Kleen Impact

Part 2 of 2:

Nine Banded Armadillo

Texas is a land of cattle, horses and armadillos. The armadillo is a fascinating creature to visitors from the north. They first foraged into Texas across the Rio Grande from Mexico in the 1800’s. Armadillo is Spanish for “Little Armored One”. There are 20 species of armadillos which are distinguished by the number of bands on their armor. They range from the 5 foot Giant Armadillo to the Pink Fairy Armadillo of 5 inches. All species are native to the Americas. In the U.S. the sole resident is the Nine-banded Armadillo.

Armadillos are prolific diggers and build burrows near creeks and streams feeding on ants and grubs. The Nine-banded Armadillo tends to jump straight up in the air when frightened and consequently collides with the undercarriage or fenders of passing cars, unfortunately the reason you see so many fur-belly side up beside the road.

Southwestern Decor

They first came into Texas crossing the Rio Grande River from Mexico in the 1800’s. Interestingly enough they have the ability to remain underwater up to 6 minutes and inflate their stomach with air to float and swim. The Nine-banded Armadillo also serves science through its unusual mammal reproductive system in which genetically identical quadruplets are born in every liter. During the great depression the species was actually hunted for it’s meat in East Texas where it was known as “Hoovers Hog’.

Cowboy's Limo

There are interesting energy solutions across Texas including everything from old windmills pumping water to livestock in vast desolate acreages, to big oil wells drilling the liquid gold, to wind turbines converting the kinetic energy of the wind into mechanical energy which is then converted to electricity.

Turbines used in wind farms are usually a three bladed tapered airfoil shape and pointed into the wind by computer controlled motors. The blades rotate 10-22 rpms and range in length from 65-130 feet and the steel towers range from 200-300 feet tall – making for an awesome sight across the landscape. All turbines are equipped with shut down features to avoid damage at high wind speeds.

Wind Turbine Power in Texas

Saturday May 9th the Windpower 2009 conference was held at McCormick Place, Chicago. It was reported that the 2008 wind energy production was at 25,170MW installed, putting the U.S. as #1 in the world ahead of Germany. Texas with 7116MW accounts for ¼ of that and Iowa second with 2790MW. The wind industry employs 85,000 people in the U.S. The Obama administration wants the U.S. to be producing 20% of it’s electricity from wind by 2030. Amazingly we are on track to do it.

Closer to home, Mas Tech, a small factory in Manistee, is churning out wind turbines helping usher in a new greener era for Michigan manufacturing. According to Next Energy, a renewable energy group in Detroit, “Some 400 other Michigan manufacturers have the capabilities to craft gear boxes, brakes, generators and other parts for utility size wind turbines with the structures selling for two million dollars a piece.” One federal report identifies Michigan as one of the four states that could create up to 30,000 new jobs from wind energy.

Home of the 72oz

Back in Texas, the state is also known for its great steak houses. A popular spot on the trail is the Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo. Their claim to fame is the Free 72 oz. steak dinner… if you can eat it all in 1 hour. They say many have tried and many have failed, but reports over 8,000 hearty diners have done it including a 68 year old woman. I think we’ll have to pass, but you never know… maybe next year.

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