So I wanted to write a blog post about all the things I have learned in the past couple of years so that I could sharpen my arguments and try and convince them to act with more respect for the environment. I found something as I was researching sites like these:

• http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/
• http://www.unep.org/Themes/climatechange/
• http://www.pewclimate.org/
• http://www.noaa.gov/climate.html

What I stumbled upon was this site that has all the answers: http://gristmill.grist.org/skeptics

So anyone who wants to argue with me from now on is going to get directed straight to this website so they can either enlighten themselves or choose to continue being misinformed and unaware of their ignorance.

Instead of arguing with my friends and family about this, I will make a point to only inform them that they are misinformed and direct them to where they can find the resources that reveal the true story.

Short and sweet, just the way it should be!

Tim Staines

Some of my Friends and Family are Climate Change Skeptics is a post from: Tim Staines' Weblog

The building was constructed on pilings, as there is no solid ground for a foundation. It sits roughly half way between Tangier Island, Virginia and Crisfield, Maryland . . . don’t try to look for it on Google Earth; with a full-time population of one, it doesn’t seem to be on the radar (or satellite) for the high technology world, and that’s exactly the point.

You have to see this place to believe it, and I will add some amazing pictures to this post if I can figure out how. But what I really want to convey is how inspired I was to have had the chance to visit this place. Everything about it and CBF is incredible. We were fortunate enough to hitch a ride on the Karen N., a huge, diesel powered, jet-drive propelled, work of art that is Captained by Shawn Ridgely, a long-time friend of mine.

This beast is 40+ feet long, has an 18″ draft, and cruises at 20+ knots . . . if you’re not a boater, that’s like a bus that can carry 25 people at highway speeds and fit into your local parking garage. He teaches kids about the Chesapeake from the southern tip of Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, which happens to be where we boarded. From there, we took an hour ride to our destination, arriving a couple hours before dusk.

We might as well have been in the South Pacific. The island serves as another CBF Learning Center, housing kids for 2 to 3 days at a time, and educating them on some of the issues that affect the Bay while providing them with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience this magical place first-hand. You cannot leave without feeling moved. The whole facility is run with electricity produced by three solar panels and the occasional stationary bike ride for some added water pressure. Adam, our host and the current manager of the Center, lives there full time. His only connection to the modern world, besides a weak cell phone signal and a marine radio, is a 20foot Carolina Skiff that he uses to cross the miles of open water between the island and the closest civilization.

We had a great night with a wonderful sunset and perfect temperatures, and then headed off to our third CBF station the next day. The Isobel Island Learning Center is managed by Willie with the help of Lauren, two of our bunk nights from the previous night. We all went into Tangier, had lunch, and visited the newly opened museum. If you haven’t been, you need to go. Tangier will be another blog post all together.

So here’s the deal, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation owns and manages some incredible facilities. They provide a service to our generations to come, by opening everyone’s eyes to the issues that challenge the Bay’s health. I love the Bay, I miss it when I haven’t been around it for a while, I don’t take it for granted, I am amazed by almost every place that I visit within its reach, and I don’t want to lose it. If you haven’t experienced any of these feelings, you need to. Check out the CBF website and find something that interests you. Sign up to go to one of their centers, grow your own oysters, donate some money.

Do something! It will change your life, I promise.

Tim Staines

An Amazing Adventure in Our Back Yard is a post from: Tim Staines' Weblog