Viewer Tip: You can measure the amount of “light pollution” in your community and contribute to a growing data set by participating in GLOBE at Night. From February 12-21, share your observations about how light affects your ability to view the night sky. It’s easy to participate – visit www.globeatnight.org/observe.html to find all the tools and information you need to:

• find your latitude and longitude;
• head outside more than an hour after sunset and find the Orion, Leo or Crux constellation;
• use GLOBE’s magnitude charts to determine the brightness of stars where you live;
• report your observation and compare it to thousands around the world!

Can’t participate this time? There will be two more chances to share your observations this year: March 13-22 and April 11-20.

NASA Image: Earth’s City Lights. Various file types and resolutions are available.

(Marris, E. “In search of dark nights.” Nature News, July 2010; GLOBE at Night, www.globeatnight.org)

Despite their many benefits, the United States loses about 60,000 acres of wetlands each year.  Compared to other coastal states, Florida, Texas, California and Louisiana have lost the most coastal marshland – California alone has lost more than 91 percent of its coastal wetlands and the Chesapeake Bay has lost 50 percent of its coastal marshes. Since the arrival of settlers, 70 percent of tidally influenced wetlands in Puget Sound have been lost. And, only about 40 to 50 percent of the prairie region’s original prairie pothole wetlands remain undrained today.

Viewer Tip: No matter where you live, chances are there’s a wetland nearby. Development that occurs on or nearby wetlands can lead to loss of habitat, changes in water flow, polluted runoff and other impacts. Try these tips to protect your local wetlands:

• Keep lawns and driveways free of pet waste, fertilizers and motor oil. These pollutants can wash into storm drains and eventually reach a wetland.
• Choose native species when planting trees, shrubs and flowers to preserve the ecological balance of local wetlands.
• Use non-toxic products for household cleaning and lawn and garden care. Never spray lawn and garden chemicals outside on a windy day or on a day when it might rain and wash the chemicals into local waterways.
• Many exotic animals are introduced into wetlands by homeowners and hobbyists, where they can harm native wildlife. If you have a home aquarium with exotic saltwater or freshwater fish or raise non-native amphibians or reptiles, do not release them into the wild.
• Volunteer to help monitor local wetlands near you.  Visit water.epa.gov/type/watersheds/monitoring/vol.cfm for more information!

(Sources: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Wetlands”, http://water.epa.gov/type/wetlands/index.cfm; “Volunteer Monitoring”, http://water.epa.gov/type/watersheds/monitoring/vol.cfm; “American Wetlands Month,” www.epa.gov/wetlands/awm/; Izaak Walton League of America, “Wetlands Sight and Sounds Series,” http://www.iwla.org/index.php?id=353; National Biological Information Infrastructure Digital Image Library, http://life.nbii.gov/index.php; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Digital Library System, http://images.fws.gov/)

• Trash your tissues. Don’t flush them—one less flush per day can save nearly 1,300 gallons of water over the course of a year. That’s enough to wash about 32 loads of laundry!
• Lighten your number of loads. Did you know washing clothes is the second largest use of indoor water? Combine small loads to eliminate one load per week, and you’ll save 2,100 gallons of water per year.
• Keep your (water) cool. Fill your water glass with cool water from a pitcher in the fridge. This way the water goes in your glass, not down the drain.

This information is provided by the U.S. EPA’s WaterSense program. Learn more at www.epa.gov/WaterSense/.

Viewer tip: Encourage birds to gather in your yard by offering them a diversity of food options.  Placing feeders near branches and shrubs keeps them safe from predators.  And, consider keeping a log who visits your feeder!  Comparing which birds visit and when, is one way that scientists study winter bird populations and climate change.

For more information about feeding the birds in your neighborhood, check out Audubon’s Bird Feeding Basics website at web4.audubon.org/bird/at_home/bird_feeding/index.html or ask your local birding store for advice.

This information is provided by Great Lakes Aquarium. Learn more at www.glaquarium.org.

Viewer Tip: If just 10 percent of the estimated 65 million garage-owners in the United States cut idling by five minutes per day, we’d save about 84.5 million gallons of gas in a year! Remember that driving your car is the best way to warm it up. Excessive idling can actually damage your car’s engine, but frequently restarting the engine has little impact. Cut-down on idling even more by turning off the engine if you are sitting in a drive-through or school pick-up line for more than 10 seconds – 10 seconds of idling uses more fuel than restarting the engine.

This information is provided by Living Lands and Waters.  Learn more at www.livinglandsandwaters.org.

(Sources: California Energy Commission Consumer Energy Center: Should I Shut off the Motor When I’m Idling my Car? 2006-2011.  http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/myths/idling.html; Rogers, Elizabeth and Thomas M. Kostigen. The Green Book. 2007.)

Viewer Tip: Install a rain gauge on your property in an open area away from trees, buildings and other structures to record the amount of rainfall supplied by nature.  Irrigation should only be used to make up the difference of what is still needed by your plants.

For more information on installing and using a rain gauge, visit: www.uri.edu/ce/healthylandscapes/raingauge.htm.

This message is brought to you by the Water Conservation Garden. Learn more at www.thegarden.org.

Viewer Tip: On Saturday, January 28, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin is providing Tree Talk Winter Walk, a free event celebrating the value of native trees. From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., enjoy an exhibit of historic Texas trees photographed by Ralph Yznaga and hear him talk at noon in the Auditorium. Attend guided walks and talks by Texas tree experts and choose from a selection of hardy potted native trees and shrubs for sale.

For more information about Tree Talk Winter Walk, visit the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Website at www.wildflower.org, or call 512-232-0100.

Viewer Tip: Collect yard debris throughout the winter season and make a compost pile in a bin that is at least one cubic yard in size.  A bin that is full in winter should finish composting by spring, in time for use in planter beds.  Extra debris, such as fallen leaves or cut grass, can be collected and stored in a separate container, to be used in compost piles throughout the year.

This information is brought to you by the Water Conservation Garden. Learn more at www.thegarden.org.

Viewer Tip: Your favorite tree could be the next victim. Buy local firewood and try not to transport firewood more than 10 miles when possible. All of the Great Lakes States have restrictions on moving firewood and you can find information about approved firewood vendors in your region by visiting www.dontmovefirewood.org or your state department of natural resources website.

This information is provided by Great Lakes Aquarium. Learn more at www.glaquarium.org.

Viewer Tip: Clean, healthy rivers are vital to our health, safety and quality of life. Conserving water saves energy and money – and also keeps more water in rivers and streams to support fish, wildlife and recreation. Try these simple tips to save water at home:

• Fix dripping faucets and running toilets. A leaky faucet that drips at a rate of one drop per second can waste up to 2,700 gallons a year.
• Ready for an upgrade? Choose water-efficient faucets, showerheads, toilets and other appliances by looking for EPA’s WaterSense label.
• If you have a yard, consider installing a rain barrel to collect rain from home downspouts that can be used to water plants.

This information is provided by Living Lands and Waters.  Learn more at www.livinglandsandwaters.org.

Viewer Tip: Many cities and states are working to reduce salt use while still keeping streets and sidewalks safe. Using less salt at home will help protect water quality in your neighborhood – and it will save money, too!

• Shovel first. Clear away as much snow and ice as possible before you use a deicer. Only use deicers on ice, not snow.
• Save your salt. Read the label and use salt sparingly. Use about 30 percent less salt by wetting it with some water before applying it to icy patches.
• Protect your plants. Keep salt away from salt-sensitive plants. Learn more about salt damage to plants at www.ces.purdue.edu/extmedia/id/id-412-w.pdf.
• Know your stuff. There are many types of deicers and they perform differently at different temperature ranges. The most common deicer, sodium chloride (“rock salt”), only melts ice to 15 degrees Fahrenheit. Magnesium chloride and calcium chloride cost more, but work in colder temperatures.

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(Sources: Madison Area Municipal Stormwater Partnership, www.myfairlakes.com; TomScheuler. Snow, Road Salt, and the Chesapeake Bay. The Center for Watershed Protection. http://www.cwp.org/; Iowa State University, Centre for Transportation and Research Education. “Prewetting with Salt Brine.” http://www.ctre.iastate.edu/PUBS/semisesq/session1/donahey/index.htm)

Viewer Tip: Find native plants suitable to your region and the conditions of your yard on the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center’s native plant information network at www.wildflower.org/plants.  Also check out the Wildflower Center’s new Drought Resource Center at www.wildflower.org/drought-resource-center. It includes “How To” articles about caring for plants, Mr. Smarty Plants’ answers to submitted questions, a national list of drought-tolerant native plants and more.

This message is provided by the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center . Learn more at www.wildflower.org.

What is radon? Radon is a radioactive gas produced when uranium in soil decays; it can be found all over the United States. Radon gas moves up through the ground into your home through cracks and holes in the foundation, becoming trapped inside. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that about one out of every 15 homes has elevated radon levels. You can’t see, smell or taste radon, but it can be harmful – it is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States.

Viewer Tip: Winter is a great time to test your home for radon. When windows and doors are sealed tightly, radon levels inside your home can rise. Testing is easy, inexpensive and only takes a few minutes. For details, visit www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/citguide.html#howtotest.

If you find high levels of radon in your home, the problem can be fixed! Some radon reduction systems can reduce levels in your home by up to 99 percent.

Additional resources:

• Reducing Radon Levels in Your Home: www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/consguid.html
• State Radon Contacts for local information: www.epa.gov/radon/whereyoulive.html
• Radon-Resistant New Construction for home-buyers: www.epa.gov/radon/rrnc/index.html

(Sources: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. “A Citizen’s Guide to Radon.” www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/citguide.html)

• Heating Help: Keep everyone warm and save energy at the same time by using a programmable thermostat. Homeowners can save up to 180 dollars per year by using a programmable thermostat to automatically reduce heating when it’s not needed as much – such as when you are sleeping or away from home. Learn more about programmable thermostats: www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=find_a_product.showProductGroup&pgw_code=TH
• A Water Efficient H2Oliday: Prepping and cleaning up after a holiday meal can use a lot of water. Save a few gallons by thawing frozen foods in the refrigerator instead of using running tap water. Scrape dirty dishes before you put them in the dishwasher rather than rinsing to save even more. If every American household reduced their water use by 10 gallons on Christmas Day, we would save more than one billion gallons of water! Learn more about saving water at home: www.epa.gov/watersense/index.html
• Septic Smarts: For the 20 percent of Americans who use septic tanks for wastewater treatment, extra guests can overwhelm the system. Remind houseguests not to use drains and toilets as trash cans. And make sure your system is properly maintained to avoid backups and overflows – not only are these costly for homeowners, but they can also contaminate well water and community drinking water supplies. Learn more about septic systems: cfpub.epa.gov/owm/septic/

(Sources: Energy Star Program. “Programmable Thermostats.” http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=find_a_product.showProductGroup&pgw_code=TH;  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. “Winter Tips.” http://www.epa.gov/epahome/hi-winter.htm; Keehner, Denise M., U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Wetlands Oceans and Watersheds. “Holidays can pose challenges for those with septic systems: Easy ways to keep your holidays smelling sweet.”)

Viewer Tip: Apply a two- to three-inch layer of mulch around plants in the fall or winter to keep soil temperatures even and reduce water evaporation.  Organic mulch can also be applied to unplanted raised beds as a top dressing.  A variety of organic and inorganic mulches are available on the market and materials for mulch may be found right in your yard.  Mulch options include shredded tree prunings, bark chips, raked leaves, grass clippings, and rocks or pebbles.

For more information on using mulch in your garden, visit: www.ccwater.com/files/Drought101Mulch.pdf.

This information is provided by the Water Conservation Garden. Learn more at www.thegarden.org.

Viewer Tip: No matter where you are in a watershed, what you do on your property can affect the overall hydrologic system. An easy way to protect water quality at home is to keep rain water on your property by directing downspouts onto a lawn or grassy area, away from driveways and sidewalks.

You can learn more about the watershed you live in, both at a local and regional scale, by contacting your local Department of Natural Resources office or visiting their website.

This information is provided by Living Lands and Waters. Learn more at www.livinglandsandwaters.org.

Viewer Tip: Use these “best burn practices” at home to minimize wood smoke and protect your health:

• Before you burn, make sure your chimney is clean – a clean chimney provides a good draft and reduces the risk of a chimney fire. Have your chimney inspected by a professional at least once per year and regularly clean ashes from your fireplace or wood-burning stove to increase efficiency.
• Only use seasoned wood for burning – seasoned wood looks darker, has cracks in the ends and sounds hollow if smacked against another piece of wood.
• Use newspaper and dry kindling to start a fire. Never use gasoline, kerosene, charcoal starter or propane.
• Build hot fires, which are more safe and efficient than smoldering fires.
• Never burn garbage or cardboard, coated or painted wood, particle board, plywood or wood with glue on it.  Burning these materials can release harmful chemicals into the air inside your home.

If you burn wood at home – even occasionally – install a smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector to keep you and your family safe. If you already have detectors, check the batteries to make sure they are working properly.

(Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Burn Wise: Consumers – Best Burn Practices. http://www.epa.gov/burnwise/bestburn.html)

Viewer Tip: Hold on to the holiday spirit while saving energy and money this season. Look for holiday lights that have earned the Energy Star, which means they meet strict energy efficiency guidelines from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy. Many Energy Star labeled strands use light emitting diodes (LEDs), which are more efficient than their traditional incandescent counterparts:

• Energy-Saving: Energy Star light strands use about 70 percent less energy than conventional incandescent lights. The amount of energy used by just one incandescent bulb could power 140 LEDs – that’s enough lights for two 24-foot strings!
• Long-lived: LED light strands last up to 10 times longer than traditional strands.
• Safer: LED lights stay cool to the touch, which reduces the risk of fire.

Add a timer to your holiday lighting display to save even more energy.  Set lights to turn on at night and off during the day.

Learn more about efficient holiday lighting: www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=find_a_product.showProductGroup&pgw_code=DS

(Source: Energy Star. “Decorative Light Strings.” http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=find_a_product.showProductGroup&pgw_code=DS)

Viewer Tip: To keep trees alive in your neck of the woods, mulch at the base of a tree, avoiding the first few inches around the trunk to prevent rot. A two-inch depth of mulch helps retain moisture and insulates tree roots from weather extremes. Instead of watering the trunk of a tree on your designated watering days, do a deep soaking with  water aimed at the tree’s root line: the point where tree branches end (a tree’s roots also extend that far out).

This information is provided by the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Learn more at www.wildflower.org.

• Pacific Northwest: There are several volcanoes in the Pacific Northwest, including Mount St. Helens, Mount Rainier and Mount Hood. Volcanic eruptions can impact local weather. Eruptions emit particles and gases into the atmosphere, creating a haze. This haze can remain in the air for years, reflecting the sun’s rays and reducing temperatures at the Earth’s surface.

  (Image right: Aerial view of Mount St. Helens. NASA Earth Observatory)

• Western US: The Sierra Nevada Mountains that run north-south through California basically separate the Western United States into a wetter (west) side and a drier (east) side. Storms come off the Pacific Ocean from the west and get lifted up by the Sierra Nevada Mountains – a process called orographic lifting. As these storms rise, they cool and condense, raining a lot of water back onto the ground.

  But, as the storms continue to make their way over the top of the mountains to the east, they don’t dump as much rain because they have already lost a lot of moisture. This causes a rain shadow to form on the east side of the mountain range where there is a low amount of rainfall. The rain shadow from the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Mountains impacts the weather in the Great Basin, which covers most of Nevada and parts of Utah.

  (Image right: Rain shadow formation. Wikimedia Commons)

• Great Lakes: The Great Lakes region is known for its lake effect snow. As cold air passes over the Lakes, warmer lake water below evaporates and heats the bottom layer of cold air.  Warm, moist air rises and cools, causing condensation and cloud formation. If humidity is high enough and temperatures are cold enough, snow falls.  Winds push these clouds over land, where increased friction slows the winds, leading to more snowfall accumulation.  As winds move farther inland and encounter hills, rising air cools even more, creating even more snow!

  (Image right: Lake effect snow over the Great Lakes. NASA Earth Observatory)

• Great Plains: The Great Plains may be known as Tornado Alley, but their topography allows for another weather phenomena – blizzards! The Rocky Mountains to the west are the driving force for blizzards in the Great Plains.  A cold polar air mass that moves off the Rockies pushes southward accompanied by high winds, intense cold and considerable amounts of snow that can last for several days.

  (Image right: Blizzard conditions over the Great Plains. NASA Earth Observatory)

• South Central US: Droughts are periods of unusually dry weather that the South Central United States experiences at times – including right now.  Droughts can bring upon dust storms, which are common in arid and semi-arid regions.  A dust storm occurs when a gust of wind blows loose sand or dust particles off the ground, breaks down the particles and keeps them suspended in the air.  Dust storms can spread over hundreds of miles and well over 10,000 feet into the air.

  (Image right: Dust storm in Phoenix, 2011. NOAA National Weather Service)




• Eastern US: One geographic feature that affects the entire East Coast is the Atlantic Ocean.  The ocean plays a big role in determining the temperatures near the coast.  During  fall and winter when the ocean is warmer than the land, the coastal regions experience warmer temperatures than inland areas.  In the springtime, ocean breezes keep temperatures along the coast cooler than inland areas.

  (Image right: Sea breeze diagram. Wikimedia Commons: Jesús Gómez Fernández)

Learn more about Geography Awareness Week: www.nationalgeographic.com/geography-action/index.html.

(Sources: National Science Teachers Association, “Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Tsunamis”, http://www.enviroliteracy.org/nsfmod/NaturesFury.pdf, “A Rain Shadow”, http://bcs.whfreeman.com/thelifewire/content/chp56/5602001.html, “Warm water helps create Great Lakes snowstorms.” University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. 2008, US Department of State, “The Great Plains and Prairies”, http://countrystudies.us/united-states/geography-17.htm, Kidz World, “Dust Storms”, http://www.kidzworld.com/article/707-dust-storm-on-the-loose, “Cold air damming can bring ice to East.” http://www.usatoday.com/weather/tg/wcolddam/wcolddam.htm, “Warm water helps create Great Lakes snowstorms.” University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. 2008., United States Search and Rescue Task Force, “Predicting Weather”, http://www.ussartf.org/predicting_weather.htm)