Celebrate Earth Day & End Plastic Pollution!
Today is
Earth Day! And this year's theme is ending plastic pollution!
Our reliance on single-use plastic has gotten entirely out of hand, and as a direct result of our consumer choices plastic pollution is negatively affecting our health as well as the health of the planet (particularly marine life).
I urge you - I plead with you - take some time to consider ways you can personally eliminate single-use plastic from your life. Then, start taking steps to implement your plan for a future free of plastic pollution!
For further inspiration and ideas for living without single-use plastics, check out these posts:
Kick the Plastic Habit: Plastic Bags and Other Single-Use Packaging
Kick the Plastic Habit: Plastic Water Bottles and Other Single-Use Beverage Containers
At Home With A Naturalist: In The Kitchen
Happy Earth Day!
About Me
Named after the Sierra Nevada Mountains, I am a naturalist and avid birder based in Central California. Above all, I am a follower of Jesus Christ, our amazingly good Creator God whose magnificent creation is an unending source of awe and inspiration for me. I hope to inspire others to appreciate, respect and protect this beautiful earth we share, and invite you to come along with me as I explore the nature of California and beyond!
- Siera Nystrom -
You Might Also Like:
On a recent birding trip to Merced National Wildlife Refuge, I tallied up a list of sixteen different species of ducks. Only a few more species, around twenty in total, are expected in the Central Valley of California's freshwater marshes during the winter, so I consider that to be an excellent day for ducks! North American ducks are broadly separated into two categories, largely based on their methods of foraging for food. Dabbling ducks , also known as "puddle ducks," tend to frequent shallow water, where they are commonly seen tipping bottoms-up to feed on plant matter and invertebrates in the water and on the muddy bottom. They are most at home in water, but walk easily on land as well, as their legs are positioned near the center of their bodies. The wings of dabbling ducks are relatively large, which allows them to take off from the surface of the water, straight up into their air. Dabbling ducks almost all nest on the ground, near water....
In 1844, early California explorer John C. Fremont gave a somewhat scathing review of Joshua trees when he wrote, "...their stiff and ungraceful form makes them to the traveler the most repulsive tree in the vegetable kingdom." Rather unkind, don't you think? But when Joshua trees were formally described by scientist William Trelease in the 1890's, he noted that Joshua Trees are "the most attractive of all the Yuccas." I am inclined to agree with this sentiment, and must disagree most heartily with Lieutenant Fremont! I, for one, adore Joshua Trees, with their whimsical shapes and great ecological significance! If you struggle with plant identification, the iconic Joshua tree, hallmark of the Mojave Desert, is a good place to start. With densely spiked tufts protruding from the ends of gangly arms stretched towards the heavens, this looks like a plant straight from a Dr. Seuss book....
The other day, while exploring one of the remaining patches of wetlands around my county, I came across a furry little critter that was a complete surprise for me: an American Mink! Contentedly going about his (or her) business at the edge of the wetland, staying under the dense cover of an old clump of willows, the mink slipped out of sight before I was able to get a photograph. But this mink sighting got me thinking about other mammals I've encountered here in California's Central Valley, and as it turns out... there have been quite a few! California Ground Squirrel: A common sight in the Valley, and an important part of the ecosystem! Though the Central Valley is no longer the land of wild abundance it once was (at least not in terms of wildlife), more species of mammals than one might imagine still manage to make their living on the fringes of urban and agricultural land up and down the valley. National Wildlife Refuges provide much-needed havens for a ...
Sitting at the dining table of my grandmother's house in the Sierra Nevada a few days after Christmas, my attention was divided between flipping through Kaufman's Field Guide to Birds of North America and watching Anna's Hummingbirds and Acorn Woodpeckers visiting the feeders on the deck. Pondering what the new year would bring in terms of birding, I began mulling over where I could go in the United States to see the most new species of birds to add to my life list. That is, what region has the highest number of species that are different from what we have in California? As one who likes lists, I started jotting down regions and species, noticing a few areas that began to emerge as likely candidates: For spring migrants like warblers, the northern Midwest and eastern U.S. is promising; Florida has a number of neat things (like flamingos!) I will never see in California; southern Texas is a hotbed of unique species, with its tropical Green Jays and Plain Chachalacas. ...
A few days ago, Eric and I spent a lovely spring day hiking with friends at Pinnacles National Park. And of course, when I say "hiking," you know I mean birding also! We hiked eight miles in total, from the visitor center along the Bench, Sycamore, and Moses Spring Trails to Bear Gulch Reservoir, encountering 47 species of birds along the way. A diversity of plant communities in Pinnacles National Park offers habitat for 160 species of birds. While much of the steep mountainous terrain in the park is covered by chamise-dominated chaparral, pine and oak woodland, dominated by gray pine and blue oak, is well represented also. Riparian corridors of sycamores and willows follow the paths of Bear Gulch and Chalone Creek, offering refuge in an otherwise often hot and arid landscape. From the moment we got out of the car near the visitor center, the sound of birds filled the air: most notably, the raucous calls and incessant chattering of a large flock of Acorn Woodpeck...
Several times this year I have been lucky enough to see North American River Otters ( Lontra canadensis ) in both the San Joaquin and Tuolumne Rivers. They have been too leery of me to allow for any great National Geographic quality photos (let's be honest, that's not entirely the otters' fault!) but I have gotten a few shots in which they are at least recognizable as river otters, not just obscure brown blobs on the riverbank! River Otter along the banks of the Tuolumne River. The presence of otters in our rivers is a wonderful thing. As a top predator species in the ecosystem, river otters are often heralded as indicators of the health of the entire watershed. Like their seafaring counterpart, California's Southern Sea Otter ( Enhydra lutris nereis ), the North American River Otter was once hunted extensively for its thick pelt. Where otters once thrived, over hunting, followed closely by habitat loss and degradation, has taken...
Not it's pretty amazing, but it's awfully damn stupid... and blaming it on "consumer preferences" rather than capitalistic profit motive is rather simplistic.
ReplyDeletee.g. we used to wash and re-use glass containers before "they" figured out that "they" could make more money if the bottles were trashed or replaced by plastic. Make laws against plastic and laws that necessitate the re-use/washing of glass containers (our current "re-cycling" is a sham).
The problem - our "lawmakers" are the rich and they don't seem to care about "doing right".
Yes, that pretty much sums it up exactly!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWe need to understand the importance of the recycled product. Try to use less plastic material or try to reuse it so that it may help to reduce the plastic garbage. Find out the eco-friendly product and start using them for the better future.
ReplyDelete