RUMINATIONS ON ECOLOGY
Article 1, series 1
What is ecology? According to a Google search; the branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings. Ecology is even more expansive than this definition, Ecology is the interdisciplinary (all sciences) approach to understanding the relationships between organisms and their physical surroundings (your yard/forest).
Or if you like, (my definition): Ecology is simply an interdisciplinary approach to studying the environment and how systems within the greater system work together to the benefit of all.
I would like to focus on the “all”. Whether you believe that the earth is billions of years old and our ancestors were apes or you believe that this universe was designed and is a carefully thought plan with intent, we have but one planet on which to live.
As much as I appreciate the notion that we can save our planet through activism and legislation, getting everyone on the same page at the same time is an impossibility! A far better approach is education and personal responsibility.
This is the foundational pillar of NNE TREES. Through common sense stewardship approaches (using and administrating resources sustainably) we encourage our clients to embrace the light house approach to conservation stewardship.
By managing your property according to simple common sense principles your property can become an educational tool, a conversation piece, even an apparatus of conversion to to promote intelligent use and conservation of all lands.
Here is what we recommend:
All our land is sacred in the sense that it is part of the larger whole and is either managed as a benefit to all or a liability to all. So we recommend viewing your property in its larger context as part of the whole.
People are rather stubborn creatures, and as such, honey will go a lot farther than vinegar. So making clear your intentions with noticeable, attractive, conservation projects on your land will hands down have a greater impact than picketing the public square or picking people’s pockets. We can’t save anything through noble intentions or force.
You are not alone, even if sometimes you wish you were. On your property are symbiotic relationships and covenants that cannot be dispensed with on a whim. So managing your property with intention and discretion is paramount.
Everything that you do has consequences, so be aware that the earth takes no prisoners, know for sure, that we will reap what we sow.
Brand new cutting edge science may not be the answer, only the science that demonstrates a reverence for what was created and works within this confine is beneficial science. Any science that attempts to exploit its knowledge of systems, and force its will upon them, rather than working within the design is not good science. Apart from this recognition we are headed for an ecological blood bath.
It is better not to minimize the importance of anything, because everything, even every little thing is part of the larger thing.
Finally, a most poignant question. Who is best suited and most responsible for sustaining our resources and keeping our planet healthy? You are! Not the government (they have interests beyond conservation), not science (they have the same interests). Only you can improve the world that you live in.
