Drugs, Borders, and Protecting Ecosystems

 Photo Credit: National Park Service

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/fighting-drugs-border-violence-arizona-organ-pipe-cactus-132342614.html

The attached article speaks of the complications brought about in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument by drug runners who use the area on a daily basis. A wide array of issues are discussed, everything from armed guards escorting guests to the decline in visitors. However, what is not discussed is the impact on wildlife.

In an effort to stop the flow of drugs across the border, fences have been constructed throughout several portions of the park. Fences, of course, block the natural movements of wildlife. Therefore, these fences could potentially decrease the flow of genes between metapopulations. Fences, too, prevent the establishment/reestablishment of populations. Together, these factors reduce the ability of wildlife populations to overcome obstacles placed in their way, increasing the likelihood of localized extirpations/extinctions.

Drug runners have "made" dirt roads throughout the park, left garbage behind, and assuredly harassed wildlife (intentionally of unintentionally) at all hours of the day and night. With this much damage being done, the land needs management. Management that would have to be performed under the protection of armed guards. Realistically, how likely is this?

Along the border with Mexico, wildlife faces problems where fences are in position and they face challenges where they are not. Management, in this case, must begin with humans. The vast majority of what is crossing this section of the border is marijuana. Therefore, I say legalize it. To be fair, this statement is also supported by many of my other views, but this is further support (also let me note that I do not partake, it isn't my cup of tea). Legalizing would not only allow land managers to get in and do their jobs, it could help to prevent future degradation of the ecosystem caused by drug runners. Going "green" really can be green.

Hetch Hetchy: Now and Then

Photo Credit: Unknown

Photo Credit: Stephanie Trapp

One of John Muir's most well documented battles was against the construction of the Hetch Hetchy dam in what today is Yosemite National Park. It was a battle that Muir fought in vain, with construction reaching completion in 1923. 

The first photo is prior to the construction of the Hetch Hetchy dam, the second photo was taken by several fellow technicians in the summer of 2011. Still beautiful, but only a shadow of what it once was. John Muir said that the valley was "one of nature's rarest and most precious mountain temples," and I must whole-heartedly agree.

A quick history lesson: The dam was constructed to supply potable water to San Francisco; a seaside city susceptible to prolonged dry summers. Muir, and environmentally conscious individuals across the country, fought the project until the bitter end, eventually losing out to "the progress of man." Today, Hetch Hetchy still provides water to San Francisco. However, dams further down the Toulumne River could be used to replace this water.

With construction reaching completion nearly a century ago, what does it have to do with current policy issues? Republican representative Dan Lungren, of California, has recently introduced legislation that would dismantle the dam, allowing the valley to return to its previous state. Several notable Democrats (i.e. Nancy Pelosi) have stood in opposition to Representative Lungren's proposal. As a self proclaimed liberal, I am ashamed of their stance. Their stance is one of ignorance.

What is the price of progress? What is the value of a pristine wetland? When will people decide that enough is enough?

To the dabbling duck, Hetch Hetchy is now a barren wasteland: too deep for the plants which provide it sustenance. We will never be able to entirely return Hetch Hetchy to its former beauty, it now possesses granite walls bleached as natural compounds leached out into the artificial lake's waters (among other issues). However, we can do our best to rectify the mistake made by previous generations. Drain the reservoir, remove the dam, and let nature do its best to overcome whatever obstacles man has left in its way.

Here is a pretty good video if you would like to know more about the Hetch Hetchy Valley, and the plan to restore it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-QLfeoWHPE

Literature Review for "The Beast in the Garden"

"Public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment, nothing can fail.  Without it, nothing can succeed."
-Abraham Lincoln


An absolutely phenomenal book. This text takes the approach of a crime solver novel. We start out with an unfortunate scene in which a young man is attacked and partially consumed by a mountain lion. Then, we go back to several years to when the problem first started as innocent mistakes by ignorant people. The community of Boulder, Colorado had chosen to allow deer populations to grow uncontrolled. During this time, cougars had yet to return to the area since they had been extirpated in the early 1900's by miners and settlers. Deer, being a favorite food of cougars, attracted cougars to the area, and led to burgeoning lion populations by the early 1990's.

In areas where humans and wildlife interact there is sure to be conflict, Colorado is no exception. I don't want to ruin the book so I won't summarize the plot any further. However, I must note that it is exceptionally easy to get sucked into this book.

The relevance of this book to our class arose from the human dimension of the problem. The author does an exceptional job of voicing how public opinion has shaped policy along Colorado's Front Range.

The book also chronicles the life of a wildlife biologist who foresaw the looming disaster, and tried to persuade the government and the people into taking healthy, science based preventative measures. This individual faces an uphill battle the entire way, which I find to be quite representative of our field. Regardless of how much evidence he has to back up his position, he cannot sway the voters, at least not until a human life is lost.

The final chapter provides an exceptional summary of the issue, recommendations for the future, and an educated guess as to what the future holds. Most notably is a prediction that cougars will one day spread east until they reach the Atlantic Coast. Their journey will potentially bring balance to deer populations of the east, but will also bring about a new age of human wildlife conflict: an age in which people must learn to live with animals that could consume them.

Without going further in-depth, I have a quote the gave me pause for thought: "Time does not run backward. We can bring the lions and wolves and bears back to America, and there are many good reasons to do so--ecological reasons, spiritual reasons--but these great animals will not restore a mythic past, cannot erase the need for human intervention."

Journey

"I come more and more to the conclusion that wilderness, in America or anywhere else, is the only thing left that is worth saving." - Edward Abbey

http://news.yahoo.com/terrifying-wonder-journey-californias-lone-wolf-084000269.html

As the rest of the world ushered in the new year, northern California welcomed a long exiled member of its native fauna back to the landscape: a solitary male wolf (Canis lupus).

As this wolf passed into California it made national headlines. Such a charismatic creature's return would be expected to do as much. However, few of these articles addressed anything more than the "feel good" portion of the story. Assuredly, cattle ranchers and environmentalists immediately mobilized. Both camps have much to gain, or lose, in the potential upcoming battle. If our lone wolf (affectionately named Journey) never finds a mate it will all be in vain, and this is precisely what the cattle industry is hoping for.

As a wildlife biologist, it is my hope that a female will follow Journey into this "new" territory. Human ignorance extirpated these animals, it is time that we allowed them to return home. We owe it to them, their ecosystem, and our selves.

Their ecosystem, how so? While still very controversial, many papers point to a top-down balancing of ecosystems when alpha predators are returned to the landscape. One popular example is the Yellowstone ecosystem. It appears that the reintroduction of wolves to the ecosystem has brought about the first regeneration of aspen since wolves left the ecosystem. Following the removal of wolves from the landscape, elk (Cervus elaphus) populations went through the roof. These elk virtually mowed down any aspen that tried to grow. With the wolf's reintroduction, these stands are regenerating for the first time in decades, thereby saving the landscape from the erosion which had begun to take hold. What benefits do we stand to see from the return of wolves to Lassen County California, and beyond? Only time will tell, but I fully support finding out.

As previously mentioned, ranchers immediately voiced their discontent with the potential return of wolves to the landscape. From their standpoint, wolves threaten their livelihood, and therefore should be vanquished from the territory. Much of the land used by these ranchers is owned by the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. http://www.statereports.us/2010/04/california-tribal-federal-lands-map/ Personally, it is my belief that our public lands should not be used as subsidized grazing lands for cattle (unless they provide a beneficial ecosystem service). Farmers who choose to use these lands should absorb the costs of cattle lost to native predators.

The time has come for science to guide our management decisions, not the whims of a rancher, government marksman, or the average layperson (voters). Only time will tell if Journey will succeed in finding a mate in California. I, for one, certainly hope he does, and would love to study how the ecosystem transitions as a result. Wild places need wild beasts.

Welcome home, Journey. It is good to see you again!