tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974406546323301344.post393670139994985326..comments2023-04-08T06:06:13.055-07:00Comments on Notes from the Pens: Our Changing LandscapeAya Katzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07830585801297506770noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974406546323301344.post-67846602336715111282015-06-03T14:26:31.728-07:002015-06-03T14:26:31.728-07:00Hi, Julia. I agree it is about balance. But the re...Hi, Julia. I agree it is about balance. But the real question is what is being balanced and who is doing the balancing. To say that once a lot of people live someplace, we can't let the fires rage makes sense to us because we are among those people, But the wildlife that die in wild fires probably don't like dying, either. <br /><br />All of the survivors after a major disaster that reduces population are the beneficiaries of the good effects of more space and less crowding. All who die or suffer injury are victims of the bad effects. The Smoky the Bear ad campaign, like other public service announcements about diseases or natural disasters, only showed one side of the balancing equation. You never hear the government say, but on the other hand, it reduces poverty when these things happen. <br /><br />It's the same with the milkweed. If I wanted to make a good place for milkweed to grow in my pasture, I'd have to burn down all of the milkweed that is next to the poison ivy. It would be a major devastation for the existent milkweed. But the next season, the new milkweed would thrive. Nobody addresses these issues because they are too painful to face.Aya Katzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07830585801297506770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2974406546323301344.post-20684501695676754682015-06-03T12:12:08.088-07:002015-06-03T12:12:08.088-07:00It is very true how when people move into a certai...It is very true how when people move into a certain area trees become more dense due to natural forest fires no longer being able to occur. We discussed this a lot with the fires in our local mountains. However, once people are living in a certain area you have to put out fires, and natural fires cannot just burn at free will. It is the catch twenty two of moving into new places, and people changing the land. Native Americans also used slash and burn techniques in regions where large amounts of crops were grown. There was never a time humans treated the land like a pristine creature. The problem is with more population growth there will always be more drain on resources, which includes land. To me it is all about balance.Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11147781152448695481noreply@blogger.com