Smoke poses little threat to S.J. County
Although smoke from the Carr Fire in Shasta and Trinity counties has filled the skies of San Joaquin County in recent weeks, local crops and livestock have not experienced many negative effects.
Marcy Sousa, program coordinator for the San Joaquin Master Gardeners, said that while there is currently not enough smoke in the air to negatively affect the blooming cycles of plants, home gardeners should still pay attention to the weather and take preventative measures if necessary.
“If you notice ash falling on your car, give your produce a good, thorough scrub and maybe soak them before eating them, just to get that residual ash off,” Sousa said.
Excessive smog exposure during blooming periods can cause plants to not drop their fruit, Sousa said, but daytime temperatures of over 90 degrees are much more likely to cause the same affect in the county.
Despite the relatively low risk to plants, Sousa said that gardeners should be careful that the smoke in the air does not have negative affects on their own health.
“I would advise limiting the amount of gardening people are doing to reduce exposure to poor air quality,” Sousa said.
San Joaquin County agricultural commissioner Tim Pelican said that the smoke levels are not high enough to pose a significant risk to the county’s commercial agriculture industry, either.
Callahan presented detailed plans of the park and the plot where he would like to put the new flag pole as well as pictures of the current pole with the tree growing around it.
“The gigantic tree just completely grew around it, and there is no possible way to recover or save the flag pole,” Callahan said.
He hopes to place a new flag near the park’s fountain and his goal is to have the new pole installed by Veteran’s Day. Callahan just finished getting permission to install the pole this week. According to Callahan, approximately $10,000 is needed to install the pole. He plans to raise the funds, but at this point he is unsure exactly how he will do it.
The pole is part of Lodi’s history, Callahan said, and it is important that it is restored to honor the American Legion and the veterans of Lodi.
“I’d like the people to know where it is,” Callahan said. “I’d like for people to go by and look at it. It’s behind the basketball court next to the restrooms. Go by and look at the flag pole the way it is now and what it’s become, and just say we can do better than this for our veterans.”