Susanne: California, The New Dust Bowl
Look at the typical family’s shopping list, and you’ll find that many of those items used to be grown in California’s San Joaquin Valley, but not anymore. Why? Because of the Silver Minnow, a 2-inch smelt that has been on the Endangered Species List since 2004. The pumps that supplied water to these farms to compensate for any lack of rain have been shut off. No new crops have been planted; established fruit and nut trees are dying. Families are losing their businesses, and over 80,000 people in the city of Mendota alone are without jobs–an unemployment rate of 41%. (more…)
