14 Green Media July 2014 www.greenmediaonline.com
M
ark Twain is believed to have said, "If you
don't like the weather in New England now,
just wait a few minutes." What would he
think if he were alive today? Extreme and
rapidly changing weather seems to be the new normal. The
pendulum appears to swing back and forth at a faster pace and
its swings go farther and farther to the extremes. Some parts of
the country have experienced record drought, record rainfall,
coldest temperatures, hottest months and years, record snow-
fall, and violent storms — not just over the last century but
all within the span of the last few years. However, drought,
particularly exceptional drought (D4), defined by the National
Drought Mitigation Center as "exceptional and widespread
crop/pasture losses; shortages of water in reservoirs, streams,
and wells creating water emergencies," seems to have the
greatest impact on the landscape industry.
Looking at the snapshots of six separate weeks over the
past half-decade, it is easy to see that severe, extreme, and
exceptional drought have touched a great deal of the country
at one time or another while ignoring other regions alto-
gether. Sometimes these extremes even occur simultaneously
within the country.
Former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives
Thomas Philip "Tip" O'Neil, Jr., used to say "All poli-
tics is local"; so it is with weather. Southern and central
California are at the epicenter this week, but Texas, parts
of the Southwest, Midwest, and Deep South have recently
experienced tremendous disruption to business and lifestyle
as a result of exceptional drought. And, once drought passes,
it doesn't mean that it isn't coming back again, because it
certainly may and probably will.
The landscape industry has been particularly impacted
by drought, and many friends in the irrigation industry in
particular would agree. However, we also agree that as with
Staying Current
By Ed Klaas
The Times, They Are A-Chaingin'
Image ©istockphoto.com/prill
