The Insite - Spaceship Earth

Land

Some scientists believe the universe is expanding. Could be, but planet Earth itself isn't getting any bigger. Meaning.... the land we've got is all we've got. But the good news is that the way things are isn't necessarily the way they have to be. An unused piece of school yard can be turned into a garden. A dried up creek can be brought back to life again.

People + imagination + energy = new uses for land.

Got some land in your neighborhood, or your own back yard that you'd like to see transformed? Let's talk about RESTORATION ECOLOGY.

Why are we screwing up ecosystems?

People all over the world have carelessly destroyed precious lands for centuries. Why? Because of:

Expansion ("Our country must be larger.")
Industrialization ("We need a factory on this river.")
Money ("Let's cut down the trees, build houses, and sell 'em!")
Ignorance about the importance of a variety of ecosystems. ("Why the heck does anyone need 400 species of frogs?")

Don't just preserve it. Bring it back to life!

Traditionally, conservation groups raise money to buy land and preserve it from development. But more and more, environmentalists are getting involved in a new science called restoration ecology. The idea is to reverse the damage in a particular ecosystem and save the land as well as the plant and animal species that live there. This isn't easy since interactions between plants, animals, and land are really complex.

Can it work?

You bet! And often we can see pretty dramatic results in a relatively short time.

On a big scale. One of the best known ecosystem recoveries is the tidal Thames River, which flows through London, one of the world's most densely populated places. For centuries, the Thames suffered from the activities of thoughtless humans who were dumping all kinds of garbage into its waters. By the late 1840s, very few fish, if any, could be found in the river. But in the 1950's waste treatment methods started cleaning up the water causing a wide spread improvement in the water quality. Within a few years, 100 different species of fish were living there. This was accomplished without a major money crunch on the towns and industries along the river. Not only that, lots of money was made because it's easier to generate business from a clean river than a filthy one.
On a small scale. Chicago contains the remnants of a tall grass savanna that once stretched across the Midwest. A local conservation group has spent 15 years restoring the land to its original glory. As one of their leaders says, "...it was almost like seeing a wounded animal. It just called to me. It said, 'I need help.' And I started working on this and trying to figure out how to bring these thing back, release them, make them healthy again. There's nothing that rewards me so much as being able to come out on a beautiful day to find thousands of flowers in bloom, scores of species that would be gone now. They would be gone from the site. In the long run, they would be gone from the earth. But they're ... here by the hundreds, waving in the wind. They say 'thank you,' and it's a good feeling."

Nature is always changing. Once an area is returned to its original condition it can't be locked up in a museum and preserved forever. It'll be constantly changing because of natural and human-related forces. So when people make positive changes to the environment, they have to keep watch over what they've done to make sure that whatever forces were responsible for screwing things up in the first place are outweighed by people who care.

Getting started.

Now is a great time to get involved in your environment. (If not now when?)

Look around your community.

See any vacant lots cluttered with garbage? Overgrown yards? How about your local creek or park? Is there a pond, woods, or shoreline that's been neglected or abused by people? What could you do to make a difference in that place? What would it take to for you to actually do it? How much could you accomplish for the environment in the next couple of months? Up for the challenge...

These groups are actively involved in helping the land.

Contact any one of these organizations and get involved too!

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