(wrote Carolyn Zanchetta who is 'stewardship and co-ordinator' of the Hamilton Naturalists' Club.)
The following are excerpts from her recently published writing.
“In the depth of winter, our communities are cold and grey, and getting outside feels like an insurmountable task. Winter might not evoke scenes of living nature or vibrant wildlife, but there is still so much alive and active when we look around and appreciate the subtle beauty of nature in winter.
“Bright red cardinals flit from tree to tree competing with blue jays and juncos for space at the feeder.
Nuthatches and chickadees call back and forth from the forest. Without leaves obscuring the tree branches, this is one of the best times to spot owls, with the particular delight of visiting snowy owls around Windermere Basin and the Beach. Hear coyotes yipping near the escarpment. See squirrels sprinting along the power lines. Watch fish swim under the ice in Cootes Paradise. Deer freeze, watching you cautiously from the trail. Lichen colourfully coats the trees along the street as the snow piles up. The large variety of evergreens provides ample habitat for the sparrows that fluff their feathers to stay warm. These majestic trees are a glimmer of hope for the coming spring.
A plethora of diversity that we never see, contributes even more than we could know to our ecosystems ~ and even our health!
Biodiversity is the variety of life within a region,
or
throughout the types of habitat in the area ~
and also within
the genetics of a species.
“A healthy ecosystem, a healthy community or a healthy species is diverse and resilient, able to adapt to change and overcome. But this essential variety of life is at risk in our communities and throughout the world. Everywhere, species populations are declining. Habitat loss, pollution, climate change and invasive species all threaten the flora and fauna that live alongside us.
As the Hamilton Naturalists' Club celebrates a century of protecting nature, there is a renewed focus on conserving and enhancing our biodiversity.”
When previously, have we ever been informed about 'climate
change'?
Only in current years have I realized our animals'
great losses of habitat!
Consider the wolves and coyotes who now inhabit the edges of our cities!
Each seasons' weather is now unpredictable!
I recall April 6, a Thursday about 20 years ago we had a giant snowstorm
Awareness of these 'bio-diversities' is Nature's Wake-Up-Call to you and me!
Critics Slam Proposed Oil Exploration Near 'Unbelievable' Sable Island
To me, the most graceful animals on Earth are horses and deer.
Although having had a yen to travel several islands, Sable is one I'd dearly love to visit, Just off the coast from Nova Scotia, it is a massive shifting sand dune adrift in the wilds of the North Atlantic and we must safeguard its tenuous existence. Its primary inhabitants are wild horses who have bred and lived on this island for many, many years. To visit the island, one must obtain a permit.
From Halifax, Nova Scotia, Brett Bundale reported in The Canadian Press:
A call for energy companies to bid on exploration rites around Nova Scotia's iconic Sable Island has prompted swift condemnation from a coalition of environmental...fishing...and tourism groups.
The rugged and wild wind-swept sandbar in the Atlantic Ocean is a place of endangered species...wild horses...and legendary shipwrecks.
On Monday, the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board launched a competitive bidding process for two exploration licences to probe for fossil fuels in the shallow waters encircling Sable Island.
Gretchen Fitzgerald, the director of the Atlantic Canada chapter of the Sierra Club Canada Foundation, said at a news conference:
“This is a test for how we must change if we're going to truly tackle 'climate change' ~ and protect global biodiversity.”
A colour photo of peaceful Sable Island uninhabited by mankind illustrates...barren land...some tree growth..and grasslands.
We do not see the wind and drifting sands ~ the ideal home for my yet unseen wild horses.
The foregoing assembled by MBK, Feb 7, 2019
No comments:
Post a Comment