In praise of environmental progress

[sardog1]

Almost all of us can probably find reasons to decry the state of our natural environment. "Things aren't what they used to be."

Well, that statement is also true in other ways that deserve notice. In the mid 1800's, the moose population in NH had dwindled to perhaps as few as 15. Today there are something like 6500 in the state, including the one that ambled up my driveway this afternoon while I was away:

I'm a scant 30 miles from the ocean. I frequently see as much moose sign around me as whitetail deer sign.

So, let's hear some good news. What other signs of progress do you see in the natural world?

 

[Mohamed Ellozy]

Turkeys!

From Wildtimes (page 4 of pdf):

Turkeys were common in New Hampshire in the Colonial days when the state was first settled, but they had disappeared from our landscape by 1850. The successful reintroduction of turkeys began in 1975 when 25 birds were released. Today New Hampshire is home to about 30,000 wild turkeys!

It's getting difficult to drive up Rt 175 in Thornton without seeing a few!

 

[Chip]

I heard the author of this book "Wildlife is my Passion" speak the other day. This is a long exerpt from the book. It's estimated that in, I think, 1810 there were about a dozen deer in the state of CT. I can often see that many now from my back porch. Good and bad, due to the accidents, shrub damage and bird habitat destruction they cause, but better to have more than none. As a child here it was a BIG DEAL to see a doe, and you NEVER saw a buck.

The first time I saw turkey here about 17 years ago, I stopped my car and chased them into the woods to make sure I wasn't seeing things.

Coyote, turkey and deer are abundant. There are more eagles and bear and a few moose here now and I'm sure the big cats will follow. The habitat is perfect. Very little hunting, plenty of forested areas broken by water, grass lawns and gardens.

People don't realize almost all of the land in the northeast was clear cut 100 to 200 years ago for the wood, charcoal and farms. The term "extirpated" is often used for many animal species at that time.

 

[spencer]

I live along the Penobscot River. I'm told by those that came before that it was a wasteland back in the day. Well, I think it's beautiful and we frequently see bald eagles, among other treats.

...and of course, the bald eagle was recently removed from the state and federal endangered species lists.

 

[Taconic]

I find that things can actually live in the Housatonic these days (though apparently catch and release is still the rule.) I had a class last semester in which the professor went into detail about what an ecological disaster it was several decades ago due to an industrial operation up in MA.

It's nice to see something that was devastated starting to recover.

I've also noticed a huge increase in the fox and coyote populations here in northern CT. I'm in my twenties, but I never once saw a fox in the wild until about 6 or 7 years ago. Each year I see more and more. Bears, too. I remember them being relegated to "mythical" status in these parts as a kid.

 

[TDawg]

I can swim in the Pemigewasset!! 50 years ago you definitley wouldn't want to do that I'm told.

I've also seen a few Bald Eagles along its banks while kayaking along the stretch from Woodstock to Plymouth,NH. Good trout fishery too.

I find that things can actually live in the Housatonic these days (though apparently catch and release is still the rule.) I had a class last semester in which the professor went into detail about what an ecological disaster it was several decades ago due to an industrial operation up in MA.

It's nice to see something that was devastated starting to recover.

The ecological disaster known as GE, General Electric in Pittsfield.

http://www.epa.gov/NE/ge/index.html

 

[Snowflea]

Mono Lake is rising!

www.monolake.org/about/

And that is a very, very good thing!

 

[John S]

I live in a CT town settled and cleared starting in the 1600s, a mile from Long Island Sound, in an area now sandwiched between I95 and US Rte.1 and Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor. You’d think the local wildlife would have given up on this place by now. Rather, a mini herd of a half dozen deer has routinely made passage through my yard for years, a flock of turkeys are daily grazers on my crabgrass ‘lawn’ and I’ve had enough chance sightings of fox and coyotes to know they are not just casual visitors. The neighborhood cats also like to hang out back….must be plenty of little critters here, too.

If you really want an eye-opener of wildlife recovery, check out the CT DEP”s Bear Sighting page. They have been spotted in almost every eastern CT shoreline town over the last few years. Though still rare, moose sightings are occasionally reported, including one as far south as Lyme a couple of years ago.

http://www.depdata.ct.gov/wildlife/sighting/bearsight.asp

 

[forestgnome]

Hey, we're not supposed to be happy and positive about the environment.

Seriously, growing up in rural RI in the 60's/70's we never saw deer, but now the population is huge. They're in my mom's yard every night. Bears are now back as well.

Moose were extremely rare only a few decades ago in the White Mtns. Turkeys are now very abundant. These two species were devasted by hunting but are now back due to management. Gotta give due credit.

 

[NewHampshire]

Interesting (at least to me) little tid-bit: John Wingate Weeks, the "father" of the Weeks act of 1911 that established our beloved White Mountain National Forest (among other National Forests) also co-sponsored another ground breaking law, the Weeks-McLean Act (which was soon replaced the Migratory Bird Act) essentially ending market hunting for waterfowl and other birds and started the regulation for conservation of these species.

Brian

 

[smitty77]

Perhaps two of the most stunning examples of what nature can do to repair itself once mankind had stopped it's destructive behavior:
Nashua River, Fitchburg, MA and the Miller's River in Athol/Orange, MA Check the before and after photos of the Nashua in the link I provided. The difference is astounding! Both of my parents grew up in Fitchburg, and my mom even lived on the river bank for a time, and they both can vouch for the river's color and smell changing on a daily basis. The Millers is a similar success story of a bad river turned good. I live about 100 yards from it and it looks like any other river in the state. Back in the 60s, it was said your could walk across it during low water levels by walking on the piles of trash, discarded tires, and old appliances. The local farmers would fence the river banks to keep their livestock away from the now polluted drinking holes. PCB contimation was off the charts. Thankfully those days are long gone and the water now supports a growing population of trout, with many in the 20-24" range, and is a haven for all kinds of wildlife. Even though I'm not "in the woods" by any means, my measly quarter-acre plot has seen red fox, coyote, wild rabbits, owls, and bear (twice!).

On a different note.... While out on a foliage drive Monday we were lucky enough to spot a bald eagle feeding on fish in the Deerfield River along Rt. 2. We spotted him gliding over the river about 40 feet from the car and eye-level, putting him about 20 feet above the water. Myself and 2 other cars quickly pulled to the side of the road and watched as the eagle swooped down, snagged a small trout out of the river, and proceeded to have dinner on a tree branch not far from where we were. When it was finished it proceeded to fly further upstream, no doubt in search of more food. This occurred about 10 miles west of a known eagle nest located on the Connecticut River at Barton Cove where a pair have been breeding for some time now. Even with the loss of their current nest (the rotted tree it was constructed in blew over last summer), the eagles have been spotted building a new home nearby.

 

[AMF]

Mono Lake is rising!

Say it ain't so! All that unused freshwater will dilute the lake and endanger the brine shrimp!

 

[erugs]

I live along the Merrimack River in New Hampshire that, during my youth, was terribly polluted. We'd drive by on our way to the mountains from the Boston area and my brother would hold his nose and call out, "The dirty, dirty river."

We see changes and sometimes (often?) don't like them. What can we do?

I remember growing up in Malden, MA and watching the oldest home in the city being torn down. I was shocked and think that is the reason that years later I worked hard to rehabilitate a similar house in New Boston, NH. My life would have been happier without either of those experiences, but look at all I learned!

Our threads go back and forth a little here, decrying an alternative energy source on a ridge on private land and also reminding us that "harvesting" can be done to improve a trail and it's not so bad as it looks at first as Mother Nature is constantly at work trying to cover our tracks.

 

[Chip]

Moose were extremely rare only a few decades ago in the White Mtns. Turkeys are now very abundant. These two species were devasted by hunting but are now back due to management. Gotta give due credit.

I'm not sure about the moose, I've never heard that they were "reintroduced", but the ONLY reason we have turkey now is that they were reintroduced by states for hunting and their populations have taken off, far outstripping the few that are taken by hunters. Turkey populations are actually down a bit the past couple years due to the cold, wet springs we've had. At least that's what I've read.

Interestingly and similarly, in the 1530s, Portuguese merchants reintroduced the guinea-fowl from West Africa into England, which had last been seen there at the time of the Romans.

 

[griffin]

I'm pretty sure my dog saw and chased a chupacabara in the Middlesex Fells this morning

Wild turkey sightings are becoming a regular occurrence driving through CT, NH and VT.

I've seen a coyote and a number of fox in the Fells, and we had a coyote visit our neighbor's yard in Somerville, MA.

 

[LittleBear]

Bald Eagles

A pair of bald eagles built a nest (it is HUGE!!!) in a pine tree near Craig's parent's camp in Jefferson, Maine. There was at least one offspring (but we think two). We're hoping they'll be back next year.

 

[jjmcgo]

Much cleaner air

When I worked at Aqueduct racetrack in 1974, the air over Manhattan was yellow-brown, now it's blue and has been for some time.

 

[jniehof]

Turkeys!
It's getting difficult to drive up Rt 175 in Thornton without seeing a few!

You don't even need to be that rural...ever run into the Brookline wild turkeys?

I saw a heron on the Muddy last month, right by the culvert going under the Sears rotary. I'm very much looking forward to the results of the dredging/daylighting/invasive species project.

 

[dug]

In the 1980's, I worked in the Waumbec Mills along the Merrimack River in Manchester, NH. At lunch, we used to sit on the ledge and look into the river, commenting on the open drainage pipes that were leaching into the water. Day-glo green and day-glo orange liquid-like substances used to eminate straight into the water. We used to chuckle at the poor souls downstream....

Now, it's a hot kayak and fishing spot.

 

[Puck]

Great thread.

For those who follow environmental issues there is always a focus on the next crisis, the next endangered species, the next development, the next oil spill. One can easily go through life living in the worst case scenerio. It is important to stop and enjoy the accomplishments and recoveries. Today nobody thinks to mention they saw a great blue heron or snowy egret. These birds were brought from the brink of extinction do to feather harvesting and habitat loss. These were hard fought battles. The movement is not done but we should stop and smell the trilliums.