I was thoroughly excited to view this film. Ever since it was first mentioned, I have made sure to keep the date open. However, upon viewing, I was quite disappointed, the film did not live up to what I had expected. The quote, from which the title was taken, was bastardized. Not once was it read in its entirety. Instead, small snippets were read on and off throughout the film. These snippets lacked the power of the original quote.
Additionally, many of the interview segments lacked anything of value. Tell me about the man, his legacy, etc, but don't let people of no importance speak of nothing more than who they perceive Aldo Leopold to have been.
Instead, I recommend that everyone watch The Greatest Good.
The Greatest Good is a film chronicling the history of the US Forest Service, and the many challenges it faced in its first 100 years. For a course based on policy, this is the perfect video. Throughout the film it is quite obvious how public sentiment has shaped policy, and how scientists are in a constant battle enact policy based on science, rather than the opinion of an ignorant populace.
The video may be found HERE
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Is "The Lorax" Hope for the Future?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bHdzTUNw-4
Universal Studios has, just this past weekend, rolled out their new film based on a book by Dr. Seuss: The Lorax. For those who have spent their lives extremely sheltered, here is a summary of the plot: The planet has lost all of its trees to the progress of man. Streams are polluted and natural systems are in total disarray. A young man, wishing to see a tree, goes in search of one. While he never finds his tree, he does find the Lorax. The Lorax tells the boy of bygone days of flourishing forests, clean air, and clear streams. Upon the completion of the story, and judging the boy to be true in his intent to save the trees, the Lorax gives the boy a seed: the last tree seed in the world.
This sends my mind spinning in two directions. The first being, what a terrible place the world would be without its forests! What kind of people would do this? This question led to a realization that plenty of people would if it were financially lucrative. Unfortunately, many people currently inhabiting the planet lack a strong connection to the haunts of nature.
The second direction was: Will this movie change anything? I believe the answer is yes. The opinions of people are most malleable when they are young. Therefore, creating an animated movie which teaches a story of ethical land use could have major impacts on the future. Anything that encourages children to get outside and explore is positive for the planet, in my opinion.
Hopefully this movie successfully inspires future generations to fight for natural places. Without some change, I fear corporations will eventually run our natural resources into the ground.
Even if only a single individual is inspired, the implications could be enormous if fate leads that individual to a position of power. Just look how successful Roosevelt was in protecting our natural resources. Look at how much emphasis Ted Turner places on conservation. The moral of the story is: never underestimate the power of a highly motivated individual.
Universal Studios has, just this past weekend, rolled out their new film based on a book by Dr. Seuss: The Lorax. For those who have spent their lives extremely sheltered, here is a summary of the plot: The planet has lost all of its trees to the progress of man. Streams are polluted and natural systems are in total disarray. A young man, wishing to see a tree, goes in search of one. While he never finds his tree, he does find the Lorax. The Lorax tells the boy of bygone days of flourishing forests, clean air, and clear streams. Upon the completion of the story, and judging the boy to be true in his intent to save the trees, the Lorax gives the boy a seed: the last tree seed in the world.
This sends my mind spinning in two directions. The first being, what a terrible place the world would be without its forests! What kind of people would do this? This question led to a realization that plenty of people would if it were financially lucrative. Unfortunately, many people currently inhabiting the planet lack a strong connection to the haunts of nature.
The second direction was: Will this movie change anything? I believe the answer is yes. The opinions of people are most malleable when they are young. Therefore, creating an animated movie which teaches a story of ethical land use could have major impacts on the future. Anything that encourages children to get outside and explore is positive for the planet, in my opinion.
Hopefully this movie successfully inspires future generations to fight for natural places. Without some change, I fear corporations will eventually run our natural resources into the ground.
Even if only a single individual is inspired, the implications could be enormous if fate leads that individual to a position of power. Just look how successful Roosevelt was in protecting our natural resources. Look at how much emphasis Ted Turner places on conservation. The moral of the story is: never underestimate the power of a highly motivated individual.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Chernobyl: Disaster or Salutary Lesson
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/radioactive-wolves/full-episode/7190/
Last year Nature aired an episode that thoroughly intrigued me. The program discussed how the meltdown of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant had impacted wildlife. Quite to the contrary of what might be expected, the accident seems to have benefited nearly every species present.
Background Information: On April 26, 1985 the Chernobyl nuclear power plant suffered a catastrophic meltdown. As a result, nearly 1100 square miles of land were be abandoned. Much of this area was once a vast wetland, but had since fallen to the progress of man in the form of dams, dikes, and irrigation canals. Farmland had been valued far above preservation of natural ecosystems.
With the total abandonment of these areas by humans, wildlife were allowed to reclaim the land. Wolves, once persecuted nearly to eradication, returned to rule the land. Beavers, bison, deer, peregrine falcons, white-tailed eagles, and many other species also began to flourish in the absence of humans. Inadvertently, the area around Chernobyl had become the worlds largest research site for what would happen if people were removed from the land, and the results were promising. Even with the constant exposure to radiation, wildlife populations were thriving.
What is yet more promising is the governments willingness to assist in the research. Native species, such as the horse and bison, were reintroduced in an effort to recreate natural species assemblages.
This research gives me hope for the future. Hope that much of the damage caused by humanity is reversible. Hope that we have not yet completely doomed the world's biodiversity. Hope that we can preserve all creatures, from the wolf down to the deer mouse, if only we can bring about an environmental revolution.
This past weekend, at the Southeastern Ecological and Evolution Conference, it was commonly stated that future conservation must be based on triage, thus letting many species (and ecosystems) slip away, only to be remembered in the history books. Chernobyl has taught us that, with significant change/effort, we can preserve more species than ever thought possible.
Last year Nature aired an episode that thoroughly intrigued me. The program discussed how the meltdown of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant had impacted wildlife. Quite to the contrary of what might be expected, the accident seems to have benefited nearly every species present.
Background Information: On April 26, 1985 the Chernobyl nuclear power plant suffered a catastrophic meltdown. As a result, nearly 1100 square miles of land were be abandoned. Much of this area was once a vast wetland, but had since fallen to the progress of man in the form of dams, dikes, and irrigation canals. Farmland had been valued far above preservation of natural ecosystems.
With the total abandonment of these areas by humans, wildlife were allowed to reclaim the land. Wolves, once persecuted nearly to eradication, returned to rule the land. Beavers, bison, deer, peregrine falcons, white-tailed eagles, and many other species also began to flourish in the absence of humans. Inadvertently, the area around Chernobyl had become the worlds largest research site for what would happen if people were removed from the land, and the results were promising. Even with the constant exposure to radiation, wildlife populations were thriving.
What is yet more promising is the governments willingness to assist in the research. Native species, such as the horse and bison, were reintroduced in an effort to recreate natural species assemblages.
This research gives me hope for the future. Hope that much of the damage caused by humanity is reversible. Hope that we have not yet completely doomed the world's biodiversity. Hope that we can preserve all creatures, from the wolf down to the deer mouse, if only we can bring about an environmental revolution.
This past weekend, at the Southeastern Ecological and Evolution Conference, it was commonly stated that future conservation must be based on triage, thus letting many species (and ecosystems) slip away, only to be remembered in the history books. Chernobyl has taught us that, with significant change/effort, we can preserve more species than ever thought possible.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Wolves in the East!
Photo Credit: USFWS
120: The number of red wolves living in the wilds of eastern North Carolina.
200: The number of red wolves currently in the USFWS's captive breeding program.
46: The number of pups born in the wild in 2011.
18: The number of wolves remaining when the USFWS intervened in the 1970's.
Wolves have begun to spread throughout five counties in eastern North Carolina.
As they spread, they are sure to encounter human populations. How will
these individuals perceive wolves? Will they see them as no more of a
threat than a coyote, or will they inspire a fear reminiscent of their
western counterpart, Canus lupus? After such a long absence, can
they restore balance to the ecosystem? Will interbreeding with coyotes
lead to the end of genetically pure red wolves?
These are all valid points, and only time/research will reveal the answers.
I,
for one, hope that people welcome these creatures back to the lands
they once roamed. Will there be conflict? Sure, but the end more than
justifies the means. You will hear me say this over and over, but there
is nothing in this world worth protecting more than biodiversity. If a
species can win the evolutionary battle, it should be allowed to live
through the era of man, and into whatever may come next.
From
what I can see, these creatures seem to be getting along with people
quite well thus far. Seeing as how they are much smaller than their
western relatives, they pose much less of a threat to cattle
(thankfully).
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