Dear Pals,
We are now in the middle of a 28-day danger window -14-days on either side of a total eclipse of the Sun - and a planetary alignment that brings the Moon closest to earth.
That means the gravitational pull will be stronger on the earth tides and the land mass. According to seismologist Jim Bergland, this is a time when earthquakes are more likely to occur.
Well, since I sit on top of the New Madrid Fault, which is "long over due" according to many earthquake watchers including those at St. Louis University. I keep an eye on news like this.
The last time the New Madrid Fault really started to rock and roll way back in 1811, it made church bells ring as far away as Washington, DC and it made the Mighty Mississippi, The Father Of Waters, turn tail and flow northward for several days.
That event permanently altered the course of the Mississippi river and created Reelfoot lake. Well, here we sit, fat, dumb and happy 199 years later.
It's all tied in you know...rivers, fault lines, gravity and even the water you and I drink and the fish and seafood we eat from fresh and salt water. So we need to be good stewards of the life giving earth that we blissfully traipse around on.
Mark Twain once observed, when talking about the
Today, my friend Capt. Mike Bush patrols our confluence rivers (Mississippi/Missouri/Illinois) taking water samples to monitor water quality. SEE Test Results at www.stl.riverkeeper.org
Capt. Mike is the RIVERKEEPER of the St. Louis Confluence. The St. Louis Confluence monitors water quality on a 25-mile stretch of river up the Misssissippi to the Missouri River as far as St. Charles on the west, up the Illinois on the East beyond the Alton Basin and down river past St. Louis well into Jefferson County.
Capt Mike pilots the Safety Valve, his dory-style boat to collect water samples at 26 sites. These samples ar then analyzed by an independent testing lab and posted online and distributed to media as part of the Riverkeepers water quality and public education missions.
Capt. Mike just returned from a conference of Riverkeepers from around the world held in Mexico. The organization dates back to its genesis under the wings of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who founded the first RIVERKEEPER organization to clean up and restore the freshwater fishing industry on the Hudson. Tbe effort was emminently successful and today RIVERKEEPERS span the globe.
Of late, high flood waters have kept Capt. Mike from his appointed rounds, so he's anxious to get back out there to keep the water quality tracking study going. If you'd like to help The Riverkeeper St. Louis Confluence, you can do it by becoming a RIVER LOVER...just send a tax deductible check for $25.00 USD to this 501(c)3 in care of:
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Mike Bush, Riverkeeper
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You'll get a cool surprise that we call a "Kiss and A Hug!" by return mail as a Thank You!
Now, will we have an earthquake here in the next few weeks? Jim Bergland says we're all in the window of opportunity - thanks to the prevailing planetary alignments.
Is our number up?
Will it be 3.2, 5.4 or a 7.5 Arch shaker and tooth rattler here in St. Louis?
And what about down river in places like Memphis, Vicksburg, Jackson, Baton Rouge and New Orleans? The New Madrid Fault is deeply and profoundly connected geophysically all the way to the Gulf and beyond. We all know what's going on down there.
I wonder if Mother Earth's name is really Barbara Ann...and we'll all soon be rockin' and reelin' Barbara Ann! Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba-Babara Ann!
Birk, Commonsensetarian, Citizen of the Republic, a Mob of One and Sage sans Snuggie for Summer
PS: In the interest of full disclosure, I am a RIVER LOVER! And a member of The Board Of Directors of The Riverkeeper St. Louis Confluence 501(c)3.
Please become a RIVER LOVER too!
Help pay for the water testing, lab work, boat fuel, insurance and maintenance to keep this important water quality monitoring work going.
NO OTHER ORGANIZATION or government entity does it.
Visit www.stlriverkeeper.org learn about the water quality work being done here.
Become a Crew Member RIVER LOVER for $25.00/yr - 6 cents a day.
Become a First Class RIVER LOVER for $50.00/yr - 12 cents a day
Become a First Mate RIVER LOVER for $100.00/yr - 28 cents a day
Become a Master RIVER LOVER for $365.00/yr - $1.00 a day
Please encourage every person you know who is concerned about water quality to become a RIVER LOVER.
If you become a Corporate Level RIVER LOVER for $1000.00 or more, you can come along on the Safety Valve and help Capt. Mike take the water samples and then follow the process all the way through the lab.
Become a RIVER LOVER today...and we'll send you a special "Kiss and a Hug" by return mail as a Thank You! Plus, the entire Board Of Directors will personally hug you!
