Well, the new year has arrived and the challenges our human species faces around the world do not seem to be shrinking. Certainly, the debates over environmental issues seem to intensify with each passing year. Our new Congress appears to be much less sensitive to our human environmental requirements for future survival, then has been the case for the passed 6 years. The daily news continues to report on expanding incidents of earth quake activity in several states and science is beginning to speculate that the increased "fracking" activities may well be the reason. Our greedy demand for fossil fuels and wealth, seems to outweigh any concerns for life on this planet. The whole process for me is comparable to someone convincing you that fracturing the foundation of your home will not be harmful in any way. Even the Bible points out the importance of building on a firm foundation. We have known for many years that the earths foundation is a series of plates that are constantly shifting and moving. GPS now allows us to measure and observe the fact that we are moving west three and half inches every year.
As we continue our efforts to recover more crude oil, we are now debating the construction of a pipeline to transport Canadian oil across our country for shipment to foreign countries. The Canadian public is unwilling to construct the pipeline across their lands due to the hazards involved. The need for exorbitant sums of money to run for political office today, seems to take precedent over our human environmental requirements and safety.
These environmental issues and concerns all support my contention that we must begin the process of change in the way we relate too and manage our remaining forested lands. Yes it is more than just forestry, but forestry is my area of expertize. Somehow we must take the time to observe and understand the complexity of our surroundings. It is no longer sufficient to focus our management efforts on the resources we take from the forests. We must initiate a new starting point where we able to appreciate our connectedness and dependency on the remaining forests on our planet! I cannot help but point out that we do not require new or better science!
This past Tuesday, Iris and I had the privilege of visiting friends and sharing in one of their ceremonies, on the Santa Domingo Pueblo Reservation and were, again, reminded of the value of sharing information between cultures. We do not have all the information needed for the future, nor do we need to re-invent the wheel. The required knowledge is available if we are willing to reach out with an open mind!
As we continue our efforts to recover more crude oil, we are now debating the construction of a pipeline to transport Canadian oil across our country for shipment to foreign countries. The Canadian public is unwilling to construct the pipeline across their lands due to the hazards involved. The need for exorbitant sums of money to run for political office today, seems to take precedent over our human environmental requirements and safety.
These environmental issues and concerns all support my contention that we must begin the process of change in the way we relate too and manage our remaining forested lands. Yes it is more than just forestry, but forestry is my area of expertize. Somehow we must take the time to observe and understand the complexity of our surroundings. It is no longer sufficient to focus our management efforts on the resources we take from the forests. We must initiate a new starting point where we able to appreciate our connectedness and dependency on the remaining forests on our planet! I cannot help but point out that we do not require new or better science!
This past Tuesday, Iris and I had the privilege of visiting friends and sharing in one of their ceremonies, on the Santa Domingo Pueblo Reservation and were, again, reminded of the value of sharing information between cultures. We do not have all the information needed for the future, nor do we need to re-invent the wheel. The required knowledge is available if we are willing to reach out with an open mind!
