Mountain Views News          Saturday, April 23, 2011

7

Celebrate & Appreciate The Earth

 Mountain Views News Saturday, April 23, 2011 

LOS ANGELES & 
SAN GABRIEL 

WATERSHED 

COUNCIL’S 15TH

ANNIVERSARY

 What do Heal the Bay Founder Dorothy 
Green, Southern California Public Radio, 
Supervisor Zev Yaroslovsky, Temple City 
Councilman Carl Blum, Monrovia Mayor 
Mary Ann Lutz all have in common? The 
answer: they’ve all worked to end Southern 
California’s dependence on imported 
sources of water.

 On July 14, to celebrate the 15th Anniversary 
of the Los Angeles & San Gabriel 
Rivers Watershed Council, five awards will 
be presented to those who have worked to 
ensure an environmentally-friendly future 
for Southern California. The Watershed 
Council will also make a major announcement 
at the event, marking a positive strategic 
move forward for the organization. 
Policy makers, environmentalist and citizens 
concerned with sustainability won’t 
want to miss this fun event that will feature 
great food, special guests, music, unique 
auction items and more.

 The celebration will raise critical funds 
to support the Watershed Council’s work 
in the areas of water quality, monitoring, 
and supply; access to open space; applied 
research and analysis, and community organizing 
around creeks in disadvantaged 
communities. Some of the organization’s 
projects over the past five years include:

• The completion of a 10 investigation 
on the effects of capturing stormwater 
through the “Water Augmentation Study”. 

• A partnership of 14 government 
agencies and non-profits to create one of 
the first and most comprehensive “green 
streets” in Los Angeles at Elmer Avenue 
in Sun Valley. By incorporating the latest 
in innovative water saving techniques and 
water saving elements, Elmer Avenue is 
able to capture enough water to supply 32 
Southern California households, which is 
more than used by the 24 houses on the 
block! 

• Working with the community of 
Compton to develop the Compton Creek 
Watershed Management Plan. 

• Training over 500 professionals 
through the Sustainable Landscape Seminars, 
learning how they can be good stewards 
of the land. 

• Providing a forum for discussion 
and greater understanding of issues related 
to the intersection of land use planning 
and watershed management through 
a quarterly symposium series.Past forums 
have focused on Station Fire Recovery, 
Health of the San Gabriel River, Naturalizing 
our Rivers, High Speed Rail and the 
LA River, and many more. 

 The Los Angeles & San Gabriel Rivers 
Watershed Council has become the center 
for practical watershed education, research 
and analysis in Southern California, focusing 
on the watersheds of the Los Angeles 
Basin. The Watershed Council is uniquely 
situated at the intersection of research and 
policy to drive applied research to improve 
policy and practice.

Tickets are only $50 and can be purchased 
by visiting the Watershed Council’s website 
at www.lasgrwc.org or by calling (213) 
229-9945. Tickets are tax-deducible to the 
amount allowed under the law. Sponsor 
opportunities are available.


“STOP, HEY, WHAT’S 
THAT SOUND?”

 “There’s something happening here. What 
it is ain’t exactly clear”....

by Kim Clymer-Kelley

It was a rainy, soggy Sunday afternoon 
when I got a call from a good friend of 
mine inviting me to attend a meeting 
of group she had found that she though 
might interest me. I really did not relish 
driving into the L.A., especially on such a 
miserable day. “I HATE the city!” I whined. 
“Come on, I think you will really like it,” 
she said, hoping to persuade me to give 
up my cozy dry table at Beantown where 
I planned to spend the day working. I reluctantly 
agreed, packed up my stuff, and 
headed home to put on some waterproof 
boots and a raincoat and meet her for our 
ride into the city.

The meeting was being held near “Not a 
Cornfield”, a living sculpture in the form 
of a field of corn in an industrial part of 
the city right outside of China Town. The 
facilitiy in which the group was meeting 
belongs to Farmlab, a group of artists who 
have created, according to their website “a 
short-term multi-disciplinary investigation 
of land use issues that are related to 
sustainability, livability, and health.” 

When we left Pasadena, the weather was 
still holding out however, by the time we 
arrived at the site, we were in the middle 
of a full-fledged downpour. We wound our 
way through some narrow streets through 
a collection of old warehouses eventually 
coming upon a few of the members 
standing on a street corner directing other 
members to parking. We parked along a 
side street and walked across the street and 
tromped through the puddles along the 
edge of the overpass that ran between two 
of the buildings. Stored under the overpass 
was a fascinating array of oddities, huge 
bladders marked “potable water”, a row of 
banana trees in wooden planters, tables, 
chairs and cabinets, sculptures and painted 
walls, and vehicles in various stages 
of repair...one served as a planter with all 
kinds of flowers and vegetable growing out 
of the trunk, the roof , the hood, and the 
windows. Under the far end of the overpass 
was a small group of 10-15 cold, wet 
people...a group that calls themselves”The 
Backwards Beekeepers”. One of their leaders 
was unlocking a door to the warehouse 
to let them in out of the rain. We all entered 
the building. It was filled with a lovely collection 
of 50's and 60's vintage furniture. A 
large circle of assorted chairs in the center 
was an obvious indication that the building 
was, upon occasion, used for meetings. 
We seated ourselves and one member 
passed out some homemade cookies he 
had brought as we chatted and waited the 
10 minutes we had until the 11 am meeting 
was to begin. In that time the group 
grew and grew as one by one other member 
filtered in. By the time the meeting got 
underway, there was a crowd of about 60 
people. 

A man, who was apparently their leader 
casually called the meeting to order. He 
started by introducing himself as Kirk, the 
founder of the group and a master Backwards 
Beekeeper. The group continued to 
grow as the meeting proceeded. To begin 
the meeting, they went around the room 
and introduced all of the mentors of the 
club. These are the people who helped 
“newbees” to learn the ins and outs of urban 
beekeeping. They fielded questions in 
the next part of the meeting on how to capture 
a swarm, how to build a hive, how to 
know if you have a queen in your hive, how 
to remove a hive from inside a wall and 
why their bees deserted their hive.

As the meeting progressed, the group continued 
to grow to about 75 people. I listened 
intently to the each of the members 
questions, answers, and contributions. It 
was fascinating information and exciting 
to hear that many people so passionate 
about what they are doing. They were 
from all over the LA area...the “Valley”, the 
“Inland Empire”, the “West Side”, Simi Valley, 
and even as far away as Ventura. Aside 
from the beekeeping they all had one other 
thing in common, the underlying concern 
of them all was sustainability...and organic 
beekeeping was the one tiny corner of this 
overwhelmingly huge issue that they had 
decided to take on as their main contribution 
to the effort. 

As I sat and listened to the conversation, 
I began to ponder the enormity of what I 
was witnessing.

“There's something happening here...What it 
is ain't exactly clear “.

The words to that era defining Buffalo 
Springfield song that I had grown up with 
started to sound in my head... 

“Think it's time we stop, children, what's that 
sound ? Everybody look what's going down. 

Here in the confines of a warehouse tucked 
along side of a freeway overpass on a dark 
and rainy day was an organization of totally 
dedicated and passionate people...75 
of them....who knew there were 75 urban 
beekeepers in LA?...all quietly supporting 
and tackling the issue of sustainability. And 
here also was the headquarters of another 
group of artists who were promoting and 
advancing urban agriculture. I imagined 
how many other secret enclaves there were 
in the city where such things were going 
on?...how many other organizations were 
quietly meeting in little corners all around 
the country...around the world?...if there 
were 75 people doing something as obscure 
as beekeeping in one city, how many 
people there must be passionately pursuing 
one or more of the thousands of niches that 
form the sustainability movement. I could 
not help but feel that what I was witnessing 
was the undercurrent of a movement that 
has quietly grown into something of great 
power and scale and is about to burst out 
and engulf the entire globe...a movement 
that will cross all age, gender, and cultural 
barriers and will change the way we all live 
and think. The energy in that room at that 
moment...that tiny little corner of the planet... 
was greater than that of the tsunami 
that devastated Japan, and it is growing every 
day. Who could imagine that beekeepers 
might help to change the world?

“Stop, Hey, 
What's That 
Sound?”

In L.A. it's the 
buzzin' of the 
bees!

SMART CHOICES FOR A 
GREENER HOME

 

(NAPSI)—Why settle for celebrating Earth Day once a year? The 
choices you make when building, remodeling or repairing your 
home can help protect your wallet, your home and the planet every 
day of the year.

Here are a few environmentally smart choices for your home:

• Need new flooring? Consider using environmentally sensitive 
building materials for your flooring. Elegant bamboo, forgiving 
cork and practical linoleum floorings are a few eco-friendly 
alternatives.

• Look for the label. When buying new appliances, look for the 
Energy Star label. These energy-efficient products can save you 
money. 

• Improve your view. Energy-efficient windows not only help seal 
in heat that might otherwise be lost; they are easier to clean and 
help freshen a home’s exterior.

• Save water. Put a rain barrel in your garden. Collecting rain 
means you can water the garden without adding to your water 
bill.

• Start at the top. Opt for roofing materials and products that are 
eco friendly. It makes environmental sense to look for durable, 
high-quality materials that will last and are at least partially made 
from recycled or recyclable materials. Investing in a long-lasting 
roof can be the easiest and least expensive way to be environmentally 
friendly. For example, all of GAF’s laminated shingle products, 
including the popular Timberline shingle, carry a lifetime 
limited warranty that is even transferable to a second owner. That 
means less shingles being torn off and shipped to landfills. The 
shingles are also manufactured using Advanced Protection technology, 
resulting in a lighter but more powerful shingle that uses 
fewer natural resources. 

To really make an impact and potentially reduce a significant 
amount of energy use, use a highly reflective shingle, such as the 
Timberline Cool Series, which reflects sunlight to help reduce attic 
heat buildup and save energy. Further reduce energy use by 
improving attic ventilation. An attic vent allows unwanted heat 
and moisture to escape from your attic—which helps to reduce 
energy costs. 

Vents such as the company’s Cobra attic exhaust reduce the load 
on your AC by moving superheated air out of your attic before it 
builds up and causes damage. To be even more eco friendly and 
further reduce energy costs, opt for MasterFlow Green Machine 
attic and ridge vents. 

For more ideas on green roofing, visit www.GAF.com. 


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GET TICKED OFF – From Head to Toe

MADISON, Wis.— Whenwarmer 
spring temperatures 
beckon kids outdoors, parents 
should remember to check 
them for ticks to avoid Lyme 
disease. 

 Dr. Greg DeMuri, an infectious 
disease specialist at 
American Family Children’s 
Hospital, says Lyme disease 
may cause flu-like symptoms, 
fever, fatigue, rash and joint and 
body aches. Ticks get the Lyme 
bacteria by biting wildlife, such 
as deer, and the bacteria spread 
when the ticks bite human skin. 
This treatable disease can have 
serious long-term effects if it’s 
not detected early in its course.

 DeMuri says Lyme disease is 
quite common in younger people 
who are more likely to be 
outside in the spring and summer 
months.

 “Children are lower to the 
ground, and ticks live in grass 
and low-lying vegetation and 
get on the child’s body,” he says. 
“Parents should look over the 
child’s skin from head to toe 
because ticks can go anywhere. 
It generally takes 24 to 48 
hours for a tick to spread Lyme 
disease.”

 DeMuri, who is also an associate 
professor of pediatrics 
at the University of Wisconsin 
School of Medicine and Public 
Health, says if a tick is found in 
the skin, it should be removed 
immediately, preferably with a 
pair of tweezers.

 “Washing the skin or using 
other remedies such as gasoline, 
alcohol and petroleum jelly 
will not work,” he says. “You 
should use tweezers to grab the 
tick by the head and not leave 
any part of it in the skin. Forcible 
removal is the key.”

But prevention is always preferable. 
DeMuri says children can 
most easily avoid Lyme disease 
by:

*tucking their pants inside 
their socks

* wearing clothing that is not 
loose-fitting 

*using repellents such as 
DEET, which he says is 
non-toxic.

 “There is this public misconception 
that DEET is dangerous,” 
says DeMuri. “I can tell 
you in my 15 years in Wisconsin 
that I have seen well over 
100 cases of Lyme disease and 
serious complications from 
them, and I have not seen a 
single case of toxicity caused by 
DEET. The benefits clearly outweigh 
the risks.”

 DEET is found in a number of 
over-the-counter insect repellents. 
DeMuri also says picaridin 
and permethrin can keep 
ticks away.

 “Both are practically odorless, 
and will last on clothing for a 
number of weeks,” he says. 

Untreated, Lyme can cause 
chronic joint pain and complications 
to the heart and central 
nervous system. However, if 
caught early, the disease can 
be eradicated with the use of 
antibiotics.

 “It’s very unusual to die from 
Lyme disease,” says DeMuri.