California is once again at the for front of stupidity when it comes to humanity and agriculture production. I have yet to understand why some individuals put animals over humans first, especially when it comes to fish.
In 2007 a federal judge sided with liberal environmentalists and put the Delta Smelt on the endangered species list. In the grand scheme of things the environmentalist, state government and the federal judicial system puts priorities for water in a very interesting fallacy. The population gets water first, the fish second and the farmer third. How in the world can people think this way! The fish comes before humans eating!
Let's take a real look at the situation. Pumps that feed water to agriculture production in the Central Valley of California are turned off during the time period farmers need the water the most, spring and summer. This is to protect the fish, or rather so called protecting the fish. Inflow and outflow areas of water into a water system actually protects the fish. Introduction of game species of fish such as bass endanger native stocks of fish. There are problems with more then just the Delta Smelt (a minnow) to include salmon. Hello folks a human induced problem. Pollution is the other problem to the fisheries. Who is the number one polluter in the country. The home owner! It isn't industry or agriculture. I use to work in an environmental lab who serviced the Petro-Chemical industry along the Gulf Coast. All of the chemists I worked with agreed it was the home owner who caused the most chemical pollution in the country. Need to get rid of the weeds in my lawn or the fungus caused by brown patch, etc. The attitude of the home owner when they read the directions in spraying for these problems they are using think that adding a little more the spray will work better. WRONG! The minimum amount runs off somewhere, eventually into our waterways. Humans need to use the right amounts or go organic in the care of their lawns.
Now here is a novel approach, as I stated in California the population gets water first. That means having a green lawn has priority over agriculture production to feed people. Why?
How about the economic impact of this species being protected. California in this recession already has the highest number of tent cities in the nation due to recession. Job loss to the Central Valley is 40,000 jobs and could be as high as 70,000. Jobless figures as of this date in the Central Valley is 20%. Why do we not turn the water on? California's government is already struggling not to go broke. Or actually they already have as they decided not to return income tax refunds to the populace. Just the job losses in California means there will be less tax revenue to the state and instead a larger tax outflow from the state. Last I checked we are in a very severe recession.
So you think, well that's California and it doesn't affect me. Guess again, the Central Valley grows 25% of the fruits and vegetables in the nation. You'll pay more because the supply just went down. It's spring....don't laugh at the Obama's for planting a garden on the White House Lawn. Maybe you should be doing the same. It really infuriates me that those at the bottom end of the economic scale go once again to the bottom of the list as a priority to our governments, environmentalists and judicial system when it to feeding people. You should be as mad about this as AIG bonuses. Right now I'm watching on ABC's This Week and projection for the next several months is a loss of 600,000 jobs per month. It is so simple to save a minimum of 40,000 jobs by turning water on. It's so simple to not force our population to pay more for food by turning the water on.
I found a host of articles on the web about the crisis of job losses in the Central Valley. My two favorites are below. I invite you to read these articles or search your own. If you live in California I invite you to tell your legislature to do something! The logical solution is to build a bypass for the Delta to supply water to farmers. The Delta is an aqua duct running through the state north to south.
The Ironic Danger in Becoming an Endangered Species
The above article written in October, 2007 is as pertinent today as it was when the article was written.
Despair as California's Central Valley Dries Up
Other Bloggers gives an insight full post:
Life in Small Bites Environment Blog
Coffee Muses
Then there is the crazy view from the liberal side:
Views from the Left Coast
Of course it is always great to find a California gardener that has the right idea to help being a part of the solution then part of the problem!
The Yard Farmer
Photo credits from top to bottom: Student Britannica and US Department of Interior Bureau of Reclamation
Kim
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