“The truth is: the natural world is changing. And we are totally dependent on that world.
It provides our food, water and air.
It is the most precious thing we have and we need to defend it.” ― Sir David Attenborough
The weatherman says El Nino is here for certain. He says it will be with us for the
rest of this year and into the next. Thankfully we had a nice wet snow on the fourth and fifth.
Hopefully El Nino will bring a moist winter this year, but the growing season is still uncertain
as to what effects will come. Historically it will be a bit warmer and perhaps more humid. El
Nino stirs up storms, especially hurricanes. I guess, time will tell.
El Nino is just one marker in the on-going changing climate. This El Nino may be the
strongest in a century. Some are tagging it an Ultra super El Nino. Not always accurate
because extremes are difficult to really pin down. Breaking records is common these past
few years. El Nino will bring in high temperatures. The Pacific Ocean has been heating up,
with the warm water staying in the eastern Pacific, which amplifies the event. Dave Borlace
of Just Have A Think lays out the science.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iclm3G_sho
Shift the jet stream, alter rainfall patterns and heat the atmosphere – an El Nino does mess
with our average and normal expectations. Some scientists are predicting that an El Nino in
2026 will likely ensure that 2027 will be the hottest year ever recorded. This is a credible
risk and is supported by what the conditions are in the oceans. Poly-crisis is a new term
making the rounds, and there are many, many issues to know about. Knowing what our
scientists are learning will always serve us. Not knowing what is going on leaves us
vulnerable.
I was watching a solitary pigeon drinking rainwater from a divot in a parking lot. I wondered
how that dirty asphalt water might impact its health or how it contributes to a pigeon’s
adaptation in the environment of cement and asphalt. While observing the pigeon, a trio of
deer came walking down the sidewalk, walking alongside the highway. Lots of cars. Lots of
noise. They seemed to be looking for a way to cross the highway. Maneuvering the
intersection of 8 th Street and Highway 24, slowly and cautiously, they wobbled across hot,
rocky ‘mulch.’ Nothing to eat there. They seemed lost. They hesitated under the support
wires of a phone pole. Even so, they seemed to have a peaceful attitude. Still I wondered
how stressed they might be, and we wouldn’t know. They nosed around. ‘Nothing to eat
here.’ Walking past orange signs of construction and orange barrels, they moved out of
view. It was disturbing to watch. They reappeared and seemed to be heading north, but
they hesitated again. They suddenly spooked and went out of sight again. I said a silent
prayer for their safety.
The pigeon flew away, soon replaced by another asphalt water participant, a starling. Water
is precious, even toxic, parking lot water. I also know that our wildlife needs local and
accessible areas where they can rest and live their wildlife lives. I watched a mama squirrel
nursing her one baby on the garden shelf. One solo squirrel kit. She was a first time mama.
(We knew her.) Her baby was squirming and hanging off the shelf, dangling tail, sprawled
legs… It was comical, yet I understood that this little mama squirrel didn’t have a proper
nest. Bambi, coyotes, bears, weasels, ring-tails, turkeys… all need a local home and place
to live. If we trade the wild land for the neat and tidy, ‘groomed’ look or for people to have
access everywhere, we may trade out the wildlife without even knowing it. This
neighborhood has lost many trees over the last twenty-five years. I think it may be taking a
toll on the squirrels and birds. If we allow nature to be messy and private for wildlife, they
will continue to bless our lives. We knowingly have had our garden shelf used many times.
I remember the coyotes of Manitou, howling and yipping every night, do you? Have met
them on the road; witnessed them hiding in stealth to trap my dog; seen them sitting on the
hillside enjoying the sunshine, and heard them singing every night. Where did they go?
Birds, as well, are quite diminished. The weasel doesn’t show up often, but I like to think he
still comes to hunt my landscape. The hummers seem fewer than ever. These things I
witness, that I take note of, are quite often a mystery to new folks in the ‘hood. New
residents purchase half-a-million dollar homes and pay rentals in the thousands to live here
at the foot of Pikes Peak. New to the foothills, they have no measure to gauge the local
environment and habitat. They seem to understand that there are bears and Bambi, but the
loss of a larger wildness doesn’t enter their minds. Those who have been here, spending
time in the foothills, feel the loss.
Humankind has allowed species to be extinguished. We have collapsed protective shields
that kept the Earth spinning in organic harmony. We have allowed habitat to be destroyed,
contaminated the air and the soil. Our pursuits have messed up the water system, the food
systems, and forest systems. Now we watch as wildlife retreats, rivers die and forests burn.
We don’t know the extent of the damages, yet. As the Lorax tried to tell us – we must care
about nature and do all we can to support the other life on the planet. Because if we can
save nature, we will be saving the future. This isn’t a planet for people. This is an
integrated, cyclical, powerful, energetic system of life that spins through a wheel of patterns
and time. Humanity is just one part of the whole. We didn’t create this marvelous place. We
received the gift!
As a nature lover, a writer, gardener and activist, such losses motivate me. We should not
give up being in the earshot of those in power. Let us all be visible to our leaders. They are
the ones who hold the power to make the decisions. It is the earth keeper’s task to take on
the challenge, not necessarily to win any battles, but to be engaged in negotiations in
defense of Mother Earth and all the life that is still living on the planet with us. Those who
will not give up speaking for the land and for the wilds, will carry forward as they can. The
struggles over issues will continue; losses will mount; and hearts will be broken. We must
prepare and decide where we will take a stand. Bearing witness today to our culture, our
neighbors and our leaders that our planet is in danger. Be the voice. We are the ones we
were waiting for. Peace and promise. Blue Planet Becky the gardener
Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure
as long as life lasts.
The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe,
the less taste we shall have for destruction.
—author Rachel Carson
“Plant a new Truffula. Treat it with care.
Give it clean water. And feed it fresh air.
Grow a forest. Protect it from axes that hack.
Then the Lorax and all of his friends may come back.”
― Dr. Seuss, The Lorax
