In a word…Yesss!! In an action….a jump for joy. It has rained and the reservoirs in Little Lake Valley have been topped off.

As was mentioned a couple of blogs back, a Stage One water ration had been declared in Willits due to low reservoir levels and unseasonably dry weather in December, January, and March. After attending a Willits City Council meeting in April, I found out that a prescribed amount of water needs to be released from the reservoir in order to protect native salmon. However, after the month of March, a greater degree of water can be retained in the reservoir to meet the needs of the Little Lake Valley during the dry summer months. In the last two weeks the weather station at the Willits Energy Farm has recorded 3.6 inches of rain at the site.

To be sure, just because reports have said that the reservoir is topped off does not mean that we can be foregoing our responsibility to conserve scarce water. However, it does slow the timeline that the city was using to decide whether to issue a Stage Two mandate that restricts ALL outside water usage.

Water scarcity is a serious issue in the Willits area, and in response, we developing an irrigation system that considers ways in which we will conserve water and still feed the plants appropriately. With the exception of the table grape and the orchard section we are using 3 overhead sprinklers to cover the main parcels that we have planted out (perennial section, potato section and cool season annuals). However, overhead watering of our crops is not the most efficient form of irrigation. The Rainbirds will suffice during the interim in which we are hooked to the municipal system; however, we want to investigate other watering options.

Today, I visited an irrigation store in Ukiah to pick-up a handful of Toro “Shrub” sprinklers that have unique watering patterns. One sprinkler, for instance, shoots water 4 feet forward and 15 feet in each direction laterally (like a rectangle). Another is rated at 12 feet and shoots in a quarter circle at a flat angle, while another sprinkler shoots 9 feet forward and 9 feet each direction laterally. These unique sprinkler heads may provide an effective alternative to transient and disposable drip lines and large scale overhead watering with Rainbirds. We will investigate whether the Toros will be valuable watering devices that conserve water by not watering unnecessary space and last a long time. On Monday, I plan to acquire the appropriate sprinkler stands and threaded schedule 80 pipes (at heights of 3, 6, and 12 inches) to experimentation with these unique patterns and to gauge the effectiveness of their coverage.

Current Overhead Watering Style Using Rainbirds

Various Toro Shrub Heads to be Tested

Around midnight Monday the sky was clear, stars were easy to see, and ice was beginning to form on the steps near the entrance of the house. On Tuesday I woke to find it snowing with an accumulation of a couple of inches already on the ground. Jason and I headed down to the farm site to take some pictures of the occasion. Our onsite weather station recorded 1.29 inches of precipitation in January and 10.39 inches (not counting the current snow) in February. The table below shows data related to the average rainfall for the Willits area.

Source: WILLITS 1 NE, MENDOCINO COUNTY data derived from NCDC Cooperative Stations. 27 complete years between 1960 and 1995.

With the snow we are back inside waiting for our next opportunity to put some time in at the farm site. Once there is a break in the weather we are looking to transplant the peas that were sown on the 7^th of February. Another farm priority is the construction of a covered composting station. I visited Mendo Mill to get a price check on materials and it looks like it will be fairly reasonable to build the covered area. Under the shelter we will have room for multiple compost piles, and we are looking to get some straw bales to insulate the early piles in the cooler weather.

The Community Support page has been updated. Take a look to see the growing number of volunteers, local businesses, and organizations aligned with the Brookside Farm project.

Pan of the Farm Site Looking Northwest

Main Shade Tree On-Site (A Large Madrone)

Tree Collards Standing Up to the Snow

Snow Covering the Weather Station

The new weather station installed at the Willits Energy Farm is able to collect a variety of metrological variables. This blog will discuss the three main hardware components of the system, namely, the Integrated Sensor Suite, the Vantage Pro 2 Console, and the data logger. These three parts work together to gather, transmit, store, interpret, and present data related to our on-site weather conditions. The Energy Farm network currently has two sites capable of broadcasting weather data-the Energy Farm site in Willits, California and another at the Energy Farm site at the University of British Columbia.

Close Up of Integrated Sensor Suite (ISS) on Willits Energy Farm

The Integrated Sensor Suite (ISS) is mounted eleven feet in the air in the northwestern section of the Willits Energy Farm. Notice that the unit is equipped with an anemometer. As you might guess, this device is used to capture wind speed and wind direction data. The large black surface is a rain collection bucket. The bucket has a conical shape that channels water down into a spout. This spout pours water onto what looks like two cups situated on a teeter-totter. Situated at the fulcrum of this teeter-totter is a digital sensor used to measure the amount of hourly precipitation. On top of the unit and to each side of the rain bucket are two gauges which measure Ultra Violet Radiation and Solar Insulation. In the picture you can only see one gauge- the UV detector. Many people quickly notice the mini solar panel mounted on the front of the unit. This does not collect specific variables of data, and instead powers the sensors, assists the transmission of the wireless data, and recharges the battery. The ISS uses a Nickel Cadmium battery, which, no doubt, serves as a back-up and nighttime power source. Most of the other devices are housed inside the white portion of the unit, under the rain collection bucket. This is a radiation shield and is where measurements of temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure are derived. The radiation shield is designed to protect the sensors from interference from direct solar radiation that may confound the accurate measurement of data.

 Vantage Pro 2 Wireless Console

The second aspect of this system is the Vantage Pro 2 Console. The console is mounted on the wall inside the computer lab and receives data from the ISS via wireless transmission. The Vantage Pro 2 Console was bundled with the ISS and is used to present the data in a means in which we can read it. It is capable of producing graphs, making forecasts based on its data, and simply displaying the data in real-time. It runs on three “C” batteries or can be plugged into an AC power source.

There is a small section in the Vantage Pro 2 box to insert a data logger (not pictured). The device is sold separately. Without this it is impossible to connect the weather station to the computer and therefore impossible to store a large amount of meaningful data. The data link connects to the computer with a USB cable and is packaged with Davis Instrument’s Weatherlink software. Weatherlink is the windows-based interface and can make colorful graphs, adjust the Vantage Pro 2 console settings from the computer, and share the data on the internet.

Now that the weather station is in the air and receiving data, the next step is to gather data and begin to read and interpret the information. We spoke with Brookside School principal Chuck Mansell and he was willing to dedicate a laptop to receive, store, and broadcast the data from the weather station. Chuck is excited about the weather station because he can see a great deal of learning potential for his students. For example, they will be able analyze and interpret certain aspects of the data, give daily weather and temperature reports, and even make forecasts at the beginning of the school day. These forecasts will be mentioned during the morning intercom announcements.

The data is transmitted wirelessly from the Integrated Sensor Suite (located on the farm site) to the Vantage Pro 2 Console (located inside the school computer lab). The console displays current weather data and is connected to a data logger that links to a computer through a USB connection. The data logger imports metrological information into the Weather Link software which is able to store the data on the hard drive and make detailed graphs and analysis.

The setup and calibration of the Vantage Console was very straight forward. The console is mounted high on the wall in order to avoid tampering, and the laptop is able to display the data to the classroom. Once we iron out a couple of internet connection issues we will be broadcasting the data from the Willits section if the energyfarms.net site. This will make access easy for everyone and there will be no need for the students to handle the dedicated laptop.

We are pleased to have been able to install the weather station before the new year as it will allow us complete, yearly data sets beginning in 2007.

Dedicated Laptop to Collect, Store, and Broadcast Weather Data 

Christoffer and Jason Installing Vantage Pro Console on the Wall

Sample Data Presented With WeatherLink Software

When we last left the weather station project we had taken great effort to ensure that the unit would be mounted level. We were on track to finishing the project when we began applying tension to four guy-wires that were intended for support and stability. This is where the cold afternoon got a bit dark…As we applied tension to the guy-wires we threw the device off level on its Z-axis orientation. To compensate we put a lot of tension on the opposite guy wire; in fact, we applied so much tension it broke the wire! By this point it was too cold and dark to continue. We took stock of our success for the day and left the farm site knowing that we needed to come up with a new plan to better our guy-wire situation and return the weather station to a completely level orientation.

In the ensuing brainstorm it did not take long to find a new idea. The most useful idea was from David Drell. He suggested that we use turnbuckles to mediate the connection between the mounting arm and the pole. This would allow us a degree of control over the amount of tension we create and still maintain the sturdy support that we want to offer the weather station and mounting arm.

A turnbuckle is a device with two eyelets on each side. These eyelets are the top of a threaded bolt that are able to twist into the main body of the turn buckle. Wire is connected to each eyelet and then to the eyes that are attached to the pole and the mounting arm. When the bolts are tightened on the turnbuckle the tension increase as the length of the wire becomes shorter and shorter. This method of applying tension to the guy-wire is better for this sensitive application, and is an improvement over the method that we used yesterday, which involved twisting a nail between two wires to take slack out the line.

Today Jason and I approached the farm site with four new turnbuckles, a bit of galvanized wire, and a level. David let us use his 10 foot ladder for one more day as we put the final touches on this phase of the project. It was interesting to note that when we cut the top wire on the Z-axis the entire unit regained the level that we worked for in the previous day. This time the wires were attached and the perfect amount of tension was applied. I pre-tied the wire to each turnbuckle while Jason attached each section to the pole and mounting arm. The process went fast and the alteration took under an hour to complete. We are proud to present the following pictures of the weather station, the newest addition to the energy farm site located at Brookside School in Willits, California.

Jason Twisting the Turnbuckle to Create Tension in Wire

 A Drawing of a Turnbuckle Completely Tightened Down (Notice Bolt and Treading Mechanism) 

View of Farm and Weather Station

The days are running shorter and shorter and the blue sky traps no warmth on this December afternoon. Farm friends David Drell and Jason Bradford rallied to the energy farm site for a very special occasion-the installation of the weather station!

Like the Energy Farm at the University of British Columbia, the Willits Energy Farm will be collecting data that will be archived and posted on energyfarms.net. Julian Darley, the Founder and Director of the Post Carbon Institute, had purchased the “Integrated Sensor Suite” from Davis Instruments months earlier. His intention was to install a first class weather station that allows farmers and researchers to collect and compare a wide range of meteorological data including temperature, humidity, rainfall, wind speed and direction, insulation, and UV intensity. This data set will allow researchers to make comparisons on a specific crop performance in relation to climate or allow farmers to accurately read and forecast the weather for sowing and harvest practices.

The installation involved inserting two ½ inch thick and 6 inch long lag bolts through the main base of the redwood extension arm into the backstop pole. Redwood was chosen because it is weather resistant and durable. The front mounting block was then oriented to make sure the mounting arm would provide a level Z-axis orientation for the weather station. We did this by placing a wood screw into one side of the front mounting block, and then we pivoted the block forward and back to find the level spot and attached another wood screw to the other side. We held our breath and checked final orientation of the level. VIOLA! It worked! We secured this location through the addition of more woodscrews.

Once the mounting arm was secured to the pole and the front mounting block aligned we had to make a horizontal measurement to fix the weather station into a level X-axis orientation. Again we hit the level and mounted the station (without the rain collection bucket) onto the front block of mounting arm. The weather station is held to the block by two ¼ inch lag bolts. (A lag bolt is a deeply threaded bolt that is able to be screwed into wood. It is a cross between a giant wood screw and a bolt- very sturdy and reliable hold).

By this point it was getting dark and very cold. Nevertheless, Jason, David, and I knew we could not simply leave the weather station hanging two feet off the pole with no additional support. So, the final touch of toady’s project involved attaching four guy-wires to the front block of the mounting arm. The Guy-wires are intended to support and remove a majority of the weight and act as a safety catch in the unfortunate event that the arm is sheared off the pole by improbable winds. The guy wires were wound through eyelets attached to the mounting arm and to the wooden pole. We tightened them up and checked the level...Wooops! The Z-axis was thrown off level by the guy wires that we attached! Well at least the weather station will be safe through the night! (To be continued tomorrow).

Weather Station Support Arm Attached To Pole

Jason Installing Front Mounting Block and Secrung Level Z-Axis Orientation

 
Unsupported Weather Station! Quick Get Guy-Wires!

 
Cold and Dark Moment (The Guy-Wires Threw Off the Level Z- Axis Orientation!)

A beautiful sunny day at the farm proved to be the perfect opportunity to put some final touches on the perimeter fencing at the farm site at Brookside Elementary. The two main jobs for this afternoon were to put latches on the newly hung gates and to close off 18-inch sections on the southwest and northeast ends of the perimeter. By the time today’s projects were finished there was only two methods of entering the farm site—through the gates or over the fence.

David and Jason worked to install the latches on the aluminum gates. This project required the use of drill to make a small hole in the gate frame and one hole into the steel post. Then David used a dye to create threads inside the steel post in order to insert a machine screw. This machine screw was not inserted too tight because it was intended to be a hinge point for the “levering” aspect of the latch. The hole in the gate was used to connect the locking mechanism of the latch. The mechanism is a ringlet that is lifted to open the gate or allowed to fall which locks and acts as the closure.

Kristen Bradford and Christoffer worked on sealing the open sections located in the corners. Three six foot tall cedar planks were used to close each gap. Kristen engineered a clever way to weave the wire so that the planks would not be able to be jostled out of place and would remain supported.

Later in the day Christoffer and Jason created the arm that will be used to support the weather station. An arm was created in order to hold the weather station off a wooden pole in hopes that the pole will not significantly influence accurate collection of rain or wind. Each piece of the arm is made from salvaged redwood. The plan is to install the weather station tomorrow afternoon.

Using a Dye to Make Threads in the Steel Post 

Close-Up of the Latching Mechanism

Kristen and Christoffer Securing Planks in Northeast Corner

The Weather Station Support Arm Ready For Installation

We are moving forward on our efforts to install a very nice weather station at the Willits Energy Farm. The question today was "where will we install our weather station?" When determining the appropriate location for this unit there is a number of considerations to bear in mind:

• Place the unit at least 6 feet from sources of heat such as chimneys and exhaust vents
• Avoid placing the unit near or above any object or area that collects and radiates heat in the sunshine. This includes paving, deck, metal, or concrete.
• Ideally place the unit 5 feet above the ground
• Avoid locating the unit in a place prone to precipitation runoff (look out for trees and nearby buildings).
• Site the unit in a location with good sun exposure throughout the day
• Mount the wireless transmission system (powered by a solar panel) in a place that receives the maximum amount of sunshine
• For agricultural applications install the unit and anemometer as a single unit 6.5 feet above the ground. This is especially important for evapotranspiration calculations.

As you can see there are numerous considerations in selecting the appropriate site. We have chosen to mount the unit on a large wooden pole near the northwest part of the farm site. We will orient it to the south so that it may receive the most solar radiation possible, and we will mount it at about 11 feet in the air. The choice of 11 feet is because we want to be sure that the wireless signal is able to reach over the top of the buildings that lead to the computer lab located at Brookside School. This is where the data will be stored on a computer and broadcasted in real time on the internet. Furthermore, it will be much more difficult to tamper with the unit at such a height.

An extra consideration that we are thinking about is placing the weather station on an arm that extends a few feet off the pole. This may allow rain to fall into the unit unobstructed by the large wooden pole.

Jason and Christoffer Checking To See if The Pole is Level (..It's not)

 
Jason Drilling Holes in Redwood 4x4 Base 

Christoffer Getting Dangerous to Drill Pilot Holes For The Base 

Since Friday the weather in Willits has been very rainy. Jason Bradford and I took refuge from the rain in the dry confines of his shop and set to work building a walk-in gate for the farm site. Jason had some fairly nice cedar planks that he had been saving and offered them to the fencing project without hesitation. This gate will allow access to the south west corner of the farm site.

It did not take long to complete the cedar gate. We made a few cuts with the hand saw and attached the vertical planks to the horizontal planks with ¼” bolts. Like the rest of the fence, the gate is six feet tall.

I also worked on setting-up the ambient weather station from Davis Instruments. This specific unit is able to record barometric pressure, humidity and dew point, rainfall, temperature, and the speed and direction of the wind. Today’s indoor setup involved attaching the anemometer and wind vane and checking each of the sensors to make sure they are working. Luckily, there were no major issues with the set-up and we are looking forward to mounting the unit very soon at the farm site.

Jason Using The Handsaw On A Cedar Plank 

Jason Putting Fence Together With Bolts 

Christoffer Making Measurements On The Diagonal Support