Wednesday, December 12, 2012
OUT!! Disclaimer/Walk Back
With the recent job search I'm conducting as well as the demands of my current work/lifestyle and the needs of the sister blog, I'll be updating here less. Don't worry though. I'll update this once a month starting next year owing to the title of the blog. I just thought I'd make that clear before you guys thought I'd vanished. The need to do two entries for On the Wing takes time and because I'm running the Babe Ruth of Ornithology tournie right now, that eats up some time too. Just some clarification. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
OUT!! #18: Wild Suburbanites and the Domestication of Humankind
Suburbia is the greatest threat to wildlife in regards to habitat loss, shrinking wild spaces, and increasing tensions between the humans that want to live in an area and the wild animals that already do. Or is it?
After taking a walk with a family friend of mine to Earthplace, a nature discovery museum and conservancy in Westport, Connecticut, we looked up to see a White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) bounding across one of the nearby lawns and later walk calmly over to the backyard of one of the neighboring houses. This is hardly surprising after all. As of the year 2000, there was estimated to be over 76,000 deer in the whole of Connecticut with the highest densities in areas with high residential populations, mixed growth forests, and reduced predator populations. This isn't surprising considering that the line between suitable wildlife habitat and resources have been blurred ever since people have lived side by side with wild places.
I remember sitting in my room late one night earlier this fall and had the windows open to have some air flow. The neighbourhood pup was barking up a storm when suddenly it went quiet. I furrowed my brow. "Finally." I thought to myself. The thing barked most nights and it was nice to have some quiet. Instead it was replaced with a different sound. "Yip-yip-kayoooooo!" The howl was followed by a cackle of answering howls and whoops. "Coyotes." I thought to myself. "I've never heard them so close to the house." I listened for a while more as they transitioned through the neighbourhood and faded into the dark of the night. Having such wild creatures so close to our homes, lives, and experiences makes me so glad. It means that regardless of what structures and changes man makes to the environment, animals can adapt (some better than others, but for the sake of the argument I'll continue with what I'm saying) to these new areas and still flourish despite these changes.
Not everyone agrees however. Recently a story in the New York Times caught my attention (see link here) that made me both angry, yet sympathetic. What annoyed me about the article initially was the title. The use of the word "guardian" in relation to the wolves that were being hunted seemed to immediately polarize the audience into those supporting the hunting of the wolves involved and those who think wolves are the symbol of wilderness in need of love and understanding and never to be threatened by the barbarism of hunters who are only doing what's legal under the current laws within that state. As you can probably guess, I'm more sympathetic to the hunters on this one. I do this primarily because anytime a story about hunting hits papers on both coasts, animal rights folks take to the airwaves announcing the cruelties and injustices that these "barbaric" humans do to these creatures.
While I'll let you read the rest of the article, I have come to some conclusions about this whole issue. While this post started out nicely enough, this particular issue has been bugging me for some time. The general gist of the whole issue centers around appropriate use of resources and what our role on the Earth is. I've come to reason that humans with our advances in technology, medicine, architecture etc. have effectively bred ourselves out of the standard problems facing most organisms on this planet. For the most part we have become quite domesticated with cozy houses, plentiful foodstuffs, and the ability to travel easily where ever, when ever. Even those that spend more time outside and possess even a modest set of survival skills can at best be called feral. We're no longer the wild creatures that once fled from the plains to escape Short-faced Bears (Arctodus spp.) and Sabertooth Cats (Smilodon spp.), but instead get worried when gnats and spiders invade our homes. While its certainly a good time to be alive in the more built up areas of the world, I have to say that we're ill-prepared when it comes to disaster. As aftermath of the recent hurricane that devastated parts of New Jersey and New York has come to pass, I waited to hear stories of hope, but also of the ever present news of people who thought that the storm wouldn't be that bad and decided to hide in their houses and apartment blocks. Some had no choice while some knew better, but they stayed nonetheless. There was tragedy, loss of property and lives. People mourn and while I'm saddened by the loss, I know that had they not gambled in the presence of Mother Nature's wrath, they might still be alive today.
I've always marveled at people who return to the place of a coastal natural disaster. The neighbourhood ripped to shreds by wind and water, the soil mixing with sand and destabilizing the roads, and random debris causing chaos throughout. The strength it must take to rebuild your house once, twice, three more times when a blow comes through and levels everything. I still don't know how people in the Midwest deal with tornadoes all summer! What I suppose I'm trying to get at is that people seem to have misplaced priorities when it comes to where it's a good place to live. Next to the beach is cool until it floods during a storm or gets washed away by a hurricane. In the woods is fine until people start complaining about their animal neighbours because they weren't aware that it was their home before they built a luxury cabin nearby. Even in the cities with animals like coyotes (Canis latrans), deer, Red-tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis), and others coming in from shrinking habitats and are finding homes in our yards and gardens, there are some who welcome them, while most are scared of the wild creatures that seem to be stealing ground back from the humans who took it from them. We all have our place in this world, but I think its time we prioritize on what and where ours is. Is it in dominion over the creatures of the Earth or is it in a sustainable manner that allows us to experience those wild lives, but still have ourselves to count on as well. Just a thought.
After taking a walk with a family friend of mine to Earthplace, a nature discovery museum and conservancy in Westport, Connecticut, we looked up to see a White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) bounding across one of the nearby lawns and later walk calmly over to the backyard of one of the neighboring houses. This is hardly surprising after all. As of the year 2000, there was estimated to be over 76,000 deer in the whole of Connecticut with the highest densities in areas with high residential populations, mixed growth forests, and reduced predator populations. This isn't surprising considering that the line between suitable wildlife habitat and resources have been blurred ever since people have lived side by side with wild places.
I remember sitting in my room late one night earlier this fall and had the windows open to have some air flow. The neighbourhood pup was barking up a storm when suddenly it went quiet. I furrowed my brow. "Finally." I thought to myself. The thing barked most nights and it was nice to have some quiet. Instead it was replaced with a different sound. "Yip-yip-kayoooooo!" The howl was followed by a cackle of answering howls and whoops. "Coyotes." I thought to myself. "I've never heard them so close to the house." I listened for a while more as they transitioned through the neighbourhood and faded into the dark of the night. Having such wild creatures so close to our homes, lives, and experiences makes me so glad. It means that regardless of what structures and changes man makes to the environment, animals can adapt (some better than others, but for the sake of the argument I'll continue with what I'm saying) to these new areas and still flourish despite these changes.
Not everyone agrees however. Recently a story in the New York Times caught my attention (see link here) that made me both angry, yet sympathetic. What annoyed me about the article initially was the title. The use of the word "guardian" in relation to the wolves that were being hunted seemed to immediately polarize the audience into those supporting the hunting of the wolves involved and those who think wolves are the symbol of wilderness in need of love and understanding and never to be threatened by the barbarism of hunters who are only doing what's legal under the current laws within that state. As you can probably guess, I'm more sympathetic to the hunters on this one. I do this primarily because anytime a story about hunting hits papers on both coasts, animal rights folks take to the airwaves announcing the cruelties and injustices that these "barbaric" humans do to these creatures.
While I'll let you read the rest of the article, I have come to some conclusions about this whole issue. While this post started out nicely enough, this particular issue has been bugging me for some time. The general gist of the whole issue centers around appropriate use of resources and what our role on the Earth is. I've come to reason that humans with our advances in technology, medicine, architecture etc. have effectively bred ourselves out of the standard problems facing most organisms on this planet. For the most part we have become quite domesticated with cozy houses, plentiful foodstuffs, and the ability to travel easily where ever, when ever. Even those that spend more time outside and possess even a modest set of survival skills can at best be called feral. We're no longer the wild creatures that once fled from the plains to escape Short-faced Bears (Arctodus spp.) and Sabertooth Cats (Smilodon spp.), but instead get worried when gnats and spiders invade our homes. While its certainly a good time to be alive in the more built up areas of the world, I have to say that we're ill-prepared when it comes to disaster. As aftermath of the recent hurricane that devastated parts of New Jersey and New York has come to pass, I waited to hear stories of hope, but also of the ever present news of people who thought that the storm wouldn't be that bad and decided to hide in their houses and apartment blocks. Some had no choice while some knew better, but they stayed nonetheless. There was tragedy, loss of property and lives. People mourn and while I'm saddened by the loss, I know that had they not gambled in the presence of Mother Nature's wrath, they might still be alive today.
I've always marveled at people who return to the place of a coastal natural disaster. The neighbourhood ripped to shreds by wind and water, the soil mixing with sand and destabilizing the roads, and random debris causing chaos throughout. The strength it must take to rebuild your house once, twice, three more times when a blow comes through and levels everything. I still don't know how people in the Midwest deal with tornadoes all summer! What I suppose I'm trying to get at is that people seem to have misplaced priorities when it comes to where it's a good place to live. Next to the beach is cool until it floods during a storm or gets washed away by a hurricane. In the woods is fine until people start complaining about their animal neighbours because they weren't aware that it was their home before they built a luxury cabin nearby. Even in the cities with animals like coyotes (Canis latrans), deer, Red-tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis), and others coming in from shrinking habitats and are finding homes in our yards and gardens, there are some who welcome them, while most are scared of the wild creatures that seem to be stealing ground back from the humans who took it from them. We all have our place in this world, but I think its time we prioritize on what and where ours is. Is it in dominion over the creatures of the Earth or is it in a sustainable manner that allows us to experience those wild lives, but still have ourselves to count on as well. Just a thought.
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