NATURAL RESOURCES, THE PERPETUAL CONFLICT

NATURAL RESOURCES...

TO WHOM DO THEY BELONG?

Saturday, 8:30 AM.  Wind W with a light breeze blowing.  The sky is overcast but clearing.  The humidity is still 91%, after showers last night.  The barometer is rising slightly, currently at 29.73", predicting clearing for several days and then possible rain on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.  It is a damp, quiet morning.

THE PERPETUAL CONFLICT

   There has been a virtually perpetual conflict between the absolute preservation of natural resources and their wise use for well over a century in America; between entities such as supporters of wilderness preservation, and economic interests such as the logging, grazing, mining and energy industries and their supporters, including workers and ranchers.

   The Sierra Club and the Forest Service, represented by their respective founders John Muir and Gifford Pinchot, battled royally over the use of the Hetch-Hetchy Valley in Yellowstone National Park for construction of a dam and reservoir for water for San Fran Cisco at the turn of the 20^th Century. Similar disputes, just as heated, arose thereafter and continue today.  In many respects it has always been, and remains a battle between idealism and practicality, between utopia and common sense.

   President Obama, with the support of the environmental movement, continues to fuel the dispute with his unilateral decisions to set aside vast ocean regions as preserves under the Antiquities Act of 1906, last week in the Pacific Ocean around the Hawaiian Islands, and now with the proclamation of a North Atlantic Ocean Canyons and Sea Mounts National Monument off the coast of New England. He has also just  proclaimed the creation of a huge new monument/preserve in Main’s iconic North Woods.  These dictatorial actions negatively impact commercial fishermen, loggers and other local businesses and their small, mostly impoverished communities.

   I believe the Antiquities Act, which gives carte blanche power to the President and the Executive Branch, is very bad law; perhaps unconstitutional, and certainly at many times damaging to the economic and social freedom of Americans.

  That said, the ancient enemies line up to charge at the first bugle call on every issue, each determined to win not only the battle but the moral “war.”  I think the last instance much too extreme, as there are usually moral arguments on both sides.  The environmentalists believe they are always morally right, and they are decidedly not.   

   The right of Americans to use natural resources, both public and private, and to live where they wish, is at the very core of our republic.  Natural resources and use of the land and sea are not just for a few powerful elites but for all Americans;  and human rights are at least as legitimate as the rights of animals and plants.

   So what can be done to end this long drawn out war?   First, I believe the Antiquities Act should be amended to shift the control of these issues back to Congress, the branch of government closest to the people, or abolish it entirely as an undemocratic anachronism.  Second, let this war continue unabated; the two philosophies are unalterably opposed, and over time and given a fair playing field, first one will win a battle and next the other.  The pendulum will always swing back and forth, and at times even pause in the reasonable center.

   The issues of the management and equitable distribution of natural resources are much like those between management and labor.  The two sides will always be in opposition to each other in a free society, and each will win some issues and loose others.  The role of a representative and democratic government should be to provide a level playing field of just laws and unbiased knowledge to all sides.  Currently we have neither.

JOIN THE PRO CHILD, PRO FAMILY, PRO WORKER MOVEMENT

  

A GOOD YEAR FOR JOE PYE WEED

JOE PYE WEED

Friday, 9:00 AM.  65 degrees F at the ferry dock, 62 on the back porch.  Wind SSW, calm with light gusts.  Humidity 90% after a trace of rain earlier. Barometer 29.86" and falling, predicting a chance of rain today and tomorrow, then clearing with yet another chance of rain on Wednesday. I saw a humming bird again yesterday.
   The summer has had plenty of rain, which will transition into a fall with late  color.  Ample moisture has meant good growth and fruit production, and the flourishing of species that require wet or damp conditions, such as Joe Pye Weed, Eupatorium maculatum, in the Sunflower family.  It is a  tall, strong growing perennial herb found throughout much of North America in rich, damp soils, and in the wild is found in prairies, meadows and roadside ditches.  It grows in full sun to part shade. It has distinctive whorled leaves.
   It is named after an American Indian herbal healer called Joe Pye, and another common name for it is gravel root, as it is effective in the treatment of kidney stones. This plant is in our garden, but it is prominent now along the roadsides.

 

THE PRO CHILD, PRO FAMILY, PRO WORKER MOVEMENT

$45,000,000 FOR CHILD CARE

LOCAL  ADOPTED WESTERN WILD HORSES

WESTERN WILD HORSES Google photo

Thursday, 8:00 AM.  54 degrees F at the ferry dock, 48 0n the back porch.  Wind variable and calm, sky clear.  The humidity is 84%, the barometer 30.22" and plunging rapidly, predicting a thunderstorm tomorrow, then clearing with seasonal temperatures for several days thereafter.

   Wild horses and burros are part of the history of the Old West, and ever since a 1971 Act of Congress the Bureau of Land Management has been responsible for their welfare, all 67,000 0f them on the open range, and currently another 45,000 of them off range in holding pens and other facilities.  India has its sacred cows, America has its sacred horses.

   As might be expected, there are a lot of advocates for these animals, which, it should be noted, are not native to the grassland ecosystems of the West, nor even to North America.  They have no natural predators and cannot be hunted or sold for food, human or animal (they can be adopted ).

   These animals double in population every four years, and unchecked would soon destroy the open ranges in the ten states in which they reside, creating dust bowl conditions. In 2015 the BLM spent $45,000,000 on their welfare.   For  all those who want one to break and ride, or to sleep by the fireplace or whatever, by all means get one. Get a dozen. But don't burden the rest of us with these animals.

   Above all, please consider the human child care that $45,000,000 could provide.

JOIN THE PRO CHILD, PRO FAMILY, PRO WORKER MOVEMENT

A GOOD TIME WAS HAD BY ALL

TROLLING

COUPLE WALKING

BUDDY POINTING DUCKS

BUDDY SETTLES FOR A DEER BONE

I FIND MEADOW ROSE HIPS

Wednesday, 9;30 AM. 56 degrees F at the ferry dock, 52 0n the back porch. Wind S, calm with light gusts.  The sky is clear, the humidity 78%.  The barometer is steady for a while, now at 30.31".  There is a chance of a thunder storm on Friday, but otherwise pleasant fall weather should prevail.

   I saw a humming bird yesterday, so not all of them have left. If I see it again I will worry that it missed the migration.

   Yesterday afternoon we went to the beach for the first time since i broke my arm.  It was a fine early fall afternoon.  A couple walked the strand as a  family of mallard ducks swam by, and Buddy pointed them; frustrated that he does not have webbed feet, he found a deer leg bone to chew on.  I found meadow roses with ripening rose hips.  Joan read while she waited patiently for us in the truck (she is still chauffeuring us around).

   A good time was had by all.

FOR ALL OUR  CHILDREN, FAMILIES AND WORKERS

A MODEST PROPOSAL

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RAVINE CONSERVANCY AREA, 6TH AND MANYPENNY AVE....

...VIEW FROM 5TH ST.

Tuesday, 8:45 AM.  6o degrees F at the ferry dock, 56 on the back porch.  Wind variable but mostly from the N and breezy.  The barometer is at 30.05" and rising.  Predictions are for cooler temperatures and clear skies with a chance of showers on Friday and Saturday, then clearing again.
   Fall colors will be a bit late this year because of all the rain, but day length will prevail.  I heard high-flying migrating geese this morning.

   The Common Council votes today on the following proposal, which if approved will be presented to the Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, where it stands a good chance of acceptance.  It would be a worth-while undertaking for all concerned.

A PROPOSAL FOR A

CITY OF BAYFIELD

RAVINE RESTORATION AND DEMONSTRATION PROJECT

  The City of Bayfield has numerous conservancy areas that have been set aside from development and from most uses.  They are located primarily in areas subject to erosion or flooding, such as ravines and steep bluffs.

  Established after the disastrous flood of 1942, these conservancy areas function well, but are problematical from an aesthetic and safety standpoint, harboring much dangerous dead wood and many invasive species, and are the subject of continuing citizen complaints concerning their appearance, function and use.

   It is proposed that the Chamber of Commerce, at the request of the Mayor and Common Council, undertake and fund a study, and a subsequent plan and the  implementation thereof, of a Ravine Restoration And Demonstration Project  to be used as a model for further projects in Bayfield and other communities.  Such a model would prove extremely useful in applying for future grant funding, as well as answer many ongoing complaints.

   The model would include proper removal of dead and dangerous wood, the identification, removal and control of invasive species, and the planting of such native trees and shrubs as necessary to increase the ecological diversity, improve the erosion control, and immeasurably enhance the aesthetics of conservancy areas.

   If approved, the project would begin with a public presentation this winter that would be informative, and also seek feedback from citizens and City and Chamber officials.  The next step would be developing a work plan for acceptance by the City and Chamber, complete with a not-to-exceed cost.  The project would be completed by July 4, 2017.

Respectfully submitted, 

Dr. Arthur H. Ode, Jr.
Doing Business As

Art Ode

Horticulture Consultant

9/07/16

 

TOGETHER WE CAN DO IT!

  

BAYFIELD APPLES ARE RIPE

AMERICAN REDSTART Cornell ornithology photo

A BASKET OF CORTLAND APPLES

Monday, 9:00 AM.  63 degrees F at the ferry dock, 60 on the back porch.  Wind SSW, light with stronger gusts.  The sky is cloudless, the humidity 80%.  The barometer is rising fast, now at 29.85".  Weather should be great until chances of rain towards the weekend.

   We bought Bayfield apples on Saturday; Cortlands, the earliest of the major varieties grown here. 

Next to Macintosh, I like them best.  It is a truly bumper crop for all varieties this fall, trees are bowing to the ground, heavy with ripening fruit.

    I have seen no hummingbirds for several days, and I believe they have left for warmer climes.  I did see a gorgeous redstart, flitting like a butterfly though the gardens, as the fall warbler migration continues.

TOGETHER WE CAN DO IT!

MY 9/11 MEMORIES

Google photo

Sunday, 8:30 AM.  60 degrees F at the ferry dock, 54 on the back porch.  Wind S, calm with light gusts.  The sky is overcast and cloudy, the humidity 80%.  The barometer is plunging, but still high at 30.01", predicting the possibility of showers tomorrow, then clearing and cooler.
    The Islamic terrorist attack of September 11, 2001 is one of those iconic events, like Pearl Harbor or the assassination of President Kennedy, that will always be keenly recalled by any American alive at the time.  My own memory of that infamous event is quite vivid, although I was a thousand miles away.
   That fateful morning I was fishing on Pikes Creek a mile from home.  We had retired to Bayfield only a year before, after a long professional career that included years of working in New York.
I was just leaving the stream, still in my waders, when the driver of a car in the parking lot rolled down his window and asked if I had heard the news about an airliner hitting one of the Twin Towers in New York.
  There was a beautiful,  clear blue sky above us, and I could picture a pilot flying up the Hudson River to show the World Trade Center to visitors flying into LaGuardia, which I had experienced many times; something must have gone terribly wrong, I conjectured, as I drove the short distance home.
   When I got there the television was already on.  Our daughter Eva had called from Denver to worriedly ask Joan if I was in New York, as I had recently been doing some consulting there.  Satisfied that I was out fishing, she was no longer on the phone, but yet another thousand miles away. Bad news does indeed travel fast.  By that time the second plane had hit Tower Two, and it was obvious we were under attack. As the proud structures crumpled to a heap of smoking rubble we began to realize the enormity of the crime.
   As we watched the unfolding drama, I remembered being in meetings in the Twin Towers, and how one could feel them sway. ever so gently, in a strong wind.  They would never bravely face a gale again. I recalled too how beautifully they had gleamed in the setting sun, symbols of a great city and its culture.
   As the death toll mounted, we realized that if we still lived there, we would be mourning friends and neighbors, or perhaps my family would be mourning me.  As the stories of the resilience and bravery of cops, firefighters and ordinary citizens unfolded, we felt proud that we had once been one of them: New Yorkers!
   And finally we knew that they, and all of us, could take the hit, pick ourselves up, fight back and win.

Postscript: any NFL football players who choose not to stand today during the National Anthem will prove themselves the overpaid, self-centered louts we have always suspected them to be, and unfit to don any other American uniform.