One of the nice things about environmental impact statements (EIS) is that they are a good source for finding summarized data and statistics.

From this new one in my hands, I have learned the average number of vehicles on the road running north out of our town is 308 per day. A lot more than I suspected. But then, I'll bet half of those don't get any farther than the golf course.

And now I know 1.5 percent of our state government expenditures go to liquor stores.

Parks and recreation get less than half that.

Law enforcement gets 3.7 percent. Hospitals and health facilities get 4.7 percent.

And this EIS has a wonderful wind rose for our community. A graphical display of how much of your wind comes from each of the eight cardinal directions, and at what speeds. Been over twenty years since I saw a windrose for us. And that one, too, was in an EIS.

Not surprisingly, it hasn't changed much.

Yeah, I know, that's probably a copyrighted graphic. Don't reprint or quote it, 'kay?

A lot of folks don't believe us when we point out most our winds, and almost all our strong winds, come from the west - southwest, across the Divide. But there's the proof, right there.

And that is why you always shovel snow onto the north or east sides of your sidewalks and driveways.