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The Environmentalists We Never Hear About
The world is full of true environmentalists. They are not the ones flying hither and yon to obstruct livelihoods and shut down vast areas of land.
They do not collect $200,000 paychecks, nor are they career litigators who use their education and cleverness to turn the U.S. system of justice on its head. The efforts of true environmentalists are aimed at creating opportunities, benefits and results rather than destroying or obstructing those ends.
It's a matter of positive efforts as opposed to negative efforts, people who live by the old rule of "First, do no harm."
Unfortunately, the positive environmentalists rarely gain the ear of the media. They are busy trying to improve the soil, develop sustainable lifestyles, produce healthier animals and crops, and find innovative and low-cost ways of building homes for the many Americans who are struggling to house and feed their families. Mostly, the doers and innovators are too occupied at actual work to become adept at the manipulation of public opinion.
The manipulation of public opinion through the use of soundbites repeated so often that they become 'truth' and the careful cultivation of divisive emotionalism is now America's most important industry, key to successful politics and lead stories in the media. It has become a survival and advancement mechanism that along the way has obscured truth, obliterated accountability, discouraged investigation and experimentation, and produced a public citizenry willing to be led, rather than lead. In a Sierra Times article entitled "Six Thousand Years of Failed Governments", Dorothy Anne Seese writes:
"Man appears to wish to be ruled by a god who will give them everything, require nothing, and magically provide all things with no effort on anyone's part other than to eat, drink and be merry. When they get bored with that, then they will inevitably return to the mischief and debauchery we now see in so-called "civilized" nations. While the people live in various stages of wishing, dreaming and denying reality, the evil ones who exploit man's inherent discontent organize, plan and execute their own dream of enslaving the world."
Here are a few examples of effective soundbites and distorted demagoguery of the day:
"Clearcut:" In our shallow society the term has become a blanket word synonymous with "all logging is bad." A recent issue of Mother Earth News, which I value for many of its truly sustainable living tips, showed a photo of a beautifully treated area of forest near Flagstaff featuring an open, sunny meadow and a few well-spaced, healthy trees. Mother sneeringly referred to it as "clearcut," thus demonstrating a total ignorance of the needs of ponderosa desert forests.
"Old-growth:" Another emotional blanket term that has come to mean "don't ever cut a big tree." Many in contemporary society think all trees will live hundreds or even thousands of years if bad loggers will just leave them alone. Ponderosas only have a vital lifespan of 250 to 275 years, after which they begin to die and become susceptible to bugs, disease and wildfire.When the knowledgeable environmentalists of our region try to point out that few young trees will ever get big in our overcrowded Arizona forests, they are ignored.
"Overgrazing:" This word now equates to the gospel of "cows are bad."
Manipulators deliberately avoid context. Most people don't know what overgrazing is, which in simple terms is grazing animals too long in one place. The truth is, genuine range environmentalists in Arizona and much of the moisture/ organics-deficient West know that massive herds of cattle moved over the range mowing vegetation, aerating the soil and providing fertilizer are the best hope of restoring vitality and diversity to the land. It's not the cows, stupid, it's the management.
But many politicians and other leaders pander to the sentiments generated by the well-entrenched context-challenged terms, thus ensuring their own job security while wiping out the jobs of others, destroying productive rural economies and preventing or delaying the honest search for beneficial results on the land.
Down-to-earth environmentalists who know their ranges and forests recognize that many of those calling themselves environmentalists are inflicting more damage on the soils and forests of the West than cows or clearcuts ever could. Like our bodies, most western lands require lots of activity interspersed with moderate rest for maximum health.
A nation that still retains a vestige of common sense would recognize that since everything in life comes from the land and Americans seem to want more and more of everything, we dang sure need to be focusing our energies on finding better methods of stewardship and sustainability than our present day practices. Or should I say nonpractices?
We need to bring out our real environmentalists right away.
Has anyone noticed that our forests are dying and burning?
Payson.cc © 2004 Carrol Cox
Payson Arizona Editorial and Opinions on National USA / World / and Local News Issues