Sentient Times Apr/May 2001 Issue



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Apr/May 2001 Energy Crisis or greed crisis? Jackie alan Giuliano, Ph.D. US Science And Technology Policy A New Century, A New Framework Jill Chopyak An Ounce Of Precaution: The "Precautionary Principle" Versus "Risk Management" Donella Meadows The Pain of the World Passes Through Us Gaea Yudron, MRET Plastic Softeners in Food & Water Linked to Reproductive Disorders Rachel’s Bi-weekly Political money: Like A Big Water Balloon by John Darling Congress: The Real Pros At Quid Pro Quo Arianna Huffington Citizen Protests Continue: Worldwide Opposition Kayla M. Starr Fiddling While Rome Burns Blair Bobier These Mountains & Rivers as Home: The Work of the Siskiyou Field Institute Let the Children Move Jon Bredal, MA Breastfeeding: A Simple Choice Pamela Jorrick Monthly Prayer by Peter Moore The Future of Energy Medicine Richard Gordon Shock: How It Limits Our Lives, What We Can Do About It Peggy Rubin Cosmic Calendar by Salina Rain BACK TO TOP
	These Mountains & Rivers As Home: The Work of the Siskiyou Field Institute "Society’s need for a revitalized natural history – a fusion of natural science and philosophy, propelled by literary grace – is more pressing than ever." – Dr.Thomas Fleischner, Prescott College The fact that we live so separated from the land—from the places we inhabit—is at the root of many of society’s environmental problems. Recognizing this, the Siskiyou Field Institute (SFI) works at rebuilding our personal connections with the natural world through direct, hands-on experience. Based in Cave Junction, Oregon, SFI offers field courses and other educational programs for people of all ages that focus on the unique ecology of southwest Oregon and northwest California. Last fall, SFI began publication of a new quarterly journal of natural history for the Klamath-Siskiyou region, entitled Mountains & Rivers: A Quarterly Journal of Natural History for the Klamath-Siskiyou Region. This aesthetically attractive and highly readable journal is a collaborative creation of Evan Frost (Managing Editor), Jennifer Kaye Marsden and Susan Cross (Associate Editors). Laurel Reuben recently joined the staff as Outreach and Distribution Coordinator. All four have extensive experience in natural history study, a passion for outdoor learning and believe strongly in the need to connect people to place as the basis for confronting environmental challenges. This article is based on Laurel’s recent interview of Evan and Jennifer. LR: What inspired you to create Mountains & Rivers? Evan: The initial idea for Mountains & Rivers was born a couple of years ago when I was teaching a forest ecology course for the Siskiyou Field Institute. A full week of day hiking and hands-on learning in some spectacular outdoor settings had created a very positive energy among the diverse group of participants. We were all feeling a deep appreciation for and connection with the natural world as our home, with a heightened awareness of how amazing this region is, and that we’re really members of this larger community. Sharing an intimate, direct experience of nature like this with others can be very meaningful for people—it can help affirm what Harvard biologist E.O. Wilson calls "biophilia," a feeling very much like falling outward in love. Since most of us can’t immerse ourselves in wild nature very often in this modern, busy world, I thought that perhaps a place-based, celebratory publication like Mountains & Rivers could help serve as a reminder of our personal connections to this particular landscape and the greater community of creatures that live as neighbors just outside the doorstep. With a blending of the scientific, artistic and literary, our primary goal of investigating the natural history stories of the Klamath-Siskiyou region and the positive roles that humans can play emerged. Our first issue appeared last fall and currently we have over two hundred subscribers. We hope to recruit many more. How is Mountains & Rivers related to other work of the Siskiyou Field Institute? Jennifer: The core program of SFI since our inception in 1998 has been our field natural history courses, which offer the opportunity to study a diversity of topics—ranging from wildflower identification and salmon ecology to wildcrafting and birdwatching—through direct, hands-on experience. The Siskiyou Mountains and greater Klamath Region have long been known among scientists as a special "hotspot" of biodiversity in North America, a distinction that brings many ecologists, botanists and geologists here each year to study. Yet many people who live within the region rarely have the chance to experience and learn about this landscape from local and regional experts. SFI programs are an excellent way to become more intimately acquainted with the wealth of natural wonders in our own backyards. Evan: SFI’s annual field courses and the natural history journal are both offered with the intent of providing opportunities for people to better understand the unique ecology of this bioregion and our relationship to it as home. When thinking of home, we recognize not only our houses, towns and human communities, but also the larger landscape that surrounds us—the natural world on which we all depend. Our Klamath-Siskiyou home stretches from the soggy shoreline of the Pacific through a mountainous core of ancient forests, alpine peaks and flower-filled meadows, to the sun-baked interior of the Sacramento and Rogue River Valleys. It is one of the wildest, most biologically diverse landscapes in North America and we are blessed to live among such diversity. The field courses and Mountains & Rivers are attempts to increase the general public’s appreciation for the natural riches of this region, to regain some sense of real citizenship here. In the words of poet and essayist Gary Snyder, "It is not enough to just ‘love nature’… Our relationship to the natural world takes place in a place, and it must be grounded in both information and experience—that is, knowing who’s who and what’s what in the ecosystem." The kind of place-based learning that SFI offers is the beginning not only of increased understanding about the region where we live, but also caring and involvement in environmental issues. Just as we are connected to our families and care about them, we are also connected to the land, emotionally and biologically. Our guiding belief is that we are all members of a natural landscape and its interdependent parts, including rivers, warblers, old-growth trees and beetles. It’s amazing how quickly personal obligation to care for and protect the landscape follows out of experience and relationship with these things which sustain us, fill us with joy. The richer our experience of the natural world, the deeper our commitment to caring for these places. How do these educational offerings—the field courses and natural history journal—contribute to an ecologically aware and engaged public? Evan: In order to make environmentally wise decisions in our lives and for our communities, we must achieve some basic level of understanding about how natural systems work and know something about who our neighbors are. Scientists estimate that there are approximately 40,000 different forms of life that share the Klamath-Siskiyou region with us. Perhaps as many as half of these creatures remain completely undescribed by modern science, and we know very little about the vast majority of them. And yet each has a story to tell of some unique way of living in this place, and by knowing something about these diverse stories, our own lives become informed and enriched. The more we know about where we live, the more we feel connected and "native" in the true sense of the word. In addition to developing ecological literacy, our intent with both the field courses and the publication of Mountains & Rivers is to engage the heart. To hark back to Harvard biologist E.O. Wilson again, spending time learning about nature first-hand in the field can reawaken "biophilia," that feeling of deep affinity with other life forms. The guiding philosophy of all SFI activities is that first-hand experience with a local landscape is the most effective way to develop both an intellectual understanding and an emotional connection with the larger community of life that surrounds us. People’s whole being can be engaged, and through this engagement comes connection, caring and commitment to place. So SFI seeks to use Klamath-Siskiyou’s wildlands as living classrooms, places where local residents and their families can gather to instruct, share and experiment, and thereby create meaning and connection with the non-human world. In time, we may finally begin to experience what living a deep, rich, and rooted life, woven into the fabric of native biodiversity may provide. A societal commitment to protect the natural landscape will follow when this larger community is recognized as an indispensable asset that is critical to our own identity, emotional health and aspirations. Clearly we have a long way to go, but interest in the ecology and conservation of our unique bioregion continues to grow. If someone is inspired to contribute writing or artwork for publication in your quarterly journal, how do they do that? Evan: Production of Mountains & Rivers is a collaborative, grassroots effort and we rely on the generous contributions of many outstanding regional writers and artists. Without their volunteer efforts, the journal could not succeed. We heartily welcome individuals to submit original material related to the natural world, especially short essays, line drawings and other artwork that reproduces well in black and white format. Anyone who is interested in contributing should contact us directly for a copy of our submission guidelines and we’re happy to work with individuals interested in developing a story or piece of artwork for publication. In addition to the seasonal orientation of the journal, we try and create some kind of theme or focus for each issue as we accumulate a diversity of material from various scientific and literary perspectives. For example, the upcoming spring issue focuses on serpentine plant communities, an unusual and often starkly beautiful habitat for which the Klamath-Siskiyou region is quite famous among scientists, but unfortunately one that most people generally don’t know much about or deeply appreciate. We hope that our educational efforts will help change that. What would you like readers to know about SFI courses? Jennifer: Most of our field courses are geared towards residents of the region that have some basic interest and curiosity about where they live. This year we’re offering a greater diversity of programs than we have in the past. In addition to our traditional field session in the western Siskiyous, we will also be offering a series of new courses based out of Ashland, which will focus on the eastern Siskiyous, particularly the recently designated Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. The Buckhorn Mineral Springs Bed & Breakfast Natural History Series will also provide an excellent opportunity for adults and youth to explore the incredible biodiversity of the new national monument. (see sidebar for a list of courses and workshops). One of our continuing assets is the excellent group of instructors who work with us—individuals that are not only experts in their respective fields of interest, but more importantly, enjoy conveying what they know in an informal, interactive style that people can relate to. Folks generally learn a lot in a short amount of time, and have fun out there too. How can readers get a copy of Mountains & Rivers? Jennifer: Mountains & Rivers is available for annual subscription ($16 for four issues) from the Siskiyou Field Institute and individual issues are also for sale at bookstores, interpretive centers, and other retail outlets throughout northwest California and southwest Oregon. People can contact us at Siskiyou Field Institute, P.O. Box 220, Cave Junction, OR, 97523; (541) 592-4459; institute@siskiyou.org; http://www.siskiyou.org/sfi/index.html. Catalogs describing SFI’s 2001 natural history field courses are also available via these addresses. Detailed descriptions and dates for all course offerings are available in SFI’s 2001 catalog, available for free by contacting them at 541-592-4459, institute@siskiyou.org, or on the internet at http://www.siskiyou.org/sfi/index.html.
		Siskiyou Field Institute 2001 Courses & Workshops Western Siskiyous Session, June 15-22 Crash Course in Recognizing and Keying Plant Families, 18-22 Liverworts of the Klamath Mountains, 16-22 Butterflies of the Western Siskiyous, 15-16 Conservation Biology in the Field, 15-18 Birds and Birding in the Klamath Region, 16-18 Natural History of Bats, 17-18 Making Plant Medicine, 16-17 Siskiyou Trails: A Natural History, 18-20 Geo-Ecology of the Klamath-Siskiyou Ecoregion, 16-19 Wilderness Wisdom, 21-22 Serpentine Plant Ecology, 16 Botanizing Babyfoot Lake, 17 History of Mining in the Waldo Vicinity, 16 Siskiyou Wildflowers, 15 Birds and Botany ,19 Salmon Snorkeling, 17 Botanizing Fiddler Mountain, 16 Youth programs: Into the Woods, Wildflower Wonders, A Place to Call Home, 16-17 Eastern Siskiyous Session, July 20-22 Ecological Overview of the Eastern Siskiyous, 21 Birds of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, 21 Ethnobotany of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, 20-22 The Clash of Ecoregions: Butterflies on the Edge of Eden, 21-22 Wetlands Plants of the Eastern Siskiyous, 20 Insects of Southern Oregon, 20-21 Making Plant Medicine, 21-22 Vascular Flora of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, 22 Landbird Monitoring, 20 Youth programs: Wildflowers Wonders, Tree Identification, Feathered Friends, 21-22 Buckhorn Mineral Springs Bed and Breakfast Natural History Series: Botany, June 2-3 Birds, June 23-24 Bats, July 7-8