Global Warming and EPA's New Proposal

Creating Dreams For Children

As a child I always dreamed of having a treehouse in a large old tree, built high up in it's enormous branches.  The movie that started my love for treehouses was Walt Disneys' Swiss Family Robinson, and I dreamed of that treehouse. I'm an adult now and I still love treehouses and I still hold on to my whimsical dream that one day I'd have my home in the trees.

There is a special place called the Retreat at Candlelight Ranch a non-profit organization providing outdoor education and recreational activities for children. The organization had a vision of building and providing all kids, regardless of their disability a chance to enjoy what so many of us take for granted  and that's be able to climb up into the trees tops to a perched treehouse and play.  Candlelight Ranch latest addition  is a retreat and a refuge for kids with special needs.  The treehouse is built with them in mind having a 130 foot wheelchair ramp, elevated walkway and 4 rest platforms, where you can enjoy the fresh air, the spectacular views and  enjoy being up in the tree tops.

This organization have many camps and programs  across the U.S., this one is located in Texas,  there is  also Hole in the Wall Camp in Connecticut and Crotched Mt Rehabilitation in New Hampshire. The camps and programs are set up for chronically and terminally ill, physically disabled, low-income and at risk children.  Providing them with a place where they can be a kid, laugh, enjoy other kids and  allow their imagination  to run wild, eager for the adventure ahead.
          

Solving Chronic Homelessness in one California City

Sacramento City and County, Community Service Planning Council have a Ten Year Plan to eventually eliminate chronic homelessness by providing permanent housing and coordinate  services to help those participating in the program to achieve maximum self-sufficiency.

This Ten Year Plan was established in 2007 with a Policy Board with public and private sector community leaders who are responsible for the planned direction, oversight and support for the Ten Year Plan and homeless services.  In addition, an Interagency Council consisting of government agencies, service providers and community stockholders who have the responsibilities for planning and coordinating service delivery.  Interagency Council also includes ten committees focusing on improvements in the systems that affect homeless people of Sacramento County like the healthcare sector and criminal justice system.

The definition of chronic homeless are those with disabling conditions, serious mental illness, developmental disability, chronic physical illness and substance use disorder and having been on the street or shelters for a year or more and also four or more episodes of homelessness.

In the past, there was a 5 Year Plan to reduce the homeless in Sacramento County a plan that unfortunately was dissolved due to the lack of dedication by those involved.  No follow up reports were done to tract the outcome of this plan and the plan was dissolved in 2007.  A new Board and a Ten Year Plan was developed not only reduce homelessness in Sacramento but to address the problems and adopt a plan to eliminate chronic homelessness.  The plan is to provide permanent housing, improved services and making these services and support available to those who are in the program.

The success of the Ten Year Plan depends on the dedication and focus of those involved.  Keeping in mind their roles of responsibilities for the continual planning, direction, and support until the completion of the vision of the Ten Year Plan. 

Governor Palin and Alaska Wildlife

Governor Palin appears to have no love or  compassion for the well being of the State of Alaska wildlife.  Palin supports hunting wolves, wolverines and bears from an airplane. She actually approved the killing of female black bears and cubs as part of this program. She has offered an incentive of $150.00 bounty to hunters who kill the most wolves.  The purpose behind all of this is not to help control the over population of a species, but is to serve the special interest of wealth hunting groups.

Governor Palin is fighting against the polar bear being placed on the endangered species list because this  would hinder the exploration and drilling of oil by big corporations. She prefers to support the oil companies and not the polar bears.  The polar bear is predicted to become extinct over the next 50 years due to diminishing ice and the inability to hunt where they once hunted. The polar bears are starving, the cubs are drowning at sea, as the ice disappears, plus the female polar bears now give birth to fewer cubs.

Governor Palin supports drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, home to hundreds of thousands of caribou who use these lands as calving grounds. The refuge also supports migratory birds and numerous other species of wildlife. Another area at risk is Bristol Bay which Palin supports for drilling and this will effect the marine life, including the endangered polar bear and beluga whale.  Governor Palin does not want to list the Cook Inlet beluga whales as threatened or endangered. Due to pollution and the increase of ship traffic through their habitat there has been a decline of this beautiful creature. Governor Palins reason for not supporting the efforts to help the beluga whale is because of the large oil corporations.  Palin wants to remove any obstacles that will prevent large oil companies from coming to Alaska to do business and more. 

Governor Palin could become our Vice President or even President of the United States and this is truly a frightening thought!

What's Happening in the Arctic

Global warming is creating havoc around the world and many things are changing. The west Antarctic where there is 700,000 cubic miles and an average thickness of 4,000 feet of ice is holding enough water to raise sea levels by 15 to 20 feet and is melting off 130 billion tons of ice per year. In 2007, many experts from around the world proposed that the changes in the air circulation patterns created by our warming atmosphere lead to increased warming waters along the antarctic coast, which has increased the melting of the floating ice sheet. There is also growing evidence that the ice melting has increased and is accelerating with 75% loss from 1996-2006.  Other predications are that scientist anticipates that most of the summer arctic ice will be gone in five to ten years.

With the melting ice, more opportunities that are commercial have opened up for mining, fishing and more available resources.  Big commercial business of course wants to take advantage of these resources from several countries, besides the United States.  The fishing industries now have new waters that were not accessible before will become available to them.  The melting of the ice has exposed the opportunity to mine diamonds, gold to nickel, and copper.  These is also the yet to be discovered natural gas and off shore drilling of oil.  We have Russia, Norway, Greenland, along with the United States commercial businesses who all want to take advantage of all these resources.  One nation who is  being very aggressive in their bid for the rights is Russia and they feel that they have sovereignty over the arctic.

Some foresee that there will be a race between these nations where the rules and practices for the arctic will be established.  The United States has not shown an aggressive interest like Russia and some feel we need to take the future of the arctic seriously, and consider now what part will we play moving forward.  If the United States does not take this seriously and ignore the opportunities, we may find that our future in the arctic is not what we want or need for the future.

What roles should all the nations involved be, not just one nation but all in sharing these resources, making sure that the environment and wildlife are taken care of first, while fulfilling the needs of so many?

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