Although Hurricane Ike hit 200 miles up the coast from here the "Bob Hall" pier off South Padre Beach was pretty much demolished and alot of debris washed up, but we are very lucky. Unfortunatly those that were in the direct path suffered great damage and my heart goes out to all. It will take alot of clean up and restoration and rebuilding , and some areas that were still trying to recover from previous hurricanes may not be able to be restored.

here are just a few pictures from hurricane Ike

A horse grazes beside a house, surrounded by floodwater, near Winnie, Texas after Hurricane Ike, Sunday, Sept. 14, 2008. Ike was the first major storm to directly hit a major U.S. metro area since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005. (AP Photo/Pool, Smiley N. Pool)



An alligator is seen crossing a road in Sabine Pass, Texas, Sunday, Sept. 14, 2008, as the area recovers from the effects of Hurricane Ike. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)



A house sits among debris, piled up by storm surges after Hurricane Ike made landfall September 14, 2008 in Crystal Beach, Texas. (DAVID J. PHILLIP/AFP/Getty Images)



Oil slicks in floodwater surround a pumpjack September 14, 2008 in High Island, Texas. (Smiley N. Pool/AFP/Getty Images)



Greg Schenck struggles to remove debris from a drain on North Main Street just north of downtown Houston after the passage of Hurricane Ike, Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008. (AP /Houston Chronicle, Smiley N. Pool) <br><br>

There are alot more photos if you want to see the source of these  and more go to  boston.com big picture

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/09/the_short_but_eventful_life_of.html?p1=Well_MostPop_Emailed1

 My prayers are for strength and safety for all who are strugling through the devestating aftermaths of Hurricane Ike.

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Tearing through parks and refuges, the border wall will cause enormous environmental destruction. Normally, local, state, and federal laws would protect endangered species, ensure clean air and water, and allow local communities a say in new federal projects.

 But in 2005, Congress passed the REAL ID Act, which included an unprecedented provision that allows the Secretary of Homeland Security to waive all local, state and federal laws that the secretary deems an impediment to building walls and roads along U.S. borders. Thanks to the REAL ID Act, DHS is now operating above the law, with zero accountability to those on the ground who have been working together for years to protect the diversity of life along the U.S.-Mexico border and to develop sensible solutions to border security. REAL ID Act was passed as part of the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Tsunami Relief.

Secretary Chertoff has used the waiver in all four states along the U.S.-Mexico border to override important environmental laws like the National Environmental Policy Act, the Clean Air Act, and the Endangered Species Act.

In California in 2005, the secretary waived environmental laws to cut away two hilltops, backfill a canyon, and build a three-tiered wall, roads, and stadium-size security lights. The canyon, Smuggler’s Gulch, drains directly into the Tijuana Estuary, which is one of the last salt marshes in southern California and internationally recognized for the breeding and nesting ground it provides to over 350 bird species. Erosion from construction and backfill in the canyon threatens the health of the estuary ecosystem.

In 2007, Secretary Chertoff invoked the waiver to speed up construction of a 35-mile wall along the Barry M. Goldwater Range, adjacent to the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, in Arizona. Many agencies have worked together on the Goldwater Range to bring the Sonoran Pronghorn back from near extinction. The wall, unwanted by local land and wildlife managers, including the U.S. Marine Commander on the Goldwater Range, could completely reverse the achievements of the multi-agency recovery efforts for the pronghorn.

Secretary Chertoff waived important environmental protections to build a 15-foot-high, impermeable steel barrier along the edge of the San Pedro River and a vehicle barrier in the river channel itself--in the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area in Arizona. The San Pedro, the last perennial free-flowing river in the southwest, is home to a great diversity of mammals, reptiles, insects, and plants. Its watershed is one of the most biologically diverse areas in North America.

The waivers in California and Arizona were bad enough, but merely portents of the most recent waivers. In April 2008, the Secretary waived more than thirty laws to complete a suite of border infrastructure projects along more than 450 miles of border in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California.  Simultaneously, the secretary issued a separate waiver to build barriers and roads and make levee improvements in Hidalgo County, Texas.  

 http://arizona.sierraclub.org/border/realid.asp

Current border policy relies on the construction of walls through sensitive lands which are home to a wide range of species. These walls split ecosystems in two and disrupt natural wildlife migration. Walls have been and continue to be constructed along the border in Arizona, California, and Texas. The construction of border walls is in direct conflict with environmental laws such as the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and the Clean Water Act, among others, due to Section 102 of the REAL ID Act.

http://arizona.sierraclub.org/border/index.asp

 Please take a look at the videos and see how this is effecting all of our wildlife ...

wild versus wall

Border Wall = environmental disaster

read other articles I have posted about this:
Border Fence june 8-2007

http://birdbits.bravejournal.com/entry/25292

Breaking the law to Build the wall "a historic travesty" july 14-2007

http://birdbits.bravejournal.com/entry/29946

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Each year thousands of ruby-throated, and other species of hummingbirds swarm into the Corpus Christi bay area. It's their last stop before beginning the 540-mile trip across the Gulf of Mexico to their wintering grounds. And thousands of people usually attend the annual Hummer/Bird Celebration annual Hummer/Bird Celebration in Rockport and Fulton,Texas where the local people of these seaside towns open their private backyards to the public, allowing us all to wittness the amazing sights of so many birds all together, feeding on the sweet nectar of native plant blooms and feeders.

They stay only a short time, resting up and rejuvinating their energies before flying non-stop 500 miles across the Gulf of Mexico to the Yucatan Pennisula in Central America where they spend their winter months. But I was disapointed to find out that the 20th annual Hummer/Bird Celebration was canceled this week due to Hurricane Ike. And I haven't seen near as many hummers as I normally do for this time of year, but I feel very lucky to live right here on migrational path of these tiny jewels and I thought ya'll may enjoy seeing what it is usually like around the hummingbird migational season along the coast.
I recorded the following videos of myself with the hummers in 2006:


South Texas Hummingbirds youtube



And there is more of the same kind of hummer action in this video

more hummers
..




And here is an older post of mine that tells more about the hummers in my area

And this was in an email I recieved from a friend that some of you may have already seen because it has been out on the internet for awhile but I thought you may enjoy it anyway:

Subject: Hummingbirds Absolutely amazing!

This lady lives in a Hummingbird fly zone. As they migrated, about 20 of them were in her yard. She took the little red dish, filled it with sugar water and this is the result.

The Woman is Abigail Alfano of Pine, Louisiana - she has been studying them daily and one morning put the cup from the feeder, with water in it, in her hand; as they had gotten used to her standing by the feeder they came over to her hand. She says in touching they are as light as a feather. Abigail also said, 'if she had known her husband was taking pictures she would have put on makeup.

WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD! And THANKS to my wonderful friends that have kept me posted, I have seen and heard how well they are doing from other places all around the world! A GREAT BIG THANKYOU to all of you!!! Keep them cameras rolling and enjoying our wildlife and natures!





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Bush gutting the Endangered Species Act

I think the recent changes that have been made to the Endangered Species Act are just insane! To even consider removing protection of our rarest species of wildlife and natures at a time when they are already so threatened is really distressing to me because I witness first hand how hard it is for birds and wildlife to adapt and survive in todays world, with so many human obstacles and environmental changes taking place. In the past few years I have seen a decrease in the numbers of migratory birds that route their journies through here and I am affraid that President Bush's actions will eventually result in even lower counts of birds and other wildlifes due to displacement or total loss of some species.

The Endangered Species Act had been effectivly working for decades , until President Bush came along. While he has been in office, the administration has granted only 57 species endangered status. That's fewer than in any other administration in history -- and far fewer than were listed during the administrations of Reagan (253), Clinton (521) or Bush I (234). Many of our waterways , forests, and other natural heritages have been preserved and are protected as a result of provisions in the Endangered Species Act. So we will be losing much more than a few species of plants and wildlifes, by effecting the earths delicate balance that allows it to heal itself we may lose entire eco systems.

I have sent  letters to the Dept. of Interior, urging them to abandon this misguided plan.

Please sighn the petition and voice your oppinion:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/719997243

Learn more about the purpose of the Endangered Species Act from the link and  video below :

http://www.fws.gov/endangered/factsheets/Why_Save_End_Species_July_2005.pdf

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 There has been so much going on around here that I can't even think of where to begin ... but Babies have been popping up all over and not just critter ones either... we have added a new baby to our family! He is our first grandchild , a sweet lil angel and perfect in every way !

 Making this world a better place for future generations seems more urgent than ever as I hold this tiny innocent life in my arms, and I wonder what this world will be like when he grows up. I will share my love of our earth and all of it's wonderous forms of living beings with him , and try to teach him how to care for and protect it. ()  ...  But if we want to leave any kind of earth (worth living on) for our grandchildren or thier children, then more humans will have to change the way we are treating our earth.

 The recent hurricane Dolly that just hit our area is a fresh reminder of how the earth is fighting back. I know hurricanes aren't new but scientists say that their patterns of frequentness and severity are increasing due to the effects of global warming that we humans have been inflicting on our planet.

 Hurricane Dolly left alot of damage when it made landfall on South Padre Island. Our home is located about 40 miles from there and even though it had began to weaken as it passed over it still seemed to shake the whole town with it's strong winds as it rumbled through. Giant raindrops were being slung in every dirrection. I watched the rain hurl around in circles like twisters all around a car that was parked in the driveway, and up and down the road. The winds and rains blew like that off and on for two days. The Bush administration declared 15 Texan counties as disaster areas, ours being included. And the state health department is warning people of stinging fire ants, snakes, and tarantulas in the flood waters.  Here is a news story on Hurricane Polly. 

 below are some photos I shot:

 Just before the Hurricane...

Geese in wind

car in the rain

flooded field

flooded street at one end of our block

flooded street at other end of our block

 And I have noticed alot of displaced insects and reptiles, (frogs, snakes, lizzards, spiders, ants, and bees), around here too but so far I am lucky to say that there are no major damages around the habitat, and I ventured a couple of blocks over to the wild Parakeets' nest ( of 100+) , and they seemed to be ok... well,  aside from maybe being a little shook up and disgruntled , and hey , I would be too if I had just been through a storm like that blowing around in 50 mph winds while hanging 30 feet up in the air, with only mere twigs to rely on for protection !

 Seems they really have built the "Ultimate Birds Nest". They build and add on to this nest daily, re-desighning it constantly. Here is a pile of bird-nesting materials they have discarded along their way.

Peeking out at me from one of the nests' entrances...

I will try to get some new videos posted soon. I have uploaded this one below of new flycatcher babies that have been hanging out in the foilage over the habitat, if you would like to check it out . 

.

 The wild berry vine has draped itself over some young poplar trees next to the huischi and created a little wooded hide-away under the shade of the blueberry canopy, and some parent birds, (Flycatchers, Mockingbirds, Orioles, and Great Kissgades) have been leading their youngins to this spot and dropping them off, leaving them alone to explore the vegetations in saftey.

 The babies listen for mom to arrive with berries or insects ... and then they greet her with open beaks. The parents make repeated trips to and fro checking on their safty through out the day. And when evening comes mom leads them back home to roost for the night. It's sort of like a "mini-daycare center" for the birds! ( ) ...    see photos below:

Mom feeding baby flycatchers

Great kissgade

 Baby Orioles hanging in the Huischi tree

Happy and Safe Nature Journies to you all !

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I learned how poisonous the puss caterpiller can be last year when I had a painful encounter with one and I vowed never to come in contact with one of them guys again, But unfortunately a couple weeks agoI accidentily ran across one and I got stung ... again!.

 It was just after dark and I was walking along a trail on the side of the house and I don't recall doing it , but I must have brushed up against the Mullberry tree and somehow transfered the Caterpiller to my arm. It felt like I had scraped the skin open on a sharp twig and It kinda stung so I rubbed across it with my hand to make sure a piece of bark or leaf wasn't still there and that's when I realized I had just brushed a puss caterpiller across my arm. I didn't see it because it was too dark , but I felt the furry-ness of it and I knew I had just spread his hollow spines (filled with toxins), across my arm.

 I knew I needed to get those spines out as soon as possible, not only to stop their toxins but to keep from spreading them to other parts of my body. And I knew from my past experience that the best way to do that was with tape, so I removed as many as I could and this wooly booger did pack a punch and it lasted for a whole week just like the last time, but I think since I got them out so soon this time the effects weren't as severe as the last time .

the picture below shows the bite after two days.

a picture of the caterpillar below

And my previous post on this is below:

Puss Caterpiller stings worse than a bee - June 16th, 2007.

 I was doing some summer pruning yesterday and managed to step on a puss caterpiller,(Flannel Moth Larvae). At first it was like a real bad bee sting, and the initial sting seemed to fade soon so I kept on trimming vines and tree branches back... but soon I began to feel a burning sensation running up my leg, the same side that the foot had gotton stung on, and by the time I could gather up the cut branches, the burning sensation had turned into PAIN - paralizing pain all the way up into my stomache.

I took 2 benadryl (allergy relief pills) and pulled out the tiny poisonous spines that were left embedded in my toe ,with a piece of clear tape. Then I put a small amount of moistened tobaco on the toe and left it there to draw out the poison. The pain finally let up about 4 hours later, but still is not completely gone. I heard that the pain can last up to 6 days but I am hoping that won't be the case for me.

If you run across one of these wooly things please be sure not to touch it, although they look cute and furry, their bite really packs a punch! The Puss Caterpiller is one of more than 50 types of caterpillars found in the U. S. that are capable of stinging. Of these, the puss caterpillar is considered to be near the top of the list in terms of the severity of its sting. The larval stage of this insect is a small, wooly, pussycat-appearing caterpillar covered with rows of long spines that look like fine, soft, cuddly hairs. Because they appear to be small, innocuous pieces of fluff, children and adults alike are led to pick them up and play with them, usually with immediate, extremely painful results.

The spines, hidden among the hairs, are hollow, and release a toxin of unknown chemical composition that produces a skin lesion. The lesion usually begins as a halo of reddened skin surrounding the sting site. This is soon followed by the appearance of a number of small cysts that gradually develop into a matrix of blood-filled lesions where the mass of spines punctured the skin. This clinical presentation is characteristic enough, generally, to permit physicians to make a diagnosis of the cause even in the absence of the caterpillar.

 See source and more pictures here .   or paste the following link into your browser:

http://www.bugsinthenews.com/puss_caterpillar_092602.htm

And while you all are out in the great outdoors this summer, be sure to keep a look out for these dangerous guys because I want you all to have safe and happy nature journeys!

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 This is usually the busiest season of the year for me , the gardens awakening with new beginings always fills me with new ideas, and new birds and other critters start popping in too. It's always my most exciting time of year in the habitat, and there is definately alot going on already this year .

 The redwinged blackbirds have offically invaded the habitat now. The males started streaming in a couple weeks ago and the females are starting  to join the males now. I call them an invasion because when they first arrive there are so many that they take over every feeder and water and  their shrill , high-pitched, songs are almost deafening with so many sounding at once it is sort of like a hard rock concert with 5 or 6 hundred singers together. But things will begin to calm down as soon as they start stakeing out thier territories and begin to scatter out more.

 Many other birds have joined into the concert too. The woodpeckers, greenjay,mockingbirds, orioles, painted buntings, cardinals, great kisgadees, doves, titmice,wrens, and warblers     have been popping in and out, and even though they may not sing near as loud or robust as the redwinged blackbirds, to me they are the sweetest melodies in the gardens.

 We have  had a few first time visitors too ! Last week I saw a pair of summer tanagers  bathing in the sprinkler. The female bathed under the sprinkler in the leaves of an oleander plant. And the male bathed a few feet away at the "glass bowl" water. (which is a punch bowl that I turned into a bird water years ago).

 Another new visitor was the dickcissell! I had only seen them in books or pictures and was under the impression they were a fairly large bird so I was very surprised at how small this little guy was. He's a tiny little bird that is very quick and hard to keep up with.

 We have had a few new beginings in the habitat as well! We have oppossums a Jill (female opossum) and three of her little Joeys (baby opossums) living in a wallowed out hole in the corner of the fence. In that corner there is a big old cactus growing that hangs down and covers her little hide-away. The mom usually only comes out at night, but her lil' Joeys don't seem to know that they are nocturnal critters yet. They are at an adventurous stage and every now and then I see one scurry out through the cactus and take a little tour around to investigate all the new wonders to be found there. If they start to journey too far away, mom will summons them back with short chattered grumps.

 We also have caterpillars soon to be butterflies, tadpoles soon too be frogs, dragonfly larvae soon to be dragonflies, and a new juvinile garter snake! It looks just like the adult one that started visiting the pond a year ago so I am thinking maybe the young one's an off-spring.

 The habitat is definately bustling with wildlife and nature activity right now and I guess that's why this is one of my favorite seasons of the year! I hope you are lucky enough to get out in your neck of the woods and experience some of the wonders of nature that are going on all around us now!!!

 Here are a few pictures of some familar sights around here now.

Red-winged Blackbird (male) 

Red-winged Blackbird (females)

Summer Tananger (male) 

Summer Tananger (female)

Dickcissel

Painted Bunting

oppossum

dragonfly larvae

Tadpoles

Caterpiller

Garter Snake

frog eggs

Happy nature journies to you all !!!

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 The habitat has been full of adventure lately, keeping me very busy, but my latest experience  lead me through such a wonderful journey that I wanted to  share it with you alll. One of the wild green Monk parakeets mysteriously appeared at one of the bird feeders a short while back. Unfortunately it was wounded and unable to fly . It  looked like he had a wounded wing, but upon closer examination, I  saw that his wing feathers had been sheared off  and the actual wing was injured as well , so the poor thing wasn't free to fly. I figure it was the result of some humans attempt at taming the wild bird.
 
 Since there is a flock of at least 100( that I have posted about previously), living in the communal nest of a palm tree near here,  I assumed this is where he came from.The good news was that the vet assured me that the wounded guy, (which I nic-named "Mr.P"), would mend, grow his feathers back , and hopefully be able to return to back out into the wild. And  Mr.P  did just that, but it took time and I was very worried for him, knowing that he would be defensless against any predators that he may encounter. A couple of my neighbors who were worried for his saftey also helped keep an eye out for stray cats or dogs in the area. But Mr. P actually got around fairly well and by using his strong hooked bill and claws he could scramble pretty quickly through the branches . When danger came (like the hawk), he hid so well it was as if he just melted into the leaves.

 There was an occasional argument between Mr.P and the critters that tried to pass through there, but wounded or not, he could pretty much hold his own. Like when the squirel got to close and Mr.P gave out a real loud hissing  sound (the oddest noise I ever heard comming from a bird), the squirel got the message and detoured his route to another branch from then on.

 There was a particular area of the tree where  Mr.P hung out and he sat there quietly munching leaves from the branches and discarding left-over twigs down to the ground. Every morning he would climb up to the clearing  and wait for his buddies to drop by.There were three other green monk parakeets just like him that would come to hang out and chat with him . Sometimes it seemed like they were coaxing him to try to fly and go with them by gently nudging him off of his branch, but he would just drop down to a lower branch, unable to take wind with his sore wing yet, and they would eventualy fly on to make thier daily journies around the community, leaving him behind. Some evenings they would stop back by to check in on him before heading off towards the dirrection of their nest a few blocks away.

 Although he was very leery of humans , he wasn't shy around any of the birds in the habitat, and when Mr.P made his way down to the feeders the other birds stayed out of his way, probably because he was the biggest and loudest bird in the habitat at that time, but I would rather think that perhaps the other birds just knew that he was wounded and were being nice to him ... (smile).

 As time went by Mr.Ps' feathers grew out and his wing began to function better. He would make short fluttered hops to nearby branches trying out  out his wing capabilities but not really ever maling it  very far. And I was begining to  get just a little concerned about him  ... until one morning , exactly 33 days after his arrival ,   he finally did take flight !

 When his buddies came that morning they were alot noisier than usual because about 15 to 20 more of the parakeet flock were in my nieghbors tree at the back of the habitat. I could sense that something was going on just by Mr.P's restlessness. He perched up on the open branch and fluttered his wings in every possible direction before shaking them all back into place again, and he did this over and over for several minutes. Then he used his beak to preen and smooth, (what seemed like), each individual feather on his whole body before he made a grand departure with his 3 companions loudly cheering him on and following right behind him.

 Now I don't mean he just flew off, he actually only flew a short distance, but he did fly out of the habitat and into a nieghbors tree where the other parakeets were all hanging out there in the back trees together. Normally  when there's so many together they  just fly right on over the habitat in search of  more prefered food sources. But for some reason, they decided to change thier usual routine that day . It was as if  they had all just stopped by there to lend a little encouraging  support to their buddy, because they stayed there with him, all bouncing noisily, in and out of the tree branches  like a swarm of bees in slow motion , and Mr.P blended right into the swarm of flutters. 

 They danced through the branches  chattering noisily amoungst each other like that for almost two hours . And then all at once they flew off together, all of them, including Mr. P. But I heard one that was steadily squawking as they left and I am almost sure it was Mr.P  saying thank you ... Yep , I am a little bird crazy but I did get to know Mr.P pretty well, and when ya hear the same bird every morning and evening, for over a month... you recognise that sound. And even though there are many parakeets just like him, they each have their own unique vocal sounds, just like us humans do.

 Now when the parakeets fly over in the mornings and evenings I sometimes hear that familar squawk ... yep , I am sure it is Mr. P. and I am just thankful that things turned out alright for the little guy and he is back where he belongs, with his family and friends, free to fly in the wild as he should be.

 And I just hope that people, like the person responsible for Mr. Ps' injuries, realise how unfair and devestating it can be for wild birds or any kind of wild critter to to be taken out of the wild and out of the safety of their natural environment like that.

Here are two videos that I made durring Mr. Ps' visit ...

drinking at one of the waters

Preaning just before his departure

And here are a few pictures I was able to catch of Mr. P ...

 The damaged wing  when he first arrived (below)

unwounded side (below)

healing slowly  (below)

 blending in to the Huisache tree (below)

blending in to the Poplar tree (below)

dangeling in the tree top (below)

sitting in the clearing of the tree preening himself thoroughly (below)

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Çhêrï§hïñg WïlÐlï£ê åñÐ ñ况rê êvêr¥ Ðå¥

It happens alot around the Corpus Christi area and although they are usually minor explosions it is very scary just the same. Oddly enough I heard about the chemical plant explosion in west Texas yesterday from my sister who lives in Nebraska. We have family living in Big Springs but fortunately they are alright and there were no human fatalities in the explosion, but the black poisonous smoke still drifts through the air.

I remember passing by the smelly plant on our way into the town of Big Springs from my little home town of Colorado City that is located just 28 miles away often when I was younger. The huge tanks of rusted metals stood tall on both sides of the interstate with black clouds of smoke out of its stacks.Whenever we passed my sisters and I always held our noses and made silly remarks about the fumes being strong enough to make your eyes water.

Back in those days, before they started setting much more stricter and healthier safety laws, it was true the toxic fumes that poured through that plant were very strong and hazzardous, but it was before we knew just how toxic those fumes really were. Strange how these smelly little plants have been putting up such big stinks all around the globe.

I don't know if they will try to rebuild another one there in Big Springs but if they do it will have to be built by the newer and stricter standards which will make it a safer and healthier one, and although it sounds extreme... maybe the destruction of the refinery will be what it takes to make that happen.

Explosion at Big Springs Alon Refinery has the full story and lots of pictures of the burning plant

There are alot of outdated chemical plants like that that have been running for many years and are in dire need of removal or updating. Infact just last year Corpus Christi hosted (thanks to Citgo) the first criminal trial of a refinery in U.S. history and as a result Citgo is the first refiner to be criminally convicted. Not only were they found guilty of leaking toxic chemicals out into the air by not properly covering their tanks but they falsly reported the levels of the chemicals that were escaping and ... they violated the bird treaty act .

I was outraged about all of this and when I found out that innocent birds were migrating for miles just to end their journey in a pool of oil that was diguised as a refreshing water hole ... well it made me sick to my stomache. Ducks and Pelicans were removed from two large uncovered tanks by the company (Citgo) officials and nothing was done to remedy the situation. I can't understand how any one could knowingly let something like that happen. And all these violations had been going on for years. Of course Citgo made sure they were in complete compliance of every regulation by the time they were actually brought to trial for it.

CITGO owns and operates deep conversion refineries strategically located in Texas, ... some of which are operated by Koch Pipeline Company, which has broken major environmental laws for years in this area. But Corpus Christi is hardly the only place where Koch has been accused of violating environmental standards. In 2000, Koch was fined $35 million -- the largest civil penalty ever imposed on a company under federal environmental law -- for more than 300 oil spills into lakes, streams and waterways from its pipelines and oil facilities in six states. In one case, the Environmental Protection Agency reported, almost 100,000 gallons of oil was spilled in Texas and caused a twelve-mile oil slick on Nueces Bay and Corpus Christi Bay.

This story aired on MTV and Roling Stone magazines' reality show a little over a year ago, in January 2007."The Dark Side of Texas: Pete Maiden Reports on Corpus Christi's Koch Industries "

Here is the press release  Local Connection for Environmental Justice on local issues in Corpus Christi, Texas.  (pdf)

A friend of mine  still living in my little hometown of Colorado City says that the huge old refinery storage tanks that sat up on a hill at the edge of town for as long as I can rememember, have been torn down and they found that the containors had been leaking toxic chemicals into the air as well as absorbing it into the ground, for years. They are finally trying to clean it up but alot of damage has been done. It has compromised the health of the people there and they have the same symptoms as people living here in Corpus Christi and other parts of the world that have been exposed to dangerous chemical spills . Many people have suffered years of health problems from it and the oil companies are trying to dish out big settlements to compensate the people but ... money can't replace the loss of their loved ones or restore their good health nor can it return their better quality of life that was stolen from them.

 And just a couple of months ago I found out my son is living right on the edge of  a landfill disposal site that is leaking poisons into the waterway in Robstown (a small town on the outskirts of Corpus Christi)  which has presented a different kind of problem. My son was unaware of the nearby hazzard when him and his girlfriend  moved in about 4 months ago, but now the city is making plans of how to evacuate the whole community so that the toxic stuff  can be deported out of there. I am very worried for their safety and the safety of my unborn granchild that will be arriving in a few  months.

Texas Environmental profiles   explaines some more about the types of landfill disposals like this one.

You can check out the Pollution in your community, or get a national report on water quality on The Pollution Information site.

And you can find out more on air Pollutions hereNaturual Resources Defense Council (NRDC) Air Pollution  and hereEnvironmental Protection Agency (EPA)  The Plain English Guide to the Clean Air Act ,which provides a brief introduction to the 1990 Clean Air Act. The 1990 Clean Air Act is the most recent version of a law first passed in 1970 to clean up air pollution.

In February 2006, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the results of its national-scale assessment of 1999 air toxics emissions. It includes details of their findings on 177 air pollutants (a subset of the air toxics on the Clean Air Act's list of 187 air toxics plus diesel particulate matter), as well as a a national-scale assessment for the year 1996 of 33 air pollutants (a subset of 32 air toxics on the Clean Air Act's list of 188 air toxics plus diesel particulate matter. 

We must keep working on ways to prevent further poisioning of our earth, our people, our nature, and all of our vital natural resources.

Below are a couple of pictures I took of the Chemical plant in Corpus Christi Texas (owned by Koch Industries)  on Jan.25,2008