Click to listen to episode (4:54). Sections below are the following: Transcript of Audio Audio Notes and Acknowledgments Images Extra Information Sources Related Water Radio Episodes For Virginia Teachers (Relevant SOLs, etc.).Unless otherwise noted, all Web addresses mentioned were functional as of 5-24-19. TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of May 27, 2019. MUSIC - ~ 9 sec That music is part of “Driving Rain,” by the Nelson County- and Charlottesville, Va.-based band Chamomile and Whiskey.  It’s the backdrop this week for our annual call-out of the planned names of a bunch of soggy, windy, and generally unruly potential summer and fall visitors.  Have a listen for about 30 seconds, and see if you can guess what’s being named. GUEST VOICES - ~29 sec – Andrea.  Barry.  Chantal.  Dorian.  Erin.  Fernand.  Gabrielle.  Humberto.  Imelda.  Jerry.  Karen.  Lorenzo.  Melissa.  Nestor; Olga.  Pablo.  Rebekah.  Sebastien.  Tanya.  Van.  Wendy. If you guessed tropical storms or hurricanes, you’re right!  You heard the names planned for the 2019 Atlantic basin tropical storm season.  The Atlantic basin includes the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico, and the Atlantic tropical storm season runs officially from June 1 through November 30.  But tropical weather doesn’t always abide by the official dates.  For the past four years in the Atlantic basin, named storms have occurred before June 1: Hurricane Alex in mid-January 2016; Tropical Storm Arlene in April 2017; Subtropical Storm Alberto in late May 2018; and this year, Subtropical Storm Andrea, which developed on May 20. Tropical storms and hurricanes are two categories of tropical cyclones—rotating storm systems that start in tropical or sub-tropical latitudes.  A tropical cyclone is called a tropical storm—and gets a name—when sustained wind speeds reach 39 miles per hour; at 74 miles per hour, a tropical cyclone is considered a hurricane.  Tropical depressions—with wind speeds below 39 miles per hour—don’t get names, but they can still bring heavy rainfall and flooding.  Hurricane-force storms are called simply tropical cyclones in some parts of the world and called typhoons in other parts. [Editor's note on the audio: The audio states that tropical depressions don’t get names. That’s true for a system that never gets above tropical depression level.  But a tropical depression that previously was at tropical storm or hurricane wind speed will in fact have a name associated with it.] Before a tropical system of any speed or name barges into the Old Dominion, here are some important preparedness steps you can take: Make a written emergency plan, including an evacuation plan; Assemble an emergency kit of food, water, and supplies: Prepare your home for high winds: and Establish ways to stay informed, especially if the power goes out. Detailed safety tips for hurricanes and other severe weather are available from the “Safety” link at the National Weather Service Web site, www.weather.gov.  While the Weather Service’s “Hurricane Preparedness Week” for 2019 was May 5-11, right now is still a good time to start getting ready for the next tropical cyclone! Thanks to 11 Virginia Tech faculty, staff, and students for lending their voices to this episode.  Thanks also to Chamomile and Whiskey for permission to this week’s music, and—while hoping this Atlantic tropical storm season doesn’t drive anyone too hard—we close with a few more seconds of “Driving Rain.” MUSIC - ~ 12 sec SHIP’S BELL Virginia Water Radio is produced by the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, part of Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment.  For more Virginia water sounds, music, or information, visit us online at virginiawaterradio.org, or call the Wa

Click to listen to episode (4:30). Sections below are the following: Transcript of Audio Audio Notes and Acknowledgments Images Sources Related Water Radio Episodes For Virginia Teachers (Relevant SOLs, etc.). Unless otherwise noted, all Web addresses mentioned were functional as of 5-17-19. TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of May 20, 2019. MUSIC – ~7 sec This week, that music opens an episode on water and other aspects of one of Virginia’s natural treasures.  Have a listen for about 20 more seconds. SOUNDS - ~22 sec You’ve been listening to part of “Big Run Thrives,” by Timothy Seaman of Williamsburg, Va., from the 1997 album, “Here On This Ridge.”  The song refers to the Big Run watershed in Rockingham County, within Shenandoah National Park.  The album is Mr. Seaman’s celebration of Shenandoah National Park, which comprises over 197,000 acres in eight Virginia counties along the Blue Ridge. According to Dennis Simmons, in a 1978 Ph.D. dissertation, the conception and establishment of the park between 1924 and 1936 was a story of conservation, cooperation among many private interests and government officials, and controversy over displacement of people who had lived for generations on land to be included in the park.  Today the park story includes tourism, scenery, history, geology, plants and animals, dark skies, air-quality issues, climate-change issues, and, not least, water. The park has about 90 perennial streams, flowing from the Blue Ridge into the drainages of the James, Rappahannock, and Shenandoah Rivers.  The streams typically run down a steep elevation change, leading to riffles, pools, rapids, and waterfalls.  The mountainous elevation and tree shading of many of the streams result in cold water temperatures, making them suitable for native Brook Trout.  Other aquatic life in the park includes about 40 fish species, 24 amphibian species, aquatic and wetland plants, many stream-dwelling insects and other invertebrates, and water-related reptiles, birds, and mammals.  Despite their protection within a national park, Shenandoah’s waters have long been affected by air pollutants, particularly those that have led to acidification.  Accordingly, air quality and water-quality monitoring have been conducted since the 1970s, led now by the University of Virginia’s Shenandoah Watershed Survey and Trout Stream Sensitivity Survey. High, fast-flowing, and ecologically important, Shenandoah National Park’s waters attract anglers, scientists, musicians, and—if you’re in that area—maybe you. Thanks to Timothy Seaman for permission to use this week’s music, and we close with about 20 more seconds of “Big Run Thrives.” MUSIC – ~20 sec SHIP’S BELL Virginia Water Radio is produced by the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, part of Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment.  For more Virginia water sounds, music, or information, visit us online at virginiawaterradio.org, or call the Water Center at (540) 231-5624.  Thanks to Ben Cosgrove for his version of “Shenandoah” to open and close the show.  In Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening, and wishing you health, wisdom, and good water. AUDIO NOTES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS “Big Run Thrives,” from the 1997 Album “Here on This Ridge,” is copyright by Timothy Seaman and Pine Wind Music, used with permission.  According to the composer, the piece was inspired by his observations of regrowth in the watershed about 10 years after a wildlife in the 1980s.  Information about the making of the album is available online at https://timothyseaman.com/en/timothys-blog/entry/the-making-of-our-album-here-on-this-ridge.  More information about Timothy Seaman is available online at https://timothyseaman.com/en/. Click here if you’d like to hear the full version (2 min./22 sec.) of the “Shenandoah” arrangement/perf

Click to listen to episode (4:11). Sections below are the following: Transcript of Audio Audio Notes and Acknowledgments Images Extra Information Sources Related Water Radio Episodes For Virginia Teachers (Relevant SOLs, etc.). Unless otherwise noted, all Web addresses mentioned were functional as of 5-10-19. TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of May 13, 2019. SOUND – ~8 sec – Mallard quack This week, that raucous sound opens an episode about the most abundant species of waterfowl in North America.  Have a listen for about 20 seconds to these mystery sounds, and see if you know this bird.  And here’s a hint: the green mineral malachite reveals both the first part of this bird’s name and the color of the males’ head. SOUNDS - ~22 sec – various Mallard sounds If you guessed the Mallard, you’re right!  This relatively large duck is found throughout North America and also breeds in Asia, Australia, and Europe; moreover, the species is the source of all domestic ducks, excluding the Muscovy Duck.  Male Mallards are notable for their green head, reddish breast, and white neck ring, while the females have a less conspicuous mottled brown coloration.  Both sexes, however, have a distinctive blue wing patch, or speculum.  While males have the brighter colors, the females make the loud, recognizable quacks. Mallards inhabit a wide variety of habitats, including wetlands, ponds, lakes, estuaries, parks, meadows, and agricultural fields.  They nest in shallow depressions on the ground, concealed by tall grasses or other plants.  On the water, Mallards feed by dabbling, that is, tipping forward and dunking their head to grasp aquatic plants.  On land, they’ll graze on natural or cultivated vegetation and they’ll prey upon various insects, worms, and other invertebrates. The species has become common and adapted to humans in many urban and suburban areas, accepting offers of food and at times stopping traffic as a mother and ducklings cross a street.  In the wild, though, fast-flying Mallards may adroitly avoid humans, as described in this passage from the 1800s by John James Audubon: “Look at that Mallard as he floats on the lake; see his elevated head glittering with emerald-green, his amber eyes glancing in the light!  Even at this distance, he has marked you, and suspects that you bear no good will towards him…. The wary bird draws his feet under his body, springs upon them, opens his wings, and…bids you farewell.” And we say farewell for now to the bird that the Cornell Lab of Ornithology has called the “standard against which all other ducks are compared.”  If anyone ever asks you to name the most abundant duck in North America, here’s a whimsical way you might answer: VOICE - ~2 sec – “Mallard!” SHIP’S BELL Virginia Water Radio is produced by the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, part of Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment.  For more Virginia water sounds, music, or information, visit us online at virginiawaterradio.org, or call the Water Center at (540) 231-5624.  Thanks to Ben Cosgrove for his version of “Shenandoah” to open and close the show.  In Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening, and wishing you health, wisdom, and good water. AUDIO NOTES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Mallard sounds were recorded by Virginia Water Radio on December 10, 2015, at the Virginia Tech Duck Pond in Blacksburg. The “Mallard” name call-out was voiced by a Blacksburg, Va., friend of Virginia Water Radio on November 10, 2012. Click here if you’d like to hear the full version (2 min./22 sec.) of the “Shenandoah” arrangement/performance by Ben Cosgrove that opens and closes this episode.  More information about Mr. Cosgrove is available online at http://www.bencosgrove.com. IMAGES Mallard painting originally published between 1827 and 1838 by John James Audub

Click to listen to episode (5:10). Sections below are the following: Transcript of Audio Audio Notes and Acknowledgments Images Sources Related Water Radio Episodes For Virginia Teachers (Relevant SOLs, etc.). Unless otherwise noted, all Web addresses mentioned were functional as of 5-3-19. TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of May 6, 2019. MUSIC – ~ 10 sec – Opening instrumental section of the song “Water Rocks” This week, that music opens one of a series of occasional episodes on water-related programs outside of the Old Dominion of Virginia.  The focus this week is on the Iowa State University program called Water Rocks!  Water Rocks! is a water-education campaign for youth, using the STEM disciplines—that’s science, technology, engineering, and mathematics—combined with the arts to challenge and inspire Iowans towards a greater appreciation of water resources.  The program employs a variety of tools in support of that goal: teacher-development workshops; classroom visits; school assemblies; traveling conservation trailers; games and other activities; videos; and, not least, music.  Water Rocks! staff and collaborating musicians have written and recorded songs on a range of water-related topics, including watersheds, wetlands, trees, soil, and pollinators.  Let’s have a listen for about 2 minutes to three samples: here are parts of “All About That Bog,” “Hidden Water,” and “Dino Water.” MUSIC – ~ 1 min/56 sec “All About That Bog” excerpt lyrics: “Because you know I’m all about that bog, ‘bout that bog—go wetlands; I’m all about that bog, ‘bout that bog—go wetlands; I’m all about that bog, ‘bout that bog—go wetlands; I’m all about that bog, ‘bout that bog—bog, bog, bog.  Wetlands have many names like swamp, bog, marsh and slough, fen, and myre, the prairie pothole, too.  Wetlands slow down the water, cleansing and filtering—so many jobs they must do.  A swamp or bog or a marsh or a slough….” “Hidden Water” excerpt lyrics: “Water is abundant on our planet; from clouds to oceans it runs the gamut.  You find it in lakes, rivers, and streams; a whole lot of water goes unseen.  It’s hidden underground in soil or rocks, across the land, a buried treasure box.  Water fills cracks and open spaces, moves through the earth in porous places.   Hidden water, hidden water, groundwater, hidden water. Hidden, hidden, hidden water….” “Dino Water” excerpt lyrics: “It’s our water now; it was the dinosaurs’, too. Velociraptor, T. rex, Pterodactyl, and you.  Cycling its way through the clouds, dinosaurs back then, and me and you now.  Molecules rearrange themselves fast; they do the molecule change-up and the molecule mash.  Talkin’ ‘bout the water, dino water, dino water….” “The Drinking Song” excerpt lyrics: “Dig it, swig it, straight from the spigot – it’s H2O, H2O, H2O-O-O; H2O, H2O, H2O-O-O.” From the Iowa State University campus in Ames, Water Rocks! is aiming to provide Iowa’s three million citizens with information, inspiration, and entertainment about water.  In the process, the Hawkeye State is providing a useful resource to the rest of the country, too.  More information about Water Rocks! is available online at www.waterrocks.org. Thanks to Water Rocks! for permission to use this week’s music.  We close with one more sample of about 25 seconds, this time from “The Drinking Song.” MUSIC - ~23 sec SHIP’S BELL Virginia Water Radio is produced by the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, part of Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment.  For more Virginia water sounds, music, or information, visit us online at virginiawaterradio.org, or call the Water Center at (540) 231-5624.  Thanks to Stewart Scales for his banjo version of Cripple Creek to open and close this show.  In Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening, and

Click to listen to episode (4:31). Sections below are the following: Transcript of Audio Audio Notes and Acknowledgments Images Sources Related Water Radio Episodes For Virginia Teachers (Relevant SOLs, etc.). Unless otherwise noted, all Web addresses mentioned were functional as of 4-26-19. TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of April 29, 2019. SOUND – ~ 6 sec - Thunder and heavy rain. When a severe thunderstorm or some other kind of severe weather is forecast or is actually approaching, what kinds of messages can you expect from your favorite information sources?  Have a listen for about 45 seconds to several examples that were broadcast on April 19, 2019, on NOAA Weather Radio from the National Weather Service’s Blacksburg, Va., Forecast Office. SOUND - ~47 sec “The National Weather Service in Blacksburg has issued and urban and small stream flood advisory for….” “And now a special weather statement. At 1:44 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, radar indicated strong thunderstorms located along a line from Piper’s Gap to Pleasant Hill….” “A tornado watch remains in effect until 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time for north central and northwestern North Carolina and southwestern and west central Virginia….” “A tornado warning remains in effect until 2:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time for north central Surry and south central Carroll counties. At 2:19 Eastern Daylight Time, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located over Fancy Gap, moving northeast at 55 miles per hour.” Those Weather Service messages alerted listeners to conditions that resulted in severe thunderstorms and at least 15 confirmed tornadoes in Virginia on April 19.  The Weather Service uses the four types of messages you heard on any given day to alert citizens nationwide about impending atmospheric hazards, from thunderstorms to tropical storms, from fire danger to frost, and from high winds to high waves.  Here are some details about these four types of messages, according to the Weather Service. An advisory highlights weather conditions that may cause significant inconvenience or threaten life or property if caution is not used.  A special weather statement alerts the public about ongoing or imminent weather hazards which require a heightened level of awareness or action.  A watch means that conditions are right for a hazardous weather event to occur, but the location or timing is uncertain.  And a warning is issued when a hazardous event is actually occurring, is imminent, or is very likely to occur, and people should take appropriate safety action immediately.  Information on appropriate actions for specific weather events is available from the Weather Service, the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, the American Red Cross, and other organizations.  Take some time now to get ready for the next severe-weather message. Finally, here’s one other Weather Service message that the Blacksburg office broadcast on April 19. SOUND - ~13 sec “Skywarn is currently activated and operational at the National Weather Service in Blacksburg, Va. Spotters are encouraged to submit reports of flooding, hail, wind damage, and tornadoes.” Skywarn® spotters provide the Weather Service with valuable information about cloud conditions, flooding, hail, and other weather events.  If you’re interested in being a Skywarn® spotter, visit the program Web site at www.weather.gov/skywarn, where you can find the upcoming spotter training opportunities nearest you. SHIP’S BELL Virginia Water Radio is produced by the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, part of Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment.  For more Virginia water sounds, music, or information, visit us online at virginiawaterradio.org, or call the Water Center at (540) 231-5624.  Thanks to Ben Cosgrove for his version of “Shenandoah” to open and close the show.&nbs

Click to listen to episode (4:33). Sections below are the following: Transcript of Audio Audio Notes and Acknowledgments Images Sources Related Water Radio Episodes For Virginia Teachers (Relevant SOLs, etc.). Unless otherwise noted, all Web addresses mentioned were functional as of 4-19-19. TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of April 22, 2019. SOUNDS – ~ 8 sec This week, those bovine bellows open an episode about two western Virginia rivers with cattle in their names.  Have a listen for about 30 seconds to sounds from the two rivers, accompanied by some music for a special wildlife area in that part of the Commonwealth, and see if you can guess the river names.  And here’s a hint: If you’re familiar with the Virginia counties of Bath or Highland, this question probably won’t get PAST you. SOUNDS - ~29 sec If you guessed the Bullpasture or Cowpasture rivers, you’re right!  You heard, first, the Bullpasture in Highland County, and then the Cowpasture in Bath County, both recorded in March 2019.  The music was “Deer of the Dawn,” by Timothy Seaman of Williamsburg, composed for the Highland State Wildlife Management Area, located in Highland County.  Both rivers arise in that county and flow southwesterly on either side of Bullpasture Mountain, with the Bullpasture River eventually flowing into the Cowpasture near the Highland-Bath county line.  Farther south still, in Botetourt County, the winding Cowpasture River—its Native American name has been interpreted in English as “winding waters”—joins the Jackson River to form the James. The National Park Service has described the Cowpasture and Bullpasture watershed as “one of the largest unpolluted, unspoiled, and undisturbed river systems in the region,” and the Bullpasture as “one of the most scenic tributaries in the James River watershed.”  Bullpasture Gorge is particularly noteworthy for steep mountain ridges on land and significant rapids in the river.  The Bullpasture River is a stocked trout fishery described by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries as “a big stream that will delight almost any angler.”  The Cowpasture River Preservation Association has described that river’s region as “remote, mountainous, and rural,” home primarily to farms, other residences, summer camps, and hunting and fishing camps. Named for cattle, the Cowpasture and Bullpasture watershed is home not only to those creatures but also to fish, wildlife, forests, scenic terrain, and a history of human ties to those natural resources. Thanks to Freesound.org for making the cattle sounds available.  Thanks also to Timothy Seaman for permission to use this week’s music, and we close with about 20 more seconds of “Deer of the Dawn.” MUSIC – ~ 20 sec SHIP’S BELL Virginia Water Radio is produced by the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, part of Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment.  For more Virginia water sounds, music, or information, visit us online at virginiawaterradio.org, or call the Water Center at (540) 231-5624.  Thanks to Stewart Scales for his banjo version of Cripple Creek to open and close this show.  In Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening, and wishing you health, wisdom, and good water. AUDIO NOTES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The cattle sounds (“Bulls and cows in a field in Missouri, USA,” May 2013) were recorded by user felix.blume and made available for public use by Freesound.org, online at https://freesound.org/people/felix.blume/sounds/202795/, under the Creative Commons 0 License (Public Domain Dedication).  For more information on Creative Commons licenses, please see https://creativecommons.org/licenses/; information on the Public Domain Dedication license specifically is online at https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/. The Bullpasture River and Cowpasture River sounds were

Click to listen to episode (4:33). Sections below are the following: Transcript of Audio Audio Notes and Acknowledgments Images Sources Related Water Radio Episodes For Virginia Teachers (Relevant SOLs, etc.). Unless otherwise noted, all Web addresses mentioned were functional as of 4-12-19. TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of April 15, 2019.  This week our guest host is Lily Michaud, the spring 2019 intern at the Virginia Water Resources Research Center. For this week’s episode, we focus on the topics of stormwater management, storm-drain markers, and a creative approach in Virginia designed to increase awareness of local watersheds.  We start with some music for stormwater.  Have a listen for about 15 seconds to part of “Storm,” composed by Torrin Hallett, a graduate student at Manhattan School of Music in New York. MUSIC – ~18 sec Upon listening to that music, you may get the sense that water has a story.  The notes and patterns convey the idea that water endures a fascinating journey.  Water’s journey involves both natural pathways across land and through the atmosphere as well as human-made pathways through pipes, into drains, and across pavement, with significant impacts as it travels through both kinds of pathways.  The water in human-made pathways is what we call stormwater. Stormwater is defined by the U.S EPA as rain or snowmelt that “flows over land or impervious surfaces, such as paved streets, parking lots, and building rooftops, and does not soak into the ground.”  In developed areas, typically stormwater ends up going down a storm drain. Water that flows into storm drains gets directly channeled into local waterways and watersheds without any passage through a wastewater treatment plant.  Storm-drain markers are an educational and cost-effective way to raise awareness about the connection between stormwater and the environment. Storm-drain markers can range from basic stamps that say, “Do not dump, empties to stream,” to more elaborate depictions of the ecosystem that is receiving the stormwater.  The Town of Blacksburg, Virginia has chosen the latter, more picturesque approach to tell its local stormwater story.  In 2019, Blacksburg conducted its second annual storm-drain mural competition, where the winning designers paint their design on a local storm drain.  In 2018, four unique designs were selected and assigned to storm-drain locations around downtown Blacksburg.  The designs include realistic and symbolic depictions of landscapes, waterways, and aquatic creatures.  According to Kafi Howard, Blacksburg town engineer, and Carol Davis, manager of the Blacksburg Sustainability Division, the project is an eye-catching way to educate people of all ages about of their local natural resources.  Instead of letting storm drains fade into the background, the program grabs people’s attention and makes storm drains a part of a conversation about conservation. All over Virginia, storm-drain marking is part of various local efforts to increase community engagement and involvement in improving water quality.  A picture speaks a thousand words, and in the case of storm-drain marking, it can serve as a concrete reminder of the greater connectivity among citizens, water and ecosystems. Thanks to Torrin Hallett for permission to use this week’s music, and we close with about 15 more seconds of “Storm,” as one last reminder of the story that water can tell! MUSIC – ~18 sec SHIP’S BELL Virginia Water Radio is produced by the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, part of Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment.  For more Virginia water sounds, music, or information, visit us online at virginiawaterradio.org, or call the Water Center at (540) 231-5624.  Thanks to Ben Cosgrove for his version of “Shenandoah” to open and close the show.  In B

Click to listen to episode (4:08). Sections below are the following: Transcript of Audio Audio Notes and Acknowledgments Images Extra Information Sources Related Water Radio Episodes For Virginia Teachers (Relevant SOLs, etc.). Unless otherwise noted, all Web addresses mentioned were functional as of 4-5-19. TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of April 8, 2019. This week, we feature a water-bird mystery sound.  Have a listen for about 10 seconds, and see if you can guess this long-necked, diving, fish-eating creature.  And here’s a hint: a double-feature on its crest forms a core part of this bird’s name. SOUNDS - ~12 sec If you guessed a Double-crested Cormorant, you’re right!  The Double-crested Cormorant is the most common of six species of cormorants in North America and two species in Virginia.  Virginia’s other cormorant, the Great Cormorant, is the world’s most widespread cormorant but is a relatively infrequent visitor to the Commonwealth. The Double-crested is typically found along Virginia’s Atlantic coastline and around the Chesapeake Bay, and it’s also seen on inland ponds, lakes, and rivers, often resting on rocks, trees, or human structures.  The two head crests that give this species part of its name are not regularly visible; much more noticeable are its long dark neck, its orange throat, its large nesting colonies, and its habit of holding out its wings to dry out feathers following a diving and feeding foray.  Like other cormorants and the related Anhinga, the Double-crested Cormorant uses diving and powerful swimming ability to get its preferred food of fish along with many species of bottom-dwelling invertebrates.  Cormorant feathers have less water-resistant oils, though, compared to other diving species like various diving ducks; this may make cormorants faster underwater, even as it leads to their on-land wing-spreading behavior. The word “cormorant” has Latin roots meaning “sea crow.”  That’s appropriate, because like crows, cormorants also have a reputation in some areas and situations as a pest.  The Cornell University Lab of Ornithology’s Web site, Birds of North America, has noted that, although cormorants typically feed on non-commercial fish, they have had documented economic impacts of commercial fisheries.  The Cornell site states that “real and perceived resource conflicts have resulted in substantial federal policy changes regarding cormorant management in the United States.” Big, behaving distinctively, and bound up in policy decisions: cormorants may make you do a double-take, even if you don’t see a double crest. Thanks to Lang Elliott for permission to use the Double-crested Cormorant sounds, from the Stokes Field Guide to Bird Songs.  We close with about 15 more seconds of cormorant sounds, mixed in with some other bird species, from a series of recordings made by David Moroz within a colony reportedly of over 1000 cormorant nests. SOUNDS - ~ 13 sec SHIP’S BELL Virginia Water Radio is produced by the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, part of Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment.  For more Virginia water sounds, music, or information, visit us online at virginiawaterradio.org, or call the Water Center at (540) 231-5624.  Thanks to Stewart Scales for his banjo version of Cripple Creek to open and close this show.  In Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening, and wishing you health, wisdom, and good water. AUDIO NOTES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The first Double-crested Cormorant sounds were taken from the Stokes Field Guide to Bird Songs-Eastern Region CD set, by Lang Elliott with Donald and Lillian Stokes (Time Warner Audio Books, copyright 1997), used with permission of Lang Elliott, whose work is available online at the “Music of Nature” Web site, http://www.musicofnature.org/. The ending cormorant sounds we

Click to listen to episode (4:25). Sections below are the following: Transcript of Audio Audio Notes and Acknowledgments Image Sources Related Water Radio Episodes For Virginia Teachers (Relevant SOLs, etc.). Unless otherwise noted, all Web addresses mentioned were functional as of 3-29-19. TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of April 1, 2019. This week, we feature a sporting mystery sound, from a game that experiences a popularity peak in the United States each March and early April.  Have a listen for about 15 seconds, and see if you know the sport and what it might have to do with water. SOUNDS - 16 sec If you guessed basketball, you’re right!  March and early April mark the height of the U.S. college basketball season, with bracket matchups, star players, upsets, and final fours for men and women in the NCAA Division I tournaments and the National Invitational Tournaments.  Within those popular, pressure-packed sporting events, what’s the hardwood hydration story? It starts, of course, with the human body being made up about 60 percent water by weight, depending on several factors, including age, gender, and the percentage of a body’s lean tissue vs. fat.  Water is the solvent for the biochemicals in the processes that make our bodies work, including the transmission of nerve impulses that generate muscular action.  In athletes and non-athletes alike, an adequate level of hydration affects blood volume, chemical solutions, body temperature, energy production heart rate, cognitive processes, and emotions.  For athletes, a deficit of water in the body, or dehydration, can significantly affect performance through those physiological and psychological impacts. Studies of basketball players, for example, have found impacts of dehydration on shooting percentage, sprinting, and lateral movement.  According to various sources, impacts of dehydration typically begin to be observed when one loses water equivalent to two percent of body weight. The exercise-induced sweating that results in that loss depends on the activity along with an athlete’s size, metabolism, clothing, and environmental conditions. Avoiding dehydration requires adequate fluid intake before, during, and after exercise.  What’s adequate?  The National Strength and Conditioning Association’s 2011 Guide to Sport and Exercise Nutrition recommended about one-half ounce of fluid per pound of body weight 4 hours before exercise, 3 to 8 ounces every 10 to 20 minutes during exercise lasting longer than 60 to 90 minutes, and, after exercise, 20 to 24 ounces for every pound of water weight lost.  This may vary with individuals and with environmental conditions, and many sources may have other specific recommendations.  But the overriding principle is as true as a perfect basketball shot: paying attention to fluid levels pays off in athletic performance as well as in everyday processes. So if you’re a basketball fan, next time you hear this – SOUND - ~4 sec - “One minute remaining…” – take a second to consider what effect water may have on the outcome at the final buzzer. SHIP’S BELL Virginia Water Radio is produced by the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, part of Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment.  For more Virginia water sounds, music, or information, visit us online at virginiawaterradio.org, or call the Water Center at (540) 231-5624.  Thanks to Ben Cosgrove for his version of “Shenandoah” to open and close the show.  In Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening, and wishing you health, wisdom, and good water. AUDIO NOTES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The first basketball sounds heard in this episode were recorded March 26, 2019, by Virginia Water Radio at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. The college basketball game announcer sound was taken from “Fans at a college basketball game,” by user phil

Click to listen to episode (4:25). Sections below are the following: Transcript of Audio Audio Notes and Acknowledgments Images Extra Information Sources Related Water Radio Episodes For Virginia Teachers (Relevant SOLs, etc.). Unless otherwise noted, all Web addresses mentioned were functional as of 3-22-19. TRANSCRIPT OF AUDIO From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is Virginia Water Radio for the week of March 25, 2019. MUSIC – ~13 sec This week, that excerpt of “Baldcypress Swamp,” by Timothy Seaman of Williamsburg, Va., opens a revised 2013 episode on a group of animals whose Virginia habitats range from still-water swamps to rocky ridges.  These animals generate an equally wide range of human reactions, including, for example, their supposed removal from a large island by the namesake of a just-celebrated holiday.  Have a listen for about 10 seconds to the following mystery sound, and see if you can guess this group of elongated, limbless creatures. SOUND - ~11 sec If you guessed snakes, you’re right! You heard the distinctive sound of a rattlesnake.  Legend has it that St. Patrick drove snakes from Ireland in the Fifth Century, although a prominent Irish natural history expert has maintained that snakes never existed at all on the Emerald Isle. In any case, an absence of snakes is certainly not true of Virginia.  The Commonwealth has 34 snake species, some preferring dry, upland areas, while several other species inhabit semi-aquatic areas like streamsides, lakeshores, wet meadows, and areas around swamps and marshes. Virginia has three venomous species of snakes: the Timber Rattlesnake, including a Coastal Plain subspecies called the Canebrake Rattlesnake; the Northern Copperhead; and the Eastern Cottonmouth.  The Cottonmouth is often confused with the widespread but non-venomous Northern Water Snake, with both having the common name “water moccasin.”  Such cases of mistaken snake identities, along with misunderstandings of snake behavior, help cause widespread human fear and dislike of snakes generally.  In contrast to those perceptions, snakes play an important ecological role as predators and as prey, with feeding upon rodents often providing a direct benefit to human properties; in medicine, snake venom has been used in research into cardiovascular diseases and cancer; and most Virginia snake species generally seek to avoid humans. Even if snakes give you the creeps, learning about their behavior and ecological roles can increase your appreciation for these adaptive reptiles of various land and water environments. Thanks to Timothy Seaman for this week’s opening music and to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the rattlesnake sound. We close with another musical selection, with a title that, if snakes could talk, they might take as a slogan for their valuable role in ecosystems.  Here’s an instrumental part of “All Creatures Were Meant to be Free,” by Bob Gramann of Fredericksburg, Va. MUSIC - ~18 sec SHIP’S BELL Virginia Water Radio is produced by the Virginia Water Resources Research Center, part of Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources and Environment.  For more Virginia water sounds, music, or information, visit us online at virginiawaterradio.org, or call the Water Center at (540) 231-5624.  Thanks to Stewart Scales for his banjo version of Cripple Creek to open and close this show.  In Blacksburg, I’m Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening, and wishing you health, wisdom, and good water. AUDIO NOTES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This Virginia Water Radio episode revises and replaces Episode 151, 3-4-13, which has been archived. “Baldcypress Swamp,” from the 2004 album “Virginia Wildlife,” is copyright 2004 by Timothy Seaman and Pine Wind Music, used with permission.  More information about Timothy Saman is available online at http://www.timothyseaman.com/.  The “Virginia Wildlife” CD was a collaboration between Mr. Seaman and the V