Environmental Advisory Committees and Historic Preservation

January 21, 2012 – 11:55 AM

Environmental Advisory Committees and Historic Preservation

At first glance a historic district appears to be separate from the purpose of an Environmental Advisory Committee at the township or county level. For townships without a historic preservation committee or historic zoning ordinances, establishing these ordinances can be an essential tool in land preservation and protection, one of the major goals of an EAC. The designation of a property, a structure or an area as historical or part of a historic district gives it certain legal protections through the U.S. National Register of Historic Places and various Pennsylvania laws along with access to federal, state, local and private funding sources.

The reasons for and benefits of historic preservation and historic districts by an EAC are:

1.) To preserve and protect the disappearing culture and history of “small town America”. This
includes preserving and encouraging traditional agricultural practices that are often safer than
the modern ones. Traditional methods using crop rotation, a large diversity of crops instead of
monoculture, tasty and hardy resistant “heirloom” varieties and manure for fertilizer are much
safer than the modern use of agricultural chemicals, flavorless vegetables, monoculture and
genetically modified crops.
2.) To encourage small businesses which are owned and run by residents of the community. The
businesses employ family members and other community residents. This increases the
local employment rate and encourages community participation by the business. Fuel
consumption is decreased as employees can often walk to their jobs or they commute a much
shorter distance than someone from outside the immediate area.
3.) Small business owners are more sensitive to the needs of the community, more responsive and
more responsible to the community since they are residents of the community. They usually will
not destroy their “backyards” because they live there and have social/family pressure to not harm
their community.
4.) Protecting the historic buildings and the history of the community prevents businesses from
establishing that are not owned locally and are not as sensitive or responsible to the community
as locally owned and run businesses.
5.) A historic district can become a cultural center encouraging, displaying and selling the art, music
and hand crafts of the local area. For people to visit a cultural center requires that the area be
environmentally healthy.
6.) Preserving historic buildings is a lot cheaper and uses fewer natural resources than erecting new
buildings which often do not fit into the cultural or environmental landscape of the community.
7.) Once a historic district is registered with the U.S. National Register of Historic Places there is
money available for preservation and restoration from the State of Pennsylvania and the U.S.
government.
8.) The Small Business Administration and chambers of commerce have expertise and often money
available to help small businesses and make them successful, enriching their community.
9.) If Community Supported Agriculture is tied into the historic district by way of a farmer’s market or
fruit and vegetable stand, there are the added benefits of farm protection and healthier foods,
usually at a lower price than found at a supermarket. At the same time, a small business is created, supported and protected.

Inherently, any time land is protected from development or other forms of degradation/destruction by historic preservation, the environment is protected. If a municipality has an Environmental Advisory Committee, but lacks a Historic Preservation Committee, then the EAC has the ability and right to fill this void.

By rtgardner3 | Posted in Conservation Challenges, Conservation Solutions | Comments (0)

Ailanthus altissima, a Problem Land Managers Can Eliminate

January 18, 2012 – 10:07 AM

Ailanthus altissima, a Problem Land Managers Can Eliminate

 

Ailanthus altissima is one of many non-native invasive plants that plague land managers in Pennsylvania.  In our area, it is the most common non-native invasive tree.  Its strengths are It is clonal, a mature female produces a huge number of samaras each year which can spread across landscape, is allelopathic, outcompetes other plants for sunlight by its very rapid growth rate and can “drown” out other plants by forming dense clonal stands from a few parent trees.

With all its strengths Ailanthus has several important weaknesses which can be exploited for its control.  The first and foremost is that it is dioecious, having separate male and female trees.  The second and possibly greatest weakness is that it is non-native with several relatives in North America.  The third weakness is that it tends to form dense clonal stands with no barriers to stop the spread of disease or pests.  The fourth weak point is that if has a limited vascular system.  Together, these weaknesses present opportunities for land managers.

Dioeciousness allows the focus to be on half of the mature trees in an area.  While male trees are important, when doing landscape triage, female trees should be the first target.  If a female tree can be killed or sterilized before the seeds mature, the spread of this plant can be contained.  Once the female trees are controlled, then the male trees and the immature seedlings and saplings can be eliminated.

Ailanthus altissima is not native to the Americas.  However, many family members are.  This allows biocontrol biologists to survey native Simbouracae family members for insects and pathogens that can be used as safe native biocontrols.  I have seen many dying and dead stands throughout the mid-Atlantic area.  There are at least three pathogens and two insects which are actively killing or injuring Ailanthus.  My own research has focused on the insects Atteva punctella (native) and Aculops ailanthi with the phytopathogen Fusarium oxysporum in a complex web of interrelationships.  Penn State is focusing on the phytopathogen Verticillium albo-atrum and is trying to understand the mechanism of its spread.

Dense interconnected stands of a plant with limited genetic variability opens that stand to its extinction. The limited genetic variability or heterogeneity makes Ailanthus an easy target with limited ability to fight off phytophagous insects or diseases.  Once a phytophagous insect or a disease is found in a stand or an area with many stands, the insect will be able to spread from stand to stand and the disease has a strong possibility to do the same.  If a phytophagous insect of Ailanthus occurs together a pathogen of Ailanthus, then the pair can act synergistically to control Ailanthus.  The herbivorous insect can transport the disease between stands.  The disease can make the plant easier food by weakening its defenses.  If more than one pathogen and phytophagous insect occur together, the possibilities are even greater.

The limited vascular system of Ailanthus is due to its swift growth.  My field research has shown that apparently there is a limited amount of horizontal structure in the vascular cambium with few interconnections between columns of xylem or phloem.  This means that herbicides or pathogens will spread swiftly to the roots or stems and leaves from the site of introduction.  It also means that once a vascular column is killed, the tree will have a hard time repairing the damaged tissues.  Remembering that a tree is basically a water pipe between the roots and leaves, damaging the vascular cambium will block the movement of water and other nutrients throughout the tree in the same way a damaged water main prevents the flow of water in a city.  The downside is that it is harder for a pathogen or herbicide to reach all parts of the tree.

The practical application of the weaknesses of Ailanthus is that it is controllable in defined landscapes.  I have been developing a method I call “Drill and Fill” so that Ailanthus trees can be efficiently killed by volunteers in parks, arboretums and environmentally sensitive areas with limited human risk and environmental damage.  I drill 3/8” holes through the vascular cambium, 1½” to 2” deep, about every 2” around the girth of trees with a circumference of 8” or more.  Glyphosate concentration needs to be as high as possible and always at least 40%.  I have been using a concentration of 50.2%.  Several mL of dish soap can be added to a liter to act as a surfactant to help the glyphosate spread throughout the tree.  For branches that are not part of the crown holes need to be drilled directly under them to kill them.  Hollow trees can be a special problem of their own as the drill bit will often pass through the vascular cambium into the hollow space allowing the glyphosate to do the same.

One precaution here is that this application needs to be done with the purpose of killing in one application.  Apparently, if a tree is not killed in the first application, resistance develops and new holes need to be drilled as the older holes are blocked off by the tree.  If this happens, make sure the new holes are offset from the original holes and a much stronger concentration of glyphosate is used.

To this point, I have not focused on the immature clones, seedlings or saplings.  My guess is that if the Ailanthus web worm Atteva punctella or the eriophyoid mite Aculops ailanthi are present in the stand or immediate area, these smaller trees will be taken care of.  To enhance the population size of Atteva punctella, planting patches of native nectar species nearby such as various species of goldenrod will give the adults a reliable food source and should enhance their fecundity.  The goal should be a reliable food source from early May through frost.  Near Hawk Mountain in SGL 110 there is a patch of Canadian goldenrod, Solidago canadensis, with a dying Ailanthus stand surrounding it.  Adult Atteva punctella have been seen feeding on the goldenrod.  Their larvae have been on the trees from seedling to adult size.  In close association is the eriophyoid mite Aculops ailanthi.  At the same time, the adult trees appear to be dying of disease.  This is most probably a Verticillium or Fusarium wilt.  My guess is that the mites are being spread by wind, Atteva punctella and possibly birds.  The pathogen is most probably being spread in one of two ways. The wind may be spreading the pathogen and it is infecting through the (feeding) wounds caused by Atteva punctella.  Or the pathogen is in the gut and/or on the bodies of the web worm and the mite entering the tree though feeding wounds or injected while feeding.

The one action that no one should ever do is cut down or heavily prune Ailanthus trees. This causes a defense mechanism to start producing clones. Once started there will be an almost infinite number of clones from the stumps at distances of up to 30 meters from the parent tree. I have seen the resulting dense stands of several hundred clones in many places, including along our highways.

In summary, Ailanthus altissima is not an insurmountable problem.  Chemical and partial biocontrol when used together should be able to control this weed tree in defined areas with some, but not an excessive amount of volunteer time.  My experience working alone with a drill, 2 battery packs and a spray bottle of concentrated glyphosate I was able to inject up to 30 adult trees from 8” girth to over 50” girth with the charge of both battery packs, about 2 hours.

 

By rtgardner3 | Posted in Conservation Solutions | Comments (2)

Environmental Activism – Why and How: An Ecologists Speaks

January 15, 2012 – 9:41 AM

Environmental Activism – Why and How

An Ecologist Speaks

Activism is intimately attached to the profession of an ecologist.  To become a part of a discipline that is as important to human survival and quality of life as protecting the natural world from human ignorance, willfulness and greed is to become an activist.  To be separate from the political debate and social activism goes against the grain of being an ecologist.

Belief alone is never enough.  Unless belief is active and a natural part of an ecologist’s life, it is empty words, useless gestures and meaningless research.  In other fields scientists can be detached from the world around them.  Ecologists do not have that choice by the nature of our field.  Our research needs to be open and unbiased even though our actions are naturally going to be biased by our beliefs.  Our activism is a natural outgrowth of our beliefs and our research.

There are three essential pillars to activism:

1.)   Be a member of an organization that stands and advocates for a cause.

2.)   Be connected locally.

3.)   Belong to and be active in a major political party.

The first pillar, being a member of an organization that stands and advocates for a cause, gives the activist validity by attaching that person to a definable cause and organization.  This helps define what the person is standing for and their degree of commitment.  If possible, be part of one of the committees or the board of directors.  Show that this is important to you by leading activities and volunteering as needed.  Having a title attached to your name gives policy makers another way of remembering and recognizing you.  It also shows that this cause is important enough to you that you became an integral part of an organization representing this cause.

Local connection, the second pillar, serves as both a base of support and a way of keeping in touch with the needs of the local community by being a part of it.  Emotional support and the knowledge that what you are doing matters comes from the local community.  A person who loses this will lose touch with what is important and lose focus.  That person will begin to follow their ego doing the personally/politically expedient, not the moral and right. This trap can be avoided by being a vital part of your community such as by being on the EAC, a planning board or member of a related activity such as a hiking club, naturalist society or nature education center.

The third pillar, belonging to a major political party, gives an activist access to policy makers or the ability to become one.  Good policy can only come from good policy makers.  There are only two ways of having good policy makers – teaching the present/future policy makers or becoming one.  Policy makers cannot make good decisions about policies they either know little about or misunderstand.  The challenge in educating policy makers is to put the issues in terms they can understand, showing how they benefit their constituency and the American people.  Being a part of a major political party allows the access to policy makers or ability to become one that being outside the system does not.

How does this relate to my life?  I am on the Upper Bern Township Environmental and Agriculture Advisory Committee.  I am a member of a political party.  I have actively campaigned for candidates, local and national.   I am a member of several professional organizations at which I have done professional presentations.  Recently, we joined the Blue Mountain Eagle Climbing Club.­  We hike the trails in and around Upper Bern Township and are becoming intimately familiar with the Kittatinny Matrix.  When hiking, we make an effort to talk with the people hiking and hunting in the state game lands and forests.  This has helped us to understand the concerns and misunderstandings of the people who live in and use our township.  At the same time it establishes us as caring and informed members of the township.

Being an ecologist is more than just doing research.  It is a large part activism and involvement.  It is participating in the local community and becoming an important voice for change at whatever level we feel we can make the greatest contribution; local, state, national or world.  It is doing my part to make sure that at least my part of the world is better when I leave than when I was born.  It is leadership by example and participation.

By rtgardner3 | Posted in Conservation Challenges | Comments (0)

Federal Highlands Funds Protect the Oley Hills

January 13, 2012 – 7:33 PM

On January 12th, Congressman Jim Gerlach, AMC and the Highlands Coalition, joined The Berks Conservancyand other partners to celebrate the preservation of 582 acres in the Oley Hills region east of Reading, made possible with $492,750 in federal Highlands Conservation Act funding, provided through the Land and Water Conservation Fund.  The addition brings the total to 2,800 acres that have been be permanently protected from development in this area of the Pennsylvania Highlands, protecting critical wildlife habitat and downstream drinking water supplies.  The land will be protected in perpetuity thanks to a conservation easement with the cooperation of eight landowners.

Reading Eagle Article

WFMZ Video

By conserveland | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)

Preservation Still Matters

January 11, 2012 – 2:01 PM

Guest Post By Kate Harper, Chair, Montgomery County Lands Trust

Two large properties are for sale in my neighborhood. Together, they represent about 250 acres. The development of either or both has the potential to radically change our community. My neighbors are worried—they have grown used to the lovely vistas of fields and forests they can see from the upstairs windows or from the backyard; the wildlife that threatens their gardens but is nonetheless a part of our natural habitat; and the trails around the edges where we can walk dogs, pick wildflowers or scrounge for pinecones for wintry decorating. Neighbors a mile or so downstream are oblivious to the beneficial effects of these open fields and the forests for storm water management and air quality, but they benefit, too, whether they know it or not.

No one blames the landowners—they raised their families here, they kept the land open, and now a big house and a farm are just too much to take care of alone. The neighbors pause along the trail, or in the supermarket, or after church, to ask, “Have you heard? It’s for sale! What will happen next? Who will buy the land? What will be built there?”  They know every piece of land is zoned for something and every landowner has a right to develop in accordance with the zoning. They understand that the house and the land are the landowners’ retirement accounts, and do not begrudge their neighbors’ asking prices. Still they worry.

They are not unlike those Americans surveyed by the National Association for Realtors (NAR) last summer, while the recession depressed housing, development and real estate in general, and “suburban sprawl” was no longer a topic of discussion at local government meetings. According to the NAR magazine, “Nevertheless, a strong anti-sprawl sentiment emerged when people were asked to prioritize a list of housing and community issues facing their state governments. Preserving farms and open spaces was the number one issue with 53% of the people saying it was a high or extremely high priority. Creating new developments was dead last at 24%.”

This is not to say, of course, that development itself is a bad thing—that’s how my neighborhood got built, of course, and it could not exist without nearby shopping and commercial business locations and employment opportunities. Instead, what it indicates is that every well-developed community has a variety of factors that include housing developments, commercial, industrial and office development that offer employment opportunities (and also function as a varied and stable tax base to fund the schools), but also some open spaces, natural areas, trails and recreation spaces. Lucky communities still host a farm or two for nearby local produce. As the survey pointed out, people value communities that have all of these things, and they include farms, parks, trails and open spaces as a priority.

In America, open land is part of our DNA. We have a gut reaction to it, quite apart from its value to the community for many tangible reasons. In Winter, open land provides natural areas for “stopping by the woods on a snowy evening,” like Robert Frost; in the Spring, its ability to let the rain fall gently and infiltrate the fields helps manage storm water; in the Summer, the land provides a place for the crack of a bat to herald the Little League season, or to grow corn and fresh vegetables; and in the Fall, the harvest includes hay rides, soccer games, and a free fall foliage show to delight the senses.

So of course my neighbors are worried. But they needn’t be. Luckily for us, both of these families, generously working with local land trusts, conservancies and watershed associations, as well as supportive county and state government programs, made the decision to preserve the land in its open and natural state “in perpetuity” several years ago. Under the watchful eyes of the conservancies, the houses and part of the land will be sold, but not developed. Ever.

Open space programs can be viewed as a “frill” in hard times like the ones we are experiencing now. Land trusts can be viewed as less deserving of private and foundation support than other charitable organizations. And yet, the work of preserving the land that should be saved continues. Properties come on the market for all sorts of reasons, and we need to be ready to preserve the land that should be kept open, and to make sure the promises of the conservation or farmland preservation easements are kept by new owners. Our communities need these open lands, and they are counting on us.  If land trusts and conservation organizations did not exist, much of what we value in our communities would be irrevocably lost.

State Representative Kate Harper, R-61st, Montgomery, chairs the Board of Directors of the Montgomery County Lands Trust, a nationally accredited 501 (c)(3) nonprofit conservancy that works every day to preserve the land that should be saved in Montgomery County.

By conserveland | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (1)

Preservation of 467 Acres and Jeffrey Marshall’s Advancement to President

January 9, 2012 – 12:03 PM

Heritage Conservancy, an accredited not-for-profit conservation organization that specializes in preserving our natural and historic heritage, announced the preservation of 467 acres of land in 2011, while simultaneously announcing the elevation of the Conservancy’s Chief Preservation Officer, Jeffrey Marshall, to President of the organization.

Due to partnerships with federal, state, county and municipal agencies, Heritage Conservancy was able to preserve 467 acres over the last twelve months. Even with the economic challenges of limited public funding, the Conservancy was able to demonstrate its collective abilities to partner with various government entities. Securing funding is the most difficult challenge of land conservation. Heritage Conservancy is continually thankful for the funding support provided by loyal partners.

The year’s successes showcased the efforts of the Conservancy’s Resource Protection service area, which has been led by Jeffrey Marshall for the past 15 years. Mr. Marshall, who celebrated 30 years of service with the organization in 2010, recently assumed a new position as President of Heritage Conservancy. He is the author of several books, including “Farmhouses of Bucks County” and “Barns of Bucks County,” and is a nationally recognized expert in land conservation and historic preservation. As President, he will lead the Conservancy’s principal mission-related initiatives including Lasting Landscapes, historic preservation, land transaction negotiation, and high-level strategic masterplanning.

“The diligent work of our team consistently affirms our mission of protecting our region’s natural and historic heritage,” said Marshall. “I’m honored to accept the position of President of Heritage Conservancy, and thank the Board of Directors for this vote of confidence. Their enthusiasm and commitment to the Conservancy’s mission over the last many decades has been unrivaled. Our Chairman, Marv Woodall, continues to lead by example, and it is a privilege to work alongside him.”

Mr. Marshall’s advancement places him at the helm of the Conservancy’s management, together with Chief Operating Officer Linda Cacossa, who is responsible for the day-to-day business operations of the Conservancy, and Chairman of the Board Marvin Woodall, who has served on the organization’s board for over 18 years. Collectively, these three positions form the Senior Leadership Team, which plans, develops, and establishes organizational policies, objectives and priorities.

“The Conservancy has made great strides in our more than fifty year history, including the perpetual preservation of over 10,000 acres of land in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, as well as numerous historically significant structures, including our headquarters at Aldie Mansion,” said Marvin Woodall, Chairman of the Board. “The well deserved elevation of dedicated leader Jeffrey Marshall to President and the appointment of Linda Cacossa to Chief Operating Officer earlier this year has provided a solid foundation upon which we can continue to grow and expand our core mission of protecting and preserving our natural and historic heritage.”

By conserveland | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)

Smarter Than God and Greedier than Satan, The Arrogance of Humans Towards the Environment

December 12, 2011 – 10:37 AM

The two largest issues in ecology are 1.) that people constantly think that they are smarter than God, that they can Improve on Nature and what God has created and 2.) selfish and short sighted greed, which makes Satan look like an angel of Light.  Together these two issues, which are inherent in humans, have caused wars, destroyed cultures and ruined the ecology of this world.

 

In Science Fiction and Fantasy one of the recurring themes is terraforming and transforming other worlds to make them fit into human concepts of what is natural and necessary for human survival.  The humans and presumably human-like aliens are constantly taking worlds that they are not suited or designed for and making them into their own image.  Instead of recognizing the design of the Creator and appreciating it, they constantly change it into a form that was never inherent in that world.  Real beauty is transformed into an unnatural horror of human/alien design.  The end result has to be destruction of the natural system and eventually the unnatural inhabitants of that world.

 

With humans and this world we do the same.  We take areas that are beautiful and functioning systems, turning them into twisted human concepts of beauty or even worse, supposed human functionality.  Cities, total ecological failures, are put into deserts, thriving jungles are cut down for pastures, rivers of extreme beauty are channeled and dammed.  In North America, this is evidenced by the Colorado River.  It once flowed unimpeded through the American West.  It sustained a diverse and wonderful series of ecosystems dependent on its water and seasonal cycles.  Now it is a damaged and polluted mess that never reaches the Pacific Ocean as it was designed to do.  At the same time suburban communities are placed in deserts surrounding the Colorado River, farms are placed where they are totally dependent on irrigation from the river, cattle destroy riparian buffers.  Areas that once were wonderful examples of beauty are now examples of apocalyptic destruction.  All this is done in the name of human progress and greed.

 

In the Eastern United States we have many examples of taking God’s apparent mistakes and making them into human mistakes.  My favorite is the filling in of wetlands such as was done at the Meadowland for Giants Stadium in northern New Jersey.  Unable to recognize the marsh as a vital component of a healthy ocean system, it was filled in as wasted space.  Now instead of a hatchery for fish, the start of a system that provides an important human food source and a filter for pollutants, there is a monstrosity of concrete, pavement and foul air.  Is it a wonder that the mid-Atlantic fisheries are collapsing?

 

Swamps are the same issue.  They are drained, filled in and used for garbage dumps or have cookie cutter subdivisions built on them.  Instead of being a source of beauty and the foundation of many terrestrial food webs, they have become wasted and polluted burdens.  Water that was once filtered by the wetlands and a source of clean drinking water is now polluted runoff needing expensive filters and chemicals to make it drinkable.  The once thriving wildlife has become limited and in many cases extinct.

 

Another good example of our arrogance is the pesticides we use.  DDT is a prime example.  Once it was thought to be the ultimate insecticide.  Now it is recognized as the source of extinction of many of our magnificent birds of prey.  Beyond this, our agricultural pesticides, cheap, efficient and easy to use have seeped into the aquifers.  So instead of having an available and readily accessible source of clean drinking water, we have farmers becoming incapacitated by Parkinson’s Disease.

 

Invasive plants are my specialty.  Instead of appreciating the native species, humans had to bring in exotic species to “improve” the local ecosystems and make them “more comfortable” for our self-created environments.  Anyone who has walked in a forest or even driven along our highways sees the disasters we have created.  A walk in wooded areas will often be a tutorial in human arrogance.  A trail that runs from near Baltimore, MD to York, PA may have more invasive non-native plant species than native ones.  Whole stretches are nothing but non-native honeysuckles, Oriental Bittersweet, multiflora rose, Russian Olive, Tree-of-Heaven, garlic mustard and many more species.  The natives have been drowned out by the non-natives.

 

While on the subject of introduced exotic plants, one of my favorite examples of humans being smarter than God is the importing of plants to improve wildlife by providing food and cover.  Ecological reality is that imported plants are not food or cover for the vast majority of native wildlife species.  For example, Russian Olive was brought from Asia to serve as wildlife cover and food.  It does neither for the most native wildlife species.  While native plants can feed many hundreds of species starting with primary consumers and ending up with top level predators such as hawks and falcons.

 

In the Florida Everglades, the exotic wildlife is destroying the native.  For example, Burmese pythons which were introduced as pets are eating native wildlife, pushing species to extinction.  Added to this, the Everglades are in constant danger of going dry, because instead of conserving water, it is drained from this magnificent ecosystem to help humans flush toilets and wash their cars.  Satan could not have developed a more perfect destructive system of true beauty based on our shortsightedness and business based greed.

 

Construction on barrier islands along the Atlantic Ocean beaches from Maine to Florida and the Gulf Coast are disasters that happen continually.  Barrier islands are designed to be transient and constantly moving barriers to buffer the effects of the ocean against the mainland.  Instead of understanding the purpose of this incredible geological and biological system, houses have been built along with an artificial economic systems created to sustain something naturally unsustainable.  We all pay taxes that are subsides that pay people to build and maintain homes, businesses and  associated infrastructure in a system that was not designed for it.  Every hurricane and often minor storms cause millions of dollars in damage that if humans were smart enough to build in safer areas would not happen.  Imagine the effect hurricane Katrina would have had if the natural landscape was protected and allowed to do what it is designed to do.  The city of New Orleans would not have been destroyed by the weight of human greed and stupidity.  Millions of people were displaced, with their homes and economic security destroyed because we were smarter than God.

 

In the case of view shed protection, it is hard to put a monetary value on aesthetics.  It is much easier to build a shopping mall that pollutes and destroys beauty for the profit of a few.  However, when the naturally beautiful is destroyed, humans suffer in many ways.   Our mental health is destroyed along with our physical.  We end up spending more time in front of the television than walking or just sitting and appreciating the wonderful free gifts of God.

 

Near where I live is the Appalachian Trail.  When on the trail I hear the cars and trucks along I-78 more than the sounds of waterfalls and the calls of song birds.  When there are breaks in the trees I see acre sized buildings and eye hurting subdivisions, not the restful green of living forest and farm.  On the south side of Reading, PA there is Neversink Mountain.  Hiking it this past summer was an awakening.  Looking down the mountain there was nothing but houses, factories and roads.  The weight of the ugliness bruised my spirit and soul.

 

The more people disconnect from the natural world, the less healthy we become in all aspects of life.  The air we breathe becomes polluted.  The water we drink becomes filled with chemicals to counteract the chemicals we contaminated it with.  The land becomes painful to look at.  The end result is a people sick in body, soul and mind.  We become hostile, depressed and withdrawn.  Connecting with our neighbors and the world at large is more difficult.  Freedom is compromised because the lack of natural aesthetics makes us more susceptible to being led by people even more disconnected and greedy than ourselves.  Eventually when we destroy enough of our world, our societies will collapse into anarchy and chaos.  It has happened throughout history.  It will continue happening until our arrogance and near-sighted greed either ends with our world’s complete destruction or the lessons are learned and we view ourselves as part of the natural world, not separate from it.

 

Nature pushes back every time we push it.  As Isaac Newton stated, every action produces an equal and opposite reaction.  The harder we push nature by our shortsightedness and greed, the harder Nature will push back.  We will then blame God for an Armageddon we ourselves created, being smarter than God and greedier than Satan.

 

What can we do?  Begin to realize that simple and obvious answers are usually the wrong answers.  Nature and natural systems are not single tier, but complex and multi-layered.  We need to think not about the immediate results of an action, but the results further out and deeper.  The use of non-renewable fossil fuels is an example.  The first level is a source of power for our vehicles and our businesses.  However, when looking at the next level we see the pollutants that cause the air to be unbreathable.  The next level is the effects of the extracting and processing on our environments.  Is a refinery in an estuary really the best use of that estuary or does it destroy other equally or more valuable resources such as the fin and shellfish we eat?  Next are the non-local impacts.  What will happen with all the pollutants caused by billions of gallons of fuel being burned?  How much can the atmosphere and ground process before becoming overloaded or poisoned?  Finally, what are the overall consequences to people in physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health effects?

 

Locally fracking and long wall mining are major issues.  In the short term there is another source of hydrocarbons for heating our houses.  On the next level, any time a layer rock is removed or radically altered, there will be changes such as ground water contamination and ground subsidence.  This is basic physics.  Then there are view shed and other disturbances that destroy the economies of the residents.  Ecologically attractive areas such as forests and estuaries are huge sources of local income simply because they reconnect people with their natural heritage.  Add to this that the more development, especially short term, the higher the taxes to pay for the needed increase in infrastructure and remediation when the resource is depleted.

 

I have learned that when there is profit to be made, especially by people who have no inherent interest in a local area, there will be lies and misstated truths told.  Their shortsighted greed will not be in the best interests of the residents of a community.  The profits will superficially appear to benefit the local community, but in the long term degrade the quality of life of that community.

 

Learn to look deeper and to ask questions.  Learn that simple answers are not enough as we deal with complex systems.  Spend time in your local ecosystem, learning what it is and appreciating its complex beauty.  Then stand up and act against people who think they are smarter than God and are greedier than Satan.

By rtgardner3 | Posted in Conservation Challenges | Comments (0)

Patriotism and Environmentalism

November 11, 2011 – 5:07 PM

Patriotism and Environmentalism

Richard Gardner

September 16, 2011

“The health of a country depends on the health of its
ecosystems.  When a society pushes the carrying capacity of their ecosystems to the limits, a small disruption is all that is necessary for the ecosystems and immediately thereafter, the society, to collapse.  In North America, both the Mound Builders of the Ohio Valley and the Anasazi of the Southwest can tracetheir decline to environmental collapse due to their ecosystems becoming fragile from overuse and poor stewardship followed by an environmental disruption such as a drought.”  Excerpted from the thesis of Richard Gardner, completed in 2008,
University of Maryland

Imagine walking around in a shirt that is full of small tears, snags and holes.  Then imagine
giving this same shirt as an heirloom to our children.  This is what it is like to oppose
environmental ordinances and common sense conservation.  We say it is our land and we can do what we want with it.  The very simple truth is that the land is ours for only a short time then it is passed on.  What we destroy selfishly in the short term is the heritage of our children, grandchildren and succeeding generations.

Patriotism is conserving our natural resources for future generations.  When I look at the history
of resource use in America and throughout the world I see a constant cycle of shortsighted exploitation followed by long term decline.  My great grandparents left Calabria because
the land was unable to support them.  This was due to a series of laws with short term profits as the goal instead of long term conservation.  The land eroded and the people went hungry.  Once a resourceis destroyed, it is gone and children are made poorer by the loss.

People say that Science will find a new resource or a way once a resource is destroyed.  As a
Scientist, I know that this is wrong.  Scientists cannot bring back a resource that no longer exists nor create resources from nothing.  Resources are limited, our own greed is not.

How does this relate to the shirt?  Every time we oppose very basic conservation of resources by simple and common sense ideas like recycling, gas conservation, flood plain protection, watershed restoration, view shed preservation and land protection, we add another tear or pull to that shirt.  Eventually the tears, pulls and holes in the shirt become obvious and the garment unusable.  In the case of the environment, the shirt is irreplaceable and we are
poorer as a nation and people because of it.

How does this relate to Patriotism?  Patriotism is the preserving of resources in the long term so that my People and my Country remain strong.  Treason on the other hand is the short term exploitation/destruction of resources that destroys the future strength of my People and my Country.

 

By rtgardner3 | Posted in Conservation Challenges | Tagged | Comments (0)

Virginia Logan Named Executive Director of the Brandywine Conservancy

November 8, 2011 – 10:56 AM

The Board of Trustees of the Brandywine Conservancy announced today the appointment of Virginia A. Logan as the next executive director of the organization.  Ms. Logan will assume the position upon the retirement of the current executive director, James H. Duff, on December 31, 2011.

Ms. Logan will take leadership of the Brandywine Conservancy, founded in 1967, as the organization prepares to move forward with the next phase of its important work in preserving the region’s natural and cultural legacy.

“I am honored to become Executive Director of the Brandywine Conservancy, which is one of the region’s most significant stewards of art, culture and the environment,” said Ms. Logan. “The Brandywine River  Museum’s unparalleled collections, exhibitions, and programs are widely admired. Through its Environmental Management Center, the Conservancy has done tremendous work in open space preservation , advocating for responsible land use and preservation of water quality. Working together with its accomplished staff, I look forward to building on the Conservancy’s many strengths as we begin a new chapter in its history.”

Ms. Logan brings to the Brandywine Conservancy business acumen and leadership skills sharpened in both the corporate and nonprofit worlds. Her executive experience in the nonprofit sector includes nearly a decade on the board of directors of the Philadelphia Boys Choir & Chorale (PBCC). During her seven years as chairman of the board, Ms. Logan led the 40 year-old organization through a key period of strategic planning which prepared the PBCC for a new phase of growth.

During her 25-year career at Sunoco, Inc., a Fortune 100 company, Ms. Logan held a variety of roles most recently managing a public affairs organization that included communications, corporate philanthropy, government affairs, and community relations.  Prior long-term roles were leading operations with profit and loss responsibility for a large segment of the company’s retail marketing business and overseeing a commercial law practice group.

Commenting on Ms. Logan’s qualifications and background, George A. Weymouth, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Brandywine Conservancy said, “We had an extensive search for Mr. Duff’s successor. Ms. Logan brings a unique set of skills to the Brandywine Conservancy.  We are very fortunate to have found an individual with Ms. Logan’s varied experience as our next leader.”

Ms. Logan, a Rosemont, Penn., resident, holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Lafayette College and a Juris Doctor degree from the Villanova University School of Law.

The Brandywine Conservancy began in 1967 to protect from industrial development two parcels of land in the historic village of Chadds Ford.  It has developed a variety of innovative programs to conserve the natural and cultural resources of the Brandywine watershed and other selected areas with a primary emphasis on water quality and quantity.  Through its Environmental Management Center, it provides assistance to local governments in pursuit of these goals.  The Conservancy has preserved–through conservation easements and other methods–more than 44,000 acres.  It owns and manages more than 2,600 acres in Pennsylvania and Delaware that include many historic properties and structures.

The Conservancy’s Brandywine River Museum opened in 1972 in a renovated Civil War-era grist mill.  The museum features a renowned collection of American art-with primary emphasis on the Brandywine region, American illustration, landscape and still life work.  The museum also owns and conducts public programs at the N. C. Wyeth studio and house (with approximately 9,000 objects that aid interpretation of that site) as well as the Kuerner Farm, which inspired nearly 1,000 works of art by Andrew Wyeth.  

By conserveland | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)

Conservation Pioneer, Eleanor May Morris, Passes Away

October 27, 2011 – 8:48 AM

Eleanor May Morris, a pioneer in using conservation easements to save open space, died peacefully at her home in Pughtown on Sunday, September 11, 2011. She was 92. Mrs. Morris’ interest in preserving land, streams, and history coalesced when the French and Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust acquired an 18th century flour mill and the land surrounding it in Chester Springs to save the property from development. She was a founding member of The Mill at Anselma Preservation and Education Trust when the mill, now a National Historic Landmark, was spun off as a separate not-for-profit organization. (Read more)

By conserveland | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)
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