It's Ann's birthday today. My younger sister (on the left below) would have been 61 but for 9/11. RIP, Annie.
Note - if you are new to this summary: to access a story, click on the link beginning with 'http://', 'is.gd', or 'bit.ly' (usually). Clicking on a link beginning with '@' will take you to that person's Twitter account; clicking on a link beginning with '#' will take you to a Twitter list containing Tweets about a particular topic. Some items may not have a hot link to a story, which is fine - it may have been just an informational item or a personal message to someone. Or, I may have screwed up and forgotten the link!
Enjoy the rest of 2012, and have a safe and happy start to the New Year!
Books, Films, and Reviews
Via @ShaleGasExpert. Review of Matt Damon's anti-fracking opus, 'Promised Land' http://is.gd/ZKBajQ
MT @MichaelEMann: @nytimes The bugaboo of "Agenda 21". See my @PopSci review of book "by" @glennbeck http://is.gd/GZLhEL
Great review of 'Dam Nation' by Emily Green (@chanceofraincom) in@highcountrynews http://is.gd/VpcKNM
Emily Green Graces 'Dam Nation: How Water Shaped the West & Will Determine Its Future' (@chanceofraincom) http://bit.ly/V5jejE
Bottled Water and Tap/Drinking Water
MT @H2OEthics Nearly 2 gallons of water to make a plastic bottle & only a quarter gallon to fill it. Only Tap Water Delivers via@AWWAACE
MT @PeterGleick As if I didn't have enough reason to dislike Donald Trump pic.twitter.com/cViljxYr
Bottled Water: Trumped By The Donald? http://bit.ly/12QyBRy
California
Via @theburntcity Atmospheric rivers: California's next 'big one' might be megastorm http://is.gd/F62QmG (@eurekaTS) #cawater
RT @PacificCouncil Scientists get glimpse at sea level rise in San Diego http://ow.ly/ggxzZ
RT @sacbee_news Sacto 911: Sierra records second avalanche death http://sacb.ee/TtaxUm
Even the water commutes! RT @LAObserved California Aqueduct running high and very blue. http://is.gd/7vrKOW
RT @latimes New Lake Tahoe plan to allow higher-density development http://lat.ms/W2CTjg
RT @kericadair Siskiyou County judge rules in ranchers' favor in water suit http://bit.ly/WVmp2p #cawater
RT @geographile @Aquafornia: Inland water districts appeal endangered fish ruling http://wp.me/pmKOc-kfJ #California
Canada
MT @SaveLakeWpg Anxious optimism pervades "Beside the Lake" piece in @WinnipegNews. Anatomy of Lake Manitoba floodhttp://shar.es/hwRwY
RT @CANRACCanada A very difficult loss for the environmental community. http://fb.me/WFstC95g
@highcountrynews: A mining rush in Canada’s backcountry threatens Alaska salmon (subs. req.) http://is.gd/Q3pu1C
MT @OkWaterWise Enjoy following us on Twitter? For more posts LIKE #Okanagan WaterWise on Facebook at:http://www.facebook.com/OkWaterWise
Happy Boxing Day to Canadian friends:@rivrchik,@SnowHydro,@CanadianWater,@CdnWaterNetwork,@bchydro,
@OkWaterWise,@cbtinfo,@CWRAED, others
Climate, Climate Change, and Meteorology
MT @MichaelEMann West Antarctic Warming Faster Than Thought (@nytjim). Study builds on '09 @NatureMagazine article:http://is.gd/eKKlSz
@Oregonian Portland to receive 50 inches of rain in 2012 (4th wettest year since 1940) http://ORne.ws/W4N8TJ
RT @nytimesscience West Antarctic Warming Faster Than Thought, Study Finds http://nyti.ms/WJimWW
RT @jfleck Roswell, NM, is under a fire weather watch:http://1.usa.gov/W1XSCJ #nmwx
RT @EI_Climate Kerry expected to elevate climate change as secretary of state: LA Times http://lat.ms/VZPAeh
MT @EI_Climate Rapid Environmental Changes May Have Helped Drive Human Evolution: RedOrbit http://j.mp/U8d6pL
RT @KateGalbraith Texas Bird Count Gives Scientists Alarming Climate Change Clues http://is.gd/mRlVWC
MT @capitalweather Top 5 Washington, DC, weather events of 2012:http://wapo.st/10rN3Rh
RT @ClimateComms New Hawaii senator pledges to tackle climate change http://is.gd/CDD2Pd
RT @BoraZ Climate Model Coverage: Far from Model Journalismhttp://bit.ly/UvGc69 by @KarthikaM at #SciAmBlogs
Conferences and Calls for Papers/Abstracts
Oregon Soil Quality Network Workshop & OR Soil Science Society Meeting, 28 Feb - 1 March http://is.gd/IXRV3L
WEDC Conf: Delivering WASH Svcs in Uncertain Environment,1-5 July,Kenya. Info: http://is.gd/CXRGmx Call PDF: http://is.gd/U03qsD
MT @IdahoDEQ hosts conferences, workshops, trainings during year. See what is planned the next few months http://is.gd/ksmGm4
RT @WASHfunders For more information on World Water Week 2013 (September 1-6, Stockholm, Sweden): http://ow.ly/gmwm0
Conflict, Cooperation, and Water Security
RT @jfleck via @theburntcity - Native rights and the "intractable conflict" that is Klamath: http://bit.ly/RdbnSQ
RT @OregonianEnviro Idaho water lobbying group joins battle against Caldwell over drains http://orne.ws/TFvQBW
Great article by @jfleck:"Is this going to be another Klamath?”http://is.gd/UXQyw2
Droughts, Floods, and Disasters
MT @PeterGleick Very real threat of sea-level rise to USA. Posted a month before Superstorm Sandy hit. http://huff.to/V9O2QV
RT @guardian Woman rescued from floodwaters as Britain braces for more bad weather http://gu.com/p/3cykd/tf
Fighting development in floodplains http://is.gd/pdNezV (@highcountrynews)
RT @IEEESpectrum Sandy & Utilities: Power companies' post-storm performance arguably good--not to minimize problemshttp://bit.ly/WWx8tu
RT @jfleck latest round of US winter weather "put only a slight dent in the Great Drought of 2012" http://bit.ly/YUr3hF
MT @MySAWS Farmers Fight Texas Environmental Agency (@TCEQNews) http://ow.ly/gpb75 via @HispanicBizMag
Education
RT @ASCETweets Students Learn Water Resources Engineering at ASCE Workshop http://ow.ly/ggaI7
MT @USGSwaterCA Want to teach children Earth,water science? USGS Kids site has coloring pages,puzzlers,projects,more!http://go.usa.gov/g699
Groundwater
MT @CaptDocMike Early Neolithic Water Wells-four wooden water wells found in Leipzig region http://bit.ly/UUzbZF via @pinterest
MT @portlandwater What resource below your feet serves as PDX’s secondary source of DW? groundwater101 begins 1/26.http://tinyurl.com/bm9fo99
RT @zenrainman This well is your well, this well is my well..http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzI326x3rgk … … #water#groundwater
Hydrofracking, Shale Gas, and Energy
Infographic: The Kyoto Protocol - Has It Worked?http://bit.ly/WLS4mI
Via @Frack_Off US 2nd biggest fracking company Chesapeake faces cash crunch http://is.gd/ofdnEM
@Telegraph: US to overtake Saudi Arabia in oil as China's water runs dry. http://is.gd/HFc5h3 (Via @wateraus)
Journals, Reports, and Publications
Check out latest issue of open-access journal: Water 4 (4) - December 2012 http://bit.ly/UYYiea
RT @Waterkeeper Magazine-Now Available in a new format & viewable on all mobile devices. Please check it out!http://tinyurl.com/chjbhne
People
RT @NedBreslin Where is the next generation of innovators? Interesting infographic http://tinyurl.com/bq384js
Season's Greetings from WaterWired! http://bit.ly/YHKwSt
Neville Isdell Opines on @CocaCola, Water, and Other Issueshttp://bit.ly/UYwxCq
@DrJohnsonMD @EI_Climate Don't think physics is Kerry's forte, but hot air does rise.
Christmas cheer: 'rewarded' with marionberry tart for getting neighbor's paper during inclement (i.e., daily) weather. Lunch!
RT @latimes EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to step downhttp://lati.ms/gnVU7
RT @grist New Hawaii senator says climate change is urgenthttp://bit.ly/Tv4ScW
@alexbreitler @KQEDnews @laliferis: Rebecca Tarbotton, head of Rainforest Action Network, dies on Mexican vacationhttp://ow.ly/gpIQm
Policy, Planning, Economics, and Management
RT @UN_Women How women & girls are faring: Charting progress on Millennium Development Goals. http://is.gd/jnN0WV (via@jonhutson)
RT @TheEarthScience Utility's water plans worry some Etna (Ohio) residents http://sns.mx/ybk9y9
Positions Open
Position Open: Oxfam - Emergency Sanitation Researcher (Oxford, UK). Closes: 5 Jan See http://wedc.lboro.ac.uk/
Position Open: NM Env Dept - Geoscientist - Supervisor, GW Quality Bureau (Santa Fe) Closes: 10 Jan http://is.gd/avi8Bo
Position Open: @EPAgov - Environmental Protection Specialist (DC) Closes: 4 Jan http://is.gd/AChSrR
Position Open: U of Kurdistan - Lecturer, Nat. Resources Engineering & Management. Closes: 30 Dec http://is.gd/Ahoy2C
Position Open: USDA-ARS - Interdisciplinary: Research Soil Scientist/Research Microbiologist (AZ) Closes: 25 Janhttp://is.gd/qW9dSY
Position Open: Wasco County (OR) Soil & Water CD - Watershed Council Coordinator. Closes: 11 Jan http://is.gd/Ms6ADV
Position Open: @EPAgov - Director, Office of Ecosystems,Tribal & Public Affairs (Seattle) Closes: 24 Jan http://is.gd/WDybrE
Position Open: @CdnWaterNetwork - Expressions of Interest for Scientific Director. Closes: 18 Jan http://is.gd/IhTTA7
Position Open: UNC-Chapel Hill - TT Asst. Prof, SW/GW Interactions. OUF; app review: 20 Dec. http://is.gd/zzEWnG
Position Open: @ORISEconnect @EPAgov - Post-Graduate Internship, Healthy Watersheds Project. Renewable,up to 3 yearshttp://is.gd/u4DSEM
Position Open: U of NM - Open-rank TT Professor, Environmental & Water Reso. Engineering. OUF; app review 2 Jan.http://is.gd/VIHYwG
Position Open: WildEarth Guardians - Wild Rivers Program Director (Santa Fe, NM) Closes: 15 Jan http://is.gd/XknV4B #Jobs
Position Open: Stockholm Environment Institute - Sr. Research Fellow, Land & Water Reso. for Sus. Dev. (Bangkok). OUFhttp://is.gd/wgUlk2
Position Open: @USGS - Regional Director, Pacific Region (Sacramento, CA). Closes: 24 Jan. http://is.gd/ozpqI0
Position Open: USDA-NRCS - Asst. State Conservationist (Raleigh, NC). Closes: 24 Dec. http://is.gd/0FEn0M
Positions Open: U. of Aberdeen - 2 F-T faculty positions in hydrology/water science. Closes: 25 Jan http://is.gd/taBX0L
Position Open: Tualatin Riverkeepers (OR) - F-T Environmental Education Coordinator. Closes: 7 Jan http://conta.cc/VRwInC @OregonTrees
Position Open: AfricaRice - Postmaster -Gender in Rice Research for Development (Benin). Closes: 2 Jan. http://dlvr.it/2ct7QX (Via@CGIAR)
Position Open: State of WA - Municipal Stormwater Permit Mgr (Lacey, WA). OUF; app review begins 10 Jan. http://is.gd/xAGois
Position Open: LSU - PhD assistantship in extreme value analysis in hydrometeorology. Contact Jun Xu (yjxu @ lsu (dot) edu)
Positions Open: AZ State University - Bisgrove Postdoctoral Scholars Program. Apps due: 18 January http://is.gd/6rVt52
Positions Open: Various - scroll down to 'Job Opportunities' Many new! http://is.gd/o3ZxvJ
Position Open: Central Connecticut State U. - TT Asst. Professor, Hydrogeology. Closes: 5 Jan http://is.gd/O4ylOv
Position Open: Greenbelt Land Trust (Corvallis, OR) - Willamette Restoration Coordinator. Closes: 31 Dec http://is.gd/S4wv96
Positions Open: ETH Zurich - Postdocs - hydrology, (bio)geochemistry, geomorphology. OUF. Info: sarah.hertli @ env (dot) ethz (dot) ch
Position Open: Inter-Fluve, Inc. - Engineer or Geomorphologist (Madison, WI). OUF. http://is.gd/OQYaki
Position Open: UT-Knoxville - TT Asst. Professor, Water Resources (Engineering). OUF; app review: 2 Jan 2013. http://is.gd/EcqjJp
Position Open: U of Idaho - TT Asst. Professor,Area Extension Educator-Water Quality (Coeur d'Alene). Closes: 1 Janhttp://is.gd/QG7aVP
Positions Open (4): U of WA - 4 TT profs in FW sciences. Info: jebaker @ uw . edu; dennisl @ uw . edu App review: 4 Janhttp://is.gd/BZMHe5
Positions Open: Sprigg Geobiology Centre (U Adelaide) - three geobiology positions Close: 15 Jan http://is.gd/rEzJsq
Positions Open (3): Ohio State - 3, 2-year postdocs to study regime shifts in Logone floodplain,Cameroon. Apps: 31 Dechttp://is.gd/aMsN6G
Position Open: UTEP - TT Assistant Professor in Earth System Science. OUF; apply by 10 Jan http://is.gd/6doH41 (free login req'd.)
Position Open: @environmentca (Burlington, ONT) - Postdoc - Impacts of shale gas on GW. Contact: jim.roy @ ec (dot) gc (dot) ca
Position Open: Penn State - Faculty Position in Cyber-Enabled Geosciences. OUF; App review: 3 Jan. http://is.gd/TQIf2Y
Position Open: @IUCN - Secretary General, Ramsar Convention (Switzerland). Closes: 15 Jan http://is.gd/GXMRGP
Positions Open: Various - scroll down to 'Job Opportunities'http://is.gd/IxOJdN
Position Open: U. Bremen - Associate Scientist, Ocean & Society. Contact Prof. Dr. Dierk Hebbeln, dhebbeln @ uni-bremen (dot) de
Positions Open (3): MI State U - Faculty: hydrologic sciences; geomicrobiology; & endowed chair. OUF; review: mid-Dec.http://is.gd/C4yth5
Position Open: Montana State Univ - TT Assistant Professor of Watershed Hydrology. OUF; app review: 9 Jan 2013http://is.gd/ZKEAEC
Position Open: Colorado State Univ - TT Assistant Professor in Watershed Science. Apps due: 15 January 2013.http://is.gd/ST9OP9
Position Open: World Water Council - Executive Director (Marseille, FR) http://is.gd/8hVxqf
Position Open: Inter-Fluve, Inc. - River Restoration Engineer/Geomorphologist (Madison, WI). OUF. http://is.gd/OQYaki (tnx @drjerque)
Positions Open - Various - scroll down to 'Job Opportunities'http://is.gd/gO4HXh
Position Open: Utah State University - Aquatic Ecologist/Project Manager. OUF; review begins 7 Dec. http://is.gd/6D1LCg
Positions Open: Various - Scroll down to opportunities'http://is.gd/wmJAKf
Position Open: @NOAA - Director, Climate Program Office (Silver Spring, MD). IPA sssignment. Closes: 28 Dec. http://is.gd/LTm1Nb
Position Open: College of Charleston (SC) - TT Asst. Professor, Water Systems Science. Closes: 6 Jan 2013 http://is.gd/7v5LsG
Position Open: Natural Heritage Institute (SF, CA) - Hydrologist/Water Reso. Engr. (Dam Reoperation). Scroll down pagehttp://is.gd/Obkbh8
Positions Open: AZ State University - Interdisciplinary Postdocs (2 yrs) Closes: 31 Dec http://is.gd/bDNIan
Positions Open: Various - scroll down to 'Job Opportunities'http://is.gd/oVVDz7
Position Open: GeoCorps - GIS Specialist - NPS - Conservation & Outdoor Recreation (COR) Division in DC Apply now!http://is.gd/AFNfTQ
Positions Open: Various - scroll down to 'Job Opportunities'http://is.gd/p3xv9t
Positions Open: Western U. & U of Waterloo (Canada) - PhD & Postdocs in GW Hydrology,Biogeochemistry & Microbiology.http://is.gd/WS0URz
Positions Open - Inst. for Global Environ. Strategies (Japan) is hiring a number of positions. Visit: http://is.gd/Xb2sTB
Positions Open: Various - Scroll down to 'Job Opportunities'http://is.gd/KAb4yQ
RT @WorldBank Check out our new World Bank #jobs website, now easier to use: http://bit.ly/S9WEqT
Positions Open: Various - scroll down to 'Job Opportunities'.http://is.gd/nJjnAT
Position Open: OSU - Asst/Assoc Professor,Heavy Isotope Geochemistry. Full consideration: 15 Dec; Close: 15 Janhttp://is.gd/owuxtY
Position Open: Water for Waslala (Nicaragua) - Project Manager. Starts: January 2013 http://is.gd/xEfDgz
Positions Open (3): Public Health Agency of Canada - Postdocs, waterborne diseases. http://is.gd/jsQRJv
Position Open: USEPA - Postdoc, wastewater reuse (Cincinnati, OH). Check to verify closing date before applying. http://is.gd/CiHmNK
Positions Open: Various - scroll down to 'Job Opportunities'http://is.gd/xtLe3o
Position Open: Cornell University - Postdoc, bioenvironmental microsensor development (Fall 2012) http://is.gd/pDp9KX
Previous Weekly Water Summaries (Last Six Months)
TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary, 22 - 28 December 2012http://bit.ly/V8d8yW
TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary, 15 - 21 December 2012http://bit.ly/WCFfer
TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary, 8 - 14 December 2012http://bit.ly/W7IE4F
TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary, 1 - 7 December 2012http://bit.ly/SMQOfz
TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary, 24 - 30 November 2012http://bit.ly/UxJRzR
TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary, 17 - 23 November 2012http://bit.ly/UyUmRn
TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary, 10 - 16 November 2012http://bit.ly/101rx37
TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary, 3 - 9 November 2012http://bit.ly/SK09lK
TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary, 20 - 26 October 2012http://bit.ly/Y4OG3H
TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary, 6 - 12 October 2012http://bit.ly/UQbpCH
TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary, 29 September - 5 October 2012 http://bit.ly/VD5uyq
TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary, 15 - 21 September 2012http://bit.ly/UwfWau #iah2012
TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary, 8 - 14 September 2012http://bit.ly/PfIWjM
TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary, 1 - 7 September 2012http://bit.ly/Os0nML
TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary, 25 - 31 August 2012http://bit.ly/NAAA9q
TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary, 11 - 17 August 2012 http://bit.ly/NJhwBK
TGIF! Weekly Water News Summary, 21 - 27 July 2012
Science, Technology, and Medicine
RT @TheEarthScience Twin Cities forensic geologist digs into mysteries on new cable TV show http://sns.mx/yIk7y1
RT @HuffPostScience Astrobiologists are focusing on new ways to identify life in other worlds http://huff.to/UpbPy4
RT @ScienceNOW End the year right: Check out @ScienceNOW's best-loved stories of 2012! http://scim.ag/12Abdss
RT @highlyanne The gift of creativity in citizen sciencehttp://j.mp/TgDEI2 via @gedankenstuecke - crowd sourcing hypotheses!!
RT @KQEDscience The Big Science Stories Of 2012 In An Interactive Graphic http://is.gd/rbnxgb
Streams, Dams, Lakes, and Ecosystems
Article by @jfleck: Balancing People, Ecosystem http://is.gd/doj6uO
RT @NOAA_GLERL Lake Ontario water levels: compare monthly averages: http://go.usa.gov/gFdG
MT @Earth_News Drilling into Lakes Deep Beneath Antarctic Ice.http://bit.ly/YJnOJA @geologydotcom
Twitter, E-Newsletters, and E-Newspapers
MT @H2OTrust Drinking #Water SVDs Daily ▸ via @CulliganMan@WaterWired @SavetheWater @fridgefilters @EPAgov
▸http://paper.li/H2OTrust/1314278134 … …
RT @wateraus The Water EngineeringAus Daily is out!http://paper.li/wateraus ▸ Top stories today via @SMART_facility@watercrunch
MT @H2OTrust Clean Drinking #Water SVDs Daily ▸ via@coast2coastfilm @WaterWired @SavetheWater
@cleanh2oaction http://paper.li/H2OTrust/1314278134 …
RT @medindoagua The Água & Water Daily is out!http://paper.li/medindoagua/agua-water … … ▸ Top stories today via@NoWaterNoLife @VaWaterCenter @WaterWired
RT @QuietWay Water for Kenya is out!http://paper.li/QuietWay/1309639275 … …
@CGIAR-on-Twitter Daily is out! http://paper.li/CGIAR/1323244172 ……
RT @REWNASPG Renewable Energy World NA Daily is out!http://paper.li/REWNASPG/1318349226 … …
RT @wateraus The Water EngineeringAus Daily is out!http://paper.li/wateraus ▸ Top stories today via @kajlofgren@CaptDocMike @WaterWired
MT @H2OTrust Clean Drinking #Water SVDs Daily via @WaterWired@SavetheWater @theEconomist @WomenforWater
@Reutershttp://paper.li/H2OTrust/1314278134 … …
@UN_Water Newsletter 16 - 21 December 2012 http://is.gd/VyjzSa
@iwra_water Newsletter (Volume 25, Issue 4) - December 2012http://is.gd/XTWEkd
MT @H2OTrust Clean Drinking Water SVDs Daily ▸via@ICareAboutWater @bloomvc @SavetheWater
@SaveOurWater@WaterWired ▸ http://paper.li/H2OTrust/1314278134 … …
MT @h2oMatters Read Water Matters Weekly: Stories - @YaleE360@waterdeva1 @Waterwise @waterwired
@h2oTrends @MarGoH2O http://buff.ly/PFzZPj
MT @H2OTrust Clean Drinking Water SVDs Daily via @SavetheWater@SaveourWater @CircleofBlue
@waterwired @UN_water\ http://paper.li/H2OTrust/1314278134 …
MT @H2OTrust Clean Drinking #Water SVDs Daily ▸ @banthebottle@H2Opportunity @PeterGleick @waterwired
@SavetheWater ▸http://paper.li/H2OTrust/1314278134 …
RT @Agriculturenew1 2012 Agriculture & Forestry Year in Review - KATC Lafayette News http://dlvr.it/2jWP0L
WaSH, Development, and Hydrophilanthropy
RT @WASHfunders Recommended Reading: Why Water? Private Sector Engagement & Market-Based Approaches http://ow.ly/gem8t
Naked @NedBreslin has an important message for you!http://ow.ly/ggdl4 @waterforpeople
Surprise! $5000 check from long-time friend to ACJ Foundation! Still time to donate for 2012: http://is.gd/nbZRJK
Water Quality
MT @capitalpress Dredging proposed to ease Willamette River waste plume http://tinyurl.com/ckq6zju
Water Supply, Reuse, Use, and Conservation
MT @EWDolan Southwest USA will have less surface water over next decade, says study http://bit.ly/ThINBO
RT @AlertNet Zimbabwe ill-prepared for rainfall extremes, farmers say http://bit.ly/Up53HT #climate #Zimbabwe
LAT Op-Ed on Western US water: In an arid land, managing our thirst http://is.gd/8v5uu1 @SkollGlobal
From @jfleck: On Water Supply Importation http://is.gd/d58lcT
MT @EI_Water BLM approves Las Vegas water pipeline project.http://nbcnews.to/UcS7Cd
@AvonLakeWater MT @EPAwater blog: "All I Want for Christmas Is…Some Water Saving Tips" by C. Catanese @EPAregion3http://1.usa.gov/SYMiNx
RT @PacificCouncil Options issued for shrinking Colorado River...http://ow.ly/ggwTY #cawater
WTF?
@lockwooddewitt @jfleck Showers+grit = shit. Courtesy of G. Hornberger, NAE member, who cracked me up while an NAS member spoke of 'snirt'
Twas the Night before Christmas' Environmental Impact Statement http://is.gd/lmvULS (@highcountrynews)
"Between boulders big as houses and through slopes of scrambled talus, the little stream meanders down the mountains. It glides over beds of polished rocks and slips past pads of moss. In huddles of wind-twisted trees, it floods the gaps between roots. From other streams it gathers volume until it is too wide for a person to leap across. Each riffle creates a small violence of water, and in curved and hollow places the stilled flow deepens. Mayflies ride across its rippled skin. Among the forests that crowd its shores, owls open the soft fans of their wings and dippers dive from the trees. Ponderosa pines armored in bark that smells like vanilla reach their stiff limbs across the water. Children gather to swing from ropes above pools that darken to jade. Anglers cast flies into eddies, droplets of water flinging from the arcs of their lines in a bright scatter. Retirees with binoculars in hand scan the banks for birds. Adventurers craving jolts of adrenaline pilot tipsy boats through whitewater that lifts in leaping peaks and gnashes in scissoring waves. Denverites on the plains below drink from it and grow their grass with it and flush their toilets with it, and they head to the mountains seeking solace and adventure in its flow. This stream is in their bodies and homes and souls. It is everything, it is life itself. And it is not enough." - Stephen Grace, commenting on a tributary of the South Platte River, from Dam Nation: How Water Shaped the West and Will Determine its Future (thanks to Emily Green in High Country News)
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