Newsletters
November 2013-Plymouth Nuclear Power Plant, Cranberry, Bass
WELCOME TO GREEN FUTURES !
NOVEMBER, 2013
Find joy in everything you chose to do. Every job, relationship, home …it’s your responsibility to love it, or change it.
- Chuck Palahniuk
“Keep your sense of humor, my friend; if you don’t have a sense of humor it just isn’t funny anymore.”
-Wavy Gravy
BREAKING NEWS: MR. BURNS FIRES HOMER ... HOMER FINDS NEW JOB IN PLYMOUTH – Do radioactive cats have 18 half-lives?
Pilgrim I Nuclear Electrical Power Generating Plant is 41 years old and recently has had a number of failures of safety equipment. It has the same reactor design as the ill-fated Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power plant. Pilgrim I is owned by Entergy Corporation which also owns Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant slated for closing in 2014.
Entergy’s Vermont facility is the same age as their Pilgrim plant, both began producing electricity in 1972 and both have had increasingly more serious problems and safety issues over the past few years.
Both power plants have on-site storage of spent fuel rods. Both are near full capacity. Spent fuel rods contain radionuclides such as cesium, tritium, thorium and a bunch of others. Many radionuclides have half-lives measured in thousands of years.
Congratulations to those concerned Vermonters that advocated for the decommissioning of Vermont Yankee. They will soon be able to throw out their potassium iodide pills. They may want to send them to Plymouth.
Since antiquated Vermont Yankee is closing, shouldn’t we be shutting down equally antiquated Pilgrim I too?
Pilgrim I absolutely could suffer a catastrophic melt-down like Fukushima. Human error, terrorism, earthquake, hurricane …and a loss of power could all lead to disaster. A Fukushima-scale accident is always a possibility.
How dumb to think we can safely store radioactive nuclear waste. We’ve only been recording human history for about 5,000 years. What arrogance to think we can safely contain and store nuclear waste for hundreds of thousands of years.
The nuclear waste disposal problem is unsolvable with catastrophic disasters possible wherever nuclear power plants are located or their waste stored.
Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel, a physicist and nuclear energy proponent, made a complete reversal on nuclear power after disasters in Ukraine showered Germany with radiation and after witnessing Japan’s Fukushima debacle. In changing her position Chancellor Merkel said, that the risks of a nuclear accident are too enormous and these accidents cannot be controlled by humans.
There are two emergency planning zones around nuclear power generating plants. There is a plume exposure pathway zone with a 10 mile radius. There is an ingestion pathway zone 50 miles from the plant concerned with food and water contaminated by radioactivity.
We, here on the south coast, in southeastern Massachusetts would find ourselves in peril should Pilgrim I fail. We …and much of neighboring Rhode Island …fall within the 50 mile Zone. There are close to 5,000,000 people living within that 50 mile radius.
Pilgrim I is old, obsolete and dangerous. Like Vermont Yankee, it should be shut down …now!
For more on Pilgrim’s problems go here: Pilgrim Watch - http://www.pilgrimwatch.org/security.html
For Cape Cod concerns, click here: Cape Downwinders - http://www.capedownwinders.org/
“They’re protected against nuclear accidents …unless an accident actually happens.”
- David Lochbaum, Union of Concerned Scientists
Here’s one of the almost daily articles on the Fukushima Daiichi catastrophe.
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201310250089
And, here’s what we had to say when Fukushima first made the news and Japanese officials covered up the magnitude of the Fukushima melt-down. http://www.greenfutures.org/?content=db9rkW4jwhkSiSBM
“In essence, a nuclear reactor is just a very sophisticated and dangerous way to boil water …analogous to cutting a pound of butter with a chain saw.”
-Dr. Helen Caldicott
OCTOBER’S EXPLORING THE SOUTHEASTERN MASSACHUSETTS BIORSERVE WALK – Leaf peeping.
Our October Exploring the Southeastern Massachusetts Bioreserve Walk occurred October 19 during peak color time for fall foliage in our neck of the woods. Brilliant leaf color depends on the health of the tree, the amount of summertime moisture and other weather conditions of the preceding months before leaf fall.
Late summer and early fall were very dry and although there were splashes of color, here and there, broad swaths of color were hard to find.
We did find acres of yellow beech leaves and some vibrant red maple leaves along our walk. We spotted a nice grove of aspen trees in the Copicut meadow adjacent to the reservoir, but the leaves had not turned yet.
The tupelo, usually early with their scarlet leaves, were rather subdued this year. A large group of sumac …not the poisonous species …was bright red at the west side of the Copicut meadow. We also noticed red leaved blueberries and orangey-yellow sassafras.
We had perfect walking weather and enjoyed some great views across Copicut Reservoir and from the top of Copicut Hill.
November’s Exploring the Southeastern Massachusetts Walk will be November 9, Saturday. Watch for an “Activity Alert” email the first week in November.
Here are some walk photos:
A red maple leaf that had already fallen to the ground.
Liz takes a photo of a red maple.
Walking up from shore after viewing colorful trees along Copicut’s eastern shore.
We noticed walking along with us …or crossing the road ahead of us …a number of wooly bear caterpillars. All had broad chestnut-red bands. Looks like a mild winter ahead. Thank you, woolly bears!
Foliage explorers walk along Yellow Hill Road. Mostly green pine, not much red, yellow and orange here.
A beautifully patterned baby king snake that was spotted out viewing the foliage too.
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Witch hazel flowering. The last SMB flower to bloom each year. Witch hazel flowers bloom through November.
BIORESERVE FLORA OF THE MONTH – Wild Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpum)
Wild cranberries and wild turkeys complement each other nicely on the fourth Thursday in November. Both are native Americans, both are delicious …and both can be found in the Southeasetrn Massachusetts Bioreserve.
The name “cranberry” is believed, by some, to be derived from “craneberry” named by early Europeans who saw the stem, calyx and flower as the neck and head of a crane and the pointed stamens as the crane’s bill. Others believe “craneberry” comes from the fact sandhill cranes enjoy the same habitat as the berries and frequently dine on them.
Wild cranberries are trailing, vine-like evergreen shrubs growing up to ten feet long and ten inches high. They are found growing wild from the Arctic, south across the United States and extending from Virginia to Oregon. They grow best in acidic bogs and swamps, usually in association with sphagnum moss in areas that get full sunlight. Because of their food value, cranberries have been widely transplanted outside their native range.
Small, elliptical, alternate leaves grow from slender brown stems. Leaves are green above and gray below.
Cranberry flowers appear in the spring. They are pink, tubular with recurved petals and eight exposed stamens. The flowers are pollinated by bumble and other bees.
The fruit is oval, at first white, turning bright red on maturity. Berries can be up to a half inch in length. Cranberries are tart and the fruit very acidic ripening in September and October.
Humans, black bears, deer, mice and many other mammals eat cranberries. Wild turkeys and many other birds relish these large, red berries.
Cranberries are closely related, in the same genus, as blueberries and huckleberries.
BIORESERVE FAUNA OF THE MONTH – Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides)
Illustration courtesy Fish and Wildlife Service
Largemouth bass are the most popular freshwater gamefish in the United States and the most popular locally too, both in the North Watuppa and the Copicut Reservoir within the Southeastern Massachusetts Bioreserve (SMB). They are not native to New England.
Largemouth bass are in the sunfish family. Depending on the clarity of the water and their temperament their color can vary from light green to olive green with a darker horizontal stripe, along the lateral line, running from head to tail. They have two dorsal fins. The first dorsal has spines, the second is spineless. There is a short notch or break between the two fins. The body is longer than deep, but large fish often display drooping bellies. The upper jaw extends beyond the rear of the eye, hence the name “largemouth.” Largemouth bass can fit prey half their body length in size into their mouths
A large largemouth bass weighs 5 pounds or more. Females are larger than males. There is a tie in the world record largemouth bass category. George Perry in 1932 caught a largemouth weighing 22 pounds, 4 ounces in Lake Montgomery, Georgia. In 2009 Manabu Kurita caught a largemouth in Lake Biwa, Japan, weighing 22 pounds, 5 ounces. To be considered a new world record the entry must beat the present record holder by at least 2 ounces.
Largemouth bass can be found in almost all area freshwater environments. They prefer lakes and ponds with thick aquatic weeds with lily pads for overhead cover, for concealment and for shade on sunny days.
Largemouth bass attack their prey by using underwater structure to break up their outline. When they see, hear, smell or sense a prey item is near, they rush out with open mouth to engulf their unfortunate victim. Bass foods that fit in the largemouth’s mouth include just about anything found in its aquatic habitat including worms, crayfish and other invertebrates and small to medium fish, frogs, water snakes, ducklings, small turtles, etc.
When they hatch, Largemouth bass fry consume plankton and as they grow they feed on snails, scuds, shrimp, leeches, salamanders and small fish.
In New England, most largemouth bass spawn in late May or early June when the water temperature reaches 65 degrees. Males construct a nest in calm water over a sandy/gravelly bottom in shallow water usually close to shore. The males guard the nest and at the same time try to lure passing females into their nests to lay their eggs. A five pound female will lay as many as 35,000 eggs. Once fertilized the eggs hatch in five to ten days, depending on the temperature of the water. The warmer the water, the sooner they hatch. The baby largemouths form a tight school over the nest protected by their father who suspends nearby keeping a close watch.
Once they reach an inch in length the nursery school breaks up and the young bass disperse to locate a territory of their own. Once fully grown, largemouth bass are often the top predator in their aquatic environment.
There are probably more Massachusetts freshwater anglers targeting this species than any other. In the SMB they are found in North Watuppa Pond and in Copicut Reservoir. They can be caught during every month of the year, but are most active during the summer months when water temperatures are in the seventies and eighties.
The native range of largemouth is the Mississippi River drainage from the upper Mid-west down to Louisiana and the southeastern states to Florida. Because of their status as game and food fish they have been widely transplanted and are now found in many suitable waters in countries around the world. Some countries consider the largemouth bass an invasive species since they are capable of dominating their environment and consuming valuable and/or endangered native fish species.
Small largemouth bass are preyed upon by other predatory fish, snapping and other large turtles, mink, otter and many picivorous birds including cormorants, ospreys, bald eagles, mergansers, herons, egrets, bitterns, kingfishers and various species of gulls.
According to the Massachusetts Division of Fish and Wildlife (MassWIlldlife) largemouth bass were introduced into the state over a hundred years ago. They were introduced to provide additional fishing opportunities. The earliest reference to largemouth bass in Massachusetts occurred in 1879 when they were introduced into numerous ponds in Essex County. They are now found throughout the state.
Largemouth bass swimming along the shore at North Watuppa Pond in the SMB.
TAKE A HIKE – Carry a camera
It is always a good idea to bring a camera along when taking a walk in the woods. Encounters with Mother Nature and creation, up close and personal, happen more often than one would expect and it’s fun to get a photo of the new wildflower blooming, toad hopping across the trail, colorful setting sun, tall mushroom, odd-shaped rock, etc.
Here are 3 photos of a forest dweller intently watching the Homer sapiens, with the camera, below.
A fisher.
NOVEMBER – Sun heading south, winter getting closer.
It is time to start thinking of winter outdoor activities. We have our Exploring the Southeastern Massachusetts Bioreserve Walks year ‘round. If we have snow, cross country skiing and snowshoeing are fun ways to get out and explore our natural environment. Check ourCalendar for upcoming events and activities.
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