Contents:

• Article: The Eagle Has Landed
• Instructions: Springtime Pond Startup
• Biology Lesson : What The Average Human Body Contains
• FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions

Anyone who has been to United-Tech’s office here in Tulsa knows that our CEO, Dr. Barnard, has an affinity for the American Bald Eagle.  Paintings, sculptures, and various other items found in his office and throughout our facility attest to his love of this bird.

So in response, we thought we would offer a few interesting facts about the American Bald Eagle.

What’s in a name – The Bald Eagle’s scientific name is Haliaeetus leucocephalus. The bald eagle's scientific name signifies a sea (halo) eagle (aeetos) with a white (leukos) head. At one time, the word "bald" meant "white," not hairless. So it’s name means “Sea Eagle White Head”.

The Bald Eagle became the National emblem in 1782 when the great seal of the United States was adopted.

Bald Eagles were first protected under the 1940 the Bald Eagle Act and were declared “endangered species” in 1967. Under the Endangered Species Act, the eagles were listed as ‘endangered’ in 1974.  It was no coincidence that this occurred on July 4th of that year.  Thirty-three years later, on June 28, 2007, they were officially removed from the endangered list.

More Facts about the American Bald Eagle

• Their average wingspan is 72 – 90 inches.
• Bald eagles can fly to an altitude of 10,000 feet. During level flight, they can achieve speeds of about 30 to 35 mph.
• They weigh around ten to fourteen pounds.
• Wild bald eagles may live as long as thirty years.
• They can lift about four pounds.
• Once paired, bald eagles remain together until one dies.
• The 35 days of egg incubation duties are shared by both male and female.
• Their nesting cycle - about 20 weeks
• Today, there are an estimated 9,789 breeding pairs of bald eagles.

For more facts on the Bald Eagle, visit http://www.baldeagleinfo.com/

Over the past few months, we have been watching Oklahoma’s own star eagle attraction live on the internet.  The Sutton Avian Research Center has set up live webcams on an aerie located in central Oklahoma.  Starting on February 06 of this year, an egg was laid.  Then a few more.  Then one hatched.  Since then the whole world has watched this chick grow.  We’ve watched mom and dad care for it, bring it food, feed it, and so on.  Log in now and see the activity before they leave this nest for the season.  http://www.suttoncenter.org/eaglecam.html

With spring’s arrival, it is time to get your pond in shape before things get out of control.  Now is the time to carefully inspect you pond, its equipment, and its inhabitants to make sure everything is ready for the upcoming season.  Make sure all your pond equipment is functioning properly, the pond is clean, fish are healthy, and your water quality is established before summer arrives.
   
Check Equipment.

• Check plastic liners or a pre-formed shells for cracks or holes
• Check pumps and water features for proper operation
• Rinse off filters and remove all visible debris that may have collected on them.
• Check screens for clogs or holes.  Biological filters should also have all components cleaned and rinsed.
• Remove hardy plants that have been over-wintered in the pond taking care not to let them dry out in the sun.

General Spring Cleaning

• Remove 20--30% of the water in the pond.
• Clean out debris, dead plant material and "muck" from the bottom of the pond with a pool skimmer.  If you have a lot of solids, you may try using a sump pump or wet/dry shop vacuum (for small shallow ponds) to remove these solids.
• Add “make-up” water to the pond so it is full.  If you have fish in your pond, be sure to add water slowly and use a dechlorinator (if required) following the manufacturer’s instructions.
• After the pond has been filled back up to normal, restart the pump to circulate the water.

Biological Treatment
This, of course is an excellent time to restart your system’s biological community by starting treatment using one of United-Tech’s pond-care products.  For small (<2,000 gallons) pond, fountains, and water features, we recommend BZT® Aqua 4-U.  Aqua 4-U safely restores the health of your pond by eliminating built up nutrients, toxic compounds, and organic matter.  This helps keep water clear and free of algae and the build up of organic solids, and helps filters work more efficiently.  BZT® Aquaculture is a similar product and offers the same benefits but is intended for use in larger systems.  In special circumstances, where a large buildup of organic solids (sludge) occurs BZT® Waste Digester may be used if physical removal is too difficult.  Waste Digester’s formula includes microorganisms that target organic solids, break it down, and then digest it.  Treatment with United-Tech products should start as soon as the water temperature gets up to 50degrees (10C).

Fish

Fish, can be easily caught while the pond water is colder and the fish are sluggish.  Plus this is easier when your pond is partially empty.  Now is the time to catch and inspect them for injury or disease, if required.  Sometimes fish need to be removed to allow more thorough cleaning of the pond or to make repairs.  If so, handle fish carefully when transferring them.  Place them in temporary tanks filled with water from the pond.  As the weather becomes warmer and the fish become more active, feeding them can resume.  Feed low-protein food (Cheerios® is a good low-protein feed) if water temperature is between 46 and 55 degrees (8C – 13C).  When water temperature gets above 55 (10C), use your standard fish food.

Some Koi handlers recommend a salt treatment (non-iodized) by gradually increasing the salt content in the pond up to 0.3% once the water temperature gets above 60 degrees (15C).  Leave this salt solution for two weeks then reduce by performing regular 15% water exchanges.

Plants

Pond plants that were removed during the cleaning process should be inspected before returning to the pond. Check for disease or insect infestation. Trim off any dead material, divide and repot as needed.  Plants that were over-wintered indoors should be slowly acclimated to outdoor conditions once outdoor temperatures allow.

A nursery rhyme, popular in the 19th Century claims:

What are little boys made of?
Snips and snails, and puppy dogs tails
That's what little boys are made of!"
What are little girls made of?
"Sugar and spice and all things nice
That's what little girls are made of!"

The rhyme is part of a larger work called What Folks Are Made Of or What All the World Is Made Of, published in England around 1820 by Burton Stevenson. Other stanzas describe what babies, young men, young women, sailors, soldiers, nurses, fathers, mothers, old men, old women, and all folks are made of. The work was attributed to the English poet Robert Southey (1774-1843).

While we could debate the political correctness of this rhyme let’ look instead, at a more scientific approach to what we are made of.  The average human body contains:

1. Oxygen (65%) – It would take an average tree abut 145 days to make this much oxygen
2. Carbon (18%) – Equivalent to 80,000 1-carat diamonds or 35 pounds of charcoal.  Which one are you worth???
3. Hydrogen (10%) – Enough to drive a hydrogen-powered car 500 miles.
4. Nitrogen (3%) – Fertilizes 1,000 square feet of field corn
5. Calcium (1.5%) – Enough to make the shells of 500 chicken eggs.
6. Phosphorus (1.0%) – Enough to make 2,200 match heads
7. Potassium (0.35%) – About 300 bananas worth
8. Sulfur (0.25%) – Enough to kill all the fleas on an average dog
   
9. Sodium (0.15%) – Same amount of sodium as in ½-pound of salt.
   
10. Chlorine (0.15%) – Amount of free chlorine in a 10,000-gallon swimming pool.
    
11. Iron (0.006%) – Enough iron to make a couple of 6-penny (3”) nails
12. Lithium (0.0000031%) – Unless you’re the Energizer Bunny, you have about one-tenth the amount of lithium found in one average-sized lithium-ion laptop battery.

These are some common questions fielded by our support staff this time of year:

Will treating my pond with BZT® products harm other animals like frogs, waterfowl, or pets? No, BZT® products are completely safe for humans, animals, plants, and the environment.  All the ingredients in BZT® products can be found on the USFDA-GRAS (Generally Regarded As Safe) list or are identified for use as animal feed ingredients by AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials).

Can I quit using chlorine or bromine in my spa or pool when I use your products? No, These chemicals destroy harmful bacteria to keep your water safe to swim in.  Our bacteria are more tolerant of these disinfectants than most of the harmful bacteria.  In pools and spas our bacteria are busy breaking down and digesting organic wastes (oils, skin cells, etc.) found in the water or the filter.  A lot of the chemicals you add are used up on breaking down or get bound up with organic wastes.  By keeping these wastes at a minimum, the life of your disinfectants may be extended and thus would be able to add less and still maintain proper concentrations in your pool or spa.

What causes the wet spot out in my septic system’s drainfield?  Septic systems work by taking your wastewater, temporarily holding it in a tank, and letting it slowly infiltrate into the surrounding soil.  At the same time microorganisms in the tank and surrounding soil utilize incoming organic compounds (like carbohydrates, fats, proteins, etc.) for food and nutrients.  They keep your tank, drainlines, and drainfield from clogging up with organic solids.  A system functioning at 100% efficiency can go on and on for years, even decades without a hitch.  All that water either percolates down into the soil or gets drawn up through roots of plants, or even evaporates directly from the surface.  If a drainfield is going to exhibit problems, late winter or early spring is the time.  A system that is slowly losing its efficiency may first exhibit problems at this time.  During winter months plants are not drawing out the water and winter precipitation coupled with low evaporation is saturating the soil.  Water percolating down cannot keep up with the incoming water so the wastewater has nowhere to go but up.

There are two basic causes for your field to lose its ability to handle the amount of water it is receiving from your septic system.  First, the soil could be becoming compacted by repeatedly driving vehicles over the drainfield area.  Second, the field could be becoming clogged by organic matter, brought in from the septic system, building up in the drainage bed.  In the past, the only way to fix either problem was to dig up the field and install a new one.  An expensive and messy job!  Now you have a choice if the problem is the latter condition.  BZT® Waste Digester’s microorganisms are known for the voracious appetite and ability to break down and digest that organic sludge and grease that is clogging your drainpipes and soil pores.  Treatment with BZT® Waste Digester can restore your drainfield’s percolation by eliminating the organic buildup.

The human body is complex structure of cells, so many cells in fact that it is almost impossible to count them all. Scientists estimate that there are around 75 trillion cells in the human body with an additional 750 trillion bacteria cells living in the human gut.  That’s right, you’re carrying around at least ten times more bacteria cells than human cells!

10% of your bodyweight consists of bacteria!

For more information about our Company and products, visit our web site at www.united-tech.com.

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United-Tech, Inc.
5460 South Garnett
Tulsa, OK 74146
Tel: (918) 610-5205
Fax: (918) 610-5225
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