Homeowners Hung Out to Dry
… The legalities surrounding stormwater issues are gray at best. Apparently, the state owns the water, the city owns the pipes and streams (though even that is debatable), and the property owners own the land. So who is accountable when stormwater redirected by private developers damages property downstream?…
Starting Over with Clover
… My clover and abundant flowering plants aren’t just pretty; they hold the soil in place, naturally filter storm water before it flows into Jordan Lake, and absorb rain water that will otherwise flood or turn my yard to quicksand. Cisterns and rain-barrels enable even more water and nutrients to be recycled where I want them…
Discrimination Against Edible Plants
An article about an HOA’s attempts to force a Durham family to remove the edible garden they planted in their side yard.
Tomorrow's Lily by Chris Raschka
“Tomorrow’s Lily is a short, beautiful poem, written and illustrated by two-time Caldecott Medal winner Chris Raschko, that takes the reader through the days of the week as a single, magnificent, short-lived flower blooms on a long-stalked lily plant each day.”
Florida Oceanographic Society’s Coastal Center: MUCH More than an Aquarium
As promised via post-it note on the Florida Oceanographic Society's "Pledge" board, I am sharing my article about their Coastal Center in Stuart, Florida, where my family (12-50 years) spent an entire day and still didn't venture along the ~50-acres of Nature Trails in this barrier island ecosystem. If you’re visiting the east coast of Florida, you must put this stop on your list. And those who work for nonprofit organizations could learn a lot from the level of very visible volunteerism created by the leaders of the Florida Oceanographic Society. Building community for a common cause is the epitome of public outreach.
Thanks, Durham, I needed that! (EK Powe Elementary School Playground Dedication)
This morning was the dedication of a 3-years-long stormwater-control and playground redesign project at EK Powe Elementary School, on the edge of the Watts Hospital Hillandale Neighborhood in Durham, NC. It is the result of collaboration between the EK Powe PTA and Principal, Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association, Durham Matching Grants Program, Durham Public Schools…
City Budget for Green Programs/Jobs More than Just Lacking
This is the email I sent to Durham’s mayor and city council members today regarding the city budget: I am deeply concerned by this year's city budget's lack of new investment in green jobs, particularly for the Bionomic Educational Training Center (BETC) program and the Impaired Stream Improvement Program (ISIP). In fact, I think it is negligent of the city not to provide substantial funding for these two programs, given that…
Lesson Plan: Plants and Spring Planting
Shortly after the Coronavirus quarantine started last year, my elementary-school 'pod' and I did a 4-days plants rotation … So today we planted the seeds of several spring vegetables … All three types of seeds are large and beautifully round, like tiny marbles. Using a ruler, we compared their sizes and found that …
Weeding (my contribution to National Poetry Month 2020)
I've been doing a lot of gardening with the kids these last couple of weeks; and, whenever I garden with kids (I used to run a public in-school gardening club), somebody always defends the weeds. It always makes me contemplate the word and concept of genocide, which is what prompted me to write the poem below…
Elementary Plants Rotation, Days 3 and 4: Roots!
Last week, I introduced our Plants Rotation (for advanced 1st and 4th graders) with two lessons covering the evolution of plants and life, in general. Days 3 and 4 were spent on the parts of the plant, particularly the ROOTS. Here is a pdf of my *Roots* PowerPoint presentation…
Coronavirus Homeschool Week 3: Plants, Days 1 and 2
This week, I am in charge of the 11AM-1PM interactive educational component of our Coronavirus Homeschool each day. The stormy skies of the last two weeks have made all 3 elementary-school kids itchy with cabin fever. After taking a water sample from my miniature backyard pond, I began our Plants rotation with the following 5-minute BBC video about the origin of complex cells and life…
Hands-On STEM Curricula: Make a Portable, Indoor Water Garden for $0-10
Plan B has been to make water gardens at home with whatever big, clear plastic containers I can accumulate and give these to teachers at the elementary school. Two more teachers requested water gardens for their classrooms this week. I thought I'd take photos while I make them, so teachers, homeschoolers (aren't we all?), and kids of all ages can see how easy (and inexpensive) it is to do.
Algae, Red Tide, and the Future of our Water (includes links to lesson plans)
Last Night's PBS News Hour story on the Red Tide that's killing millions of marine life off the southern Florida Coast is yet another harbinger of the dangerous stormwater neglect occurring in North Carolina and across America. Anyone who walks around my inner-city Durham neighborhood during a big rain event will quickly see how much our little municipality, alone, is contributing to the communal problem…
City of Durham Avoids Municipal Stormwater Responsibilities while Inhibiting Affordable and Sustainable Private Solutions
I have written this article to demonstrate the City of Durham's irrational and uncooperative approach to drainage issues like the one I am dealing with at 613 Canal Street - note that this is a separate drainage issue from the flooding occurring at neighboring 611 Canal Street (the subject of my last Stormwater blog post).
Why You Should Have a Pond
Pond installation can be back- and time-consuming work, and a long-lasting one like mine can cost over $1000.00 (liner, pump, filter, rocks). But it doesn't have to be this way. You can purchase inexpensive, small-pond kits, or you can build a pond out of a plastic toddler swimming pool simply by…
An ‘A’ for Jordan
… On Friday, Jan. 29, Jordan High School teachers, students and their community partners were awarded an N.C. Beautiful Windows of Opportunity grant for a project that incorporates …
For the Love of BETC
… Polluted runoff is a leading cause of impairment in at least 40% of North Carolina's waterways, including all of Jordan Lake and a significant part of Falls Lake. Forty percent of America's rivers and 46% of America's lakes are too polluted for fishing, swimming, or aquatic life…
Digging our Way Out
… Thanks to a heads-up from Ray Eurquhart, a long-time Durham Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) board member, in October I contacted the SWCD about the N.C. Community Conservation Assistance Program (CCAP), which funds up to 75% of qualifying stormwater management projects on public and private land…
Welcome to my blog ...
... where you'll find articles pertaining to education and written for parents, caretakers, & teachers (traditional & home-school) regarding practical hands-on books, curricula, events, & opportunities. Other articles concern parenting, marriage, writing, & life in general, as well as local (Durham/Raleigh/Chapel-Hill), regional (Southeastern United States), and national issues and concerns.