WRAY — Colorado farmers who defied nature’s limits and nourished a pastoral paradise by irrigating drought-prone prairie are pushing ahead in the face of worsening environmental fallout: Overpumping of groundwater has drained the High Plains Aquifer to the point that streams are drying up at the rate of 6 miles a year. The drawdown has become so severe that highly resilient fish are disappearing, evidence of ecological collapse. A Denver Post analysis of federal data shows the aquifer shrank twice as fast over the past six years compared with the previous 60. While the drying out of America’s agricultural bread basket ($35 billion in crops a year) ultimately may pinch people in cities, it is hitting rural areas hardest. “Now I never know, from one minute to the next, when I turn on a faucet or hydrant, whether there will be water or not. The aquifer is being depleted,” said Lois Scott, 75, who lives west of Cope, north of the frequently bone-dry bed of the Arikaree River. A … [Read more...] about The water under Colorado’s Eastern Plains is running dry as farmers keep irrigating “great American desert”
Barnbougle lost farm
Colorado farmers grow more food on less water amid rising competition
KEENESBURG — While farmers around him give up control over water used for a century to irrigate crops, Marc Arnusch is crouching in a thick cornfield inspecting blue digits on his new sensor. The third-generation farmer installed it to measure exactly the level of moisture in soil right at the roots of his corn. He’s also considering underground tubes that emit water only upon contact by roots. This technology, made for farming in the Israeli desert, Agriculture across Colorado and the West continues to use 85 percent of total water supplies. But growing numbers of farmers are shifting toward greater efficiency, replacing ditch-and-flood irrigation with center-pivot sprinklers and tubes that emit tiny drops. Colorado officials say they’re counting on such increased efficiency and conservation as the state readies for an increase in people and industry — with a projected annual shortfall of 163 billion gallons . State water planners anticipate farmers will be able to … [Read more...] about Colorado farmers grow more food on less water amid rising competition
Walter Gretzky, father of NHL star Wayne Gretzky, dies at 82
TORONTO — Walter Gretzky, the father of hockey great Wayne Gretzky, has died. He was 82. Wayne Gretzky said in a social media post Thursday night that his father battled Parkinson’s disease and other health issues the past few years. “It’s with deep sadness that Janet and I share the news of the passing of my dad,” Wayne Gretzky said. “He bravely battled Parkinson’s and other health issues these last few years, but he never let it get him down. “For me, he was the reason I fell in love with the game of hockey. He inspired me to be the best I could be not just in the game of hockey, but in life.” Walter Gretzky became a name himself, a constant in Wayne’s world. As Wayne’s star ascended, Walter remained a blue-collar symbol of a devoted hockey parent in a country filled with them. The two were also often intertwined, their father-son story used in commercials from Tim Hortons to Coca-Cola. And following in the footsteps of Alexander Graham Bell, they made Brantford, Ontario, … [Read more...] about Walter Gretzky, father of NHL star Wayne Gretzky, dies at 82
Politico: ‘Dismal’ Democratic Support for Joe Biden’s Giant Amnesty
Democrats have postponed a floor vote on President Joe Biden’s massive amnesty and population-expansion bill because of “dismal” support among Democrats, according to Politico. Instead of a March vote, Democrats say their huge bill will be sent through the committees while supporters try to build support in time for an April vote, according to Politico, which added: Proponents of the Biden bill, meanwhile, are still furiously working the phones to get their colleagues on board. That group, led by California Reps. Linda Sánchez, Judy Chu and Zoe Lofgren, has also lined up meetings with influential groups across the caucus, including the Blue Dogs on Tuesday and progressives on Thursday. Sánchez and Lofgren, along with other top Democrats, also spoke to the New Democrat Coalition late last month. Democrats in swing districts are looking to make some changes to the bill, Politico reported. One token change in favor of the E-Verify employment system was suggested by Rep. Tom … [Read more...] about Politico: ‘Dismal’ Democratic Support for Joe Biden’s Giant Amnesty
