Blog Posts

May 25th, 2022

5/25/2022

COMPROMISED AND DYING ECOSYSTEMS

NATURAL ECOSYSTEMS ARE UNIQUE SELF-SUSTAINING UNITS FOUND IN COASTAL, FOREST, FRESH-WATER, PRAIRIE GRASSLANDS AND MARINE ENVIRONMENTS. IN FACT, THE ENTIRE NATURAL WORLD INVOLVES AN AMALGAMATION OF INDIVIDUAL ECOSYSTEMS. ECOSYSTEMS THROUGHOUT THE NATURAL WORLD ARE BEING LOST DUE TO OVER-HARVESTING, LOSS OF HABITAT, CLIMATE CHANGE, DEFORESTATION, LAND DEVELOPMENT, INCREASED CARBON DIOXIDE CONCENTRATES AND CONTINUED INCREASES IN THE USE OF TOXIC CHEMICALS.
FRONTIERS IN FORESTS AND GLOBAL CHANGE, REPORTS THAT JUST THREE PERCENT OF THE WORLD’S LAND REMAINS ECOLOGICALLY INTACT, WITH UNDISTURBED HABITAT AND MINIMAL LOSS OF ORIGINAL SPECIES. CURRENT SPECIES EXTINCTION RATES RANGE FROM 100 TO 1000 TIMES THE NORMAL EXTINCTION RATE. GLOBAL BIO-MASS AND SPECIES ABUNDANCE OF WILD ANIMALS HAD FALLEN 82% SINCE PREHISTORIC TIMES, AND RECENT EUROPEAN STUDIES DEMONSTRATE THE LARGEST DECLINE IN SPECIES ARE BIRDS AND FISH. OVER-EXPLOITATION FOR COMMERCIALIZATION, HUMAN PROGRESS AND HUMANITY’S GREEDY DEMANDS ARE THE MAJOR CAUSES FOR THIS BIO-DIVERSITY LOSS.
APPROXIMATELY 470 MILLION ACRES OF UNDISTURBED ECOSYSTEMS HAVE BEEN LOST BETWEEN 2000 AND 2013, ACCORDING TO SCIENTIFIC REPORTS. THE LOSS OF A SINGLE SPECIES WITHIN THE ECOSYSTEM CAN UPSET THE BALANCE AND CAUSE DECLINE AND EVEN DEATH OF AN ECOSYSTEM. THE INTRODUCTION OF NON-INDIGENOUS SPECIES CAN CAUSE SIMILAR RESULTS. THE LOSS OF A SPECIES, WITHIN AN ECOSYSTEM, DEMONSTRATES THE NECESSITY OF DIVERSITY, AND THE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN ALL MEMBERS OF ECOSYSTEM’S ORGANISMS. DIVERSITY INCREASES AN ECOSYSTEMS RESILIENCE AND IS FUNDAMENTAL TO HUMAN HEALTH. AS NATURAL ECOSYSTEMS DECLINE OR DIE ARTIFICIAL ECOSYSTEMS, LIKE HUMAN COMMUNITIES, ARE ADVERSELY AFFECTED SINCE THEY DEPEND UPON RESOURCES AND ENERGY FROM THE NATURAL WORLD AND ITS ECOSYSTEMS.
SOME OF THE MORE SHOCKING STATISTICS ARE:
GLOBAL DECLINE IN TREE COVER IN 2018 WAS 72.6 MILLION ACRES, ALMOST 50% MORE THEN IN 2015. 60% OF EARTH’S CORAL REEFS ARE THREATENED
75% OF THE MAJOR MARINE FISH SPECIES ARE DEPLETED OR DWINDLING DUE TO OVER-HARVESTING. 50% OF OUR COASTAL MANGROVES ARE GONE.
1 IN 8 OF OUR BIRD SPECIES ARE AT RISK OF EXTINCTION.
WORLD WILDLIFE POPULATIONS HAVE DECLINED BY 68% IN THE LAST FOUR DECADES.
SCIENCE PREDICTS 30% OF ALL CURRENT SPECIES WILL BE EXTINCT BY 2050.
RECENT STUDIES INDICATE THAT 23%OF ECOSYSTEM LOSSES ARE DUE TO CATASTROPHIC WILDFIRES, 24% FROM AGRICULTURE LAND CLEARING AND 26% FROM DEFORESTATION. SCIENCE SUGGESTS THAT IF WE WERE TO MAKE A CONCERTED EFFORT, WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO RESTORE ABOUT 20% OF OUR LOST ECOSYSTEMS. ALTHOUGH, RESTORATION HAS LIMITATIONS, IT IS IMPORTANT WE INITIATE ACTIONS IF WE WANT TO PROLONG HUMAN LIFE ON EARTH.
HUMANITY’S DESTRUCTION OF THE NATURAL WORLD MUST STOP, IF WE HAVE CONCERN FOR OUR OWN SPECIES! OUR FIRST STEP MUST BE TO DEVELOP A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE NATURAL WORLD AND WHAT HUMANITY IS DEMANDING FROM IT. STUDYING THE COMPLEXITY OF ECOSYSTEMS, HAS DISCLOSED, FOR ME, THE FACT THAT THE ENTIRE NATURAL WORLD, WHETHER IT BE LAND OR SEA, IS A MASSIVE ASSEMBLY OF INDIVIDUAL ECOSYSTEMS. EACH ONE BEING SOME WHAT SELF SUSTAINING, CONTAINING A LARGE NUMBER OF ORGANISMS WORKING TOGETHER TO MAINTAIN A BALANCED SYSTEM TO SUPPORT LIFE, AND TOTALLY DEPENDENT UPON DIVERSITY AND RELATIONSHIPS. THIS TRULY DESCRIBES THE COMPLEXITY DESIGNED INTO THE CREATION OF OUR PLANET, AND PROVIDES THE MISSING LINK WHICH SUPPORTS THE CONCEPT OF INTELLIGENT DESIGN.
THE IMPLICATION FOR THE HUMAN IS GREAT! HUMANITY’S BELIEF IN OUR ABILITY TO DOMINATE, CONTROL, MANIPULATE AND CHANGE NATURE, IS UNREALISTIC. OUR PAST EFFORTS HAVE ONLY UPSET THE BALANCE WITHIN ECOSYSTEMS AND RESULTED IN LOSS OF THESE NATURAL SYSTEMS REQUIRED FOR LIFE ON EARTH.
SCIENCE HAS NOW DISCOVERED LIFE EVEN FURTHER BELOW THE GROUND THEN WE PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT COULD EXIST. IT ACTUALLY IS LIVING IN BEDROCK FORMATIONS, WITH SOME SPECIES CAPABLE OF LIVING FOR MILLENNIUMS. WE CURRENTLY HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE OF WHETHER THIS SUBTERRANEAN LIFE HAS ANY CONNECTION TO THE SURFACE ECOSYSTEMS, BUT LOGIC SUGGESTS IT MAY.
I AM INTRIGUED BY HOW MUCH WE HAVE DISCOVERED ABOUT THE COMPLEXITY OF CREATION OF OUR PLANET, BUT EVEN MORE INTRIGUED BY HOW MUCH WE DO NOT KNOW. IT IS THE LACK OF KNOWLEDGE THAT HAS ALLOWED OUR DESTRUCTIVE DEMAND FOR RESOURCES AND WEALTH TO JEOPARDIZE THE FUTURE OF LIFE, INCLUDING HUMAN LIFE, ON EARTH. WE CAN MEASURE THE IMPACTS OF HUMAN CONSUMPTION WITH MODERN TECHNOLOGY TODAY, AND THE RESULTS ARE OBVIOUS. WE ARE CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING RAPID POPULATION GROWTH, THE HIGHEST RECORDED CARBON LEVELS IN THE ATMOSPHERE, RISING SEA LEVELS, DRAMATIC CLIMATE CHANGES, PANDEMICS, MASSIVE WILDFIRES, RAPID DEFORESTATION AND MAJOR LOSS OF NATURAL ECOSYSTEMS. MANY PEOPLE STILL REFUSE TO ACCEPT THAT THIS IS THE RESULT OF HUMAN OVER-CONSUMPTION AND MISMANAGEMENT OF EARTH’S REMAINING NATURAL WORLD.
THERE IS SOLID INFORMATION THAT PROVIDES THE TRUE FACTS ABOUT HUMANITY’S DEPENDENCE UPON THE NATURAL WORLD. THE NATURAL WORLD IS AN AMALGAMATION OF MILLIONS, POSSIBLE BILLIONS, OF ECOSYSTEMS WITHIN EVERY COMPONENT OF EARTH’S NATURAL SYSTEMS. THESE ECOSYSTEMS ARE UNIQUE NATURAL COMMUNITIES CONTAINING A DIVERSE MIX OF DIFFERENT SPECIES WORKING TOGETHER TO SUSTAIN BALANCE AND LIFE WITHIN THE UNIT. THE HUMAN SPECIES, HISTORICALLY, SPREAD TO EVERY CORNER OF EARTH, BUT FOUND IT BENEFICIAL TO CONCENTRATE IN GROUPS FOR SECURITY AND SHARED SUPPORT. CONCENTRATED GROUP LIVING IS NOW THE NORM.
WITH THE PROGRESSION OF TIME, POPULATION EXPANSION AND THE INTRODUCTION OF THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION, CAUSED HUMAN POPULATIONS TO TRANSITION FROM RURAL TO URBAN LIVING. THESE URBAN COMMUNITIES WERE MANKIND’S EFFORT TO CREATE ARTIFICIAL HUMAN ECOSYSTEMS. PROBLEM WAS, THEY HAD TO RELY ON RESOURCES OUTSIDE THE COMMUNITY. OUR INCREASING DEMANDS FROM THE NATURAL WORLD HAS RESULTED IN THE OVER UTILIZATION OF RESOURCES AND EXTINCTION OF SPECIES WHICH UPSETS THE BALANCE AND, IN MANY CASES THE DESTRUCTION OF MOST OF OUR NATURAL ECOSYSTEMS.
THE EVIDENCE IS CLEAR AND THE ISSUES HAVE BEEN DEFINED. HUMANITY’S GROWING POPULATION AND EXPANDING DEMAND FOR RESOURCES, IS THE PRIMARY CAUSE OF OVER 90% OF OUR COMPROMISED AND DYING ECOSYSTEMS. THE FOCUS OF OUR SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTIONS ON DEVELOPING NEW TECHNOLOGY TO SATISFY HUMAN DESIRES FOR A MORE AFFLUENT LIFE STYLE MUST CHANGE. WE MUST FIND WAYS TO ENHANCE AND REGENERATE WHAT WE HAVE DESTROYED. IT IS NO LONGER ACCEPTABLE TO MANAGE OUR REMAINING NATURAL WORLD FOR A SUSTAINED FLOW OF PRODUCTS AND RESOURCES. WE MUST FOCUS MANAGEMENT ON SUSTAINING THE NATURAL WORLD AND THE ELEMENTS THEY PROVIDE WHICH SUPPORT LIFE ON PLANET EARTH.

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March 28th, 2022

3/28/2022

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            LIFE IN THE WORLD BENEATH THE TREE

PAST EFFORTS TO PRESCRIBE VEGETATIVE MANAGEMENT TREATMENTS FOR FORESTED LANDS, HAVE BEEN BASED UPON VISIBLE CONDITIONS OF THE ABOVE GROUND PORTION OF THE TREES. THE PRESCRIPTIONS HAVE BEEN PRIMARILY ON WHAT WE MIGHT CALL, THE INDUSTRIAL FORESTRY PRINCIPLES. THE GOALS HAVE BEEN TO MAXIMIZE WOOD FIBER PRODUCTION AND TO GROW TREES TO SUPPLY THE WOOD PRODUCTS INDUSTRY AND PUBLIC DEMANDS. TIMBER HARVESTING DECISIONS HAVE FOCUSED ON ECONOMIC MATURITY, ACCESS, ASSIGNED SALE TARGETS AND INDUSTRIAL DEMANDS. EVEN PUBLIC FORESTED LANDS HAVE BEEN MANAGED USING THESE PRIMARY GOALS.
IN ADDITION, THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS LAND USE DEMANDS WHICH HAVE REQUIRED COMPLETE DEFORESTATION OF MORE THAN HALF OF OUR ORIGINAL FOREST COVERED LANDS. AGRICULTURAL NEEDS HAVE LED THE DEFORESTATION EFFORT, BUT THERE ARE MANY OTHER LAND USES THAT REQUIRE CLEARING THE VEGETATION COVER. DEVELOPMENT AND EXPANSION OF COMMUNITIES AND CITIES, THE EXTENSIVE TRANSPORTATION CORRIDORS, RECREATION AND TRANSPORTATION DEVELOPMENTS SUCH AS GOLF COURSES, AIRPORTS AND FACTORIES, HAVE ALL HAD DEVASTATING IMPACTS ON LOSS OF FORESTED LANDS. ONLY TWENTY-SIX PERCENT OF OUR ORIGINAL FORESTED ACRES REMAIN WORLDWIDE.
THE VAST FOREST COVERED LANDS ON THE NORTH AMERICAN CONTINENT, HAVE PROVIDED WHAT WE HAVE CONSIDERED A LIMITLESS SUPPLY OF WOOD PRODUCTS AND PLAYED A MAJOR ROLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE TWO MOST AFFLUENT SOCIETIES ON EARTH. UNFORTUNATELY, THE DEMAND FOR CLEARED LAND AND WOOD PRODUCTS ALONG WITH OUR AGRICULTURAL CONCEPT OF MANAGEMENT, HAS DESTROYED NATURAL DIVERSITY AND INCREASED THE POTENTIAL FOR CATASTROPHIC EVENTS SUCH AS WILDFIRES AND INSECT AND DISEASE INFESTATIONS. HARVESTING AND PLANTING TREES, AS IF THEY WERE ROW CROPS IN A CULTIVATED FIELD, HAS NOT CREATED FOREST COVER CAPABLE OF SUPPORTING FUTURE LIFE ON THIS PLANET.
MANAGEMENT PRESCRIPTIONS BASED UPON WHAT THE FORESTER CAN OBSERVE ABOVE THE FOREST FLOOR, SIMPLY ARE INADEQUATE FOR PROPER MANAGEMENT TODAY. THERE IS A MUCH LARGER LIVING WORLD BENEATH THE SURFACE OF THE GROUND, WHICH PLAYS A VIDAL ROLE IN WHAT WE CAN OBSERVE IN THE FOREST COMMUNITY. WE ARE LEARNING MORE ABOUT THIS UNSEEN WORLD AND THE AMAZING FUNCTIONS IT PROVIDES, AS ECOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES BECOME MORE INVOLVED IN THE SCIENCE OF FORESTRY. PROPER MANAGEMENT OF OUR REMAINING FORESTS WILL NOT OCCUR WITHOUT UPDATED KNOWLEDGE OF THE UNDERGROUND LIFE AND THEIR FUNCTIONS. TREES ARE ACTUALLY COMMUNICATING WITH EACH OTHER THROUGH THESE UNSEEN NETWORKS! ECOLOGY, THE STUDY OF RELATIONSHIPS, IS UNCOVERING MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF INFORMATION ABOUT THE EXISTENCE AND IMPORTANCE OF LIFE IN THE UNSEEN WORLD.
WE MUST FIRST RECOGNIZE THAT FOREST COMMUNITIES, OR ECOSYSTEMS IF YOU PREFER, ARE LIVING COMPLEX COMMUNITIES WHICH ARE SUSTAINED BY DIVERSITY AND RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE NUMEROUS SPECIES THAT MAKE UP THE ECOSYSTEM. REMOVE A SPECIES FROM THE SYSTEM, AND IT SUFFERS, BEGINS TO DECLINE AND MAY EVEN DIE. AT LEAST HALF OF THE SPECIES WITHIN THE ECOSYSTEM ARE BENEATH THE SURFACE AND UNSEEN BY THE HUMAN EYE.
THE SOIL BENEATH THE TREES CONTAINS FIVE DIFFERENT SOIL MICROBES; BACTERIA, ACTINOMYCETES, FUNGI, PROTOZOA AND NEMATODES. BACTERIA ARE THE FINAL STAGE OF BREAKING DOWN THE ORGANIC MATERIAL TO CREATE NUTRIENTS FOR THE PLANTS. ACTINOMYCETES ARE SIMILAR TO FUNGI, SOME HARMFUL AND OTHERS ACTING LIKE AN ANTIBIOTIC TO PREVENT DISEASES IN PLANTS. FUNGI ARE FOUND EVERYWHERE; IN THE SOIL, LAKES, RIVERS, OCEANS, ATMOSPHERE, PLANTS ANIMALS AND EVEN IN HUMANS. IN THE SOIL THEY HELP DECOMPOSE ORGANIC MATTER, ASSIST PLANTS IN ABSORBING MOISTURE AND NUTRIENTS FROM THE SOIL AND IN RETURN PLANTS SHARE SUGAR TO FEED THE MYCELIUM. WE HAVE IDENTIFIED ALMOST 150,000 DIFFERENT SPECIES OF FUNGI TO DATE. MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI CREATE A MASSIVE COMMUNICATION NETWORK BETWEEN PLANTS, WHICH ALLOW PLANTS TO SHARE MOISTURE AND NUTRIENTS WITH EACH OTHER AND ASSIST WITH DISEASE PREVENTION. THESE MYCORRHIZAL NETWORKS LITERALLY OPEN UP A NEW UNDERSTANDING OF LIFE WITHIN THE FOREST ECOSYSTEM. PROTOZOA ARE LARGER MICROBES THAT CONSUME BACTERIA AND RELEASE NUTRIENTS THE BACTERIA HAVE CONSUMED TO THE PLANTS. NEMATODES ARE MICROSCOPIC WORMS, SOME OF WHICH ARE PARASITIC TO PLANTS, AND OTHERS WHICH CONSUME PATHOGENIC NEMATODES AND SECRETE NUTRIENT FOR PLANT CONSUMPTION.
RECENT DISCOVERIES, HAVE FOUND A MASSIVE BIOSPHERE OF LIFE AT SUBTERRANEAN LEVELS OF EARTH. WE HAVE ALWAYS THOUGHT LIFE COULD NOT EXIST AT THESE DEPTHS, DUE TO HIGH TEMPERATURES AND LACK OF ADEQUATE OXYGEN. THESE NUMEROUS SPECIES ARE LIVING IN BED ROCK FORMATIONS AND HAVE BEEN FOUND AS DEEP AS 3.1 MILES BENEATH THE SURFACE. THEY CAN SURVIVE AT TEMPERATURES HIGHER THAN WE PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT LIVING ORGANISMS COULD WITHSTAND, LIVE IN THE ABSENCE OF SUNLIGHT AND LIVE ON MEAGER AMOUNTS OF CHEMICAL ENERGY. SOME FORMS CAN EXIST FOR MILLENNIA, WHICH RAISES THE QUESTION AS TO THE POSSIBILITY OF SIMILAR LIFE EXISTING BENEATH THE SURFACE ON OTHER PLANETS. WHAT ROLE THIS NEW FOUND LIFE PLAYS IN SURFACE ECOSYSTEMS IS UNKNOWN. KNOWING THAT ALL SPECIES ARE CONNECTED AND CONTRIBUTE IN SOME SMALL WAY TO THE CIRCLE OF LIFE, CERTAINLY WILL RESULT IN MEANINGFUL PARTICIPATION OF THESE SUBTERRANEAN LIFE FORMS IN THE FUNCTIONING OF ECOSYSTEMS.
IT IS INTERESTING THAT BACTERIA AND ARCHAEA ACCOUNT FOR 70% OF ALL LIFE ON EARTH. THE REMAINING 30% ARE 99% PLANTS AND ONLY 1% CLASSIFIED AS ANIMALS INCLUDE HUMAN BEINGS.
WE HAVE MUCH TO LEARN ABOUT LIFE SYSTEMS AND ECOSYSTEMS ON EARTH, IF THE HUMAN SPECIES IS TO SURVIVE IN THE FUTURE. OUR KNOWLEDGE BASE IS EXPANDING RAPIDLY, WHILE OUR DEMANDS FOR RESOURCES AND ENERGY CONTINUES TO ESCALATE AT AN UNSUSTAINABLE RATE. I AM SURE MANY QUESTION WHY INFORMATION ABOUT LIFE IN THE DEEP UNSEEN WORLD IS OF ANY IMPORTANCE.
SINCE MANKIND FIRST ARRIVED ON EARTH, HUMANITY HAS REQUIRED EARTH’S RESOURCES FOR SUSTENANCE AND SHELTER. WITH TIME, THE EXPANDING HUMAN POPULATIONS DEMAND FOR RESOURCES AND ENERGY BEGAN TO CHALLENGE EARTH’S ABILITY TO PROVIDE. THE PAST 250 YEARS HAS HAD A VAST IMPACT ON EARTH’S CARRYING CAPACITY, RESULTING IN THE PROBABILITY WE WILL SOON EXCEED THE ABILITY OF EARTH TO SUSTAIN PROJECTED POPULATION NUMBERS.
THE POINT OF THIS DISCUSSION IS THAT AS OUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE EARTH SYSTEMS INCREASES, IT DISCLOSES OUR PAST MISTAKES WHICH HAVE BEEN DEVASTATING ON THE NATURAL WORLD. USING FORESTRY AS AN EXAMPLE, PAST APPLICATION OF AGRICULTURAL PRINCIPLES, TO MAXIMIZE WOOD FIBER PRODUCTION, HAVE RESULTED IN DESTRUCTION OF TOO MANY FOREST ECOSYSTEMS, AND EXTINCTION OF NUMEROUS SPECIES. WE HAVE IDENTIFIED CLOSE TO 10 MILLION DIFFERENT SPECIES, WHICH IS PROBABLY LESS THAN 20% OF THE TOTAL NUMBER OF SPECIES THAT EXIST ON EARTH. EVERY YEAR, SEVERAL THOUSAND SPECIES GO EXTINCT, AS A RESULT OF HUMAN PRESSURE ON THE DIFFERENT ECOSYSTEMS. THE TWO MAJOR CAUSES OF THESE SPECIES EXTINCTION ARE LOSS OF HABITAT AND CLIMATE CHANGE.
LIVING WITHIN THE LIMITED CARRYING-CAPACITY OF PLANET EARTH IS ESSENTIAL. MANAGING OUR REMAINING NATURAL WORLD REQUIRES MANAGEMENT PRESCRIPTIONS BASED UPON KNOWLEDGE OF THE ENTIRE ECOSYSTEM AND THE HEALTH AND DIVERSITY OF THE COMMUNITY. WE MUST STOP INTERFERING WITH THE NATURAL PROCESSES OF REGENERATION. WE DO NOT POSSESS THE WISDOM TO MANIPULATE OR CHANGE NATURE! NATURE’S WAY IS THE FUTURE! HUMAN ASSISTANCE IS ESSENTIAL!

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February 28th, 2022

2/28/2022

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                                                   EXPANDING HUMAN POPULATION ACCELERATES
                                    SPECIES EXTINCTION
NUMEROUS SPECIES ARE BECOMING EXTINCT 100 TIMES FASTER THAN THEY WOULD WITHOUT ADVERSE HUMAN IMPACTS. ANIMAL POPULATIONS HAVE DECLINED BY MORE THAN 50% SINCE 1970, WHILE HUMAN POPULATIONS HAVE DOUBLED DURING THE SAME PERIOD. SELDOM HAVE WE EXPERIENCED SO MANY SPECIES AND SO MUCH BIODIVERSITY BEING LOST SO QUICKLY. DOES IT REALLY MATTER? AFTER ALL, WE ARE TOLD HUMANS ARE TO DOMINATE OVER THE EARTH AND ALL NON-HUMAN SPECIES. THE WESTERN CULTURE SEES ITSELF AS MASTER OF THE ENTIRE PLANET, RATHER THAN ONE SMALL PART OF THE EARTH’S LIFE SYSTEMS. THROUGHOUT THE EVOLUTIONARY DEVELOPMENT OF EARTH, SPECIES HAVE BECOME EXTINCT AND REPLACED BY NEW SPECIES. THIS IS TRUE, BUT THE INTRODUCTION OF HUMANS, REFERRED TO AS THE DOMINATE SPECIES, INITIATED A SIGNIFICANT ACCELERATION OF SPECIES EXTINCTION.
WE DOMESTICATED AND INTRODUCED NON-INDIGENOUS SPECIES THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, WHICH UPSET THE BALANCE OF NATURE AND DROVE NUMEROUS INDIGENOUS SPECIES TO THE EDGE OF EXTINCTION. WHEN PREDATOR SPECIES INTERFERED WITH DOMESTIC LIVESTOCK, WE ESTABLISHED PROGRAMS TO EXTERMINATE ENTIRE POPULATIONS. OUR HUMAN DEMANDS HAVE RESULTED IN OVER-HARVESTING SEVERAL SPECIES, AND INCREASED DEMANDS FOR ENERGY AND LAND USE, HAS DESTROYED HABITATS FOR NUMEROUS SPECIES. IN FACT, DEFORESTATION IS CONSIDERED A MAIN FACTOR THAT DRIVES SPECIES TO EXTINCTION. CLIMATE CHANGE HAS ALSO RESULTED IN SIGNIFICANT LOSS OF HABITAT. DEFORESTATION AND CLIMATE CHANGE CAUSE INCREASED DESERTIFICATION, RISING SEA LEVELS, WARMER TEMPERATURES AND SIGNIFICANT LOSSES IN HABITAT. DEFORESTATION IS ACTUALLY AS RESPONSIBLE FOR MAJOR CLIMATE CHANGE AS FOSSIL FUEL CONSUMPTION.
THERE IS AN URGENT NEED TO REVERSE HUMAN DESTRUCTION OF THE NATURAL WORLD BEFORE IT BECOMES SO UNSUSTAINABLE THAT NATURAL SYSTEMS ARE CORRUPTED TO THE POINT, THEY CAN NO LONGER SUSTAIN HUMAN LIFE OR LIFE IN GENERAL. THIS IS A DIFFICULT ISSUE AS MOST FACTORS THAT CAUSE SPECIES EXTINCTION ARE ECONOMICALLY DRIVEN AND THREATEN THE BASIC HUMAN RIGHT OF FREE WILL. THERE IS ALSO A MORAL QUESTION AS TO WHO WILL BE REQUIRED TO IMPLEMENT THE NECESSARY ENVIRONMENTAL RESTRICTIONS TO CONTROL AND REDUCE SPECIES EXTINCTION. WITH POOR NATIONS STRIVING FOR PROSPERITY, INDUSTRIALIZED NATIONS WILL HAVE TO MAKE ENORMOUS CONCESSIONS. WE MUST ALSO REALIZE HOW THE DIFFERENT SPECIES OF ANIMALS DEPEND ON OTHER SPECIES AS FOOD SOURCES, THUS ANY EXTINCTION WHICH OCCURS IN A DIVERSE OR CONSTRAINT ECOSYSTEM RESULTS IN A CHAIN REACTION.
OUR OCEAN AND SEA ECOSYSTEMS ARE SUFFERING AS A RESULT OF TOXIC OIL SPILLS, CHEMICAL AND FERTILIZER RUNOFF, WARMING SEA TEMPERATURES, DUMPING OF WASTE, INCLUDING TOXIC WASTE, INTO OUR OCEANS AND HUMAN DESTRUCTION OF AQUATIC HABITATS. ANY HUMAN ACTION THAT THREATENS BIODIVERSITY, WHETHER DELIBERATE OR UNINTENTIONAL, LEADS TO EXTINCTION AND LOSS OF ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONS. HARVARD BIOLOGIST, E. O. WILSON ESTIMATES THAT THREE SPECIES PER HOUR ARE BEING PUSHED TO EXTINCTION.
NOT ENOUGH PLANTS AND INVERTEBRATES HAVE BEEN STUDIED TO DETERMINE THEIR GLOBAL THREAT LEVEL, BUT IT IS SEVERE! WHERE DO WILDLIFE POPULATIONS STAND TODAY WITH ALMOST 8 BILLION PEOPLE WORLDWIDE? TWELVE PER CENT OF MAMMALS, TWELVE PER CENT OF BIRDS, THIRTY-ONE PER CENT OF REPTILES, THIRTY PER CENT OF AMPHIBIANS, AND THIRTY-SEVEN PER CENT OF FISH ARE THREATENED WITH EXTINCTION, ACCORDING TO THE INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR THE CONSERVATION OF NATURE. EXTINCTION OF SPECIES IS THE MOST SERIOUS, AND MOST IRREVERSIBLE ADVERSE EFFECT ON THE SUSTAINABILITY OF FUTURE HUMAN POPULATIONS. ONCE AGAIN, SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY’S DISCLOSE THE VITAL IMPORTANCE OF DIVERSITY IN THE SUSTENANCE OF LIFE ON EARTH. DIVERSITY IS THE MOST CRUCIAL ELEMENT, DESIGNED INTO THE CREATION OF PLANET EARTH, THAT SUPPORTS LIFE SYSTEMS! MANAGEMENT OF OUR NATURAL WORLD CONTINUES TO BE BASED UPON ECONOMIC RETURNS RATHER THAN PROLONGING HUMAN AND NON-HUMAN LIFE ON EARTH!
WHERE WILL WE FIND THE LEADERSHIP TO ADJUST MANAGEMENT PRIORITIES TO PROTECT AND IMPROVE OUR NATURAL WORLD? WE CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT THE CRITICAL ELEMENTS SUPPLIED ONLY BY NATURE! SCIENCE AND ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY CAN NEVER SUPPLY THE LIFE SUSTAINING ELEMENTS REQUIRED FOR FUTURE LIFE ON EARTH! WE MAY HAVE TRADED FUTURE LIFE FOR MATERIALISM! TIME WILL TELL. DO WE HAVE TIME?

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February 01st, 2022

2/1/2022

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                                                            RESTORING THE BALANCE

THE PAST YEAR, I HAVE BEEN ALERTING PEOPLE TO THE WELL-KNOWN CONCEPT OF CARRYING CAPACITY. CARRYING-CAPACITY DESCRIBES THE ABILITY OF AN ECOSYSTEM TO PROVIDE FOR FLUCTUATING SPECIES POPULATIONS WITHIN THE ECOSYSTEM. NUMEROUS STUDIES AND EXAMPLES HAVE FOCUSED OUR ATTENTION ON WHAT HAPPENS WHEN NON-HUMAN SPECIES EXCEED THE ABILITY OF THEIR ECOSYSTEM TO PROVIDE THE REQUIRED FOOD, RESOURCES AND ENERGY. MOST GAME SPECIES ARE CONSIDERED A STATE RESOURCE, WITH STATE AGENCIES ESTABLISHED TO PROTECT AND MANAGE WILDLIFE POPULATIONS. FOR DECADES, MANAGEMENT HAS INCLUDED EFFORTS TO BALANCE POPULATION NUMBERS WITH THE HABITAT CARRYING CAPACITY. UNFORTUNATELY, THE FOCUS OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE HAS BEEN ON ANIMAL POPULATIONS WITH LITTLE EFFORT DIRECTED AT HUMANS AND EARTH’S LIMITATIONS.
WE HAVE EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS LIKE; WHIRLING DISEASE IN TROUT IN THE GREATER YELLOWSTONE AREA, CHRONIC WASTING DISEASE IN WHITE TAIL DEER IN THE LAKE STATES, BRUCELLOSIS IN THE YELLOWSTONE ELK POPULATION AND THE LIST GOES ON. THESE EXAMPLES HAVE ALL RESULTED FROM OVER-POPULATION OR OVER-CONCENTRATION IN ARTIFICIAL FEED GROUNDS. ALTHOUGH MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS HAVE HAD SOME SUCCESS, EFFORTS TO CONTROL NATURAL REPRODUCTIVE RATES AND POPULATION NUMBERS HAVE BEEN LIMITED. WHAT WE HAVE OBSERVED IN OVER-POPULATION SITUATIONS, IS NATURES WAY OF ATTEMPTING TO RESTORE BALANCE. LACK OF NUTRIENTS AND HABITAT LOSS RESULTS IN WEAKENED INDIVIDUALS AND THE INTRODUCTION OF STARVATION, PESTILENCE AND DISEASE. THIS NATURAL PROCESS HAS BEEN DESIGNED INTO THE CREATION OF THE MAGICAL EARTH SYSTEMS THAT SUPPORT LIFE ON OUR PLANET.
TO SATISFY THE DEMANDS OF THE EVER-INCREASING NUMBERS OF PEOPLE, HUMANS CHOP DOWN FORESTS, BULLDOZE MOUNTAINS, DIVERT STREAMS AND RIVERS, SPRAY POISONS, OVER-HARVESTED ANIMAL AND FISH POPULATIONS, INTRODUCE INVASIVE SPECIES, PAVED OVER LAND AND THE LIST GOES ON. AFTER ALL, EARTH BELONGS TO US AND IT IS OUR DIVINE RIGHT TO DO AS WE WISH, EVEN IF IT DESTROYS HABITATS, CAUSES SPECIES EXTINCTION AND UPSETS THE BALANCE OF NATURE!
THE TRUTH IS, INFECTIOUS DISEASE OUTBREAKS HAVE BEEN INCREASING OVER THE PAST DECADE. EPIDEMICS AND PANDEMICS HAVE RAVAGED HUMANITY THROUGHOUT THE PAST, BUT HAVE SERIOUSLY ACCELERATED IN FREQUENCY AND INTENSITY WITH THE RAPIDLY GROWING WORLD POPULATIONS. THE LOSS OF BIO-DIVERSITY DUE TO INCREASED HUMAN ACTIVITY HAS CONTRIBUTED SIGNIFICANTLY TO THE INCREASED SPREAD OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE. ANOTHER FACTOR THAT CONTRIBUTES TO THE SPREAD OF EPIDEMICS AND PANDEMICS, HAS BEEN THE DEGRADATION OF NATURAL HABITATS AND THE DESTABILIZATION OF ECOSYSTEMS. EARTH IS MADE UP OF A MULTITUDE OF ECOSYSTEMS, AND THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY INFORMS US THAT ONLY 3% OF OUR WORLDWIDE ECOSYSTEMS ARE CONSIDERED INTACT AND PROPERLY FUNCTIONING.
THE U. S. CENSUS BUREAU PREDICTS THE WORLD POPULATION WILL REACH 10 BILLION BY 2050, WITH SCIENTISTS AND ECONOMISTS PROJECTING EARTH’S CARRYING-CAPACITY TO BE APPROXIMATELY 10 BILLION PEOPLE. THIS MEANS WE ARE PUSHING THE LIMITS OF OUR HUMAN ECOSYSTEM’S ABILITY TO PROVIDE FOR OVER-POPULATION. I HAVE BEEN RELUCTANT TO ADDRESS THE BIG QUESTION, IS COVID 19 AND OTHER EPIDEMICS AND PANDEMICS, NATURES WAY OF ATTEMPTING TO RESTORE BALANCE TO EARTH’S ABILITY TO SUPPORT OUR EXPANDING POPULATION? I AM SURE THIS RAISES MORAL QUESTIONS FOR MANY, BUT IT IS A QUESTION WE MUST ANSWER.
ON MARCH 11TH OF 2020, THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION DECLARED THE CORONAVIRUS 19 OUTBREAK A GLOBAL PANDEMIC. COVID-19 HAS HIGHLIGHTED THE WEAKNESS IN THE HEALTH SYSTEMS WORLDWIDE AND THE LACK OF COORDINATION BETWEEN GOVERNMENTS WHEN FACED WITH A GLOBAL HEALTH CRISIS. MANY SCIENTISTS ARE SUGGESTING WE ARE OBSERVING A NATURAL PROCESS, DESIGNED INTO CREATION, INTENDED TO ASSIST IN RESTORING BALANCE BETWEEN HUMAN POPULATION NUMBERS AND EARTH’S CARRYING-CAPACITY. I BELIEVE, BIOLOGICAL DATA FROM STUDYING NON-HUMAN SPECIES OVERCROWDING, PROVIDES ADEQUATE PROOF THAT COVID 19 IS NATURE’S WAY OF ATTEMPTING TO BALANCE HUMAN POPULATIONS WITH EARTH’S CARRYING-CAPACITY. I ALSO BELIEVE, IT IS LIKELY, THE SEVERITY AND INTENSITY OF EPIDEMICS AND PANDEMICS MAY BECOME A SERIOUS ISSUE FOR HUMANITY’S FUTURE. THIS SCARY PREDICTION SHOULD RAISE EVERYONE’S CONCERNS AND ALERT US TO THE NEED FOR ACTION.
THE WORLDWIDE CASES OF THE COVID VIRUS HAS REACHED ALMOST 375 MILLION, WHICH EXCEEDS THE ENTIRE POPULATION OF THE UNITED STATES, AND THE TOTAL NUMBER OF DEATHS IS 5.7 MILLION, THE EQUIVALENT OF THE TOTAL POPULATION IN THE STATE OF MINNESOTA.
THE UNITED NATIONS RECENTLY ESTABLISHED WHAT THEY CONSIDER THE STABILIZATION FIGURE TO BE, AT 10 BILLION TO BE REACHED IN THE SECOND HALF OF THIS CENTURY. THERE ARE REAL CONCERNS ABOUT HOW WE CAN FEED AN ADDITIONAL 2 BILLION PEOPLE THIS CENTURY. TODAY, BETWEEN 850 AND 925 MILLION PEOPLE ARE EXPERIENCING FOOD INSECURITY AND UNDERNOURISHMENT. PRESSURES ON THE ENVIRONMENT IS INCREASING EXPONENTIALLY, AS LEVELS AND MODES OF CONSUMPTION ACCELERATE. SEVEN PERCENT OF THE WORLD’S POPULATION LACK A SAFE SUPPLY OF DRINKING WATER, AND CLIMATE CHANGE IS ANTICIPATED TO EXACERBATE THE ISSUES. ALTHOUGH, REPRODUCTIVE RATES HAVE DECLINED SLIGHTLY, THE GROWTH OF THE AGED POPULATIONS IS INCREASING WITH THE FASTEST GROWING AGE GROUP BEING THE 90-PLUS.
IN 2010, THE WORLD ACHIEVED A DEMOGRAPHIC MILESTONE WHEN WORLD POPULATIONS SHIFTED FROM RURAL TO URBAN LIVING. TODAY, MORE THAN HALF OF THE WORLD POPULATION LIVE IN URBAN AREAS, CLUSTERED TOGETHER AND PROVIDING FOR A MORE RAPID SPREAD OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES. HUMANITY IS FACING THE MOST CRITICAL ISSUE IN OUR HISTORY.
THE CLOCK KEEPS TICKING, AS WE SET BACK AND CONTINUE OUR QUEST FOR MATERIALISM AND WEALTH. WE MEASURE SUCCESS BASED UPON THE U.S. GDP, RATHER THAN THE WELLNESS OF THE PEOPLE. WE FIGHT OVER POWER AND CONTROL, AND IGNORE WHAT LIES AHEAD. WE STRIVE FOR INDIVIDUALISM, INSTEAD OF JOINING HANDS AND WORKING TOGETHER TO RESOLVE LIFE’S COMPLICATED ISSUES. WE MUST MOVE QUICKLY TOWARD STABILIZATION OF THE GLOBAL POPULATION, WHICH CAN BEST BE ACHIEVED BY IMPROVING THE LIVES OF PEOPLE IN LOW-INCOME COUNTRIES AND CREATING A MORE SUSTAINABLE PATTERN OF RESOURCE CONSUMPTION, ESPECIALLY IN THE HIGH-INCOME COUNTRIES. AMERICA, IN THE PAST, HAS DEMONSTRATED HER ABILITY TO WORK TOGETHER TO MEET THE NEEDS OF HER CITIZENS. DO WE HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO RESTORE THE BALANCE AND PROLONG HUMANITY’S FUTURE? IT WILL HAPPEN WHEN THE PEOPLE DEMAND CHANGE!

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January 21st, 2022

1/21/2022

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                             PREDATOR, PREY RELATIONSHIPS

I HAVE BEEN READING A NEW BOOK ENTITLED, “RESTORING THE BALANCE”, WHAT WOLVES TELL US ABOUT OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH NATURE. IT IS BASICALLY A HISTORICAL RECORD OF FIELD NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS, BY SEVERAL DOCTORIAL CANDIDATES THAT WERE STUDYING THE WOLF – MOOSE PREDATOR PREY RELATIONSHIPS ON ISLE ROYALE NATIONAL PARK. DR. DURWOOD ALLEN INITIATED THE STUDY PROJECT IN 1958 AFTER FINDING THIS SOMEWHAT CLOSED ECOSYSTEM OFF THE COAST OF MICHIGAN. THE CANADIAN BORDER IS CLOSE ENOUGH THAT THERE IS AN OCCASIONAL ICE BRIDGE THAT FORMS BETWEEN THE ISLAND AND THE MAIN LAND, ALLOWING WOLVES TO COLONIZE THE ISLAND IN THE 1940’S. BEING AN ISLAND, OFFERED A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO STUDY PREDATOR-PREY RELATIONSHIPS WITHIN A SOME WHAT CLOSED ECOSYSTEM.
WHEN I FIRST FOUND THE BOOK IT REMINDED ME OF PAST CONNECTIONS I HAD MADE WITH THE STUDY. IN 1964, I PRESENTED A PAPER AT THE MIDWEST WILDLIFE CONFERENCE AT PURDUE UNIVERSITY, ON A VEGETATIVE INVENTORY PROCESS I HAD COMPLETED IN SOUTHERN MISSOURI. THE RESULTS WERE BEING USED BY THE MISSOURI STATE TURKEY BIOLOGISTS TO DETERMINE WHERE HABITAT IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS WOULD PROVIDE THE BEST RESULTS TO SUPPORT LARGER TURKEY POPULATIONS. FOLLOWING MY PRESENTATION, I WAS PRIVILEGED TO HEAR DR. ALLEN’S PROGRAM ON THE ISLE ROYALE WOLF STUDY.
SEVERAL YEARS LATER, I WAS ASSIGNED TO A DISTRICT RANGER POSITION ON THE SUPERIOR NATIONAL FOREST. DR. DAVID MECH HAD COMPLETED HIS DOCTORATE UNDER DR. ALLEN, AND WAS INITIATING A STUDY OF THE WOLF POPULATION IN NORTHEASTERN MINNESOTA. THE FOCUS WAS ON THE BOUNDARY WATERS CANOE AREA. MY COLLEGE ROOMMATE’S FATHER WAS A PROFESSIONAL TRAPPER, AND HAD BEEN SELECTED TO CONDUCT THE TRAPPING NECESSARY TO OUTFIT THE WOLVES WITH RADIO COLLARS. I SPENT TWO YEARS HELPING SUPPORT DR. MECH’S PROJECT, AND EXPERIENCED SEVERAL LIFE-CHANGING EVENTS WITH INDIVIDUAL WOLF ENCOUNTERS I WAS PRIVILEGED TO OBSERVE.
I REMEMBERED A FEW EXPERIENCES THAT HIGHLIGHTED MY CONTACTS WITH WOLVES. THEY ARE A MAGNIFICENT ANIMAL WITH A VERY STRONG SOCIAL ORDER WITHIN THE PACK. OUR HEADQUARTERS WERE LOCATED IN ELY, MINNESOTA WITH THE DISTRICT BEING JUST NORTHEAST OF THE COMMUNITY. THE LOCAL MAYOR, WHO WAS ALSO A MEDICAL DOCTOR, BECAME INTERESTED IN DR. MECH’S PROJECT AND INDICATED HE WOULD BE INTERESTED IN SPENDING SOME TIME OBSERVING. A SHORT TIME LATER DAVE CALLED AND INFORMED ME HE HAD A MALE WOLF READY TO EXAMINE AND I SHOULD SEE IF THE MAYOR WAS AVAILABLE TO COME OUT. I PICKED THE MAYOR UP AND A SHORT TIME LATER WE WERE AT THE SITE. THE WOLF WAS A LARGE MALE THAT APPEARED NOT TO HAVE FED FOR SEVERAL DAYS. HE HAD BEEN TRANQUILIZED AND THE MAYOR WAS INTERESTED IN A PHOTOGRAPH WITH THE WOLF. MECH SUGGESTED THE MAYOR GET CLOSER TO THE WOLF AS I RAISED THE HEAD OF THE WOLF FOR THE PICTURE. WHEN I DID THE WOLF MADE A GRUNT NOISE WHICH SENT THE MAYOR RUNNING UP THE BANK FOR SAFETY. WE DID FINALLY GET THE PICTURE.
ANOTHER TIME AS WE WERE FLYING AND LOOKING FOR A RADIO COLLARED WOLF, WE SPOTTED A LONE WOLF ATTEMPTING TO SNEAK UP ON A DEER THAT WAS OUT ON A FROZEN LAKE. AFTER GETTING AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE, THE WOLF MAD A DASH FOR THE DEER. THE SOFT SNOW SWIRLED AROUND THE PAIR, AND WHEN IT FINALLY SETTLED, THE WOLF WAS ON THE BOTTOM AND THE DEER WAS STOMPING IT WITH IT’S FRONT HOOVES. THE WOLF FINALLY DECIDED THERE MUST BE AN EASIER WAY AND LEFT.
MY FINAL MEMORY CAME WHEN MECH LEARNED THAT CANADIAN BIOLOGISTS HAD BEEN HANDLING SOME WOLVES WITHOUT TRANQUILIZING THEM. THIS PARTICULAR DAY THEY HAD TRAPPED A SMALL FEMALE WOLF AND DECIDED TO FITTING A RADIO COLLAR WITHOUT TRANQUILIZING HER. WITH A FORKED STICK OVER HER NECK, THE TWO HELPERS REMOVED HER FROM THE TRAP, WEIGHED AND MEASURED HER AND PLACED THE COLLAR ON HER. SHE LAY PERFECTLY STILL, SEEMING TO BE IN A COMMA. ONE HELPER DECIDED TO GET A PHOTO OF HER WHEN SHE RECOVERED. SHE LAID THERE FOR OVER A HALF HOUR, SUDDENLY BOLTED AND WAS GONE BEFORE A PICTURE COULD BE TAKEN.
THE BOOK OBVIOUSLY BROUGHT BACK FOND MEMORIES, BUT MY INTEREST IN THE BOOK WAS BASED ON MY DESIRE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HUMANITY’S CONNECTION TO THE NATURAL WORLD. UNFORTUNATELY, THE BOOK PRIMARILY FOCUSED ON FINITE DETAILS OF OBSERVATIONS AND FIELD NOTES FROM SEVERAL STUDENTS THAT HAD STUDIED PREDATOR-PREY RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN WOLVES AND MOOSE ON ISLE ROYALE. THE STUDIES HAVE PROVIDE IMPORTANT INSIGHT INTO THE IMPACT PREDATION CAN HAVE ON POPULATION LEVELS AND DEMONSTRATE HOW POPULATION FLUCTUATION’S CAN IMPACT OTHER SPECIES SUCH AS VEGETATION. THE BOOK IS OBVIOUSLY NOT WRITTEN FOR GENERAL CONSUMPTION. THE PREFACE OVER-SELLS THE CONTENTS AND LEADS TO DISAPPOINTMENT FOR MOST READERS.

THE STUDIES ON ISLE ROYALE OFFER INFORMATION THAT NEEDS ANALYSIS FOR COMPARISON WITH THE MOST SIGNIFICANT ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE HUMANITY HAS EVER FACED. HUMANS ARE A PREDATOR SPECIES AND OUR WORLDWIDE POPULATION IS STRESSING EARTH’S ABILITY TO PROVIDE THE REQUIRED RESOURCES AND ENERGY TO SUSTAIN LIFE ON OUR PLANET. ARE WE RAPIDLY APPROACHING THE LIMITS OF EARTH’S CARRYING CAPACITY? WE HAVE STUDIED AND OBSERVED NUMEROUS SITUATIONS WERE NON-HUMAN SPECIES HAVE EXCEEDED THEIR ECOSYSTEM’S ABILITY TO SUSTAIN POPULATION NUMBERS. DISEASE AND STARVATION BECOME NATURE’S METHOD OF TRYING TO RESTORE BALANCE. THIS STUDY DISCLOSES THE FACT THAT LOSS OF DIVERSITY AND INBREEDING CAN CONTRIBUTE TO MAJOR POPULATION DECLINES. IT DEMONSTRATES HOW OVER POPULATIONS OF MOOSE ADVERSELY EFFECT THE BALSAM FIR TREE GROWTH AND REPRODUCTIVE RATES RESULTING IN THE LOSS OF THE MAJOR VEGETATIVE FOOD SOURCE FOR THE MOOSE. EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED.

CHAPTER 10, THE LAST CHAPTER OF THE BOOK, FINALLY GOT MY ATTENTION. THE AUTHOR FINISHED BY PRESENTING HIS ANALYSIS OF HOW THE YEARS OF STUDYING THE PREDATOR-PREY RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN ISLE ROYALE’S WOLVES AND MOOSE RELATES TO HUMANITY’S CONNECTION TO THE NATURAL WORLD. HE CONCLUDES THAT,” HUMANS KILL IN THE NAME OF CONSERVATION, AND TYPICALLY ARE CULPABLE FOR THE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT MOTIVATED THE KILLING”. “HUMANS HAVE A LONG-RUNNING TENSION BETWEEN INDIVIDUALISM AND COLLECTIVISM.” THE QUESTION; IS HOW DO WE ENERGIZE PEOPLE TO APPRECIATE HUMANITY’S CONNECTION TO THE NATURAL WORLD?
I WISH I KNEW HOW TO ELEVATE THE CONCERNS OF PEOPLE TO GET THEM TO REALIZE WHAT IS HAPPENING TO THE NATURAL WORLD, WE AND THE OTHER LIFE SYSTEMS DEPEND UPON FOR SURVIVAL! IN OUR QUEST FOR FREEDOM AND NORMALCY, WE THROUGH CAUTION TO THE WIND AND IGNORE WHAT LIES AHEAD. JUST OBSERVE THE CURRENT COVID SITUATION. WE ARE TRIED OF BEING RESTRICTED FROM OUR NORMAL ACTIVITIES, SO WE IGNORE COMMON SENSE PROTECTION METHODS.
THERE IS MUCH TO LEARN AND MUCH TO ACCOMPLISH IF WE WANT TO ACHIEVE OUR DESIRED FUTURE! WE SEEM OPEN TO POLITICAL MIS-INFORMATION AND LIES, YET FAIL TO ACCEPT PROVEN SCIENTIFIC DATA AND STATICS ABOUT WHAT HUMANITY IS DOING TO THE NATURAL WORLD. WE WILL SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES!

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December 24th, 2021

12/24/2021

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RELIGION AND ECOLOGY

THE INTRODUCTION OF THE 13TH CENTURY FOUND EUROPE FACING A WORLDWIDE ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS SIMILAR TO THE CRISIS WE FACE TODAY. THEY WERE EXPERIENCING RAPID GROWTH IN THE POPULATION, A SHORTAGE OF RESOURCES AND RECOVERING FROM A PANDEMIC KNOW AS THE BLACK DEATH. THE MEDIEVAL CHURCH MAINTAINED ITS POWER AND EXERCISED ENORMOUS INFLUENCE OVER THE PEOPLE’S LIVES, FROM THE KING ON HIS THRONE TO THE PEASANT IN THE FIELD. THE CHURCH WAS THE MANIFESTATION OF GOD’S WILL AND PRESENCE ON EARTH, AND ITS DICTATES WERE NOT TO BE QUESTIONED. THE CHURCH REGULATED AND DEFINED AN INDIVIDUAL’S LIFE, LITERALLY, FROM BIRTH TO DEATH. MAJOR CHANGE CAME IN THE POWER OF THE CHURCH FOLLOWING THE PANDEMIC, WHEN THE PEOPLE BEGAN TO DOUBT THE POWER OF THE CLERGY WHO WERE UNABLE PREVENT THE PEOPLE FROM DYING OR THE SPREAD OF THE PLAQUE.
THE LIMITED AVAILABILITY OF LIFE SUSTAINING RESOURCES AND THE STRICT RELIGIOUS DOCTRINE, TRIGGERED A SEARCH FOR NEW LANDS. THE DISCOVERY OF THE AMERICAN CONTINENT IN THE LATE 14TH CENTURY, INTRODUCED HOPE AND A START OF MIGRATION OF EUROPEANS TO FIND A BETTER LIFE WITH RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. THESE PEOPLE WERE HARD WORKERS AND DEPENDED UPON THE LAND FOR SUSTENANCE. THEY ENCOUNTERED THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE WHO’S ANCESTORS HAD LIVED AS A PART OF NATURE FOR AT LEAST 30,000 YEARS. WITH HELP FROM THE NATIVE PEOPLE, THE SETTLERS SET OUT TO DEVELOP A NEW LIFE BASED UPON THE RICH LAND AND, WHAT SEEMED UNLIMITED, NATURAL RESOURCES. RELIGIOUS FREEDOM, A LAND RICH WITH RESOURCES AND A LAND WITH NO DOCUMENTED OWNERSHIP; WAS BEYOND EXPECTATION. THEIR DEPENDENCE ON THE LAND LED TO A SPIRITUAL APPRECIATION FOR THE NEW LAND.
THIS IS HISTORY FAMILIAR TO US, BUT PROVIDES THE BASIC UNDERSTANDING REQUIRED TO BEGIN CONSIDERING THE CONNECTION BETWEEN RELIGION AND ECOLOGY. A DETAILED UNDERSTANDING OF THE CREATION STORY ESTABLISHES THE FACT THAT THE ENTIRE UNIVERSAL COMMUNITY FUNCTIONS ON RELATIONSHIPS. IF THE EARTH WERE A FEW MILES CLOSER OR FURTHER FROM THE SUN, LIFE COULD NOT EXIST. THE ROTATION OF EARTH, THE ENERGY FROM THE SUN AND OUR ATMOSPHERE; PROVIDE FOR MILLIONS OF LIVING ORGANISMS, THE CHANGING OF THE SEASONS AND THE REQUIRED CLIMATIC CONDITION THAT SUSTAIN LIFE.
WITH THE NUMBER OF EUROPEAN SETTLERS INCREASING RAPIDLY, THE DESIRABILITY OF INDEPENDENCE AND THE FORMATION OF A GOVERNING BODY BECAME PRIORITY. IN 1744, IROQUOIS CHIEF CONASATEGO, LEADER OF THE ONONDAGA NATION, RECOMMENDED THE SETTLERS FORM THE FEDERATION OF THE THIRTEEN COLONIES. COLONIAL LEADERS STUDIED THE IROQUOIS CONFEDERATION WHICH PROVIDED THE BASIS FOR A NEW EGALITARIAN DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT AND ITS CONSTITUTION. THE NEW CONSTITUTION WAS ALSO BASED ON JUDAEO-CHRISTIAN IDEALS AND VALUES.
THE NEW RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND THE PEOPLES DEPENDENCE UPON THE NATURAL RESOURCES FOR SUBSISTENCE, STRENGTHENED A STRONG SPIRITUAL CONNECTION BETWEEN THE PEOPLE AND THE LAND. OBSERVING THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE AND THEIR WISDOM ABOUT NATURE, OFFERED FURTHER SUPPORT TO THE SACREDNESS OF THE NATURAL WORLD. UNFORTUNATELY, THE SETTLERS SAW THE VAST FOREST COVERED LANDS AS A HINDRANCE TO THEIR AGRICULTURAL NEEDS, RESULTING IN THE CLEARING OF MILLIONS OF ACRES FOR CROPS AND LIVESTOCK GRAZING. THE 1850’S STARTED THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION, RESULTING IN A SHIFT FROM AN AGRICULTURAL ECONOMY TO AN INDUSTRIAL ECONOMY. THIS INTENSIFIED HUMANITY’S BELIEF THAT WE WERE DIRECTED TO TAKE DOMINION OVER EARTH. IF NATURE WAS NOT PROVIDING OUR NEEDS, WE COULD MANIPULATE, CONTROL AND CHANGE NATURE TO MEET OUR REQUIREMENTS. WE ARE SO INTELLIGENT, WE CAN EVEN GENETICALLY ALTER PLANTS TO PRODUCE MORE AND BETTER-LOOKING FRUITS, VEGETABLES AND GRAINS, SOME OF WHICH ARE NOT AS DIGESTIBLE AS THE ORIGINAL AND HAVE RESULTED IN OBESITY AND EVEN INCREASED MEDICAL PROBLEMS.
WE ARE LEFT WITH NO ALTERNATIVE BUT TO MAKE MAJOR CHANGES IN OUR LIFE-STYLES AND WORK TO RECOVER OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH AND SUPPORT FOR THE NATURAL WORLD. SINCE OUR BASIC UNDERSTANDING OF CREATION INITIATED WITH RELIGIOUS IDEALS, IT APPEARS LOGICAL RELIGION IS WHERE WE MUST TURN FOR LEADERSHIP IN RECOVERING OUR ORIGINAL CONNECTION THE NATURE!
TODAY, WHEN I DISCUSS WITH PEOPLE WHY THEY ARE NOT ACTIVE IN THE CHURCH, THEY TELL ME THE CHURCH IS NOT MEETING THEIR NEEDS, AND THERE IS SO MUCH DEMAND AND COMPETITION FOR THE HOURS IN A WEEK, THEY HAVE TO PRIORITIZE WHAT THEY CAN PARTICIPATE IN. THEY TELL ME OF THE NEED FOR COPING SKILLS AND RELIGIOUS SOLUTIONS WHICH DEAL WITH TODAY'S ISSUES AND CONCERNS. CLERGY NEED TO LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE THAT ARE NOT SITTING IN THE PEWS EVERY SUNDAY, AND DISCOVER THEIR EXPECTATIONS AND NEEDS. PROVIDING HOPE AND UNDERSTANDING THROUGH RELIGIOUS TEACHINGS IS ESSENTIAL FOR HUMANITY’S FUTURE.
THE LARGEST ISSUE MANKIND HAS EVER FACED IS OUR CURRENT ENVIRONMENTAL SITUATION, AND PAST CORPORATE AND POLITICAL FAILURES TO RESOLVE, SUGGEST THE FUTURE DEPENDS UPON WORLDWIDE RELIGIOUS LEADERSHIP. THE LIFE SUSTAINING RELATIONSHIPS DESIGNED INTO EARTH’S CREATION, ARE ESSENTIAL TO UNDERSTANDING AND IMPLEMENTING REALISTIC SOLUTIONS TO EXTENT LIFE ON EARTH. OUR DOMINANT BELIEF IN INTELLIGENT DESIGN, CONFIRMS THE RESPONSIBILITY SHOULD FOCUS ON OUR RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS.
ECOLOGY IS THE STUDY OF RELATIONSHIPS, AND WAS ONCE CALLED NATURAL HISTORY. YOU CANNOT BEGIN TO STUDY THE COMPLEX STORY OF CREATION WITHOUT REALIZING THE NECESSARY CONNECTIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS THAT ARE REQUIRED TO SUPPORT LIFE. I REALIZE THERE ARE A FEW ECOLOGY SPECIALISTS AND NATURAL RESOURCE STUDIES THAT REQUIRE A COURSE OR TWO IN ECOLOGY, BUT AN IN-DEPTH APPRECIATION FOR THE MULTITUDE OF CONNECTIONS AND RELATIONS THAT PROVIDE FOR LIFE ON EARTH, IS LACKING. IF WE ARE GOING TO MAKE THE NECESSARY CHANGES REQUIRED TO PROLONG LIFE ON EARTH, OUR EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS ARE GOING TO HAVE TO DEVELOP A STRONG ECOLOGICAL FOUNDATION FOR THE STUDENTS TO BUILD THEIR CONTINUING ACADEMIC STUDIES ON. WE MUST EDUCATE OUR CHILDREN TO BE ENVIRONMENTALISTS RATHER THAN CONSUMERS! THIS WILL REQUIRE RELIGIOUS AND ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS TO SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER, IT MEANS THE RELIGIOUS AND SECULAR WORLDS MUST SHARE THE RESPONSIBILITY.
THE STORY OF CREATION FORMED THE BASIS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF RELIGIOUS IDEALS AND BELIEFS, AND CAN ONLY BE UNDERSTOOD THROUGH ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE AND PRINCIPLES. THE CONNECTION BETWEEN RELIGION AND ECOLOGY PROVIDES THE FOUNDATION FOR FUTURE MANAGEMENT OF THE NATURAL WORLD. THERE ARE SOME WHO INSIST ON TOTAL SEPARATION OF THE RELIGIOUS AND SECULAR WORLDS. I RECENTLY GAVE A PROGRAM TO ELEMENTARY STUDENTS AND THEIR PARENTS, AND WAS TOLD IT WOULD BE IMPROPER TO USE THE WORD CREATION. HOW CAN WE TEACH OUR YOUTH ABOUT THE CURRENT ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS IF RELIGION AND SCIENCE MUST REMAIN TOTALLY SEPARATED?
I AM SORRY, BUT IF WE ARE UNWILLING TO SPEAK THE TRUTH ABOUT HOW EARTH HAS DEVELOPED AND HOW HUMANS HAVE DESTROYED THE NATURAL WORLD, THERE IS LITTLE HOPE FOR THE FUTURE! RELIGION AND ACADEMIA MUST FORM A STRONG PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN RELIGIOUS IDEALS AND ECOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES, IF WE CARE ABOUT HUMANITY’S FUTURE! IF THE ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS MEANS RELIGION HAS TO CHANGE, IT IS ALSO TRUE THAT OVER THE CENTURIES RELIGIONS HAVE DEVELOPED POWERFUL RESOURCES TO HELP US UNDERSTAND AND RESPOND TO CRITICAL FORMS OF SUFFERING AND INJUSTICE. THERE IS A POINT TO LIFE BEYOND ACCUMULATION! IS IT NOT A SIN TO COMMIT A CRIME AGAINST THE NATURAL WORLD, TO CAUSE THE EXTINCTION OF SPECIES OR TO DESTROY THE BIODIVERSITY OF CREATION?

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December 02nd, 2021

12/2/2021

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          ECOLOGY, RELIGION AND THE SCIENCE OF FORESTRY
                                            CHAPTER TWO

THERE IS MORE TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF CREATION THAN THE CONNECTIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE MILLIONS OF ORGANISMS THAT MAKE UP LIFE ON PLANET EARTH. AS I SAT IN MY DEER BLIND AND OBSERVED THE MAKEUP AND ACTIVITY WITHIN THE DIFFERENT FOREST COMMUNITIES, I FINALLY BEGAN TO UNDERSTAND THE NECESSITY OF DIVERSITY. THE DIVERSITY OF THE SITE AND THE SOIL TYPES AND CHARACTERISTIC CHANGED, THE VARIETY OF ORGANISMS AND THEIR ACTIVITIES ALSO CHANGED. I THOUGHT BACK TO MY EARLY YEARS ON THE MARK TWAIN NATIONAL FOREST IN SOUTHERN MISSOURI, AND MY EFFORT TO IDENTIFY AND RECORD THE DIFFERENT TREE STANDS ON THE 200,000 ACRE WILLOW SPRINGS RANGER DISTRICT. MY EFFORT WAS TO DEVELOP A DATA BASE OF SITE-SPECIFIC INFORMATION FOR EACH STAND, WHICH WOULD IDENTIFY TREATMENT NEEDS AND PROVIDE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRIORITIZE THE MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS FOR FUTURE YEARS. WHILE I INVENTORIED THE VEGETATION ECOSYSTEMS, A SOIL SCIENTIST INVENTORIED THE SOIL AND SITE CHARACTERISTICS. WHEN COMPLETED AND OVERLAY-ED THE TWO MAPS WERE UNBELIEVABLY VERY SIMILAR.
I WAS ALSO REMINDED OF MY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE FIGHTING WILDFIRES, AND HOW WE STUDIED VEGETATION CHANGES TO IDENTIFY WHERE TO APPLY VARIOUS SUPPRESSION EFFORTS. WE KNEW THE FIRE BEHAVIOR WOULD CHANGE AS THE VEGETATIVE TYPES CHANGED AND WE MIGHT HAVE A CHANCE TO GAIN THE UPPER HAND. IGNORING THESE COMMUNITY DIFFERENCES AND CREATING LARGE PLANTATIONS, I REALIZED WAS DESTROYING BIO-DIVERSITY AND SETTING THE STAGE FOR FUTURE CATASTROPHIC EVENTS.
MY EXPERIENCES AND OBSERVATIONS REQUIRED A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF CREATION AND DIVERSITY. IT BECAME OBVIOUS, THAT DIVERSITY WAS ANOTHER ESSENTIAL ELEMENT DESIGNED INTO CREATION. MY MARK TWAIN PROJECT HAD DEMONSTRATED THAT INDIVIDUAL FOREST COMMUNITIES WERE THE RESULT OF THE SITE CHARACTERISTICS THE VEGETATION WAS GROWING ON. SOILS, SLOPE, ELEVATION, ASPECT AND MOISTURE AVAILABILITY; ACCOUNTED FOR TYPE AND DIVERSITY OF SPECIES WITHIN EACH COMMUNITY.
IN THE EARLY 1960’S, THE RESEARCH DIVISION OF THE FOREST SERVICE, SUGGESTED ADOPTING THE SILVICULTURAL SYSTEM OF CLEAR-CUTTING AS THE PREFERRED TREATMENT METHOD FOR ALL TIMBER TYPES. IT WAS ENACTED BY THE AGENCY, EVEN THOUGH THE SUGGESTION WAS BASED STRICTLY ON HARVESTING EFFICIENCIES AND PROFITABILITY, NOT HEALTH AND DIVERSITY. I DID MANAGED TO IMPLEMENT AN AMENDMENT FOR “CENTRAL HARDWOOD” TYPES THAT SOFTENED THE USE OF CLEAR-CUTTING FOR THOSE STANDS, BUT CLEAR-CUT AND PLANT BECAME THE DOMINANT PRESCRIPTION.
I HAD HEARD THE TERM BIO-DIVERSITY ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, BUT NEVER TOOK THE TIME TO UNDERSTAND EXACTLY WHAT IT MEANT OR WHY IT WAS IMPORTANT IN FOREST MANAGEMENT. THE MORE I OBSERVED FROM MY DEER BLIND THE MORE I BEGAN TO REALIZE THE IMPORTANT ROLE DIVERSITY PLAYED IN THE FOREST COMMUNITY MAKEUP AND ACTIVITIES. I FINALLY REALIZED DIVERSITY WAS PROBABLY THE MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENT, DESIGNED INTO CREATION, THAT SUPPORTED LIFE WITHIN THE VARIOUS FOREST COMMUNITIES. IT BECAME APPARENT THAT DIVERSITY WAS NOT ONLY CRITICAL IN FORESTS, BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENT IN THE ESTABLISHMENT AND FUNCTIONING OF EVEN HUMAN COMMUNITIES. I COULD NOW SEE THAT DESTROYING BIO-DIVERSITY WITHIN ANY ECOSYSTEM RESULTS IN COLLAPSE AND FAILURE. THE SIMILARITY BETWEEN COMMUNITIES, REGARDLESS OF SPECIES, BECAME APPARENT AND THE RELIANCE OF HUMANITY ON THE NATURAL WORLD AND ITS DIVERSITY WAS CONFIRMED. AT THIS POINT, MY FOCUS CHANGED TO A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF HUMANITY’S CONNECTION TO THE NATURAL WORLD. I NOW REALIZED THE EXTENT OF DIVERSITY IS THE MEASURE OF PERFECTION!
THERE WAS STILL MORE TO THE MAGIC OF CREATION. EVERY YEAR WE TRANSITION FROM THE NEW LIFE OS SPRING TO THE PURIFICATION PERIOD OF WINTER, AND ARE PRIVILEGED TO OBSERVE THE REGENERATIVE POWER OF MOTHER EARTH. ONCE AGAIN THIS IS AN ELEMENT THAT HAS BEEN DESIGNED INTO THE CREATION OF THIS MAJESTIC PLANET. IT IS THIS ELEMENT THAT OFFERS HOPE FOR THE FUTURE. WHAT WE DO TO EARTH, WE DO TO OURSELVES, AND THE DAMAGE WE HAVE DONE TO EARTH WE CAN ASSIST IN REGENERATING.
YES, THE STORY OF CREATION OF PLANET EARTH IS TRULY    MAGICAL, AND THE NEGATIVE IMPACTS THAT EIGHT BILLION HUMAN BEINGS HAVE HAD ON NATURE, HAS DRASTICALLY REDUCED EARTH’S ABILITY TO SUSTAIN LIFE IN THE FUTURE. THE MANAGEMENT OF OUR REMAINING FORESTED LANDS MUST CHANGE TO A FOCUS ON UNIQUE FOREST COMMUNITIES AND INCORPORATE ECOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES THAT PROTECT THE RELATIONSHIPS VITAL TO HEALTHY AND DIVERSE COMMUNITIES. RELIGION, WHERE THE WHOLE CONCEPT OF CREATION ORIGINATED, MUST STEP FORWARD TO LEAD THE PUBLIC TO A MORE COMPLETE UNDERSTANDING OF THE COMPLEXITY OF CREATION. ACADEMIA MUST EMPHASIZE AND PROVIDE THE ECOLOGICAL FOUNDATION THAT ENLIGHTENS FUTURE GRADUATES OF THE VIDAL RELATIONSHIPS WITHIN THE NATURAL WORLD. WITH OUR CURRENT WORLD POPULATION, NATURE REQUIRES HELP. THAT HELP MUST MAKE DISCUSSIONS BASED ON FULL KNOWLEDGE OF ECOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES AND THE VIDAL CONNECTIONS THAT ALLOW LIFE TO CONTINUE TO FUNCTION.
WE ARE CURRENTLY OBSERVING OUR COUNTRY’S POLITICAL INSTITUTION’S INABILITY TO UNDERSTAND AND IMPLEMENT A FEW SIMPLE EFFORTS TO ATTEMPT TO LIMIT CHANGING CLIMATE CONDITIONS. ACTUALLY, CLIMATE CHANGE IS ONLY A SYMPTOM OF THE UNDERLYING PROBLEMS. THE TWO ISSUES REQUIRING RESOLUTION ARE POPULATION EXPANSION AND DEFORESTATION.
OUR FUTURE DEPENDS UPON A STRONG PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN ECOLOGY, FOREST SCIENCE AND RELIGION. MOTHER EARTH WILL RESPOND TO THIS PARTNERSHIP WITH ACTIVE PARTICIPATION AND SUPPORT OF THE PUBLIC! WE CAN DO THIS EVEN THOUGH SCIENCE TELLS US TIME IS RUNNING OUT. AN APPRECIATION OF ECOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES, INFORMING THE PEOPLE OF A GREEN GOSPEL AND PUBLIC DEMANDS FOR REALISTIC SOLUTIONS AND ACTIONS, IS THE WAY TO A DESIRABLE FUTURE! THE STATUS- QUE IS UNACCEPTABLE!

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November 18th, 2021

11/18/2021

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          ECOLOGY, RELIGION AND THE SCIENCE OF FORESTRY

I HAVE BEEN EXPRESSING MY THOUGHTS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF RELIGIOUS INVOLVEMENT IN INFLUENCING THE CHANGES WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO MAKE TO BEGIN THE PROCESS OF RENOVATING THE NATURAL WORLD. I AM SURE THERE ARE SOME SCIENTISTS AND CONCERNED INDIVIDUALS THAT QUESTION MY RATIONALE OF INVOLVING RELIGIOUS LEADERSHIP IN WHAT MOST PEOPLE CONSIDER A SECULAR ISSUE. I MUST ADMIT, DURING MY 30 PLUS YEARS AS A FOREST LAND MANAGER, I DEVELOPED SOME SERIOUS CONCERNS ABOUT MANAGEMENT ACTIONS I OBSERVED, BUT LACKED THE INSIGHT TO APPRECIATE THE VITAL RELATIONSHIPS FOREST COVERED LANDS CONTRIBUTE TO THE SUSTENANCE OF HUMAN LIFE.
RETIREMENT PROVIDED THE OPPORTUNITY TO STUDY AND ANALYZE CONCERNS I WITNESSED DURING MY CAREER AND BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND HOW THESE CONCERNS RELATED TO LIFE SYSTEMS ON EARTH. I BEGAN TO APPRECIATE HOW THE FOREST PLANNING PROCESS, REQUIRED BY THE FOREST MANAGEMENT ACT OF 1976, WAS PROBABLY THE PROGRAM THAT ELEVATED MY INTEREST AND CAUSED ME TO BECOME AN ACTIVIST FOR RE-ORIENTING OUR MANAGEMENT GOALS FOR PUBLIC FORESTED LANDS. I BEGAN SEARCHING AND READING AS MUCH INFORMATION AS I COULD FIND ON THE STORY OF CREATION AND THE NATURAL WORLD. I HAD ALREADY RECOGNIZED THAT THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN HOW OUR WESTERN SOCIETY VIEWS NATURE AND HOW OUR NATIVE AMERICAN PEOPLE SEE NATURE. MY WIFE, BEING A MEMBER OF THE CHEROKEE NATION, AND I HAVE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF DISCUSSING AND LEARNING MUCH ABOUT THE NATIVE AMERICAN CULTURE AND THEIR BELIEFS, FROM NATIVE FRIENDS WE HAVE MET. THE MORE WE LEARNED, THE MORE INTENSE MY INTEREST IN THE STORY OF CREATION AND THE NATURAL WORLD BECAME.
I EXPANDED MY KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE STORY OF CREATION THROUGH SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS AND MATERIAL WRITTEN BY THEOLOGICAL PROFESSORS, WRITERS AND SCHOLARS. THE FIRST MAJOR OBSERVATION WAS THE ECOLOGICAL FACT THAT EVERY LIVING ORGANISM CONTRIBUTES, IN SOME SMALL WAY, TO LIFE ON PLANET EARTH. NOTHING IS ITSELF WITHOUT ALL THE REST! THIS IS FULLY ACCEPTED AND UNDERSTOOD WITHIN THE NATIVE AMERICAN CULTURE, BUT SELDOM DOES THE WESTERN CULTURE EVEN ACCEPT OR CONSIDER THIS FACT. THIS SHARED CONNECTION MEANS OUR ENTIRE UNIVERSE AND EARTH SYSTEMS ARE BUILT ON RELATIONSHIPS, WHICH IS EXACTLY WHAT THE CONCEPT OF ECOLOGY IS BASED UPON. I SOON REALIZED THIS WAS A SIGNIFICANT ELEMENT THAT WAS DESIGNED INTO CREATION. LIFE ON EARTH COULD NOT EXIST WERE IT NOT FOR THESE MAGICAL RELATIONSHIPS AND CONNECTIONS.
I AM CURRENTLY READING A BOOK ENTITLED, “FINDING THE MOTHER TREE”, WRITTEN BY FOREST ECOLOGY PROFESSOR, SUZANNE SIMARD. SHE DESCRIBES SEVERAL RESEARCH STUDIES TO IDENTIFY THE CAUSE OF FAILED PLANTING OF SEEDLINGS IN RECENTLY CLEAR-CUT AREAS. BASICALLY, HER STUDIES ARE REVEALING THE DRASTIC LOSS OF BIO-DIVERSITY RESULTING FROM CLEAR-CUTTING AND PLANTATION STYLE REFORESTATION, ALONG WITH LOSS OF NATURAL RELATIONS AND CONNECTIONS REQUIRED TO SUSTAIN NEW LIFE WITHIN THE ECOSYSTEM. HER FAMILY’S INVOLVEMENT IN THE TIMBER HARVESTING BUSINESS TRIGGERED HER CONCERNS FOR THE FOREST ECOSYSTEMS AND A DESIRE FOR ADVANCED EDUCATION IN FOREST SCIENCE. HER RESEARCH OF FAILED REFORESTATION PROGRAMS DEMONSTRATED THE IMPORTANCE OF FOREST ECOSYSTEM RELATIONSHIPS, AND LED TO HER POSITION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA AS A FOREST ECOLOGY. PRIOR TO HER RESEARCH, FOREST MANAGERS HAD BELIEVED KILLING VEGETATIVE COMPETITION INDUCED INCREASED GROWTH OF THE PLANTED SEEDLINGS. IN FACT, REMOVING COMPETING VEGETATION INTERRUPTED NATURAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE VARIOUS ORGANISMS, WHICH RESULTED IN REDUCED GROWTH AND EVEN DEATH FOR MANY OF THE SEEDLINGS.
UNDERSTANDING THESE ESSENTIAL RELATIONSHIPS AND CONNECTIONS, IS REQUIRED FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF OUR REMAINING FORESTED LANDS. GIFFORD PINCHOT DEFINED THE SCIENCE OF FORESTRY AS, “GROWING TREES AS CROPS”, WHICH HAS RESULTED IN THE SIGNIFICANT LOSS OF BIO-DIVERSITY AND THE ABILITY OF FOREST COMMUNITIES TO PROVIDE THE ESSENTIAL RELATIONSHIPS AND CONNECTIONS REQUIRED TO SUPPORT LIFE ON EARTH. HUMANITY’S FUTURE DEPENDS UPON A STRONG ECOLOGICAL FOUNDATION PRIOR TO SPECIALIZED ADVANCED EDUCATION. THE SCIENCE OF FORESTRY PROVIDES AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE OF HOW IMPROPER PAST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES CAN INTERFERE WITH ECO-SYSTEMS NATURAL PROCESSES.
I HAVE ALWAYS FELT AT HOME IN THE OUTDOORS, AND HAVE BEEN AN AVOID PARTICIPANT IN HUNTING AND FISHING. I HAVE WALKED MANY MILES IN SEARCH OF A BUCK DEER, BULL ELK OR TOM TURKEY. AFTER RETIREMENT, WE RE-LOCATED TO AN AGRICULTURAL AREA IN MICHIGAN, WHERE LARGE FORESTED AREAS WERE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN. HUNTING SMALL WOODLOTS REQUIRED CHANGING MY HUNTING TECHNIQUES. I SPENT HOURS IN A BLIND OBSERVING ANIMAL USE PATTERNS AND VEGETATIVE MAKEUPS, WHICH OPENED MY EYES TO THE RECOGNITION OF INDIVIDUAL FOREST COMMUNITIES, OR ECOSYSTEMS IF YOU PREFER. I HAD LONG RECOGNIZED THE VARIATIONS IN VEGETATIVE CHANGES RESULTING FROM THE PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SITES, BUT FAILED TO SEE THE IMPORTANT FUNCTIONS THAT SUPPORTED THE SUCCESS OF THESE COMMUNITIES. THE DIVERSITY OF SPECIES, THE GROWTH POTENTIAL OF THE PLANTS, THE TRAVEL AND USE PATTERNS OF THE VARIOUS SPECIES OF ANIMALS, THE DENSITY AND DIVERSITY OF THE UNDER STORY, THE AVAILABILITY OF FOOD AND WATER SOURCES, BECAME VIVID AS I SAT AND OBSERVED. WHAT WAS OCCURRING ON THE SURFACE WAS FAR MORE DETAILED THAN ONE COULD IMAGINE BECAUSE MORE THAN HALF OF THE LIVING ORGANISMS I COULD NOT SEE, AS THEY LIVED BENEATH THE SURFACE OF THE GROUND. MANY WERE MICROSCOPIC IN SIZE, YET WERE CONTRIBUTING MAJOR ELEMENTS TO THE COMMUNITY.
THIS COMPLEX STORY OF CREATION HAD ITS ORIGIN IN RELIGIOUS IDEALS. DOMINANT SOCIETY’S BELIEF THAT EARTH BELONGS TO US; TO DOMINATE, CONQUER, CHANGE AND MANIPULATE; HAS RESULTED IN DEVASTATING DESTRUCTION OF BIO-DIVERSITY ON OUR REMAINING FOREST LANDS. RELIGION HAS HISTORICALLY PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN ESTABLISHING CULTURAL AND MORAL VALUES. IN THE PAST, RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS HAVE STRONGLY INFLUENCED THE PEOPLES UNDERSTANDING AND ACCEPTANCE OF REQUIRED                             CHANGES WHICH ALLOW US TO COME TOGETHER AND FIND ACCEPTABLE SOLUTIONS TO COMPLEX PROBLEMS. THEY HAVE BEEN THE STRONG VOICE OF MORALITY, STEWARDSHIP AND RIGHTEOUSNESS, A VOICE THAT IS NEEDED MORE THAN EVER. FOR TOO MANY YEARS THAT VOICE HAS BEEN SILENT OR FOCUSED ON REDEMPTION OF THE INDIVIDUAL AT THE EXPENSE OF CREATION. THE DENOMINATION I ATTEND, HAS A PUBLISHED POSITION ON THE NATURAL WORLD AND CREATION WITHIN IT’S DISCIPLINE, YET FEW MEMBERS ARE EVEN AWARE IT EXISTS. CHURCH LEADERSHIP HAS A RESPONSIBILITY TO INFORM AND INSTRUCT THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE OFFICIAL POSITION AND OUR RESPONSIBILITY OF NURTURING AND CARING FOR THE LAND. THIS REQUIRES A FULL UNDERSTANDING OF THE CONNECTIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS PROVIDED BY THE NATURAL WORLD.
WE HAVE OBSERVED NUMEROUS CORPORATE EFFORTS, ALONG WITH POLITICAL ACTIONS INTENDED TO PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT. MANY COMPANIES HAVE CONTRIBUTED SMALL PORTIONS OF THEIR PROFITS TO SUPPORT PLANTING TREE SEEDLINGS ON ABANDONED AGRICULTURAL LANDS, CLEAR-CUT AREAS AND FOREST COVERED LANDS DESTROYED BY FIRE, DISEASE AND INSECTS. GOVERNMENTS’ HAVE ENACTED LAWS AND REGULATIONS TO RESTRICT TOXIC WASTE DISPOSAL INTO OUR WATERS AND ATMOSPHERE. ALTHOUGH POSITIVE STEPS, THEY FALL FAR SHORT OF WHAT IS REQUIRED, AND ALTHOUGH ANY TREES ARE BETTER THAN NONE, PLANTATIONS RESULT IN MASSIVE DESTRUCTION OF BIO-DIVERSITY.
SIXTY YEARS OF TRYING BY OUR CORPORATE AND POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS HAVE PRODUCED LITTLE AND THE DECIMATION OF OUR NATURAL WORLD HAS ACCELERATED. IT IS TIME TO CHANGE! OUR RELIGIOUS AND ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS MUST PROVIDE THE LEADERSHIP FOR CHANGE. WHEN THE PEOPLE BECOME KNOWLEDGEABLE OF THE CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION, THEY WILL INSIST ON CHANGE. IT IS TIME FOR A GREEN GOSPEL AND ECOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENTALISM!
CHAPTER 2 TO FOLLOW.

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November 04th, 2021

11/4/2021

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                 THE CARRYING-CAPACITY OF PLANET EARTH

DAILY NEWS HIGHLIGHTS THE PROBLEM OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND CONTINUES TO FOCUS ON THE CONSUMPTION OF FOSSIL FUELS AS THE SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM. THE TRUTH IS THAT CLIMATE CHANGE IS THE RESULT OF TWO MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES; POPULATION EXPANSION AND DEFORESTATION. OUR OCEANS AND LANDS ARE DIVIDED INTO UNIQUE ECOSYSTEMS, WHICH ARE BEING DESTROYED BY HUMANITY’S INCREASING DEMANDS FOR NATURAL RESOURCES AND MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES THAT FOCUS ON EXTRACTION AND UTILIZATION OF RESOURCES.
FOR THE PAST CENTURY, SCIENCE HAS BEEN STUDYING THE LIMITATIONS OF INDIVIDUAL ECOSYSTEMS AND THE IMPLICATIONS FOR THE NON-HUMAN SPECIES THAT LIVE WITHIN THE ECOSYSTEM. WE HAVE OBSERVED THE DEVASTATING RESULTS OF OVER-POPULATION BY INDIVIDUAL SPECIES. DISEASE, PESTILENCE, STARVATION AND DEATH OCCUR IN AN EFFORT TO BRING THE POPULATION IN BALANCE WITH THEIR SURROUNDINGS. SCIENCE IS FINALLY BEGINNING TO RECOGNIZE THESE SAME OUTCOMES COULD RESULT AS THE HUMAN SPECIES NEARS THE CARRYING-CAPACITY OF PLANET EARTH. IN FACT, SOME SUGGEST WE ALREADY REQUIRE 1.75 PLANETS TO SUSTAIN OUR CURRENT POPULATION AND LIFE STYLE. EDWARD O. WILSON, A HARVARD SOCIOLGICAL-BIOLOGIST, ESTIMATES THE REMAINING ARABLE LAND COULD SUPPORT ABOUT 10 BILLION VEGETARIANS. IN OTHER WORDS, WE COULD NOT CONTINUE TO SET A SIDE LANDS TO GRAZE LIVESTOCK, AS IT WOULD NEED TO BE CONVERTED TO GROWING CROPS FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION, THEREBY REQUIRING A CONVERSION TO MEAT FREE DIETS. THIS ASSUMES THE ONLY LIMITING FACTOR FOR FUTURE POPULATION LEVELS IS FOOD SUPPLY. THE PROBLEM IS OBVIOUSLY FAR MORE COMPLEX. PROJECTING THE HUMAN CARRYING-CAPACITY OF EARTH REQUIRES COMPARING CURRENT INDIVIDUAL CONSUMPTION OF RESOURCES, ENERGY AND MATERIALS, THEN APPLYING THE RESULTS TO FUTURE POPULATION ESTIMATES. EARTH’S LIMITATIONS EXTENDS FAR BEYOND THE AVAILABILITY OF FOOD AND ENERGY RESOURCES.
PURIFIED DRINKING WATER, OCEAN TEMPERATURES AND LEVELS, LEVELS OF CO2 AND OXYGEN IN THE ATMOSPHERE, SOIL EROSION AND NUTRIENT LEVELS, WASTE DISPOSAL AND CLIMATE CHANGE ARE NECESSARY CONSIDERATIONS IN DETERMINING EARTH’S CARRYING-CAPACITY.
THE SURFACE AREA OF EARTH IS 126 BILLION ACRES, OF WHICH 89 BILLION ACRES ARE WATER COVERED, AND 37 BILLION ARE LAND. WE HAVE ALREADY CONVERTED MORE THEN HALF OF OUR LAND BASE TO OCCUPATION BY HUMAN SETTLEMENT AND AGRICULTURAL USE. THESE LANDS HAVE BEEN CLEARED AND ARE VOID OF THE NATURAL ELEMENTS THAT SUSTAIN LIFE. THERE ARE NO NEW LANDS TO DISCOVER, ONLY THE REMAINING NATURAL HABITATS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN MANIPULATED AND CONVERTED TO MEET THE NEEDS OF HUMANITY. DESTROY THE REMAINING NATURAL WORLD AND YOU DESTROY LIFE!
THE WORLD POPULATION IS 7.8 BILLION PEOPLE AND EXPANDING BY 75 TO 80 MILLION PEOPLE ANNUALLY. EFFORTS TO DETERMINE EARTH’S CARRYING-CAPACITY, INDICATES THE LIMIT IS BETWEEN 9 AND 10 BILLION PEOPLE, WHICH WE WILL REACH WITHIN THE NEXT 25 TO 30 YEARS.
THE FACTS ARE OBVIOUS, YET THE WILLINGNESS TO ACT SEEMS OUT OF REACH! WE ARE FACED WITH THE FACT THAT OUR HUMAN ECOSYSTEM, EARTH, HAS A LIMITED LAND BASE AND AN EXPANDING WORLDWIDE POPULATION. CURRENT HUMAN DEMANDS HAVE TAKEN US CLOSE TO THE ABILITY OF THE ECOSYSTEM TO PROVIDE THE ENERGY AND MATERIALS REQUIRED FOR CONTINUED LIFE. OUR POLITICAL FOCUS REMAINS ON THE ELIMINATION OF FOSSIL FUEL CONSUMPTION, DEFINITELY PART OF THE PROBLEM. OF EQUAL IMPORTANCE IS WORLDWIDE DEFORESTATION, WHICH IS OCCURRING AT THE RATE OF 22 SOCCER FIELDS EVERY MINUTE WORLDWIDE. WE HAVE ALREADY DEFORESTED OVER HALF OF OUR ORIGINAL FOREST COVERED LANDS. ONLY 26% OF OUR LAND BASE REMAINS IN A FORESTED STATE. REDUCING THE RATE OF DEFORESTATION WITH AN EXPANDING WORLDWIDE POPULATION IS NOT REALISTIC. OUR SEA’S HAVE RISEN 9 INCHES SINCE 1880, DUE TO THE INCREASING WATER TEMPERATURES. OUR LEVELS OF CO2 IN THE ATMOSPHERE CONTAINS THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF CO2 THAT HAS EXISTED IN THE PAST 800,000 YEARS. WE CAN OBSERVE POLLUTION CLOUDS OVER MOST OF OUR PEOPLE CONCENTRATED URBAN AREAS. OUR RIVERS ARE DYING FROM STREAM SILTATION AND WASTE POLLUTION AND SAFE DRINKING WATER DOES NOT EXIST IN MANY WORLDWIDE LOCATIONS. WE RECEIVE DAILY SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF SEA AND LAND ECOSYSTEMS THAT ARE COLLAPSING AND FAILING. THIS IS JUST A BEGINNING LIST OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE HUMANS ARE CAUSING.
THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY TELLS US TO HANG ON, HOPE IS POSSIBLE! WE CAN CREATE AN ARTIFICIAL ECOSYSTEM WITHIN A BUBBLE, WHICH WILL SUSTAIN HUMAN LIFE. WITH GENETIC ENGINEERING WE CAN PROVIDE THE VOLUME OF NUTRIENTS REQUIRED TO SUSTAIN THE HUMAN BODY, EVEN THOUGH SOME OF THE CHANGES ARE REDUCING THE DIGESTIBILITY OF THE PRODUCT. WE CAN DESIGN A LIGHT-WEIGHT SPACE SUIT TO PROTECT YOU FROM THE ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS AND ALLOW YOU TO BREATH. WE MAY EVEN FIND ANOTHER PLANET WHICH CAN SUSTAIN HUMAN LIFE IN A COCOON-LIKE ARTIFICIAL DOOM. IS THIS THE DESIRED FUTURE YOU WANT TO PASS ON TO OUR FUTURE GENERATIONS?
I WANT TO PASS ON A FAR DIFFERENT FUTURE. ONE THAT ALLOWS FUTURE GENERATIONS TO EXPERIENCE THE BEAUTY AND MAGIC OF THE NATURAL WORLD. WHERE MILLIONS OF SPECIES LIVE AND SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER. WHERE FREEDOM ALLOWS ME TO EXPERIENCE THE GRANDEUR OF CREATION AND THE SPIRITUALITY OF BELONGING.
IF A BETTER VISION IS TO BE REALIZED, MAJOR CHANGES MUST OCCUR IN LIFE STYLES AND THE WAY WE MANAGE THE REMAINING NATURAL WORLD. WE MUST BEGIN IMMEDIATELY TO EDUCATE OUR YOUTH IN THE ECOLOGICAL CONCEPTS REQUIRED FOR SUSTAINABLE LIFE. OUR ALIENATION FROM NATURE AND THE LAND MUST BE REVERSED, TO FIND HOLISTIC SOLUTIONS THAT SUPPORT THE MILLIONS OF LIVING SPECIES ON OUR PLANET. IN OTHER WORDS, WE HAVE TO FOCUS ON MAINTAINING THE VIABILITY OF THE ECOSYSTEMS THAT MAKE-UP OUR NATURAL WORLD. HIGHER ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS MUST FOCUS ON OUR GRADUATES HAVING A SOUND ECOLOGICAL BASE SO THEY CAN PROVIDE THE LEADERSHIP TO IMPLEMENT THE NECESSARY CHANGES.
WHAT I AM SUGGESTING IS, WE MUST DEVELOP MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES THAT ASSIST EXISTING ECOSYSTEMS TO MAINTAIN OR ENHANCE THEIR ORIGINAL DIVERSITY, VIABILITY AND FUNCTIONING, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THEY ARE SEA OR LAND COMMUNITIES. WITH 82% OF OUR WORLD POPULATION NOW URBAN DWELLERS AND REMOVED FROM THEIR CONNECTION TO THE LAND; IT WILL BE A CHALLENGE. IT MUST START WITH OUR YOUTH AND NEW CURRICULUM'S IN THE CLASS ROOM.
OUR NEXT CHALLENGE WILL BE TO DEVELOP LIFE STYLE STRATEGIES THAT SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE CONSUMPTION LEVELS. THIS WILL REQUIRE MEASURING WELLNESS RATHER THAN MONETARY SUCCESS. CONVERTING FROM CONSUMPTION TO WELLNESS WILL REQUIRE STRONG LEADERSHIP AND PUBLIC COMMITMENT. MUCH OF THE LEADERSHIP WILL HAVE TO BE PROVIDED BY OUR RELIGIOUS AND ACADEMIC COMMUNITIES. WE MUST DEVELOP A NEW APPRECIATION FOR CREATION, CONNECTIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS.
TOP PRIORITY MUST BE TO CHANGE OLD MANAGEMENT GOALS FOR OUR REMAINING NATURAL WORLD. THIS MEANS IDENTIFYING THE INDIVIDUAL ECOSYSTEMS (COMMUNITIES) AND THEIR COMPLEX COMPONENTS, MUST BECOME ESSENTIAL SKILLS OF EACH SCIENTIST AND LAND MANAGER. DEVELOPING MANAGEMENT PRESCRIPTIONS FOR THE INDIVIDUAL COMMUNITIES IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY OF ENCOURAGING NATURAL DIVERSITY. CLEAR-CUTTING MUST BECOME THE EXCEPTION RATHER THAN THE RULE, AND NATURAL REGENERATION OF INDIGENOUS SPECIES MUST TAKE PRIORITY. OVER-UTILIZATION AND EXTERMINATION OF SPECIES WITHIN THE ECOSYSTEM MUST BE CONTROLLED. IN SOME CASES, IT MAY BE NECESSARY TO RE-INTRODUCE PREVIOUSLY LOST SPECIES, TO RETURN THE REQUIRED BALANCE WITHIN THE COMMUNITY. I USE THE WORDS COMMUNITY AND ECOSYSTEM INTERCHANGEABLY AS THEY BOTH REFER TO A DIVERSE FUNCTIONING SUB-UNIT OF THE NATURAL WORLD. DURING MY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN THE SCIENCE OF FORESTRY, I OBSERVED A VERY DIFFERENT PROCESS. FOREST MANAGEMENT ACTIONS WERE NORMALLY DESIGNED BY LOCAL TECHNICIANS MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE OF LOCAL LAND CONDITIONS, NEVER RECOGNIZED THE UNIQUE COMMUNITIES AND WERE BASED UPON THE NEED TO MEET ASSIGNED TARGETS RATHER THAN ECOSYSTEM HEALTH AND DIVERSITY. I HAVE SEEN LITTLE EFFORT TO RE-FOCUS AND ADJUST MANAGEMENT ACTIONS AWAY FROM WHAT WE CAN TAKE FROM THE FORESTS, EVEN TODAY.
THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES SEEM CONTENT TO RELY ON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY TO PROVIDE FOR THE FUTURE. WE ARE CONVINCED IF WE CAN ELIMINATE FOSSIL FUEL CONSUMPTION BY FINDING GREEN ENERGY ALTERNATIVES, OUR FUTURE WILL BE POSITIVE. IT WILL PROVIDE LIMITED IMPROVEMENT, BUT THE PROBLEM IS MUCH LARGER! A COMPREHENSIVE WORLDWIDE PLAN WITH NEW MANAGEMENT GOALS IS ESSENTIAL.
CONTROLLING POPULATION EXPANSION IS DIFFICULT, IF EVEN POSSIBLE. STOPPING DEFORESTATION WHEN WORLD POPULATION DEMANDS ARE DESTINE TO INCREASE, IS QUESTIONABLE. NEW MANAGEMENT GOALS THAT IMPROVE FOREST HEALTH, DIVERSITY AND ORIGINALITY, OFFERS HOPE. THE FOCUS MUST BE ON THE CONDITION OF THE NATURAL WORLD, NOT THE DEMANDS OF THE PEOPLE. EVEN OUR ADVANCED INTELLIGENCE AND ITS ABILITY TO INVENT AND DEVELOP TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED MATERIALS AND ITEMS, CAN NOT PRODUCE THE LIFE SUSTAINING ELEMENTS REQUIRED FOR LIFE ON EARTH. WE ARE EVEN WORKING ON REPLACING HUMANS WITH MACHINE CALLED ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENT. THINK OF THE EMOTIONAL IMPLICATIONS ON THE HUMAN PSYCHE WHEN WE CAN DO AWAY WITH THE NEED FOR HUMANS.
MY HOPE RESTS ON HISTORICAL EVIDENCE THAT HUMANS CAN CHANGE AND ADAPT, BUT CHANGING EARTH AND THE NATURAL WORLD HAS ONLY ACCELERATED THE DESTRUCTION OF THE REQUIRED LIFE SUSTAINING ELEMENTS FROM NATURE! I REMAIN OPTIMISTIC EVEN THOUGH EFFORTS TO REACH PEOPLE IN POSITIONS THAT COULD MAKE A DIFFERENCE, HAS MOSTLY FAILED. I UNDERSTAND PEOPLE ARE MOST COMFORTABLE WITH ESTABLISHED ROUTINES, BUT NO ONE SHOULD BE COMFORTABLE WITH FUTURE PREDICTIONS! WE NEED EACH OTHER AND WE ARE FAR MORE SIMILAR THAN WE ARE DIFFERENT. WE MAY BE BROTHERS AND SISTERS AFTER ALL. TIME WILL TELL!

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ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

10/9/2021

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I HAVE BEEN SUGGESTING THE NEED TO REFOCUS ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION ON ECOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES INSTEAD OF SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION, FOR SOME TIME. I BELIEVE WE NEED TO START BY INTRODUCING OUR YOUTH TO ECOLOGY CONCEPTS IN THE ELEMENTARY LEVEL OF OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS. WE MUST CONTINUE THIS EFFORT INTO HIGH SCHOOL AND ADVANCED EDUCATION LEVELS. THE STUDY OF RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE NATURAL WORLD IS ESSENTIAL FOR HUMANITY'S FUTURE.
TO HELP START THE PROCESS, I FOUND A SITE ON THE INTERNET CALLED, "TEACHERS PAY TEACHERS" THAT OFFERS CLASSROOM MATERIAL FOR TEACHERS TO USE IN THEIR LESSON PLANS. I DEVELOPED A COURSE CALLED I'M JUST A TREE-LIFE DEPENDS ON ME" AND PUBLISHED IT ON TEACHERS PAY TEACHERS. IT PROVIDES TEACHERS WITH 18 DIFFERENT LESSONS ON RELATIONSHIPS HUMANS SHARE AND DEPEND ON WITH TREES. AFTER EACH LESSON THERE IS A ILLUSTRATION TO BE COLORED BY THE STUDENT FOR EACH DIFFERENT LESSON, FOLLOWED BY A SHEET FOR EACH STUDENT TO WRITE OR DRAW THEIR REFLECTIONS. THE COURSE IS AVAILABLE FOR $14.99 AND ALLOWS EACH TEACHER TO MAKE AS MANY COPIES AS NEEDED FOR THE CLASS.
PLEASE ENCOURAGE TEACHERS NEAR YOU TO CONSIDER USING THIS PROGRAM TO BEGIN INTRODUCING STUDENTS TO THE CONCEPTS OF ECOLOGY. THIS FORMAT CAN BE USED FOR NUMEROUS DIFFERENT RESOURCES TO HELP STUDENTS BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND THE NATURAL WORLD'S PROCESS OF SUSTAINING LIFE ON EARTH!

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