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From time to time, this
website will post comments, opinions and observations about the world of
man and the world of nature. These
postings will cover a wide variety of topics and ideas.
The following is an example of the kinds of topics that will be
posted. Feel free to
send in your own comments through russ@russheitz.com.
Global Warming’s
Effect on Wildlife
There has been a lot of talk about how
Global Warming is threatening the very existence of polar bears. But
Global Warming is having a much wider effect—and includes a much wider
variety of wildlife species—than we normally hear about. In the recent
issue of The Wilderness Society’s magazine Wilderness, several
of these other species were highlighted with beautiful photographs that
accompany the following quotes.
“With an estimated population of
only 100, the Florida panther survives in just five percent of
its original range in low-lying prairies, forests, and swamps in South
Florida. The greatest threat to these panthers is habitat destruction
and fragmentation, which will be worsened by rising sea levels caused by
warming temperatures.”
“The saltmarsh sharp-tailed
sparrow is found in Atlantic Coast salt marshes. Diking and
development of this habitat have put pressure on this bird, and as ocean
levels rise, its nests will be increasingly subject to flooding and its
habitat may even be eliminated eventually.”
“The Canada lynx and its
primary prey, the snowshoe hare, depend on boreal forests, one of
the ecosystems most threatened by climate change. The increase in
temperatures will erode boreal forests from the south … Scientists
have estimated that the lynx, already federally listed as a threatened
species in the continental U.S., needs several months of powdery snow
cover to survive … The warming … is causing more snow to fall as
rain.”
“Hawaiian honeycreepers [a
bird native to the Hawaiian Island] evolved over millions of years from
a single species to fill the available ecological niches. Today only 17
of those species remain, including the brilliant [scarlet] i’iwi. Once
abundant, this species has been decimated by mosquitoes, which carry
avian malaria. As temperatures have increased, mosquitoes have migrated
to the mountainous habitat of the i’iwi, and the outlook is grim.”
“The spectacled eider is a
diving duck that winters exclusively in the Bering Sea. However, climate
change is warming the sea, reducing the ice surface available for
resting. Another problem is the accelerated melting of permafrost, which
is transforming the eider’s wetlands nesting habitat into shrublands
and forests.”
For further information about how
mankind’s activities—and the threats of Global Warming—are
changing wilderness areas and wildlife all around the world, go to www.wilderness.org.
For a few other
books about animals and their relationship with people, and for an
introduction to the process of evolution, click on the following links.
TEARS AND TALES: Stories of
Animal and Human Rescue, and THE HORSE WITH THE GOLDEN MANE: Stories of
Adventure, Mystery and Romance, both by Russell A. Vassallo, www.Krazyduck.com.
THE HORSES OF PROUD SPIRIT:
Stories for anyone who loves horses, by Melanie Sue Bowles, www.pineapplepress.com.
THE ANCESTOR’S TALE: A
Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution, by Richard Dawkins, www.amazon.com.
Coming Soon from Krazy
Kritter Press:
KREEPY KRAWLY KRITTERS OF
FLORIDA
KRAZY KRITTERS OF
FLORIDA
II
Both by Russ Heitz, www.russheitz.com.
Astronomy
Picture of the Day
Prepare to be stunned by the
indescribable beauty of our universe as seen through the Hubble
Telescope and other viewing platforms.
Go to www.nasa.gov and click
on Image of the Day. Then
try a few random links for random days of the year.
There are over 700 photos available, many of them startlingly
beautiful. Check it out.
Stillness ... then a bat
flying among willows
Black against green sky
-- Kikaku |
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For
those who don’t know me, let me introduce myself.
