Lack of sufficient water for irrigation is a major problem in and around the valleys surrounding the town of Aiquile, Cochabamba Bolivia. In addition, much of the region is undergoing desertification compounded by drought, deforestation, bad traditional agricultural practices, over grazing and a "torrential" rainfall pattern leading to severe soil erosion and low agricultural production. Between 1992 and 1994, the author constructed a network of 24 small, mostly rainfed farm ponds to increase agricultural production and alleviate soil erosion and land-use problems by improving cover conditions. A 5-year post-impoundment analysis was carried out in 1998. The analysis examined current pond conditions, design criteria, irrigation water / crop production increases and the alleviation of land-use problems. Current pond conditions fell into four distinct categories with only 25 percent of the ponds being deemed as "functioning well." The project increased irrigation in the region and improved cover conditions in 66 percent of the pond sites.

Interview with Dr. Dan Wallace Bacon, a physician from Kerrville, Texas, who also served as the city and Kerr County health officer. Dr. Bacon discusses his family history, as well as his education, medical career, brief stint in the Air Force, and general town life in Kerrville. While working at Peterson Hospital in Kerrville, he treated trauma victims from car accidents on Highway 27. In the Air Force, he briefly practiced psychiatry, served as a prison doctor, and finally switched to obstetrics and gynecology. He relates stories from his time as an obstetrician, as well as a general practitioner and family physician. He also discusses the history of minority communities in Kerrville, especially during integration, and the founding of the Kerrville Veteran's Hospital. Dr. Bacon's further remembrances, as well as a historical profile of the Kerrville VA Hospital, are included at the end of the interview transcript.