Giant rats & giant electrification plans in Tanzania, solar surges in Estonia, AI for the Great Barrier Reef, urban wildlife in Melbourne, California's MPA success, and more!
The Montana thing is not a “win” —- it’s just the final conclusive evidence that, at this point, biofuels are nothing but a scam intended to keep the world from moving away from petroleum.
Thank you for not leaning into the beaver dam as an "inside job" designed by conspiratorial actors to circumvent the "regulation process" and "property ownership system". Even it is may have been.
There is this funny back and forth going on at a small pond in Maine that would benefit hugely from a family of beavers. There is this small inflatable dam that "clandestine" human put into slow down and normalize the seasonal outflows from the lake.
All they seem to debate about is:
1. higher lake level is needed to provide safe parking spots for boats.
2. levels to high will inundate "grandfathered" buildings, outhouses, and septic systems.
3. low lake levels are needed so that 100% of the shoreline is a sand beach during vacation season.
What they don't talk about is the resiliency problem - it is just as real as a boat or a beach but people don't see it or talk about it until it happens (china lake syndrome). The environmental chemistry / biology rational for something like this is super simple and well establish. The two basic reasons are: (1) Slowing down baseflow to a lake moderates the water temperature (groundwater is ~50 degrees year all the time). (2) Slowing down baseflow allows for more dissolve oxygen to enter the lower levels of the lake water (and sediments) when it is needed most, namely in the summer and fall seasons. More dissolved oxygen in the water = less soluble (bioavailable) phosphorus. Cooler water = less chance of runaway algae / microbe growth.
Only "blame it on the beaver" rhetoric can break the tension - they are extraordinarily cute and they have kids, so no one can mess with them with out a big fight !
I love the enthusiasm of your reporting, Sam! Great fodder for conversation too.
Thank you!
Another compilation of all the good actions that will make life better for our grandchildren and their grandchildren.
Always an ecstatic read. Thanks, Sam.
Thank you!
The Montana thing is not a “win” —- it’s just the final conclusive evidence that, at this point, biofuels are nothing but a scam intended to keep the world from moving away from petroleum.
Thanks for another hopeful read.
Thank you for not leaning into the beaver dam as an "inside job" designed by conspiratorial actors to circumvent the "regulation process" and "property ownership system". Even it is may have been.
There is this funny back and forth going on at a small pond in Maine that would benefit hugely from a family of beavers. There is this small inflatable dam that "clandestine" human put into slow down and normalize the seasonal outflows from the lake.
All they seem to debate about is:
1. higher lake level is needed to provide safe parking spots for boats.
2. levels to high will inundate "grandfathered" buildings, outhouses, and septic systems.
3. low lake levels are needed so that 100% of the shoreline is a sand beach during vacation season.
What they don't talk about is the resiliency problem - it is just as real as a boat or a beach but people don't see it or talk about it until it happens (china lake syndrome). The environmental chemistry / biology rational for something like this is super simple and well establish. The two basic reasons are: (1) Slowing down baseflow to a lake moderates the water temperature (groundwater is ~50 degrees year all the time). (2) Slowing down baseflow allows for more dissolve oxygen to enter the lower levels of the lake water (and sediments) when it is needed most, namely in the summer and fall seasons. More dissolved oxygen in the water = less soluble (bioavailable) phosphorus. Cooler water = less chance of runaway algae / microbe growth.
Only "blame it on the beaver" rhetoric can break the tension - they are extraordinarily cute and they have kids, so no one can mess with them with out a big fight !