Paul Snoey Articles

The photo above was taken  last Tuesday morning in Abrams Park. I was standing near the creek with James Barhitte the Park Caretaker, and John Schiessl. We were wondering why this pair of mallards tolerated us being so close. After a moment, another pair, male and female, flew in and landed in the water near the first pair. The new pair slowly moved toward the first pair and when they got close the two males got into a brief  but vigorous fight. Then, one of the hens flew upstream, followed by the male.  However, they slowly closed the distance and again the males got into another battle.  It was surprising to us standing on the stream bank. Then, the two pairs began to drift downstream. At that point, a third pair flew in and landed near the other pairs, so now there were three pairs of ducks. We watched as each time the males got close, there was  more fighting.  Finally, the feathered flotilla drifted out of sight.

The behavior of the ducks seemed strange. The peaceful scene rapidly changed into a contentious one with several battles between the males as they floated downstream towards the Division Street Bridge.  It looked as though the males were following the females  and staying  close.  It makes sense because a male doesn’t  want another male to mate with his female.   Also, an unattended female can  be mobbed and  gang raped by single males.  An  article about mallards in Wikipedia suggested females will  initiate a fight between males.  It may be because they want to test the genetic worthiness of the male they’ve chosen.  So they want more than a handsome guy.  He needs to show  her his toughness.

It was very interesting to watch.    Mallard reproduction seems complicated and  a bit brutal.  It must work because there are lots of mallards on Gee Creek.   After mating, the hens will build a nest hidden in grass and brush at the top of the stream bank.  On the day that the ducklings hatch, they abandon the nest and go to the creek.  Males play no part in raising the ducklings.

                                ~ Contributed by Paul Snoey

I took this photo  before  noon today. Some workers were rising in a lift.  It looked precarious.  Today was a day that had a steady cold rain all day long, so warm clothing  and good rain gear was a must.  This project will extend Pioneer Street over the railroad tracks.  It will provide access to the marina, the boat launch, and to the port.  It will also provide an access to the refuge and the trail that goes to the west of Carty Lake.  It will be well into next year before this project is completed

Covid-19 has killed almost 250,000 Americans and infected 11,000,0000 or more.  On Friday November 13^th, Johns Hopkins reported 184,000 new cases of covid-19.  Deaths are on the increase as well, going from 700 deaths/day in September to over 1100/day now.  According to the Covid Tracking Project, almost half the states are reporting record covid-19 hospitalizations.  This disease is  surging  in the US., Washington, and Clark County.  The  Covid Tracking Project was created for The Atlantic by Alexis  Madrigal whose mother, Elizabeth, lives in Ridgefield.

Moderna and Pfizer are in trials of two very promising vaccines with over 90% success in preventing disease.  However, it will likely be a few months before these vaccines are readily available.  In the meantime, we need to follow the guidance the state and county have required.   You can’t get the disease if you are not exposed to it, nor can you pass it on if you don’t have it.  We are asked to practice social distancing, wear masks,  and practice good sanitation.

The increase in cases now is alarming and people can  get sick even if they take precautions.  The surge in the autumn was predicted.  Much of the prediction was based on the knowledge that other viral diseases increase in the autumn and winter.  Earlier this year, epidemiologists stated that with colder and drier air the virus can survive longer.  Now that is not mentioned as much.  With it being colder and darker, the emphasis is more on people being indoors and thus closer together.  In our area, rainy days are  also a reason to be indoors.

There may be another consideration and that is of a drier environment, especially indoors.  There is a bacterial disease called meningitis can be spread as an airborne.  Many years ago, I read an article that suggested that if it was too dry, then this bacterium could infect through the sinus membrane.  In Africa and Asia there are occasional epidemics of meningitis.  There was a large study done that noted that in times of extreme dryness there was an increased incidence of meningococcal disease.  The study’s authors suggested other airborne diseases could gain access  as well if it is too dry.

There was a study done by researchers at Oregon State University that researched  low humidity and influenza.  They looked at death records of people in the US noting date and location.  Then,  they looked at weather for that area at the time of the deaths.  They found a correlation between times of low humidity and death from the flu.    Another study focused on infecting susceptible rats with an influenza virus.   Some were kept in a low humidity environment and some were kept at a higher humidity.   Again, rats did better in an environment that was not too dry.  Another article about the common cold suggested colds could be more easily transmitted if the humidity is low.  Nosebleeds are more common if the humidity is low.  Dryness damages the sinuses and suppresses the immune system in both the sinuses and lungs.

Covid-19 is not meningitis, a cold, or the flu, but it is spread the same way.  It seems reasonable that the virus that causes covid-19 may be more transmissible if the air is too dry.  The study done by OSU suggested that it may be of benefit to increase the humidity indoors.  The recommendation for the most comfortable indoor humidity is 40-60%.    East of the cascades it can be very cold and dry in the winter.  Here on the west side, it is wetter.  Still, with homes being heated, the air becomes much drier.  A few weeks ago, inside my home, the humidity was only 37% when we had our first frost.  So, I’m thinking of ways to keep the humidity around 50-60%.  If we do have some very cold weather, as we sometimes do here, the inside humidity  may be very low.  It may only  help  a little with covid-19 or even with colds and flu but certainly would be more comfortable to  increase the humidity at times.

By Paul Snoey

The graphic above is from the  CDC and shows the impact of influenza for the past several seasons ending in 2017-2018.  No data was presented since then.   The numbers are a little hard to see, but for 2017 – 2018 the numbers are: 45 million cases, 810 thousand hospitalizations and 61,000 deaths.  Concerning the 2019-2020 season, I did hear an official state that the flu season was expected to be the worst in more than a decade but it did not happen.  It ended six weeks early and the reason is believed to be the measures taken to control the covid-19 pandemic.  What is good for controlling covid-19 works for the flu since they are transmitted much the same way.

According to the CDC, the mortality of the flu is about 0.1% and the latest from WHO is 0.6% for covid-19.  This would be 1000 deaths for each million having the flu and 6000 deaths/million from Covid-19.  

There is a concern that later this fall and winter, the combined seasons of both diseases could overwhelm health care in the US.  Things are unpredictable with a new disease and the flu and  how they both  interact and  impact us later.  The one thing we can do is get a flu shot.  The state of Massachusetts has required all students to get a flu shot and other states may follow.   I got one two weeks ago at  the Albertson’s pharmacy in Salmon Creek.  Rosaurs will have them available on September 1st.  If there ever was a time to get a flu shot, it is now.

By Paul Snoey