Web of Life and the Human Bias

I found the following explanation on an educational web site developed by the University of Illinois Extension:

Web of Life: An ecosystem is made up of all the living animals and plants and the non-living matter in a particular place, like a forest or lake. All the living things in an ecosystem depend on all the other things - living and non-living for continued survival - for food supplies and other needs. In some ways, the actions and reaction that take place within an ecosystem are like a spider web - when one strand is broken, the web starts to unravel. What affects one part of an ecosystem, affects the whole in some way.

I have always been fascinated by this analogy for an ecosystem. In fact, no defined ecosystem exists independent of another, so the analogy can be extended to encompass all life on the planet. NASA has even extended this concept beyond our planet to encompass space.

The one part of the description above that I take issue with is the broken strand analogy. A spider web, our apt web of life analogy, does not unravel if one strand is broken, or even if two strands are broken. Spider webs, and life, are much stronger, and more resilient than that.

The final statement, that what affects one part of an ecosystem affects the whole in some way, is very true. If something changes, the entire system must adjust, or adapt, to that change. Sometimes the adjustments are catastrophic for other parts of the system, sometimes beneficial, but the change itself is unavoidable.

This brings us to what I call the human bias in the web of life: avoidance of change. Change is an inevitable part of life. Ecosystems, like all living organisms, rise and fall, but life goes on. Perhaps not as we currently know it, but life does go on.

I look at it this way, if change did not occur, we humans, as a species, would never have come into existence. And try as we might, there is no way we can exist on this planet and not have an impact on the system of life in which we live. It is a fallacy to think we can.

Change is inevitable. Adapt or die - as a species this is our 'choice.' Trying to maintain the status quo is an impractical strategy. Instead we need to explore ways to bring our way of living into harmony with the ever-changing world around us.

So what's my point. Let's take the greehouse gas (GHG) regulatory-behemoth-in-the-making that is the current hot environmental topic. Is counting GHGs and creating a cap-and-trade system going to help us to live in harmony within our ecosystem? I have my doubts. It seems more about accounting than anything else (see the GHG calculators available everywhere online). I am pleasently surprised at the increasing focus on developing renewable energy sources - wave generators, wind farms, current turbines - these are all examples of human ingenuity tapping into the living energy available all around us. Maybe GHG regulation will accomplish something in moving us closer to the ideal.

I truly hope so.

CALEB'S CARNIVAL - May 23, 11am-5pm, by CCGM

This post isn't really environmentally related, but it is on a subject near and dear to my heart, so I hope you'll indulge me!

It’s spring at the Market, and besides veggies, flowers, and hanging baskets, it is time for our annual fund raiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society: Caleb’s Carnival.
First, I thought it might be good to provide an abbreviated history of Caleb’s Carnival. It is named for a remarkable little boy from Conneaut, Ohio who has a disease called Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia or CML for short. He was diagnosed two years ago, in July 2007. He spent 5 days in the Pediatric ICU, followed by 10 days in the Immunodeficiency Ward, and during that entire time, he was unflagging in his cheerfulness, even given the poking, prodding and general discomfort of what he was going through.
Now, two years later, Caleb is in remission. All he has to do is take three little pills a day, and the leukemia that had distended his spleen to the point that it took up nearly his entire abdomen, is held at bay. It is a miracle; and would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the researchers at Novartis, and the funding from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS).
So when Aunt Babe decided to become a very active participant in the LLS Light the Night Walk, we joined her whole-heartedly in forming Caleb’s Walkers. Brainstorming ways to raise money for this worthwhile and now very personal cause, Caleb’s Carnival was born. We held the first annual Carnival on Caleb’s birthday in 2008, and the event was a wonderful success. We think this year will be even better.
Heather Lindberg and Carnival’s for a Cause have put together a wonderful lineup of family fun for the day, including tug of war, egg toss and a sack race, as well as other games for the kids, with some great door prizes generously donated by local businesses and friends (I’ll get a list posted soon, thanking everyone – I’m constantly blown away by everyone’s generosity).
In addition, there will be food provided by Sav-a-Lot and the Conneaut High School Music Boosters, as well as barbecue from Smokin’ T’s. Brad’s Bouncy House in Erie will be providing a space for kids to work out some of their energy. There will be musical entertainment provided by the Erie Traveler’s and friends. And we are very excited to have two of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Cheerleaders coming to sign autographs and join in some of the fun activities.
We hope you’ll be able to join us on May 23, 2009 between 11am and 5pm in Chapin’s lot, next to the City Center Garden Market. The Market will be donating 5% of the sales from that day to the LLS in honor of Caleb, and is accepting cash donations ahead of the Carnival as well. Or, you can donate online at our donations page.
But we really hope you’ll be there to wish Caleb a happy birthday and join in the festivities!

Nature Walk Photo Essay

Quin the explorer heading down the hill leading to Bluebell in Conneaut, Ohio.

This past spring has been hard on the road. The erosion channel cut into the road bed is up to a couple feet deep in some places.

Quin thinks it’s a great waterfall.

ODNR Property Marker related to the designation of Conneaut Creek as a State Wild & Scenic River.

Quin and I walked up the old road approach to the bridge. The wooden decking is long gone, and the grapevines are taking over. In the upper left hand corner of the photo (left) you can see where the bridge frame is propping up a large old sycamore – shown from below in this photo (below)

At the top of the bow of the Creek, the far bank is eroded by the faster-moving water, while on the side Quin and I were on, large deposits of alluvial material (in this case, sand) occur.

Around the bend, we found our old friend, Mr. Canadian Goose. He didn’t puff and preen at us today, though – he just took off!

Weathered shale is deposited all along Conneaut Creek, as it forms the Creek bed. Deposits like this are prime placed to find fossils!

Quin the archaeologist, in search of ‘pretty rocks.’

We found some cool stones, like this weathered coral fossil (I think?)

I call these ‘lake bottom’ fossils – not sure the appropriate term – it’s like the bottom a some long-ago lake was frozen in time in the shale.

In this particular section of the Creek, several layered oxbow ‘lakes’ (more like ponds) have been created. During high water, these oxbow may still carry water, but for the most part they are stagnant ponds, that may even dry up during the summer.

Quin the environmentalist helps with litter pickup. We have gotten into the habit of carrying a bag for garbage when we walk down here. It was full by the time we got back home.


Deer track, in addition to other wildlife, are fun to find.

This time of year, the signs of spring are just beginning to emerge, but the skeletal trees along the Creek are beautiful in their own right. The water in the Creek was muddy today. Rain and snowmelt carry sediment via overland flow, creating the muddy condition. When the Creek is at base flow the water is crystal clear, and COLD. The groundwater that contributes the base flow of the Creek stays right around 56 degrees F year round.

Quin took a little rest in this tree by the Creek –

but not for long. He was up and adventuring again, in short order!

Views of the Creek looking downstream, the way we’d come (left) and upstream towards home (above). Our home is only about 1500 feet upstream of here, but lies approximately 60 feet above the flood plain.

Quin the conqueror on a concretion weathered out of the shale at the edge of the water. We find small concretions, as well as quite a bit of flint, Ohio’s official gemstone.

The road home. Quin and I really enjoy our walks together. We’ll begin expanding our wanderings, and I will try to remember the camera so we can document our adventures!

Nature Walk

Today, I thought I would take a step back from the technical aspects of environmental issues and talk about the aesthetics. I took a walk with my 4-year-old this past weekend. It was a picture-perfect day: sunny, blue sky with wispy clouds, about 55 degrees F. Quin decided he wanted to go down ‘the short end of Parrish.’ To orient you, we live in Conneaut, Ohio, and we walked from Daniels Avenue north on south Parrish Road to where it dead ends at Conneaut Creek.

There is now a campground down in the flood plain of the creek here (locally known as Bluebell), which is private property, but the public road still leads to the frame of the old metal bridge that used to carry vehicles across the creek to Route 20 (warning to those of you who rely on on-line mapping – many still show Parrish going through, but it hasn’t done so in a long time).

The bridge is located at a large bow in the creek, where shallow riffles are interspersed with deeper pools. The bridge deck is gone, but the metal skeleton remains, and is currently supporting a huge old sycamore that was partially uprooted during a wind storm. If the bridge hadn’t been there, the tree would likely have gone all the way over, its stretching branches reaching across the creek, creating a change in the course of the waterway over time. But, since the bridge is there, this didn’t happen. Quin was fascinated by the partially-exposed roots of the sycamore, which will likely cling to life for a few more decades with the help of that old bridge.

While we were walking the bow, Quin made friends with several stream fishers. Conneaut Creek is a ‘hot spot’ for steelhead fishing, making it a popular destination for anglers. It is a beautiful waterway, heavily wooded along much of its length, with the bed cut into shale bedrock. As a result, it is a great place to go fossil hunting; Quin and I found several fossils, though they didn’t interest him any more than finding a neat erratic rock, or a big slab to throw in the water to make an impressive ‘kerplunk!’ The thinner pieces of shale are great for skipping across the deep pools, too. The anglers probably didn’t appreciate the noise we made, but there is no containing the energy of a 4-year-old!

We even met a mating pair of Canadian geese. The male was a spitfire, and puffed out his chest and flapped his wings at us when we got too close. Quin thought that was hilarious, so I guess the intimidation bit just doesn’t work on an energetic pre-schooler. I felt kind of sorry for the poor preening goose, but in the end we moved on, so hopefully he felt he had successfully defended his territory - even if Quin did laugh at his show!

In general, in this section of the creek, the water is crystal clear, so you can almost always see the bottom (except after a heavy rain, when sediment loading is high). In warmer weather, the creek is teeming with insects, crawdads, tadpoles, etc. and we looked, but I think it was too cold yet to find those creatures. We’ll be back when it gets a bit warmer. We hoped to see a few fish, given the number of anglers we met, but though we thought we heard one or two jump we never did catch site of the elusive fish. We did scare up a few spiders when picking up rocks, though.

Our walk along with Creek was a grand adventure for Quin and I. It reminded me of Winnie the Pooh and his adventures in the 100-acre wood. It was fun to watch Quin discover all the things I take for granted. Taking a nature walk with a young child is a real eye-opening experience – I highly recommend it. It will reawake your wonder in the natural world around you. Next time, I must remember to take the camera, so we can share our adventure in pictures!

One down-note: Quin and I did decide that the next time we take a walk down to the Creek, we would need to bring a trash bag. It’s amazing the detritus of human existence that finds its way into nature. You want my honest opinion, I think we should spend less time worrying about how much carbon dioxide we respirate as a species, and start taking care of our trash.

And when I say taking care of it, I don’t mean just bagging it up and burying it in a landfill, but really taking care of it: mandate community recycling programs; demand reduced packaging in our food supply; and for heaven’s sake, when you visit a natural area, carry your trash out with you and dispose of it properly!

Sorry, couldn’t avoid a mini-rant about the trash, but I ended up with both hands full – couldn’t carry any more out, and had to leave quite a bit behind. Seems sad that a trash bag is a necessary accessory on a nature walk, don’t you think?


Note of interest regarding Conneaut Creek:
In 2005, a 21-mile stretch of Conneaut Creek (including where Quin and I visited) from the Ohio-Pennsylvania border to the former Penn Central Railroad bridge in the City of Conneaut was named a State Scenic River, and the portion of that section that is upstream of the Creek Road Bridge crossing, also carries the ‘Wild’ designation. To learn more about Conneaut Creek’s designation and special features that resulted in this designation see the Ohio Department of Natural Resources web page on Ohio’s Scenic River Program . For information about Conneaut Creek clean up activities, visit the Friends of Conneaut Creek - there's also additional information and links regarding the wild and scenic designation here, and some great photos taken along the length of the creek.

Carbon Dioxide: The New Pollutant?

What’s your carbon footprint? This is the latest, hot topic in the environmental arena, and everyone seems to be jumping on the band wagon. There are even calculators out on the web to help you determine you personal footprint, and provide tips for reducing it. Here’s just a couple that I found when I Googled:

http://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx
http://www.nature.org/initiatives/climatechange/calculator/
http://www.climatecrisis.net/takeaction/carboncalculator/

And these were just the first three to pop up in a web search!

So, what’s my carbon footprint? One site calculated it at 3.9 tons per year; another estimated it at 12.32 tons per year, but they included ‘secondary’ carbon emissions based on my lifestyle; still another estimated my footprint at 100 tons per year (which is still, according to the calculator, below the US national average).

The disparities in the calculations are a result of differences in what is counted (primary versus secondary carbon emissions) and what assumptions are used in the calculations. Luckily, most do compare your footprint to the US National average (based on their calculations), so you can at least get a relative idea.

So what? In the end, all of these sites were going for the same thing – we all need to ‘reduce our carbon footprint’ – or in common vernacular, we should all try to PROTECT OUR ENVIRONMENT. What a novel concept!

In my mind, all this talk is less about carbon dioxide as a pollutant, and more about putting a new spin on a continuing struggle to protect this wonderful, amazing, living, breathing planet we live on.

In keeping with the green message – here are some tips on reducing your carbon footprint:

· Buy ENERGYSTAR appliances and products (http://www.energystar.gov/),
· Walk or ride a bike instead of driving (not only is it good for the environment – it’s good for YOU),
· Reduce, reuse, recycle (remember this tag line?)
· Use recycled products,
· Buy food with little/no packaging (this means giving up some of the convenience food, folks!),
· Buy/drive fuel-efficient vehicles (anyone else out there disgusted with the SUV commercials that tout 20 MPG as wonderful?)
· Turn the lights off, turn the heat down, and don’t waste water (OK, perhaps that last one isn’t so much about your carbon footprint;),
· Buy local foods whenever possible – not only is the quality generally better, but the food wasn’t trucked half way around the globe. And beware organic labels – check where they were PRODUCED!

So, what do you do to reduce your carbon footprint? Please share!

Darwin and God

Charles Darwin was born on this day in 1809 . . . can you hear the majestic music in the background? No one can deny that Darwin was a great man, and apparently a pretty nice guy. His work, revolutionary for its sweeping general theories developed from studying minutiae, is the basis for modern-day biology. Evolutionist or creationist – no one can deny Darwin’s indelible mark on our belief systems.

So, in honor of Darwin’s 200 year anniversary, let’s take up the subject of evolution and creation. Personally, I subscribe to what would be termed Theistic evolution. There is actually an organization that delves into the interpretation of the biblical writings in light of scientific findings: http://www.theisticevolution.org/ . The articles available on this site provide excellent food for thought in the evolution versus creation debate.

In my opinion, it is much more amazing to think of God having set up this self-perpetuating system of biological evolution than to imagine him plopping man in the middle of Eden. Theistic evolution views the creation story as allegory, rather than attempting a literal interpretation that doesn’t coincide with the hard evidence that supports the evolution theory.

It is important to remember that the bible was written by humans – flawed, with imperfect knowledge, they wrote what they understood. Perhaps God inspired them, but He could not explain the intricacies of the evolutionary engine He designed – that's something that we had to learn over time. Maybe that is why He gave us these big brains!

A History Lesson & Change

Welcome to the maiden voyage of the Environmental Realist. I’m Kenna Coltman, and aside from being a wife and mother of five (I know, how unsustainable of me), I am an Environmental Management Consultant; have been for fifteen years. My views on the environment reflect my upbringing in the rust belt. I’m a typical midwesterner: practical and just a tad jaded.

First, let’s talk about the history of the environmental movement. I know, many credit Rachel Carson with starting the modern environmental movement, but in my opinion it began over 100 years before she wrote her novel Silent Spring. Henry David Thoreau was a well-known environmentalist, and his Walden was utopia to many. He was also one of the first to speak out for the establishment of national nature preserves, though his entreaty, in The Maine Woods wasn’t published until after his death.

However, pre-dating even Thoreau, George Perkins Marsh was one of the first prominent citizens to recognize and acknowledge the destructive effect that humans have on their environment, in a speech to the Agricultural Society of Rutland County, Virginia. His book, Man and Nature; or, Physical Geography as Modified by Human Action could be considered the first environmentalist publication, and was reprinted several times. Others followed Thoreau and Marsh: John Muir, Gifford Pinchot, Robert Sterling Yard, Aldo Leopold, Ansel Adams . . . just to name a few. All called for stewardship to halt the decline of our environment (see http://www.ecotopia.org/ehof/timeline.html ).

But it wasn’t until 1948, when an atmospheric inversion occurred in Donora, Pennsylvania, that our legislature finally recognized the debilitating effect we were having on the world we live in. Let’s talk about this event, which is rarely discussed, but was, in my view, the true beginning of the environmental regulatory era in the US.

An inversion is when the usual air temperature gradient from the earth’s surface to the atmosphere, inverts or flips. Normally, air is warm near the earth and cools as you move higher in the atmosphere. In an inversion, a layer of cool air becomes trapped at the earth’s surface (often in a valley, where it is hemmed in from moving sideways) under a layer of warmer air. In Donora, when this happened, pollutants emitted from the local Donora Zinc Works became trapped as well. The inversion lasted 4 days, and the accumulation of pollution from DZW resulted in the death of at least 20 people, and left many others severely ill. This event led to the first actual environmental legislation, the Air Pollution Control Act of 1955, a precursor to the ‘modern’ Clean Air Act (CAA) of 1970.

So Rachel Carson was really just jumping on a band wagon that started before she was born. I’m not trying to belittle her contribution. Silent Spring, as well as her other books, have provided impetus to the environmental movement – allowing the layperson to understand the problems that our actions, as a species, were having on other species that share this world with us. As a result, our environment, now, is much cleaner than it was 100, or even 50 years ago. We continue to make improvements, and are ever more aware of our impact on the world around us.

In my opinion, our biggest failure in the current environmental debates is an inability to view ourselves as a natural, yes natural, and integral part of the wonderful, living, breathing, and ever-changing world in which we live. As a glaring example, let’s take the hot topic of global warming.

I’m not going to debate whether global warming is occurring – as with all statistical evaluations, that of the earth’s median temperature can be manipulated to support whatever the person doing the manipulation wants to support. I’m a firm believer in the old adage that there are lies, darn lies, and statistics. Let’s assume, for the sake of argument, that the world is warming. The ice caps are melting. The sea levels are rising.

Hmmm, hasn’t this happened before? Perhaps not in the tiny, limited span of our existence on this planet, but it has happened. What did the species alive at the time of this terrible change do?
I'll tell you what they did - they either adapted, or they died, simple as that. I’m a true Darwinist – and please don’t drag me into a religious debate over the theory of Darwin right now (we’ll leave that to another time – as I love to debate organized religion).

My point is this – the earth has changed immensely over the course of its existence, and it will continue to change, regardless of what we puny little humans do or do not do to minimize our impact on it. I’m not saying that it’s a bad idea to curb our fossil fuel appetite, or to reduce the emissions of VOCs (though the whole carbon footprint thing has me a bit flummoxed – another topic for another time), or look for renewable energy sources. All of these are responsible activities; and should continue to be pursued.

But, we need to start thinking about the inevitability of change in our environment, and how we, as a species, are going to adapt to that change. Are we going to continue to rail against nature; rebuild our cities below current sea level; grow lush, green lawns in the middle of the desert; build homes in flood plains . . . Just because we have the brains to allow us to do something, doesn’t mean we should.

In fact, we should use these big, old brains of ours to figure out what the earth is trying to tell us: that she’s a change artist, and we had better prepare ourselves for the inevitability of that change, rather than trying to maintain the status quo.