By Michael Dover
As this goes to press, the world awaits the results of yet another climate change conference. Hopes are high that we’ll see some movement toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions rather than the usual stalemate. But climate change is already upon us. The critical question now is whether we can prevent global catastrophe. To reach that goal, climate scientists and advocates are coalescing around two principles: first, that most of the known fossil-fuel reserves in the world should stay in the ground, and second, that the world must stop using all fossil fuels by 2050 — if not sooner — if we are to have any chance of keeping the Earth from warming more than two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit).
The challenge of climate change presents a dizzying array of choices and obstacles to consider as we try to develop global solutions. As an activist and a gardener, I’ve been heartened to know that part of the answer lies right beneath my feet: the soil.
By David Spector for the Gazette
One of the pleasures in observing nature is that repeated encounters with familiar species can evoke ever deeper fascination and appreciation. The mourning dove, one of the most common and widespread birds in North America, is a case in point.
By Margaret Bullitt-Jonas
One day I come across a report that in a far-off cave in South Africa, scientists have discovered the bones of a previously unknown branch of the human family. A photo shows an ancient skeleton, neatly laid out from head to toe. The bones of the feet, says one scientist, are “virtually indistinguishable” from those of modern humans. Named after the cave, Rising Star, in which the fossils were found, these ancestors are called Homo naledi (“star” in the local Sesotho language). Time will tell if these are proven to be our distant relatives, but I found this discovery compelling.
By Lawrence J. Winship
From the Vatican to the White House we are hearing increased acceptance of and concern about climate change. Even the U. S. military has finally acknowledged that sea level rise is a threat to national security, such as causing the flooding of Norfolk Naval Base. We find our attention grabbed by dramatic events such as storms, drought and sea-level rise. Yet more subtle changes may be even more significant for long-term prospects of the world as we know it.
By Michael Dover
Once in a while a book speaks to me in a certain way, and I read it and reread it, gleaning something new each time. One of those is “The Outermost House: A Year on the Great Dune of Cape Cod” by Henry Beston, first published in 1928.
By Reeve Gutsell
If you’re like I was a few years ago, you may be wondering, “What is a watershed, anyway?” In fact, the word “shed” is quite descriptive of this geographic phenomenon. Much like rain cascading down one side or another from a shed’s roof, a watershed can be thought of as a geographic area defined by ridges of high ground that determine which direction water travels en route to a major basin, river or ocean.
By Ted Watt
I love the August night sounds. Those still, hot and humid nights can be oppressive, but there’s a way to escape into a different world, the soundscape of crickets and katydids, calling to attract mates and stake out territories. Some nights, at twilight, I go out in my backyard and walk slowly and quietly and just listen. As I slow down and focus on the sounds, I begin to distinguish individual calls.
by David Spector
The American robin is one of the most familiar and common birds; have you ever wondered just how common they are here in Hampshire County? This kind of question is asked by casual observers curious about backyard birds, by population ecologists investigating complex dynamics that influence those numbers, and by conservation biologists concerned with which species might need intervention to prevent serious population declines. The answers, even for a common, relatively well-studied species, can be difficult to get.
By Elizabeth Farnsworth
The Pioneer Valley is a botanist’s paradise, a true hotspot of plant diversity in the state and, indeed New England. But besides pleasing plant geeks, our bounteous flora is the basis for all the animals — birds, insects, furry friends and us — that flourish here, providing food, shelter and a sense of home. Why is our region so rich in plants?
Hitchcock Center for the Environment
at Hampshire College
845 West Street | Amherst MA 01002 | 413.256.6006 | 413.253.2809 fax