Disc Golf Series: Standing Rocks Park

So as part of my Environmental Education observations, I have visited a number of Disc Golf Courses in Central Wisconsin to assess them in very rough terms.  These terms will go as follows.

1. Personal Reflections on Experiences.
2. Quality/ Difficulty of Course
3. Environmental Impact.

I welcome you to 

THE DISC GOLF SERIES

My first stop in the disc golf series was Standing Rocks Park in Plover,WI. As a resident (and season pass holder) at Standing Rocks, I can say with no doubt that it is superior to all other courses in a fifty mile radius. I have been playing Standing Rocks since 2007. What was at first a 19 hole adventure that had no real defined beginning became a 3-loop disc extravaganza for anyone looking for a quick nine to an all day disc fest. 

1. Everything at Standing Rocks is such near perfect. Even the deer stand next to the pin for you to aim at (not that you should). Standing Rocks also doubles as a winter sports area with a very nice lodge on top of being a Disc Golf Park/Mountain Biking Trail. The land is very hilly and is dotted with large rocks all around the course. In short, if you are looking for great Wisconsin Wilderness, your search is over at Standing Rocks. This Portage County maintained park is also home to a great dog area for all you canine lovers. There are many upsides to a day at Standing Rocks. The negatives? You might run into a lot of bugs in the summer and fall times. The Mosquitos can be rough. 10/10

2. This course is difficult. Along with it being one of the best courses in Central Wisconsin, it might also be the most difficult. Many holes are carved out in very narrow gaps that forces the thrower to focus on accuracy. The newest addition, the West Loop, is a prime example that a course can challenge every bit of your ability. Along with 400+ feet holes, many of these long ones have very small paths to the pin. The goal here is to be careful. Hole 8 &9 on the east loop can prove tricky as a steep hill can turn an otherwise good throw into a rolling catastrophe. 9/10

3. The course does not use Cement tees, and all boards are wooden. The crafters of the course did a good job trying to blend in the forest with the course. Not many trees are taken out per year (compared to other courses), but the recent addition of the West Loop meant that more had to be done to make the course usable in regard to Disc Golf. The lodge on site is wood heated and used periodically throughout the year. The lack of asphalt lots helps maintain a better ecology. The park is, however, located at least 7-10 minutes from the Interstate. This driving time can have an impact. It is encouraged that people bike out to the park. This is facilitated by the Tomorrow River trail that runs close to the park. One thing to mention is the large sand mines nearby the park, making the area a very important carbon sink for the local industry and agriculture.  7/10

I almost hit this guy with my drive!

Standing Rocks is quite an excellent experience for just about anyone!  Enjoy the pictures of fall!

Spinning Across America: Wind Turbines.

This summer, my Wife and I took a trip with her parents across the United States. As musicians for a wedding in Utah, we decided that a family driving trip across the country would be a somewhat cost and fun way to travel. I actually have never been west of Minneapolis/Davenport. As we were driving west on I-80, the rolling hills of Iowa greeted us with an enjoyable site.

This picture was taken on a long stretch of road outside Davenport. I thought the contrast was so very interesting.

Wind energy has taken hold as a growing resource for cities and towns that have ample air flow for much of the year. This form of technology is a great example of progress towards a more sustainable future.

This piece was found at Energy.gov as part of the Department of Energy's annual report on energy consumption and statistics:

The report finds that in 2011, roughly 6,800 megawatts (MW) of new wind power capacity was added to the U.S. grid, a 31 percent increase from 2010 installations.  The United States’ wind power capacity reached 47,000 MW by the end of 2011 and has since grown to 50,000 MW, enough electricity to power 13 million homes annually or as many as in Nevada, Colorado, Wisconsin, Virginia, Alabama, and Connecticut combined. The country’s cumulative installed wind energy capacity grew 16 percent from 2010, and has increased more than18-fold since 2000.  The report also finds that six states now meet more than 10 percent of their total electricity needs with wind power.

This is really good news! However, an article from Minnesota Public Radio written by Rob Reimer has this to say:

Rural dwellers are "asked" to host wind turbines and to pay for transmission lines to furnish city dwellers with green power from wind. Investors make huge profits while taxpayers and ratepayers get to pay 20 percent more for their power. So who is this technology benefiting? For exactly whom is it "free?"
Financially, wind energy is a losing proposition for most everyone who does not directly profit from the manufacture, siting, servicing, removal, financing or taxing of turbines, or from the disbursal of the electricity produced by them.

The wind boon benefits the turbine industry, not the general public. The industry is a terrible waste of resources: Human, physical, financial, temporal and aesthetic. These finite resources could be better spent transforming the physical infrastructure of our society toward sustainable energy production and use, and toward creating jobs that benefit the entire society.

This brings up a tremendously good point. Though Wind turbines might be seen as a sustainable method of energy, the amount of work and capital that goes into making a turbine part of the electrical grid can sometimes do more harm than good. Also, storage for all that energy is at a premium. Something has to be done to help make the sustainable energy market perform on the economic scale.

Luckily,
So now we start to understand all the moving pieces in the puzzle. Energy is an important aspect of our society, but how can we create the infrastructure that is needed to produce enough of that energy while sustaining the planet? I think wind energy will prove very useful for communities who live in rural and suburban areas that have access to open fields and windy days. However, each region is slightly different. What might work in Illinois is not going to work for Colorado. Arizona has a much greater potential for Photovoltaics while areas on the West Coast might benefit from a Geothermal plant or ten. As a nation, we need to start developing these technologies to help all of us save our planet while preserving our energy.

Schmeeckle- A project that's worth it

This fall I had the pleasure to join a few friends of mine on a wonderful trip through the Schmec kle reserve near UWSP's campus. If someone has not been there, I will gladly take them.

Schmeeckle has been a staple of campus since I first became a student. This history of the reserve is very interesting. Like most of Wisconsin in the 50's, the land was used for farming. Turns out the topsoil couldn't handle the crops, so farmers just sort of deserted it. The University bought up some land in the 60's and then by 1974 the land was proposed for a reclamation project.

It has been a stunning success. With the help of Sentry Insurance (this might be the only time I would say they helped), Lake Joanis was created and the Schmeeckle wildlife refuge was born! As a student, I spent a lot of time by Lake Joanis. I remember great days swimming in the lake, walking on the ice to the island, climbing to the tree house, and seeing so much wildlife. It creates a wonderful buffer between the campus and the Sentry building/golf course. After working at the golf course for so long, you forget the majesty that is the forest in between.

Lately, the area has been hit by drought. The new Moses Creek revitalization project, though looks wonderful, is horribly dry. There are many spots along the way that are just barren where months ago there was water.

It's funny. In 2008, we have the worst collapse of the economy since 1929. In 2012, we have the worst drought since 1934. The main problem with this comparison is that it is leading towards something that isn't good. In fact, all around the world the tension can be felt. Whether it's worrying about feeding the hungry, trying to reverse the adverse impacts of climate change, or simply trying to stop the bloodshed of war, humanity isn't doing so hot. Actually, we're plenty hot enough as it is.

I will continually do my best in preserving water. Fresh water is a commodity that shouldn't be wasted. I will start watching where my water goes and make sure that if there are any leaks in faucets or hoses I will replace them. Saving water happens one drop at a time. It's also something everyone can do. I will affirm myself a water saver!!




Here's a few pictures and a nice video on water conservation.

McDill Pond- I broke the Dam...

 

MCDILL POND- BEFORE THE BREACH

Mcdill Pond, the area of the Plover River that holds a pond created by a dam in Whiting,WI, has been a staple of the Stevens Point Area. For years, the maintenance of the Lake District has caused both praise and ire over the manmade lake throughout the years. However, the latest struggle has caused nothing more than conflict.



MCDILL POND- AFTER THE BREACH

It wasn't but a year ago when the Highway HH Dam showed signs of wear. After an analysis by engineers, the dam was labeled broken due to an unusual construction flaw. The dam, which needed a more solid base, formed a leak in the core structure. McDill currently will be fixed in April, 2013. The construction project was just approved by the DNR and received a grant paying for roughly 200,000 of the 600,000 dollar price-tag. The rest if the cost will be picked up by the "Lake District," Portage County, and the city of Stevens Point.

See This article in the Stevens Point Journal to learn more

McDill Pond and it's issues create a moral hazard for water control experiments. Though the lake has been known to cultivate and support several bird species, the constant changing of the area is surely causing stress on all species that utilize the area for eating, living, and protection. If you look at the two different pictures, the changes are poignant and provide different biome for species to exist.


Sometimes, the economical implication of land owners wanting to keep the status quo (a lake where one never was) might not add up when the biodiversity of an area is at risk.

EE: The first rule of EE is to talk about EE

I love the environment. I love it so much. It took a long time for me to have any understanding about how the environment is affected by me. That's not mentioning, of course, the impact of humanity on the environment. I don't know if doing this journal online will do anything to save the enviroment compared to a paper journal. However, I think this mode of journaling will be benficial for me as a student who is trying to focus on technology integration.

In this journal about environmental education, I plan on incorporating my love of nature, my outdoor experiences, and way I see that humanity can fix it's current cycle of resource depletion and destruction. My rules for my environmental education journal are:

1. To include at least one picture, video, and/or soundbyte addressing an environmental topic.
2. Incorporate at least seven posts of my own experiences in the environment.
3. Discuss in every post one idea that can be used in my career as a makeshift environmental educator.
4. Create at least five posts talking about the how the environment affected History and create an outline for a lesson plan.


Following these rules, I give to you my thoughts, feelings, and ideas concerning environmental education!


To finish, a video a watched today on food waste!