H2O Talk: Water - Environment - Society

This episode will feature Tom Bellinger discussing the recent move by the current administration to dismantle the ocean buoy monitoring system that we depend on for tracing Climate Change, weather, etc.
The good news is that this decision was rescinded and the ocean buoy system will remain in place!!  Yay!!  Tom will discuss this event in terms of the importance of maintaining a variety of data collection systems such as river flow, water quality, and weather.
Joe will be back in the near futre, so stay tuned for upcoming episodes!

Today's episode will focus on our future.  Tom and Joe will be interviewing three graduate students studying environmental science at the University of Colorado - Denver.  The students, Jack, Tommy, and Chris are part of Tom Bellinger's Environmental Hydrology class -- each is working towards advanced degrees (Masters/Doctorate).
These students are our future - and Joe and Tom hope that the conversation will also give our listeners hope towards the future state of our planet's environmental resources!

In this episode Tom and Joe discuss the dry conditions on the high plains and in the Rocky Mountains in the Great State of Colorado.  Essentially, Colorado has been without a winter this year - what do we do about it?  Concerns, adaptive management, etc. will be discussed.
Tune in and enjoy!

This episode will explore the legacy of an often unknown man - Ralph Parshall who invented the Parshall Flume, a practical water measuring device that was a keystone to water management in Colorado, the US, and now all over the world.  This device changed how we measured and allocated water among many stakeholders.
Both Tom and Joe are in the process of writing a biography of Professor Parshall and his lifelong accomplishments.  He was a fascinating engineer who lived life to the fullest and garnered respect across the engineering world.
Tune in and hear more about Ralph Parshall - you may see one of his "plumes" and never know it until you hear this episode!

This episode will complete our 4 part series on data centers.  Tom and Joe will wrap up the discussion on these facilities with regard to our power grid and the stresses they will likely place upon it.
This will end Season 4 of the Podcast.  Stay tuned for our Season 5 opener!

This episode will feature a continuation of Tom and Joe's conversation with Amy Mendelson Cheeley a local activist about a data center being planned near her home.  The first half of this conversation is in Episode 2 of this series.
Amy is an active citizen in her community in Virginia.  She has been involved in various projects both planning and environmental for over two decades.  She is a great example of how one can pay back their community by being involved in both routine and high stake projects.  She is also a local artist.
This episode will wrap up our conversation with Amy and will be followed by one more episode, wrapping up this series.

This is Part 2 of our 4 part series and Data Center development.
We are pleased to have a conversation with an activist/artist in Virginia where Data Centers are proliferating...in an an area nicknamed "Data Alley".  
Amy Mendelson Cheeley lives in a rural area that is in Data Alley.  There is a proposed center being planned for construction across the street from her home.  This is the proposed Hunting Hawk Technology Park.
Amy, who has been active with various planning/community projects over the past 2 decades has been on the opposing side of this project.  Community concerns range from changing the character of this beautiful area, to groundwater supplies, noise, traffic, etc.  Amy will give us the activist/citizen view of the value and impacts of this project.

This episode will be the first of four - all focused on Data Centers, which are large facilities springing up all over the world.  Data centers support Internet, Artificial Intelligence, and other computer/cloud based functions.  They have a good and bad side both for society and the environment.
Part 1 will focus on an overview of Data Centers and what they are and why they exist.  The Part 2 in this series will contain an interview with a community activist that lives near a proposed Data Center on Virginia.  Part 3 will be a continuation of our activist conversation, and the final part (4) will cover Data Centers, the power grid and other natural resources involved.
Apology -- this episode was to air 3 weeks ago and due to some glitch, never posted.  Part 1 (this episode) will be posted on December 21 along with Part 2.  Part 3 will be posted on December 28.  The fourth and final part will be posted in early 2026.
Happy holidays to our listeners!

This week Tom and Joe discuss a learning experience Joe had on a recent visit to Ireland.  This involved sphagnum moss - a natural resource often unknown to the general public.  This is followed by a brief discussion of data centers and the environment.  Data Centers will be discussed in more detail on an upcoming episode.
We apologize for some audio glitches in this recording - something to correct in upcoming shows.
Enjoy!

In this episode, Tom Bellinger, doing a solo broadcast, will revisit the subject of threats and solutions to our ocean concerns based on a recent publication. 
Joe will be back next time (he is vacationing in Ireland) with Tom on another thought provoking podcast episode.  Stay tuned!!