Karen (UR) - I see dead people

I have always been fascinated with archeology.  Digging up (excavating) things that could be thousands of years old, WOW !  It's only been recently that I have become interested in anthropology as well.  A few years ago I was fortunate enough to spend a year and a half living in the high desert of northern New Mexico.  I was living on the Navajo Indian Reservation and the artifacts and history captivated me. So, of course, that's how I came to love Paleo-anthropology, the best of both worlds. 


I also love anything with fur, feathers and scales.  For my entire life I have had pets of all kinds. Armadillos to Zebras ! Horses are my true love though, well and dogs !!  I also am crazy about plants of any kind, especially trees.  I thought I would combine my love of animals and plants for my research project.


So, here goes.....
In many areas of the world, small holding farmers have a difficult time feeding their livestock and growing crops.  There are many reasons for this but one of the main reasons is water.  Clean water.  I'm not talking about drinking water, that is a whole other conversation.  Because of this difficulty, especially in under-developed countries, I will be researching the use of Lemnaceae lemna minor or the common Duckweed as a water purifier.  This plant can be used to clean water that has been contaminated with nitrates and phosphates (from animal manure and/or fertilizers).  The plant can then be dried and used for animal feed (fodder) or as an organic fertilizer because once dried, it no longer retains the nitrates and phosphates.  A dual purpose aquatic "weed". 

New Mexico

Shiprock, New Mexico
Navajo Sacred Mountain