As I stated in my last blog post about our lab trip to the Lehigh Valley Zoo, I am not a very big fan of them, and don’t get much enjoyment out of them. Yet, my little cousins were in town and they really wanted to go to the San Francisco Zoo, so I was dragged there by my mom. Once again, I was pleasantly surprised by my experience at the zoo. While I had thought the Lehigh valley zoo was kind of nice, the san Francisco zoo blew it out of the water. All of the animals seem to have nice areas in which to live, with plenty of space. They seemed happy, healthy and content. While it still did not compare to seeing animals in the wild, it was one of the first time

Visiting two really unique zoos reminded me of why I have such a dislike for zoos in the first place: the Vietnam Zoo. My junior year of high school I studied abroad in Hanoi, Vietnam. While there I lived with a host family. One day they got really excited and told me that we were going on a family trip to the local zoo. They kept talking about how amazing the animals were, and I could tell it was a huge treat for the whole family to be able to go there. I was excited to go with them, yet immediately upon arriving I felt incredibly uncomfortable. All of the animals were in cages that looked like jail cells. I have a very distinct memory of an incredibly underweight tiger in its pen. The floor was cement and the cell was only 8×8. People were throwing popcorn and food at it, hoping to get a reaction. I had to pretend to like the zoo all day out of respect for my host family, but my stomach was turning the entire time

After thinking about these three zoos I have realized that it is important to consider the merits of each individual zoo, not all zoos. Some zoos have huge spaces for animals to roam and do incredibly important conservation work, while others abuse the animals for human enjoyment.

For the next two weeks, political leaders from around the world will gather in Paris for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. In recent years, the legitimate issue of climate change has become a more pervasive topic in international politics. With the 2015 convention, world leaders are expected to sign off on commitments that will help reduce carbon emissions in each of the participating countries.

While such a commitment is a step in the right direction, there is still concern that not enough is being done to address the overwhelming problem of carbon emissions. Even in the best case scenario, the countries that agree to reductions will put emissions cuts on a track that will ultimately lead to an mean global temperature increase that is greater than 2 degrees Celsius. Climate scientists have predicted that such warming will have drastic consequences on the future of the human race. Over time, sea-levels will rise by more than 20ft, and climate and weather patterns will change dramatically, putting stress on our ability to produce food and water for growing global populations.

These concerns might lead environmentalists to question the effectiveness of these climate conventions. Are the commitments from the world’s political leaders really making a difference or are the nothing more than savvy PR showings? In his second term, President Obama has increased his focus on climate issues, yet his emissions plans have been met by severe opposition from the conservative party. From a political standpoint, their opposition to the issue is understandable. The conservative politicians don’t agree with the spending required and the limitations that these reduction requirements would put on various industries. However, putting politics aside, it is very upsetting for me to see so much pushback against legitimate climate issues. More and more it seems as if we will continue to argue about these problems until it is too late.

Going back to this week’s conference, the future emissions cuts will put the world on the right track. However, we need to go a step further. A well defined carbon budget with emissions allocations for each country would help us do even better. Undoubtedly, such a budget would create countless challenges for industrialized and developing countries alike. This idea couldn’t be accomplished over night, but with increased recognition of the issue along with more widespread political cooperation, the world could begin to move towards emissions responsibility that would ensure the protection of this planet for future generations.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/29/science/earth/paris-climate-talks-avoid-scientists-goal-of-carbon-budget.html?ref=earth

***Disclaimer: The first half of this response paper may be unfulfilled because I was unable to attend Hawk Mountain myself.

Although I was not able to see the Hawk Mountain Visitor Store in person, I did visit their online website (https://www.hawkmountain.org/store/categories.asp ). It appears as though the main products in the store and those that information and education based. The books on sale all have conservation themes and give information on raptors and their importance. There are also accessories that are branded with “Hawk Mountain Sanctuary” which is an important form of advertisement for the sanctuary (I assume it is non-profit and survives on donations). Even these accessories are quaint and subtle, which markets to the stereotypical visitor of a place like this, the younger and older generations who are looking to see an incredible part of nature. To the HMS, nature appears to be something majestic, that’s needs to be coveted and protect but can also be admired from a distance and without disruption.

Rachel Carson was an important voice in bringing the subject of DDT and its effect on wildlife, especially birds, to life. Her work helped eventually ban the spraying of DDT. Hawk Mountain is now a sanctuary because it serves as a passage for migrating birds. As DDT lowered the reproduction rate of birds, less birds of prey were seen migrating through Hawk Mountain which was yet another sign that negative effects were happening because of the spraying of the chemicals.

Since I was not was Hawk Mountain, I cannot attest to the interactions between the people who were there. However, I have been to several wildlife sanctuaries in my life around the Boston area and I can speak some to that. I was often dragged along on these trips when I was younger, my mother being a bird enthusiast. For many locations, the story was the same: the older volunteers who would kindly greet us and overload us with the amazing information about the sanctuary before sending us on our way. Most of the people who I remember visiting these places tended to either be of the retired generation or parents with kids who were among my age. I never remembered seeing the middle generation, and if I did stumble across them, it was either a romantic couple or more of the “crunchy” type people. No matter the age, I do remember people being incredibly friendly and often pointing us in the direction of something fantastic they had seen, always so willing to share the nature with us.

Raptors have an interesting dynamic with the human population. Many years ago, they were often demonized as vermin or rodents of the air, and were quickly shot upon sight. Now, they are much more revered as regal and majestic beasts. Birds of prey are important indicators of the health of an ecosystem because they are typically the top of the food chain. At the top of the food chain, it is difficult to survive if one part of the chain is missing or unhealthy, as it upwardly affects the rest of the chain.

Now visiting Cabela’s was a very interesting experience. I had heard the class discuss their visit, and I had read many of the posts on the subject matter. However, even with that preparation, I was still overwhelmed when I stepped in to the store. Upon entering the store, I was immediately met with a plethora of taxidermy, both at eye level and poised above me on shelves. Not only was there an overwhelming number of carcasses in the store, it was the shear amount of stuff that assaulted my eyes. As I adjusted, my sister and I began exploring the store. We immediately headed to the mountain at the back of the store. As we walked back there, I noticed the clearly gendered clothing, normal camouflage and neon orange, and then the pink versions for the women. As I toured through the store, I noticed that while the pink camou was not in excess, it was definitely an option for most every item of clothing, even for camping chairs. I was surprised by the brands. Most items were Cabela’s brand, but Under Armour also had a significant chunk of brand name items throughout the store.

My impression of the mountain was neutral; I have seen my fair share of taxidermy and it doesn’t bother me, however it was more of the quantity of taxidermy in such a small space that set me on edge. However, I did not notice any plaques noting the hunter who shot the animal or any other information other than American name of the animal, which I thought was interesting.

Next, we ventured over the gun section. Neither my sister nor I had ever actually seen a gun in person, so it was unnerving to literally see walls covered in them. From guns we moved to knives to crossbows – I had never seen a crossbow before and was shocked by how common they seemed. Even more unnerving was the young boy who was running up and down the aisles with a small crossbow that his father was buying for him. My sister and I took a quiz on “what safe should we buy” for our guns. Some of the questions included “how long does it take for your fire department to respond?” (to determine how heat tolerant it should be) and what cost would we be willing to pay? (an option was $10,000+). It was a very odd concept to the both of us that there should be a need to a safe of those sizes and costs.

We visited Cabela’s on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving and before Black Friday. It was pretty empty of shoppers, and I definitely felt that I stood out from the few clients, wearing my sorority sweatshirt. It was funny to see the marketing of products for Christmas, a very ironic juxtaposition I thought. Upon leaving the store, my sister and I quickly headed to the Pet Smart just a few stores over to see some living animals to help cleanse ourselves.

As I was driving back to Laf after a too-short Thanksgiving break, I saw a shocking scene. Driving through Connecticut, a bird of prey swooped down across the highway, into the traffic, hit a car and then flew off and tumbled to the side of the road. I was horrified by what I saw. I was all the way in the left lane and immediately thought to pull off the side of the road to try to save the bird in some way. However, by the time I would have been able to get through the cars, the bird would be very far behind me. As I drove on, I was overcome with an intense sense of guilt. I wish I had been able to stop, but what would I have been able to do? Try to usher it further from the road if it wasn’t already dead? I certainly wouldn’t have tried to pick it up. Although the bird had not flown into my car, I still felt a large sense of responsibility for the life and wellbeing of the creature. After that experience, I can only hope I never hit an animal because I am sure I will be mortified by the experience.

So it is no secret to anyone that I live in New Hampshire. As such I have been up North in this beautiful homeland of mine for break. However, it has been a confusing visit home due in part to the fact that it is SO warm here right now! Normally by the end of November there is snow on the ground, and if there isn’t snow, there’s at least a considerable amount of biting wind and frosted plants. But we have none of that. Last night I sat beside an outdoor fire with a group of friends in thin leggings and a flannel with a vest and I was very comfortable. This time last year we tried to do the same and I was bundled in layers with a blanket and we had to go inside early because it was so cold. We were all mystified by the warmth (it was quite literally 65 degrees on Friday…….) already when my friend Zac’s dad came outside to say hello and noted that the TCU vs. Baylor football game was being played in 30 degree rainy weather. In Dallas.

It made the group of us, who are not – other than me – necessarily likely to consider environmental conditions, wonder about how that could be normal. Obviously it isn’t normal, but how will people continue to react to these changes of climate? If we are to be exploring the “cultures of nature” then what exactly is the “culture of weather”? I would say cold winters and snow on the ground (and pretending to enjoy and be tough about both of those things) are integral to the New Hampshire spirit and Northern character. Likewise I would imagine people from Texas appreciate the warmth they get to hold onto into the “winter” months. How would a long term change- if that is what is to come- impact these attitudes and cultures?

The story begins with a Jacob Marburger, a 19 year old Washington College student, who was the victim of a prank on campus. Other students had put a garbage full of water outside of his dorm room so that when he opened the door it killed into his room. Two days later Marburger, who was a year into antique gun collecting, brandished an unloaded gun in front of other students while he was intoxicated. Two weeks later he was suspended from the school and upon returning after his suspension he was kicked out of his fraternity and had to resign from student government.

Jacob was reported missing when he left campus early Sunday, November 15th, and drove to his home in Cheltenham, Pennsylvania. He arrived at home at 3am that Monday but left shortly after at 4 am and took a rifle case with him. His pinged phone then spotted him at a Walmart at 7 am on the 16th in Hamburg, PA. At the Wal-Mart, which is 15 minutes away from Hawk Mountain, he bought five rounds of ammunition. Jacob Marburger was found dead after a self inflicted gunshot wound in his car at a picnic area at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary.

This story was brought to my attention by my father last night when he asked me how our trip went to Hawk Mountain went. He mentioned this story and I figured I would look it up. I found this opening paragraph by NBC 10 Philadelphia especially interesting: 

“Jacob Marberger picked a peaceful place to die. The Washington College student whose disappearance prompted his school to shut down for two weeks shot himself in the head at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, a natural area with beautiful vistas and landscape, authorities said. The famous terrain, which sits alongside the Appalachian Trial in Berks County, Pennsylvania, is the world’s first refuge for birds of prey.”

I wondered why they went so in depth about Hawk Mountain before telling the story of why Marberger may have committed suicide. But I also wondered why Marberger chose Hawk Mountain as his last place to be alive.

From reading a few reports on what happened it seems as though bullying played a large role in Jacob’s death, including the involvement of the anonymous posting app Yik-Yak. It is horrific to think that bullying could have brought this student to commit suicide but I also can’t help but think that access to guns played a role in this suicide as well. Visiting Cabela’s opened my eyes to the issue of access to firearms and had I never visited I may have looked at this story as solely a result of bullying. But now I wonder if Jacob had not been allowed to purchase firearms or at least not purchase bullets so easily at a Walmart, maybe there would have been more time to stop him. Granted owning a gun didn’t make Jacob feel the way he did and bullying is the cause here but maybe the access to firearms is making things worse as thoughts of suicide can quickly become a reality for some.

Here are the two articles that I looked at incase you would like to read more:

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Jacob-Marberger-Suicide-Washington-College-Hawk-Mountain-Cheltenham-352949961.html

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Jacob-Margerger-Death-Self-Inflicted-Gunshot-Wound-352746651.html

I wanted to follow up on the show I mentioned last week in class. Here are a few clips of the show “The Last Alaskans”. This show gives us an insight into the lives of those living in “the final frontier” the Arctic National Wildlife Refugee where they live throughout the winter.   I think that this show is really fascinating and I recommend that you take a look!

http://www.animalplanet.com/tv-shows/the-last-alaskans/videos/the-last-alaskans-video-highlights/

Before transcribing any passages, I would first like to direct your attention to the environmental Kuznets curve:

Environmental Kuznets Curve

For those who are not familiar, this is essentially a hypothesis that as per capita income increases for the first time, environmental degradation also increases. Per capita income will then hit a turning point (most studies put that at about $8000/yr) where society will decide that they want a cleaner environment and will begin to allocate money to be more environmentally conscious and friendly. Notice how this is almost the exact same thing as the biblical narrative of (1) fall, (2) desert, (3) garden?

“Using science, technology, and biblical imagery, they changed first the easter wilderness and then the western deserts into cultivated gardens. Sanctioned by the Genesis origin story, they subdued the “wilderness,” replenished the earth, and appropriated Indian homelands as free lands for settlement. Mercantile capitalism cast America as the site of natural resources, Africa as the source of enslaved labor, and Europe as the locale of resource management” (140). 

“The narrative of frontier expansion is a story of male energy subduing female nature, taming the wild, plowing the land, re-creating the garden lost by Eve. American males lived the frontier myth in their everyday lives, making the land safe for capitalism and commodity production, Once tamed by men, the land was safe for women. To civilize was to bring the land out of a state of savagery and barbarism into a state of refinement and enlightenment. This state of domestication, of civility, is symbolized by woman and “womanlike” man” (147). 

“Capitalism mystifies by converting living nature into dead matter and by changing inert metals into living money. To the capitalist puppeteers, nature is a doll-like puppet controlled by the strings of wheat trade that changes money into interest-earning capital. Male minds calculate the motions that control the inert matter below” (Merchant 152).

This description on how we capitalize on the natural world struck me while reading this piece. The idea that we are puppeteers and nature is the puppet emphasizes how we manipulate nature for our benefit.

“Nor are nature and culture, women and men, binary opposites with universal or essential meanings. Nature, wilderness, and civilization are socially constructed concepts that change over time and serve as stage settings in the progressive narrative. So too are the concepts of male and female and the roles that men and women play on the stage of history. The authors of such powerful narratives as laissez-faire capitalism, mechanistic science, manifest destiny, and the frontier story are usually privileged elites with access to power and patronage. Their words are read by persons of power who add the new stories to the older biblical story. As such the books become the library of Western culture. The library, in turn, functions as ideology when ordinary people read, listen to, internalize, and act out the stories told by their elders-the ministers, the entrepreneurs, newspaper editors, and professors who teach and socialize the young” (Merchant 153).

I thought this commentary on where the thoughts and ideas we listen to and abide by come from was very interesting, and that these people of power created the “library of Western culture”.

Environmentalism, like feminism, reverses the plot of the recovery narrative, seeing history as a slow decline, not a progressive movement that has made the desert blossom as the rose. The recovery story is false; an original garden has become a degraded desert. Pristine nature, not innocent man, has fallen. The decline of Eden was slow, rather than a precipitous lasidarian moment as in the Adam and Eve origin story” (Merchant 155).

This passage stood out to me as it explained modern day environmentalism as compared to the “recovery” narrative. While in the past humanity may have seen the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden to be the fall, environmentalists see the fall to be a gradual decline since Eden. There has been no recovery, but instead the “original garden has become a degraded desert”.

Last semester in Professor Toia’s drawing class we were exposed to some of his art collection, and this included his spore art works. Here is a description from a gallery he was featured in:

“Over the past decade, Toia has cultivated his interest in mushrooms and the physical capture of their spores. His spore drawings are unique examples of his partnership with nature. Decades ago, he saw his first scientific spore print. In a controlled environment, a mycologist allows a mushroom to drop its spores for the purpose of scientific study. Toia’s spore drawings are deliberately executed under less controlled conditions. His manipulations combined with chance occurrences lead to surprising results and unworldly imagery. Only a few of his numerous attempts pass his rigorous standards of approval for his art.” http://kimfostergallery.com/jim-toia/

How do we dissect this form of artwork? How natural is it? Is Toia’s art more natural than other’s spore art because he depends on mother nature for a worthy piece? (such as shape of mushroom, how much spore it drops, and the way air flows over the piece to give the paper its detail)