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Pat Shingleton: "Controlling Lava and the BEST Turkeys"

4 years 4 months 1 week ago Thursday, November 21 2019 Nov 21, 2019 November 21, 2019 9:00 AM November 21, 2019 in Pat Shingleton Column
By: Pat Shingleton:

In 1931, the director of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory developed an approach to steer a lava flow from inhabited areas.  Dr. Thomas Jaggar believed that by bombing the flow it could be redirected.  “Acts of God” reports that by 1934, Jaggar not only plotted the history of the Mauna Loa volcano but predicted a major lava flow.  On November 21, 1935, molten lava began flowing from the north flank of the mountain as Jaggar predicted. On December 22, the lava was pooling between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea.  This saddle of lava rapidly turned toward the coastal city of Hilo, 20 miles away.  On December 27, the U.S. Air Corps Bombing Squadron dropped 20, 600-pound bombs in the lava channel, stopping the flow and saving Hilo. From lava to the oven...Ben Franklin suggested that the turkey should be considered America’s national bird.  Visiting recently with avid outdoorsman, Luke Guarisco, he provided numerous examples as to the difficulty in bagging one of these birds and how they adapt to the elements. He also noted the difference in taste between those caught in the wild and those caught at the grocery store. Frank Reese, Jr. has raised the same type of turkey since 1850, turkeys that were on every farm and everyone’s table in America. Commercial turkeys are genetically engineered but Heritage Turkeys have never been confined in 100 years.  Through Frank’s efforts five different breeds have been saved from extinction: the Standard Bronze, the White Holland, the Narragansett, The Bourbon Red and the Black.

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