Cows in All the Wrong Places

Transcription

1 Cows in All the Wrong Places Zach Skrede Conservation Biology BIO1120 F14

2 The subject of land use ethic and conservation may seem advanced and established practice by now but in relation to the thousands of years that humans have used the land for gain and the millions of years the Earth existed prior to mankind s dominance it is still in infancy to say the least. When Aldo Leopold s A Sand County Almanac was published in 1949 the idea of conservation was the last thing on any farmer s mind as the almighty dollar fueled operations. Leopold outlined this mindset fairly clearly, why would a grain farmer allow a field to set fallow when he could have his crop planted and building profits? The issue of land conservation fell far behind economics. He used the example of the topsoil in Southern Wisconsin being washed away largely due to the lack of crop rotation and irresponsible use of areas not suited to agricultural use (i.e planting and grazing on steep slopes which are inherently more susceptible to erosion). Steps were taken to promote more ethical farming practices but the social benefits were not apparent enough to the farmers and little was done to reverse the damages caused by years of unscrupulous practices as there was no economic reward or social punishment to do otherwise. Leopold also notes that it is not only the land users that have a responsibility to push conservation but the end users as well. It is said around page 224 that the common man is so far detached from the land that it would make no difference whether it were there or not and if an area were not immediately entertaining him it held no value whatsoever. The subject of food chain disturbances is covered as well. When the lands set unmolested by humans everything ran smoothly and has for quite some time now, every

3 organism had a place in the pyramid and created a balance. Enter the cow. Commercial livestock grazing imposes a tremendous burden on natural fauna that in most cases cannot be overcome. The cases of Kentucky and the Southwest are two that represent opposite sides of the spectrum. In Kentucky the grazing cattle effectively ran out some less desirable plant species and the bluegrasses thrived as a result. In the much less fortunate Southwest, land dried out to the point where only sagebrush and dirt could survive and once thriving prairies were subjugated to veritable wastelands which only further drove the apathy to do something for the land. My own philosophy in regards to conservation and land use ethic is extremely deep seated and passionate. I grew up in a rural area of southern Wisconsin and much like Aldo Leopold spent the majority of my time outdoors. I could see firsthand the benefits of conserving nature, not only in the quality of wild game taken but the sheer diversity of living things in areas that were not farmed was staggering. I had always thought it was boring to see the same birds, the same trees and the same insects no matter where you went. It was really neat to go deep into the woods at find animals and plants that simply did not exist in more developed areas. I also developed a respect for the natural food chain and balance of nature at an early age for some reason. I can remember when the first Grey Wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park and I was so fascinated by the subject that my parents bought me a sponsor package every year for Christmas (my wolf was named Loki). I knew even then that the wolves had an important role to play and they needed to be brought back, especially in an area with no other major predators.

4 With the role of humans shifting into community members and away from the shock and awe conquerors we once were it is increasingly important that we continue such projects as reintroducing wolves and bolstering conservation practices. Since 1950 there has already been decent headway to curb our impact on the community. It is no longer acceptable for industrial operations to dispose of waste in the most convenient method possible and since the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970 there have been a slew of legislative actions to enforce more ethical behavior. I believe if we want to continue life as members of the biotic community then ethical land use should be common sense and should not require the threat of monetary fines to encourage people to do the right thing. This mindset needs to be adopted by everybody be it in the form of not throwing rubbish from the window of your moving car to the rancher grazing cattle in designated areas and not destroying vulnerable land (I m talking to you, Cliven Bundy). When Leopold wrote about the economic privileges that the land provides it was clear that during that time in history there was no obligation to give back to the land. There were no fines, no repercussions and no real reason to do anything other than make money. That philosophy has gradually shifted towards the better and continues to improve over time. Farmers saw that not properly rotating crops and the lack of row farming techniques were stripping the valuable top soil away and would eventually cost them money in the long run. It wasn t until the economic impact was realized that they finally started to be more proactive. The same can be said of urban waterways; people finally became tiresome of seeing their waterways polluted to the point of destruction and eventually took action to rectify the condition of the lakes and rivers in cities such as Cleveland.

5 Examples such as these demonstrate the human interaction with the nonhuman members of the same community. Humans have the power to totally decimate nearly any aspect of nature they see fit and the ethical obligation is the only thing restraining that power. In my personal communal interactions this translates into a number of practices. Only taking what is needed is one very important practice that seems to dominate day to day operations, for example I have a wood burning stove and fireplace in my home and I go through great lengths to ensure I source my wood from areas that would benefit from the removal of dead trees such as areas in the Uintah mountain range that have been affected by the invasion of beetles rather than healthy, growing populations of trees. This benefits the entire biotic community in that area by clearing the way for new growth and providing a better environment for other living creatures. I would have to agree with Aldo s definition of ethics in regards to biotic communities and the right thing. I believe Leopold implies that the community requires that members make sacrifices from time to time and that the overall integrity of the community ultimately dictates the health of its members. One example I can think of that I have witnessed myself happens in the mountains in our area. With no foreign members (cattle, sheep) the native population (deer, elk) graze in moderation and move along to richer areas relatively frequently, leaving the grass healthy and robust. It is the animals sacrifice and contribution to better the integrity of the community. The non-native species do not extend the same courtesy to the land and will often decimate the natural foliage before moving on to different pastures and forcing the rest of the community to suffer and the whole system to deteriorate.

6 My personal relationship with the land is driven two fold, both for the natural beauty and the bounty provided by the land. I would stay on any parcel of land with no roads and no buildings over a city any day; the further away from other people the better. I am also an avid outdoorsman; hunting and fishing frequently. Each aspect drives the other when it comes to ethical motivation. I know that if I trash the areas we camp in or harvest more game than I require that things down the road will be in worse shape and I won t be able to continue enjoying nature how it is. When it comes to my personal land ethic there are definite self-serving interests, none of which are economically gainful to me though. I enjoy being in the outdoors and enjoying everything nature has to offer and do everything I can to return the favor. It wouldn t be fair to future generations to let our natural resources waste away and be lost forever. Prior to this exercise I was already familiar with Aldo Leopold s work (he is kind of big deal back in Wisconsin after all) so this was already an interesting and personal subject to me. It reaffirmed my views and gave me a chance to express them on paper. I believe that not enough people are fully aware of the land that surrounds them and the vast ecosystem that we are part of and the impact they have on it. This was especially apparent just recently with the altercation between the Bureau of Land Management and the Bundy ranch. Not enough people realized what he was actually doing and how it was impacting the land he was selfishly occupying. I would definitely recommend that more people educate themselves about responsible land use and being part of something bigger; it would benefit the world as a whole. It doesn t

7 matter how or where people are educated, if global warming has to be the red herring for conservation then so be it, I ll let Al Gore have that one so long as it leads to something better. While Leopold s views are somewhat dated they still ring true today and everybody could stand to learn from his teachings.