Things I'm thankful for...

In the spirit of the season I thought I’d list a few reasons I’m thankful that this year is almost water under the bridge (Sorry for the pun…I couldn’t help myself).

1. First of all, thank you for your understanding this year. Limited hunting is a bummer, no matter what the reason.

2. Thank you for the support and interest in Duck Creek. It truly is a great place and we hope to ensure that it remains that way for years to come.

3. I am thankful that the weather held so that our construction projects went smoothly and finished ahead of schedule.

4. I am thankful that the U.S. Army Corps project (Cato Levee) and LRDD ditch cleanout are moving forward.

5. I am thankful for the weather that creates the habitat conditions and brings the birds south...it looks like things are changing for the better.

6. I am thankful for the variability of nature so that every year isn’t nearly this dry.

Now on this last point, I thought I’d take a look back at the historical precipitation data to see how we fit in the grand scheme of things and try to put this year into perspective.

Periods of rainfall typically peak twice in the Bootheel. There is a small pulse in late fall and then a bigger pulse in the spring.  Bar and line graphs are good to look at trends (data going up or down).
However, these trends are just a piece of the annual cycle, which runs continuously into the next year and the next. Wetland critters are adapted to these seasonal pulses of water as the wetlands flood up and draw down. For this reason, I like to use ring maps occasionally to illustrate how critters, their food and water interact within the annual cycle.
Below is what our monthly precipitation totals have been this year and how they are either above or below the monthly average.
Six out of

Comments

I'm glad to hear that your

Wed, 12/08/2010 - 5:32pm — Zeke Morganstern (not verified)

I'm glad to hear that your conservation projects are going well. I've seen so many native species threatened in my neck of the woods (Hawaii), I'm glad to see progress being made in other parts of the world.