I've been reading about how the eco-friendly ideas have become stagnant, and how we can change it. There's these long, overwhelming lists of how to save the planet. Not only are they depressing and time consuming, they are also unfocused.
Yesterday we simply focused on a Green Thanksgiving. We bought some food for our backyard critters. Root vegetables, cranberry sauce and turkey (shared with the cats). Simple. Not perfect, but better than last year.
I think we need a plan for each biome and local species. Laundry laundry lists are not productive. Find one local issue or species. Make a plan, make it fun.
Proactive ideas are better than depressing stories. Although the information does need to reach us somehow. For example, I was surprised by the pie chart below - look at how much our eating habits affect the rainforests!
What do you guys think is the best approach for getting the message out?
We had a lovely Thanksgiving, and We discovered a new cranberry chutney from Epicurious. We altered the ingredients a bit to make it less bitter.
Spiced Cranberry Sauce with Honey:
Cranberries are a standard Thanksgiving ingredient that most people think came from the New England area. But the Ojibwa and Sioux of the northern plains taught early settlers how to harvest cranberries. Today, Wisconsin is an important cranberry-producing state.
1 3/4 cups cranberry juice
3/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 12-ounce bag fresh or frozen cranberries
1 pear
1 apple
1 ¾ cups apple cider
"Dear Congressman: We're melting. Love, the Glaciers." - Al Gore
Okay, I just had to speak up on this mind-numbingly ignorant rumor about Hadley CRU. Background: Fox News is claiming that an email from a university shows once and for all that Global Warming Theory is a scam. Apparently, the University of East Anglia's computer was hacked and the following phrase (ooh, 3 words, that must disprove global warming!) was found: "Hide the decline".
Aside from the obvious question, where's the rest of the frigging sentence, there are several reasons why this proves nothing. Oh wait I stand corrected, this does prove one thing: that Fox News and global warming deniers will do anything to scam the American public.
First off, scientists hide data all the time. No, not to "deceive" anyone. They hide columns or rows just as you would minimize a window if you were working with several Word documents at once. In statistics programs like JMP, it allows a scientist to see data in a less jumbled fashion.
Second, for Fox news to suggest that this proves climate change is a hoax, they would have to prove that East Anglia scientists were the ONLY people who proved global warming theory. (And we know that sentence is redundant, right)? Let's suppose the Large Hadron Collider managed to wipe that university off the map - demolish all the data. We'd still have overwhelming evidence from a Godzillion other places.
Global warming theory has been tested over and over again, by many other scientists. To date, no one has disproven or even come close to disproving human caused global warming.
Global warming is not a political party. It's simply a sub-category of pollution. If you want to understand it, read the primary literature. Don't get your scientific data from television. Please read my Global Warming facts and myths to undersand better. And here's Al Gore. Science didn't work, so he's gonna try crazy.
We're having our bi-yearly alternative Thanksgiving. It's a long drive to my sister's and the holiday food is way too heavy. I don't normally eat turkey or mashed potatoes. My family feels obilgated to make unfamiliair recipes for my diet restrictions, when I'd rather just help out cooking. But they want to be in control, so I just doodle around in the kitchen. I also get tired of people asking why I'm not drinking. Sometimes we spend the holiday with our friends Rosie and Mr. Spacely. Rosie is an amazing cook. We both love the same foods, so cooking with her is a delight. Eggplant, Asian-American fusion. It's really light, healthy holiday food.
We all sit by the fireplace and discuss snowshoeing or winter hikes. They have a pileated woodpecker family that lives in their backyard, so we watch for them. It's all very casual.
This year we'll spend the day spoiling our cats. It will be the new strays' first holiday with us. Sometimes I call my Apache friend, she tells the most amazing Native American stories. Native Americans all take part in gatering the food and preparing the meal.
I think this kind of cooperation is what makes Thanksgiving more special for people like my Apache friend; everyone has a job to do, everyone works to put food on the table. It's more about survival than indulgence. So I'm glad to share the holiday with friends.Happy Thanksgiving, Voxers!
I've been seeing these amusing Garmin ads on tv recently. They're wild . I like the nutcracker one. We used them in grad school but I had no idea they had such a weird sense of humor.
I had a flashback to one of our grad school forest projects. We worked in teams of four to analyze the community ecology of an Audubon Sanctuary. We only had one day of work left, but a huge snowstorm was on its way.
Two of us decided to just work a few hours to get the data we needed. We were doing some veg inventories (that's a fancy way of saying we had to identify trees, and just by their bark).
Well, the snowstorm started early. We went off trail only to find that the work took much longer than expected, and pretty soon we were in whiteout conditions. Everything looked the same. We had our compass but we were in a hurry to get back, knee deep in snow, freezing cold and not anywhere that a GPS would work. Garmin's ad reminds me of that day, except we were on foot, in the woods and losing light. Whee!
Staring at our compasses (which were declinated all funny for various reasons), I turned to my partner and said, "why don't we just follow our footsteps back"? We found the trail quickly after that. I love low-tech solutions.
Thanks for listening to my red panda diatribe. Interestingly, I've been avoiding the wildlife topic since I graduated. Burned out? Maybe. But glad to be feeling interested again.
It's pitch dark here. I'm pretty wiped out from this sinus headache. This just reinforces my need for a better diet. And getting out for winter jogs around the Lake. Holidays are so hard, I'm gaining weight already! Sugar is the bigger challenge. It's like a toxin when I'm prone to migraines.
Update: Dang, I think I have an actual sinus infection. I've never had one. Am I supposed to get antibiotics?
Honestly, I'm a bit burned out on the whole political aspect of conservation. Maybe I should become one of those isolated ecology researchers / bookworms. A geeky lifestyle would be less stressful. Fir trees don't talk back. They don't talk politics at the dinner table. They just stand in the forest, smell nice and listen to me jabber.
People should be more like trees.
I've got a sinus headache today so forgive me if I'm incoherent. I just wanted to share something special that I found! The first and as far as I know, only nonprofit dedicated to the Red Panda. Red Panda Network
They have a lovely website, and amazing information on everything Red Panda. It's making me dream about the Himalayas. You can remotely "adopt" a panda from some of their research sites. You get all sorts of goodies and this would make a killer Holiday gift.
What's frustrating is that the nonprofit is by and large sponsored by zoos, and captive breeding seems to be part of their conservation plan. I'd reiterate my diatribe on reintroduction but alas I'm too ill (Oh shucks, you say)..
If people donate enough though, we can get them off their dependence on zoos (whose trade is actually listed as a threat to the red panda) and get them onto new innovative habitat and conservation programs. This nonprofit has great potential! The group is now conducting a study of the species' populations and habitat.
Threats (from website)
1. Cash Cropping: Agricultural intensification over the past 15 years has created a need for more land. Land that used to lay fallow is now used for purposes such as tea or cardamom fields and fodder growth. Some private forests have been cut and replaced with cardamom monocultures of uttis upper canopy and cardamom understory. The fields are also sprayed with insecticides to ensure proper yields Translation for Americans (by yours truly) : buy local. Avoid pesticides, and know where your food comes from. Write letters.
2. Fodder and Firewood: An increasing trend toward dairies has fueled the demand for fodder, and the plant that is most commonly used for this purpose is malingo, a small bamboo that is the red panda's main food source. Another negative effect of dairies is their exorbitant use of firewood. Although they have money to pay for firewood privileges, dairies in the region have been known to cut more than they are allotted. Translation: encourage local folks to be self sufficient.
3. Timber: The preferred material for home construction has changed from stone, mud, and bamboo to timber. A prosperous household can now afford to buy timber from Community Forests.Translation: habitat loss is devestating. Use sustainable materials. Preserve forests.
4. Medicinal Plants: A strong medicinal plant trade and the creation of Singhalila National Park (SNP) on the Indian side in 1992 have depleted the medicinal plant populations due to over-harvesting. Translation: again, know where your food comes from.
5. Hunting: Fortunately, the creation of the SNP has led to a decrease in hunting. Rimbick, an Indian village on the perimeter of the park, was once the hub for the international red panda trade. According to locals, 47 red pandas were sold in one year from this village to stock the zoos of the world Translation: wildlife santuaries good, zoos bad. Don't support zoos. Conservation of native, extant wildlife instead of breeding in captivity or reintroduction. Also, don't buy from pet stores.
6. Grazing: According to local community forest managers, the most devastating use of the forest today is grazing. Before the creation of SNP in 1992, over 300 Goths, or temporary cattle herding stations, were located within the park's current boundaries. Although the SNP staff forced cattle herders to leave, many of the Indian herders sold their cattle to Nepalese herders who continue to heavily overgraze the PIS Corridor using chauri (yak-hill cow hybrids). This has led to the degradation of once-pristine Silver fir forests, the preferred habitat of the red panda.The other main threat to red pandas is illegal hunting. Red pandas are sometimes killed for their coats, which trappers use to make hats and clothing. Translation: avoid fur, smaller livestock is better.
I've gone into winter hibernation mode early this year. I feel like I have a new perspective on what's important, and Yule will be the time to reflect on all that.
I like the idea of living as though I'm snowed-in to some remote cabin. What would I really want when the Winter Solstice arrives?
Warm blankets and fire, for certain. We just bought some umber throw blankets, fleece on one side and cotton on the other. Heaven. They're draped all over the couch and futon.
I'm talented in many ways, but cooking is not one of them. I'd like to learn a few signature dishes. Roasted veggies, gluten free bread. Maybe dahl and other spicy foods. Soup.
Our friends Rosie and Mr. Spacely have a cabin in the woods. They do tai-chi on their deck as the sun rises every morning. That's the way to stay young forever.
I'm learning that Yoga is a real craft. I have a good friend who's a Yogi, and several other devotees. They have a unique aura about them. Crows and cats respond to them differently. Just being around them gives me peace.
Something to aim for this year.
Have you ever met people who have that vibe?
This would be a cool job - they are beautiful creatures!!
Job Title: American marten ecology research
Added here on 6 Nov 2009
Job Type: full-time temporary position
Opportunity location: McCloud, CA (about 5 miles east of Mount Shasta City)
Provide new research information on the ecology and management of American martens, on methods to assess their distribution, abundance, population demographic characteristics, and the effects of thinning/fuels reduction treatments on their occurrence. Snow tracking, hair snares, and remotely-triggered cameras. Applicants must be in excellent physical condition, as 90% of the work will occur in the field, under all weather conditions, and usually on steep, off-trail terrain.
1. Working in steep, remote terrain, alone and with others. check
2. Navigating off-trail using topo maps, compass, altimeter, and GPS. check
3. Familiarity with forest carnivore survey methods, preferably snow tracking, remote cameras, and hair snares. check
4. Experience with data collection and management. check
5. Experience operating snowmobiles -- preferably with USFS certification. Nope, never liked the things....
6. Skiing experience covering cross-country skiing, especially in back-country situations. Been a while, but yeah
8. First aid training and CPR -- preferably with current certifications. Need a refresher
9. Experience working in winter conditions, in snow and cold temperatures, preferably with winter safety experience. Yep
What a day! At 4 am I was having allergy problems but (feel free to laugh at this, I am), I was out of stinging nettle pills. In fact the only thing we had in the house was Nyquil. I had to be up early. I remembered this article by Wired Magazine, and I almost didn't take it. But I relented and I've been a groggy head all day.
I saw my stylist today and we talked about her wood-burning stove. I love the smell of the outdoors, smoke from the chimney. She has a stunning place in the hilltowns where she chops her own wood and her cat sits in the little wagon as she wheels it in.
So I worked in the garden, dreaming of a new place. I grabbed handfulls of dead plants. I looked down and my right hand was all bloody. I guess we have a few thorny plants that snuck in there!
I still have some splinter-like beings, I think. I used to soak my hands in warm water.....does that work? Anyway, it's all in good fun. I miss my biology work so getting outdoors is just what I needed.
I'm collecting photos of home styles and rooms that I like. I think you'll agree, they're cozy yet modern. I might subscribe to my favorite magazine again, too. I'm hoping to get some interior decorating opinions!
