Flowing Stream and Moss Covered Rocks wallpaper
It’s Now Legal to Catch a Raindrop in Colorado
DURANGO, Colo. — For the first time since territorial days, rain will be free for the catching here, as more and more thirsty states part ways with one of the most entrenched codes of the West.
Precipitation, every last drop or flake, was assigned ownership from the moment it fell in many Western states, making scofflaws of people who scooped rainfall from their own gutters. In some instances, the rights to that water were assigned a century or more ago.
I knew that water rights out west could be complicated, but this appeared to me at least, to be arcane even for Colorado. There have been various blog postings and comments on this story and the expanations as to why it was illegal, though seldom enforced for homeowners to have rain barrel and other collection systems, did have some logic behind it. Thankfully for Colorado residents, claims that collecting rain water at the homeowner level hurt farmers and businesses, were proved by a study to be unfounded – “97 percent of the precipitation that fell in Douglas County, near Denver, never got anywhere near a stream. The water evaporated or was used by plants.”
Overfishing began 1000 years ago: study
In Europe, a shift to eating marine fish species from locally caught freshwater fish happened about 1000 years ago.
“The size of freshwater fish caught by Europeans started shrinking in medieval times … likely caused by increased exploitation and pollution,” says an HMAP statement, based on freshwater fish remains dumped in northwest Europe and England.
New fishing boats in the 16th century made it possible to fish in deeper seas and a “real revolution” came in the mid-17th century when pairs of boats started dragging much bigger nets.
Blue whales, orcas and dolphins used to be common off Cornwall in southwest England.
Examination of records including log books of whalers indicated that populations of the southern right whale off New Zealand totalled 22,000 to 32,000 in the early 19th century. They now total approximately 1000.
One of those instances where small advances in technology – better boats and nets – helped feed people, but more people with better diets didn’t do the kind of fishery management that should have gone hand in hand with the new technology.
