Some Meanderings on My Reading

In an attempt to keep my library fines to a minimum, I am working on finishing the stack of CT River books that I checked out at the beginning of the summer. (I feel so lucky to live in an area with a fantastic interlibrary loan system and with an amazing selection of books on the CT River.)

I just finished reading Nathaniel Tripp's book, Confluence: A River, The Environment, Politics, and The Fate of All Humanity. The book is a mix of history, politics, adventure, and anecdote. Tripp talks about his river journey with Vermont's Governor, Howard Dean. He confesses his illegally kept snowshoe rabbit. He rails against conflict of politics. He explains the science behind the water quality and fish population problems in the CT River. And, he shares an appreciation for the complexity and beauty of this river.

I have a lot of comments about the book, and I've written a lot in my expedition notebook. So, I will just share a few of my favorite quotes and most interesting learnings here. Quotes in italics, my comments in brown.

...Scientists are able to take a small bone called an otolith from the heads of anadromous fish and analyze the trace chemicals in it to determine which rivers that fish swam in. Rivers, and their tributaries, each have their own "fingerprints" that can be followed to the source and are recorded in layers of fish bone. (32)
Wow!

No matter how large or small, where the valley broadens and water slows, it begins to meander in a series of graceful curves, for rivers, too feel the Coriolis effect of the earth's spin, and their flow, too, spins like a corkscrew as it travels downstream. Given a uniform bed, the river's course becomes a sine wave, with the wavelength and amplitude depending on flow and gradient. Erosion and deposition of sediments is a constant process at each bend; centrifugal force throws water against the outside bank, cutting away at it, while fine sands and silt are deposited on the inside bank. (41)
This one is for Mr. Robinson. I am amazed by how much math there in in rivers.

I tell them that all great civilizations began beside rivers because of the rich soil, how wealth begins with soil. I show them how we are trying to stabilize the river with streamside plantings to prevent the erosion of valuable soil... (47)
I was excited to read this quote because it connects to exactly what Ms. Kang and I have talked about related to the social studies curriculum for 7th grade--river civilizations.

One of Reagan's first acts [as president] was to remove the solar panels that President Carter had installed on the White House roof. His administration wanted to put the memory of the energy crisis behind as quickly as possible. (62)
This book talked a lot about energy use. One of the main problems that the some of the fish are facing is that their habitat is being destroyed by dams along the river. It was interesting to note that back before 1950, there was such a low demand for electricity that the power companies didn't want to build any more hydroelectric plants. By the 1970's we had really increased our demand for energy. One of the main causes for that (according to the book which seems to have a rather liberal philosophy--that I agree with) energy demand is air conditioners. The hydroelectric dams are designed to be able to store up their water and release it at peak energy consumption times--in the middle of summer when so many people are using their air conditioners.

My fondest memories of school are the times when I was supposed to be in it but wasn't. (67)
This quote stuck out at me because the author is very intelligent, but really reject traditional schooling. I find this particularly interesting because Duggan is trying to prevent our students from having this feeling. We want to take learning beyond the walls of the classroom so that our students have fond memories of school.

They still had the two most precious things life offers anywhere: a deep connection to the mystery of life itself, and a deep connection to each other. (89)
Tripp said this in relation to the Cree people that he went to visit in Canada. In my study of community, I have also found that this connection to community is important. I think we have to remember to focus on this in our expedition this year.

There is little regulation of roadside advertising in New Hampshire, and zoning is nearly absen in the New Hampshire towns of the Upper Valley, being perceived as one of the most egregious examples fo the loss of property rights. While Vermont villages remain relatively compact and neat, those on the New Hampshire side of the river have often lost their center, with business and residences meandering across abandoned farms and woodlots. Trailer parks and shopping centers are welcomed, and often locate in the floodplains at the river's edge, attracting displaced Vermonters. Vermont, on the other hand, is largely underlain by softer and sweeter derivatives of limestone....The state...started publishing Vermont Life, the first state tourism magazine in the nation. It portrayed a romantic place with white clapboard villages and rolling farmscapes, where friendly people in checkered shirts made maple syrup, cheese, and crafts. (94)
This is exactly the difference I saw when I was up in the CT Lakes region. When I crossed over the border from Vermont into New Hampshire, I noticed a clear difference between the two. I couldn't put it into words to describe it, but Tripp has described it perfectly.

We began enthusiastically planning the fieldwork, consulting local residents in the selection of the sampling sites. During one of our local planning sessions, a representative from the consulting firm that would be doing the work happened to casually mention that its protocol required technicians to wear Tyvek suits with rubber boots and gloves while doing the work. Suddenly what had seemed like it might be both fun and instructive began to look ridiculous as well....There were already rumors of men in chemical warfare suits being spotted at night.... We asked why on earth anyone would want to wear a hot, sticky, Tyvek suit to take samples from a river in which the rest of us cavorted wearing swimsuits or less, and they answered in humorless monotone that it wasn't just the river, it was the possibility of ticks and poison ivy on the shorelines too. What a weird society we have come to live in. Perhaps it is the constant threat of litigation that has made us all so defensive. Certainly it is in the interest of the makers of Tyvek to encourage people to wear one of their suits at all times. But it is more than an affront to me personally, as one who believes in both science and common sense, and proposes that they may in fact be the same thing. (135)
I know that quote is rather long, but I think it is super funny. I am all about being safe, and wearing long pants if I am walking in an area with a lot of ticks. But, wearing chemical protection suits just seems to be going too far!