My suspicion that many extinction headlines have been sensationalized is well founded, it appears. The sad part is that if most people pay no attention to the exaggerated headlines, the truth will likely have even less impact.
If I haven’t seen any bears this year in Colorado, it may be because they’ve been hanging out in people’s back yards. Fifty-nine have been killed in Colorado so far, up from the 2002 record of 55. Human encroachment is one of the factors that put bears at a higher risk of extinction than other species.
I’m no botanist, but it does seem like leaves are hanging onto trees longer than usual here in Colorado. I wouldn’t have paid much attention, but Carolyn at Roundtop Ruminations is flipping out about the clinging leaves in Pennsylvania. What does it mean?
There a lots of through-hiker journals on the internet, but I don’t see too many posts about the difficulties of starting life in the mainstream world again after a long hike. Garret the Onion has a good post on his general status after his CDT Yo-Yo.
Update:Another one I’ve been looking for, Jason of x360 briefly describes being back in society after his 13-year expedition.
The article doesn’t say it, but I think the vague threat of mass extinctions is increasing the number of species we know about as it spurs on research. It’s an odd contrast - it makes it look like biodiversity is increasing, but that has to happen before we can know for sure that it is decreasing.
Update: It seems the folks at the Extinction Blog were having similar thoughts.
I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, especially White Crow, but journeys aren’t governed by wishes. Ouch, ouch, ouch. Get well soon, Crow.
An international conference of butterfly experts confirmed this global extinction, and many more within individual countries. It looks like butterflies, along with mountain frogs, may be a warning sign of approaching biodiversity losses.
(Via Extinction Blog)
