, water takes precious nutrients and oxygen back to the sea. The first signs of these abundant gifts are the life that thrives on the edges where the two waters meet. The river delta is a place where nature exists in abundance, and visiting one always feels like returning home.

The Colorado River Delta (Texas)

As part of my chosen profession I have had now two opportunities to see large vast river deltas in person. The first was the Mississippi River delta which is only accessible by a several days boat ride from Louisiana. You can either approach it by riding down the river itself or by going around the reverse way and riding up the river from the ocean. It was a fantastic experience that I kept detailed notes about and am now motivated to re-write and publish it here on this website. This recent visit was to the Colorado River Delta in Texas not to be confused with the Colorado river which winds through the Grand Canyon and enters the Gulf of California. In contrast with its cousin, Texas is very flat and the river flows at a snails pace to the ocean. It savors each leg of the journey before entering the salty bays and seagrass beds. The Colorado river has always been a river of extremes, fierce and dangerous flooding during the fall storms and then dwindling down to a mere trickle in the summer. People have never been comfortable with the whims of nature and decided to dam the Colorado river at several points to allow for better flood control and of course water.

Unlike other rivers in Texas the Colorado brings with it large quantities of dead wood that float dangerously in the channels and canals. These wood trunks come from natural erosion along its journey and form the foundation of the ever changing marshland. The newest addition of real estate can be seen above as a new layer of logs attach themselves to the grassy edges. Over time this will accumulate debris and provide space for new grasses to grow.

Up close to one of the floating marshlands supported by dead logs

The marshy landscape is anything but permanent. A swift hurricane or a strong flood can rearrange the entire structure. So much so that fishermen may walk out one morning a not recognize the paths they previously travelled on.

A Snowy Egret on the edge of the canal.

A group of Dolphins swim in the Delta.

A Crocodile inspects our boat.

Hey, is that water clean?

There are three questions I get asked on a regular basis when I tell people I am an Aquatic Scientist.

  1. What’s this plant, bug, or thing.

  2. How clean is this water? (points to nearby pond)

  3. Have you ever thought about doing anything else besides teaching.

I love answering all questions related to nature and the environment and I have a really good time hearing about peoples interests. However, the third question lets me know a lot of implicit bias people have towards teachers and how few people think of teaching as a real career. That could be a whole post on its own, but we are here to talk about clean water.

Greers Ferry Lake, Arkansas

This post is specifically about your local lake, neighborhood stream, or backyard pond. Public utilities are, for the most part, a regulated entity that have standards of quality that must be met. What happens when they don’t meet these standards is another thing entirely. However, I am interested in how clean the water is in your neighborhood. Both because it has an affect on your well being, and the animals and plants around you.

Green Heron at our local pond, 2023

What does it mean for water to be clean. We have been told by advertisements and tv shows that clean water should be clear. It shouldn’t taste weird or funky. It should come from a clean place like a mountain spring or a deep underground aquifer. Clean water is cold and icy, water straight from the sky or melted snow. Clean water is untouched by any animal or biological hands. Does that mean that a lake full of life, plants, fish, ducks and turtles is not clean? Does that mean if you cant see the bottom of your neighborhood pond that its, dirty?

Many of the things that we don’t want in our drinking water, or things that make water taste bad we cant actually see. If I asked you where the dirtiest water on earth is, you might think of water that’s brown or covered with a rainbow sheen from oil. But the nutritious life giving force of Mississippi river, which supplies food and oxygen to gulf of Mexico and Caribbean, is brown. The nickname muddy Mississippi comes from the light brown silt layering the depths of the Mississippi river basin. This silt darkens the river water and paints the beaches in the gulf of Mexico west of Louisiana something in between Sherwin Williams Bacalite gold and Sears khaki. Many people think this brown water comes from nearby industry, but they would be surprised to find out that this elixir of life is driving the whole ecosystem.

Ducklings at Mary Moore park 2021

So if we cant rely on our eyes, can we rely on our nose? Water in nature has a funk, there is no way around it. Spring water bubbling from the ground, as it passes layers of rock older than humans, picks up chemicals that give it a “flavor.” In Texas this flavor is calcium and can make your tongue feel a little chalky. What about lake water, brimming with algae and bacteria? It can smell a little like moldy salad greens, and taste about the same. Is this also dirty? When you jump off the nearest rock wall and get a nose full, it might stick with you for a few days.

The truth is that the things we really should be worrying about are difficult to smell or taste. These things are the icky ones, the ones that make us sick or could hurt us long term. Bacteria that give us diarrhea, parasites that eat our insides, or chemicals dumped by the nearest republican funding corporation- I mean totally legit business enterprise that sometimes makes mistakes.

A moth stopping for a drink at McKinney falls state park. 2021

With the recent events in Palestine Ohio and the immense cover up and government inaction it really makes you question how much people really value water in the environment. The idea that “its already dirty” or “this wont affect me” really goes out the window when everything gets so much worse. Ohio was the site of one of the first major water based disasters on the Cuyahoga river in 1952. An event that led indirectly to the forming of the EPA and clean water act. I wonder if this event will have the same impact in 2023, or if we are doomed to repeat history.

To read more about the Cuyahoga river checkout this article from the history channel here




Year end review 2022

in

I am a big believer of new years resolutions. I keep a running list of all my new years resolutions in my journals, and at the end of the year I compare all the lists like an accountant and see how well I did over the years. For the most part I feel like I do accomplish what I set out to do. There is something to be said for where you spend your limited time and energy. If you focus on it, and the goal is somewhat achievable, then you can be successful. The trick is to make goals that don’t rely too much on outside influence.

This year was the year I posted the least in my blog. I feel like I hit a creative rut, or a wall. I have done what I set out to do. I did all the projects I had backlogged in my brain. Then I just ran out of ideas. I spent a lot of time thinking about what I wanted the blog to look like in the future. This has always been a space for me to be creative and come up with ideas.

The national seashore at South Padre Island after a storm. Looking very MAD MAX

We decided to get out of town for thanksgiving break and go to South Padre Island. I’ve never been that far south in Texas but I was in search of good weather and even better surf. The weather didn’t participate and managed to storm all 3 days we were there. We decided to cut our trip short the last day and head home. But the moody weather provided some interesting photographs of the beach. Lots of salt and mist in the air made everything look spooky and magical.

The horizon is completely absent with the storm so close.

It wouldn’t be a beach trip without some photos of beach trash. The plastic waste on the beach is much less in the winter but instead its flooded with microplastics. Plastic bottle lids dominate as well as those little rings on bottles to keep the lid attached.

For the bird fans. We visited the coastal wetlands bird sanctuary and got some impressive photos of a tricolored Heron.

This rather unimpressive photo is quite an accomplishment. I have for the first time photographed a kingfisher. These birds are common in central and south Texas but they are difficult to capture a photo of. Most of the time you hear a kingfisher and never see one. But what a find!

After returning from south Texas and taking a much needed break I began to brainstorm what I wanted to do with my blog in the future. I have set my mind on other types of media. I am eager to record videos or sounds of nature around my neighborhood and beyond. I am hoping to hone some of my skills and focus in on some of the quiet beauty in Austin.

Below is my first video of me trying to learn how to take photos from a kayak. This whole video was a learning experience from the camera to the editing.

The turkey vulture in question from the video, doing its best impression of a bird of prey.

The end of the year is the time to reinvent yourself, if not reinvent reflect. Here is a roll of my favorite photos and my NY resolutions. Thanks for reading!

I have several of these hanging around my house. If you are interested in a print send me an email and I can get you one.

Resolutions:

  1. Wear sunscreen everyday

  2. Be kind to myself

  3. Make time to be creative

  4. Acknowledge my accomplishments