By the Numbers

Back in June when I started this blog, I mentioned Wallace Stegner, a conservationist and one of my favorite writers. One thing Stegner wrote sticks in my mind. He suggested that we should file a mental environmental impact statement every time we do something that effects the environment.
I thought about that today as I was reading “Lost Mountain,” by Erik Reece, a book about radical strip mining in Appalachia.
Reece writes:

“The twentieth century added more people to the world than all other centuries combined. Scientists calculate that each of the more than 6 billion humans on the planet needs 2.5 arable acres to produce the food and energy they need. The World Wildlife Federation estimates that the planet cannot regenerate its resources if every human being uses over 4.45 acres. Currently, the global average is 5.4 acres, which is still a deceiving number given that each American uses 23.47 acres. For the rest of the world to live like Americans, we would need four more Planet Earths.”

That doesn’t change the fact that we have only one Planet Earth.

Delayed departure


The trumpeter swan, which came to us in November with broken toes, has healed and is ready for release. The plan was to release him in December near Lake Mattamuskeet where the northern swans spend the winter. The release date fell during North Carolina’s swan hunting season, so he’ll stay at the rehab center until February.
It’s illegal to hunt trumpeter swans. There are fewer than 10,000 of them in the world. But it’s perfectly legal to hunt tundra swans, which winter in the same area. North Carolina issues 5,000 swan hunting permits a year. About 2,300 birds are killed during the season.
Problem is, it’s difficult to tell the difference between tundra swans and trumpeter swans, especially at a distance.
We want to give the trumpeter swan every chance of survival. That means remaining in captivity for a few extra weeks.

Symposium 2007

Members of the Wildlife Rehabilitators of North Carolina will meet Jan. 26-28 at the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro for their annual symposium. They'll attend workshops on repairing turtle shells, bandaging wings, taking care of fawns and a range of other topics related to animal care.
Many of the members have full-time jobs in fields unrelated to animals. There's no money in taking care of wild animals. They drive long distances to pick up injured birds. They set their alarm clocks for every few hours so they can feed baby possums through the night. They tend to venomous snakes and snapping turtles.
Most of the animals rehabbers see have been injured through the activities of humans, often unintentionally. Since humans have added to their suffering, it's our duty to try to alleviate it.
For more information of the symposium, go to: http://www.ncwildliferehab.org/conference/conf2007/conf2007.html
For a list of rehabbers in the state, go to: http://www.ncwildlife.org/fs_index_06_coexist.htm