“Atmospheric!”
Tuesday January 3rd, 2023
From the messy desk of Amanda Eichstaedt…
Atmospheric
| at·mos·pher·ic /ˌatməsˈfirik/ adjective relating to the atmosphere of the earth or (occasionally) another planet. “atmospheric conditions such as fog, snow, rain” creating a distinctive mood, typically of romance, mystery, or nostalgia. “atmospheric lighting” You could say that atmospheric rivers create a distinctive mood. In my case, it generally manifests itself in mild panic mixed with paranoia, and a feeling of helplessness. I can assure you that my own reaction to incoming atmospheric rivers has improved over the past several years, and since there is not a damned thing we can do about them, except ride them out, I’m sure Ken can appreciate this evolution. Of course we do what we can do, including placing sand bags where we think they might help. What more can we do here in Olema on a creek that historically (pre NPS) was dredged by the Army Corps of Engineers? Dredging that made it attractive for development on the east side of the creek, which now that the creek has silted up significantly allows for the spreading out of water, notice the Olema Campground for the best example of this phenomenon. Fun fact! Did you know that Olema and much of the Olema Marsh is not in a sanctioned Flood Zone? Options are being explored that will allow for some longer range plans to be made to help alleviate flooded roadways, businesses, and transportation issues during big rain events. Oh, to be a salmon.  Screen shot from Windy.com. (1-02-22) While we await the oncoming onslaught of brightly colored storm systems, I will wish every one of you a very Happy New Year! We thank all donors who pitched in to support KWMR at the year end, and all of the other valuable and hard-working nonprofits in West Marin. And we are getting the much needed moisture in drought-ridden California that we desperately need. But as for this feast or famine weather stuff, I’m over it. A mood of mystery it definitely provides. The nostalgia part? You can have it, and “atmospheric lighting,” at least from my perspective, seems to be rather dim. And as for romance. Bah. With that I am forging forth with my main New Year’s Resolution, which is to get rid of non-relevant emails as soon as they arrive. Check them out, unsubscribe from any list that is not serving a purpose, and keep those email boxes more tidy than in past years. Ok people, let’s do this 2023 thing in style, with community collaboration, purpose, and let’s have some fun while doing it. Amanda Eichstaedt Station Manager and Executive Director |