April 11, 2008
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SANDERSON
– Terrell County has received “verbal” notice that a two-year $936,000 grant
from the Texas Department of Transportation can be used for drainage improvements. County
Judge Leo Smith said Monday that earlier language has been changed from
earlier wording that required $750,000 of the grant had to be used for new
street paving. But
since there are virtually no streets that have not been paved, Smith said the
county stood to lose that money. He
said TxDOT notified engineer John Landgraf of Landgraf Crutcher Associates of
Odessa that the money could be used for drainage improvements. Smith
said the money would provide materials to extend newly improved drainage
ditches along Pine and Hackberry Streets from their present end at Fifth
Street all the way to Wilson Street on the west. FORT
STOCKTON – There were indications this week the Big Bend Open Road Race could
reach its goal of 160 cars when the race is run between here and Sanderson Saturday,
April 26. As
of press time Wednesday, a total of 141 race drivers had signed up to compete
in the annual road race. The
race was in doubt earlier this year and it appeared it might not even happen
when some key people resigned. At
a meeting at the Fort Stockton Chamber of Commerce Feb. 26, a week after it
was announced that the race had been “canceled,” all involved agreed to put
aside their differences and work together to make it happen. Race
Coordinator Kenda Furman said at the time she thought the race could be
successful with 75 to 80 entrants. There
were 150 last year and several waiting in the wings for slots to open. This
year, it was agreed to increase the cutoff to 160 cars and it now appears
that goal may be in sight. The
race is one of the more popular road races on the circuit, drawing entries
from around the country. It
all starts Wednesday, April 23, with registration, practice runs and
qualifications from Sanderson 10 miles west to the roadside park and back. The
same continues Thursday. That evening, the Chamber of Commerce hosts a
reception at the Bicentennial Park Pavilion. Friday,
April 25, is Fort Stockton’s turn as the cars line up that afternoon in
Rooney Park and then parade down Dickinson Street that evening. It
all starts for real Saturday morning, April 26, with the starting gate on US
285 at Mockingbird Lane in far south Fort Stockton. The
cars all race 59 miles south to the finish line at Downie Arena in Sanderson. After
the turnaround, the finish line becomes the starting line and they all trace
their way back to Fort Stockton. In
the meantime, people gather around the Terrell County Courthouse to mingle
with the race crews and look at the cars “up close and personal.” Sanderson
Volunteer Coordinator Dale Lascano said she has arranged for a variety of vendors
and other activities at the Courthouse lawn starting at 9 a.m. that day. The
race is a timed event with only those in the unlimited class going as fast as
they can. All
others complete by seeing how close they can come to a publish time for their
class. The
newer Road Runner Open Road Race between Fort Stockton and Marathon was still
in doubt this week. A
decision was not expected until after completion of the Sanderson event. Airport
Board suggests engineer help SANDERSON
– The Terrell County Airport Board voted unanimously Monday to recommend the
county hire a professional engineer to help determine what needs to be done
to get the Terrell County Airport into compliance with the Texas Department
of Transportation. The TxDOT Aviation Division has suggested
at least part of a $50,000 Routine Airport Maintenance Program matching grant
be used to get the airport into compliance. Terrell
County Judge Leo Smith and other county officials met with TxDOT earlier this
year to see what needed to be done to begin airport improvements. “We
looked at what they sent us and none of us could really determine what they
wanted,” Board Chairman Jim Street said. “A professional engineer can take those
documents and, based on his experience with other airports, tell us what we
need to do.” In
a letter to Smith, Street said airport improvements are needed “to
accommodate future growth in the county, growth we already know is coming but
which could be enhanced by having up-to-date aviation facilities.” Airport
Manager C.D. Curry said he has had requests from fractional owners to use the
airport with larger aircraft. Under
a fractional ownership program, two or more companies combine resources to
obtain an aircraft. Curry
said a core sample should be taken of the runways to determine wheel loading
so the capacity of the airport would be known. Current
taxiways are not large enough to handle aircraft of the size mentioned in
some of the requests he said. But
those issues could be addressed in future airport improvement programs. Smith
said he would place the issue on the Commissioners Court agenda for the next
meeting at 9 a.m. Monday, April 14. ALPINE
– The Big Bend Amateur Radio Club will host SKYWARN training by the National
Weather Service beginning at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 15. The
training will be conducted by Pat Vesper of the National Weather Service
Midland office in Room 201 of the Warnock Science Building on the Sul Ross
State University campus. The
public is invited to the training and there is no charge. Amateur
radio has remained an important part of the NWS mission for many years,
spokesman Bill Brooks of Marfa said. “Without
amateur radio operators spotting storms in the field, the Weather Service is
often faced with using information obtained solely by instrumentation,” he
said. “Thus the spotter becomes the ‘eyes and ears’ for the Weather Service. “Our
radar operators rely on spotter reports to validate what we are seeing,”
Brooks said. “Even with the latest technology, the National Weather Service
continues to need trained spotters in the field.” SKYWARN
is a concept developed in the early 1970s intended to promote a cooperative
effort between the NWS and communities. The
emphasis of the effort is often focused on the storm spotter, an individual
who takes a position near their community and reports wind gusts, hail size,
rainfall and cloud formations that could signal a developing tornado. Another
part of SKYWARN is the receipt and effective distribution of NWS information.
The
organization of spotters and the distribution of warning information lies
with the NWS or with an emergency management agency within the community. This
agency could be a police or fire department or often is an emergency management/
service group – what some people still think of as civil defense groups. This
varies across the country, however, with local NWS offices taking the lead in
some locations while emergency management takes the lead in other areas. SKYWARN
is not a club or organization but, in some areas where Emergency Management
programs do not perform the function, people have organized SKYWARN groups
that work independent of a parent government agency and feed valuable
information to the NWS. “While
this provides the radar meteorologist with much needed input, the circuit is
not complete if the information does not reach those who can activate sirens
or local broadcast systems,” Brooks said. “SKYWARN spotters are not by
definition ‘Storm Chasers.’ “While
their functions and methods are similar, the spotter stays close to home and
usually has ties to a local agency,” he said. “Storm chasers often cover
hundreds of miles a day.” Brooks
said the term Storm Chaser covers a wide variety of people. Some
are meteorologists doing specific research or are gathering basic information
like video for training and comparison to radar data. Others
chase storms to provide live information for the media and others simply do
it for the thrill. “Storm
Spotting and Storm Chasing is dangerous and should not be done without proper
training, experience and equipment,” Brooks said. For
further information, contact Bob Ward, WA5ROE, at 432/837-2061. West
Texas SAN
ANTONIO – US Rep. Ciro D. Rodriguez will participate in several events in
Pecos, Fort Stockton, Alpine and Sanderson this weekend. He
will be in Odessa and Pecos today, April 11, winding up in Fort Stockton
where he will by at his district office at 103 West Callaghan and later at
the Club Room at Rooney Park. Tomorrow,
April 12, Rodriguez will be a judge at the West Texas Regional Congressional
Art Competition for high school students at the Museum of the Big Bend at Sul
Ross State University in Alpine. Later,
he will present a check for $250,000 in funding he secured to Upper Rio
Grande Workforce Development Board to Executive Director Lorenzo Reyes at 703
West Holland West Avenue in Alpine. From
7:30 to 8:30 p.m. tomorrow, Rodriguez will host a Terrell County community gathering at Paddy’s Restaurant at
309 West Oak in Sanderson. Rodriguez
is a former social worker who currently serves on the House Committee on
Veterans Affairs and the House Committee on Appropriations. ALPINE
– Polka music and the strains of Bach, Beethoven and Ligeti will be
featured during music performances at Sul Ross State University this weekend. “The
Hungry Five” will play polka music during a Bach’s Lunch starting at noon
today, April 11, in the Studio Theatre at the Francois Fine Arts Building. There
is no admission charge and listeners are encouraged to bring their lunches. Cellist
Leanne Zacharias will perform Bach, Beethoven and Ligeti in Marshall
Auditorium at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, April 13. Assistant
Professor of Music Dr. Justin Badgerow will accompany Zacharias on
Beethoven’s “Cello Sonata, opus 69.” The
concert is also free and open to the public. |
Wilson
lies along the base of Javelina Hill, the beginning of stormwater flow in the
central part of Sanderson. Areas
west of Javelina Hill and east of Fifth have completely separate drainage systems. Smith
said the county would have to provide the labor for the project. SANDERSON
– The Seventh Annual Buzzard Rally here last weekend brought in $4,500 for programs
of the new sponsor, the Sanderson chapter of the American Legion. Motorcycle
riders from across the state attended and the “Iron Butt” trophy went to Ron
Bozeman, of Crystal Beach, who rode 580 miles to attend the rally. Bikers came from Dallas, Houston, El
Paso, San Antonio, Laredo, Corpus Christi, Eagle Pass and the Alvin, Angleton
and Santa Fe areas east of Houston. Two
motorcycle clubs from Del Rio and independent riders also came to join in the
fun. One rider from Bandera said he came to Sanderson to get away from a
large rally there the same weekend. “Attendance
at the rally was down this year because of the competition from the rally in
Bandera and because many could not get hotel rooms in town,” Organizer Lindy
Stumberg said. “A few probably didn’t want to chance another ‘Blizzard Rally’
after last year’s cold weather.” She
said the rally was under new sponsorship with the American Legion taking over
and there were problems with getting the previous website at Buzzardrally.com
updated and the Legion had to create a new website at Buzzardrally.net.
“The
confusion on the web-site made it hard to get the information out on this
year’s rally, which may have affected attendance,” Stumberg said. “Although
the crowd was smaller this year, everyone had a great time and the American
Legion raised approximately $4,500 which will go for much needed repairs to
the Legion Hall and for veteran programs and services.” One
of the legion’s programs is telephone cards for the troops in hospitals
overseas. The
legion hopes to send care packages to troops as well as donations to
veterans’ hospitals and to continue the Boys and Girls State program. Prize
winners were not available at press time this week. Rally
sponsors said they would have them available next week. SANDERSON
– Cactus Health Services, Inc., will again join in the semi-annual Terrell
County Rabies Clinic next week. The
County provides the clinic to inoculate pets each spring and fall. Last fall,
the health center joined the program promoting vaccinations of pet owners
along with their charges. “This
time with getting ready for summer, we decided to have a Springtime Health
Clinic,” Cactus boss Teresa Smith said. Screening
will be provided for blood pressure and other conditions. There will be a $5
charge for those that need cholesterol or glucose screening, she said. There
will be a benefit breakfast in the Community Building at 8 a.m. and a
spaghetti lunch starting at 10:30 a.m., both for donations to the clinic. Takeout
will be available, she said. “And
we’ll have healthy snacks for pets,” Smith said. Both
rabies and health clinics will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 19. Veterinarian
Paul Weyerts of Alpine will provide the rabies shots for free but there is a
$3 registration fee. The
animal clinic will be behind the courthouse and the health clinic will be in
the nearby Community Building. SANDERSON
– Reports of a dog being attacked and killed by a wildcat in Sanderson this
week were “not true,” Chief Deputy Sheriff Kenneth Turner said Monday. A
dog was seriously injured and later died, Turner said. But it was determined
the animal probably was struck by a car. Texas
Parks and Wildlife Biologist Johnny Arredondo said there were no cat prints
around where the animal was found. It
appeared the dog had broken a chain and gotten into traffic. The
rumor mill worked overtime over the non-event and it was repeated all over
town during the week. “It
never happened,” Turner said. SANDERSON
– Texas Lions Club District Governor Pete Francis of Andrews was a guest
at the Sanderson Lions Club meeting at Mi Tierra Mexicana Restaurant last
week. He
gave a report about upcoming district activities, Texas Lions Camp for
handicapped and diabetic children and reported Lions International’s
progress in the Sight First II Campaign, which has raised funds to save the
sight of 27 million people worldwide. Sanderson
Lion Dale Lascano, a representative of the American Bankers Association,
talked about the ABA’s educational programs that target citizens of all ages
and this month’s “National Teach a Child to Save Day” Program. Lascano
is Sanderson branch manager of Pecos County State Bank. SANDERSON
– Texas Game Warden Dan Waddell has been transferred from Terrell County to
Willacy County in South Texas so he could be closer to his family. Waddell
was in Terrell County for more than two years. “Dan
did a good job or I wouldn’t have transferred him,” Game Warden Director Col.
Pete Flores told the News Leader. ”Wardens are required to stay a
minimum of two years before they transfer.” He
said Waddell wanted to go home to the lower Rio Grande Valley and he was
allowed to transfer because of his “good performance.” Region
One Director Maj. Steve Whiteaker of San Angelo said Waddell will be replaced
by two new game wardens by early summer. “We
are looking at probably around June 1 until we get a replacement,” he said.
“We are waiting for the current cadet academy graduation.” He
said the two wardens are because the Texas Legislature has ordered a “beefing
up” of border counties. The
current cadet class will graduate May 16 and new graduates will likely be assigned
to Terrell County. “We
are in the process now to see who might want to move down there,” Whiteaker
said. He
said he hopes to know by later this month who the new candidates might be. “We
are always looking for good people,” Flores said. “We have a number of
retirements coming up.” He
said if someone with a college degree wants to live in a rural area, “that’s
ideal.” to
area meet SANDERSON
– The Eagles held their own on home field last week with 10 girls and six
boys advancing to Area competition in Wink Tuesday. The
Eagles hosted the District Meet at Eagle Stadium April 3. At the District
meet, places one through four advance to Area. Noemi
Nuñez ran away with first place in the 1600-meter run, clocking in at
6:05.99, and in the 3,200-meter run, finishing the race in just 13:10.64. Hannah
Black won first place in the 100-meter hurdles, crossing the line in 17.58.
She also won fourth place in the Pole Vault competition, clearing six feet
even. Freshman
Juliana Castro, also known as Jewelz, placed second in the 400-meter dash
with a time of 1:08.30. Alexa
Davis took second place in the Discus Throw, tossing the disc 89 feet, seven
inches. She
also came in sixth place in the shot put event, heaving the steel ball 24
feet, one and three quarter inches. Blakeney
Chriesman came in third place in the 300-meter hurdles, crossing the line in
55.24. Miriam
Nuñez placed fourth in the 800-meter run, crossing the line in 2:59.17,
advancing to join her sister Noemi at the Area track meet. Jessica
Garza won fourth place in the 1,600-meter race, with a time of 6:45.40. In
relay action, Clarissa Brotherton, Hannah, Jewelz and Blakeney placed second
in the 1,600-meter relay, with a time of 4:43.86. In
the 800-meter relay, Clarissa, Jewelz, Hannah and Monica Lozano ran the race
in 2:01.45, putting them in second place. Blakeney,
Jewelz, Hannah and Clarissa ran the 1,600-meter relay in 4:43.86, finding
second place. Noemi,
Monica, Clarissa and Roxanna Rodriguez won third place in the 400-meter relay
with a time of 58.37. In
boy’s action, J.D. Brotherton earned first place in the 100-meter dash,
crossing the line in 11.33, and second place in the 200-meter dash, clocking
in at 22.96. Travis
Roberts won the 1,600-meter run with a time of 5:02.02 and second in the
3,200-meter run, finishing in just 10 minutes 52 seconds and 96 seconds. David
Shoemaker won second place in the Shot Put event, with a throw of 40 feet, 10
and a quarter inches. He
also placed third in the Discuss Throw, with a distance of 120 feet, one
inch. Jacob
Benavidez won the 400-meter dash in only 53.01. Senior
Davis Stumberg won the High Jump competition, clearing five feet, eight
inches. He also placed fourth in the Long Jump,
leaping 18 feet, seven inches. Cordell
Lawson came in fifth place in the 110-meter hurdle race but he did advance to
Area because an injury to Fee Jayton of Rankin moved him up to qualify.
Cordell’s time was 20.52. A
relay team made up of Davis, Travis, J.D. and Jacob finished the 1,600-meter
relay race in 3:49.74, placing them second place. Cordell,
Kelly Lomas, David and Jimmy Rapp ran the 400-meter relay with a time of
52.58, placing them sixth. In
the 800-meter relay, these same four boys ran the race in 1:52.08 for another
sixth place. Over
all, the ladies of Sanderson High placed third with 121 points and our guys
came in third as well, racking up 97 points. Area
results were not available at press time. SANDERSON
– Though a tally on her profits weren’t available at press time, Jessica
Garza was successful with her fundraiser at this year’s Buzzard Rally. She
sold hamburgers, menudo and brisket burritos with all profits going towards
her Student Ambassador trip to Europe this summer. Jessica
announced to the crowd assembled that she was raising money for the trip and
the Gypsies of Del Rio put $100 in the pot immediately. Also
contributing was the group Los Carnales of Odessa and Midland. Jessica
got to announce winners of the door prizes and seized the moment to tell why
she was raising money. “Several
others generously donated to her tip jar as well,” her mother Gina Garza told
the News Leader. Jessica
also plans a fundraiser during the Big Bend Open Road Race April 26. She
will set up on the Courthouse Lawn, providing kids games and a trading cards
game as well as selling hamburger meals. Jessica
has several items autographed by celebrities that she is going to part with
in a silent auction. “The
Terrell County Recreation program has been most generous in letting her set
up concession stands during their events,” Gina Garza said. |
But
he said the county has shown it can provide the labor “way cheaper than we
could using a general contractor.” Drainage
ditches are now completed on Pine, Hackberry and Mansfield Streets east of
Fifth. Watershed
comments expected this month By MARK CARROLL County AgriLife
Extension Agent PECOS
– A revised draft of the proposed Pecos River Watershed Protection Plan
should be ready for a third round of public review and comment by the end of
the month. Will
Hatler, who is coordinating the plan’s development, said revisions are being
made based on feedback received at public meetings in five locations in
February and during an online comment period that ended March 10. Hatler,
a Texas AgriLife Extension Service ecosystem science and management assistant
at Stephenville, said the plan’s objective is to get landowners involved in
efforts to maintain or improve the Pecos River in Texas. Hatler
said the third draft of the document, which will also be submitted to the
Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board, is now available at http://pecosbasin.tamu.edu or from
Choyia Holley at 254/968-4144. E-mail requests to Cholley@ag.tamu.edu. Comments
will be accepted on the website or by mail through April 30. Landowner
involvement is the lifeblood of the planning effort, Hatler said, noting that
public meetings on the plan in Pecos, Imperial, Iraan, Ozona and Del Rio were
well attended. The
Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board provided the grant funds for
AgriLife Extension to facilitate this process, Hatler said. Hatler
said once the plan is complete, the focus will be on seeking funding to implement
the highest priority management practices outlined in the plan. Two
of these, saltcedar spraying and debris burning, have already been submitted
to the board for funding consideration. “And
probably most importantly, we will continue to communicate with landowners
and keep them updated on project activities and developments,” he said. Two
of the landowners are Larry Drgac, a property owner near Girvin, and Mike
Turk, a Terrell County ranch owner. “I
think the protection plan is going good right now,” Drgac said. “The people
who were against it are in favor of it now. Convincing them that this wasn’t
a government agency trying to come in and run roughshod over everything and
take control of their property was the main thing that turned the tide in favor
of the project.” Drgac
said initial saltcedar spraying which prompted the river clean-up plan is
already having a positive effect. “The
river is up and our livestock are drinking river water now which they have
never done before,” he said. “We’re six or eight miles below Girvin, which
was some of the raunchiest part of the river because of the salt in the
water. “The
river flow is up about eight inches, I say, because of the saltcedar
spraying, he said. “People say it’s because we had 20 inches of rain last
year and maybe that was it, and I tell them no, it was up when we had only
four inches of rain the year before. And plus, the year we had 4 inches is
when the livestock started drinking the river water. “So
it’s not only going to benefit the livestock, but it’s going to benefit the
wildlife,” Drgac said. “That’s what’s going to benefit the most off of this
project.” Turk
said he feels that all concerned must never forget that the main purpose of
the plan is to control the salinity in the Pecos River and increase its flow.
“Both
of these issues must be addressed at the source of the water flowing into the
river or we’ll never see a significant improvement of the water quality,”
Turk said. “We plan to participate on a small scale.” “We
do not adjoin the Pecos River and our ranch is under a game management
program with no livestock at the present time,” he said. “The practices I see
we could do on our ranch that might result in increased spring flows into the
lower Pecos would be some brush sculpting and possibly catchment ponds with
direct injection into the fresh water aquifers if that method is approved and
selected. “We
have seen much improvement from the first draft of the plan,” Turk said.
“Since September of 2007 forward, landowners have been made more aware of
meeting dates and changes in the plan.”
Hatler
said he was pleased with the turnout at the comment meetings and he appreciated
the input given. “Folks
were appreciative of the fact that the changes they had requested during the
first comment period were included in the second draft of the document,”
Hatler said. “We’re looking forward to incorporating the additional comments
we received, and in continuing to take this effort in the direction the
landowners lead us.” The
Pecos River watershed drains all or part of Andrews, Brewster, Crane,
Crockett, Culberson, Ector, Jeff Davis, Loving, Pecos, Presidio, Reagan,
Reeves, Terrell, Upton, Val Verde, Ward and Winkler Counties. Collaborators
on the project include landowners, AgriLife Extension, the Texas State Soil
and Water Conservation Board and local Soil and Water Conservation Districts,
Texas AgriLife Research, Texas Water Resources Institute and the US
International Boundary and Water Commission. For more
information, contact the Terrell County Extension office at 432/345-2291. County
acquires two new warning sirens SANDERSON
– Terrell County has ordered two new warning sirens to alert residents of
weather or other dangers. The
county bought the new warning system from Storm Sirens, Inc., of Norman, OK,
for $36,000. County
Judge Leo Smith said the US Department of Agriculture has a program to
provide grants for the sirens but the county had to show it could not come up
with the money to get the grant, something Terrell County was unable to do. One
new siren will be installed at the Road and Bridge office on Legion Street. “We
are in negotiations with Texas Department of Transportation to use the TxDOT
yard [on US Highway 285] for the other one,” Smith said. The
sirens would “overlap,” he said, providing complete coverage to the community
of Sanderson. Smith
said the new sirens should be in place “in about two months.” It
has been at least 25 years since the county had a working siren warning
system in place. on
drilling impact MARATHON
– The Marathon Chamber of Commerce Monday approved a resolution requesting
that a “scientific study” be conducted on the “resources and impact” of a
plan to drill for water in Marathon. The
Brewster County Water District retro-actively approved the drilling permit
for the Cavness water well at a special hearing earlier Monday. President and
third cousin of Kristin Cavness, Tom Beard, recused himself from voting. Buddy
and Kristin Cavness drilled the 300-foot-deep well in February without a
permit. The
permit to allow the export of water into another district has not yet been
approved. Buddy
and Kirstin Cavness hope to obtain a water export license in order to provide
drilling mud to an oil exploration company operating east of Marathon. They
are seeking a non-exempt water export permit from the Water District. A
non-exempt permit means that the well is capable of producing more than
25,000 gallons per day. If
issue, the permit can be interpreted to allow unlimited amounts of water to
be exported. “The
board could cap the amount by making an agreement with him [Cavness] and he
would then be limited to the amount of water he can sell, Water District General
Manager Conrad Jon Arriola said. “We
need to put together a water equation,” said Marathon resident Rawls
Williams. “We need to determine the recharge rate of the aquifer and its
historical uses. There’s a lot of information yet to assimilate.” There
is little or no precedent available for the Brewster County Water District to
base its decisions. “It’s
the first case like this that we’ve dealt with,” Arriola said. “I don’t think
we should rush this process. We need to work toward a holistic solution.” The
well and holding tank are located on the end of Airport Road east. The
next Water District hearing has been set for 8:30 a.m. Monday, April 21. A
town meeting to discuss the issue will be at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 16, at
the Marathon Community Center. Dressed
up in finest beer and wine By CHUCK HALL Culture Artist Some
of the most comfortable natural garments are made of linen, which is made
from flax. Flax
is another plant that needs fewer chemical fertilizers and pesticides than
cotton. It does well when grown organically. Linen
jeans are especially comfortable and durable and many men’s suits have traditionally
been made of linen. A
rather novel new approach to garment making is clothing made from beer and
wine. In
this process, the bacteria that ferment the wine are left to convert the wine
into a vinegary substance. This
slimy residue is then painted onto an inflatable mannequin layer-by-layer and
left to dry. When
enough layers are accumulated, what remains is a garment made of natural
cellulose with a texture similar to latex. These
garments have to be kept moist or they become brittle and tear easily. The
Bioalloy team at University of Western Australia developed this process and
they hope one day to make the material durable enough for daily wear. So
one day you could wear a shirt made of your favorite beer. There
are also natural fibers that come from animals. This is a somewhat
controversial area, because traditionally the use of animal products has led
to the cruel treatment and exploitation of the animals. If
you don’t mind using natural fibers from animals that come from farms where
they are treated well, you might want to consider some of the options listed
below. When
buying organic wool products, check with the manufacturer to see how the
animals are treated. In
addition to allowing them to roam freely, consider whether they are given any
growth hormones or other chemicals in their diet. Also check to see if
they’ve been dipped in any chemicals on a routine basis. You
can contact many manufacturers of wool directly to get this information. If
they are unwilling to talk to you about their processes, you can rest assured
that they’re probably not using organic methods for growing and harvesting
their wool. Traditionally,
the manufacture of silk requires either boiling or gassing the silkworms to
death. If
this is an issue for you, there is an alternative. Tussah silk, a product of
India, is harvested in the wild after the moths have left the cocoon. This
means that there is no killing involved in the processing of Tussah silk.
They also carry a great collection of natural dyes in case you’re an old
hippy like me and love to tie-dye. There
aren’t really any sustainable alternatives to natural fur or leather. Fake
furs and leathers are petroleum-based so buying fakes to save an animal is
just trading one set of woes for another. Fur
isn’t as much of a fashion statement as it once was as more and more people
become aware of animal exploitation but leather might be more of an issue,
especially where shoes are concerned. The
good news is that besides being made of leather, shoes can also be made from
hemp, cotton or recycled materials. I
have a pair of hemp hiking boots that I’ve worn on Appalachian trails for
over a year now and they’ve held up better than the genuine leather pair I
owned previously. As
environmental awareness increases, the fashion industry has begun to respond.
Major designers have begun to incorporate organic materials into their
designs. Look
for this trend to continue in the future. Materials like hemp and bamboo are
enjoying increased popularity but organic cotton is by far the fabric of
choice for most green clothing designers. Organic
Exchange, a nonprofit committed to expanding the use of organically grown
fibers, says global retail sales of organic cotton products increased from
$245 million in 2001 to $583 million in 2005. This
trend shows no signs of waning in the near future. Organic clothing is ‘in!’ The
exchange can be reached at www.organicexchange.org. Chuck Hall’s latest book,” Invasion of
the Vegans!” will be available at the Culture Artist website at www.cultureartist.org later this
year. You
may contact Chuck by email at: chuck@cultureartist.org. |