What People Say About Horses for Clean Water!

"I cannot believe how much I learned from your 4-wk. course, and that I was going to go into horse ownership without having had all that knowledge! It was excellent, thank you." ~Amy Croan, Maple Valley, WA

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May 2010

In this issue of The Green Horse

Message from Alayne: Home Sweet Home

Alayne, Rikki and Saylee in Maple Valley

In the summer of 2007 I shared with you my fresh idea of moving to a warmer climate and drier times. It’s taken us a while, but Matt and I are ready to say “wagons ho!” We have sold our beautiful farm in Maple Valley, WA and are primed to set sail on a new adventure in Southern Idaho.

I share this with you with mixed feelings; I am immensely grateful for the time we have had in the Pacific Northwest. I have learned much, had incredibly rewarding work experiences, and best of all, I have met all of you: the best friends and work associates I could have ever hoped for. I am humbled and grateful for all this. It tears at my heartstrings to pull away from all this and the beautiful landscape. I shall forever miss my beautiful elk herd that lived in my backyard, the coyotes that played in our pastures and howled in chorus at night, the bald eagles that soared overhead, the black bear we’d occasionally startle in our woods…and “our” woods. How will I ever be able to say goodbye to my beautiful woods? Matt and loved the Indian Plum, the first flowers of spring, the Red Flowering Currant we’d wait for in February heralding the return of the hummingbirds and the first crystal white Trillium flower. Matt and I loved to ride through the woods while having a contest to see who could spot the most Trillium. Powerful, poignant memories and feelings which I hope will bolster me as we head down the road to our next big adventure.

My promise to each of you in this adventure is that I intend to include you in our future plans. I will continue my HCW work—with some added new twists such as hosting 2-3 day workshops that include Idaho trail riding, retreats and get-a-ways. Along with HCW themes, these might feature guest speakers or clinicians, be cowgirl retreats geared towards women, or be about reining or other aspects horsemanship and riding. Matt and I also plan a small-scale guest ranch/horse motel and boarding operation so that our friends will stop by.

So stay tuned and keep in touch as I share our journey and plans for developing our desert ranch.

Alayne

Side pasture before

Barn before

Paddock before

Side pasture after

Barn after

Paddock after

Now Available: HCW DVDs

Here at HCW we’ve been working hard to come up with the best ways to help you have horsekeeping success. We recently worked on a few short DVD presentations and they are now becoming available for purchase through Amazon and CreateSpace.

The first DVD is Manure Management on Horse Properties. Purchase this 11 minute video from Amazon or CreateSpace via the links here:


Purchase via CreateSpace
Purchase via Amazon

The second DVD is Mud Management on Horse Properties. Purchase this 11 minute video from Amazon or CreateSpace via the links here:


Purchase via CreateSpace
Purchase via Amazon

We will post announcements as the other DVDs are released.

Sorting Out Your Septic System

by April LaLande, Horses for Clean Water

Teri King of the University of Washington’s Sea Grant Program recently gave some interesting classes about septic systems, sponsored by the King Conservation District and Washington Department of Ecology. Did I just say interesting? Testimonials from participants of the free classes were glowing: “I couldn’t believe that we could talk three hours about septic systems,” “The time just flew by,” “It was fun and interesting,” “Teri was a great speaker and I’ll save a lot of money maintaining my system properly.”
Here are a few of the septic system practices King shared with us at her first class:

Not Down the Drain

There are only two things your septic system needs to be fed and stay healthy: pre-digested food and “good” toilet paper!

  • Kleenex, wipes and hygiene products should never be flushed into a septic system.
  • Avoid unsafe toilet paper. Even if a label says “septic safe,” test your paper: take one square and put it in a small jar of water – let it sit for awhile and then shake it up. The paper should stay intact and not break into tiny fluffy pieces that can clog filters or end up clogging your drain-field.
  • Don’t wash paint brushes in your sink—hardened latex particles cannot dissolve and will clog pipes and filters.
  • Never flush prescription medicines—dispose of them at a drop-off site (such as Group Health, Rite Aid, or Bartell Drug pharmacies in King County) so they can be broken down properly and not end up in our ground water, surface water or landfills.
  • Don’t use any type of cleaning products or chemicals (including those you may use for your animals) that have “poison” or “danger” on the label, and use products with “warning” on the label discriminately. Besides being hazardous to the environment, these products can kill “good” bacteria in your system and undermine sewage treatment.
  • Long hair, dental floss and other fibers should be caught in mesh strainers before they go down household drains so they don’t wrap around and disable pumps.
  • Never dump cooking grease and oils down the drain.
  • Don’t use septic system additives.

Risky Septic Practices

Here are some practices that may be fine if you are hooked up to a city sewer system, but can wreak havoc on septic systems.

  • Dumping beer or bread-making wastes down the drain which contain yeast can cause your tank to boil and lessen its ability to separate solids.
  • Powdered detergents for laundry and dishes contain compacted fillers that can create “icebergs” in your tank and don’t dissolve. Instead, use the smallest amount of liquid concentrate you can.
  • Avoid constant cold water laundry washing and heavy bleach. Using only cold water will change the temperature of your tank – both of these practices can kill beneficial bacteria.
  • Don’t put heavy water loads into your septic tank. Stager your laundry, dishwasher and shower uses so your tank does not have a bigger “meal” of water than it can handle.
  • Do not use a garbage disposal—undigested food particles clog the system.
  • Never compact the soil on your drain-field or reserve area. Horses, heavy tractors and cars can break pipes or compact soil, making it hard for soil microbes to treat and digest sewage—and you may not have the extra land (or $$$$) to build a new drain-field if your system fails.
  • Do not plant trees or shrubs on your drain-field with invasive root systems. Drought tolerant grasses and shallow-rooted native plants are the best plantings for your system.
  • Avoid putting irrigation water, chemicals or fertilizers onto your drain field so that soil microbes stay alive and active and can do their job to break down waste.

Monitoring and Maintenance

Keeping an eye on your system and performing maintenance as needed will ensure that your “waste treatment plant” does not fail and cause harm to your pocketbook or the environment.

  • Always keep your health and safety in mind when having your system inspected, pumped or repaired. Allow an air gap between hoses that are used with, or connected to, fresh water. Just to be sure, rinse equipment with a ten percent bleach solution to disinfect them when done, making sure the rinse water goes back into your tank and not onto the ground! Sewage pathogens or chemicals on the ground create a serious health risk.
  • Check downspouts to make sure roof water is being diverted to a vegetated area away from your drain-field.
  • Make your system easier to find and more convenient to maintain by putting risers or markers on access points.
  • Periodically check toilets and faucets for leaks. They can quietly leak and cause excess water to run into your septic tank. Performing a simple dye test will determine if your toilets are leaking.
  • Conserve water by installing low-flow devices where you can and by running only full laundry and dishwashing loads.
  • Visually check your system after earthquakes and follow your system’s specific protocol during power outages so you don’t overfill your septic tank. If you don’t know what to do, a licensed maintenance contractor (OSM) can help you.
  • Schedule regular inspections by a Certified On-Site System Maintainer (OSM.) Lists are available at your county Public Health department. OSM inspectors insure your septic tank is water-tight, and that your drain field is working properly—YOU DO NOT need to pump your tank each time unless the sludge and scum layer inspection warrants it. Residential inspections on well-maintained systems should take place approximately every three years (yearly if you use a garbage disposal.)
  • During an inspection, be on-site and receive a receipt that includes:
    • Date, name, address and property description or parcel number
    • Tank size
    • Tank construction
    • Tank compartments
    • Effluent levels
    • Tank condition and scum and sludge levels
    • Baffle condition
    • Outlet baffle effluent filter
    • Pump chamber and pump
    • Drain-field condition
    • Sewage disposal location (if pumped)
    • Abnormal findings

RESOURCES:
Sea Grant Washington: Pumping Your Septic Tank, Adobe Acrobat PDF, by Teri King and Jodie Holdcroft
SeaGrant Online Publications
Contact your county health department or use the Sea Grant link above for more information, free brochures, videos, and septic kits that may be available in your area. Sorting it out now just makes sense!

Quote of the Month

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only that that has.”

Margaret Mead (used with permission)

Barn Politics: Meet the Author

An Interview with Philip Marshall

March 24, 2010
When we learned at Horses for Clean Water that one of our favorite veterinarians had published his breakthrough fiction novel, we were thrilled. What better way to endure the dreary days of winter than reading a new “horsey” novel?

Barn Politics, a mystery which intertwines coming of age choices, crazy, driven horse people, and fierce competitiveness is set in Hunt Country, Virginia, where “horses are dying, and people will follow.” We follow young veterinarian Jordan Pascoe as he journeys through the lush landscape of northern Virginia, feeling his way through his new career while bravely facing his own inner demons. But, as the young Dr. Pascoe soon learns, the privileged horsey set has a few demons of their own!

We caught up with Dr. Salewski (Philip Marshall is a pseudonym) at his real life veterinary practice, where he specializes in chiropractic, herbal medicine and acupuncture. We wondered, how had he made the leap from veterinarian to fiction writer?

HCW: When did you start writing, and do you envision it as a lifelong endeavor?

PM: I started as a wee one writing stories. I’ve always written. Recently my mother gave me a big box of stories I’d written when I was young. I was surprised at the size of it! Yes, I’ll always write.

HCW: Who came first in your life: Michael Salewski the writer or Michael Salewski the vet?

PM: I’d have to say Michael Salewski the reader, actually. I love the way words are put together on the page, and I’ve always been a voracious reader, so: reader, writer, vet, in that order.

I did know early on I wanted to be a vet, and [author] James Herriot was a big influence in my younger years. It’s funny, my career counseling sessions were very short in school because I’d state “I want to be a vet” right off. I was usually out of there in under ten minutes.

I had worked at a small animal veterinary clinic in high school, and when I went on to college it was suggested to me that I get some mixed [large] animal experience. I was able to ride around with a large animal vet and I discovered that, beside loving small animals and dogs, I really clicked with and felt a connection to horses. Llamas though…that’s another story!

HCW: I have to agree on Llamas! So, besides writing, what else occupies your spare time?

PM: Photography, I really love that creative outlet. I also enjoy being outdoors and sports.

HCW: You obviously have great affection for horses; so do you ride?

PM: [laugh] I’m a bad rider. I’ve started to ride, but with our place and two young boys, it hasn’t been a priority.

And being a vet, it was hard to go to a stable and ride without getting sidetracked by horse questions.

HCW: If you could read a book again, as if for the first time, which one would it be and why? (I am shamelessly stealing this question from an NPR segment.)

PM: Wow, there are so many books to choose from. And I’m bad at getting rid of books. I have a large section of my favorites, but, if I had to choose, I love Stardust by Neil Gaiman. It’s the perfect fairy tale. Every word is impeccably and beautifully written.

HCW: Getting back to your book: I thoroughly enjoyed the narrator’s witty and descriptive prose. Showing the fictitious horsey landscape of Northern Virginia through the character’s eyes seemed real and intimate, even to non-horsey readers. How did you develop your writing style?

PM: It’s a mix of things. I like a lot of the old-fashioned books, some might say books with “too-flowery” prose. I also enjoy reading writing that has a rhythm. I strive for a rhythm in my writing style, and try to avoid empty words.

HCW: Is writing strictly solitary for you, or do you work with fellow writers to hone your craft and to provide motivation?

PM: It is solitary.

HCW: Who is Black Walnut Publishing?

PM: It’s me. I created it to publish Barn Politics.

HCW: That’s a big undertaking. How was the process of self-publishing?

PM: I love self-publishing. It was an enjoyable process for Barn Politics, and it allowed me to have creative control. I was able to choose the font, the layout and the cover. I’ve had the cover in my mind for years, the darkness, the trees; it was great to see it come to fruition with the help of a cover designer. The book is 99% how I envisioned it coming out.

HCW: Would you recommend self-publishing to budding novelists, and would you do it again?

PM: Yes to both. If you believe in it [your book] and the craft of it, and it’s not going to take off with an agent, why not?

HCW: I read on the Black Walnut Publishing website a few reasons you wrote under a pseudonym was to keep your fiction and non-fiction endeavors separate, and because of the difficulty people have with your name. Are you going to try and maintain separation between Philip Marshall and Dr. Salewski, or are the two names to be synonymous?

PM: Separate, yes. It is nice to have a little anonymity, and it allows me some separation between the veterinarian and the writer, as I do a fair bit of professional writing and speaking.

HCW: What genre were you going for in the published version, and is there a cross-over into the young adult category for all those horse-crazy teenagers out there?

PM: I was going for literary mystery, if there is such a thing. Something along the lines of the early Elizabeth George mysteries, which are good at painting a picture. I think the literary aspect of mysteries is underrated; some modern fiction mysteries seem to be dumbed-down, which I think is a disservice to readers.

HCW: Let’s talk a little about the protagonist. Are there any parallels between Jordan Pascoe and Dr. Salewski? For instance, in physical resemblance, or in how they each got their start in veterinary practice? I remember the narrator describing Pascoe as “a bit of a mutt,” and then goes on to list some physical characteristics that look strikingly similar to you. Coincidence?

PM: Because of who Jordan Pascoe is, I drew upon some personal experience, especially the politics of being a young vet just starting out. But physically, no, the only resemblance may be the small amount of Native American blood we share.

I knew the personality type I was going for, and that’s how Pascoe developed; Pascoe needed to be portrayed as someone with a flawed character, someone who was difficult to get close to. That’s where the physical description helped. Also his gambling problem, which seemed less cliché and more connected to the horse industry than say, a drinking problem.

HCW: I read your initial motivation to complete this novel was that your wife, Lynne, was interested in knowing how the story turned out. So, did she like the ending?

PM: [smile] She was initially a little disappointed because she had a specific ending in mind; Jordan may have to live out a two or three book arc for that to happen.

HCW: Is Hunt Country a “real” place in Virginia?

PM: Yes, many names are real cities and areas, and in the book they constitute what is known as Hunt Country, a two to three county area with the stereotypical town being Middleburg, Virginia.

As a matter of fact, I bought my wife’s wedding ring at Hunt Country Jewelers, and the first vet I rode around with out of school practiced in Hunt Country. Middleburg is a town which historically has had a much sought after zip code, so much so, that the post office was often overwhelmed with applications for boxes in the eighties.

HCW: Was there a King Harkin in your life?

PM: The name King came from a boy scout leader I had from Georgia. He was a stereotypical marine colonel: tough, bold. I liked his boldness, and the name King has always stuck with me.

Personality wise, King Harkin was modeled after my first vet mentor who was a legend in Hunt Country. Those who knew him (which was practically everyone) showed deference; he had a great reputation, but unfortunately was broken down physically from working on too many horses before the practice of anesthesia became common. Physically, and in some character traits, I modeled King after him.

HCW: Who is your favorite character and why?

PM: I’m glad you asked. Ruth Wallace. I love her.

First off, it was fun to write a woman character. And then to learn that she has absolutely no morals. I loved it. She is pure and udder selfishness personified, while at the same time being the most shallow, but also the most interesting character.

HCW: A strong underlying current throughout the novel is the motivation to compete. Do you consider competitiveness the central theme?

PM: The central theme is more about deciding what you’re going to do to succeed. What is acceptable to do to have the lifestyle you want? What behavior is acceptable for developing into the person you think you want to be?

HCW: Did you learn anything new writing Barn Politics, and if so, did it surprise you?

PM: I learned to write better. When I first started out, it wasn’t as much about writing for me as producing a novel. Along the way, my perspective flipped, and it was more about craft.

HCW: Do you get much feedback from your readers?

PM: Yes, people have been wonderful and kind.

HCW: Has any feedback changed your perspective about your story?

PM: I wouldn’t have thought this, but for some, the gory parts were too much. One of my best clients had the hardest time and felt awful telling me, she just couldn’t get past the second chapter as the goriness was too much.

HCW: Finally, you said you would like to see Jordan Pascoe “…face, and conquer, some demons in future books.” When is his next adventure to begin?

PM: Well, [laugh] it took twenty years to write and five years to edit the first book. I have Jordan’s second adventure outlined, and the first few chapters written. Hopefully we’ll hear from him in well under twenty years, possibly under two.

Interviewed by April LaLande for The Green Horse, Horses for Clean Water ©

To purchase Barn Politics (now available for Kindle), visit: www.amazon.com

To contact or to learn more about Philip Marshall, visit his publisher or Facebook page.

Saving the Farm Manure: Some things on the farm never change!


Taken from “The Pacific Homestead,” April 4, 1918, Portland, Oregon
Note from Alayne: This was sent to me by Patricia Cosgrove, Auburn, Washington’s White River Museum curator. Patricia is also a HCW demonstration farm owner and a good friend. We both found it interesting and fun to see the similarities between then and now.

A correspondent in Hoard’s Dairyman writes about farm manure as follows:

“In these days when starving nations are pleading with us to produce as much as possible on our farms, the man who deliberately leaves his manure under the eaves, where its rich fertilizing value may be washed away by rain, shows distinctly a lack of patriotism. I know of farmers who leave manure piled alongside the barn from spring until fall. By that time is has depreciated about as much as it possibly could. No poorer place could be contrived to leave the valuable crop producing qualities of manure.”

Native Bees and Your Crops

Reprinted by permission from the Renton, WA office of the Natural Resource Conservation Service and from “Farming for Pollinators” published by the Xerces Society, Copyright © 2005.
Native bees are valuable crop pollinators. Wild bees help increase crop yields and may serve as important insurance when honey bees are hard to come by. There are simple, inexpensive ways you can increase the number of native bees living on your land. Any work you do on behalf of pollinators will support other beneficial insects and wildlife. Enhance habitat with flowering plants and additional nest sites. Adding flowers, leaving some ground untilled, and providing bee blocks (tunnels drilled into wood) are all ways to increase the number of native bees on your farm.

Critical Requirements of Native Bees

Food. Bees eat only pollen and nectar. In the process of gathering these resources, they move pollen from one flower to another, and thus pollinate your crops. Bees rely upon an abundance and variety of flowers, and need blooming plants throughout the growing season. Native plant species are particularly valuable.

Shelter. Native bees don’t build the wax or paper structures we associate with honey bees or wasps, but they do need places to nest, which vary depending on the species. Woodnesting bees are solitary, often making individual nests in beetle tunnels in standing dead trees. Groundnesting bees include solitary species that construct nest tunnels under the ground. Cavity-nesting social species—bumble bees—make use of small spaces, such as abandoned rodent burrows, wherever they can find them. Two things that you can do to begin improving habitat for native bees on your land:

  1. Minimize tillage. Many of our best crop pollinators live underground for most of the year, sometimes at the base of the very plants they pollinate. To protect them, turn over soil only where you need to.
  2. Allow crops to bolt. If possible, allow leafy crops, like lettuce, to flower if they don’t need to be tilled right away. This gives bees additional food sources.

Other ways to increase the number of native bees include planting hedgerows or windbreaks with a variety of flowering plants and shrubs, reducing or eliminating your use of pesticides, and working with your neighbors to protect natural areas around your farm.

Improvements to pollinator habitat is eligible for financial support from Natural Resources Conservation Service, a non-regulatory agency federal agency that works in partnership with landowners to reduce soil erosion, enhance water supplies, improve water quality, increase wildlife habitat, and reduce damages caused by floods and other natural disasters.

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