Category Archives: Nature

Nature

Increasing Biodiversity with Keystone Species

Photo: Tom Middleton

I recently watched a great short film: https://ny.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/keystone-species-trophic-cascades/some-animals-are-more-equal-than-others-the-serengeti-rules/ about keystone species.

Keystone species are animals which have large impacts on their ecosystems, despite not being abundant in their numbers. Their presence cascades down the food chain and affects the very structure the of ecosystem where they live. Sea otters in the North Pacific, for example, keep kelp forests intact, directly controlling populations of some species such as sea urchins, and indirectly controlling the populations of other species such as snails and crabs which rely on kelp as a source of food. If you remove the sea otter from the system, the sea urchins would eat all of the kelp, leaving nothing for the snails and crabs. Wolves, bees and African elephants are also keystone species. Keystone species are crucial in maintaining biodiversity, as they help create the conditions for other wildlife and plants to thrive.

Animals, Dolphins, Nature

Biodiversity & Climate Change

Pink River Dolphins

The World Wildlife Fund recently released its “Living Planet” report. Sadly, there has been a 69% drop in the numbers of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish since 1970. Populations in the Caribbean and Latin America did the worst, with an average decline of 94%. Global freshwater species also declined by 83% on average. The report said the key drivers of biodiversity decline include habitat loss, species overexploitation, invasive species, pollution, climate change and disease.

Anyone who cares about animals and wildlife must urge policymakers to transform economies so that natural resources are properly valued. Since biodiversity loss and climate change share many of the same underlying causes actions which transform food production and consumption, cut emissions, and increase investment in conservation can mitigate both.

“The world is waking up to the fact that our future depends on reversing the loss of nature just as much as it depends on addressing climate change. And you can’t solve one without solving the other,” says Carter Roberts, president and CEO of WWF-US. “Everyone has a role to play in reversing these trends, from individuals to companies to governments.”

Life, Nature

New Beginnings

September is often a time of new beginnings and thus, I share some words from Christine Evangelou:

“I hope that the darkest nights of your soul

Give way to the glorious days of your spirit

I hope that through the shadows

Of those heart eclipses born of solitary evenings

A new life is born, and a change is set forth

I hope that you grant yourself the celestial passport

Your spirit has been yearning for

As you sweep into the deepest valleys of your soul

So you can gather the strength to soar to the highest mountain peaks

Breathing in the angelic essence of you

Fully, unashamedly, and unconditionally

I hope that you find the beat of your heart

In every flower, every meadow, every delight that your eyes can truly see

For it is within that beauty that your spirit lives

A conscious connection, a godly reflection

Of all natural, ethereal, fountains and springs

I hope that you can see beyond the clouds

To the sunlight that is waiting to peek its way through

Remember, the blanket of sky that keeps you warm at night

Is one of a silver, shimmering starry view

It is where you are held, always loved and at peace

A lustrous artwork of angels to whisper their magic as your heart speaks.”

Carbon Footprint Reduction, Forests, Nature

International Day of Forests

Many people, including me, did not know that Monday, March 21st was the International Day of Forests.  How precious forests are and yet, we don’t often realize their importance.  “When we drink a glass of water, write in a notebook, take medicine for a fever or build a house, we do not always make the connection with forests. And yet, these and many other aspects of our lives are linked to forests in one way or another”.  Sadly, we lose a football field size of forest every second, and yet planting trees and preserving biodiversity are one of the best ways to solve climate change.  Many non-profit organizations and companies such as Terraformation are working to reforest the planet, please join me and them, before time runs out.  Thank you.

Leadership, Nature, Water

How to Fix the Fires in the West

Sugar Fire, California

As you know, California, Oregon, Washington, and Nevada have been experiencing some of its worst fires this year, and the fire season has only begun.  For a very long time, I have thought that we, on the east coast, could send those states water, via pipelines.  Many people have told me that was not feasible.  I don’t believe them and was overjoyed to read that someone else has been thinking along the same lines as me.  Joseph Schulman, John Schaefer, and Henry Miller wrote an article about it entitled, “An “interstate water system” could fix the West’s water woes”. https://bigthink.com/technology-innovation/an-interstate-water-system-could-fix-the-wests-water-woes They propose an interstate water system so that no part of the United States would experience water shortages and to help mitigate the wildfires racing across those lands.  The pipelines would create jobs and facilitate growth.  Let me know what you think.

Nature

Art & Nature

The Foothills by Donna Grande, © 2021 all rights reserved

I had the honor to spend last weekend with my favorite professional artist, my mom.  She exhibited her art at the Westport Fine Arts Festival, and despite the rain and cold temperature, it was great to be there.  It felt wonderful to spend time with my mom and be her co-pilot, as we spoke with clients and helped them find the right piece of art for their home.  I am always amazed at how art uplifts us and brightens our spirits, and am so grateful we can all enjoy it.  My mom takes her inspiration from nature and paints en plein air, which means she stands outside to create and work on her paintings.  Feel free to check out her website http://www.donnagrande.com , and remember, art is a gift to us all.

Nature

Nature’s Power

Blue Ridge Mountains by Nicole Altneu

“Man has created lovely dwellings

some soul-stirring literature.

He has done much

to alleviate physical pain.

But he has not…..

created a substitute for a sunset,

a grove of pines,

the music of the winds,

the dank smell of the deep forest,

or the shy beauty of a wildflower.”

Harvey Broome

Leadership, Life, Nature

Historic time

Anne Frank 1940

There is no doubt, we are living through a historic moment in time and our whole way of being in the world is being challenged because of COVID-19.  Some people have already lost their lives and we are all struggling to find order in the midst of the anxiety-producing situation at hand.  May we remember that kindness is a gift we can all afford to give and that nature is and can be a balm to our souls.

Ann Frank, a young Jewish girl who was forced into hiding for two years during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, said it well, “The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely, or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God.  Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature.”