Category Archives: Garden Writers We Love

March 10, 2013 · 7:51 pm

Gardening With the Moon

GardeningwiththeMoon copy

I am so excited about this! My friend Rebekah Shardy, who is a third-generation planting-by-the-moon gardener, will present a GARDENING WITH THE MOON class in April.

Rebekah is amazing. She’s not only an avid gardener but an award-winning fiction writer–her story “Lady in Waiting” appeared in Greenwoman Issue #4. She also makes delightful cocktails; she’s the one who introduced me to my first jasmine martini.

Oh, the mystery and power of the moon! Gardening by the lunar calendar is something I’ve had an interest in for, well, forever, but I’ve never taken the time to learn about it properly. Last spring, for example, I did look up the best planting times for root crops and above-ground crops, but my follow-up left something to be desired.

I know I need to be more “in tune” to the moon. How about you? This class will be a wonderful inspiration to do it right this year!

Hope to see you there.

–Sandra Knauf

Time: Saturday, April 13th, 2-3 p.m.

Place: Hillside Gardens, 1006 South Institute Street, Colorado Springs CO  80903. 

Gardening with the Moon

The powerful influence of the moon on plants is beyond debate. Do you know how to use it to your advantage in the garden?  

Cost is $13 per person. Participants will receive a moon-related gift and refreshments. 

To sign up (space is limited) contact Rebekah Shardy.

Phone: (970) 497-0026. E-mail: rebekahshardy@yahoo.com

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February 20, 2013 · 3:43 pm

The Genesis of Greenwoman

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Last week my friend Sheryl Humphrey, creator of extraordinary nature paintings, and author of The Haunted Garden: Death and Transfiguration in the Folklore of Plants (available on Etsy) tagged me as part of THE NEXT BIG THING interview series.

Thank you, Sheryl; I should have had a post on Greenwoman Magazine a long time ago. — Sandra Knauf

* * *
 

QUESTIONS:

What is the title of your publication?

Greenwoman Magazine.

Where did the idea for the magazine come from?

A long-time obsession with garden writing!  The genre was completely unknown to me when I picked up American Garden Writing, by Bonnie Marranca, in a used bookstore about 20 years ago. I was a budding writer, fresh out of college, and a new mom. Little did I know that this book would be the start of a life-long love affair. I was mesmerized by what I discovered; every essay in this book about gardening and agriculture (from colonial times to the present) had other connections—to politics, religion, fashion, science, even personal relationships.  I learned that gardening was not just about botany; it was about humanity.

At the same time, I was developing an environmental awareness. I wanted to learn about our food, about the climate—and what we were doing to both. It took awhile to get from there to starting this magazine a few years ago. I see Greenwoman as a vehicle to turn others on to garden writing, to expand their world.

The title comes from the fact that for a while I was obsessed about the history of the Green Man. I learned that this was an ancient archetype, symbolic of humanity’s oneness with nature. Where, I wondered, was the Green Woman? There are many nature goddesses, but I could not find an equivalent–so I made my own.

 What genre does your magazine fall under?

Garden Writing: with sub-genres of fiction, creative nonfiction, biography, humor (including cartoons), interviews, poetry, photography, and other art. Everything but “how-to.”

 What is a one-sentence synopsis of your magazine?

Greenwoman Magazine is a garden of literary delight and nourishment.

 How long did it take you to put the first issue together?

Close to a year. This was a D.I.Y. project and I had to learn everything about creating a publication: how to use In-Design and Photoshop, all the business aspects, all aspects of social networking! I am still very much in the learning process.

 Who or what inspired you to publish this magazine?

The subject matter in itself is inspirational. It can inspire people to go out and dig in the dirt (as it did me), to become a master gardener, to want to raise bees, chickens, goats, to eat healthy food, to join a community garden, to get politically involved, to do a thousand different things! More importantly, garden writing opens your eyes to the beauty, the wonder, and the possibility in this world. I love every aspect of garden writing; so much that I cannot not publish and write these kinds of stories.

What else about your magazine might pique the reader’s interest?

I think it’s notable that in a culture where we have multi-national corporations in control of most of the print media there are still some of us who are trying to do something original and independent. Here’s one of my pet peeves: look at the major magazines—most are selling ads from pharmaceutical companies! Gardening magazines too! I want to be part of a new beginning, where we bring back independence, integrity, and diversity to journalism.

Oh, I do have something else–I am sending out a free digital sample copy of Greenwoman to anyone who visits the website and signs up for our mailing list!

 Will your magazine be self-published, or represented by an agency?

Mine is a completely self-funded enterprise, though I see my subscribers as co-creators. I want to have their input not just financially, but creatively. I want the magazine to grow and to get even better with age.

–Sandra Knauf

Postscript: I tried to tag a few writers yesterday to keep this going, but haven’t heard back yet. The way I look at it–feel free to tag yourself. Ha!

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February 15, 2013 · 8:19 pm

You and the Scoodoos

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A couple of weeks ago I received a request from my Facebook Friend Ciarán Burke in Ireland. He asked if I’d post something on Scoodoos.

When I saw the pictures and heard the story I said, “Of course!”

This is what he shared:

* * *

In County Mayo, activists in the West of Ireland are trying to raise awareness of the importance of trees with Scoodoos.

Ireland is one of the least forested countries in Europe, which is both a surprise and a shame considering the rich folklore of Ireland surrounding the trees and the importance of the trees to the Celts. Some believe that the Ogham alphabet (sometimes called the “Celtic Tree Alphabet”) characters are based on native trees. There are still ancient Ogham stones surviving around the country side with these markings carved into the stone over a thousand years past.

Scoodoos

The Scoodoos are sculptures that were created initially for personal gardens. People have responded in such a positive way that the Scoodoo concept has taken on a life of its own. The Scoodoos are ancient tree spirits who have been living in harmony with nature, amongst the trees and the flora and a fauna of their arboreal habitat. For centuries they have been rarely seen by humans. Now, they are deeply concerned not only about their survival (they need more trees), but they are worried that humankind is leading the planet on a path to environmental catastrophe.

They have decided to reach out to humans and share their message: “We Need More Trees!”

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In the last few weeks, Scoodoo sculptures have been appearing in public places such as road intersections–and even little ones in trees in the towns.
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Next month as part of Ireland’s National Tree Week there will be a Scoodoo Trail at the National Museum of Country Life in Castlebar County Mayo. It’ll be an educational trail where people can learn to identify trees and appreciate their beauty and understand the importance of trees to our survival.

If you want to learn more about Scoodoos, visit the Facebook Page and website. If you want to learn more about Ciarán Burke, check out his blog, Blooms ‘n’ Food.

If you can help spread the message of the Scoodoos, it would be much appreciated.

* * *

I loved this story, but one thing bothered me. I had tried to do a little research, looking up “Scoodoo” on the Internet, and I couldn’t find anything!  What was the story about the name? Was it made up? Was it ancient and so rare that few knew of it?

I wrote Ciarán and he cleared things up: “The name Scoodoo (pronounced skoo-doo, long ‘o’ as in school) is made up. My wife Hanna made the first Scoodoo sculpture when we wanted some natural sculpture for the garden. When it was made we felt that it had a presence and character, which reminded us of old tree spirits at least if they had physical shape, that is what they would look like. So Hanna asked, ‘What shall we call it?’ and the first thing that came into my head was… ‘SCOODOO.’ She asked, ‘Why?’ and I told her, ‘It looks like a Scoodoo.’ So the word Scoodoo became a name for us to represent the trees sprits.

Now we name each new Scoodoo with a name ending in ‘oo’, eg. Nanoo, Cruckadoo, etc.’ “

Ciarán also mentioned that he and Hanna have written a children’s book for which Hanna was doing the illustrations. He wrote that they thought the Scoodoo sculptures were a great way to teach children about the importance of trees, the value of nature, and respect for the environment. 

I couldn’t agree more.

Thanks,  Ciarán, for telling us about Scoodoos and their message: “We Need More Trees!”

–Sandra Knauf

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· 6:37 pm

Exploring the “Haunted Garden” – An Interview with Author Sheryl Humphrey

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I will soon be reviewing Sheryl Humphey’s (spoiler alert!) delicious, highly entertaining, and educational little book in Greenwoman Magazine‘s 5th issue. In the meantime, I wanted to post a little tease: Sheryl’s recent self-interview about the creation of The Haunted Garden, for THE NEXT BIG THING interview series.

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One of Sheryl’s paintings, Girl in the Little Spring Flowers. © 1999 by Sheryl Humphrey. Oil on linen, 12 x 9 in. From the Sisterhood of Flora series. Collection of the artist.

* * *

QUESTIONS:

What is the title of the book?

The Haunted Garden: Death and Transfiguration in the Folklore of Plants.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

I am a painter, but I have been researching this subject for many years in relation to my paintings and my own garden, which has a large role in my artwork. As a novice gardener my first interest was in herbs, and when I read about them I discovered they are rich in folklore. The beautiful, strange myths and superstitions about plants inspired me as a visual artist, and I began to collect obscure and antique books on the subject. I thought that the botanical folklore of death and transfiguration would make a fascinating little book on its own.

What genre does your book fall under?

Nonfiction: Gardening, Folklore.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

The Haunted Garden is a collection of mysterious old botanical myths and legends, a dark garden of folklore and metamorphosis where humans merge with plants.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

About half a year.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

The subject itself inspired me, but a grant gave me the confidence and the funds to write and self-publish this book. I am very grateful for a 2012 DCA Art Fund Grant from the Council on the Arts & Humanities for Staten Island, with public funding from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Once you start to learn about these old stories, and how they can be found in cultures all over the world, you begin to see examples of the theme everywhere. The idea of plant/human hybrids seems universal.

What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

Because this is a sampler of folklore, there are no main characters. But I can imagine The Haunted Garden being the basis for an anthology TV series — The Twilight Zone meets Faerie Tale Theatre.

Will your book be self-published, or represented by an agency?

I have already self-published the book, which is available at Etsy, Lulu, andAmazon. But I would like to be represented by an agency so that I could publish a much-expanded and revised edition, with lavish color illustrations. This would be a coffee-table–worthy collection that would include many of the striking images and additional material that I post on the book’s Facebook page.

***

Postscript: Sheryl subsequently tagged me for the series, so I’ll be sharing next week about Greenwoman Magazine.

–Sandra Knauf

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February 2, 2013 · 7:55 pm

Home is Where Your Madness Blooms

Reblogged from gardenhood:

Click to visit the original post

Last summer, hanging a week's worth of gardening garb out to dry, I noticed that some of the T-shirts were more faded on the back than in the front. Chuckling to my self, I thought, "You know you're a gardener when this happens." Quicker than the proverbial wink, the question followed: When did I actually know I was a gardener? Did it really begin when grade-school-me planted carrots in the sandbox outside the kitchen door?

Read more… 442 more words

I don't think Cheryl will mind that I am "reblogging" her fantastic post. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Cheryl - and thank you for being a part of Greenwoman Magazine!

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January 31, 2013 · 8:36 pm

Fracking Hell, Part V – Lucy’s Letter to Colorado Springs’ City Council

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I couldn’t agree more.

 

First, an important message: as obsessed as I am with the horrible fracking situation in my beloved Colorado, and as much as I want to help, as much as I can, I’m taking a break from that subject on Flora’s Forum after this  post.  I need to get back to sharing good news here–about art, about wonder, about beauty on this good earth. That’s what this blog is about.

But before I switch gears, I had to do one more post.

This environmental issue is one of the biggest facing our country. There are many lies being told. And so much at stake.

I’d like to share a powerful letter from my friend Lucy. She’s spoken to people she knew as kids (she was their elementary school teacher) who are now dealing with a fracking nightmare.

She was going to give this speech in December, and then the vote was delayed to February 11th, 2013.

* * *

Letter to City Council

December 14, 2012

My name is Lucy Bell. I want to briefly talk about the development of the Bakken Shale formation in North Dakota.

Why would that be of interest in Colorado? The Bakken was first surveyed in 1995. They are roughly fifteen years ahead of where we are now. North Dakota is a window into our future, and while the economic boom captures headlines, the dark side is rarely reported.

In 2011 I made a pilgrimage to New Town, North Dakota, located on the Fort Berthold Indian reservation, fifty years after I began my teaching career there. My intention was to look up my first graders, now 56 years old. It was an unforgettable experience, but a surprise I had not anticipated was the vast change in the area, now dominated by huge trucks and tankers hauling sand, water, and chemicals to hundreds of drilling sites.

That led to my investigation into fracking.

Last week I read an article by the Food and Environment Reporting Network, published in Nation magazine that reports on the Schilke ranch near Williston in the Bakken formation of western North Dakota. Their cattle, healthy before fracking began, are now dying . Many calves are born dead. The cattle have swollen legs, infections and their tails have dropped off.

A big market existed for Jacki Schilke’s black Angus beef, but she’s no longer selling it or eating it. Since fracking began on thirty-two oil and gas wells within a three-mile radius of her ranch, Jacki, too, has developed health problems, diagnosed as neurotoxic damage.

Air testing revealed elevated levels of benzene, methane, cholorform, butane, propane, toluene, and xylene. Also arsenic and other heavy metals. Even her vegetables are not safe to eat.

I immediately thought of two of my students I’d met, both ranchers not far from the Schilke ranch. We’d renewed our acquaintance at a restaurant in Killdeer, North Dakota. I laughed when they pulled out their wallets and had as many pictures of their heifers as they did of their kids.

I called Annie* hoping she’d tell me that story was hyped and things weren’t that bad. Wrong! When she began talking, I heard the same story I’d heard from people in the documentaries Gasland and Split Estate. She and her husband signed with an oil company, which has not kept their share of the bargain. Numerous violations including the destruction of a dam on their property were ignored or inadequately repaired. When they went for help to the state, they were told “It’s not our jurisdiction , see your lawyer.”

A creek runs through the whole area. It has turned neighbor against neighbor as the oil company drains off the water and drills water wells. Fracking takes 3-5 million gallons for each well, and the drillers are desperate for water. Landowners are not treated equally—there is an atmosphere of suspicion and distrust.

I asked Annie if she had seen the Schilke article. She said someone anonymously placed it where she works. People are afraid to anger the oil company because they may have to pay back money they no longer have.

Then Annie addressed a topic that sounded like it came from Ken Burns’ latest PBS special on The Dust Bowl. She said, “The worst thing is the dust. It’s constant.”(from

trucks going to the fracking sites.) “It’s in the air. It’s all over everything. It never goes away.” I told her that an autopsy of the Schilke cattle had shown they died of dust pneumonia, the same thing that killed people during the Dust Bowl.

Two points I want to leave you with:

1. We need clean air, clean water and clean soil to produce safe food.

2. Water is our most precious resource. The oil companies suck it up wherever they can get it. When the water comes back to the surface after fracking, it is poisoned. Forever. It is industrial waste that has to be stored somewhere—another problem. No form of life can exist on this planet without clean water.

Source: http://www.thenation.com/article/171504/fracking-our-food-supply

*Name changed to protect privacy

* * *

The next City Council meeting is on February 12th at 1 p.m. My personal opinion: the public needs to raise holy hell.

To send them a letter, or to get more information so you can attend this meeting, go here.

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December 7, 2012 · 6:37 pm

WTFrack Part IV: The Point of No Return for Colorado Springs, Colorado

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The fracking issue is far too important NOT to be involved in. It’s the future of Colorado Springs–our future! Dave Gardner, like many of us, has been researching this issue for a long time to come up to speed about the risks involved. What we know, now, beyond any doubt, is that the risks are huge and unacceptable.

His letter was published today in the Gazette’s Fresh Air and is reprinted below.

Now is the time to add your voice. Send a letter to your City Council representative today! (Send another one if you’ve already sent one!)

Show up for what may truly be the most important vote in city history on Tuesday, December 11th.

This is important. This is historic. I for one do not want to be in the situation to explain to future residents and generations–that I was here and I did nothing.

Thanks,

–Sandra

 

POINT OF NO RETURN: WILL THEY DRILL FOR OIL IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

The Colorado Springs City Council is scheduled to make the most important vote in city history on December 11. It could send us down a tragic path, from which there may be no return.

Banning-Lewis Ranch is a huge swath of land inside the city of Colorado Springs – about 22,000 acres that – before the housing bubble burst – were slated to become the site of 75,000 new dwellings and home to the next 180,000 residents of our city. Last year an energy company purchased most of Banning-Lewis Ranch out of bankruptcy – not to expand our city with more houses and strip malls, but to drill for oil and gas. This area has only now become ripe for drilling because of recently developed directional drilling and hydraulic fracturing technology. This “fracking” is necessary to release oil and gas from the rock formations beneath us.

Many citizens have been concerned and outspoken about the enormous quantities of water used in the hydraulic fracturing process. A single well typically requires several million gallons of water to frack. Our water resource in the arid West is oversubscribed and too precious to toxify and remove from the hydrologic cycle. Citizens are also concerned about the hazardous, poisonous and even carcinogenic nature of the chemicals mixed with the water and then injected underground during fracking. Drilling and fracking also release toxins into the air.

Many have been unaware of these plans. Of those who have known, many have been quiet. Some assume elected officials will look after our best interests without needing our input. That appears to be a false assumption. Others feel the drilling will be “way out east, far away from us, a good location for heavy industry like oil and gas exploration and production.” There are just two problems with that perspective:

1) The impacts will not be confined to a limited area.

2) The drilling itself is not necessarily limited to the undeveloped prairie of Banning-Lewis.

Poisonous chemicals are turning up in both the air and the groundwater near drilling and fracking sites around the world. Due to underfunded and inadequate oversight, the hard evidence has been accumulating slowly and is often refuted by the industry. Due to wishful thinking, industry sound bites have carried more weight than warranted. The mounting evidence is, however, becoming harder to ignore.

While air and water quality problems will be worse in close proximity to drilling, they won’t always be confined to that area. What is most alarming, however, is that there is no guarantee the drilling won’t eventually happen in your own neighborhood. The ordinance amendment up for a city council vote December 11 will allow drilling in residentially zoned parts of the city, where drilling is currently prohibited.

When you think about it, the process seems a poor choice anywhere. There is no shortage of stories about disease outbreaks, cattle dying, people falling ill and well-water contamination occurring in rural areas shortly after drilling has begun. The risks associated with the chemicals used in the fracking process include neurological disorders, cancer, birth defects and infertility.

Now, imagine how you’ll feel when the drilling crew starts setting up at the end of your cul de sac. Few of us own the mineral rights beneath our own property. Very little protects us from these toxins being pumped into the ground or released into the air in our own neighborhoods. The only thing that today prevents this is our city zoning regulations that prevent industrial activity like drilling in areas that are zoned residential. That’s a rule few would question. It makes perfect sense.

That sensible rule, however, is on the chopping block. 6 of our 9 city councilors voted November 27 to do away with it. Council has to vote a second time – December 11 – to make it official. This is probably the most significant and potentially community-killing vote ever to be placed before a Colorado Springs city council.

Why would 6 of our councilors choose to allow drilling in a residential area? In a nutshell, Banning-Lewis Ranch is zoned residential. So even though the land purchased by Ultra Resources is largely vacant, drilling cannot begin unless we change our zoning regulations. Still, that does not seem reason enough for these 6 councilors to put all our residential neighborhoods at risk.

This is where it gets complicated. These councilors are bowing to pressure from the state. Our governor and the state agency tasked with regulating the oil and gas industry want our state to become a domestic energy sacrifice zone. They are advising us we cannot legally prohibit drilling in a residential area. Huh? Really? The final court battle on this subject is yet to be fought. A rising number of cities, states, and even countries, are in fact prohibiting some or all aspects of drilling or fracking.

We have a governor who records commercials for the Colorado Oil & Gas Association. We have a regulatory agency with 17 inspectors for 47,000 wells. Do the

Do the math. That’s one inspector for 2,765 wells. The number of wells is projected to increase rapidly, and that agency is considering adding 5 inspectors. It is a joke. They admittedly depend on people getting sick and calling them in order to discover violations of safety procedures.

While the state licks its lips over the enticing potential tax revenue from all that drilling, evidence is piling up that the energy companies are not capable of drilling and fracking safely. It’s early enough in the game that the oilmen are able to cast some doubt on the evidence. Many want to believe we can have abundant, cheap gas from these shale formations without killing our kids and poisoning our environment. This debate is currently being played out, largely with deceptive sound bites on one side and a growing body of data on the other.

So here in Colorado Springs, Ultra Resources purchased land on which drilling was (and still is) prohibited. They speculated they would be able to change this. Today, the burden is on them to make that happen. If they can’t get the law changed, they cannot sue our city for taking their property rights – for they knowingly purchased this land on which drilling was prohibited.

Now, I’m no attorney, but it would appear that if these 6 city councilors sell us out on December 11 and vote to allow drilling in residentially zoned parts of the city, Ultra’s legal rights probably change overnight. What if a year from now the evidence is impossible to ignore, and our city council is convinced that fracking is deadly and drilling is killing our air, water, health, tourism, etc.? Can they then prohibit these activities in residential areas (or perhaps everywhere)? It will probably be too late. It may well be that Ultra could then make the case that such a change would constitute a taking of their property rights. We could either be prevented from fixing our regulations or we could be sued for millions of dollars in lost potential oil and gas revenue.

We may well be at a point of no return. It’s likely a yes vote to allow drilling in all areas of our city can never be undone, no matter what we learn over the coming years about the dangers. I think we know enough today. But if these 6 city councilors are waiting for more evidence to pile up before they act to protect and defend our community, it will be too late.

The council meeting begins at 1:00 at our old City Hall, corner of Nevada and Kiowa. If you want to call or write your city councilors, find contact information here.

Dave Gardner
Founder of SaveTheSprings
Director of GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth

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December 3, 2012 · 3:24 pm

WTFrack Part III – Free Fracking Film Festival! (And how about that alliteration?)

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Everything you wanted to know about fracking . . . but damn, you didn’t want to have to ask!

No matter. We have to to be informed–and it’s a good thing. Knowledge is power, and only with power we can protect our future!

I hope you’ll consider going to this FREE film festival this Saturday. (Thank you, Becky Elder & Lucy Bell, for forwarding this information to me.)

–Sandra

 

Fracking Film Festival

WHEN     Saturday December 8th, 2012

FREE!!!    Come discover Truth about Fracking!

WHERE  Colorado College in the Max Kade Theatre – room 300 of Armstrong Hall, Colorado Springs.

FILMS TO BE SHOWN    Gasland, Truthland, The Sky is Pink, and clips from Longmont.
There will be brief local speakers and a Q & A session at the end.
Films will start at 1:00 p.m.

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November 13, 2012 · 7:25 pm

WTFrack Part II – It’s not about hating natural gas, it’s about loving our country (and our future) more.

This land is OUR land.

This morning, I got a little teary.

Back story: I had just forwarded a letter to all my Colorado Springs friends about what is going on with fracking in our county (see below–after Rebekah’s letter). I didn’t get to it right away and I was feeling a little rushed and a little guilty for not acting sooner. I tried to let myself off the hook a little by saying, hey girl, you have two jobs, a family to take care of, but I wasn’t buying it. Some things are important. This was one of them.

So I sent out the e-mail and then did something I should have done long ago but didn’t. I finally watched Gasland in its entirety. Not just the first 30 minutes, which is where I stopped last time, but all of it. If you haven’t watched this important, life-changing, multi-award winning film, you need to, NOW.  Yes, I know how it is. I have watched a lot of documentaries on the environment this year and I think exactly what most of you are thinking: “I know it’s important, but I don’t want to watch . . . now. It’s more bad news! It’s gonna hurt. I’ll watch it . . . later. . . soon.”

Yes, it does hurt a little. Hard truths are . . . hard. But it hurts more if you don’t know the truth. Knowledge is power–but I don’t need to tell you that.

How about this? It’s your patriotic duty! If you don’t live in an area where there is fracking–or, the threat of it–it’s still important that you know about it. These are our people, and this is our country, our land, and some very bad things are going down. This subject concerns every single American. It matters not where you live, or your political affiliation, or age, or any of that.

So I sent the forward this morning, with my own plea for action, and within an hour got this back from Rebekah Shardy. She’s a new friend (and the author of an amazing fiction story that will appear in Greenwoman Issue #4).  I was touched by her fast action and the beauty of her letter.

Please join us in learning about what is going on and working to change things for the better. Every little bit ultimately helps a whole heck of a lot.

–Sandra Knauf

* * *

Dear Council of the City of Colorado Springs:

I have lived in Colorado Springs for 29 years, arriving with my husband and newborn child in 1983. I have held responsible positions for local companies, paid taxes, served the Pikes Peak Library and other important non-profit civic ventures, donated to charity, received awards for volunteering and from the Pikes Peak Arts Council, and have worked the past five years as Manager of Volunteers for Odyssey Hospice.

No matter how challenging social or economic circumstances have been in nearly three decades, one thing never changed, and that has  kept  me in Colorado Springs, and many like me. That is the  divine gift of natural beauty here. Gifts, however, are tricky things: you dare not take them for granted, as they are not a right, not an entitlement, but a boon. We can turn out to not deserve certain gifts, to spurn or abuse them – gifts like our healthy and attractive environment – and lose them forever.

I came here from Akron, Ohio. Not far from my town extensive fracking led to a surprise earthquake from a surprising area of the country that never knew one. Sure, the financial interests behind it will deny it with the best scientific reports that money can buy. Liars figure, and figures lie. But common sense tells you that you cannot destabilize the ground we stand on in a concerted, deliberate and unnatural manner and not reap dire consequences.

I have become friends with Native Americans in Colorado. From their point of view, fracking is a violent assault on Mother Earth to bleed her. We cannot take what we cannot replace without a bankruptcy of safety and security sooner or later; problems such as contaminated ground water and instability will be the beginning of woes far larger than gas prices.

True and right leadership looks at the long picture, not the excitement of short-term gains. Wisdom cares about the whole; it is overdue, the time to consider the planet that serves us, and to serve its healthy constitution so we may both thrive.

Sincere regards,
Rebekah Shardy

* * *

And, the original letter from  Laurel Beidermann, CS Citizens for Community Rights

Friends,

Things are getting serious here in the Springs. The City Council is voting (11/27) on a set of “regulations” for oil and gas in our city which were, for all intensive purposes, “co-authored” by the oil and gas commission. Can you say “conflict of interest”?

These regs include; Voluntary water sampling!, Voluntary air sampling!, and No “teeth” or repercussions for contamination! Because, remember, under The Halliburton Loophole, oil and gas is NOT liable for groundwater contamination. No other industry would be allowed to back up to a hole in the ground and dump toxic chemicals into it. Why is our State and Federal government allowing this industry to do something that no other industry is allowed to do? $$$$$$ Money, Money, Money!

You might not think this affects you but it does and it will.

Your health, the health of your children, and your grandchildren is at stake here.

Fracking is not just something “way out East at Banning Lewis Ranch”. Once oil and gas is in, they are IN and it’s coming this way! The next areas being looked at are Flying Horse Ranch, Spring Creek, UCCS campus, and many other areas around town that meet the acreage criteria.

You probably do not own the sub surface mineral rights below your property (only a tiny % of landowners do) and the well pads for these giant rigs only have to be 350 feet from your from your front door. Watch a trailer for Split Estate on You Tube to see the realities of this situation.

Remember that each of these wells DESTROYS 5 million gallons of water per frack. This water, laced with toxic and cancer causing chemicals, is unusable for any living thing once it comes out. Where do they dump it? Where is it stored? Where is “away” when they (oil and gas) take it “away”? These are important questions to ask.

Ultra Resources, the company that was given a permit for at Banning Lewis Ranch for two pads (which can include up to 40 wells on this site) , had over 200 violations in the last FIVE years! Now, they will be coming to OUR town. There are currently 48,000 active wells in Colorado and 1000′s more are coming. There are only 13 inspectors now for the entire state and, by their own records, 67% of the wells never were looked at in 2011 (the last time they published a report and, at that time, they had 17 inspectors)!  More wells are being drilled every day but number of inspectors is going down.

Did you know that a Suncor drilling operation is currently leaking benzene contaminated water into the South Platte at a rate of 3000 gallons PER MINUTE? It’s been leaking since February 2011 (yes, that says 11, not 12) and, while this is leaking, Suncor and Denver Metro are squabbling over who will clean it up.

This isn’t an isolated incident. Water resources around our State are being threatened by this filthy and pathetically regulated industry.

Please show your support for anti-fracking by attending some or all of the following important events to become educated on the subject. And please help spread the word. For those of you that say “it’s hopeless and a done deal”, have faith!

The City of Longmont’s YES ON 300 passed last Tuesday, miraculously (against all odds and a million dollars worth of opposition from oil and gas), and we can accomplish a similar goal here in the Springs with increased support from our community.

Our air quality, soil quality, views, and our safe and abundant drinking water is at stake.

Write an email to city council at allcouncil@springsgov.com to let them know how you feel about this important issue.

Important Dates:

*November 14th – Armstrong Hall at C.C. – Josh Fox speaking (Director of Gasland) – 7:00 p.m. FREE (I changed the date–it did read 6 p.m.)

*November 27th – City Hall Council Meeting – Voting on regulations – Noon (rally on the corner) and 1:00 p.m. City Council Meeting – FREE

*December 8th – Armstrong Hall #300-Max Kade Theatre – The Truth about Fracking Film Fest 1-5 p.m. FREE

*January 8th – Wes Wilson (EPA “whistleblower” featured in the Gasland movie) and Phil Doe, of Be The Change, Presentation on Fracking – 6:30 p.m. at

Old Town Bike Shop -Trying to get standing room only at this one! Please come!!! It’s FREE!

* * *

Final note:

Again–NOW the time to watch Gasland. It’s available almost everywhere: Netflix, Blockbuster, your library, Amazon. Make some popcorn, get some nice, good Colorado tap water,  and check it out.

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October 28, 2012 · 2:57 pm

Reblogged from the tasty tRuth:

There is currently a glut of delicious, organic, pumpkin-pie making squash available locally. I think it's time to cook a few for the smoothie pantry!

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