PENGUINS

The animal kingdom needs water to survive. Even the fanciest tuxedo wear penguins need water to not only drink but as the home to their meals as well.  Penguins use their flippers to swim in the water and find fish for their meals. Most penguins swim underwater at around four to seven miles per hour (mph), but the fastest penguin—the gentoo (Pygoscelis papua)—can reach top speeds of 22 mph!

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Monsoon 

" A monsoon is a seasonal shift in the prevailing wind direction that usually brings with it a shift in weather and precipitation."

This image of a desert monsoon was submitted from Arizona.

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 Hungry Horse Dam

Hungry Horse Dam is an arch dam on the South Fork Flathead River in the Rocky Mountains of Montana in Flathead National Forest. Construction of Hungry Horse Dam was authorized by the Act of June 5 and completed on July 16, 1953. Hydroelectric power generation is the primary purpose of the dam today in addition to flood control.

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Hurricane Matthew

Hurricane Matthew traveled more then 3000 miles creating massive damage through the Caribbean  before hitting the Eastern shore of the United States.  Authorities estimate that the cost of flooding from Hurricane Matthew will exceed $1.5 billion in North Carolina alone.

This image was submitted from Corolla, North Carolina

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Sunshine on Scotland Street 

Alexander McCall Smith in Sunshine on Scotland Street wrote, "The human body, we are occasionally reminded, consists largely of water. Many find that fact strangely reassuring; water, as Auden observed, is nowhere disliked; our company, he insisted, coarsens roses and dogs, but evokes from water only an innocent outcry when we force it through turbines or fountains. Others may find the idea of being mostly water a vaguely depressing thought; they would prefer to be made of firmer stuff, of substances with a more solid ring to them: iron, potassium, calcium; water for them is too... well, too liquid. At the heart of their unease, though, may be a simple rejection of this reductionist view: to reduce the human body to its constituents is a painful reminder that we are nothing much really, in spite of our pretensions; that all of our grand notions of self-importance will never overcome the simple biological limitations of our existence -- a sobering thought, and an important one. To be cut down to size is good for all of us, but particularly so for those who forget how transient are our cultures and institutions, how pointless and cruel our divisions, how vain our claims to special status for our practices and beliefs above those of others."

 This was submitted by Gia Cob and Connie Midey 

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 The Dredge Pond

As the seasons change, My Your Our Water , would like to look back at a summer image  from Breckenridge and reflect on the the warm waters as we transition to Fall.

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Fall

"The leaves are changing colors and falling from the trees and the sky has begun to darken with rain more often. I know it won't be long before the rain turns to snow."

This was submitted by Michelle from Indiana.

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 Water Vacation

 "Some years ago, I had the chance to hike the Grand Canyon to the Havasupi Falls. I was just  about the most amazing water  I've ever seen. The falls cascaded into an aqua pool of icy loveliness. Of course I went swimming."

This was submitted by Suzy M from Watsonville, CA.

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Spain

"All over Spain, I enjoyed sitting in the different town plazas, the certain of which were most often a large ornate fountain. Once these fountains served more than a decorative purpose."

This was submitted by Becca from California.

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Tahoe

"I don't know why, but sitting by the water is always calming and mind clearing. The water in Tahoe is so fresh and clean . It's relaxing."

This was submitted by Kayce S.

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Heron

The heron exist on all continents except Antarctica and  are present in most marine habitats except the coldest extremes of the Arctic. There are 64 types of herons. Although they are "waterbirds" that feed on the margins of lakes, rivers, swamps, ponds and seas, some do live in extremely high mountains and driest deserts. Interestingly, they are mostly a non swimming bird.

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Havasupai Falls

Havasupai is roughly translated as “The people of the blue-green waters,” which refers to the beautiful turquoise color of Havasu Creek located at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. The color of the water is the result of having been stored underground – in limestone caverns or aquifers – for as much as 30,000 years. While underground, the water leaches out minerals, primarily calcium and magnesium, from the limestone. These minerals saturate the water and reflect sunlight, making the water a turquoise color.

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Columbia River 

The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada. It flows northwest and then south into the US state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state of Oregon before emptying into the Pacific Ocean. The river is 1,243 miles long, and its largest tributary is the Snake River. Its drainage basin is roughly the size of France and extends into seven US states and a Canadian province.

This image was submitted by Lisa B.

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Saltwater Drinkers

Did you know that the seagull can drink salty sea waters? The seagull has a special gland that extracts the salt and pushes it out like tears through its nostrils. The water comes out 5 times saltier than going out since the bird absorbs the clean H20. This fun filtering system is common among many marine birds such as penguins, loons and puffins.

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Polar Bears without Ice

Polar Bears with out ice? While this guy happens to be chilling in the National Zoo sans ice, it's natural  icy habitat is warming up and quickly melting. Climate change is fast effecting the arctic Polar ice caps and having profound effects on the inhabitants of the regions.
If you would like to know more about the Polar Bear and climate change, click on the link to Polar Bears International

According to NASA "Over the past century, sea level has slowly been rising. This is in part due to the addition of water to the oceans through either the melting of or the "calving" off of icebergs from the world's land ice. Many individual mountain glaciers and ice caps are known to have been retreating, contributing to the rising sea levels. It is uncertain, however, whether the world's two major ice sheets-Greenland and Antarctica-have been growing or diminishing. This is of particular importance because of the huge size of these ice sheets, with their great potential for changing sea level. Together, Greenland and Antarctica contain about 75% of the world's fresh water, enough to raise sea level by over 75 meters, if all the ice were returned to the oceans."

This image was submitted by Grace E from Alexandria, Virginia.

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Catfish Cabin

Rumors of a monster catfish living in the Mississippi River have been told for generation by locals up and down the mighty waterway. Since the advent of photoshop, it has made it easier to claim sightings and catching the massive fish. In Asia, the catfish has been recorded up to 650lbs.

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Truckee River

The Truckee River flows through California and Nevada. The Truckee flows northeasterly and is 121 miles  long. It is is the sole outlet of Lake Tahoe and drains part of the high Sierra Nevada, emptying into Pyramid Lake in the Great Basin. Its waters are an important source of irrigation along its valley and adjacent valleys.

" We spent the day in shorts and sweatshirts by the river and the snow."

This was submitted by Jamie S. from California. 

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Umpqua River Lighthouse

The Umpqua River  is on the Pacific coast of Oregon and is approximately 111 miles. The first Umpqua River Light was built in 1855 and lit in 1857. Built along the river channel, the original light was vulnerable to seasonal flooding. This led to yearly erosion of the sand embankment of the light. In October 1863, the building's foundations had become too unstable and the structure soon collapsed. Construction started on the new light in 1892, and it was first lit in 1894.

This image was submitted by Quinn S.

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Unsuitable for Swimming

"I'm a total water person. I put my hands or feet in water where ever I find it. It make me feel at peace.There was sooo much bird poop everywhere that it was the first time ever that I didn't need a sign telling me to not touch the water."

This was submitted by Suzy M. from Fresno, CA.

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Munson Creek 

Munson Creek, outside of Tillamook County, in Oregon has the largest waterfall on the Oregon coastline. The trails in the state park were built as part of a youth program in the early 60's and has been  favorite of locals and tourists ever since.

This was submitted by John S.

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