Returning bison to the American Prairie

Some visiting friends mentioned this story.

A nature preserve outside of the twin cities in Minnesota is releasing a few bison into its prairies to explore the possibility of more widespread introductions. I find this very exciting. I love the idea of trying to rebuild some of the wilderness that has been plowed over by civilization. Reintroducing bison seems to be a particularly dramatic and iconic step in this process. Especially now that agricultural land use is shrinking all over the country, converting much of it to (near) original ecosystems seems well-timed.

At the end of the above mentioned experiment, the preserve is planning on slaughtering the animals to demonstrate that such projects can also be economically sustainable. We should increase investments in parks like this all over the country - for ecosystem services such as (cheap) clean water and storm buffers, for recreation (including fishing and hunting) and to help cultivate a sense of place and the appreciation of the public.

Science communication

I just watched an episode of Nova titled "the four-winged dinosaur." I don't think I've ever seen the real process of science portrayed nearly as accurately. They follow different teams of scientists as they debate a big question (whether birds are descended from dinosaurs) by differently interpreting the evidence surrounding a tiny detail (the angle that the fossil leg seemed to fit into the hip).

Check it out! You'll come away with a much better appreciation for how science actually comes to definitive conclusions and why it so often doesn't quite.

Research burning

The California wildfire season is well under way. and it's only July. I had heard there were some small fires in Sonoma County and it occurred to me that my field sites may burn this year. I'd have to say it would be a cathartic way to end the frustrating experience of gradschool!

Here's a blog that includes some maps of the wildfires in Big Sur. When I heard that they were evacuating the area I became a little concerned about the research sites that some of my labmates have down there. I didn't think much of it at first since our lab's sites seems to revolve around moist redwood-tanoak ecosystems - then I heard a description on NPR from a firefighter that had watched pre-heated redwoods literally exploding into flames.

I went upstairs to check in with the boss to see if anyone we worked with was being hurt by the fires. Our one colleague who currently lives down there is okay and was assisting with the evacuation. When I asked my boss if the fires were impacting any of his sites he asked: "want to see?" He showed me a map of the coast and the locations of hundreds of his sites (part of a long-term ecosystem study of sudden oak death). It seemed that half to most were exposed to the fires! I was glad to hear him continue to explain that they had just finished collecting all the data they needed from these sites a few months ago. The lab is now well placed to address the impact that wildfires have on sudden oak death in California ecosystems.

It's encouraging to hear a story where fate works out in a scientist's favor!

Bioregionalism

I came across an interesting idea the other day that's been around for some time.

Bioregionalism is a philosophy that celebrates the diversity of endemic cultures - primarily as a reflection of local environment. It looks to the embrace of local environments and history in order to produce diversity in the face of globalization. It'd be great to have all the economic benefits of free trade without losing fascinating regional differences in attitudes, accents, food and design. I guess this ties in with my earlier post on The Big Sort. Maybe once again, the advance of globalization will defy critics by leading to increased local heterogeneity and self-determination.

And, because I love maps!