By Lily Rowland Ah, my downfall! As I have so recently been informed of by certain household Nature Spirits, I pride myself on my devotion and piety to the Shining Ones, to my ancestors and, of course, to the Nature Spirits. However, when it comes to helping out the eco-system and doing my part to help the Earth herself, I'm lacking in effort. Don't get me wrong! I do all of the general stuff: I recycle, I purchase as much biodegradable merchandise as is available, I buy recycled notebook paper and other such products, and I take up most care not to litter. But I'm also being reminded that there is so much more that I could do. For one thing, I could haul my behind out of bed on Sunday mornings and go help clean up the Rillito Park walkway with the rest of the Grove. As a stay-at-home mother, I have an abundance of time on my hands to do such things. There are other places that I could volunteer at as well. There is a never-ending supply of resources telling me where I could go and what I could do to help. I am only one person, and I can only do a limited amount of help on my own, but that small amount that one person can do adds up when there are others as well, and I know that I am not the only person who is working to heal the Earth. Recently, I have made a vow to the Nature Spirits that I will do more to help the environment, in every way possible for myself. Then there is my every day work with Nature. I don't mean the protecting of the eco-system; I mean appreciating it and being able to work with it in the magical sense. But it doesn't end there. Far beyond the stereotype of a cowboy sitting next to a cactus as he watches the sun go down, there is a wide range of life out here in Arizona, even though things seem dead to the naked eye. One question that I have heard asked several times is “How do you get your water there? There's never any rain.” I used to think it must be taken from another town, or shipped here from the ocean and purified. I had dozens of ideas, and was quite shocked when I learned the truth. For decades, groundwater was Tucson's only water source. Groundwater comes from a porous layer of sand, silt, gravel that exists in various depths beneath the ground. This water has collected for thousands of year from rain and snowmelt runoff soaking the ground (yes, there is occasionally snow in Arizona). Because of this, Tucson water has always been rich in natural minerals, which also explains why so many people think that Tucson tap water tastes absolutely awful (I tend to agree with this). The problem arose because, over the years, more water was being pumped than could be replaced naturally. Even today, groundwater is generally pumped from various wells and into reservoirs, which allows Tucson to control water distribution Then, in 2001, Tucson began combining groundwater with recharged water from the Colorado River. This allowed Tucson to stop pumping groundwater in areas where the water level has dropped sufficiently. This also solved another problem: that of contamination of groundwater. Most groundwater contains dissolved minerals, which are harmless and affect, at most, the taste of the water. However, as the water level sank and it became necessary to drill deeper, the problem of contaminated groundwater arose. It contains more harmful minerals, such as arsenic. This stems from the way people disposed to their waste many years ago. It used to be that car batteries, solvents, even chemical waste was dumped into unlined landfills that polluted the land. Naturally, it is monitored carefully, and contaminated water wells are shut down. The contamination problem has also decreased significantly since Tucson started using Colorado River water. More recently, Tucson has come up with another water source: recycled wastewater, or Effluent water. There are many reasons Effluent water is considered such a good water source. For one thing, it rises as the population rises. Also, Tucson does not have to purchase this water source as it does water from the Colorado. Naturally, this water serves for purposes other than drinking: it's used for irrigation, sprinkler systems, and is even used in cooling towers. Most importantly, it filters down into the earth to replenish our precious groundwater. And then there is the lovely subject of trash disposal. As I mentioned before, it was a common practice, decades ago, for public and private landfills to be created at convenient sites along our dry riverbeds or in old gravel pits. Because there were few laws governing what could be thrown away at these locations, many of these old and unlined landfills have become environmental hazards and have caused soil and groundwater contamination. In fact, this was, and is, the number one reason for ground and water pollution in Arizona as a state. Environmental Services will need to spend more than $15 million over the next 5 years to clean up contamination at 22 of these old landfills. Another $10 million will be needed to close these old landfills to meet stringent federal standards. Nowadays, we still use landfills for our garbage and recycling is heavily stressed to the populace. Collecting refuse and transporting it to the City's Los Reales landfill for environmentally sound disposal costs more than $16 million (including $7 million for landfill operations) each year. Last year, the City collected and transported more than 170,000 tons of garbage from residential customers - that's enough to completely fill Arizona Stadium where the Wildcats play football, and represents nearly 1,500 pounds per person. Another 15,000 tons of materials were collected as part of the Brush and Bulky program. In all, Environmental Services staff made more than 23,000 trips to the landfill, using more than 400,000 gallons of fuel. However, more than 45,000 tons of recyclable material was collected through the Tucson Recycles program and nearly 900 tons of recyclable scrap metal is recycled annually. The Department collected more than $1 million through the resale of recycled material, which was used to offset other departmental costs. As an added benefit, diverting this material saved an estimated $500,000 in landfill costs, and required less landfill space to be created. It is evident that Tucson tries to stress environmental “friendliness” to its citizens, something I particularly appreciate about this city. Another way the city tries to promote environmental friendliness is by providing awareness, education and alternate means of travel. You see, more than 75 percent of Tucson's air pollution is caused by vehicles in Tucson, with the rest of it coming from other sources such as aerosols, road dust, generally industry pollution and mining. Some mornings, when I'm driving to work, I can actually see a thick yellow haze hanging over the city and I know from experience exactly what causes that haze. Tucson has made a big project of promoting carpooling, bicycling, public transportation, which uses compressed, natural gas, walking or just using manual or electric machinery, such as in your cars, lawn mowers and weed-eaters. I have seen more brochures, pamphlets, PSA's and web pages for a “cleaner Tucson” than in any other city I've lived in. Pima County monitors visible air pollution (urban haze) by continuously using a video camera from partway up Tumamoc Hill, oriented toward the Rincon Mountains (and also from a second site atop the County Health Building oriented due east). Video from Tumamoc Hill may be put on PCDEQ's website and the Livable Tucson website in the near future. Despite the fact that so many Tucson citizens claim to be concerned about the environment around them, too few even bother to do anything about it. Despite all of these pamphlets, opportunities for car pooling, and availability of alternate modes of transportation, nearly everyone continues to drive their pollution-causing cars. The problem is simple: they are just too lazy to bother about it. Awareness is simply not enough if Tucson citizens won't take action to protect their city. This is a subject I find to be incredibly disheartening. And then there is the weather. Most cities have four seasons (spring, summer, fall and winter). I remember these seasons well because, back when I lived in Oregon, I experienced them to the fullest. There was a wonderful aspect to each time of the year, and all of this became stronger when I began my walk upon the Pagan path. During the summer, I basked in the heat, dove into the beautiful blue rivers that were in abundance around me, ran into the ocean and quickly ran out again, breathless from the icy chill of the water. At night, I would rub lotion on my sunburned face and shoulders, and be completely embarrassed when my skin peeled. During the fall, I would walk to school through layers of orange, yellow and brown leaves. I would rake those same leaves into piles and leap into them, scattering them across the yard again. I would stare up at the great oaks and poplars, now becoming naked and bare, and remind them that they would be given brand new shrouds in the spring. In winter, I would run out into the snow, bundled up like an Eskimo, and spend the afternoon throwing snowballs at my brothers, then tromp back inside to thaw off with a fire and hot chocolate, only to start all over again an hour later. At night, I would bundle up again and walk outside when the street lights were coming on. Here, it was almost completely silent, save for the sound of my boots crunching in the snow and the soft patter of snowflakes hitting the ground. That was my favorite time of all because it was so silent and peaceful, and because the world around me was so pure with the shroud of the goddess. Then came spring, when new life sprung everywhere and the snow would run off the mountains in freezing streams. My Grandmother's garden would burst with life and I would sit in her rose garden to read or study, breathing in the scent of fresh roses. All of this ended when I moved to Arizona (in the middle of the summer!). Everything just seemed to be hot and more hot. Not a day went by when I wasn't sweating, seeking shelter in the cool, air-conditioned buildings. Fall arrived with no leaves to play in, no great oak trees to talk to. Winter came around and homesickness set in, causing an extreme amount of depression. Gone was the comforting wide shroud of the Lady's mantle. There was no snow to walk in, no peaceful nights listening to the snow fall. But as spring began to creep around the corner, I began to notice things that I had not seen before, or had not bothered to look for. Whereas other cities have four seasons, Arizona has five: spring, dry summer, monsoon summer, fall and winter. If you don't live in Arizona, then your perception of my last paragraph may be terribly unclear, so I will explain a bit more. In an Arizona, most seasons are much like other states, except it's much warmer and cool only at night (occasionally). However, summer will give you a very new experience to remember Arizona by. In dry summer, generally May to June, it is, to someone who is not acclimated, unbearably hot with temperatures reaching somewhere between 90 to 100 degrees F. Many cacti began to bloom this time of year, and are pollinated by animals and bees. Then, toward the middle of June to early July, the wet summer begins. Monsoon Season officially begins officially after 3 consecutive days with daily mean surface dew points 55 degrees F or greater (representing an influx of moisture into our area). The increase in dew point occurs when the prevailing winds shift from westerly to southeasterly, bringing more moisture in from the Gulf of California (mostly) and Gulf of Mexico. Let me explain this a bit more plainly.\ First of all, monsoons are caused by Strong annual variations of temperature over land masses is the primary cause of the monsoon. This causes an excess of high pressure in the cold months and low pressure in the warm months. This deficit of pressure coupled with the storm track well to the north in the summer, allows the tropical moisture to literally be sucked northward toward the lower pressure in the low levels of the atmosphere. The end result is a shift in the winds over an area and enough moisture to trigger seasonal rains. In Arizona, the process starts with the hot and dry weather of May and June. Usually, the winds are from a dry westerly direction, so humidity is low and temperatures soar above 100 degrees in the deserts. As the atmosphere warms, the jet stream retreats northward. This allows the winds to shift to a more southerly component and bring in the moisture. Most of our humid air comes from the Sea of Cortez, but a good portion also comes from the Gulf of Mexico. Once the moist air arrives, our strong summer sun heats the moist air causing the familiar thunderstorm (cumulonimbus) clouds. My first Monsoon here in Tucson, I was skeptical. I had been lying in the house most of my days, sweaty and miserable, praying for relief. I didn't believe anyone when they said that rainy season was coming, and laughed skeptically at fellow members of the Grove who said it was time for “Taranis' yearly visit.” Then one day, sitting outside, I noticed that the air felt hot, but now it also felt humid, which made me sticky and gross, in my opinion. Looking out into the horizon, I noticed great, puffy gray clouds building up around the mountains, making them look dark and sinister. In the distance, thunder was rolling and rumbling and occasionally I saw a flash of lightning. I've always loved storms, so I simply sat and watched. Then, it hit me. Literally. Out of nowhere, a great bucket of water from the sky seemed to fall right on top of my head. One minute, I was just sitting there and the next minute, rain was falling so hard that I was soaked within less than a minute. Looking behind me, I saw that the parking lot of my apartment complex was swiftly filling up with water and the streets were flooding. Above me, thunder crashed and boomed. Veins of lightning shot across the darkened sky in a fantastic show. I did what any normal person would do in such a situation. My little daughter and I threw our shoes into the house and began a wild chase through the flooded parking lot, laughing and screaming, splashing, giggling and hollering to wake the dead until we were too tired to play anymore. The rain lasted for about an hour and then stopped. The flooding stopped and all of the water was gone as quickly as it had come. This is Monsoon Season in Arizona. I encourage anyone who hasn't experienced to visit and say hello to Taranis as he rumbles across the sky. Tucson's crops and plants can be a wonder to behold in itself. Minerals are the major constituent in Arizona soils and are derived from the parent material by weathering. Mineral particles range in size from 2.0 mm to less than 0.002 mm. These particles constitute the fine earth of soil and are the bases upon which soil texture is determined according to the relative amounts of the various particles in the soil. To put it plainly, any Arizona visitor can tell you that the surface of Tucson's ground is mostly sand. But dig just a little deeper and you'll see more. Below the surface lays the fertile clay, silt and porous rock that allow plants to grow. Not only does the ground hold the water we drink (which helps many plants to sustain themselves), it also holds alkali, which is a soil salt that helps keep the ground fertile. Yearly monsoons mix the soil and help evenly distribute these minerals, helping the ground stay fertile. The plants here in Arizona have long been used by Native Americans as vital tools in their everyday lives. The Soaptree Yucca, for example, was used as soap (hence its name) and also in basket making. This particular plant isn't a “tree” at all, but instead a shrub, which grows beautiful yellow yucca flowers around the middle of spring. Ephedra, also called “Mormon Tea” also grows in this area. Ephedra makes the formerly-popular diet drug, Ephedrine, which was banned from stores earlier this year. There are about 8 species of Ephedra in Arizona, and some people still use the stems to make a bitter-tasting tea that is loaded with caffeine and “uppers” that suppress the appetite and speed up the heart. Unfortunately, use of this plant can also cause blood clots and heart attacks. The Desert Ironwood tree also grows here and is a course of one of the strongest woods in the world. In fact, when in water, ironwood will sink, rather than floating as most wood does. Naturally, it was once a very popular source of wood to make into clubs, staffs, art and other wood products. Because of this it became endangered and is now a protected species. There is, of course, the Saguaro Cactus, the classic cactus that one sees when thinking of Arizona, or any other desert land. They can live over 200 years and grow up to 75 feet tall. They also store water in their bodies. Unfortunately, parasites, animals and insects make reproduction very difficult for the Saguaro, and they generally only grow successfully in a nursery these days. The last plant on my list, and my favorite of all, is the Desert Lavender. The leaves of this plant are covered in long, wooly hairs and the flowers themselves are purple. Rubbing the leaves on your body produces a wonderful fragrance, and I have taken to crushing some of the leaves and dropping them in my bath for a wonderfully scented bath (bonus, you get bubbles if you run the leaves under water). Some people also use the leaves to flavor their tea. Of course, it isn't just the plants that make Arizona fascinating, but the animals too. When I first moved to Arizona, I was fully convinced that I would find a jackalope running around somewhere (yes, you can laugh). Unfortunately, I never did find one, most likely because they don't exist ^_^ but along the way, I found out some fascinating information about Tucson's wildlife. We all know about the venomous rattlesnake, Arizona's own personal mascot. This beautiful snake strikes fear into people's hearts because of his venomous bite. However, the rattlesnake is not the only poisonous snake in Tucson. There is also the Coral snake, although you aren't like to be bitten unless you pick one up, and the Sidewinder, which gets its name due to the fact that they leave diagonal lines when moving across the sand. However, not all desert animals are scary, poisonous reptiles. My personal favorite is the Coati, because it was the first animal I saw when I moved to Arizona. I had gone for a hike in the mountains and was resting beside a pool of water in a river when I saw several animals across from me that looked like overgrown rats, or weasels with tails. As I found out later, they are very social animals, which explained their traveling in groups, and live off of small animals, fruits and nuts. Their long noses and claws are used for turning over rocks and moving aside objects to get at their food. Then there's another favorite animal of mine, the Quail. They're cute little gray birds with a feather plume on top of their heads. The quail are, in my opinion, as cute as can be when one is standing at the park watching mama quail leading a straight line of tiny babies around the grass. Of course, that's the animal lover in me. Of course, not all desert creatures are “animals.” There are insects, like the Pinacate Beetle, who have no fur, feathers or fins at all. This beetle is very large (which is why I avoid them like the black plague) and squirts a foul liquid from its rear when threatened (another reason to stay away). It is also very harmful to plants as a grub, since it spends its life scavenging for food. So, as you can plainly see, appreciating the environment around you is not just on a spiritual level, but also on a “mundane” level. In order to work with your environment, you much learn about it and learn to appreciate your surroundings. I, for one, have learned a great deal about Arizona simply by living here, and even more by studying my surroundings. It has built within me a great deal more respect for the Nature Spirits, as well as helping me understand that I can do more than I realized to help heal the Earth around me. As I mentioned before, I'll tell anyone that I hated Arizona when I first moved here, until I started to explore the world around me. I took walks in the washes (while wishing they were full of water) and, although there was nothing particularly spectacular about it, I still found it to be absolutely lovely. I also started to take hikes on Mount Lemon. Here, the air was cooler, and there were (gasp) trees. That was where I really found the beauty. I remember walking and realizing that there was nothing around me: no buildings, no cars, and no people. I can't remember anymore exactly where I was, but I distinctly remember passing a shrine of some sort that was gated off. There was a figurine inside and candles all around it. It seemed very old, apparently some Catholic saint. As I continued, I came upon something I had never thought I would see in Arizona: a river. It was surrounded by trees and under it were several creatures that looked remarkably like giant rats or possums. To this day, I've never been able to find out what they were, but one of them stopped and stared at me. In the setting sun, the creature's eyes glowed with yellow fire, but he seemed to be smiling at me. Without realizing it, I smiled back. As I found out later, these were Coati, the little animals I mentioned earlier. I sat under a tree until the sun had nearly gone completely down. Now I began to see that, out here, the stars were astonishingly bright and clear. The moon chanced to be full that night and I felt that the goddess chuckled at my awe. Before I left that spot to go back home, I dropped a bracelet made of jade into the river to thank the goddess for all of the beauty she had shown me. If you ask me these days, I will say that I never cease to thank my deities, spirits and ancestors for bringing me to this place. |
