1
10
3
-
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398860dce33d24c71b39eb21a4751de5
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Western Shoshone Oral Histories
Subject
The topic of the resource
Oral histories of Western Shoshone elders collected by the Great Basin Indian Archive.
Description
An account of the resource
Oral histories compiled
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Great Basin Indian Archive, in partnership with Barrick Gold of North America
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
GBIA Oral History Collections
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Great Basin Indian Archive
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
2006-2015
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview
Norm Cavanaugh
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed
Rosie Hall Jones
Location
The location of the interview
Duck Valley reservation (Owyhee, NV-ID)
Transcription
Any written text transcribed from a sound
Transcription in progress (07/01/2017)
Original Format
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AVI and MP4 format
Duration
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00:23:21
Dublin Core
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Title
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Rosie Hall Jones - Oral history (04/14/2014)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Oral history interview with Rosie Hall Jones, Western Shoshone from Duck Valley reservation (Owyhee, NV-ID) on 04/14/2014
Description
An account of the resource
Rosie Hall is a Western Shoshone from Duck Valley reservation (Owyhee, NV-ID). Her family came from various areas throughout the Great Basin region such as Ruby Valley and Paradise Valley. Her family was came from the Ainga diccada group. She speaks about how her family always had kids playing in their house, and how the traditional medicinal practices were carried out. She tells us about how the water rights issue took place in Owyhee too. Rosie also speaks about how the U.S. cavalry used to treat the Western Shoshone people.
Creator
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Great Basin Indian Archives
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Great Basin Indian Archives - GBIA 031
Publisher
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Great Basin Indian Archives
Date
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04/14/2014 [14 April 2014]; 2014 April 14
Contributor
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Norm Cavanaugh [interviewer]; James Hedrick [GBIA/VHC]; University of Utah SYLAP [streaming video]; Great Basin College; BARRICK Gold of North America
Rights
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Non-commercial scholarly and educational use only. Not to be reproduced or published without express permission. All rights reserved. Great Basin Indian Archives © 2017.
Consent form on file (administrator access only): http://humanities.gbcnv.edu/omeka/admin/items/show/393
Language
A language of the resource
Shoshoni
Community
Crossroads
Duck Valley Reservation
GBIA
Owyhee
Shoshone
Story
traditional medicines
U.S. Cavalry
water
water rights
-
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df462d9036f6bf23e974cf3a4a8ea012
PDF Text
Text
Johnny
Bobb
Great
Basin
Indian
Archive
GBIA
042
Oral
History
Interview
by
Norm
Cavanaugh
September
20,
2014
Yomba,
NV
Great
Basin
College
•
Great
Basin
Indian
Archives
1500
College
Parkway
Elko,
Nevada
89801
hDp://www.gbcnv.edu/gbia/
775.738.8493
Produced
in
partnership
with
Barrick
Gold
of
North
America
�GBIA 042
Interviewee: Johnny Bobb
Interviewer: Norm Cavanaugh
Date: September 20, 2014
B:
Hello. My name is Johnny Bobb, and I came from Yomba Indian reservation. I was born
and raised up the valley, south of Austin, Nevada. I was raised with my grandma,
grandpa. Everybody else out there worked hard for their living. Aishe wookkah po’i
[1:08]. From there, when I was growing up, I had a hard life. Because most of the time, I
didn’t have—parents didn’t have food. Because they couldn’t get to town sometimes, it
was hard to get to town. It was so isolated that town was too far for us to travel every
month. But we did it somehow. Because I don’t really remember, because I don’t really
travel with them to town because it was too far. So me and Grandma, and my sisters or
brothers, we stayed home, played, went up in the mountains. But I think the most
important thing was that we had to know the reason why we were brought up that way.
Because it was a hard life, and hard lecture from our parents, grandparents, to see—we
were to be safe. And get fed. That was the first thing that our parents always thought
about: us being fed, us being healthy, get the right kind of food in our system, so we
could grow up to be strong. My uncle—they came from different area. Most of the people
that came to Yomba, it wasn’t a reservation then. It was something where the BIA had us
put there to open up a reservation. Most of my people came from Smoky Valley, Monitor
Valley, Little Antelope Valley. And then, from there, you see Duckwater, and Ely, and
then wherever else. But for the wintertime, we always go down towards Yucca Mountain.
And that’s where, up in the mountains, they have caves. They have places for our people
to gather. They have places there for kids to run around, to be a man, and pick medicines
for the elders, and pick medicine to learn what it does when you use it in ceremonies. All
these thing about the medicine: we took care of it, with our prayers. We used the water;
�
GBIA
042;
Bobb;
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water was important. There was lots of water then. Now, there’s no water. Now, to come
to this place, people on the reservation—just drying up. Up in the mountains, mountains
are drying up. They’re not dying, they’re not dead. Because you don’t really use that dead
and dry it, dead this and dead that. We use it to, when we pass on or something. But you
know, when we look at the trees and everything else, we just dry up. But we use that for
good purposes: to make fire, chips, or use it for gardening. Or something like that. But in
our way, we have forgotten our languages, too. We’re not the ones that, out in Yomba,
know that things are going wrong for the people to know that everything is drying up. So
we keep trying to teach our kids, trying to let them know what’s happening. Nowadays,
more ceremonies we do, the more people we get, the more word we get out with our
prayers to look around and see what we’re talking about, for the kids to recognize
ourselves—themselves—to know what’s going on on this Mother Earth, and see things.
Right now, today, see clouds. It’s about wintertime. That winter is pretty—I think it’s
going to be long winter, but we’ll get that winter. Hopefully we’ll have good weather and
good rain. But this life goes on. You know, life goes on forever. Things that the Indians
used long time ago, we were studied by the white people. So, they learned from us. They
studied our medicine, they studied our ways, they studied our languages, they studied our
body, they studied our ways of standing on this Mother Earth. How we stand, how we use
our languages, what we use our languages for. How do we pray? They have that
knowledge now to go out and take a look at us in that way. The health clinic, you know?
They still experimenting on us. Nevada Test Site down there, and Mercury, down toward
that way. They’re still studying on us. We’re the pygmies of their country. We still stand
on our 1863 Treaty of Ruby Valley. When that Ruby Valley treaty was signed, it was for
�GBIA
042;
Bobb;
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Peace and Friendship. And the white people came from California and back and forth to
Colorado, wherever they take that gold. They travel that route, northern route, over here
in Nevada. And what the Indian did was, they just took and slaughtered this wagon
train—for what? Not the gold. Maybe the scalp. They like scalp, they like wagon, they
like horses. Maybe that’s all they took. And left the gold somewhere. And then white
people come back and take the gold and carried on, with guns. But we never did care for
gold. It was part of our ceremonies, it was part of our ceremonies that we use with our
sick people and everything else that depend on us with our prayers.
[Break in recording at 8:16]
B:
So, to continuing on this film, telling people that, guess what? The Shoshone National
Council is still around. We want the council to continuing with our traditional people. But
the people have to be coming from different reservations, and different areas, tribes, and
different places like cities where Shoshones are at. Got to be Shoshone traditional person
to recognize our traditional ways through our own government, where we be of our own
government. We are all taking stand, and learn, and talk about our traditional ways, and
what’s happening on this Mother Earth, and what’s happening on our reservation and our
treaty land, and our Sokopia. [Shoshone at 9:16] to leave it alone [Shoshone at 9:50]
Geneva [Shoshone at 11:23] treaty [Shoshone at 11:27] do the studying. When they
studying, [Shoshone at 12:00] guinea pig [Shoshone at 12:34].
You know, where this water that comes from this cloud up here to water the plants and
the animals, and to drink—for the mountains to drink, and everything is good. But water
keep pumping up from the ground for the wells to benefit them there, their part. And their
mining. They using lot of water! This water is for the Mother Earth. It stays. [__inaudible
�
GBIA
042;
Bobb;
Page
4
at 13:29__]. Everything should be—shouldn’t be looking dry, like this tree right here.
Through winter, it should be protected from that water, should be to protect it from this
Mother Earth being damp. Everything. You know, back east, there’s lots of water over
there, so that’s why it still stays free. But they have lots of water. And the flood is going
on? That’s good. But there was a reason for that. People better look at Mother Earth and
how it rotates, how it moves, how the water works. Water’s the very important life of the
Mother Earth. Take that time to think, you Indians! Take that time to think about our
language, how it is spoke. Not how it is pronounced. Because sometimes, we send our
kids to school, they come back not knowing our grammar. Not knowing our way, how we
speak. It’s their way, of how white people want to interpret our language, how they want
to use our language, how they want to use and understand our ways. Because that’s how
we went to school, learning the ABC and the vowels and all that. So, something’s got to
be done. Something’s got to be standing with us kids. This life is short. This life don’t
continue. [Shoshone at 15:13] Everything’s a story. The music’s a story. Everything is
prayer. Everything is taking care of this, our Mother. Everything is taking care of her
ways, because Appe, everything is taking care of our grandma. Everything is taking care
of our elders. So, that’s all I have to say right now. There’s lot more to say, but to
understand our way, you know, keep on praying. Keep on using our language, knowing
our ways. But there’s lot of people that—kids—that forgotten our ways, that’s already
grown up. To take care of all that, we got to stick together and do more ceremonies, and
get together, know one another. And Grandma always say, “We’re all related one way or
another.” So take care of yourself, and be happy, and know what’s out there. Because we,
�GBIA
042;
Bobb;
Page
5
the Newe people, we should know each other. We shouldn’t be far apart. Take care of
yourself. Ho’. Aishen kwai tsaa. Suntahaiken.
[End of recording]
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Western Shoshone Oral Histories
Subject
The topic of the resource
Oral histories of Western Shoshone elders collected by the Great Basin Indian Archive.
Description
An account of the resource
Oral histories compiled
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Great Basin Indian Archive, in partnership with Barrick Gold of North America
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
GBIA Oral History Collections
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Great Basin Indian Archive
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
2006-2015
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview
James Hedrick
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed
Johnny Bobb
Location
The location of the interview
Yomba, NV [Yomba reservation]
Transcription
Any written text transcribed from a sound
http://humanities.gbcnv.edu/omeka/admin/files/show/503
Original Format
The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
DVD, MP4, and AVI Format
Duration
Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.)
00:17:34
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Johnny Bobb - Oral history (09/20/2014)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Oral History Interview with Johnny Bobb, Western Shoshone from Yomba, NV, on 09/20/2014
Description
An account of the resource
<p>Johnny Bobb is a Western Shoshone from the Yomba reservation. He was born near Austin, Nevada and was raised by his grandma and grandpa. Johnny tells us of his up-bringing and how his grandparents were concerned with traditional practices being passed on. He explains how most of his relatives came from Smoky Valley, Monitor Valley, and Little Antelope Valley. Johnny describes how he learned to pick medicines for ceremonies and how they work together with prayer. He goes on to speak about Indian Health Services, the 1863 Ruby Valley Treaty, and the Nevada (Nuclear) Test Site down in Yucca, NV. Johnny also tells us about the pioneers coming through the Shoshone’s ancestral territories and how contact occurred. He goes on to speak about the importance of tradition, the water, the Shoshone language, and ceremonies and how they need to be carried on by younger generations.<br /> <br />Interviewed by Norm Cavanaugh</p>
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Creator
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Great Basin Indian Archives
Source
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Great Basin Indian Archives - GBIA 042
Publisher
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Great Basin Indian Archives
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
09/20/2017 [ 20 September 2014]; 2014 September 20
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
James Hedrick [interviewer]; Andrew Moore [GBIA]; Scott A. Gavorsky [VHC]; James Hedrick {GBIA/VHC]; University of Utah SYLAP [streaming video]; Great Basin College; BARRICK Gold of North America
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
Non-commercial scholarly and educational use only. Not to be reproduced or published without express permission. All rights reserved. Great Basin Indian Archives © 2017.
Consent form on file (administrator access only): http://humanities.gbcnv.edu/omeka/admin/files/show/487
Format
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mp4
Language
A language of the resource
English; Shoshone
1863 Ruby Valley Treaty
BIA
Community
Crossroads
GBIA
mining
Nevada Test Site
Shoshone
Shoshone Nation
Story
traditional medicines
traditions
water
Yomba
-
https://humanities.gbcnv.edu/omeka/files/original/db40366d9652de5e887f09ce498d39bf.pdf
01c2bbdaadca269b8978054b18570fad
PDF Text
Text
December 2015, Volume 2, Issue 1
Great Basin College Nature Club
Tortoise Talk
Hello Readers! Great Basin College Nature Club has returned for another season of adventures. We at Nature
Club promote physical fitness, collaboration between students, and public education on our local wildlife and
environment. This semester our main theme throughout our articles is water and its effects on everyday life. In
this issue, you will learn about the water sources, where it travels, how it helps all of us as humans, and how its
presence or even absence can also pose both dangers and advantages. Thank you for reading, and enjoy this issue!
Great Basin College
Nature Club Fall 2014
Inside This Issue
Semester Review
Page 2
The Water Cycle
Page 3-4
Water Use in the West
Page 5-6
What is an Aquifer?
Page 6-7
What is Groundwater?
Page 7
How the Movement of Water
Dictates Shelf Life
Water Purification Techniques
Page 9-10
Tsunamis
Page 10
Water Pollution
Page 11
Acid Rain
Page 12-13
Find It!
Top Row, Left to Right: Nicole DiCamillo, Tommy Miller, James Russum,
William Ortman
Middle Row, Left to Right: Victoria Caristo, Faisal Osman, Kip Magee, Sarah
Czipowski, Jessica Ceja, Shelby Harris
Bottom Row, Left to Right: Ed Kluss, Brionna Moore, Dakota Sanders
Page 8
Page 14
Trip and Activities Report
Page 15-18
Looking Ahead
Page 18
References
Page 19
Club Information
Page 20
GBC Nature Club, Tortoise Talk, Page 1
�Great Basin College Nature Club
Semester Review
W
elcome back readers to Nature Club’s second issue of Tortoise Talk! This Fall semester went by almost too quickly it seems. Nature
Club was busy as we had many awesome trips, great
guest speakers, a successful bake sale, and many members contribute to the research articles in this issue that
you are about to read!
A special
thanks to this semester's executive
board for their
efforts, and the
SGA for funding
one of our educational trips and
printing of this
newsletter. A special thanks to Kip Magee as he is not only a member
of GBCNC but also a senator for SGA. His work during the Oktoberfest event brought Nature Club closer
to the SGA family. A huge thank you as well to Jaqueline Lopez for sharing holiday decorations with NC
and Janis Collins, for helping with all of the behind the
scenes paperwork that needs to be done to go on trips
and have our fundraisers. We appreciate and thank
Shirley Jones for her help getting IAV and classrooms
reserved, David Hernandez for everything that he’s
done to help out with fliers and posters, Jenny Leung
for her interest in beginning a sub chapter in Elko and
we can’t forget to thank Dr. Rita Bagwe for all of her
input and support as our club adviser, and everyone
else who supported us.
Thanks to all of the other members: Jessica,
Shelby, Ed, James, Faisal, Nicole, Dakota, Victoria,
and Jose, for their interest in nature, conservation and
educational input. Without students who show interest
and take part in these activities and events we would
not be a club today.
Another special thank you to our speakers
Professor George Sausman, Professor Peter Bagley,
and Dr. Laurie Walsh for taking time out of their
schedules to come educate and enlighten our listeners
on their specialized fields. Professor Sausman enhanced our understanding about our theme, “water”
into a broad lecture about its properties, uses, and issues. Professor Bagley delivered a thought provoking
discussion about the introduction of wolves back into
Yellowstone National Park with perspective from his
background in Biology. Dr. Walsh prepared an incredible power point presentation that brought us to a
time when men and women hunted for their food,
gathered local herbs and plants, crafted unique tools,
and migrated from season to season.
Nature Club incorporates speaker presentations to enhance college students’ (as well as the community’s) outlook on the natural world all around us
but from a more technical and scientific perspective.
Nature Club had a total of 1 fundraiser, 3 socials, 3 speakers, 1 workshop, 14 meetings, and 6 trips
this semester. Nature Club wanted to take more trips
but schoolwork was a priority for the members. However, most of the members still managed to find a way
to attend a few of the events and also write an article to
help enhance our understanding of this semester’s
theme of water.
Nature Club invites you to sit back, relax and
enjoy the content in this issue’s newsletter. Prepare
yourself for a fun and informative read. Nature Club is
proud to share what we have spent this last semester
traveling and learning about our theme—-water!
GBC Nature Club, Tortoise Talk, Page 2
�December 2015, Volume 2, Issue 1
Brionna Moore
Nature Club– Treasurer
W
The Water Cycle
ater is the very substance that keeps us
alive, and without it we and the earth
would not exist. It is a substance that is made up of
two hydrogen molecules and one oxygen molecule:
H2O. Water can be found everywhere; on the earth
and in the atmosphere. The amount of water that was
here 10,000 years ago is the same exact amount that is
here now1. However, this water has been moved
around during a process called The Water Cycle or
The Hydrologic Cycle. There are several steps in this
process including evaporation (sublimation and transpiration), condensation, and precipitation. The Water
Cycle also accounts for the water moving through the
land via snow melt runoff, infiltration, and groundwater flow.
Although evaporation can be thought of as the
first step in the movement of water, it is important that
we talk about condensation first. Take a look at the
picture of the glass of water. What do you see?
We are all familiar with
these small droplets of
water on the outside of
the glass. These droplets
are caused by condensation. What exactly is condensation and how are
these small drops so important? Condensation is
defined as the process of
changing the water vapor
3
into liquid water . The important part is that the same
process that causes the droplets on the glass occurs in
our atmosphere where clouds form. The clouds are
pushed by the wind and the water moves around the
world. Now we ask how exactly the water gets in the
atmosphere. When we were in elementary school we
were taught a basic concept of this process; thinking of
the clouds as just coming by, without considering their
source, and that we simply drink the water that comes
down. However, there is really a cyclical process occurring that is much more complicated than that.
Evaporation is defined as the process in which
liquid water becomes water vapor3. This is opposite of
condensation where vapor becomes liquid. Evapora-
tion needs energy to occur3, and this energy can be
received in several different ways. One way is through
higher temperatures2. The higher the temperature of
the water, the more evaporation occurs. For example,
when you put a pot of water on the stove to boil it will
get more energy the longer that you leave it on. You
may start off with a cup of water, but in the end there
is less because some of it has evaporated. That steam
you see when something is boiling is caused by evaporation. Other factors such as humidity and wind also
bring about evaporation3. When this vapor moves into
the atmosphere it reaches a point in which the air
cools the vapor and changes it back into liquid water
droplets causing the formation of clouds3. The water
condensed into clouds.
There are other forms of evaporation that
occur. Not only do bodies of liquid water evaporate,
but so does water from plants and the ground. Transpiration is the process that occurs when a plant releases water vapor3. When a plant absorbs water through
its roots it travels to the leaves. When the plant releases this water as a vapor, thus transpiring, the ground
also releases water vapor. There is water in the ground
that travels to the surface is released into the air as
vapor3. The vapor formed from transpiration of the
plant leaves and the vapor that is released from the
ground are combined together and measured as evapotranspiration3. Factors that affect evapotranspiration
are similar to that of evaporation of bodies of water.
The factors include temperature, humidity, and wind3.
Factors specific to plant transpiration are the type of
plant and the overall moisture of the soil3.
GBC Nature Club, Tortoise Talk, Page 3
Continued on Page 4
�Great Basin College Nature Club
Continued from page 3
In a similar fashion to the vapor formed from evaporating bodies of water, vapor from evapotranspiration
travels to the atmosphere where it is condensed back
into liquid water.
Evaporation can also occur in a process called
sublimation. Sublimation is when snow that is on the
ground and frozen bodies of water evaporates without
first becoming liquid3. It goes from a solid to a vapor
which then travels into the atmosphere. This process
just like evaporation in that it only occurs when there
is heat or energy3. The heat that usually makes frozen
things sublimate is the sun, as it helps bodies of water
evaporate. Now let us look at condensation again. Sublimation is the process of vapor being released from
ice/snow. There is another process that occurs in the
atmosphere that is similar to sublimation. This process
is called desublimation or deposition. Deposition is
what happens when the vapor that is collected in the
atmosphere does not condense into liquid water but
into frozen water such as snow and frost3.
After the evaporative processes next step to
occur in The Water Cycle is precipitation. Precipitation occurs when tiny water droplets of water form on
other particles in the sky such as dust and smoke3. It
takes millions of these droplets to form one rain droplet. Once the rain droplets are formed the clouds release them and we have rain. The rain falls from the
clouds, sometimes lightly (what we call sprinkling) and
sometimes heavily (what we call a monsoon). Rain cannot occur without water from earth evaporating and
turning into water vapor, nor can it occur without that
water vapor condensing and turning back into water
and thus falling back on to earth. Precipitation also
occurs in the form of snow, sleet, hail and freezing
rain3. These do not occur because of condensation as
they are solid. Condensation creates liquid water.
These forms of precipitation form from deposition,
which we learned is vapor turning directly into a solid.
Once condensation or deposition has occurred, precipitation falls to the earth where it goes
back into bodies of water and the ground. Water that
falls onto the earth’s surface is infiltrated into the subsurface of the earth3. The infiltrated water can either
stay closer to the subsurface or seep down into the
groundwater3. When it stays near the subsurface the
plants drink the water and release vapor in transpiration, and simultaneously the ground releases water in
evaporation. The rest of the water seeps further into
the ground. Groundwater is the water that is in the
Earth's surface that fills in spaces between rock and
dirt3. This water can become part of natural aquifers
we as humans draw water from using wells, or it can
seep further down where it takes many years to work
its way back into the environment3. The water that
seeps into the ground also finds its way into streams,
rivers, lakes, and eventually the ocean.
Once the water enters these bodies it is once
again subject to evaporation, condensation, sublimation, deposition, transpiration, precipitation, and infiltration, and the cycle continues for eternity until the
earth ends. This is how the water that was here 1 million years ago is here today. It is quite possible that the
glass of water you are drinking right now contains water particles that were once in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
GBC Nature Club, Tortoise Talk, Page 4
�December 2015, Volume 2, Issue 1
William Ortman
Nature Club– President
Water Use in the West
W
ithout water there is no life and too much
water can take life away. Humans have
fought to maintain a balance with nature since the beginning. Originally man had to rely on primitive notions of hot and cold. In the case of mankind's relationship with water this meant “head towards rivers to
quench the tribe” or “hide in cave to avoid rains” or
“don't go near the sea.” “Conversion to the management of domesticated animals and cultivation of food
crops provided the surpluses that made possible the
rise of towns, with populations freed from direct
dependence on food getting (1).” This lead to a
small victory against nature, and allowed for humans to increase their numbers by staying near
rivers. They could farm, fish, and hunt animals
that came to fulfill their own needs for water. People realized that they could move water around to
feed their crops. However, they still faced the
threat of floods, and they still faced the threat of
droughts. One day man would rise to meet nature
at a point where they could decisively maintain it
if they could only see that they had gained the upper hand.
Mankind has steadily observed nature and innovated in order to protect itself. At first, the observations involved using patterns in order to adapt to the
whims of nature. For instance, “The Annual Flood of
the Nile was the most important event of the year for
the Ancient Egyptians. In a land without rain, Egypt's
very survival depended on the flood, for without it the
crops would fail and the people would starve (2).”
They spent their time observing the stars and realized
that when one particular star moved behind the sun
things would get hotter. Then they would wake up in
the mornings to watch for when the star would become
visible again and they could predict the flood. The
Egyptians formed their culture around these observations and they were able to thrive. Future advancements would lead to the reverse: Nature would have to
adapt to the whims of mankind.
In the desert southwest of the United States is
the Colorado River system. The river “channels water
south nearly 1,500 miles to a vast delta in Mexico and
into the Gulf of California.(3)” Natives and settlers
moving West during the 19th century settled along the
river and reaped the benefits of this freshwater source,
especially for farming. However, “The flow of the Colorado River is extremely erratic, varying from 4 to 22
million acre-feet annually at Lees Ferry. There is a ten-
dency for the high years or the low years to be
grouped, thus accentuating problems of river use (4).”
In order to break free of the river's tantrums man had
to use skills it had developed over hundreds of years to
manipulate the river and implement measures to maintain the availability of its life-giving resource.
Continued on Page 6
GBC Nature Club, Tortoise Talk, Page 5
�Great Basin College Nature Club
Continued from page 5
This is why “In 1928 Congress passed the Boulder
Canyon Project Act. The Act authorized the construction of Boulder (now Hoover) Dam, a multipurpose
water storage project that was a major engineering feat
of its time. The Colorado River system thus was the
first drainage basin in which the concept of the multipurpose dam was employed-e.g, for hydroelectric power development, irrigation, recreation, flood control,
and navigation (5).” The water source is now pushing
mankind ahead rather than dragging it behind.
But is it becoming too
much
to
push?
In
2012,
a
study by the
US Bureau
of Reclamation
concluded that “There are likely to be significant shortfalls
between projected water supplies and demands in the
Colorado River Basin in the coming decades (6).” Although technology has continued to increase the supply
for water, demand seems to be growing even faster
than the supply. Now it isn't about keeping track of the
Jenny Leung
Nature Club– Follower
A
time of year as to take advantage of greater water supplies, or staying next to rivers, or even keeping as
much water as possible for our own use. People already can predict to a degree where the water will be,
and there are way too many people for everybody to
crowd next to the rivers. There is more work that can
be done to gather water for future use, but that may
not be the solution to this supply and demand issue.
“[Las Vegas] is one of the largest [cities] in the Colorado River basin, but its share of the river is relatively
small; when officials allocated the Colorado’s water to
different states in 1922, no one expected so many people to be living in the Nevada desert. So Nevadans
have gotten used to coping with limitations. They can’t
water their yards or wash their cars whenever they like;
communities follow strict watering schedules. The water authority pays homeowners to replace watergulping lawns with rocks and drought-tolerant plants.
Golf courses adhere to water restrictions. Almost all
wastewater is reused or returned to the Colorado River
(3).” In order for balance to be instated demand must
stop increasing long enough for the supply to catch up,
demand must decrease to meet the supply, or supply
must increase exponentially to meet the increasing demand. All of these general propositions are currently
being investigated by governments, scientists, and individuals alike.
What is an aquifer? & What is groundwater?
What is an aquifer?
n aquifer is a body of saturated rock through
which water can easily move. Aquifers must
be both permeable and porous and include such rock
types as sandstone, conglomerate, fractured limestone
and unconsolidated sand and gravel.
There are two kinds of aquifer: A confined
aquifer is a water supply which is sandwiched between
two layers of soil or rock that water cannot pass
through (impermeable layers), an unconfined aquifer
is a water supply that has an impermeable layer below
it, but not above it. A confined aquifer that is under
pressure is an artesian aquifer.
What are the uses of aquifers? We use aquifers as a source of drinking water and of water to
irrigate crops or to use in industry, pumping water
from the aquifer using a well.
Some notable aquifers in the United States:
1. The Ogallala Aquifer of the central United States:
one of the world's great aquifers, but it is being rapidly depleted by growing municipal use and continuing
agricultural use.
2. The Floridan Aquifer of Florida and southern portions of Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina: one
of the world's most productive aquifers.
3. The Edwards Aquifer of Texas: an important water
supply aquifer and the source of major springs.
GBC Nature Club, Tortoise Talk, Page 6
Continued on page 7
�December 2015, Volume 2, Issue 1
Continued from page 6
4. The Basin and Range Carbonate Aquifer: an im-
portant and unique aquifer that it covers several western states and basins.
5. The Kirkwood-Cohansey Aquifer of southern New
Jersey: some of the purest water in the United States.
Excessive pumping can lower the water table if water is
withdrawn from the ground at a faster rate than it is
replenished. The wells can go dry and can no longer
supply water. Groundwater is a valuable resource both
in the United States and throughout the world. It is the
source of drinking water for about half the total population and nearly all of the rural population. It also
provides over 50 billion gallons per day for agricultural
G
What is groundwater?
roundwater is used for drinking water by
more than 50 percent of the people in the
United States, including almost everyone who lives in
rural areas.
Groundwater can be found almost everywhere, it is
an important part of the hydrologic cycle as water
evaporates, forms clouds, and returns to earth as precipitation. Some precipitation moves from high areas
to low areas on the earth's surface and into surface
water bodies, known as “surface runoff”. Other precipitation seeps into the ground and is stored as
groundwater.
Groundwater supplies are replenished or recharged by rain and snow melt that seeps down into
the cracks and crevices beneath the land's surface. In
some areas of the world, people face serious water
shortages because groundwater is used faster than it is
naturally replenished. In other areas groundwater is
polluted by human activities.
What are some of the threats related to groundwater?
Contamination: Groundwater contamination occurs
when man-made products such as gasoline, oil, road
salts and chemicals get into the groundwater and
cause it to become unsafe and unfit for human use.
Drinking contaminated groundwater can have serious
health effects. Diseases such as hepatitis and dysentery may be caused by contamination from septic
tank waste. Poisoning may be caused by toxins that
needs. Groundwater depletion can cause drying up of
wells, reduction of water in streams and lakes, deterioration of water quality, and increased pumping costs
land subsidence.
The EPA has created various types of protection measures such as Regulatory (e.g. zoning, subdivision controls, health-related restrictions), Nonregulatory (e.g. land acquisition, voluntary restrictions),
and Legislative (e.g. wellhead protection areas, special
management areas such as a Sensitive Resource designation). However, protecting the underground water
supply is a difficult and time-consuming process in
which many people must become involved. They must
become responsible for and aware of the water supply
situation.
have leached into well water supplies. Wildlife can
also be harmed by contaminated groundwater.
Depletion: Groundwater depletion is primarily
caused by sustained groundwater pumping. Some of
the negative effects of groundwater depletion are:
Lowering of the Water Table,, Increased Costs, Reduced Surface Water Supplies, and Land Subsidence
and saltwater contamination.
How can we conserve groundwater?
Don’t Let It Run!
Fix the Leak—A leaky faucet can waste 10 gallons of
water every day. On a toilet, an average leak can add
up to 60 gallons per day! Replace worn sink washers
or valve seals to get rid of the drip, and check for
leaks in a toilet's tank or replace old toilets with lowflush units.
Close the Hose - A ½ inch garden hose under normal water pressure pours out more than 600 gallons
of water per hour and a ¾ inch hose delivers almost
1,900 gallons in the same length of time.
Check the Plumbing,
Take 5 Minute Shower—A quick shower uses 20-30
fewer gallons of water than a bath.
And last but not least, teach your community! Take
little steps each day to reduce the amount of water
you use, you will help ensure that the water available
now continues to meet the growing water needs of the
future.
GBC Nature Club, Tortoise Talk, Page 7
�Great Basin College Nature Club
Sarah Czipowski
Nature Club– Secretary
How the Movement of Water Dictates Shelf Life
W
hen one thinks of food preservation,
some of the most modern examples
might be putting food in the refrigerator or the freezer. But such examples of temperature control have
only become popular in the 19th century, and extended to American households in the 1930s (1). Before
the age of the common refrigerator and freezer, there
were several other methods of preserving food to increase shelf life and prevent spoilage: pickling, salting,
curing, and spicing to name a few. Many of these
methods have to do with killing bacteria on a molecular level, as well as the movement of water on a cellular level. Several of the most popular methods of food
preservation destroy or inhibit bacterial cells in several
different ways, and many of them utilize water as their
basic mechanism of preservation.
Refrigeration, for example, creates what is
called a bacteriostatic
state for the bacteria
living inside of food,
slowing the rate of
multiplication of bacterial cells. This is
due to the slowing of
the metabolic rate of
most pathogens within the temperature range of 0-7oC (3). Refrigeration
does not necessarily kill bacteria, as spoilage does still
occur to food items while refrigerated, due to some
bacterial species being able to reproduce in the colder
environment.
Freezing manipulates the state of any water
inside of the food, as well as inside of the bacterial
cells, changing that water to ice. What this does to the
bacteria is it forms ice crystals which impale and perforate the outer membrane of bacterial cells, essentially resulting in holes in the membranes. The frozen
state of the bacteria prevents any metabolic processing
or multiplication, and once thawed, the ice crystals
melt, leaving holes in the microbial membrane to leak
out cellular fluids, killing the bacterial cells.
Conversely, boiling food
increases the movement
and kinetic energy of the
water molecules as opposed to slowing them
down, as in refrigeration
or freezing. The rapid
movement of these water
molecules causes damage
to bacterial cells by denaturing their proteins, which
are required for cellular metabolism and maintenance. Denatured proteins have an altered molecular
structure, and have lost their original function as a result, as the three-dimensional structure of these proteins is destroyed via the breaking of hydrogen bonds
(3). Boiling also has the ability to destroy the cellular
membranes holding the bacterial cells together.
Salting, or curing food is typically done by
adding salt, sugar, nitrites and nitrates to meat, fish, or
vegetables. Salting produces what is called a hypertonic environment for the bacterial cells living in the
food, causing osmotic pressure to draw water out of
the cells, to slow their growth, multiplication, and
functioning (2). The movement of the fluids inside of
cells is called plasmolysis.
Pickling in an acidic medium such as vinegar
results in the foods sitting in an environment of high
pH. Each species of bacteria has its own optimum pH
level that it thrives in. When this level gets too high or
too low, depending on the species of bacteria, it can
interfere with basic cellular functions as well as the
molecular structure of some proteins found inside
bacterial cells.
All of these preservation techniques have one
thing in common: the basic mechanism behind their
functioning is caused by water. Whether it’s the movement of water, or the absence of it, these little H2O
molecules are not only responsible for many of our
bodily processes as humans, but for the life of bacterial cells as well. Aware of it or not, one is controlling
water-based mechanisms on a molecular level when
preserving food in any of these ways.
GBC Nature Club, Tortoise Talk, Page 8
�December 2015, Volume 2, Issue 1
Dakota Sanders
Nature Club– Member
Water Purification Techniques
W
ater has always been the single most important resource for life on earth. For centuries, all living organisms have relied on it for survival,
and humans are no exception. Although our planet is
covered in water, it is difficult to realize just how little
is available for human consumption. This small
amount of water is often taken for granted with little
thought on how it gets to your faucet. It turns out that
the majority of people receive their water from a complex industrialized operation, performed by large corporations. But what would happen if they stopped supplying the water? Some may be able to obtain water
from natural sources, yet how can you know if it is safe
to drink? This is where various forms of water purification and filtration come in. Many of these procedures can be performed by an individual with limited
supplies; this is especially useful if you were to find
yourself in an unfavorable disaster situation.
Both purification and filtration can be effective methods of producing clean drinking water. The main goal
of this process is to remove dangerous microorganisms such as Cryptosporidium, E. coli, and
Hepatitis A, all of which can cause intestinal diseases.
Other waterborne contaminants such as heavy metals
and pesticides can cause illness as well; however, these
problems usually arise over lengthy exposure times
and do not cause the immediate discomfort of a
digestive tract infection. Therefore, the immediate
concern becomes the removal of waterborne
organisms.
Preparation: No matter which form of purification is
used it is extremely important to keep the purified water separate from the contaminated water and equipment. This is easily done by using different colored
containers for untreated and treated water sources. It
also helps to have color-coded hoses to differentiate
where they have been. The first step to any filtering
process is a simple filter to remove large visible contaminants. Reducing the sediment and other types of
debris in the water will increase the efficiency of both
physical and chemical purification techniques.
Reduced amounts of debris will keep physical filters
clog and break free longer while allowing chemical
processes to occur quicker. A purpose built filter such
as a large coffee filter is ideal, yet an old cotton t-shirt
folded over a couple of times will
usually suffice in a tough situation. It is best to repeat this process until the water is free from
visible impurities. Once this is
achieved the actual purification
process can begin.
Boiling: As mentioned before many various forms of
purification can be implemented. The easiest method
is to simply boil the water. When done correctly this
easily kills the common micro-organisms that cause
disease. Boiling water is for all intents and purposes,
indefinitely repeatable; there are no chemicals or filters that need to be replaced. Water should be
brought to a rolling boil for several minutes to ensure
all organisms are killed and then cooled to room temperature before drinking. Bringing the water to a rolling boil insures that the temperature reaches at least
212°F, which is far beyond the survivable levels of any
commonly found micro-organism. The only disadvantage to boiling water is that any non-organic contaminants will not be removed; these are things aforementioned such as heavy metals and pesticides, which
are not the major concern.
Chemical Purification:
Chemical purification can be
broken down into two categories based on the substance used to kill contaminants. Both sodium chlorite
and iodine serve as common
water treatment chemicals
and are available as preprepared over-the-counter products. All of these products have easy to follow instructions. All chemical purification methods include slight healthy risks to the users, especially over long periods of time. They also
tend to add undesirable tastes to the treated water.
This is easily combated by using common drink mixes
which contain Vitamin C.
GBC Nature Club, Tortoise Talk, Page 9
Continued on Page 10
�Great Basin College Nature Club
Continued from Page 9
The most universal option, sodium chlorite, purifies
by destroying the cell wall of the waterborne contaminants, leaving them harmless. Chlorine based chemicals can be harmful to humans; luckily the small quantities used in purification are easily absorbed by the
digestive tract. The down side to chlorine base purification is the fact that it takes a significant amount of
time to react in comparison to the common alternative, iodine. The chlorine based reactions often take
upwards of 4 hours, a long wait for someone on the
verge of dehydration.
Iodine works in a similar fashion, by replacing
cellular components of bacteria with iodine ions, the
cells of bacteria become unable to function and die. It
is to be noted that extended consumption of iodine
can lead to serious health problems especially in young
children and older adults; therefore it should not be
relied on for long term purification. Some individuals
are also allergic to iodine; in this case chlorine based
chemicals should be used instead. Iodine purification
is simple and usually yields water safe to drink within
30 minutes.
Kip Magee
Nature Club– Member
W
Household Alternatives: It’s impossible to be prepared
for everything, especially an unseen disaster situation.
Thankfully, there are household alternatives to the approved over the counter treatment options mentioned
above. These household tricks lack the ease of use associated with pre-measured portions and also carry a
higher risk of illness. Therefore extra caution should
be taken when using these methods. Bleach can act as
an alternative for chlorine based purification. Using 8
drops of bleach per gallon of water will kill microorganisms after sitting for 4 hours. Iodine solutions can
be substituted by common household iodine tincture.
Around 30 drops will purify a gallon of clear water,
while doubling the amount of iodine tincture for unfiltered water. Similar to the prepackaged solutions water
purified by iodine tincture needs to sit for 30 minutes
or so before drinking.
Bleach—2 Drops per Liter/Quart, 8 drops per Gallon
Iodine Tincture- 5 drops per liter/quart, 30 drops
per Gallon.
Tsunamis
hat is a Tsunami? It’s a large sea wave
produced by a seaquake or underwater
volcanic eruption, also called seismic sea wave (190510). Everyone should be familiar with the Japan Island
earthquake that triggered the Tsunami of
2014, which displaced thousands of people.
A large magnitude quake, depending on its
size, could imbalance the nature of the sea
bed and creates huge shock waves. The sea
floor looks for a place to relieve the pressure by expanding its geography and moving
a lot of water. The seaquakes change the land structure
creating its new regional boundaries along with the tsunami. The oceans' bottoms are full of underwater volcanoes that have a high potential to create a large magnitude effect of sea waves.
Scientists have seen how devastating a tsunami
impact can be and plotted the NOAA mapping of the
aftermath of coastal regions. Tsunami forces destroy
and spatially inhabit the areas in which they overcome.
So we know that it takes some disruption to
trigger such force and with the ocean covering most of
the planet’s surface disruptions are likely to hit there.
We have early warning systems that watch
areas in distress and predict possible
events. But as in the case of the tsunami
of Japan, it wasn’t enough of an early
warning for the inhabitants.
Tsunamis also affect the sea with debris
from inland structures washing out to the
sea, in some cases creating a mound island of debris
like the one off the coast of California. Tsunami debris
hinder fisherman and makes it so they have to find
different areas to fish. No marketing strategy has been
put in to place to help the sea with clean up from an
impact of tsunami forces. One reason is that the ocean
is too vast to clean and monitor.
GBC Nature Club, Tortoise Talk, Page 10
�December 2015, Volume 2, Issue 1
Victoria Caristo
Nature Club– Member
Water Pollution
I
t’s something we’re aware of and responsible for,
but not something humanity is seriously willing to
change. Water pollution- it effects not only humans,
but aquatic animals and plants. Although a big portion,
pollution isn’t the only problem our water zones are
facing. It’s important to also consider the other factors
that contribute to contaminated water as well as whom
it’s effecting, and the ways we as a society can take better precautions.
To begin, as most of us know, just about any
bed of water can become tainted when any harmful
particle finds its way into the water; it’s a pretty simple
process. Usually we hear about how some company
dumped trash into the ocean, or oil spills, but these
aren’t the only ways that chemicals can spread into the
ocean. In doing research, it seems as though some of
the causes are more natural and less chemical-related.
Water, rain, and melting snow are equally responsible
because when these hit the ground, and start spreading
out, they begin to pick up germs and disease-carrying
organisms that will eventually run into a water bed,
whether it’s the ocean or a local lake. In an article
from Science Daily’s website, it is made clear that if
the sewage and farm waste come in contact with water,
oxygen depletion of the water source can occur which
could then lead to a “potentially severe impact on the
whole ecosystem” (ScienceDaily).
It seems as though our water resources are
lacking basic protections which would prevent the
chemicals from spreading so fast; there’s little to no
regulation. In the past five years, over one-hundred
issues regarding water pollution have been filed; this is
relatively low, but unfortunately and more recently,
four states, such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, and
West Virginia have confirmed that their water has
been contaminated due to oil or gas drilling (Begos).
In noticing that this topic is not being taken
seriously by those who could prevent this issue from
causing huge problems, I had to wonder what it was
that could be standing in the way of the world having
pure bodies of water. Then I stumbled across some
information that stated how “hydraulic fracturing” has
lead to a boom in oil and natural gas production.
While this increase has lead to a higher revenue for
companies and land owners, the industry is careless
with understanding that their decision to make more
money is drastically hurting certain populations. Luckily this isn’t a huge issue for us in America, but there
are some countries where people have no choice in
the water they’re drinking. Apart from the human populace, there’s definitely a good amount of animals that
either drink the water or live in the water, but both will
suffer because there’s not much that they can do- they
could migrate, but they can’t dehydrate themselves.
Therefore, either way, both will eventually die essentially because some company wants to make money.
Preventing water pollution can actually start at
home with a few simple changes. The major trash
source to avoid putting anything into would be the sink
of the toilet; things to avoid would be cleaning agents,
oils, grease, and medicine/drugs. Companies could
even start by purchasing remote land to use as a waste
land instead of letting chemicals run off into our
oceans and lakes.
Essentially water pollution is
ultimately our fault because
it’s been brought on by our
society. Our carelessness as a
whole is slowly, but surely
destroying natural life and the
beauty it offers. If we can take
these steps and think about
where what we’re throwing
away will end up, then eventually our water sources could clear up, which could lead
to a happier ecosystem.
GBC Nature Club, Tortoise Talk, Page 11
�Great Basin College Nature Club
Nicole DiCamillo
Nature Club– Member
Acid rain (also called acid deposition because
it includes other forms like snow) is defined as water
droplets that are highly acidic from atmospheric pollution, usually because of large amounts of sulfur and
nitrogen which is released by cars and industry.
Acidic rain comes in two forms: wet and dry. Wet is
any variation of precipitation that takes acids from
the atmosphere and drops them on Earth’s surface.
Dry is polluting particles and gases that stick to the
ground because of dust or smoke in the absence of
precipitation. This particular form of deposition is
very dangerous because normal precipitation can
wash these pollutants into streams, lakes, and rivers.
Acid rain is determined on the pH level of
the droplets. PH is the measure of the acid in the
water. The pH scale goes from 0 to 14. Lower pH is
more acidic while higher pH is alkaline; seven is neutral. Normal rain water is only slightly acidic with a
normal pH range of 5.3-6.0. Acid rain is anything
below that. One important thing to remember is that
on the pH scale each whole number on the scale
represents a 10-fold change. Acid rain occurs in the
northeastern part of the United States, southeastern
Canada, and a lot of Europe including parts of Sweden, Norway, and Germany. Parts of South Asia,
South Africa, Sri Lanka, and Southern India are likely to be impacted by acid rain in the future.
Acid deposition can happen naturally from
sources like volcanoes, but is predominantly caused
from the release of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide
from the combustion of fossil fuels. “When discharged into the atmosphere they react with the water, oxygen, and other gases already present there to
form sulfuric acid, ammonium nitrate, and nitric ac-
Acid Rain
id.” They then spread over large areas from wind
patterns and fall back to Earth as acid rain or other
forms of precipitation. The gases responsible are
usually because of electric power generation and
burning of coal. Scottish chemist, Robert Angus
Smith, in 1852 discovered the relationship between
acid rain and pollution during the Industrial Revolution. Although discovered in the 1800s it did not
gain real public attention until the 1960s and the
term acid rain came into use in 1972. Public attention increased more in the 70s when New York
Times published articles about problems in the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in New Hampshire.
After studying the Hubbard Brook Forest
and other areas today, there are several important
impacts of acid deposition on both natural and manmade environments. Aquatic environments are the
most distinctly impacted by acid rain; since acidic
rain falls directly into them. Both dry and wet deposition runs off of forests or roads and flows into
lakes, rivers, and streams. Acidic liquid then flows
into the larger bodies of water. It becomes diluted
this way, but over time, acids congregate and lower
the overall pH of that body of water. Acid rain can
also make clay soils release aluminum and magnesium which also lowers the pH in areas. When the pH
of a body of water drops below 4.8, the plants and
animals are at risk of dying. It’s estimated that approximately 50,000 lakes in the US and Canada area
have a pH below average (about 5.3). Hundreds of
them have a pH too low to support any form of
aquatic life.
Aside from aquatic life acid rain can impact
forests as well. When acid rain falls on trees, it
makes them lose leaves, damages their bark, and
stunts their growth. Because of this damage, it makes
them susceptible to disease, extreme weather, and
bugs. When acid rain falls on the soil it disrupts soil
nutrients, killing the organisms in the soil, and can
occasionally cause calcium deficiency. Trees at higher altitudes can also suffer problems because the
acidic cloud blankets them and the moisture hits
them.
Continued on page 13
GBC Nature Club, Tortoise Talk, Page 12
�December 2015, Volume 2, Issue 1
Continued from page 12
Finally, acid rain also has an impact on buildings because it can corrode certain materials. As it
lands on buildings (especially those built with limestone) it reacts with the minerals causing them to
break and wash away. Acid rain can corrode modern
buildings, cars, railroad tracks, airplanes, steel bridges,
and pipes above and below ground as well.
Acid rain is a very serious issue in our modern
day world. The best thing we can do to combat it is to
cut back on our consumption of fossil fuels and try to
reduce the sulfur and nitrogen that is put out into the
atmosphere. The damage being done in some places
is not able to be reversed. Our best combat for this is
switch to eco-friendly fuels which don’t expel these
toxic chemicals into the air.
Fun Pictures
GBC Nature Club, Tortoise Talk, Page 13
�Great Basin College Nature Club
FIND IT!
GBC Nature Club, Tortoise Talk, Page 14
�December 2015, Volume 2, Issue 1
TRIP AND ACTIVITY REPORT
Trip Report
This semester the Nature Club had many
fun and educational adventures. We went
to Mt. Charleston, Wheeler Pass, China
Date Ranch, Spring Mountain, Christmas
Tree Pass, and Grapevine Canyon. The
club participated in SGA's Oktoberfest
and the WRAN workshop. Nature Club
also went bowling and took a tour of
Hoover Dam.
Mt. Charleston
-Nature Club's first trip
-A short hike up the mountain
-It was very mild that day up in the mountains, a relief from the Pahrump summer
heat.
-Local bird species, such as blue jays,
were spotted by Dr. Bagwe and others.
Future Visits
The trail explored on this trip was much
longer and there were many other trails
also. Nature club looks forward to future
visits to explore additional trails.
Wheeler Pass
-A long drive on dirt roads
-Short, dry greenery and an occasional
cactus.
-Beautiful canyons
-Landscape began to be littered with cedars as the elevation increased
-After a good while of hiking, members
sat down and had a small picnic.
Future Visits
The clouds looked like it might rain so
the group retreated to the trucks. The
road also goes farther up the foothills into the mountains.
GBC Nature Club, Tortoise Talk, Page 15
�Great Basin College Nature Club
TRIP AND ACTIVITY REPORT (Continued)
Hoover Dam
A major trip was taken to Hoover Dam, a large concrete structure built in boulder canyon with many purposes.
The dam helps control water flow in the western U.S. and allows water to be efficiently appropriated primarily
for agricultural purposes. The dam also houses two power plants, one on the Nevada and one on the Arizona
side, which use water released from Lake Mead to supplement power production in those states. The dam is
constructed of lego-like pieces that are held together by the water pressure of Lake Mead. It sits in slots blasted
into the canyon walls by dynamite. The final function of the dam is to contain Lake Mead as a recreation area
for the Citizens of the country. Following the tour there, the group went to eat lunch on a beach at Lake Mead.
China Date Ranch
-Visited by Nature Club last semester
-Caves were explored and canyons
were climbed.
-The group ended the adventure
with one of the delicious date
shakes back at the farm.
Future Trips
Alternative trails are known to
some current Nature Club members, and new members would
surely enjoy an experience hiking
there as well as the famous date
shakes offered by the ranch.
GBC Nature Club, Tortoise Talk, Page 16
�December 2015, Volume 2, Issue 1
TRIP AND ACTIVITY REPORT (Continued)
Spring Mountain
-Located in the same place as Red Rock State Park,
but has very different characteristics
-the park had a wide open grass field where families
were hanging out and one man was exercising with a
giant tree trunk
-A historical building atop the hill overlooking the
field
-A rare rendezvous of 17th century mountain men,
which included tee-pees, children playing games invented by Native Americans, and all sorts of crafts
being sold by people who were fully invested in
dressing up and showing the importance of this culture
-A large lake close to the foot of the mountains
Future Trips
This was a very pretty area and worth returning to.
Nature Club could have a picnic/social at the large
open grass field located in the center of the park.
New members would enjoy the trails visited by current members but there are also trails that current
members did not go on.
Christmas Tree Pass and Grapevine Canyon
-Located in the Spirit Mountains by Laughlin, NV
-a scenic drive where locals decorate a
bunch of pine trees every year
-Giant rocks the size of football fields full of
caves were explored
-The Native Americans had carved glyphs
into the rocks along the side of a large canyon/river bed.
-A few members climbed to the top of a
mountain
Future Trips
There was far more exploring to do in the
Spirit mountains. The path in Grapevine
canyon continued much further and there
were other named canyons to investigate.
Nature Club could also consider decorating
one the trees in the pass.
GBC Nature Club, Tortoise Talk, Page 17
�Great Basin College Nature Club
TRIP AND ACTIVITY REPORT (Continued)
Oktoberfest
The WRAN Workshop
Oktoberfest was an event held by
SGA in Pahrump in the last week
of October. There was food,
games, and exciting contests. SGA
mixed Halloween elements into the
traditional European holiday. Nature Club set up cut outs depicting
traditional Oktoberfest clothing
that students got to take pictures
with.
The Western Rivers Action Network
held a workshop that focused on 1) Water in the Southwestern US, 2) Supply
and Demand of the Water, and 3) Current efforts being made to protect plant
and animal life along the rivers from
drought and invasive species. Considering that people flew in from across the
U.S. to attend Nature Club was very
lucky to be there.
Looking Ahead
N
ature Club looks ahead to the Spring semester with a warm heart. Our newsletter will
facilitate an in depth look at Flora and Fauna.
Nature Club in Pahrump would like to work
on conservation efforts at Ash Meadows and Lake
Mead to do our part for the environment. We are interested in using some ingenuity to make recycling easier in certain parts of the community here in
Pahrump.
Partnerships with other organizations such as
Red Rock Audubon Society will continue to grow and
Nature Club will continue our interest with the Willow
Creek Restoration Project, now renamed Discovery
Park.
Nature Club plans to have a booth at the Earth Day
event again in Pahrump as it was an excellent outreach
event last year for a great purpose.
There is also talk about a Nature Club subchapter in Elko to begin. We would be excited to have
a sister chapter in another location that could share
their own articles and trips with us in our newsletter as
well as extend our thirst for knowledge and conservation to new places.
We don’t have a schedule in place as of yet for
the Spring semester but we know wherever we go and
whatever we do it will be a lot of fun! We will see you
all next semester and hope you have a great holiday
vacation!
GBC Nature Club, Tortoise Talk, Page 18
�December 2015, Volume 2, Issue 1
References
Brionna Moore
1. Jae, P. (n.d.). The Water Cycle: Precipitation, Condensation, and Evaporation. Retrieved
November 8, 2014, from http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/the-water-cycle-precipitation-condensation-andevaporation.html#lesson
2. Evaporation. (n.d.). Retrieved November 8, 2014, from
http://techalive.mtu.edu/meec/module01/EvaporationandTranspiration.htm
3. The Water Cycle. (2014, March 18). Retrieved November 8, 2014, from
http://water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycle.html
William Ortman
1. Colorado River Storage Project. (2010, May 4). Retrieved from USBR: http://www.usbr.gov/projects/Project.jsp?
proj_Name=Colorado+River+Storage+Project
2. Dury, G. H. (2014, May 29). Rivers: Sediment yield and sediment load. Retrieved from Britannica: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/
topic/504801/river/29094/Sediment-yield-and-sediment-load
3. Jerla, C. (2013, September). Colorado River Basin Water Supply and Demand Study. Retrieved from USBR: http://www.usbr.gov/lc/region/
programs/crbstudy.html
4. M. John Loeffler, James L. Wescoat, Jr. (2014, February 3). Colorado River: Economic development. Retrieved from Britannica: http://
www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/126494/Colorado-River/39963/Economic-development
5. Sirius and the Solar Calendar . (n.d.). Retrieved from Classical Astronomy: http://www.classicalastronomy.com/news/anmviewer.asp?
a=33&z=17
6. Zielinski, S. (2010, October). The Colorado River Runs Dry. Retrieved from Smithsonianmag.com: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/sciencenature/the-colorado-river-runs-dry-61427169/?no-ist
Jenny Leung (Groundwater)
1. Ponce, V. M. (2007, March). Groundwater Utilization and Substainability. Retrieved from Groundwater: http://groundwater.sdsu.edu/
2. What is an Aquifer? (n.d.). Retrieved from imnh.isu.edu: http://imnh.isu.edu/digitalatlas/hydr/concepts/gwater/aquifer.htm
Sarah Czipowski
1. Freidberg, Susanne (2010). Fresh : a perishable history (1st Harvard University Press pbk. ed.) Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap. pp. 23, 38.
2. "Curing and Brining (food preservation)". Science of Cooking. Minnesota State University. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
3. Tortora, Gerard, Berdell Funke, and Christine Case. Microbiology: An Introduction. 11th ed. Benjamin-Cummings, 2012. Print.
4. Freeman, Scott. Biological Science. 5th ed. Benjamin-Cummings, 2014. Print.
Dakota Sanders
1. Curtis, R. (1998, March). OA Guide to Water Purification. Retrieved from Princeton: http://www.princeton.edu/~oa/manual/water.shtml
2. Jerla, C. (2013, September). Colorado River Basin Water Supply and Demand Study. Retrieved from USBR: http://www.usbr.gov/lc/region/
programs/crbstudy.html
3. M. John Loeffler, James L. Wescoat, Jr. (2014, February 3). Colorado River: Economic development. Retrieved from Britannica: http://
www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/126494/Colorado-River/39963/Economic-development
4. Perlman, H. (19, March 2014). How much water is there on, in, and above the Earth? Retrieved from U.S. Geological Survey: http://
water.usgs.gov/edu/earthhowmuch.html
5. Perlman, H. (2014, March 7). Water Questions & Answers. Retrieved from water.usgs.gov: http://water.usgs.gov/edu/qa-home-wherefrom.html
6. Survivor, P. (2010). Survival Water Purification. Retrieved from practicalsurvivor.com: http://www.practicalsurvivor.com/waterfiltration
Victoria Caristo
1. B.V, L. (2014). Water pollution FAQ Frequently Asked Questions. Retrieved from Lenntech: http://www.lenntech.com/water-pollution-faq.htm
2. Kevin Begos, A. (2014, January 5). 4 states confirm water pollution from drilling. Retrieved from USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/story/
money/business/2014/01/05/some-states-confirm-water-pollution-from-drilling/4328859/
3. Water Pollution. (2006). Retrieved from mbgnet.net: http://www.mbgnet.net/fresh/pollute.htm
4. Water Pollution. (2014, December 9). Retrieved from Science Daily: http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/w/water_pollution.htm
5. Water Pollution Facts. (2014). Retrieved from Conserve Energy Future: http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/various-water-pollutionfacts.php
Nicole DiCamillo
1. AboutEducation, Amanda Briney. A cid Rain: The Causes, History, and Effects of Acid Rain. November 2, 2014.
2. U.S Environmental Protection Agency. What is Acid Rain? December 04, 2012. November 2, 2014
GBC Nature Club, Tortoise Talk, Page 19
�Great Basin College Nature Club
December 2015, Volume 2, Issue 1
Nature Club Fall 2014
Board Members
President William Ortman
Vice President Tommy Miller
Secretary Sarah Czipowski
Treasurer Brionna Moore
Editors
Chief Editor: Dr. Rita Bagwe
Editors: Holly Brice, Sarah Czipowski,
William Ortman and Tommy Miller
Publishing
Great Basin College
551 E. Calvada Blvd.
Pahrump, NV 89048
Phone: 775-727-2000
Contact Information
Our tortoise habitat is located at: Great Basin College: 551 E. Calvada Blvd.
Pahrump, NV 89048 (Phone: 775-727-2005)
Website: http://gbcnatureclub.wix.com/gbcnatureclub
GBC Nature Club, Tortoise Talk, Page 20
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Tortoise Talk
Subject
The topic of the resource
Student Journal of the Great Basin College Nature Club
Description
An account of the resource
Tortoise Talk is the student journal of the Great Basin College Nature Club.
Creator
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Great Basin College Nature Club<br /><a title="GBC Nature Club website" href="http://gbcnatureclub.wix.com/gbcnatureclub">GBC Nature Club web site</a>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Great Basin College
551 E. Calvada Blvd.
Pahrump, NV 89048
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
Spring 2013 - current
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Scott A. Gavorsky (VHC)
Format
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pdf files
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
pdf copies of published text.
Document
Documents such as transcripts, pdf files, legal documents, letters, etc.
Original Format
The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
Print.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Tortoise Talk, <a title="Tortoise Talk-Fall 2014" href="/omeka/files/original/db40366d9652de5e887f09ce498d39bf.pdf">Fall 2014 (vol. 2, no. 1)</a>
Subject
The topic of the resource
Student journal of the Great Basin College Nature Club
Description
An account of the resource
Student journal of the Great Basin College Nature Club
From Introduction:
"Hello Readers! Great Basin College Nature Club has returned for another season of adventures. We at Nature Club promote physical fitness, collaboration between students, and public education on our local wildlife and environment. This semester our main theme throughout our articles is water and its effects on everyday life. In this issue, you will learn about the water sources, where it travels, how it helps all of us as humans, and how its presence or even absence can also pose both dangers and advantages. Thank you for reading, and enjoy this is-sue!"
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Great Basin College Nature Club
Chief Editor: Dr. Rita Bagwe
Editors: Holly Brice, Sarah Czipowski, William Ortman, and Tommy Miller
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Great Basin College
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
December 2015
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Scott A. Gavorsky (VHC)
Rights
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Great Basin College Nature Club
Format
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.pdf file
Language
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English
Source
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<a title="Great Basin College Nature Club Website" href="http://gbcnatureclub.wix.com/gbcnatureclub">Great Basin College Nature Club website</a>
Crossroads
Nature Club
science
Story
student journal
Students
water