Author Archives: admin

Deforestation Floods Wiped Out the Ancient Nazca of Peru

News in Discover Magazine from ancient Peru:
The new study, published in the journal Latin American Antiquity, found that the pollen in the older layers of soil came almost entirely from huarango trees. But by A.D. 400, pollen from corn and cotton plants had replaced the tree pollen, suggesting that the Nazca people had chopped down the forests to make room for agricultural fields. About AD 500, a major El Niño built up in the Pacific, deluging the nearby Andes with rain. Walls of water and mud washed down the valley and over the denuded landscape, sweeping away food crops, buildings and artifacts. Beresford-Jones compared it with the 1997-98 El Niño, which left the city of Ica 6 feet underwater [Los Angeles Times]. The floods of A.D. 500 were many times worse, the researchers say.
Does this sound at all like the Georgia floods of 2009?

Florida Gets Smart About Solar

While Georgia goes for questionable biomass, WCTV reports that CFO Sink Applauds Opening Of Solar Energy Center, Welcomes $200 million in federal funding for Florida.
Florida CFO Alex Sink welcomed the news that a $200 million grant will go to Energy Smart Florida for the installation of 2.6 million smart meters in homes and the installation of advanced monitoring systems in grid substations.

CFO Sink commended President Obama for his commitment to new energy and his visit for the opening of Florida’s DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center, the nation’s largest solar photovoltaic plant. CFO Sink released the following statement:

“Florida has been known as the sunshine state because of our beaches, but today we are taking an important step forward in becoming known as the sunshine state because of our commitment to solar and alternative energy. I commend Florida Power & Light for opening the nation’s largest solar photovoltaic plant here in Southwest Florida, and welcome President Obama to our state to see firsthand how we are working to diversify and modernize Florida’s economy.

“I am also extremely excited that Floridians will benefit from a $200 million grant to modernize our energy grid, one of the largest smart grid grants in the country. As Floridians, we are ready to harness our creativity and entrepreneurial energy to make our state a national leader in the development of a 21st century economy.”

South Georgia has just as much sunshine as north Florida. And you can build solar equipment anywhere. For example in a county with I-75 running through it and I-10 nearby. Maybe if Atlanta won’t lead, Valdosta should.

Solar and Georgia Electric Member Corporations

Connect the panels John Oxford writes in the Moultrie Observer about Green energy at Expo:
Although no solar panels have been installed in Colquitt County yet, Park said they and other green power sources are gaining popularity in Georgia. Solar panels have been installed by EMCs across the state , and EMC is looking to more ways to make use of otherwise wasted materials.
Well, maybe not in Colquitt County, but Colquitt EMC has a grid tie to a solar installation in Lowndes County.

PS: The Moultrie Observer has the most annoying online ad on that page that I’ve run into in a long time.

Valdosta Candidates at LCDP, 5 October 2009

All local candidates were invited to speak at the Lowndes County Democratic Party meeting on 5 October 2009. Here are videos of the ones who appeared:

Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE). More are still uploading. All the local candidate videos that LAKE took on 5 Oct 2009 are now in the playlist, as of 10PM 25 Oct 2009.

Videos taken at the 15 Sep 2009 political forum are already online.

RSVP Today for Federal Grants Workshop in Savannah, Oct 26th

Federal Grants Workshop Flyer, Savannah, 2009 Both Georgia Senators are holding a workshop in Savannah Monday October 26th about federal grants. To attend, you must register today, October 22nd. I called Isakson’s office, and the woman who answered the phone said they hold one of these a year. Last year it was in Atlanta, next year she thinks probably Macon. So this year this is the only one.

Hm, I wonder how much of this is stimulus money that these two senators voted against?

Anyway, here’s the text of the press release of 7 October:

Isakson, Chambliss to Host Federal Grants Workshop on October 26 in Savannah

Continue reading →

Hahira Discovers Planning Overlays

Hahira just put a three week moratorium on development from its only stoplight west along U.S. 122 to Interstate 75: Hahira Gateway LLC land in Hahira
The new development regulations were proposed in light of plans for the Gateway to Hahira project, which include a Harveys Supermarket. While the developer for the project has promised that its design will match the integrity of the small town, downtown atmosphere, there are no regulatory provisions in place to ensure this.

“During a previous work session, council members learned that there could be design overlay guidelines adopted along that corridor,” Sumner said. “Therefore, regulations are being developed and will go to the planning commission before they are presented to the council for consideration. This moratorium (or hold) just ensures that we have time to adopt the guidelines at the November meeting before anything is done along the gateway corridor.”

Or they could just trust the developers of a project bigger than downtown Hahira that it will preserve the Mayberry character of Hahira. The Lowndes County Real Estate database shows that Hahira Gateway LLC owns much more land north of 122 than it does in the angle south of 122.

As the developers say, Continue reading →

Rally for president Obama, 17 Oct 2009

Gretchen Quarterman and George Rhynes More than fifty people listened in a cold wind Saturday to a dozen speakers on the courthouse steps saying “I support president Obama”. Speakers included Gretchen Quarterman (MC), Tony Daniels, Marcus Rhone, Ruth Council, Mrs. Annie Fisher (on the Valdosta School Board), Gladys Lee (from Brooks County), Betty Marini (from Lanier County), Jim Parker, RJ Hadley (from Rockdale County, running for U.S. Senate against Johnny Isakson), Freeman Rivers, Lee Touchton, Gale Eger, John S. Quarterman, and others whose names I didn’t get.

In this example, Gladys Lee asks us all to think for ourselves: Continue reading →

Price of Doing Nothing Could Be High

I’m not sure this is what the Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce wanted to hear, but it’s something that could benefit all of us:
Bruce Bailey, energy conservation advisor for Colquitt EMC, said, “Conserving energy and making things more energy efficient is much more cost effective than having to build a new power plant to supply more power, so we are recommending that as a leading public policy. If our future does include more and more conversions to renewable energy sources, it’s going to be very important that we don’t short-circuit our economy in the short term.”

Bailey said it’s important that any policies implemented utilize proven and effective technologies, and he warned that the price for doing nothing could be high.

Story by Matt Flumerfelt in the VDT, 15 Oct 2009.

Nature Makes Healthy

Wide base Something to consider when planning development:
The closer you live to nature, the healthier you’re likely to be.

For instance, people who live within 1 kilometer (.6 miles) of a park or wooded area experience less anxiety and depression, Dutch researchers report.

The findings put concrete numbers on a concept that many health experts had assumed to be true.

“It’s nice to see that it shows that, that the closer humans are to the natural environment, that seems to have a healthy influence,” said Dr. David Rakel, director of integrative medicine and assistant professor of family medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.

That’s Amanda Gardner, writing in USA Today. A few other points:
Children and poor people suffered disproportionately from lack of green acres, the researchers found.
And what affects the most vulnerable affects all:
More green space may also be a way for whole communities to become healthier.
The cypress pictured is much like those in the swamp on Val Del Road that the county let a developer cut down last year.