Live Radio
The Sonoma-Marin commuter train faces a pivotal decision this week, as its directors choose the type of rail cars they will design the rest of the line to match.
{mp3remote}http://media.krcb.org/audio/nbr/7-14-09/mp3{/mp3remote}
The SMART Board of Directors Meets on Wednesday, July 15 at 12:30 pm in the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors chambers to consider the railcar purchase and other business.
The regulatory standards set by the US Federal Railroad Administration are the biggest single factor shaping SMART's choice for new rolling stock (as railroad cars are often called). SMART General Manager Lillian Hames explains those standards are especially stringent in situations where freight and passenger trains share the same set of tracks.
{mp3remote}http://media.krcb.org/audio/nbr/fra.mp3{/mp3remote}
The global financial woes of the past year are also affecting SMART, Says Hames, particularly their plans to issue bonds against future sales tax revenues. They are hoping to bridge the funding gap with grants, cost savings in planning and construction, and other measures.
{mp3remote}http://media.krcb.org/audio/nbr/dumpfuture.mp3{/mp3remote}
One of the variables tied to the choice of rail vehicles that SMART will use is the height of the floor height above the tracks, which is a function of such design considerations as fuel tank placement and structural engineering. The difference could be 24 inches or more, but either way, the passenger loading platforms at each of the 15 stations along the line will have to be built to match the train's floor level, so that wheelchair users can easily access the cars. These new platforms, says Hames, will likely look quite different than the wooden decks seen along historic train stations.
The long-running debate over an historic oyster farm in Drakes Estero, within the the Point Reyes National Seashore, has jumped from western Marin County to Washington D.C., and shows few signs of cooling off.
Fredrick Smith, Executive Director of the Environmental Action Coalition of West Marin says that, Senator Feinstein's statements to the contrary, he fears that her legislative intervention on behalf of the Drakes Bay Oyster Company will set a bad precedent that could have wide implications.
{mp3remote}http://media.krcb.org/audio/nbr/precedent.mp3{/mp3remote}
The fate and future of the Drakes Bay Oyster Company and the Estero has been a long-running and hotly debated issue in the Point Reyes area for years. Recent developments have been chronicled by the Point Reyes Light.
The gorgeous airborne view of the estuary below was taken by Sonoma-based pilot and photographer Robert Campbell . See more of his work here .
Beer is harder to make than wine, and better for you as well, according to a professor of brewing science.
{mp3remote}http://media.krcb.org/audio/nbr/1-9-09.mp3{/mp3remote}
Charles Bamforth chairs the Department of Food Science & Technology at the University of California, Davis, where he is also the a Professor of Brewing Science. A native Englishman, he also worked previously as a quality control manager for Bass Ale. But he still has a high regard for the light American lagers that are often disparaged by beer drinkers who prefer a heartier brew.
{mp3remote}http://media.krcb.org/audio/nbr/usbrews.mp3{/mp3remote}
The so-called "beer belly" is another unjust and disparaging characterization that demeans the noble beverage. Bamforth explains why in the clip audio below.
{mp3remote}http://media.krcb.org/audio/nbr/belly.mp3{/mp3remote}
Bamforth's recent book Grape Vs. Grain compares the history, making, and health benefits of beer and wine.
Permaculture - an idea that began around sustainable agriculture - is moving into the urban environment.
{mp3remote}http://media.krcb.org/audio/nbr/2-9-09.mp3{/mp3remote}
You can also learn more about this subject at the Oakland-based Urban Permaculture Guild.
Dave Henson, Executive Director of the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center (right), explains that interest in permaculture arose in part in response to the widespread dominance of "monoculture," or large-scale farming of a single crop.
{mp3remote}http://media.krcb.org/audio/nbr/mono.mp3{/mp3remote}
One of the enduring examples of crop integration is indigenous to Mexico and the American southwest, and known colloquially as the "three sisters."
{mp3remote}http://media.krcb.org/audio/nbr/sisters.mp3{/mp3remote}
Slathering on sunscreen may protect your skin, but it's not healthy for the world's water supplies, or the aquatic life within them.
{mp3remote}http://media.krcb.org/audio/nbr/7-8-08.mp3{/mp3remote}
Overexposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays causes increased risk of skin cancers: this medical message has been widely embraced, but the law of unexpected consequences has kicked in with regard to the increased use of sunscreen.
Sejal Choski, the program director for Baykeeper of San Francisco, also wrote about this issue here.
