Tag: Nature

Wapsi River Environmental Education Center

Located in Dixon, the Wapsi River Environmental Education Center (WREN) offers a range of activities and opportunities to explore the nature. Schools and families can visit the center for field trips and picnics. Next Saturday, the center is hosting a free day time event for family fun and nature study.

The Wapsi Center aims at conserving the nature and developing a comprehensive educational programs. The center has an Eco center with nature study and exhibits. Environmentalists and naturalists flock the center for information and research.  The center has pool, picnic shelters, cabins, camp grounds, and beach for the visitors at an affordable price.

The center maintains trails for exploring the nature and the Wapsi river. Wildlife and grasslands can be viewed around the center which include some of the endangered ones. The center offers hunting lessons for enthusiastic learners. The different recreation and learning events hosted by the center include:

  1. Eagle watching
  2. Deer hunting
  3. Maple syruping
  4. Skiing
  5. Bird feeding
  6. Recycle crafting
  7. Nature hiking
  8. Paper making
  9. Gardening
  10. Flower preserving

Further, the Wapsi center offers community projects and partnerships for conserving nature. You can reach the center at 31555 52nd Avenue in Dixon, IA  52745. The contact number is 563 3283286. You can subscribe for their quarterly newsletter and events for more information.

The Big Oil Spill – Is it the Beginning of the End of the World?

From British Petroleum, to Beyond Petroleum and Now, the Biggest Polluter, BP has proved to be a largest disaster on the face of earth. Is it the beginning of the end of the world or the end of life itself? The big oil spill and the consequences leave us shocked with nothing anyone can do.

Drill, Baby, Drill

Offshore drilling is not allowed in most of the coastal areas. According to the Minerals Management Service, US coasts have billions of oil barrels and trillions of gas sources along the coasts of Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf of Mexico. Seventy per cent of oil is found under water, where it is most expensive to drill.

The Republicans used the ‘Drill, Baby, Drill’ slogan as part of their support for extensive drilling for additional sources of energy. The corruptive authorities and government policies led to large drilling contracts throughout the USA coastline. British Petroleum purchased a large number of energy companies in the USA.

Spill, Baby, Spill


Huge blowouts followed by fire are uncommon during oil drilling but oil spills are common. Some of the reasons of the spills might be oil ships hitting objects or other accidents causing the oil spill. Apparently, as the level of depth increases, the water pressure, oil pressure increases and becomes difficult to control. The strength of the pipes could not withstand the pressure resulting in a major blowout. Despite the technology and computer alarming systems, the blowout became unavoidable.

On April 20, 2010, in the Macondo Prospect oil field, an oil well exploded. As a result, around 1.1 million gallons of oil per day is leaking in to the Gulf of Mexico. The oil slick is spreading and has covered around two thousand miles on the water.

Whose fault is it anyway?

While the oil well is owned by British Petroleum, it is maintained by Transocean company in that area. British Petroleum helds Transocean responsible for the maintenance and hence the blow out. Whereas, Transocean helds British Petroleum responsible for the quality issues. Currently, British Petroleum accepted the responsibility for cleaning up the ocean. But, not sure if how to control the blowout in the first place.

BP is using toxic chemical dispersant such as Corexit 9500 that may clean up the spill but may kill the entire life in the oceans. Further, BP have tried cutting the leaking pipe and putting a cap over it. But, that effort failed too.

Kill, Baby, Kill


Currently, as BP and the entire world remains clueless as what to do to control the current blow out, the oil slick has reached Florida beaches and may reach the east coast within the next month. The slick is reaching the tourists in the Florida beaches in Pensacola.

Further, there are no contingency plans thought of or backup plans laid up in these emergency situations. Also, the President visits pulls in temporary clean up staff on the coasts. The cleanup staff apparently leave as soon as the President leaves the coast!

BP Efforts

BP promises to pay the fishermen a loss of pay but not sure for how manu months. They may clean up the slick, but cannot control the damage already done. The website has toll free numbers for ideas, suggestions and volunteers in this regard.

The containment dome was successful but the cleanup may take even longer time.