Interesting environmental stories…
January 29th, 2008
Each of these probably deserves its own post, but I simply don’t have time.
- Sea lions massacred. Probably we want to do things a bit differently at Bonneville, no?
- Plan to allow logging in Alaskan forest. Case number 1 as to why we need more (and better) Democrats, particularly in the White House.
- Rare victory for Madagascar tortoises.
The game of cat and mouse between the collectors and the authorities continues.
People trying to protect the tortoises here are wary of advertising the sheer value of the trade for fear of attracting even more fortune-hunters to the island.
On the other hand, if they do not draw attention to the threat the trade causes, for certain species their desirability may lead to their extinction
- On Martha’s Vineyard, Using Scallops as Currency
The concentration of small farms has made the island a model for eating locally in the region. “There is a movement for food on the island and it is just embryonic on Cape Cod,” said Gus Schumacher, former Massachusetts Commissioner of Food and Agriculture, who spends summers on the Cape.
“Unlike Cape Cod, which bought farms and maintained them as costly open space as conservation land, the Vineyard fathers protected their farmers by purchasing the development rights and keeping the farmers on the land, thereby providing food throughout the summer and fall season.”
- Timber Thieves Strike at Heart of Lands Held Dear
In the United States, forests are not being illegally logged on a systemic scale, as is the case in countries like Indonesia, Malawi and Brazil, where unauthorized harvesting has led to serious deforestation and attendant environmental problems. Here, the issue is often scattered and intimate, and often affects homeowners, parks and public forests.
In Flint, Mich., for instance, thieves last month stole black walnut trees from the grassy landscaped edge of a main city street. Earlier last year, people were snatching saplings from a city park there as soon as they were planted.
The penalties for environmental violations need to be significantly increased.
Related posts: Northwest Forest Plan: Goodbye? Spotted owl: Goodbye?, The Feds successfully bribe tribes to back off Columbia river complaints, "Animal rights" versus biodiversity
2 Comments Add your own
1. Marcia Denison | May 3rd, 2008 at 11:17 pm
Timber theft occurs regularly from Oregon State Forests. The timber may be paid for, but not taxes on unmarked logs illegally exported or transported to out of state mills. Stumpage is stolen from counties, work from Oregon Mills, our watersherds and wildlife habitat desroyed with nothing to show for it literally.
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