It has been a very eye opening summer here in the Northwest working to protect orcas. Elsewhere so much more is happening worldwide with climate change, mosquito borne viruses, salmon die-offs, droughts ….you name it. I am amazed there are still so many people denying the obvious. We humans need to step up our game in order to secure a future for our children and grandchildren on this planet. Think of the LORAX.
The question I get all the time is: “what can I do?” I do believe Americans live in a bubble of media fantasy where our single focus is money. Hell, Donald Trump got elected on jobs, jobs, jobs.. Who cares about health care; even though the stress from these jobs is killing us all. Who cares about old age as we will all be rich and have servants to take care of us. NOT!
As my friend the late Doug Thompson used to say: “there are no jobs on a dead planet.” And he is absolutely correct. There will be no “us” on a dead planet either, and it is about time that we all pay attention. I realize it is difficult to grasp such large concepts… like sustaining life on the planet, but really; it’s easy. Biodiversity, Interdependence, Finite resources…. Pretty easy, huh? The next time someone explains to me that technology will save us, I will scream… Just ask yourself: “How’s technology done so far?”
Stop blaming others… Now is the time to head to the mirror and ask ourselves, what am ”I” doing? I know that everyone is busy trying to buy the latest fashions, newest cars, and keep up with the trend setters, BUT please stop and take a good look at yourself. What have you done to make this planet a better place? My wildest dream is that I will leave this planet a little better off than when I arrived…
This is a tough task so I have dedicated my life to it. I was born in the early 50s so blame me. It is my generation that has done most of the damage, and it is time for us to accept our responsibilities to actually do something to make this right. To those pessimists who think all is lost and prefer to party until the end: if there is a hell, I hope you will spend eternity there. For my fellow pagans who believe that we come from the , and ultimately go back there… I’d rather reside on a living planet into eternity rather than a chunk of charcoal lifelessly orbiting a fading sun.
There are solutions, and we need to begin yesterday or there will be a lifeless tomorrow. I’m just saying…
We at www.gaianetwork.net continue our efforts to help the Southern Resident Orcas avoid extinction. There are a number of things that have to come together for the orcas to actually have a future. I believe their future is our future… Dams need to be dealt with. Salmon farms need to be eliminated from the oceans. Urban waste and run off needs to be eliminated, and human harassment needs to be stopped. It is insanity to think we can tackle all these issues at once, but we can each take on a part… One at a time, and there are plenty of issues to go around. Get involved. My years of experience tell me that my little group we can tackle harassment… and we will try with our newly established Neighborhood Orca Watch.
This last summer when asked to help with the orcas, I felt it would be an easy job. I mean, who doesn’t love orcas? The public forced marine parks to eliminate shows and captures once and for all. The San Juan Islands are home to these magnificent creatures, and certainly share the guilt of their extinction by exploiting them to begin with. First the public allowed the capture of individuals to be turned into performers at public spectacles. Back then these “shows” were justified as educational. Today they are universally condemned. I like to think we’ve evolved. Evolution is a good thing.
I am hoping that the whale watching industry will begin to lead the way and become a part of the solution. They know the laws and they know the whales… why not make it a point to leave them alone and force others to leave them alone too. This summer we had individuals go out as tourists and ran cameras the whole time. I will not beat a dead horse here, but let’s say the laws that exist were not followed. It is hard to dispute video, and instead of placing past blame why can’t we evolve? I’d like to move forward and get everyone on board to try our absolute best to protect one of this islands oldest residents. The Orcas… Let’s all prove how evolved we can become. Let’s all do what we can to give the southern residents a break.
GAIANetwork.net 