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climate change, deforestation, endangered species, eulogy for a planet, extinctions, reforestation, silent spring rachel carson, what can one person do
Ecuador’s Powerful Woodpecker (Campephilus pollens) resembles North America’s possibly-extinct Ivory-billed Woodpecker. What will it take to awaken mankind that preserving and restoring the habitat has reached critical importance?
” The ivory-bill is so iconic: big, beautiful, mysterious—a symbol of everything that’s gone wrong with our relationship to the environment. I thought if someone could just locate an ivory-bill, could prove that this remarkable species still exists, it would be the most hopeful event imaginable. We would have one final chance to save this bird and the bottomland swamp forests it needs to survive.” From Surfbirds.com – interview with Tim Gallagher, author of The Grail Bird.
While working, I was rewarded by first hearing and then seeing this magnificent Powerful Woodpecker!
“Earth’s population of wild vertebrates — all mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish — declined 58 percent from 1970 to 2012. (That’s up from 52 percent in the 2014 report, which spanned 1970 to 2010.) In other words, the total number of wild animals with backbones has fallen by more than half within one human lifetime.” Russell McClendon – Mother Nature Network (Oct 27/2016)
Mindo Ecuador – Something happened last month that had a profound effect on me. I’ve been trying to figure out how to approach it, how to share it with you – with those who might be interested – but even more for those who are not.
Mindo Bird Fair – Oct 2016
We took a dawn birding walk before attending the lectures…
Attending the Mindo Bird Fair, I was quite pleased to be following almost all of the material presented in Spanish, and I really enjoyed listening to Rudy Gelis (Cornell Ebird) who talked about migratory birds. We learned why birds migrate, how their behavior changes – and even how a subtle change of daylight will trigger birds into ‘Oops! It’s time to go!” Rudy told us about dangers, some of them man-induced, like lights confusing their nocturnal migrations and even deaths from slamming into windows.
While many of us jotted down high points, he also shared stats about the top countries for bird species (Colombia, Peru, Brazil and Ecuador) and then he asked, “And what country has the most extinctions?”
Rudy Gelis speaks to the participants at the Mindo Bird Fair.
(Many of you probably know the answer:)
The United States of America.
Those near me turned around and smiled, as I seemed to be the only ‘extranjero’ attending; as I shrugged my shoulders, I also released a few tears… Were they tears of grief? of shame? I’m still not sure, but it’s not a statistic one can be proud of. Later I checked and found this, The Top Five Countries with the most Extinct Animals, which links back to the IUCN Red List.
Break time: This quote recently had an equally-sobering effect on me. Humor me with this experiment: Read it, then like a favorite dessert. hold and savor it for ten or so seconds before moving forward:
We are living in a period of mass extinction. The numbers stand at 200 species a day. That’s 73,000 a year. This culture is oblivious to their passing, feels entitled to their every last niche, and there is no roll call on the nightly news.”
― Lierre Keith,
Thanks for giving those about-to-be-extinct species the respect they deserve. Now back to Ecuador and the Mindo Bird Fair:
Rudy showed birders how to easily access Ebird via phone ap.
I realized that most of the people in attendance might be proactive at trying to halt the deforestation of their unique Choco area, which extends into neighboring Colombia. Most of these birders know the stats, they know their poster birds, the endemic species, the species that are exceptionally rare or hard to find. They can identify by sound, cluck, rat-tat-tat on a tree, by silhouette, and of course by shape and color. They realize the treasures they have, and hopefully they will fight to protect those hardwoods and exquisite cloud forests from being cut for timber or cleared for pastures.
The local poster bird – Andean Cock of the Rock
Antpittas are so cute; they look like models for cartoons!
Unfortunately not everyone grasps the seriousness, and some illustrate with negative examples what NOT to do to the environment. This (below) happened last month, and like many others who drove by and scowled, I did nothing.
How does one find a voice to stand up and ask these people to stop?! When the rains resume, it’s going to be very ugly here. (Between Mindo and Rio Nambillo Bridge) This work was done very near the site of a major landslide about three years ago.
We – in certain cultures – boast about our fine-wood dining tables and chairs, of our richly-honed planks of hardwood floors and equally-lovely paneled walls. Trees are ground into pulp or sawdust to make the notebooks and print outs as well as the books and magazines I so love and prefer to hold in my hand and savor the printed word. I thought of the canopy of my own childhood that was lost, and the flora and fauna that once thrived in those diverse tree-top scapes. We are all guilty of being consumers of products that are destroying our planet.
https://catalog.archives.gov/ – Early 1900s in Mississippi
At times I try to picture the original alluvial floodplain of the Mighty Mississippi River, and what it must have been like before the invading species of humans stepped into the story and quickly altered what took a zillion lifetimes to create. We’re now riding an out-of-control roller coaster; how do we slow it down?! Trees, rivers, mountains, rainforests are being desecrated to support our lifestyles: rock, gravel, marble, cement, oil, natural gas, lumber, and that oh-so-precious resource – water!
“Humans are only one species of millions. To kill millions of species for the benefit of one is insane, just as killing millions of people for the benefit of one person would be insane. And since unimpeded ecological collapse would kill off humans anyway, those species will ultimately have died for nothing, and the planet will take millions of years to recover. Rapid collapse is ultimately good for humans because at least some people survive. And remember, the people who need the system to come down the most are the rural poor in the majority of the world: … Regardless, without immediate action, everyone dies.”
― Aric McBay, Deep Green Resistance: Strategy to Save the Planet
We might not have desecrated the landscape, but we inherited the problems that were so close to our lives that we could not see what was happening. Those who awakened first were often mocked or ignored – like the person smoking the cigarette and feeling well and stating, ‘Yes, that might happen to some, but it’s not going to happen to me…” We can be quite arrogant; we can be quite close-minded; can apathy be a close cousin to the same sins against Nature if we witness the problems, know the consequences and stay silent?
The landscape of my childhood; what did it look like 100 years earlier? 500 years earlier? (Soybean Harvest near Merigold Mississippi )–
Fortunately, many of the bird guides I have met here in Ecuador realized the value of their forests, and they switched from hunting with guns and felling the trees to becoming bird whisperers and stewards of the cloud forest! Brothers Angel and Rodrigo Paz set perfect examples to their neighbors and to the world! (RefugioPazde lasAves)
We dropped in to experience the magic of Angel Paz and his feathered friends’ private performances.
Angel’s brother Rodrigo shared the gift of communication…We saw five species of Antpittas, Dark-backed Wood Quail, Andean Cock of the Rock, Crested Guan, Toucan Barbet, Blue-winged Mountain Tanager and countless hummingbirds that performed an aerial ballet at breakfast!
“We stand now where two roads diverge. But unlike the roads in Robert Frost’s familiar poem, they are not equally fair. The road we have long been traveling is deceptively easy, a smooth superhighway on which we progress with great speed, but at its end lies disaster. The other fork of the road — the one less traveled by — offers our last, our only chance to reach a destination that assures the preservation of the earth.”
― Rachel Carson, Silent Spring 1962
Open your hearts and try to find some small way to offset the damage we’ve done in the past hundred or so years. Can you imagine what it might be like to indeed hear that silent spring? How empty our world would be without the squirrels scampering across the canopy? Without the monarch? Without the sea turtles? Without a giant tree that proves soothing relief on a scorching hot day? Or will those scorching hot days take out the trees sooner than we think?
“Our philosophy is to rob everything as much as possible and forget about tomorrow…But it makes a certain sense if the sole human value is making as much wealth as you can tomorrow. You don’t care what happens down the road and you don’t care what happens to anybody else. It makes perfect sense. If it destroys the world, well, it’s not my problem.”
― Noam Chomsky, Class Warfare: Interviews with David Barsamian
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The petite Darwin-Wallace Poison Frog (Mindo Ecuador) – I’ve been lucky to stumble upon this species twice! Can it survive a hike in temperature or a change in monthly rainfall?
From Hawksbill.org : “The hawksbill turtle is one of only two species of sea turtles listed as critically endangered globally by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, the result of an 80 percent population decline.”
(above) Rio Jama – Ecuador – In front of Casa Loca: It’s a sea turtle! Could it be an extremely-endangered Hawksbill?
You won’t find this beauty anywhere except the Mindo Cloudforest area —- Hippie Anole – (Anolis fraseri). Mindo Ecuador –
OK; I’m worried. Here in Ecuador’s cloud forest, we enjoy sunny days, rainy days, mixed days, periods of rain and periods of perfect weather. I have not lived here long enough to know what is long-term normal and what is abnormal, but I’ve asked many locals, and they say that this ‘perfect’ weather is not normal. Marie was here for two weeks, and I don’t recall one day of true rain… It’s been absolutely beautiful, almost-hot at times , and it’s that almost-hot that worries me. The long-term native species must be thirsty…
This long period of sunny weather could not be the healthiest of environment for the reptiles, amphibians and other species that are sensitive to temperature and climate change. They too are the canaries of the world.
“A new report by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) offers some sobering details about this decline, which has already halved the planet’s known population of vertebrate wildlife in just 40 years. The 2016 Living Planet Report reveals the troubling extent of this and other environmental crises around the world, but it also sheds light on the ways we can still protect and rehabilitate what’s left.” (Wilderness resources 11 startling facts about earths disappearing wildlife.)
“For the first time since the demise of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, we face a global mass extinction of wildlife,” says Mike Barrett, director of science and policy at WWF-UK, in a statement. “We ignore the decline of other species at our peril — for they are the barometer that reveals our impact on the world that sustains us.” (World Wildlife Fund)
It’s no canary, but the Golden Tanager serves as a barometer as well. The fruits of the melastoma trees play an equally-important role.
Scaled Fruiteater dining on melastoma fruits. How can we deny this bird’s right to the planet?
One never forgets the Choco Toucan’s repetitive croaking!
Sometimes we have to look inward with self-imposed retrospection then outward through fresh eyes. If you’ve stuck with me this far, please leave a comment about your weather – is it normal or abnormal, if you’re witnessing habitat destruction or reforestation, and if you think that the younger generations are more sensitive to what’s happening. They are the ones that are going to inherit what’s left, and hopefully they’ll give us a hiccup of credit for trying to divert the worst of this crisis.
Thank you so much for listening.
This man drove his young son 2 hours from Quito for the dawn bird walk then to participate in the Mindo Bird Fair —strictly because of his son’s strong interest in birds!
If you haven’t watched National Geographic’s movie, Before the Flood, try switching off the television the next time Trump makes another blunder and tune in to the movie.
(If you don’t have time, then start at minute 37 and listen to the next five minutes…)
and in Spanish:
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Zeebra Designs & Destinations 
It’s shameful how generally immune to shame we are; or how we fail to connect the erosion of the environment with the mass migration of populations who are only seeking the means to live and make a living in perceived richer countries. Thank you for this heartfelt post, Lisa.
Hi Tish, and thank you so much for your comment! Because it’s a delicate issue, I feared that few would comment!
As always, you illustrate your strong backbone and honest values. Thankyou!
What a very sombre read, Lisa. There are people like yourself who care passionately but stopping the trend.. it feels like an impossibility, doesn’t it? I don’t know think the young are aware enough. They’re too busy living (and acquiring 😦 ). This has been the warmest September/October ever in the UK. We await the next phase. Good luck to you, darlin, and thanks for caring.
Thanks for your feedback, and yes, others continue to mention their observations that many of the younger ones have an unearned sense of entitlement, and their eyes are often glued to cell phones and not their surroundings.
Being offline so often, I’ve not kept up with world climate unless there’s a tragic headline. Geographic’s ‘The Flood’ was sobering for me.
Your Barco post gave me a huge smile, and you’ll soon understand why! Heading there soon to expand on that thought!
Thanks again for your feedback.
It makes me sad when many people think development means that we need to destroy our natural resources . They are widening a highway in my country , wherein it may help lessen traffic , I can’t help but feel sad about how it’s encroaching on swamp lands and the loss of trees that they have destroyed.
It hurts when we see those trees and landscapes leveled, and it’s especially painful to ultra-sensitive people. There’s an old proverb, I forget from which culture – perhaps American Indian – which states, “The tree remembers.. the ax forgets.”
Thank you for caring, and the flora and fauna that live in those swamps thank you as well.
A young friend of mine, Matisse, put together this wonderful fundraiser several months ago. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-06/fundraiser-launched-to-save-flooded-maternity-ward-in-kiribati/7389670 Climate change is very real for small Pacific Islands. It’s happening now. I love the bird fair concept.
Thank you always, for your interest in what’s happening on the far side of your pond.. I suppose it’s not that unusual we share many similar experiences – considering we’re part of that ring of fire…
Your young frien Matisse is one very bold strong and forward-thinking woman, and that future child has an amazing legacy! Powerful image and very powerful story… Thank you for sharing, and I’ll try to weave her story/link into a follow-up post.
I think they’re considering making next year’s bird fair a longer event…. Yay for the birds!
The little one has arrived into this world. Her mother is determined that all the little ones of the Pacific will have a good future. Back to the birds; every year we can vote for New Zealand’s bird of the year. This year the Kokako is the winner. Again another young person was heavily involved in an important campaign.http://www.forestandbird.org.nz/what-we-do/publications/media-release/k%C5%8Dkako-crowned-bird-the-year
Thank you for the link to that story as well! Wow, what a great young man he must be, and so articulate already! The photos loaded late, and he looks so happy with that bird on his head!! Yes, there are some special young visionaries who will help with stewardship of our planet. May more step forward, inspired by others like these two..
I hope they will too.
As a species humans seem to be best at denial. I’m not surprised that the U.S. leads the rest of the world in losing other animal species.We are among the most self-absorbed people in the world.
Yes, and that surely saddens you more than most… Thank you, Hugh.
Lisa, Pogo was right. We have met the enemy and he is us. Keith
Si, if only more of us had paid attention… maybe pogo needs to be resurrected and be the poster child for our planet…
Pogo would be the matter-of-fact conscience stating the obvious truths about our environmental issues. Here is one he might say:
Standing in knee deep water in Miami in 2040, he might say, “Maybe we should have listened to the scientists.”
i think you should start cartooning! perfect caption and setting!
If you draw the pictures, I will send you the captions. May need a new name.
si; i suspect we’d get in big copyright problems! a frog might make a good poster child for the en vironment b/c they are so affected by subtle changes in climate.. will ponder the characters!
I like the frog.
i think this one has potential.. place it on a tree top.. on a stop sign, street light.. on top of a pyramid….
https://playamart.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/0-frog-on-a-stick-w-framez.jpg?w=529&h=477
what do you think?
Lisa, I like it. Here is one for you. “Me sees too much salt water and not enough fresh.” I am thinking the frog should not speak eloquently, but plainly in broke language. Keith
Well said and beautiful pictures. I’m currently living in Arizona – not sure yet if I’ll stay, and like you, I don’t know what is “normal” for here, but this area has been suffering from a long drought. I drove by Lake Mead, up by Las Vegas, not too long ago, and the water level is sobering. You can see where the water level use to be, and its dropped dramatically with no end in sight. I think young people have it rough. When I was growing up, we worried about nuclear war. They live under the threat of environmental degradation, climate change, and ultimately, whether or not the planet will become inhabitable as they grow older. It’s of no surprise to me that they sometimes bury their heads in the sand (technology) so as not to confront that almost unspeakable situation. Many of them are more aware and want something done and thus supported Bernie Sanders. Unfortunately they don’t trust Hillary for some reason and that pessimism doesn’t drive them to the poles, leaving the unthinkable, allowing tyrannosaurus rumpus (my name for trump) with an opening to win. That could very lead to the end of all hope. I wrote a piece on my site the other day written from the planet’s perspective. I believe the main issue we face is our spiritual disconnection from nature. You probably know this more than I, living where you do, but it seems the indigenous tend to think of nature and spirituality as one and the same. I’m convinced that when we left nature behind and became “civilized,” we severed that spiritual connection and filled that void with man-made, unnatural, religions – which promoted the idea of us having dominion over all – giving us the arrogant permission to do what we wanted. Anyway, very few read my piece. I’ve written a book about this and suspect I’ll have a hard time finding any interest in publishing it. Those of us who are “awake” are few and far between, leaving me pessimistic about the future. The fact that anyone can consider t rump as a viable leader sickens me to no end. Thanks for your posting. I enjoyed that artic piano piece as well.
Thanks so much for taking the time to share your thoughts and concerns. I hope that others take time to read your comment as wel.
As for your post – I did not see it so will head there now.
Good quotes and an impassioned post, Lisa. It’s depressing….I don’t know about the weather here, I’ve only been here 5 years, but overall in the USA I know it’s warmer that it was when I was a child, and it’s hurting many beings, plant and animal alike. On the other hand, the osprey and Bald eagle were getting scarce 60 years ago and have bounced back, so we can effect change if we want to – but global warming is so much bigger. I hope the next generation will be more sensitive to earth!
Thank you for the feedback… the sunny spell here hasn’t ‘broken’ yet, and with the holiday, the dust is horrible.. we’re wishing for a rain to settle the dust.
That’s great to hear about he eagles… it would be a shame to lose those majestic birds.
Your cloud forest image is stunning. I would not have guessed the US to be on a list having the most extinctions. Climate is changing and it does not seem to be getting through to those that matter. I fear in a short time, the whole earth will be in a saddened situation.
I’ve been trying to figure out how to reach the ‘numb’ who are not interested or do not want to know the ugly… how do we wake them up? we’ve discussed this about the monarchs in the past, but this is even bigger…
Shungo Dear Friend;
I have walked as an Earth Walker for 71 years on Pachamama. Each time I visit where I have been many times as a young child my heart goes into a grieving mode. I could get caught up in it and sink into depression. This would help nothing I say to myself. My wisdom teachers have spoken many times that we should not worry about Pachamama she will take care of herself and has in the past had major changes some just as quickly. They tell me it is us the Earth Walkers who we need to worry about. We can’t take care of ourselves. We can try physical solutions to the Jaguars climb the trees but the answer is in the Spiritual realm. We all must find our passion for ourselves and life through the inner guidance and then we will all have the passion for change to save ourselves, So inside so outside. The outside our physical reality is just a reflection of each of us. We have to leave, let the other person are someone else do it. No one but each of us can make a difference in our own lives and the world we each create around us.
In love semipre
Sad to read about it… so much damage has been done by people in many places.
Yes; when I read a N. Geographic page about colonizing Mars, I thought, ‘Great. We’re going to destroy one planet and start doing the same thing to another…’
A few years ago I was startled several times in a short period by a bird flying into the window in front of me in the room where my computer is. There have been no more window strikes since then. Maybe the fact that the outside of the window has gotten dirtier makes it easier for birds to see and therefore avoid flying into.
A really heart-felt post Lisa that has me churning inside with upset and shame, anger that many of us are still not realising our true impact upon this all so precious and fragile land. All of my best wishes and hugs to you. James
Hi James.. I just opened your most-recent post.. The image of that tree and millstone is lovely… it has a somber mood – for me at this early-morning hour – it seems lonely there, a bit like many abandoned scenes, where one knows there are many untold stories… It triggers the imagination…
A difficult read, Lisa. But a very important one. Knowing that we are responsible for the destruction of our planet and the dying off of so many species is heart wrenching.
The climate here in Southern Arizona has changed, too. Record heat, record number of warmer (much warmer) than usual days. I live in the high desert and usually by now I’ve turned on the heat. Not this year. Frightening.
Dear Lisa, yours is a powerful post and message. Shame on us for not understanding the end of our actions there are consequences that somehow seemed to have been lost on many.