Environment Discovery

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) launched a new tool for water prediction this month. Powered by a supercomputer, the  National Water Model  (NWM) will greatly improve NOAA's water flow forecasts for 2.7 million streams across the continental U.S. This highly sophisticated model includes forecasts for snow melt, soil moisture, surface runoff and other important factors in flooding. Information from the model helps the National Weather Service predict the when and where of potential flooding, It will also help predict how deep the flooding might be. As part of NOAA's Water Initiative, the new model is part of a program to help communities and businesses prepare for and respond to severe weather. The NWM will be used along with National Ocean Service coastal models to improve forecasts for coastal areas as well. Forecasts can be done in short range (1-15 hours), medium range (1-10 days) and long range (30-day) cycles. As the 2016 flood i

 Since I wore myself out with tech support trying to get my email working today . . . I'm just going to post some of my nature pics for your enjoyment. Photography is a great way to learn appreciation for the environment around us! Flamingo at the Jacksonville Zoo Sea oats Sunset at Cradle Creek Preserve Beautiful zebra swallowtail  Baby egrets at the Alligator Farm in St. Augustine

A damaged hoof or leg on a horse used to be a death sentence. But technology and amazing, dedicated veterinarians have changed that. Dear friends of mine who rescue horses, Chris and Dale Dunn of Ravenwood Farm Foundation, have been involved in helping a young little horse, Bucephalus ("Buc") , whose foot was caught in a fence. Buc lost his entire hoof--an injury that would have likely been fatal at one time. Instead, thanks to the work of Veterinary Inclusive Prosthetics/Orthotics  (VIP) in Bushnell, Florida, doctors are creating a new hoof and prosthetic leg for Buc. On their Facebook page , are photos of fawns, dogs, horses, cows and pigs with their prostheses! The previous owner of VIP, Bob Frank, and current owner, Ronnie Graves were certified by the American Board of Certification in orthotics and prosthetics before adapting their designs, techniques and materials for veterinary use. Thanks to people like Bob and Ronnie, science and technology can not only h