Environment

Among The Trees

April 26, 2019 By Zola Zeester 4 Comments

“No more walks in the wood;
This is the aftermath
Of afternoons in the clover
Fields where we once made love
Then wandered home together
Where the trees arched above,
Where we made our own weather
When branches were the sky.
Now they are gone for good,
And you, for ill, and I
Am only a passer-by.”

— John Hollander, An Old-Fashioned Song

The Life and Loves of a Tree

We start loving trees as children because they are so much fun to climb and offer endless playtime adventures and hiding-out opportunities. As we get older, explore and learn more about trees, we find more to love and cherish.

Trees do many good things for the world — like cleaning the air, providing oxygen, and protecting us against a changing climate (to name just a few), and trees have incredible healing and restorative powers along with an ability to spark creative and spiritual inspiration. Just a short walk in the woods can lift your spirits. And, take a look around along the way. You may be surprised at what’s really going on among the trees.

A forest is actually a lot like a community of social beings. Yes, that’s right — trees in the forest are social, sharing, caring and also smart, having evolved to live in cooperative, interdependent relationships through communication and collective intelligence. And, all this extraordinary interaction among trees is happening underground, just inches below the surface.

Suzanne Simard, a professor of forest ecology at the University of British Columbia’s Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences in Vancouver, studies the below-ground fungal networks that connect trees and enable their underground “inter-tree” communication and interaction. In her TED presentation How Trees Talk To Each Other, Suzanne describes her field research (which included some tense moments with a bear) and the exciting discoveries during 30 years of study. [Ted Talk, courtesy of TED, CC BY–NC–ND 4.0 International]

Peter Wohlleben’s international best-seller The Hidden Life of Trees (2015) fascinated readers to the many wonders of the forest. In a new, illustrated edition, beautiful images provide the perfect complement to the original book, with striking close-ups of bark and seeds, panoramas of vast expanses of green, and a unique look at what is believed to be the oldest tree on the planet. [If you purchase a book via the link here to Amazon, Zeester Media LLC may receive a small commission. This in no way affects the price you pay for the purchase

FOREST THERAPY
Go To The Woods – Breathe Deeply – Be At Peace

In Japan, shinrin-yoku (forest bathing), is the practice of spending time within a forest to benefit from its therapeutic powers as well as to enjoy being surrounded by nature. Introduced in the early 1980’s as a Japanese national health program, it has become a popular healing practice throughout Japan and around the world.

Forest bathing activities may include relaxation techniques such as mindful meditation, yogic breathing (yoga deep breathing exercise) and aromatherapy as well as walking or simply standing in a forest absorbing it all through the five senses (sight, touch, smell, sound and taste). For the best experience, participants are encouraged to select a safe, secure forest and relaxation methods that best fit their needs and preferences.

Forest Bathing – Forest Therapy Society (Tokyo, Japan)
Association of Nature & Forest Therapy – find a forest bathing guide, workshops and programs

Technical Recreational Tree-Climbing, a style of tree climbing requiring special equipment and techniques, continues to grow in popularity as an enlightening outdoor experience with therapeutic benefits as climbers ascend into the crowns of tall trees and canopies of forests. Basic training is essential to learning how to use the ropes, saddles, and techniques safe for both the climber and tree.

Once a year, Tim Kovar, an adventurous arborist and tree climbing instructor, takes a few people on a climb up one of the tallest trees in the world — an 850 year old California redwood called the Grandfather. It’s a summit Tim says less people have attempted than Mt. Everest.

Go Tree Climbing – The Global Organization of Tree Climbers provides information on training, climbing programs, and safety. Tree Climbers Rendezvous 2018 is a tree climbing event open to all levels of experience, scheduled to be held in Costa Rican Cloud Forest August 24-28.
Tree Climbers International – promotes tree climbing as a safe recreational activity for people of all ages, and offers recreational tree climbing courses from basic to advanced.

Information/Resources:

Do Trees Talk to Each Other? by Richard Grant, Smithsonian Magazine (March 2018)
Alternative Healing, A Walk in the Forest by Catie Liebeck, Pulitzer Center (April 25, 2016)
How Trees Calm Us Down by Alex Hutchinson, The New Yorker (July 23, 2015)
Immerse Yourself in a Forest for Better Health, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

When You Give a Tree an Email Address, by Adrienne LaFrance, Atlantic Monthly (July 10, 2015) The city of Melbourne assigned email addresses to trees so that citizens could report problems with a specific tree. Instead of reporting problems, people wrote thousands of love letters to their favorite trees.

Find a Forest Near You – interactive map & online search tools to help you find forests in US and Puerto Rico
10 Incredible Forest Walks To Add To Your Bucket List by Richard Madden, The Telegraph Travel/Tours (August 7, 2017)

Want to get involved and help trees? Here’s a list of just a few of the organizations dedicated to planting trees and restoring and protecting forests around the world:

National Forest Foundation – Nonprofit partner to the US Forest Service (chartered in 1993) that promotes health and enjoyment of America’s forests with community involvement, tree planting programs, collaborative research, funding grants, and information resources

Arbor Day Foundation – Nonprofit conservation and education organization that provides information and support for the planting of trees in cities and communities and restoring forests around the world. [Search for Arbor Day celebration dates across America and around the world → here]

Trees For the Future – public charity dedicated to planting trees around the world and helping farmers revitalize the soil.

Tree People – A nonprofit organization that inspires and supports the people of Los Angeles, California to plant and care for trees, harvest the rain, and renew depleted landscapes.

Feature photo is courtesy of Spring Fed Images/Unsplash CC0

Gordon Hempton is a ‘sound tracker’, traveling the world in search of vanishing sounds, including silence. He found a quiet spot in the Washington Hoh rainforest, and takes us there in the short video documentary, Preserving One Square Inch of Silence.

We’d love to hear from you! If you’d like to comment on this article, join the conversation, or share your inspiration, and you have not yet registered as an On2In2™ playmaker, please sign up via the ‘Engage page’. Don’t worry, it’s pretty quick and easy (unless you’re a robot).

If Stars Could Speak

March 31, 2019 By Zola Zeester Leave a Comment

“Awake” by Zach Rogers is a short video beautifully photographed and produced using a time-lapse process that results in mesmerizing views of star filled skies above stunning landscapes. It was a 3 year “passion project” involving the selection of 6,870 photos from a collection of 50,000.

A philosopher once asked, “Are we human because we gaze at the stars, or do we gaze at them because we are human?” Pointless, really…”Do the stars gaze back?” Now, that’s a question.Neil Gaiman, Stardust (1999)

Experiencing a night sky teeming with glittering stars awakens curiosity, perspective and inspiration, and is a recreational activity enjoyed by amateur astronomers throughout the world. The opportunity to see such a sight, however, is getting more difficult as dark skies are vanishing from the glaring effects of light pollution. In fact, more than 99% of people living in North America and Europe see light polluted night skies rather than stars, and the Milky Way is hidden from more than 1/3 of the world’s population. The International Dark-Sky Association (“IDA”) works to protect night skies and ecosystems within parks and conservation areas around the world. Find dark skies for your best stargazing experience via the IDA locator map HERE, and look around for Telescopes and Stargazing Guide Book * to learn more and get started.

The short video Lost in Light by night sky photographer, Sriram Murali, dramatically demonstrates the affects of different levels of light pollution on our view of the night sky.

If you can’t get outside—-Watch the Night Skies channel here to see more amazing stargazing views captured on video by talented photographers.

More about stars⇒ Sol Invictus Super Star Sorcery Mysteries of a Galaxy

Pros give advice on how to take great photographs of the night sky in this free-to-watch info-video series → Shooting Stars

Have you tried moon gazing? Humans have revered the Moon for thousands of years, and celebratory customs of moon viewing add a spiritual component to the experience of seeing a big, bright, beautiful moon in the night sky. Simple, but awesome.

References/Information:

“Light Pollution Hides Milky Way from 80 Percent of North Americans, Atlas Shows” by Nell GreenfieldBoyce, NPR All Things Considered (June 10, 2016)

Night Sky Network – Search tools to help you find astronomy clubs and special events throughout US

Earth Sky (List of astronomy events, festivals, star parties & workshops)

Ten of the Most Breathtaking Night Skies on Earth by Michelle Douglass, BBC Earth (August 27, 2015) Some the world’s best dark skies are over remote, hard to reach locations, while other sites are astrotourism hotspots encompassing national parks and observatories.

Lassen Volcanic National Park (located approximately 3 hours northeast of Sacramento, California) has meadows freckled with wildflowers, jagged peaks, clear mountain lakes, a rich diversity of plant and animal life as well as numerous volcanoes, steaming fumaroles (steam and volcanic-gas vents) thumping mud pots, and boiling pools. Stargazing & Astronomy→ park info Dark Sky Festival

Atacama Desert, Chile

Pic du Midi – Hautes-Pyrénées, France

Rakiura National Park, Stewart Island, New Zealand – This ‘Land of Glowing Skies’ was designated an International Dark Sky Sanctuary in January, 2019

Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve – Mackenzie Region, NZ

Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve

Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona becomes International Dark Sky Park in June 2018

Dark Sky Festival – Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, California USA

Acadia Night Sky Festival – Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine USA

Jasper Dark Sky Festival – Jasper National Park, Jasper, Canada

Night Sky Festival – Joshua Tree National Park, California USA

Mayo Dark Sky Park – Newport/Mulranny/Ballycroy, Ireland

Brecon Beacons National Park – South Wales, UK

Galloway Forest Park – Scotland

Dark Skies Festival – North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales National Parks, UK

Winter Star Party – Florida Keys, USA, usually scheduled each year during the full moon in February

OzSky Star Safaris The “Classic” is held at the outskirts of Coonabarabran, NSW, Australia, and the “Spring Edition” takes place at NSW Southern Tablelands

Exmoor Dark Skies Festival – Family stargazing weekend at Exmoor National Park, a large beautiful and peaceful area of wild countryside in the South West of England and Europe’s very first International Dark Sky Reserve

Star Search: A Night Guide for Urban Texans by Wes Ferguson (Texas Monthly, March 2018) – Where to find dark, wide-open skies or a big telescope for star gazing in the state of Texas

Thebacha & Wood Buffalo Dark Sky Festival, Canada

Fountain Hills Dark Sky Festival, Arizona

The feature photo is a still shot taken from the video, “Awake” by Zach Rogers

The title of this article “If Stars Could Speak” comes from the title of original music by Alexandr Fullin. It was used by Zach Rogers as the soundtrack to the “Awake” video.

*This page includes an affiliate link to a shop website. If you purchase a product or service directly through the link, Zeester Media LLC may earn a small commission. This in no way affects the price you pay for the purchase.

Art Transforming Trash

March 18, 2019 By Zola Zeester 1 Comment

The opposite of beauty is not ugly… it’s indifference.Richard Lang

There are many complex issues involved in the elimination of pollutants from the environment, but there’s at least one problem easy to identify and understand — trash. Take just one walk on a beach, and you’ll quickly see the ugly truth.

More than 8 million tons of plastic makes its way into the Ocean each year, and the stuff doesn’t go-away or disappear. Just one plastic bag takes 1,000 years to decompose. Much of this garbage can be seen floating on top of the ocean surface. Between California and Hawaii, the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” is more than double the size of Texas, and it’s just one of many similar floating debris patches.

Ray Ives, a retired Royal Marine and commercial diver, saw even more during his 40+ years of deep sea diving,……“You can’t believe some of the things people dump in the sea. It’s like the biggest rubbish dump in the world”.

Artists are using their creative talents in amazing ways to help make positive change as their works of art bring attention to the plastic pollution problem the world faces and inspire all of us to “rethink plastic”.

Gyrecraft is a short film about crafting objects at sea, in the past with whale’s teeth and in the future with plastics collected from Ocean waters.

Studio Swine went on a 1,000 nautical mile journey through the North Atlantic Gyre, from the Azores to the Canaries, collecting plastics as they sailed. (The North Atlantic Gyre is one of five large systems of circulating ocean currents. The vortex of currents traps man-made marine debris into a large, dense floating debris zone called the ‘North Atlantic Garbage Patch’.) Using a specially designed ‘Solar Extruder’ machine, the plastic pieces collected during the trip were melted on board ship with heat from the Sun, creating a ‘sea plastic’ material used to create art works.

In the short video, Sea Chair, watch as a stool is built on a boat from the plastic collected in a fisherman’s nets.

Since 1999, Richard and Judith Selby Lang have been visiting a special spot at Kehoe Beach at the Point Reyes National Seashore in Northern California, collecting plastics that have washed up on shore. The Lang’s then take their treasures home, wash and sort the items, and create works of art. Over the years, they’ve collected tons of the stuff, learned a lot about ocean pollution, and discovered each little bit of found plastic has an interesting story to tell and provides an insight into human culture.

Aurora Robson is a multi-media artist known for her work with waste materials, and the founding artist of Project Vortex a collective of creatives who work with plastic debris as a medium and support organizational efforts to reduce the amount of plastic littering the oceans and shorelines of the world. She has said the intention of her art is “to take something negative, try to change the direction it’s going, and turn it into something positive”.

Inspired to create your own “environmental art”, but not sure how to start? David Edgar creates marine life art forms from plastic bottles, and his instructional fish project video is a how-to guide for beginners. In the demonstration, you’ll learn that creating a sculpture requires scissors and a couple of simple tools, and reshaping plastic can be accomplish with heat from a hair dryer. Really, the possibilities are endless because unfortunately, so is the trash.

Information/Resources:

Point Reyes National Seashore Point Reyes is a peninsula surrounded on three sides by the Pacific Ocean, supporting a large diversity of species throughout the food chain and ecosystem.

One Plastic Beach The Lang’s offer workshops, presentations, art sales, commercial and residential artwork commissions

Aurora Robson See more art and media

Project Vortex is an international collective of artists, designers and architects creating art works with plastic debris in support of projects that intercept plastic waste in innovative ways and help water cleanup efforts.

Healthy Seas – a joint venture of non-government organizations and businesses dedicated to cleaning ocean of litter and recycling it into new products such as socks, swimwear, textiles and carpets.

International Coastal Cleanup Day is celebrated annually the third Saturday in September.
(Save the Date: September 21, 2019)

Plastic Oceans Foundation – a non-profit organization with a mission to engage people through education and media projects, campaigns and global partnerships

You’ll be surprised to see what lies
beneath the waves – Art Underwater

Our Oceans are suffering from many decades of
abuse and neglect, but each of us
has the power to help heal it

We’d love to hear from you! If you’d like to comment on this post, join the conversation, or share your inspiration, and you have not yet registered as an On2In2™ playmaker, please sign up via the ‘Engage page’. Don’t worry, it’s pretty quick and easy.

Feature photo is courtesy of Free Stock Pro/Pexels CC0

The California Brown Pelican

March 17, 2019 By Zola Zeester 2 Comments

Brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) can be found on both coasts of the Americas and are quite common along the coast of California, but it is a very unique pelican and its survival was at one time threatened.

A close-up photo of California Brown Pelican in flight — Frank Schulenburg CC BY-SA 4.0

While it’s a large bird, the brown pelican is the smallest of the eight species of pelican, and one of only three found in the Western Hemisphere. It’s also one of only two pelican species that feeds by diving into the water—a spectacular sight to see as it power-dives, bill-first, submerging underwater for a few moments before surfacing and swallowing its catch. Amazingly, they can spot a fish up to 60-70 feet above the surface of the water, and that height makes for some high diving and big splash-down.

Brown pelicans are also social and gregarious birds, living in flocks of both sexes and nesting in colonies on offshore islands. They are extraordinarily buoyant in the water as well as beautifully graceful in flight, flying in single file or “V” formation often low over the surface of the water.

Watching the skillful performance of brown pelicans is some of the best entertainment on the beach!

The brown pelican is protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. In the early 1970’s, scientists discovered pesticides threatened the brown pelican by causing its eggshells to be too thin to support an embryo, which led to its listing under the Endangered Species Act, a ban on the use of the pesticide DDT in the United States, and curtailed, controlled the use of toxic insecticide. As a result of those protective government actions and other conservation efforts, the brown pelican made an eventual recovery. In a 2008 US Fish & Wildlife report, the brown pelican population in southern California was estimated at more than 11,000 breeding pairs, and it was officially removed from the endangered and threatened species list in 2009.

It’s a happy story of a great recovery and an example of how wildlife conservation efforts can help save endangered species, but brown pelicans still need some protection. There’s concern they are highly susceptible to climate change and destructive human activity, and the only breeding colonies in the western US are located within Channel Islands National Park on the West Anacapa and Santa Barbara islands. Consequently, preservation of this vital habitat along with continued monitoring are critical to the health and survival of the California Brown Pelican.

The Brown Pelican Survey project is a biannual citizen science-based survey organized and initiated in 2016 with the joint efforts of the US Fish & Wildlife Service, Cornell Lab of Ornithology (eBird), state agencies, Conservacion de Islas and the National Audubon Society in order to better understand the abundance and distribution of Brown Pelicans in California, Oregon, and Washington and track shifts in population. To see the May and October 2016 survey results, and for information on how you can participate in the survey, click/tap ⇒ HERE A total of 1,976 brown pelicans were counted across 18 sites along the Oregon coast in the fall of 2017 (reported by the Audubon Society of Portland ⇒ The Oregon Fall 2017 Survey Results)

It's a happy day when you meet up with a California Brown Pelican on a beach in Malibu, California — California Brown Pelican, Big Rock Beach, Malibu CA

It’s a happy day when a big, beautiful California Brown Pelican
comes along during a walk on the beach.

References/Information Sources:

California Brown Pelican, Channel Islands National Park
Brown Pelican, National Audubon Society Field Guide
All About Birds – Brown Pelican Life History, The Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 “makes it illegal for anyone to take, possess, import, export, transport, sell, purchase, barter, or offer for sale, purchase, or barter, any migratory bird, or the parts, nests, or eggs of such a bird except under the terms of a valid permit issued pursuant to US federal regulations”. The US Fish & Wildlife Service has statutory authority and responsibility to enforce the Act.

If you’d like to see and learn more about the birds of the world,
you’ll find helpful info and links to resources as well as brilliant
photos of birds here ⇒ Bird ID Challenge

Audubon's The Birds of America includes an illustration of the Brown Pelican — Brown Pelican, Audubon’s “The Birds of America” Plate 251

This image of the Brown Pelican (plate 251) is taken from The Birds of America by John James Audubon courtesy of the National Audubon Society, John James Audubon Center and Montgomery County Audubon Collection. The full series of Audubon’s illustrations of birds is available for viewing and downloading free of charge.

Feature photo of Brown Pelicans in flight at Big Rock Beach, Malibu, California is courtesy of Zeester Media LLC, CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Rubber Band Art

February 28, 2019 By Zola Zeester Leave a Comment

Noticing the jar of multi-colored rubber bands in the kitchen, a friend asked me, “What are you going to do with them?”

There really was no answer. In fact, it’s not at all understandable why someone would save rubber bands, except they seem impossible to throw away and occasionally the odd one or two will come in handy for bundling up or repairing something. And, really….they are everywhere. Even the broccoli and celery at the grocery are bundled together with a colorful rubber band, and all must be saved and collected, perhaps protecting the environment in some small way or (most likely) a kooky obsession.

People using rubber goes way back. The Aztecs and Mayans used natural rubber products and mixed latex and other materials as early as 1600 B.C.; however, the process of “vulcanization”, the chemical process of converting natural rubber into a more durable product, was not developed until the 19^th century. Stephen Perry, a British businessman and inventor, received a patent for the rubber band in England more than 170 years ago.

Today, rubber bands (aka elastic bands, laggy bands, gum bands, and elastics) are made of either synthetic rubber or natural rubber (latex) taken from the sap of rubber trees, and there are many types, sizes and versatile household, office and industrial uses as well as uniquely creative uses for the rubber band.

For example, everybody likes making rubber band balls. It takes patience and a lot of rubber bands to get things rolling, but not fine crafting skills, and it’s fun to have on your desk to bounce around the office.

A man named Joel Waul from Florida is credited by Guinness World Records as the builder of the largest rubber band ball (aka “Megaton”). Consisting of 700,000 rubber bands, it measured 6′ 7″ high, 25′ 4″ in diameter, and weighed 9,032 lb.

Megaton is certainly impressive as is Preston Moeller’s cool rubber band chair which earned him first place in 2011 at the Appalachian State University 6^th Annual Chair Design competition. A great example of functional “rubber band” art and creative design using unconventional materials.

Those achievements are inspiring, but also a bit beyond ordinary skills and require a huge supply of big rubber bands. Thinking smaller scale, the idea for an art project began to develop—–create colorful vases by simply wrapping rubber bands around glassware, one at a time. It was fun and easy (no glue or special tools required), and the pieces are fairly durable except the rubber bands will deteriorate when exposed to heat or sunlight, requiring repairs and replacements.

The rubber band art vases and jars are pretty as well as handy to have around the house and office, and they’ve been put to good use as flower vases and planters as well as holders for organizing pencils & pens, utensils, odds & ends, and…. more rubber bands! People are always amazed when told the flower vase they are admiring is decorated with rubber bands, and the possibilities are endless as are the design variations.

Made a pretty flower vase using rubber bands. — Rubber Band Flower Vase by Zola ©2018 Zeester Media LLC

Creative colorful jars using rubber bands

Finally, there’s an answer to that provocative question —“What are you going to do with them?” Try it, and have some fun with your own project.

Creative collage made with recycled plastics: Find your passion and the joy of creating a work of art here at On2In2™ — Controlled Chaos by Zola ©2018 Zeester Media LLC

There’s inspiration here — Art Transforming Trash shows you the many ways to create beautiful art from plastics discarded and found.

Have you created an art object with rubber bands or other recycled items?
Please share your ideas and creations with On2In2™, and join the conversation via “Engage“. Would love to hear all about the fun you’re having.

Feature photo of rubber bands by Bill Ebbesen CC BY-SA 3.0
Rubber band ball and art images from the Zeester photo studio CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Information Resource: Wikipedia (Vulcanization, Rubber Band)

Kīlauea

January 31, 2019 By Zola Zeester Leave a Comment

During a volcanic eruption, we are reminded that our planet is an ever-changing environment whose basic processes are beyond human control. As much as we have altered the face of the Earth to suit our needs, we can only stand in awe before the power of an eruption.US National Park Service

Hawaiian Ridge - Emperor seamount chain consisting of islands, undersea mountains and volcanoes extends across the Pacific Ocean. — Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain, NOAA and ESRI® Data & Maps (Public Domain)

The “Hawaiian – Emperor seamount chain” is a vast undersea mountain range interspersed with islands, underwater mountains (seamounts), atolls (ring shaped coral reefs encircling a lagoon), shallows, banks, reefs and more than 80 volcanoes, that extending across the Pacific Ocean for 3,728 miles (60,000 kilometers) from the Hawaiian islands to Alaska and Siberia. The chain has been forming during the last 70 to 80+ million years by volcano eruptions and movement of the ocean floor (the “Pacific Plate”) over a volcanic region known as the “Hawaii hotspot”. Closest to this hotspot is the Hawaiian archipelago (aka Windward islands) that includes eight main islands: Hawaii (aka ‘the Big Island’, the Island of Hawaii & Hawaii Island to distinguish it from the US state of Hawaii), Maui, Oahu, Kauai, Molokai, Lanai, Niihau, and Kahoolawe, a number of small islands, atolls, and seamounts, extending 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) from the Kure Atoll to the Big Island, the southernmost point of the Hawaiian – Emperor seamount chain.

The formation of the Big Island is the result of sequential and simultaneous eruptions of five ‘shield’ volcanoes (low profile, circular, slopping shield shaped volcanoes) over a period of about 300,000 – 600,000 years, and at 93 miles (150 km) across and a land area of 4,028 sq. miles (10,430 km²), it’s the largest of the Hawaiian islands and still growing because of the lava flow from currently active volcanoes, Mauna Loa and Kīlauea.

In accordance with beliefs and practices of the traditional Hawaiian religion, summits of the five Big Island volcanoes are revered by native Hawaiians as sacred mountains, and the powerful, passionate Fire Goddess, Pele, is believed to live within the Halema’uma’u crater located at the summit of Kīlauea. Pele’s domain, however, includes all volcanic activity on the Big Island, and she has the ability to cause lava to erupt from the ground at any time. She’s been a very busy goddess.

Kilauea volcano is still active on the Island of Hawaii, and NASA-led scientists are studying the effects and hazards. — Kilauea at Night, NASA photo

The Kīlauea Volcano

The name ‘Kīlauea’ is translated to ‘spewing’ or ‘much spreading’, referring to frequent lava flows originating from the volcano. The name is well-deserved as there have been 61 separate eruptions from Kīlauea since 1823, making it one of the most active volcanoes on planet Earth. Most of these eruptions have been relatively moderate and have occurred within one of its ‘rift zones’ with lava flows moving downslope. [A rift zone is an area of ruptures on the surface that allows lava to erupt and flow from the flank of a volcano instead of its summit.] However, Pele does periodically create havoc with explosive and sometimes deadly eruptions that expel molten rock and gases across the landscape.

Kīlauea’s most recent major eruption (dating back to January 3. 1983) is the longest period of volcanic activity in its documented history with lava flowing almost continuously for 35 years from the volcanic cone, Puʻu ʻŌʻō (‘high point on the skyline’) located within Kīlauea’s East Rift Zone. [Volcanic cones like Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō are formed by the ejected magma rocks piling up around a vent.] The collapse of Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō on April 30, 2018, resulted in the iconic eruption site and surrounding lava flow fields becoming devoid of lava during the rest of 2018. The absence of surface activity for such a long period of time makes it unlikely that lava activity will resume within Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō; therefore, scientists have determined the eruption has concluded. It’s important, however, to remember that Kīlauea remains an active volcano that will erupt in the future, and hazards have not changed as a new eruption can quickly cause dangerous conditions. For status updates, check out the Report from USGS – Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (daily updates and warnings).

Video: Story of Kīlauea Volcano’s summit lava lake, and the eruptive history of Halema‘uma‘u. Credit: US Geological Survey

In the video documentary 100 Days: 2018 Kilauea Eruption, photojournalist Andrew Richard Hara chronicles his emotional observations of the 2018 Kīlauea eruption.

Also, see lava flow from Kīlauea up-close in HD. Two short videos, Dawn of Fire and River of Fire, (filmed and produced by Tyler Hulett) capture flowing molten lava as it moves toward the Pacific Ocean from Puʻu ʻŌʻō during daylight and night. It’s an incredible sight to see.

Visiting Kīlauea

A spectacle, sublime and even appalling, presented itself before us. We stopped and trembled. Astonishment and awe for some moments rendered us mute, and, like statues, we stood fixed to the spot, with our eyes riveted on the abyss below.William Ellis (1794-1872), describing the first sight of Kīlauea

The first western visitors to Kīlauea were two missionaries in 1823, William Ellis, an Englishman, and American, Asa Thurston, and after the building of hotels on its rim in the 1840’s, Kīlauea became a tourist attraction. Today, it’s protected within the Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park and visited by 2.6 million people annually. The park offers visitors dramatic volcanic landscapes of Kīlauea and Mauna Loa, archeological sites, historical places, and a look at rare flora, fauna and wildlife as well as hiking, biking, touring and camping. Popular stops are the Kilauea Visitor Center and the Thomas A. Jaggar Museum & observation deck.

References/Information Sources:
Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park Find Kīlauea vistor information, including eruption/emission/lava flow updates, hiking & safety tips, photos & video
USGS – Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, Kīlauea history, status reports, updates & information
Wikipedia: Hawaiian Islands, Hawaii (Island), Kīlauea, List of volcanoes in the Hawaiian – Emperor seamount chain, Hawaiian religion, Pele

Scientific Study: In January 2017, a NASA-led science team began exploring Kīlauea and Mauna Loa from the air, ground and space to better understand volcanic processes and find ways to mitigate the hazards.

US National Parks: There are more than 400 US national parks available to everyone, every day. Most are free to enjoy, and the 117 that charge an entry fee (e.g., Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park) offer fee-free days throughout the year.
Find Your Park ← Use the search tools on this website to find the perfect place to visit.

Feature photo credit: Puʻu ʻŌʻō, courtesy of GE Ulrich, USGS (Public Domain). [Note: Puʻu ʻŌʻō is a volcanic cone that allows lava flow eruptions from the eastern flank of the Kīlauea summit. It has been erupting since January 3, 1983.]
Image: Map of Hawaiian Islands, United States Geological Survey, Public Domain
Image: Simplified map of Kīlauea Volcano (2000) by J. Johnson, USGS, Public Domain
Photo: Kīlauea at Night is courtesy of NASA

Polar Bear

December 29, 2018 By Zola Zeester Leave a Comment

Cinematographer Dom West and photographer Joshua Holko along with director, Abraham Joffe and crew trekked over 120 miles per day in Svalbard (a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean located about midway between continental Norway and the North Pole) to capture polar bears on film for the video documentary, Ghosts of the Arctic. It’s awesome.

Polar bears are marine mammals that have been around for a very long time, and for thousands of years, have been an important figure in the material, spiritual and cultural life of indigenous people throughout the Arctic region. A ‘sister species’ to the brown bear, the polar bear (Ursus maritimus) evolved somewhere around 350,000 – 6 million years ago, and at some point, split off from the brown bear and moved North, during which time a series of evolutionary changes occurred allowing the polar bear to survive the harsh conditions of the Arctic. The polar bear of today has black skin covering a layer of fat up to 4.49 inches (11.4 centimeters) thick, small ears, a short tail, and fur made of dense, insulating underfur with top guard hairs of varying lengths that prevent heat loss, and paws and claws perfect for roaming around the Arctic and swimming.

Home for a polar bear is on the ice in the Arctic region, including Alaska, Canada, Russia, Greenland and Norway (60-80% are in Canada), and it feeds almost exclusively on the fat of ice-dependent seals. As sea ice advances and retreats each season, polar bears may journey thousands of miles to find food, and they rely on the ice to travel, hunt seals, breed, and sometimes den.

Prior to the 1970’s, polar bear populations were in decline as a result of unsustainable hunting and trapping that began as far back as the 1600s, but a 1973 international agreement that strictly regulates commercial hunting helped the population numbers improve. It’s estimated there are currently 22,000-31,000 polar bears in the world. In the 21st century, however, polar bears face additional threats including pollution, oil & gas exploration/development, shipping, human-bear interactions, and climate change as Arctic sea ice is disappearing at an alarming rate. If ice-free periods exceed a polar bear’s fasting ability of 220 days, it will be difficult, if not impossible, for polar bears to survive, especially in areas that lack an alternate food source.

In May 2006, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) added the polar bear to its ‘Red List’ of the world’s most imperiled animals, predicting a 30% reduction in the polar bear population in the next 45 years.

BYU Polar Bear Research Video: Working with Polar Bears International, Brigham Young University Professor of Wildlife Sciences, Tom Smith, and his students are engaged in a multiyear study to monitor maternal polar bear den sites in Alaska and to determine how climate change is impacting these animals.

Information/Resources:
Polar Bear International (Polar Bears 101, Human Interaction, Tracking Map & FAQ)
Defenders of Wildlife – Basic Facts About Polar Bears
World Wide Fund For Nature – Polar Bear Status
International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, Red List of Threatened Species -Polar Bears
Conservation of Polar Bears in Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada
How a Production Team Broke Cameras and Braved -30° to Shoot Polar Bears in 4K, by Emily Buder, No Film School (August 2, 2017)

Feature photo is a screen shot taken from the Untitled Film Works video, Ghosts of the Arctic
Photo of Arctic polar bear is courtesy of Pixabay/Pexels, CC0

Mer de Glace

December 16, 2018 By Zola Zeester Leave a Comment

Mer de Glace (Sea of Ice) is categorized a “valley glacier”, a type of glacier that originates from mountain glaciers and flows down valleys, and located above the Chamonix valley within the Mont Blanc massif mountain range of the French Alps. Formed by the confluence of the Leschaux and Génant glaciers, the Mer de Glace is the longest and largest glacier in France, and one the biggest tourist attractions in the Chamonix valley as it’s accessible by the historic Montenvers Railway (Chemin de fer du Montenvers) and offers spectacular mountain views as well as tours, exhibits, and restaurant/hotel. However, the powerful beauty and recreational benefits of Mer de Glace were not always appreciated.

During the classical and medieval periods of European history, ice was deemed mysterious, evil and dangerous, and glaciers aroused intense fear as they were thought to be inhabited by demons that swallowed up unwary victims as well as whole villages. Consequently, glaciers were avoided, not explored, deepening myths and superstitions for many centuries. In 1690, fearful villagers of Chamonix took action against glacial evil by retaining the services of a bishop to exorcise the glaciers.

Two Englishmen on expedition to Chamonix in 1741, William Windham (1717-1761) an English landowner and Richard Pococke (1704-1765) a high ranking clergyman and anthropologist, disregarded the forewarning of evil lurking in glaciers, and climbed up the mountain for 3¾ hours with the aid of local guides and porters to carry wine (essential drink for 18th century adventure travelers) and provisions. It was a successful excursion as they returned safely and were able to provide the first written description of the glacier they called ‘Mer de Glace’. The achievement also marks the beginning of change in attitude as the phenomena of the Sea of Ice later attracted writers, adventurers, artists and photographers.

Crossing the Mer de Glace on foot (1902-1904) — Mer de Glace Crossing, Zurich Central Library collection, 1902 – 1904, Public Domain

Two hundred and seventy-five years later, the explorers of Mer de Glace are on skis. In the video Ice Call from PVS Company, pro skier, Sam Favret, takes you on a freestyle tour through the icy waves, trails, and tunnels of Mer de Glace.

Vallée Blanche

Mer de Glace is certainly skiable, and you don’t have to be a ski pro like Sam Favret or an expert to enjoy the unique backcountry experience via the iconic off-piste ski route, Vallée Blanche. But, there are risks. The surface of Mer de Glace is very rough with gradient drops, large hunks of ice, deep crevasses, and seracs, making it extremely dangerous without sufficient snowfall, good intermediate skills (in all types of terrains & snow conditions) and a local mountain guide.

The Vallée Blanche is accessible from Chamonix, France via a 20 minute ride on the Aiguille du Midi cable car to the mid-station Plan de l’Aiguille (2,317m), then a walk through a tunnel and down a precarious ridge to a small, level area— the starting point for the main Vallée Blanche runs. There are four: the classic “voie normale” (the normal way), and the more challenging, Le Vrai Vallee Blanche, the Petit Envers du Plan and Grand Envers du Plan.

For the most part, the voie normale follows the valley floor through dynamic terrain, beginning with a descent into a bowl toward a large rock outcrop known as Le Gros Rognon (The Big Rock) and continuing along the mountainside. The run can be nice and smooth in spots, but depending on weather conditions, there could be deep powder, crusty layers, and icy moguls to navigate. About 2/3 down, the Refuge du Requin is a popular place to take a break, and 250 meters from there is the start of Mer de Glace. If snow conditions are good, it’s possible to ski all the way down to Chamonix. If not, the run ends at Montenvers, thus requiring a steep climb up iron stairs (misery!) to a gondola that connects to the Montenvers Railway. At a leisurely pace, including lots of stops, sightseeing and long lift queues, the up/down round trip will take 4 – 6 hours, but don’t rush…..enjoy the ride and take in the views.

The Fateful Retreat of Mer de Glace

Valley glaciers like Mer de Glace are relentlessly moving, flowing, growing, shrinking and deforming as a result of weather (temperature and snowfall) and stresses caused by the massive weight. As a result, they are appreciable indicators of climate change.

After a significant cold period in Europe during the late 19^th century, Mer de Glace was so large that it reached as far as Chamonix in 1850. Today, it’s hardly visible from Chamonix as the lower end of the glacier (the ‘snout’) has been shrinking during the last 30 years at a rate of about 4-5 meters (13-16 feet) a year. There is concern the retreat will not stop as Mer de Glace is an important fresh water source for the region as well as a tourist destination, and Christian Vincent, a French glaciologist with the Laboratoire de Glaciologie et Geophysique (LGGE) and Institut de Recherche pour le Development (IRD), has warned it may shrink as much as 1.2 -1.4 kilometers (about ¾ of a mile) by the year 2040.

Resources/Information:
Wikipedia (Mer de Glace, Mont Blanc massif, Glacier, Richard Pococke, William Windham, Sr., French Alps, Chamonix, Chemin de fer du Montenvers, Aiguille du Midi, Little Ice Age)
The Annals of Mont Blanc – A Monograph by Charles Edward Mathews (1900)
Because It’s There-A Celebration of Mountaineering from 200 BC to Today (William Windham..from an Account of the Glaciers or Ice Alps in Savoy, in Two Letters) edited and translated by Alan S. Weber (2003)
Celebration of the Franco-English Friendship in Chamonix (1936), summitpost.org
Spiritual History of Ice: Romanticism, Science & Imagination by Eric G. Wilson
Chamonix visitor information: findtransfers.com (see also; chamonix.com, chamonix.net, ski-chamonix.net)
“Climate Change on Mont Blanc: The Vanishing Mer de Glace” by Helena Fouquet (2015), bloomberg.com

There are more bold backcountry runs, big jumps and tricks to see on the “Downhill Runs” video channel and explore at Skiing China

Feature photo is a still shot from the video “Ice Call” by PVS Company
Mer de Glace photo by Detroit Publishing Co. (1890-1900), US Library of Congress Prints & Photographs, Public Domain
Chamonix Valley Map sourced from chamonix.net
Crossing the Mer de Glace on foot, photo taken about 1902-1904, Zurich Central Library, Public Domain

Creature Comforts

December 5, 2018 By Zola Zeester 2 Comments

We all need a safe, comfortable place to call home, and wildlife is no exception. Animals and birds need cover to protect against inclement weather and predators, and that can be difficult to find in your neighborhood without a little help from humans. Here are some ideas for creating wildlife homes in your backyards and gardens:

ROOSTING BOX

The birds that hang around instead of migrating south for the winter must hunt for a good spot to stay warm. A roosting box is specially designed to provided needed shelter for birds during the long, cold winter nights. Set one of these up, and make a bunch of birdies very happy.

BAT HOUSE

Bats do more good for our world than most people realize; eating insects, pollinating cactus and agave plants, and providing farmers nutrient-rich fertilizer via bat guano. Yet, bats are vulnerable to extinction as they are slow reproducing mammals and are threatened by climate change, deforestation, hunting, wind turbines and fungal infection.

By installing a bat house in your backyard, you’ll provide grateful bats a place to roost and a female bat a safe, warm place to raise a young, healthy pup.

TOAD HOUSE

Toads like to hang out in leaves and undergrowth and chow down on insects, but they also need a place to escape from sun and predators. Toad houses make the perfect little hide-away as well as add a little character to your outdoor space.

SQUIRREL HOUSE

Where there are birds, there will be squirrels eating from bird feeders and taking over bird houses. Giving squirrels a special place to call home will give them cover from weather and predators, and just maybe keep them away from bird sanctuaries.

NANCY’S BIRD BUTTER

In winter, food for wild things often becomes scarce. You can help backyard birds with full, easy to find feeders, and by offering foods high in fat and calories that provide the energy required to keep birds warm.

Nancy (@nk03262) shared her Nancy’s Bird Butter recipe in a 1/12018 post. It’s perfect winter bird food— “good for the birds and your soul”.

• Melt 16 oz lard and 2 cups crunchy peanut butter in the microwave in microwave safe bowl (mine takes 3 to 4 minutes on High to melt). It’s hot – Be carefull removing bowl.

• While the melt is happening — Mix 4 cups quick oats, 4 cups cornmeal, 2 cups flour, and 2/3rds cup sugar. Stir this mixture into the melted lard and peanut butter.

• Spread into a disposable 9 X 13 aluminum pan, and place in freezer. When solid, remove and let soften a bit, and then cut into 6 squares. Store squares in zip locs in freezer.

• Place one in a square suet feeder in your yard, and watch our feathered friends come with open beaks and gratitude, especially in winter.

• To keep squirrels out of the bird feeders, you need the right equipment, e.g. pole mount, wrap-around baffle and hanging baffle.

Feature squirrel photo is courtesy of Pixabay/Pexels CC0

Say Goodbye, Jack

October 29, 2018 By Zola Zeester

It’s fun while it lasts, but the job of protecting our homes against vampires and chasing off evil spirits is done after Halloween night…..What to do with all those jack-o’-lanterns? Rather than throwing an unwanted pumpkin in the trash, here are some tricks* that make good use of it and keep the treats coming a little while longer.

*Editor’s Note: Toxins in paint can be harmful to people and wildlife; therefore, these pumpkin recycling suggestions apply to jack-o’-lanterns and other pumpkins used for holiday decoration that have not been painted.

COMPOST IT

A fundamental of organic farming is a nutrient-rich compost that’s made of recycled and decomposed “green” waste materials, such as leaves, grass clippings, vegetable trimmings, and food waste.

Pumpkins breakdown and decompose quickly because they are 90% water. To avoid sprouting pumpkin plants in your compost pile, make sure all seeds have been removed from your jack-o’-lantern before throwing it in your compost bin. If you don’t compost, check with gardening friends and neighbors, community gardens and farms about donating pumpkins.

Starting a compost project at home, indoors or outside, is easy, good for your garden soil and the environment. For the best results, first read up on the basics [EPA website: “Composting at Home Basics “, and for more composting info & gardening tips, check out this ⇒ Book Selection ], and get the right equipment [Click here to see selection of handy kitchen food scrap bins and a variety of garden composters ⇒ SHOP ].

SEED & FEED

You’ve got to pull away the seeds from the stringy, slimy pumpkin flesh, rinse them off in a colander, then let dry a bit (not on paper or cloth because they’ll stick). You can, of course, roast the seeds for a crunchy snack as it’s easy enough to spread them on a baking sheet, coat with oil, sprinkle with seasonings, and bake in 350F/180C preheated oven for 10 minutes. However, there are probably some hungry birds outside. Why not give them a treat?

For the BIRDS: Take the clean, dry pumpkin seeds, don’t add a thing—no salt, oil, or seasoning, and no roasting, and simply place them outdoors on a flat surface, tray, or shallow bowl, or mix with commercial bird seed. Watch happy birds chow down.

For PLANTING: You can also save some of the pumpkin seeds for planting next spring. If your gardening space is limited or nonexistent, try growing pumpkin plants in 5-10 gallon buckets. Learn more about planting, growing and harvesting pumpkins from the Farmer’s Almanac.

CUT UP for CRITTERS

Animals (deer, rabbits, squirrels) enjoy eating pumpkin as much as we do. Just cut the pumpkin into pieces and leave outside (away from the house & best near trees) for your neighborhood wildlife. Easy!

Give the wild things in your backyard a cozy winter home
⇒ Ideas for creating wildlife homes

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