Some Quotes on Preserving Language, Culture, and Place
“In our efforts to preserve endangered species, we overlook something equally important: To me, it is a sign of a deeply disturbed civilization where tree-huggers and whale-huggers, in their weirdness, are acceptable, while no one embraces the last spoken languages of our world.” -Werner Herzog from documentary film, Encounters at the End of the World “Ojibwemowin … Read more
The Columbian Exchange and Protecting Our Ecological Heirlooms
In Charles C. Mann’s latest eco-historical book “1493″, he recounts how Christopher Columbus re-assembled pangea’s flora and fauna identity. Pangea was the connected conglomeration of the earth’s continents before they split. He did this through, what we can now deem, ecological globalization: The spreading and re-distributing of flora and fauna back to continents where they had … Read more
A Road Less Travelled: The Flat Tops Wilderness (Wagonwheel Trail-Days 6-7)
Everything in the world is beautiful, but Man only recognizes beauty if he sees it seldom or from afar.-Vladmir Nobokov from “Gods” We left the Holy Cross area by mid-morning. Car after car cut through the cakey dust, sending helical plumes into the still air over Homestake Creek and onto it’s riparian shoulders. We left … Read more
Cowshit, Hail, and Grizzly Ghosts: Elk Creek of the South San Juan Wilderness (Days 1-4)
When the rare opportunity to have six days for wilderness exploration presents itself, the hurried shot-gun trips to nearby areas are put aside, and we set our sights on further, harder-to-get-to areas. This time we chose the South San Juan Wilderness. Planning a backpack trip that satisfies both my wife’s needs and my demands is … Read more
Monoculture
http://blog.sustainablog.org/monoculture-agriculture/ Overview: Monocultures have been around for thousands of years, and in fact they were prohibited in Hebrew Scriptures. Polycultures were done to improve resilience in the agriculture system, and crop rotations were performed to ease the stress on the soil and added nutrients to the soil. With the advent of industrial agriculture new methods … Read more
Oh my-cology! How shrooms will save the planet
A Jerry Garcia look-a-like proposes a solution to save the planet by using fungi, specifically Mycelium. He surveys the history of the fungi and speaks to its ability to both precede all other forms of life on earth and outlive all other species after a catastrophe (asteroid, volcano, oil spill, all other causes of mass … Read more
Conservationist Definition of Pine Beetle Kill
Conservationism perspective in general: As a conservation biologist I am most interested in humans’ proper ethical role in nature- which by definition is to repair damage and restore lost harmonies. This is done predominantly through restoration and conservation projects, such as managing the impact man has had on nature, managing natural resources and preventing hazards. … Read more
Timber Industry Pine Beetle Management Recomendations
The Timber Industry and the Pine Beetle In a document titled “After the Beetles”, the Colorado Timber Industry Association proposes a three step strategy to address the pine beetle epidemic in Colorado forests. “ Regenerate the affected timberlands Reduce fire risks in adjacent to private lands Implement strategically located firebreaks” ( coloradotimber.org) CTIA proposes that … Read more
Mountain Pine Beetle Preservation Management Suggestion
Because Wilderness Areas–and other forms of preserved landscapes–are outside the realm of human intervention, anthropogenic disturbances does not necessitate management by humans. The question, then, is not, “How do we manage these issues?”, but rather, “How do we appropriately mitigate their occurrences in the first place?” This means tightening regulations on surrounding landscapes that are … Read more
Endangered Species Act: Numbers, Facts, and Defining Success
Posted by sainteterre on October 31, 2011 · Leave a Comment
Despite a strong bi-partisan agreement that environmental protection is in fact economically and socially important, a major issue we’re now faced with is how to evaluate the success of existing publicly funded environmental programs–such as the Endangered Species Act–in the midst of economic turmoil. Over the weekend I read budget proposals and press releases from … Read more
Filed under Review & Commentary · Tagged with Biodiversity, Environment, ENVS 1342, essay, political