Dallas Bike Culture Is Slowly Moving Forward

Posted on January 15, 2017 by Naima

Have you tried running errands on your bike in Dallas? I’ve recently made it a point to get back on the bike for short trips around town, and to exercise my energetic puppy. Using my bike for transportation gets me out in the fresh open air and uses zero gasoline or electricity. The downfall: it’s still a mad house out there on the roads. But that is changing, slowly.

Since the adoption of the 2011 City of Dallas Bike Plan, there have been small movements forward. Operating under their $500,000 per year budget, the bike department (made up of one) can only create painted lanes and flex posts. A far cry from what a biker dreams of: a protected bike-only lane. The current tally of on-street bike lanes is 48.6 miles and if mountain bike and off-road lanes are included, it’s 188.6 miles (35.5. miles shared lanes, 10.4 miles bike lanes, 2.7 miles protected bike lanes, and 140 miles multi-use pathways). The shared lanes intrude into vehicle space and bike lanes reside on the edge of the street. Some of these painted lines have already heavily faded in just a few short years.

There may only be a few miles of protected bike lanes but Jared White, City of Dallas Bicycle Transportation Manager, is working to find other projects with larger budgets to build more bike infrastructure. The most exciting upcoming project is in West Dallas. A small section of Fort Worth Avenue will be brought down from six lanes to four and two protected bike travel lanes will be installed. Construction due date for that project is summer 2018. That’s not too far off!

With these protected bike lanes come issues. This past week while getting my bike tuned at a local bike shop, I noticed a petition on the counter addressed to the City of Dallas. The petition is asking the city to purchase street sweeping vehicles that fit in the narrow bike lanes. If a protected bike lane is on a street marked for sweeping, the current street sweeper is too wide to fit in the lane. This leads to a buildup of broken glass and other trash in the bike lane. Because of unsafe conditions, bikers are forced to ride back in traffic, making the bike lane useless without being maintained.

White understood the importance of cleaning the bike lanes and the current issue with their maintenance plan. Currently, the bike lanes must be cleaned by hand taking up staff time and money. The bike community has also lent a helping hand, many riders mentioning they stop and pick up debris as they go. As more protected lanes are built, maintenance needs to be top priority.

On my recent outings, it’s obvious many vehicles are still not comfortable with the presence of bicycles on the roads. But with more small projects and additional protected bike lanes, comes a chance to familiarize people with bike transportation. More people will use the alternate transportation, and motorists will become accustomed to seeing bicyclists moving about the city. “In some cases, people aren’t familiar with bike lanes, or not supportive of them, so it’s trying to get people on board with this type of change and trying to build in a new network related to walking and biking,” White said.

The transformation of Dallas into a bike friendly city is certainly moving slow, but progress is still shifting forward. There are several thriving bike shops and signs of bike culture in Dallas. However, in my research for this article, I noticed a lag in the use of social media to rally the bike troupes. Many Dallas bike pages have been stagnant for years. If you’re out there, let’s revive the bike chatter! Use #BikeDallas to connect!

You can connect with me at Facebook.com/naimajeannette, Twitter.com/naimajeannette and Instagram.com/naimaJ! See you on the streets or online. 🙂

Bike Dallas

Kemosabe is taking a break from running along side the bike, on the Katy Trail.

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Happy New Year 2017

Posted on January 11, 2017 by Naima

Hey readers! Things got a bit out of control the last few months and of course the first thing to go, is your own work. Well, I keep making a promise to myself that I won’t do that in the future but then I keep being “forced” into it. But, we always have a choice and it’s a new year and I’m making more promises to myself! It’s always about priorities.

2016 I made it a point to make my health and well being a major priority. I started daily (5 days a week) yoga in April and never turned back. No matter how busy my day was I stopped and went to yoga class. And you know what happened, it was fine. I still forged ahead in my career and took the much needed hour a day for myself. For a gal with an insanely overactive brain, it was astonishing to me that sometimes I would exit class and think, wow, I only thought about yoga for an entire hour. That was a miracle. A straight up miracle.

In 2016 I also made it a priority to be the healthiest version of myself. I found a functional medicine doctor and embarked on the hardest three months of my life on an insanely strict diet. Jan -March 2016 was full of tears and daily emotional struggles. I was super strict on the diet for 10 months, and the last two months of the year went a little haywire. I’m regrouping and using the knowledge I learned to shape my physical gut health this year.

So, where do I go from here for 2017. Well, I’m continuing the leaps I’ve made in my health and well being, and setting some new goals. Like, back on the drawing board is reading books. Don’t give me recommendations because I have a stack, most I’ve started. It’s just really hard for me to pick up a book and lock the world out. I feel like I could be finding an article for a client, for my class, or… you get the point. It’s not that I don’t know the tremendous value reading a book is for your brain, I do. And it’s what I seek. I just haven’t gotten that priority bumped up to the actual do it stage. I tried leaving my phone out of my bedroom at night and I found myself standing by the charger in the other room. It’s a mental decision to make change happen, and something hasn’t clicked yet.

I’m also going to make sure my blog gets weekly attention and up my own social media presence. I do so much for clients on social media and consulting, I usually am never thinking about using the same info for myself. Well, that needs to end. I’m growing myself online too. Follow me on instagram.com/naimaJ, twitter.com/naimajeannette, and Facebook.com/naimajeannette, snapchat @NaimaJ, and Linked In.

I have been keeping up with my weekly column’s but you just haven’t seen them posted here. Only in the print newspaper and on their website. That’s ok, we’ll skip those and fast forward to my first of the year… about my tortured decision to upgrade my phone again. (Read below)

Cheers to an even better 2017 where we organize our priorities to create the lives we want for ourselves. Live the little things.

Love you all.

Naïma

2017 Happy New Year

The little one is mad at the big one. Our current lives.

I’m frustrated with Apple. Sounds familiar, I bet. But, maybe it’s not Apple we should be frustrated with. Or maybe it is.

I’ve had an iPhone 6+ for 25.5 months now and at 24 months my phone started having issues. The usual battery going from 70 percent to off in seconds, apps closing unexpectedly and overall just not being responsive to my incessant button tapping! I bought AppleCare, which covers a replacement phone within 24 months to protect my phone from my adventurous life. Well, at just over 24 months my phone shows “no sign of malfunction” and the battery tests great on their diagnostics. Commence an argument with their staff pleading that I’m not lying, and their move to push me into the iPhone 7+.

The issue is environmental. Cobalt is a mineral essential to making the lithium-ion battery that powers your phone, and coltan is a metallic ore that is vital in creating capacitors, the electronic elements that control electric flow inside the circuit board. Both are harvested in the Congo under harsh conditions by people who are not equipped with proper safety protection. According to UNICEF, in 2014 about 40,000 children worked in mines across southern Congo, many of them mining cobalt, making about $1-$2 per day. Coltan is a conflict mineral under U.S. law and cobalt should be on its way.

Harvesting these minerals, especially coltan, is destroying valuable wildlife habitat. The forest is cleared to make mining coltan easier destroying vital habitat for endangered mountain gorillas. In Kahuzi Biega National Park the gorilla population has been cut nearly in half, from 258 to 130 individuals. The U.N. Environment Program reported that the number of eastern lowland gorillas in eight Congo national parks has declined by 90 percent over the past five years.

But, in order to move toward a sustainable future, batteries must improve for phones, vehicles and home solar storage. Will this put more pressure on the environment? Maybe not.

New technology may reduce the weight of the battery and increase the amount of energy stored by 10 times. Lithium-air batteries have the potential to allow an electric car to drive 400 miles on a single charge and maintain a charge in a mobile phone for a week without a recharge. But, there have been issues in stability. Scientific teams from all over the world are pushing this technology to make it available to the public in five-10 years, and one of these teams is in our own backyard.

Kyeongjae Cho, professor of materials science and engineering in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science at UT Dallas, recently published his findings in the journal Nature. His team has discovered new electrolyte catalyst materials that can help expand the capacity of lithium-air batteries. This big step should lead to additional advances in battery technology, putting them one step closer to market.

OK, so back to my original conundrum. The battery technology is not there yet, so what do I do? The 7+ battery is estimated to last an hour longer than the 6+ but both are still using a lithium-ion battery. Apple’s current research focuses on elongating battery life by creating less power-hungry screens, lower power consumption chips and wireless charging technologies, but I didn’t see much research in lithion-air or other forward thinking battery technologies.

The best thing we can do, beyond not using a phone at all, is when we are ready to part with a sub par, (essentially not working) phone, recycle it. Phones are either refurbished (can’t they do that to mine and give it right back to me) or broken down to harvest parts. There are issues with electronic recycling as well, and that system is not what it needs to be either, but it’s better than nothing. And as much as I’m frustrated with Apple, they’re doing more than many other companies. In 2015, 93 percent of their energy came from renewable sources, and 99 percent of their packaging paper is recycled or sustainable.

So, next time you see me with a new 7+ (after I’ve won the lottery), ask me about the tortured decision.

As seen in the Katy Trail Weekly.

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Watch “Before The Flood” Free Online Until Sunday November 6

Posted on November 4, 2016 by Naima

Although there are current political leaders denouncing the existence of climate change and the impact our human activities have on the changing climate, science and public awareness moves forward. The best data to showcase the effect humans are having on our planet is to look at the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) in our atmosphere in the past 400,000 years. Scientists drill deep into ice, removing ice cores to evaluate pockets of air trapped inside from thousands of years ago. Using these small pockets of air, scientists determine the amount of CO2 present in the atmosphere during past periods of time when the ice was formed.

The NASA graph utilizing this ice core data shows during ice ages, CO2 levels were around 200 parts per million (ppm), and during the warmer interglacial periods they hovered around 280 ppm. In the last 400,000 plus years, atmospheric CO2 has never been above 310 ppm, until the 1950s. Since the 1950s we have continued to increase the amount of CO2 in our atmosphere to a record today of 401 ppm. Human activities have caused this unprecedented increase in CO2.

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A new documentary provides a stunning visual of the many ways we are increasing CO2 in our atmosphere and adding to climate change. “Before the Flood” is presented by National Geographic, directed by Fisher Stevens and produced by and features Leonardo DiCaprio. The movie is FREE to watch on YouTube, Facebook, iTunes and Amazon Prime Video through November 6, 2016 and then it will be available on National Geographic. If you have a device of some sort and internet, you can watch it. The film follows DiCaprio from his moments of knowing nothing of climate change to a journey across five continents to gain a deep understanding of climate change and what the hope is for our future.

The documentary showcases a variety of monumental impacts we are having on the environment from immense mining operations, overfishing, poor agriculture processes and habitat destruction. “Last year in 2015, when the forest fire happens in Indonesia, it emits more carbon daily than the entire U.S. economy,” says Farwiza Farhan during a scene in “Before the Flood,” when immense rainforests are up in flames, smogging out the view across the landscape. Farhan is the chairperson of Yayasan Haka, an NGO dedicated to the protection, conservation and restoration of the Leuser Ecosystem in Sumatra, Indonesia. The burning of the forest, releasing stored carbon and impacting biodiversity, is to make space for more palm oil plantations to feed the need of cheap processed food and grocery items.

There is hope. The end of the film is dedicated to scientific models that show if we stop using fossil fuels, yes, the Earth will continue to warm for a residual bit. But, over time, the Earth would cool and ice sheets that have lost detrimental amounts of ice would begin to grow. But, this is only if we take action now. The longer we wait, the more damage is done. Take action individually by making informed consumer decisions, put pressure on companies to take improved actions to combat climate change and on this November 8th or earlier, vote. Vote for leaders in your community and for our country that treat climate change as the threat and opportunity for our future that it is.

“Climate change is the single greatest threat to a sustainable future, but at the same time, addressing the climate challenge presents a golden opportunity to promote prosperity, security and a brighter future for all,” said Ban Ki-Moon, former Secretary General, United Nations. We have an opportunity to create a world in which we protect our resources, build sustainable energy sources and build the foundation for a new visualized future.

“It’s up to all of us,” just as the last line in the movie says.

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October 2016 – Palm Oil Crisis Update

Posted on October 28, 2016 by Naima

I’ve avoided giving the update on this issue for a while now, mainly because the news isn’t good. I’d love to give a positive update on an environmental issue that reaches our daily lives, but it’s just getting worse. The palm oil crisis rages on. As Halloween candy ingestion increases, our awareness of the palm oil crisis should grow as well.

In case you have missed what palm oil is, palm oil is found in more than 50 percent of products in the grocery store including cookies, crackers, milk, lotions, soaps and yes, candy. The semi solid oil is ideal for a variety of commercial uses such as providing products their “chewy” texture, and due to moderate amount of linoleic acid and antioxidants, palm oil keeps products stable for longer periods. With more than 30 different common names for palm oil, it can be very difficult to identify which products contain the oil.

Pic from naturallysavvy.com

Pic from naturallysavvy.com

The cheap filler, palm oil, has not always been in our products. In the last 30 years palm oil production has increased to today about a third of all vegetable oil used worldwide is derived from oil palm trees. Eighty-five percent of all palm oil produced is exported from Indonesia and Malaysia. Palm oil plantations are created by slash and burning tropical rainforests, which destroys wildlife habitat and releases large amounts of carbon into the atmosphere contributing to climate change. The destruction of tropical rainforests also reduces the amount of plants taking in carbon dioxide, which their presence would offset climate change. Habitat destruction in favor of palm oil plantations has led to vast declines in orangutans, tigers and other endangered species.

OK, so what’s the update? Malaysia had a rough year with unconventional hot dry weather related to the El Niño phenomenon. Palm oil yield in Malaysia is estimated to decline by 5.3 percent for 2016. But, forecasts for 2017 are showing a 5.6 percent increase for 2017. Just last week palm oil future prices surged to the highest in more than two years. The palm oil business in Malaysia rages on. Now, companies are expanding to other parts of the world, such as Africa.

Liberia has become a new target location for palm oil plantations. The Guardian recently published their investigation into the palm oil debate focusing on Golden Veroleum Liberia (GVL). GVL is a palm oil company emphasizing their work in Liberia as bringing jobs and increasing the economy through oil palm plantations. Just as the land was destroyed in Indonesia, the same is being done in Liberia, without the entire community’s consent.

Poverty is a driving issue that allows companies to exploit third world land. Still writhing from a civil war, Liberia is falling victim to this exploitation. We need to support nonprofits and companies that boost local economic communities through sustainable development and not land destruction.

And where are we with sustainable palm oil? The same, it’s not really sustainable. The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is the only recognized certification for sustainable palm oil but is run by many of the palm oil companies. The RSPO sustainable certification process doesn’t cover some of the most critical environmental issues around destroying forests and peatlands. We need an independent third party certification process to accurately assess sustainability and until that exists, don’t believe the sustainable palm oil hype.

Let’s make some movement on combating the palm oil industry. Industries follow consumers and if you don’t buy palm oil, companies will begin to feel the economic decline. Use #PalmOilFree to identify products that don’t have palm oil in them and help spread the word on social media about what palm oil is, why it’s important and what you can do every day to make a difference. A strong community presence will give more power to politicians to create regulations on our U.S. consumer companies to reduce their palm oil use or push for real sustainable action. This will pass change back to palm oil companies around the world. Individually we can come together to make a positive impact on the palm oil crisis. Choose your Halloween candy wisely.

As seen in the Katy Trail Weekly.

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You Can Help Monarch Butterflies And Other Pollinators

Posted on October 26, 2016 by Naima

Quick, go look out your window! The fourth generation of monarch butterflies have emerged and they are feeding all over Dallas. This last generation of monarchs (for the year) are feeding heavily in preparation for their upcoming extensive migration. These small butterflies are about to fly farther than most of us travel in a year!

The monarch life cycle is unique and starts with eggs laid by adult butterflies that overwintered in Mexico or southern California. The first generation migrate north laying eggs along the way. The short lived second and third generations lay eggs across North America all the way up to Canada and the eastern U.S. The fourth generation eggs emerge as adults in September and October and live the longest of all the generations, about 6-8 months. These fourth generation monarchs migrate thousands of miles south to warmer environments to over winter. Dallas and the surrounding areas are important “fill up” stops for these long distance travelers.

Monarchs feed on nectar from flowers, preferring native prairie flowers, including a variety of milkweed plants. As important pollinators, while feeding on nectar, monarchs and other insects are also providing the plants a service. The destruction of our native prairie systems, in favor of agriculture and urban environments that include roads, houses and buildings, is one of the reasons there has been a sharp decline in pollinator species.

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Monarchs at Mountain View College. October 2016. Photo by Naima.

One local nonprofit is starting an international movement to help sustain our ecosystems, provide a food source for pollinators and restore natural habitats. The Great Seed Bomb (greatseedbomb.org) hosted their first bike ride seed bomb in the fall of 2015 and have quickly gained national attention. During the 15-mile family friendly bike rides, participants throw seed balls made of clay, organic compost and native non-GMO milkweed and wildflower seeds. In the spring, these seed balls bloom, leaving a lasting impact on the environment that supports pollinators of all kinds.

The Great Seed Bomb’s next ride is coming up on Nov. 5 in Fort Worth at the Clear Fork Nature Trail. Plan on buying a ticket and joining for a fun Saturday afternoon tossing seed bombs and learning. Along the slow cruiser-friendly ride, there are stations from various area nonprofits sharing information and activities about local prairies and pollinators.

Monarch butterfly populations have declined by 90 percent in the last 20 years, but they aren’t the only pollinator in decline. Native bees and honey bees have seen sharp declines in the last few years as well. The U.S. National Agricultural Statistics reported a 60 percent honey bee decline from about 6 million hives in 1947 to 2.4 million hives in 2008. Habitat conversion to agriculture and the use of pesticides such as Roundup are found to be a major cause of these sharp pollinator number declines.

The Great Seed Bomb founder, Jillian Jordan, started these bike ride events to take action to protect our pollinators and give others the opportunity to do the same. “Providing native habitat can offset habitat fragmentation and give bees and monarchs and other pollinators nectar sources as well as milkweed, which provides monarchs a place they need to breed and lay their eggs,” Jordan said. Fifty percent of the money raised for this event will also support the Native Prairie Association of Texas.

If you can’t make the fun bike ride this November, no worries. You have options. You can donate to the Great Seed Bomb at Generosity.com crowdfunding (http://bit.ly/2bJ4CFc). Jordan is working to activate more seed bomb events around the North Texas area, with an event in Dallas next April, as well as create a digital playbook. This playbook will serve as an open source guide used by organizations around the world to replicate seed bomb events in their local communities.

Take some time to enjoy the beautiful monarchs flying all over Dallas currently and tune up your bikes to do your part to support them.

As seen in the Katy Trail Weekly. 

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We Are Living In Fall Fakes!

Posted on October 18, 2016 by Naima

Break out the sweaters and boots, it’s Texas’ turn for the change of seasons. The heat reprieve is celebrated along with every other American fall tradition. But how many “Fall Fakes” are there that we don’t question or think about? A few…

Let’s start simple with the beloved pumpkin spice latte introduced a short 13 years ago by Starbucks. It wasn’t until 2015 that Starbucks actually put pumpkin puree in the drink. After years of questioning from consumers and posts from influential food bloggers, Starbucks refined their recipe to include actual pumpkin. Today, the drink contains a “pumpkin spice sauce,” which is made from sugar, condensed skim milk, pumpkin puree, natural flavors, salt, annatto and potassium sorbate. But is it real pumpkin?

Here’s where things get a bit confusing. Pumpkins belong to the squash group, otherwise known as the Cucurbita genus. Pumpkin, squash and gourds are common names for several types of species in the group. The pumpkin we traditionally think of as round, ribbed and bright orange is actually a few species in a list of many. What makes a good jack-o’-lantern pumpkin, doesn’t necessarily make a good baking pumpkin, and farmers have modified squash to meet the public demand. Most of the canned “pumpkin” on the market is actually a different type of squash. Yes, even the cans with the label 100 percent pumpkin are more than likely a tan colored elongated squash. Since the term pumpkin is a common name, there are no regulations to calling any type of squash a pumpkin. The squash varieties we consume, such as butternut squash, have a finer texture, less stringy flesh, and sweeter than a traditional Halloween pumpkin, making them more desirable for human consumption. This means, you are more accurately eating “squash pie” rather than pumpkin pie (unless you bake with the full real pumpkin)!

Where are these pumpkins coming from? Most pumpkin patches in the DFW area do not grow their own pumpkins. Instead, traditional pumpkins are shipped from other states including the top three: Illinois, California and Ohio, as well as imported from Mexico. Transported pumpkins are then scattered around fields, parking lots or in boxes at local stores. Thousands of pumpkins are grown every year for the sole use of fulfilling our pumpkin carving tradition. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates about 1.3 billion pounds of pumpkins are produced every year, but most end up in the trash. When organic materials, such as jack-o’-lanterns, end up in a landfill, they decompose and produce methane gas, a harmful greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. Reduce your environmental impact by composting your pumpkin waste. The seeds can be roasted in a low oven, and with a little bit of salt are a delicious healthy treat.

The last fall fake is perhaps the most perplexing. This time of year we demonize bats, spiders and snakes in Halloween celebrations. In the midst of scary portrayals of these species, we forget their environmental importance and instead pass down feelings of fear to children. These species are not the scary monsters we culturally associate them with, but instead are members of the community we should celebrate. Bats and spiders keep insect populations under control without the use of environmentally harmful pesticides, while snakes (both venomous and non venomous) control our rodent populations. The balance of the ecosystem can keep diseases at a minimum and maintain healthy environments for all living beings, including us. Most tall tales or myths about these species drive our thoughts. Vampire bats are a real species of bat, but they live in Africa and harvest nutrition to survive very similarly to how mosquitoes in our own backyards do. A bite from a vampire bat does not make you Team Edward.

This fall, use your curious mind to find out what’s in your favorite “pumpkin flavored” food and compost your jack-o’-lanterns. Resist the urge to demonize animals, or use them as an opportunity to educate others on the benefits of these species. There are more than 30 different species of bats in Texas (largest has a wingspan of about 21 inches) and all eat either insects or nectar, are not blind and navigate and communicate through echolocation.

Jack-o-lantern

As seen in the Katy Trail Weekly. 

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October Is Walk To School Month!

Posted on October 14, 2016 by Naima

More than 4,000 schools across the nation were registered for the annual Walk to School Day on Oct. 5. Only three of these schools were located in Dallas (Wallace Elementary, Parkhill Junior High and Brentfield Elementary). The number of students walking or riding their bikes to school is declining every year.

According to the National Center for Safe Routes to School, in 1969, 48 percent of children (aged 5-14 years old) walked or biked to school, as compared in 2009, to only 13 percent. What’s causing the decline? The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention surveyed parents nationwide to find out the most common barriers to walking their children to school daily. The top three reasons were: 1. distance to school, 2. traffic-related danger and 3. weather.

In recent years, new schools are often built on the edges of cities where property values are cheaper, forcing students to commute farther. In 1969, 41 percent of children (grades K-8) lived within one mile of school, while in 2009, that percentage declined to 31 percent. Of these percentages that live within a mile of school, in 1969, 89 percent walked or rode their bike and in 2009, only 35 percent of children did. It’s clear, there’s more than distance that determines our reluctance to walk. Perhaps it’s our societal changes, easy access to vehicles and fuel, and cultural lifestyles.

This month, several schools and nonprofits are working to shift the societal pressures. Instead of sitting in long lines, spewing pollution in our idling cars (it’s better to turn your car off if idling over 10 seconds), nonprofits are highlighting the benefits of walking or riding a bike to class. A survey from the U.K. Department for Transport found that nine out of ten teachers said their students are more ready to learn if they’ve walked to school. Studies have shown walking itself can decrease stress, and a little nature in the form of a city park, trees or green space can make that same walk improve mental health.

If you missed Walk to School Day, no worries, October is Walk to School Month! Walking to school also increases your daily physical activity — something both children and adults in the U.S. need to step up. The average American adult sits for 13 hours per day, while the average American student sits for 4.5 hours per day in school — and that’s not counting what they do when at home. Being active breeds a healthier lifestyle, including eating nutritious food. Start a group at your school and schedule adult chaperones to trade off days walking neighborhood kids to and from school. Getting others involved will make it easier on every parent and spread health throughout your community.

Walking to school also promotes economic gains in your community. Political decisions are often made to provide safer routes for bikes and pedestrians, which in turn increases property values. Think of the very popular Katy Trail in Dallas, and the growth sparked from the urban commuter path. Most areas don’t have access to the Katy Trail, but they do have sidewalks that work just as well to get started. Hopefully with the continued progress on the connection to Mockingbird Station, soon more Dallasites will utilize walking and biking trails for commuting to school or work.

Dallas may be a bit behind on our walk and bike paths, but Fort Worth seems to be blossoming. Bicycling Magazine recently named Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price the “Most Bike-Crazy Mayor” for her tenacity to promote bike riding through a variety of ways, such as growing a bike share program in downtown and hosting weekly casual meet-the-residents bike rides. I wonder when Dallas is getting our new “Bike Czar” that will stay longer than the last?

The weather is perfect to get outside and breathe fresh air before and after school or work. But don’t let a rainy or cold day stop you. Dress for the weather and enjoy the daily opportunity to improve you and your children’s mental health, the environment and the community.

As seen in the Katy Trail Weekly. 

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Must Get Out Camping… Now!

Posted on October 11, 2016 by Naima

We made it through another desperately hot — yet freezing inside — Texas summer. Cooler weather means a decrease in the amount of mosquitoes, the main thing that kept me from lounging in my backyard for the past four months. Fall gives us a chance to again appreciate the warm sun and be grateful for the respite during the evening with brisk nights perfect for sleeping outside. This time of the year is ideal for a quick jaunt from city center for some easy camping.

Here are some simple tips and tricks to get your family outside during the next few weeks.

1. You don’t need expensive gear to go camping. A high-quality camp sleeping pad costs more than $100 but I’ve never owned one. I use a $25 sleeping pad but mostly rely on all of my old blankets to provide a soft cozy bed. Tents are super expensive as well, and the only time we break out the tent is if it’s raining or there are mosquitoes. Otherwise, you can find us under the stars in a blanket loaded truck bed. Check the weather, pack the blankets and head out the door.

2. There are a few essential items that will make your trip a bit more pleasant. Toilet paper. Most of the camp areas around here keep their bathrooms extremely clean and well stocked with TP, but this is something you don’t want to live without. It doubles as tissues and, if needed, fire starter. Pack a bit of newspaper to help you get your fire started, it will save time and works better than TP. Most camp bathrooms don’t provide soap or towels, so unless you want dirty hands and armpits for a weekend, pack a towel and low scent bar — more scent attracts bugs if they’re out. A book or magazine and a percolator — none of these are necessary, but a cool fall morning at a campfire with a cup of percolator coffee and a good story can solve most city life problems.

3. Reserve a campsite ahead of time if possible. Good campsites in the area book early and spots can be reserved online in advance, but don’t let no reservations deter you from a spur of the moment trip. Most places don’t fill up — call before leaving to find a park with open sites. Many of the local park gates are open until 10 p.m., allowing plenty of time on a Friday after work to arrive. Going to be later than that? No worries; call in advance, reserve a spot and they provide a code to get in after hours.

If you have no interest in packing any of these supplies, let someone else do it for you. Texas Outdoor Family (run by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department) host camping workshops for people with zero to little camping experience and provide all of the equipment. The next workshop held close by is Oct. 7 at Tyler State Park. Reserve your spot online at tpwd.texas.gov.

There are several other parks in the area with camping opportunities. My recent favorite is Mineral Wells State Park, about two and a half hours west of Dallas. The park has standard camping with plenty of lakeside shade, screened in shelters (perfect if you don’t have a tent), RV campsites if you are the glamping kind, primitive campsites that are a 2.2 miles hike from your vehicle and equestrian campsites (sleepover with your horses). In addition to many camping options, you can fill your days with more than 12 miles of hiking trails, 20 miles of flat trail way, biking, boating, kayaking, fishing, swimming if the days are warm enough and, for the experienced adventurer, natural rock climbing. On the east side of the lake, Penitentiary Hollow is one of the few natural rock climbing areas in North Texas.

Mineral Wells State Park

Mineral Wells State Park

Most people complain about the weather in Texas being too hot or too cold, but in the next few weeks you have no excuse to not get outside. The weather is going to be fantastic, the parks are nearby and you don’t need many supplies. Make some memories with your families and take a break from the hustle and bustle (ie: traffic, noise pollution, etc.) of the city.

As seen in the Katy Trail Weekly. 

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Culling Animals: Not So Black And White

Posted on October 4, 2016 by Naima

I sat in the small cluttered office watching my future boss rattle off the question as if it were not a loaded gun: “Do you think culling is the right or wrong thing to do, and give examples?” This was a tough question to ask a young 21-year-old at her first serious job interview. I paused for an extended period of time and finally asked for clarification on culling, because at the time, I had limited real life understanding of what the word really meant.

Culling, when referring to wildlife, is removing animals from a population that are surplus. Most often, culling refers to the slaughter of surplus animals, but animals can also be sold or adopted into captivity. On a small scale, insects are culled around homes about twice a year to keep populations from rising. On a larger scale, deer are culled in Texas to maintain healthy population numbers for the wild space available. An overabundance of deer leads to decimation of plants to a point where vegetation can’t regenerate and grow. Due to a lack of predators, culling of the deer population is a necessary means to maintain sustainable ecosystems.

Recently, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced the culling of 45,000 wild horses, and the public was in an uproar. My heart broke as well when I read the news, but I wasn’t mad about the decision to cull. I was mad that we got here in the first place.

The history of wild horses in North America is a bit complex. Horses were native to North America but went extinct about 11,000-13,000 years ago. The current “wild” horses on our continent were introduced by man (exotic species) and, due to the absence of natural predators, have increased in population size in recent years. The lack of natural predators such as wolves and mountain lions stem from our own doing as well. Now, maintaining a sustainable population of horses is under our control, and that means making tough, unpopular decisions at times.

Due to the public outcry, the BLM has halted the cull and will instead continue to care for the horses, for now. The horses aren’t exactly wild at this point either. Most are held in rangeland corrals and fed, costing the BLM $49 million in 2015 — that’s almost half the entire BLM budget! The BLM has tried limiting offspring using sterilization and birth control techniques (something that should be revisited in the future) and working with adoption agencies to find homes, but there are too many at this point. We let these animals down.

It’s not easy trying to manage wildlife in a system that has been wrought with the touch of human destruction. Norway is attempting to cull much of their wolf population in response to high sheep deaths from wild wolves. Is this right or wrong? Hippos are on the cull block in Kruger National Park due to a heavy drought reducing the population’s chance of survival. Is this right or the wrong? Many times a cull can be an excuse to cover the opportunity to gain money from sport hunting, but this is not the case for the horses.

We entrust our government agencies to use all of the data and resources to make the best decisions for wildlife and the environment on behalf of the general public. In this case, their choices are limited and time is ticking.

The land needs to take priority, otherwise both the land and animals will be destroyed. The majority of land should be preserved for future generations of native wildlife, not horses nor cattle. A few environmental organizations have used the visibility of the horse cull to bring attention to cattle grazing on the BLM land which contributes to environmental damage.

In the 14 years since that question was asked of me, and many more interviews, I continually try to devise a better answer to the question. As time goes on, the line between right and wrong becomes more difficult. We made many past mistakes, and now we’re left trying to patch together a solution.

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The Stray Dog Problem In Dallas

Posted on September 22, 2016 by Naima

I was browsing online and next thing I knew I was looking at a video of an adorable yet heartbreakingly sad-faced dog in need of a good home. My emotions took over and within minutes I was using the same video to convince my husband we needed to save her life before the looming euthanasia deadline was up in less than 24 hours. The video of “Candy” had garnered hundreds of comments by the time I stopped by Dallas Animal Services (DAS) the next day to see if she would be a good match for our family (i.e. we have an old cantankerous dog who doesn’t make friends easily). I spent some time with Candy — who was ultimately adopted by someone else — but was more heartbroken than ever wandering the shelter halls. The shelter floors are very clean, most still damp from being sprayed out, yet the smell inside the halls was of pungent urine. With each step down the hall, another cute face greets you with hope and happiness amidst a tune of incessant barking. Any human with a beating heart would find it hard to be unemotional inside these halls.

How did we get here, Dallas? This past July, DAS took in on average 82 animals per day with a total of 2,540 animals for the month. In the same month, 1,219 animals were humanely euthanized. Not all are impounded from the field, either (838 dogs for July). Many are surrendered in shelter (1,018 for July) for various reasons. DAS works with a wide range of local nonprofits and foster groups to save as many lives as possible, but there are way too many animals coming through the door. Animals with chronic health issues or not appropriate for adoption are humanely euthanized. Despite these numbers, there are far too many feral dogs still wandering the streets of Dallas.

Stray dogs are a human health risk, as we saw a few months ago with the death of Antoinette Brown in South Dallas. They can also significantly disrupt ecosystems and have an effect on the wild environment. Stray dogs kill small prey, causing competition with native species such as coyotes, foxes and bobcats. The presence of dogs can alter the behavior of local wildlife, causing animals to avoid areas, disrupting the ecosystem. Feral dogs can also spread disease such as rabies, parvovirus and canine distemper to wild animals. They spread parasites such as fleas, much the same as feral cats do.

The city has recently announced that changes will happen to improve the stray dog situation, which should decrease the number of animals arriving to DAS. Talk of more money being allocated to DAS, new direction and departmental organization changes brings hope of big improvements to come.

But that’s not going to help the daily influx of animals (dogs, cats, birds and more) to DAS for the time being. What can we as a community collectively do to protect the animals, humans and environment from stray dogs?

1. Spay or neuter your pet now.

2. Donate time or money. Visit DallasAnimalServices.org and click on the volunteer/donate tab. Volunteering your time can greatly impact the life of a pet at the shelter and better its chances at adoption. A $60 donation can pay the cost to spay or neuter one needy pet and prevent the birth of hundreds of unwanted animals.

3. Share the knowledge with your friends and family. In some cases it’s estimated it takes six visits with a family to convince them to spay/neuter their pet because cultural and societal pressures support not spaying/neutering. A change of culture can lead to fewer dogs on the streets and health benefits for your dog. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) states, “Spaying helps prevent uterine infections and breast tumors, which are malignant or cancerous in about 50 percent of dogs and 90 percent of cats. Neutering your male companion prevents testicular cancer and some prostate problems.”

4. Adopt if you can and adopt for the long-term. Plan on bringing the pet into your family for its entire life through all of life’s challenges.

5. Follow DAS on social media so you can meet your “Candy” or help share their posts to increase the chances of each pet finding their forever home.

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