"One Big Interconnected System"

After viewing the National Geographic Video, Strange Days on Planet Earth, it is perplexing how much the Earths' climate is connected and what one does in one part of the Earth can affect people thousands and thousands of miles away.

In 2001 researchers confirmed that by burning fossil fuels we have raised the Earths' average temperature by one degree Fahrenheit. This obviously has adverse effects in different ecosystems and in some ecological niches, temperatures have risen by as much as nine degrees Fahrenheit. One of the animals discussed were the Caribou and the porcupine river herd. Each year they cover about 1,500 miles in migration, but the rising temperatures have affected the herd. In 1989 there were 187,000 Caribou herds and now there are only 120,000. The rapid decline in Caribou can be accounted partly to mosquitoes. In the summer months since it is hotter, mosquitoes are more prevalent thus the Caribou climb mountains and hills to evade them. In part they sacrifice their supply of food; because there is less to graze on the rocky mountains. Also, rising temperatures means more storms they have to endure during their migration.

Phytoplankton have also been declining until recently they began to rise again. The rise and fall of phytoplankton is directly correlated to the sudden rearrangements of cold and warm water. Every two to three decades the Pacific does a 'flip flop' called Regime Shift. The Regime Shift disrupts the food supply to disruption of water currents which cut off nutrient rich water from the depths. The Zoa Plankton do better in cold waters than in warm so if the waters are gradually getting warmer this will greatly affect phytoplankton and nearly all marine life phytoplankton are at the bottom of the food chain.

Hold on Tight!

It becomes apparent in the readings of Jared Diamond that even the richest and most technologically advanced societies today face increasing environmental and economic problems that should not be taken lightly. In the comparison between the Gardner barn and the Huls barn Diamond outlined some of the parallels between the farms although purposefully leading the reader to believe the Gardner barn was still in existence. The point Diamond was trying to get across was that a societal collapse is an extreme form of continuous decline that then becomes characterized as collapse, as Norse Greenland that inhabited the Gardner Barn.We must learn from our past to be able to learn in ways of future success.

But many times when learning about collapsed societies or visiting their ruins the mystery of their remains may trigger many thoughts. Such as can this happen in our society as well? What exactly did the Mayan people encounter? Many of the abandonment's of past societies were caused partly because ecological problems, but whose to say we are not making our own bed as well. Some of the encountered circumstances were over-hunting, population growth, deforestation/habitat destruction, water management problems, etc. These problems then give rise to what actually "tips" the iceberg such as food shortages, starvation, wars, diseases, etc.Some societies have collapsed completely while others have had different rates of decline. But a common fear or concern in today's day is that "ecological suicide" or ecocide.

Today's society's are encountering extensive environmental issues than the ones mentioned above such as the buildup of greenhouse gases and other toxic chemicals and energy shortages. What we do today and how we help resolve these issues will only decide what happens in future generations and decades to come!

Don't Loose Hope

Although we have come to the brink of extinction with many species there is no reason to loose hope. With the right tools, mindset, and spirit restoration is possible!

Currently read a story that inspired me about a man named Paul Rockich. When he was six he was found standing by his father looking up to the Uquirrh Mountains in Utah and saw what he remembered to be beautiful green forests depleted to black lands due to extensive logging, and toxic emissions. He vowed to fix the mountains and put the trees back. Twenty years later he worked day and night by carrying buckets of grass seeds up to the mountain and scattering the seeds all over. He worked alone for nearly fifteen years using his own money in which friends and family would sometimes help him, but he never gave up. Apparently, the smelting company was dragged into cleaning up their emissions left on the mountain because of Paul's work and soon after he was hired to help them with their restoration project. Today the Oquirrh Mountains are back to what they once were. They are covered with green native trees of which Paul planted and the animals have returned to their home once again.

Another very controversial topic in restoration is water pollution. If streams or rivers are polluted with chemicals and so forth that can lead to the destruction of a whole ecological niche. Including animals, plants, even us humans. There have been signs of improvement in this aspect and amazing projects that have taken place to protect endangered fish and sanitation. Such as the cleaning of the Hudson River.

There are many other areas where restoration is in need such as in animal life protection, sustainable awareness, etc.

Biodiversity Reflections

Biodiversity is defined by it's name. Diversity of life! As stated in Tomorrow's Biodiversity, "Biodiversity is the fabric of life. It provides the conditions for life's emergence and maintenance, and the many different ways in which that life is expressed. The erosion of biodiversity and the erosion of cultural diversity are related."

It is very important to understand that every being and living organism has a certain impact in society and in the ecology. Although, us humans may have the upper hand in layman's terms, this does not mean we have the right to do as we please. All life forms have an intrinsic worth and that must be respected. As Vandana Shiva states in What is Biodiversity and Why it is Important, "Just as our bodies maintain their temperature, the earth's equilibrium is maintained through ecological processes in which biodiversity plays a central role."
The instability of one species may also be a threat to other species that are supported through the same ecological process.

In today's day and age globalization has accelerated the breakdown of biodiversity. The genetic diversity in crops has decreased substantially impairing biodiversity and food security. About 75% of the diversity of agriculture crops is estimated to have been lost at the turn of the century. Scary facts such as, the entire pork economy of the world is based on four breeds. In China alone forty to fifty breeds were once farmed but they have been replaced by hybrid pigs from the "four global breeds," (Shiva 48-49).

We must be more concernced with the act of conserving, but also with the economic issues that are affected by lack of biodiversity. 

My Sense of Place

What is a "sense of place"? When I first read this it took me a moment to grasp this concept. I believe this means the direction in which your life is taking and the steps that are to come in life. How it relates to educational experiences in the out-of-doors is something also to conceptualize.

I believe my sense of place right now is in my studies and in my moving forward with major life-changing decisions. The decision of choosing a career and going to college for many as for myself is seen as a privilege, but it is also years of sacrifice and hard work. I think at my age important decisions are being made that may influence the rest of my life for the better or for the worse. The decline in the economy has made my desire and aspirations of attaining a degree in my field even stronger; thus, my sense of place is to continue my education to be able to provide for a better tomorrow for those around me.

Educational experiences in the out-of-doors can directly influence your "sense of place." Perhaps a traveling experience can marvel your interests in such a way that you discover the new desire of becoming a historian. Or perhaps a volunteering experience may create some significance for you whether it be for a future job or in what you were able to acquire from your involvement. In other words, your out-of-doors experiences may greatly impact who you are and what you will become. I know as for me I have had several out of door educational experiences that have greatly influenced me as well as my "sense of place."