All well said Barb. It was the loggers in the National Forest
Service that invented "Smokey" to begin with. I saw very few old
cedars left anywhere in the Sierra. Long ago gone. Fragmentation has
been a norm now for 100 years of "checkerboarding". Everything you
say is true except I would challenge the absence of "flys"
not "wolves" for the Woodland Caribou success. Good recording to us
all and help educate the local forresters that know nothing about
systems and now have all the authority thanks to the Bushwacker.
Rich Peet
--- In "Barb Beck" <>
wrote:
> Hey when I am recording I would like a little LESS species
diversity - at
> least within recording distance of the mic 8-)
>
> Seriously, the most species diversity in a particular area is not
> necessarily a good thing. There are some things that need habitat
possibly
> in large areas where they do not come in contact with species of
the more
> fragmented habitats - I am thinking of some of our woodland caribou
up here
> and Spotted Owls in the NW. Last I heard it looks like the
fragmentation
> caused by logging there has admittedly brought in a lot of new
species, also
> make a lot of good bunny habitat which brings in more Great Horned
Owls.
> These guys do not mind an occasional spotty for dinner. Also the
Barred
> Owls who have evolved in areas where there are Great Horns seem to
fare
> better than their shy somewhat smaller cousin meaning they are now
coming in
> and occupying areas which were formerly Spotty habitat and
interbreeding
> with them. The woodland caribou apparently survive by being in
such low
> numbers in their habitat that they cannot support a wolf pack.
Fragment the
> habitat making more deer and moose habitat, get in a lot of deer
and moose
> to feed the wolves and you get them rapidly picking off the caribou
which
> are easy prey. Winners and losers and we do not know enough about
the grand
> design of nature to always predict the outcome and sometimes make
some
> horrible guesses.
>
> No matter what you do there are winners and losers. Locking areas
up,
> protecting them from fire etc also creates winners and losers and
not always
> the ones intended. Look at the ecological disaster called
Yellowstone.
> Locking up the place and throwing away the key has resulted in elk
which
> have obliterated habitat for bears (shrubs browsed to death) beaver
and
> associated critters on beaver ponds (elk essentially removing the
aspen from
> the park as well as willows and all things slightly palatable -
starving elk
> even skirting the spruce) - I better get off that soapbox or this
message
> will take a meg.
>
> In California in the Sierra the foresters and environmentalists
were at
> loggerheads for a long time each keeping the other from doing
anything. I
> know several years ago I was in the Tahoe basin and horrified at
the trees
> there - dead and dying. Trees that should have been thinned out
decades
> before by natural fires or logging. Now sitting as a powder keg
waiting to
> go off with a resulting very very hot unnatural very damaging fire
through
> the basin which most experts at that time were predicting would
create huge
> amounts of ash which would run into the lake wiping out its
beautiful color
> for centuries. I hope somebody has come to their senses and started
trying
> to remedy as best they can the situation. Even the very old giant
Sequoia
> survive BECAUSE of fire - their thick bark protecting them from the
blazes
> of natural fires which occurred frequently in the area. Man has
eliminated
> a lot of the natural disturbance which took place in this area
creating
> conditions for a huge unnatural disturbance. But then again in the
natural
> world there will be winners and losers. Always are except when you
are a
> very very adaptable critter able to create your own living space
and buy
> strawberries at any time of the year almost anywhere. - better quit
the off
> topic rambling before the listowner gives me a deserved smack
>
> Barb Beck (5th generation Californian)
> who escaped to
> Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Walter Knapp
> Sent: December 16, 2002 12:29 PM
> To:
> Subject: Re: [Nature Recordists] Re: Advice for a new budding
recordist.
>
>
> Dan Dugan wrote:
> >>--oryoki
> >>
> >>ps. Does the Nature Sound Society sierra recording
> >>camp still use the University of San Francisco field
> >>station near Yuba Pass? I have fond memories of
> >>my visit there, before the summit area was logged.
> >
> >
> > Yes! This year's is tentatively scheduled for June 20-22. There
are
> > still lots of good recording places at the summit and around the
area.
>
> Actually, if not done too extreme, things like logging can increase
edge
> habitat. And edge habitat is where most of the species diversity
is. It
> might even be better.
>
> Though I'm clear across the country and don't know the site.
>
> Walt
>
>
>
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