The Environment
My childhood in the 40's & 50's was in a town of five hundred some people in Indiana. We didn't have all the amenities of a city. No theater, skating rink, swimming pool, bowling alley or such, so I spent much of my childhood in the woods along the streams. Then I bought my first car in '58 and drove every little road leading to anywhere over several surrounding counties. Never once did I see a deer or wild turkey. I was in my mid thirties the first time I saw a wild deer, and about 45 when I saw the first turkey in the wild. Since then they've both become plentiful.
After high school I started working in downtown Indianapolis. I lived about 35 miles west and would leave home to a bright, sun-shiny day, but by the time I was near Indianapolis the sun would be hidden behind this dome of pollution that covered the city. There were smoke stacks belching black smoke into the sky, sewers and packing plants that emptied raw sewage into White River. You could generally tell about where you were in the city by the smell. The river was dangerous. No one ate fish from there or boated there, let alone swim. Today there are parks on the river, they have an annual float race, the skies over the city are clear, and it's a beautiful community.
In 1900 we had 46.52 million acres of forest lands under the National Forest Services control. In 2000 that number had grown to 187.74 million acres, over four times as much. This does not count the lands owned or controlled by the lumber and paper industries. These industries know that to run out of trees is the end of their business, so each year they plant more than they harvest.
In the late fifties the Great Lakes were in trouble. Lake Erie was classified a dead lake. Today there is commercial fishing on lake Erie. Contrary to what the environwackos have to say, the United States, in cooperation between government and the private sector, have done a lot toward cleaning up our environment and the efforts are ongoing. Hysteria, lies, fabricated evidence and falsified statistics do nothing but hurt the cause the wackos profess to be working for. In point of fact, very few of the most vocal "environmentalists" do anything but talk. It's the individual out there picking up along the roadside, industry finding better ways to manage landfills, government when it finally manages to pass reasonable regulations (based on fact rather than sensationalized feel good legislation).
Most people would prefer to live in a clean environment, and we're making it happen. Flying around the country in huge private jets spouting slanted, incomplete statistics and outright fabrications does nothing but hurt the efforts of the genuine environmentalists.
After high school I started working in downtown Indianapolis. I lived about 35 miles west and would leave home to a bright, sun-shiny day, but by the time I was near Indianapolis the sun would be hidden behind this dome of pollution that covered the city. There were smoke stacks belching black smoke into the sky, sewers and packing plants that emptied raw sewage into White River. You could generally tell about where you were in the city by the smell. The river was dangerous. No one ate fish from there or boated there, let alone swim. Today there are parks on the river, they have an annual float race, the skies over the city are clear, and it's a beautiful community.
In 1900 we had 46.52 million acres of forest lands under the National Forest Services control. In 2000 that number had grown to 187.74 million acres, over four times as much. This does not count the lands owned or controlled by the lumber and paper industries. These industries know that to run out of trees is the end of their business, so each year they plant more than they harvest.
In the late fifties the Great Lakes were in trouble. Lake Erie was classified a dead lake. Today there is commercial fishing on lake Erie. Contrary to what the environwackos have to say, the United States, in cooperation between government and the private sector, have done a lot toward cleaning up our environment and the efforts are ongoing. Hysteria, lies, fabricated evidence and falsified statistics do nothing but hurt the cause the wackos profess to be working for. In point of fact, very few of the most vocal "environmentalists" do anything but talk. It's the individual out there picking up along the roadside, industry finding better ways to manage landfills, government when it finally manages to pass reasonable regulations (based on fact rather than sensationalized feel good legislation).
Most people would prefer to live in a clean environment, and we're making it happen. Flying around the country in huge private jets spouting slanted, incomplete statistics and outright fabrications does nothing but hurt the efforts of the genuine environmentalists.
posted by Fish-2 at 6:46 AM
5 Comments:
Excellent observations, Fish. I'm just shy a decade behind ya', but I also tromped the woods and remember that deer were scarce and like you, never saw a wild turkey (two-legged variety) until the 90s. And no way would we swim in the Ohio River when growing up. Now, it's a big jet ski playground around here. In fact, the tow operators complain about all the pleasure craft out there on the river nowadays.
The environment has improved.
But like all government/social initiatives, we have to guard against the pendulum swinging too far. Invariably things seem to get taken to the extreme.
Nail on head.
Great point, Fish. And true.
Wonderful post and valid point, Fish!
We've got lots of wild turkeys around here too, and deer. The water in our lakes and rivers (at least the one's I see) are clear. There are trees everywhere, and yet the Moobats holler about needing more trees. They simply couldn't make sense if they were suddenly given brains.
even small streams are being restructured in our small valley... Some that disappeared into irrigation canals a century or more ago.
We have moose, too, within the last 5 years. This summer the cow has two calves. amazing stuff.
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