The Weekly Anthropocene, July 20 2022

Dispatches from the Wild, Weird World of Humanity and its Biosphere

Bison in Britain

On July 18, 2022, three European bison were released into the Blean Woods of Kent, in southeast England, becoming the first wild bison in Britain since the closely related steppe bison went extinct after the end of the last Ice Age. All three are females, and the plan is to add a young bull from Germany in mid-August to establish a breeding population. Bison are natural ecosystem engineers, and their presence will likely benefit biodiversity immensely; dispersing seeds caught in their fur, letting in more light to the forest floor as they clear paths with their vast bulk, and clearing bare earth for wildflowers to grow with their habitual dust baths. The Kent Wildlife Trust is also working to ensure safe coexistence for humans and bison in densely settled Kent, building bison-sized tunnels and strategically placed electric fences.

This is a spectacular example of proactive conservation, unafraid to take bold steps towards a wilder, richer future. It’s also just the latest stage in the European bison’s extraordinary comeback. They were once hunted to the point of extinction in the wild: only 54 individuals in zoos were left of the species when the last wild European bison was shot in 1927. However, decades of conservation work and a series of reintroductions starting in 1954 have resulted in over 2,700 bison roaming the wild lands of Europe today, from Poland to the Netherlands to Spain. And now, Britain too. Spectacular news!

Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park’s magnificent Mariposa Grove is a “natural cathedral” made up of majestic, towering giant sequoia trees, and has long been recognized as one of the jewels of America. It was given a degree of legal protection by a law signed by Abraham Lincoln in 1864, a legal prototype for America’s national park system (which began in earnest with Yellowstone in 1872).

In July 2022, Mariposa Grove was menaced by the Washburn wildfire, which started on July 7 and rapidly approached the irreplaceable sequoias. Tree lovers feared more destruction: in the massive California wildfires of 2020 and 2021, an estimated 13 and 19 percent of all mature giant sequoias were destroyed. But here, the Park Service was prepared. Since 1971, the Grove has been treated with over 20 low-level, carefully controlled “prescribed burn” fires, clearing out flammable brush and dead wood. This ancient Native American practice was prohibited for much of the 20th century, resulting in a huge fuel buildup that has resulted in catastrophic wildfires when climate change-induced droughts started in the 21st century. In this case, the old ways proved their worth: the Washburn fire started burning lower and slower once it hit the outskirts of the pre-burned grove, and firefighters on the ground were able to respond in real time, clearing small fallen branches and wetting the “Grizzly Giant” sequoia with sprinkler systems while the fire was just a few dozen meters away. (Note in the map above from National Geographic how the red extent of the fire skirts around the purple prescribed-burn areas). The Mariposa Grove sequoias are now out of danger-and yet another clear example is given of the smart way to protect forests in the warming, wildfire-prone Western US.

Clean Energy in New England

ISO New England, the Regional Transmission Organization in charge of N.E.’s power lines (different from a utility, which operates electricity-generating facilities) released its 2022 Regional Energy Outlook. There were two big, encouraging takeaways: first, New England’s power supply is rapidly shifting towards renewable energy, and second, more electricity is being consumed in New England as a result of the advent of electric cars and electric heat pumps. One big example of the change taking place is the shift in the Generator Interconnection Queue, the “line” of new and in-development energy projects wanting to be connected to the New England grid, from 2017 to 2022. In June 2017, there were about 13 gigawatts (GW) of new projects in line: 48% gas (a fossil fuel), 44% wind, and 6% solar. Now, as of March 2022, there were 30 GW of new projects in the queue, composed of 66% wind, 21% battery storage, 9% solar and 3% gas! (Pictured, above). Note that this includes the new offshore wind projects taking shape off Massachusetts, with help from the Biden Administration, as chronicled in previous issues of this newsletter!

“Over the course of the next two decades, our region’s electric grid will likely more than double in size, expanding to incorporate vast amounts of renewable resources and serve increasing demand for electricity as more sectors decarbonize,” wrote Gordon van Welie and Cheryl LaFleur, CEO and Board Chair of ISO New England. “This transformation is already well underway in the region’s power system, and the impact it will have on New England for generations to come cannot be overstated.”

By 2031, ISO New England expects to be powering 1.1 million heat pumps and over 1.5 million electric vehicles. 7 GW of non-renewables projects, mostly coal, oil, and nuclear, have retired since 2013, and another 5 GW of coal and oil are likely to retire soon. New transmission line projects will be key to keeping the grid balanced and stable. This kind of step-by-step, under the radar progress is what energy revolutions are made of!

Gophers Farming in Florida

In a fascinating new discovery (PDF here), researchers have found that a population of the southeastern pocket gopher (Geomys pinetis) in northern Florida is “farming” roots. The gophers (pictured) were found to be carefully cultivating the roots that grew into their tunnels, “cropping” pieces off of them to encourage the growth of smaller, tastier roots and fertilizing them with their own waste (notably unlike other gopher species).

"Southeastern pocket gophers are the first non-human mammalian farmers," said Professor F. E. "Jack" Putz, coauthor of the new study. "Farming is known among species of ants, beetles, and termites, but not other mammals."

The root farming is estimated to provide 21 to 62 percent of the gophers’ daily calorie intake, and may explain why this species maintains and defends such extensive tunnel networks. If you count this activity as full farming (some scientists disagree, arguing that the gophers aren’t sowing or weeding their crops), exactly two species of mammals are now known to practice agriculture: humans and the southeastern pocket gopher. There are probably a lot more that we don’t know about!