Those before and after pictures remind me of the reforestation projects of NE Georgia. They had said in the 1860s "we've got enough timber here to last a hundred years!" And lo, it lasted 100 years, and then the mountains were bald and sad. In the 1960s they did one final massive timber harvest, then in the 1970s they went "oops we took too much" and they've been allowing some places to return to full wilderness ever since. https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/conf/learning/history-culture/
The Baltimore National Aquarium is building a floating wetlands in the inner harbor.
It looks like an outstanding educational project.
We live about a mile down river from there and despite the industrial nature of the area, we have many different kinds of birds and wildlife. There is an osprey nest outside our condo, as well as herons, geese and cormorants (among others).
We should do that a lot more in the Netherlands. We've got massive nitrogen problems because of farming near nature reserves, and putting a wetland buffer in between would work wonders. It shouldn't be an issue since the entire country used to be wetlands, at least, if Pliny the Elder is to be believed. Sadly the farmers are politically powerful so they would resist having to give up part of their farmland for this.
I want everyone to support wetlands restoration, and in fact restoration of every natural environment. I'm yelling at my hyper local politics people to quit selling land to developers. We hates them! Point is, yay for turning cranberry farms back into native bogland, yayyy!
same. ANY sort of restoration. I mean if you have a back yard, you can start there too. It DOES work. I live in a standard development here in S. Phoenix, and since actively TRYING to make a Nirvana for both birdies and green things, I've had so many migration visitors and some decide to stay (say like towhees and thrashers). What I did for them, trying for their heaven, they all gave me a heaven/cielo/Nirvana to restore myself. We help each other, that is all the rest of the 'natural world' wants.
Biologist, so maybe biased. This story gave me so much hope and humans, YES it's things like this we need to do. Also turn off lights at night when not in use. The green things & birds(and humans) need them for calibrating systems in addition to migration (in which lights ARE detrimental to the migrators). Anyhoo, just turn off porch/patio/garden lights when going to sleep at night & not needed. if you can.
I do not have a backyard. But as an experiment in rewilding, I bought some pnw wildflower seeds and planted them in a tray, put it on north facing porch. They're continuing to do well with only occasional watering, doing that on account of unusually dry summer. So far the wildlife I've noticed are orb weavers, baby steps? Well, there's also a bunny family, but they don't come to my porch... That I know of!
BTW, today it was 68 degrees and humid af. Felt like I was in Florida.
One of the weirder changes in right wing identity is in the shift from consummate rugged fishin' , huntin' explorin' outdoorsman to the air conditioned fast food eatin' suburban mall rat model. People who would not long ago have been on the front lines protecting these pristine frontiers like teddy Roosevelt did are now rolling coal and on those frontiers and voting for the people who are affectively raping those natural resources.
Here in Maine that's certainly not yet the case. But politics are a bit more complicated here. Liberal commercial fishermen aren't unusual. Anti-corporate right wingers exist. Energy efficiency is broadly popular.
There's a former cranberry bog near us in Carlisle, MA. It's owned by the town conservation commission. It's a nice pmace for a walk, they didn't fill in the ditches around the bogs.
Too many, though, and they cause problems. We need apex predators. We're finally getting some wolves back in CO, from OR I think. Thank you, Oregonians!
Those before and after pictures remind me of the reforestation projects of NE Georgia. They had said in the 1860s "we've got enough timber here to last a hundred years!" And lo, it lasted 100 years, and then the mountains were bald and sad. In the 1960s they did one final massive timber harvest, then in the 1970s they went "oops we took too much" and they've been allowing some places to return to full wilderness ever since. https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/conf/learning/history-culture/
This is brilliant news! I almost smiled this morning, and this article's wetland pics were to blame!
The Baltimore National Aquarium is building a floating wetlands in the inner harbor.
It looks like an outstanding educational project.
We live about a mile down river from there and despite the industrial nature of the area, we have many different kinds of birds and wildlife. There is an osprey nest outside our condo, as well as herons, geese and cormorants (among others).
https://www.wbaltv.com/article/national-aquarium-floating-wetland-2024-opening/43533793
We should do that a lot more in the Netherlands. We've got massive nitrogen problems because of farming near nature reserves, and putting a wetland buffer in between would work wonders. It shouldn't be an issue since the entire country used to be wetlands, at least, if Pliny the Elder is to be believed. Sadly the farmers are politically powerful so they would resist having to give up part of their farmland for this.
I want everyone to support wetlands restoration, and in fact restoration of every natural environment. I'm yelling at my hyper local politics people to quit selling land to developers. We hates them! Point is, yay for turning cranberry farms back into native bogland, yayyy!
same. ANY sort of restoration. I mean if you have a back yard, you can start there too. It DOES work. I live in a standard development here in S. Phoenix, and since actively TRYING to make a Nirvana for both birdies and green things, I've had so many migration visitors and some decide to stay (say like towhees and thrashers). What I did for them, trying for their heaven, they all gave me a heaven/cielo/Nirvana to restore myself. We help each other, that is all the rest of the 'natural world' wants.
Biologist, so maybe biased. This story gave me so much hope and humans, YES it's things like this we need to do. Also turn off lights at night when not in use. The green things & birds(and humans) need them for calibrating systems in addition to migration (in which lights ARE detrimental to the migrators). Anyhoo, just turn off porch/patio/garden lights when going to sleep at night & not needed. if you can.
I do not have a backyard. But as an experiment in rewilding, I bought some pnw wildflower seeds and planted them in a tray, put it on north facing porch. They're continuing to do well with only occasional watering, doing that on account of unusually dry summer. So far the wildlife I've noticed are orb weavers, baby steps? Well, there's also a bunny family, but they don't come to my porch... That I know of!
BTW, today it was 68 degrees and humid af. Felt like I was in Florida.
One of the weirder changes in right wing identity is in the shift from consummate rugged fishin' , huntin' explorin' outdoorsman to the air conditioned fast food eatin' suburban mall rat model. People who would not long ago have been on the front lines protecting these pristine frontiers like teddy Roosevelt did are now rolling coal and on those frontiers and voting for the people who are affectively raping those natural resources.
Here in Maine that's certainly not yet the case. But politics are a bit more complicated here. Liberal commercial fishermen aren't unusual. Anti-corporate right wingers exist. Energy efficiency is broadly popular.
I think the former still exist (in their own minds, at least). They're the market Don Jr. appeals to.
(OMG, I just wrote the words 'Don Jr.' and 'appeals' in the same sentence. Kill me now.)
Don't you think you were a little hard on the Beaver last night, Ward?
"still funny for fans of Manos: The Hands of Fate"
I'll give you a biscuit for this...
Mos def. Any day you can squeeze in a MST reference is a good day.
“Reasons To Be Cheerful” website
That name scratches a very precious itch.
"Precious itch" for the win. I totally get it
Here in Texas we would be drilling all up in there.
Bog.
That is all.
Ta, Dok. Nice times!
There's a former cranberry bog near us in Carlisle, MA. It's owned by the town conservation commission. It's a nice pmace for a walk, they didn't fill in the ditches around the bogs.
Good news is so welcome lately.
Thank you!
So impeach Biden over cranberry crash right?
Beavers are great restorers of the old ways, as well. Release the beavers!
Too many, though, and they cause problems. We need apex predators. We're finally getting some wolves back in CO, from OR I think. Thank you, Oregonians!
Whatever you do, don’t google “release the beavers!”