Fire Ecology

New "Field Notes".  These are short reports that I have been writing for the Montana Natural History Center - which are then broadcast on KUFM - an NPR affiliate based in Missoula.

Field Notes

I've been doing some writing for the Montana Natural History Center.  They have a program called "Field Notes, which airs on KUFM - an NPR station from out of Missoula.  Here are links to short pieces on sharp tailed grouse, bison and wolves.

Overpopulation

One of the things that I want to do with this blog is to draw attention to issues and causes that I care about. Sometimes, I am going to provide links with shorter pieces of commentary.

The Guardian published a short piece about Paul Ehrlich who wrote The Population Bomb in 1968.

I won’t summarize the work, but I think it is worth commenting that population is one of the hardest topics to discuss. On one page, a person was upset by this article, exclaiming: “Killing more people (haven't we killed enough--145 million+ this past century)--is that really the most creative solution we can come up with?”

Of course, Ehrlich has proposed no such thing. Indeed, overpopulation has the potential to cause massive suffering in such forms as plague, starvation, war for scarce resources, and habitat destruction.

Reducing the population can be achieved through means such as education and empowering women. To be certain, it can create problems - especially economic problems. Many programs such as medicare, social security and even private pensions are dependent on a growing population supporting the well being of the elderly. They cannot be sustained as is if the younger generations are smaller than the older ones.

To be certain, it is a big problem, but it is not an impossible one. If we are willing to discuss it and work to prevent the worst ramifications from becoming reality, we can surely fix the problems.

Surely, it is better to fix the problems now, while we have options, than later - when we don’t.

Acadia National Park - The Beehive

For many who come to America’s National Parks, their first experience with the National Park Service is Acadia National Park. The park, first established as National Monument in 1916, was established as Lafayette National Park in 1919 and renamed Acadia in 1929. The idea for a national park east of the Mississippi came from the landscape architect Charles Elliott. Much of the park’s charm comes from the carriage trails that weave throughout the park. The trails were financed by John D. Rockefeller Jr. and designed by Beatrix Farrand.

I was there early in the season, before most of the roads in park were open to cars. Clearly, the carriage trails were popular with bikers and joggers, and next time I am there, I plan to bring my bike.  But for this trip, I wanted to try my hand at the Beehive. I heard about the trail the last time I was in the park, and it didn’t disappoint.  

The bulk of my hiking is done in Greater Yellowstone, where the volcanic history makes good vertical climbing a rare treat. But on Mt. Desert Island - the coastal Maine Island that is the home of Acadia - strong hard granite is the norm. So, the cliff faces of the beehive can support iron rungs used to go pretty much straight up a 500 foot rock outcrop.

In short, it is a thrilling hike.  But the best part of it is not the adrenaline rushes (although they are pretty amazing), but what is nearby. It is often said that people are either ocean or mountain people, but this trail offers the best of both worlds. The trail head is only a few hundred feet from the ocean. After a long winter of snow and skiing, a warm spring climb in the sea salt air, with waves crashing below was one of the most satisfying hikes I have done in years.

To finish off the hike, I headed south to the summit of Gorham Mountain and enjoyed the views of miles of untrammeled Maine coast.  From the bottom of the mountain, I hiked north along the ocean back to the car.