Celebrate Earth Day This Sunday

This Sunday, April 22, is Earth Day, which was first observed 42 years ago on the same date in 1970. There's no question we've become better stewards of our planet over the last four decades. Earth Day founder Senator Gaylord Nelson passed away in July of 2005 at the age of 89. He believed strongly that education is the key to changing people’s attitudes about the environment, and he devoted much of his time and energy to that challenge.

“The idea of Earth Day evolved over a period of seven years starting in 1962,” he wrote before his death. “For several years it had been troubling me that the state of our environment was simply a non-issue in the politics of the country. Finally, in November of 1962, an idea occurred to me that was, I thought, a virtual cinch to put the environment into the political ‘limelight’ once and for all. The idea was to persuade President Kennedy to give visibility to this issue. It was the germ of the idea that ultimately flowered into Earth Day.”

According to Senator Nelson, the first Earth Day “worked” because of the spontaneous response at the grassroots level. Though he felt he and his committee had neither the time nor resources to organize the 20 million demonstrators and the thousands of schools and local communities that participated, “it organized itself.”

So, how have things changed in the last 42 years? Certainly, we’ve become more aware of the need to take better care of our planet. Many imporant laws were passed in the wake of the first Earth Day, including the Clean Air Act, and laws to protect water, wild lands, and the ocean. The Environmental Protection Agency was created within three years of the first Earth Day.

Personally, I’ve seen a dramatic change over the last 42 years. What I clearly remember as a child is taking a weekly pilgrimage with my Dad every Saturday afternoon to the town dump. Dad loaded the family car with all kinds of debris and junk from the basement, and we followed the dirt path, greeted the seagulls, and dumped everything at the landfill. The garbage was simply buried. Today, our garbage is turned into electricity or, in some cases, steam.

Garbage isn’t something most of us want to think about, but managing nearly 230 tons we generate each year has consequences. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the amount of garbage Americans generate has increased from 88 million tons to over 229 million tons since 1960. Forty-seven years ago, Americans produced about 2.7 pounds of garbage each day. By 2001, though, that amount jumped to 4.4 pounds a person each day.

I’m impressed at what has been done locally to address the issue of waste reduction. The Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority’s Bridgeport Project consists of a 2,250 ton-per-day mass-burn trash-to-energy facility, eight transfer stations, two landfills, a regional recycling center, and the Children’s Garbage Museum. The Bridgeport Project provides solid waste disposal and recycling services to 20 Connecticut communities in Fairfield and New Haven counties.

The Bridgeport Project trash-to-energy plant, which is located at 6 Howard Avenue in Bridgeport is truly an impressive facility. Take your family there, and I’m sure all of you will be amazed at what you see. It’s the perfect example of how “one man’s trash becomes another man’s treasure.” I’ve visited the plant several times, and each time I come away with a better understanding of how we manage our trash.

The solid waste is burned in a controlled environment to create electricity. Through this process, the volume of solid waste is reduced by about 90%. Waste-to-energy plants nationwide generate enough electricity to power nearly 2.3 million homes. Energy created in the Bridgeport facility has about the same environmental impact as energy produced from natural gas, and less impact than from oil or coal plants.

Recycling? We never bothered to recycle anything over a generation ago. Everything was considered “trash” back then. Now, we carefully sort our recyclables each week and place them in the blue bins. Recycled items include paper, aluminum, steel, plastics, glass, scrap tips, cell phones, and electronics. Americans recycled and composted nearly 30% of municipal solid waste in 2001, diverting 68 million tons to recovery.

Did you know, for example, that 71% of all newspapers are recovered for recycling? Over a third goes back into making more newsprint. The remainder is used to make paperboard, tissue, and insulation. Seventy-four percent of boxes are recycled, and nearly 46% of office papers are recovered for recycling. These become raw material for printing and writing paper.

So, yes, we’ve come a long way since the first Earth Day was “celebrated” on April 22, 1970. Much has been done since then, but there’s still a long way to go. Gaylord Nelson said education was the key to changing people’s attitudes about the environment, and the more aware we become about our planet, the better we'll be able to take care of it.

Paul

Fishing Season Opens This Saturday

Opening Day of the new fishing season is just two days away, and it looks as if our weather will become unsettled by Saturday. Some rain is expected to develop during the afternoon, and there is the chance of a scattered thunderstorm, too. However, it should be dry when local anglers make their way to their favorite fishing spots early in the morning.

Fishing season officially opens this Saturday, and anglers young and old alike are looking forward to the day. Fishing is great family fun and a healthy outdoor activity enjoyed by everyone. The Department of Environmental Protection stocks many lakes and streams with a wide variety of fish species throughout the year. Some of the other programs developed by DEP to enhance fishing opportunities include fishing education for children and families and the creation of special fishing areas such as trout parks.

One of my neighbors told me that there's nothing quite like getting up in the middle of the night and heading to the nearest river or stream on Opening Day. He always looks forward to the first day of fishing season. He told me that he packs his breakfast and lunch and leaves the house well before sunrise. He admitted that he enjoys the peace and quiet of being out on the water so early in the morning. I'm sure his sentiments are shared by many others, too.



Connecticut is fortunate to have over 180 public lakes and ponds and thousands of miles of rivers and streams teeming with a variety of gamefish and panfish. Anglers from all over the country come to Connecticut to fish for prized trout in the Farmington and Housatonic Rivers. Eleven water bodies in Connecticut have been designated as Trout Parks. Trout Parks are located in easily accessible areas to enhance trout fishing opportunities for everyone.

The DEP Web site adds that anglers should consult their 2012 Angler’s Guide for the current fishing regulations that apply to the waters in which they plan to fish. Trout Parks and the many waters designated as Trout Management Areas, Trophy Trout Streams, Sea-Run Trout Streams, and Wild Trout Management Areas each have special regulations.

The 2011 Angler’s Guide is available at all Town Clerks Offices and at tackle stores selling fishing licenses. Anglers can now purchase their fishing licenses online, too. Both the Angler's Guide and the online licensing system can be accessed on the DEP web site at: www.ct.gov/dep/fishing. Good luck to all the anglers this Saturday.

Paul

Severe Drought Magnifies Brush Fire Danger

A severe drought exists across southwestern Connecticut. Recently, it seems as though there is a brush fire story in the region just about every day. The fire danger remains quite high, and it looks as though there won't be any rain through the end of this week. Officials are urging people not to start any outdoor fires. The unusually dry April weather is certainly cause for concern. In fact, this calendar year is much drier than normal.

Since January 1, we've received less than six inches (5.91") of rain, which is more than a half-foot below the 12.09" normal through this date. Last year, we had a whopping 14.44" during the same time frame. That's quite a difference. The last three months, however, have been especially dry, with just a little more than three inches of rain since February 1. This is the driest April on record thus far, with less than a third of an inch of rain measured.

April's precipitation summary is quite alarming. There have been just two days with more than one-hundredth of an inch of rain this month. Other than a healthy 0.27" of rain on the first day of the month, we've had only 0.04" the last two weeks. The ground is parched during what is normally one of the wettest months of the year. Some of the heaviest rains in recent memory have happned in March, including a Nor'easter which brought over a half-foot of rain to some local communities five years ago today.

March was quite dry, too. The total rainfall (1.04") was more than three inches below normal, and more than ten inches below the record of 10.19" set just two years ago. There were only nine days with measured rain, including the first three days of the month. However, just six wet days were recorded over the last 25 days of March, accounting for just a little more than a half-inch (0.56"). The driest March on record happened in 1981 when just 0.69" of precipitation fell.

February was another dry month. The monthly total of 1.58" was far short of the 2.79" normal for the month. There were only eight days with measured rain, including a four-day stretch of 0.26" from February 15 through February 18. However, nearly an inch of rain (0.94") happened February 24. A nine-day dry streak from February 2 through February 10 set the tone for the month, which was capped by more than a quarter-inch (0.27") February 29.

It looks like some much-needed rain is headed our way by this weekend. I, for one, will welcome the rain. The lawn, flowers, and bushes certainly need Mother Nature's sprinkler system. For the first time in recent memory, I have seen many people watering their lawns and gardens in April. That's quite unusual. Let's hope this weekend's rain puts a damper on the fire danger across southwestern Connecticut.

Paul

Remembering the Nor'easter Five Years Ago Today

Hello.
We need rain badly. We are experiencing severe drought conditions across southwestern Connecticut with less than a third-of-an-inch of rain thus far this month. Since January 1, rainfall is running more than a half-foot below normal. The fire danger remains quite high the next several days before some much-needed rain arrives this coming weekend.

Our weather was anything but dry five years ago today. The Nor'easter of Sunday, April 15, 2007, caused widespread flooding, damage, and destruction to many homes and businesses across southwestern Connecticut. My basement was a disaster area, and the sight of water pouring into the cellar through the walls was alarming. Many local communities received well over a half-foot of rain in one day, including an incredible 7.50 inches in Weston.

Our viewers became an active part of the News 12 Connecticut weather team with their weather observations, comments, and photos. They always come through for us in major storms, and that day was no exception. Geoff Wood of Darien sent the adjacent photo of his home on Crimmins Road in Darien. "For us, this is the second time we have been flooded out of our house in six weeks," he wrote. Many people shared his pain.



Perhaps no picture better illustrates the destruction of the Nor'easter better than this one. Viewer Donna Dutko sent this photo of "the little pink antique store at the corner of Route 7 and Branchville Station." As you can see, the store collapsed from the force of the water and was partially submerged. The water was almost up to the railroad tracks, too.



Judy Callirgos of Redding sent many photos of the flooding on her street, in her yard, and around her home. "I live on the Saugatuck and my house was truly an island yesterday," she wrote. "I had to create a dam at the end of my driveway to divert the water." Redding also received over a half-foot of rain, leading to flooding problems throughout town.



Cynthia Zizzi of the Cos Cob section of Greenwich sent several photos along upper Valley Road in North Mianus. Cynthia wrote, "Paul, I walk my dog, Dodger, a golden retriever, every day weather permitting, and these are some of my favorite views. The best is the old foundation. I believe it was an old home or could have been part of the woolen mill that burned in 1938."



Sheridan Black of Milford forwarded some photos from Bayview Beach of waves crashing against homes along the shoreline. She wrote, "Last night (Sunday night), I decided to stay the night at my beach house with my aunt and uncle. The whole road was flooded and the water came right up to the deck. The water is usually 30 feet away from the house, and now, if I wanted to, I could stand on the deck and touch it."



Stamford recorded nearly seven inches of rain (6.84"), causing massive flooding of roads and headaches for motorists. Martin Silverman told of "the extreme road conditions at the intersection of High Ridge Road and Wire Mill." Notice the plow attempting to push the standing water off High Ridge Road near the Merritt Parkway. I've heard many stories from motorists who had to find alternate routes or who were stranded on flooded roads during the height of the flooding.



Darien received nearly a half-foot of rain (5.93"). Richard Miller took this photo of Hoyt Street Sunday afternoon, April 15, at 4 o'clock. He jokingly wrote, "I thought I would share this with you before we go for a lap swim." As you can see, driving was dangerous just about everywhere.



New Canaan was another community which received nearly a half-foot of rain (5.40"). John Festo sent us several pictures of Mill Pond overflowing its banks. It almost looks as though the force of the raging water is about to cover the bridge and send it sailing downstream. Also, the banks of the river were already flooded.



The view from Fairfield Beach was wet and windy. Kathy wrote, "This is a view of my backyard. I live one block from Fairfield Beach on Reef Road. My yard is flooded from the rain only, and now we are waiting for high tide to see if we need to evacuate. It was so windy we could lean into the wind, and it held us up." Fairfield was one of the communities which received well over a half-foot of rain (6.55") in one day.



As for April 15, 2012, Mother Nature is delivering Summerlike weather across the region. We'll see partly sunny skies with afternoon high temperatures climbing into the 70s, well above the 57-degree normal high temperature for the date. Extremely dry conditions will continue through the rest of the week before rain arrives this coming weekend.

Paul

Annual Visit to West School in New Canaan a "Hit" With Fourth-Grade Weatherkids

One of my favorite stops on my annual Weatherkids tour is West School in New Canaan. One of the administrators is a neighbor of mine and a former classmate from Andrew Warde High School in Fairfield. The fourth-graders are always excited for the hour-long program. This year was no exception.

The theme of this year's visit was baseball. Two of the fourth-graders had batting practice during the taped class introduction, and the entire class sang a unique version of a classic seventh-inning stretch song.

What a great bunch of kids!

West School's Fourth-Grade Weatherkids by PaulWXman

Paul

Milford Brush Fire Highlights Danger of Red Flag Warning

A Red Flag Warning remains in effect through this evening for high fire danger across Connecticut. The warning was issued due to the gusty winds, extremely dry ground, and low humidity levels in the atmosphere. This is the eighth straight day without any rain across the region.

Firefighters are battling a massive brush fire in Milford late today. Train service was shut down for hours due to the flames. The fire started during the evening commute in the woods behind Bridgeport Avenue where many car dealers are located, and the blaze almost spread to a hotel and church.


Milford brush fire by PaulWXman

We've measured just 5.87" of precipitation since January 1. That's nearly a half-foot below the 11.21" normal through this date. Last year, 13.23" fell through the same period. Some isolated showers are possible tomorrow and Wednesday, but a steady rain is what's needed for the area.

Paul