TREES

December 02, 2024

Last week my browser featured an effort sponsored by the UN that received designation as a Flagship project. The Flagship award is part of an effort by the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration to ensure that measurable progress is made on the UN’s environmental goals by 2030. When Africa’s fertile terrains become drylands, farmers are thrown into poverty and biodiversity shrinks. Trees for the Future (TREES) is successfully reversing this trend by assisting hundreds of thousands of smallholder farmers in several African countries to ﬁght soil degradation, biodiversity loss, and climate change. TREES has restored 102,165.72 acres (41,345 ha) since 2014. The restoration supports over 50,000 households and captures 382.5 tons (347 metric tons) of CO2 per hectare through its model, the equivalent of emissions from over 26,420 gallons (100,000 liters) of diesel fuel. Restoration of the drylands helps increase the income and improve the health of farmers and their families. TREES is expecting to create 230,000 jobs by 2030 in Kenya, Mali, Senegal, Tanzania, and Uganda, and is recognized as one of the best large-scale ecosystem restoration efforts on the planet. Central to the TREES model is the creation of a series of structures known as a bund.

When I looked online, I found a bund, also known as a demi-lune or half-moon, is a rainwater harvesting technique consisting in digging semi-lunar holes in the ground with the opening perpendicular to the flow of water. The holes are oriented against the slope of the ground which generates a small dike in the curved area with the soil from the hole itself. The dikes capture the rainwater as it runs downhill, allows the water to seep into the subsoil, and prevents the loss of fertile soil by erosion. Semi-circular bunds are used to reforest arid zones with irregular rain patterns and allow the growth of plants and trees. The TREES initiative works closely with tens of thousands of farmers living in poverty on degraded lands following decades of unsustainable agriculture practices, deforestation, pollution, and climate change by providing training in a regenerative agroforestry technique called the Forest Garden Approach. In this four-year program, farmers receive training, seeds, and other resources, while planting thousands of trees and dozens of food and resource crops on their property. The small farmers typically own less than 2.5 acres (1 ha) of land.

TREES projects in Senegal and Mali are a part of the African Union’s initiative as part of the Great Green Wall. Elvis Tangem, Great Green Wall Initiative Coordinator, says, “Once it’s completed, the Great Green Wall will be the largest natural structure on the planet. It’s a massive undertaking, but the dedication and teamwork of organizations like TREES will ultimately make it a reality.” The Great Green Wall project was adopted by the African Union in 2007 to combat desertification in the Sahel region and hold back expansion of the Sahara Desert. The original dimensions of the “wall” were to be 9 miles (15 km) wide and 4,831 miles (7,775 km) long. The program has evolved to encompass nations in both northern and western Africa and promotes water harvesting techniques, greenery protection, and improving indigenous land use techniques, aimed at creating a mosaic of green and productive landscapes across North Africa.

THOUGHTS: TREES is recognized as one of the best examples of large-scale and long-term ecosystem restoration in any country or region, embodying the 10 Restoration Principles of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. The announcement was made ahead of the 6th UN Environment Assembly, held from February 26 to March 1, 2024. The Assembly convenes to address the triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste. This should represent an ongoing emphasis not just for the developing countries of Africa, but for the world. Act for all. Change is coming and it starts with you.

Landfill

November 12, 2024

I mentioned in October how Melissa and I had bitten the bullet and purchased new furniture for our living room. We repurposed the old furniture by donating it to the Habitat ReStore. They had been willing to pick up the two couches, a love seat, and a recliner, but refused my old chair because it was too worn. That meant the large recliner has been sitting in the middle of our garage for the last month. I have been cleaning (disposing of) and rearraigning the garage for several weeks to finally address the boxes we brought from Kansas and those we had temporarily stored from her parents’ collection when we moved in five years ago. A cleaner garage also meant it was time to move the recliner. I hesitated when we bought the Jeep six years ago because I have longed for a pickup, and more importantly the bed to haul things in. A local supply store has been advertising a small 5 by 8 foot (1.5 by 2.4 m) trailer and this could be the answer to move my old recliner to the landfill.

When I looked online, I found a landfill is a site for the disposal of waste materials. It is the oldest and most common form of waste disposal, although the systematic burial of waste with daily, intermediate, and final covers only began in the 1940’s. In the past, waste was simply left in piles or thrown into pits (called middens in archeology). Landfills take up a lot of land and depending on what materials are disposed of can pose an environmental risk. Some landfill sites are used for waste management purposes, such as temporary storage, consolidation, and transfer (transfer stations). A landfill can also be used for various stages of processing of waste material, such as sorting, treatment, or recycling. The compacted waste is typically covered with soil or alternative materials (chipped wood or other “green waste”) daily. Compaction of waste is critical to extending the life of the landfill, and unless stabilized the materials may undergo severe shaking or soil liquefaction during an earthquake. Once full, the area over a landfill is covered and site may be reclaimed for other uses.

As I pulled my new trailer and the recliner into the landfill the attendant asked if my Jeep had a 4- wheel drive. I thought it was an odd question, but they went on to suggest (twice) that I drop into 4-wheel before entering the site. Still skeptical, I put the vehicle into 4-high and proceeded along the winding road leading to the current disposal area. On arrival I realized why the attendant had asked. We had several days of rain and the area in front of the waste pile had been churched to a morass. I pulled forward into the quagmire as directed by another attendant, but was stopped and told I needed to back in. As I started to back the trailer out to turn around, he asked if all I had was the one chair. He then told me to just pull forward and he tossed the chair onto the ground. I then plowed back through the mud to turn around and continued to the checkout station. Between the trailer and fees, it cost me US$1100 to take my worn recliner to the landfill. It was still better than allowing the chair to sit in the middle of my garage, and now I can think up new projects to use the trailer.

THOUGHTS: While one of the badges of honor with a 4-wheel drive is showing off the mud caked sides of your vehicle (ala the teenage boys), I did not think my visit to a muddy landfill qualified for this honor. I took the Jeep and trailer home and promptly washed them down. Landfills have the potential to cause a number of issues. The heavy vehicles cause damage to access roads. Pollution of local roads and watercourses from wheels as vehicles leave the landfill can be significant, as can contamination of groundwater, aquifers, or soil by the waste materials. Landfills in the US are regulated by each state’s environmental agency. However, none of these standards may fall below those set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Three hundred years from now an archeologist will be combing through our local midden, and worder how the mechanism for my recliner worked. Think of it as job security. Act for all. Change is coming and it starts with you.

Habitat

October 03, 2024

Melissa and I have been trying to revamp the furniture in our living room since the day we moved into her house in Arkansas. Knowing we had a house full of furniture in Arkansas, we donated most of our furniture to the Conference Center where I had been working. While our Kansas furniture was in good shape, it was the first furniture I purchased 20 years earlier and I was ready for a change. When we moved to Arkansas the furniture was not much newer and was a style neither of us liked. We tried buying an inexpensive living room set two years ago, but it turned out to be inexpensive. Over the weekend Melissa visited a friend in northwest Arkansas and was impressed with the style and utility of the furniture she had. Needless to say, we went shopping over the weekend and came away with a sofa and chair as a replacement. That left one question, what are we going to do with the items we no longer need? We decided on repurpose by donating to Habitat for Humanity.

When I looked online, I found Habitat for Humanity International, also referred to as Habitat for Humanity or Habitat, is a US non-governmental, and tax-exempt 501(C)(3) Christian nonprofit which seeks to build affordable housing. It was founded in 1976 by Millard and Linda Fuller. The operational headquarters are located in Americus, Georgia, and the administrative headquarters are located in Atlanta. In 2023, Habitat for Humanity operated in more than 70 countries and works to help build and improve homes for low-income or disadvantaged families. Homes are built using volunteer labor, including the practice of sweat equity from the future homeowners, along with paid contractors for certain construction or infrastructure activities. Habitat makes no profit from the home sales and instead operates with financial support from individuals, philanthropic foundations, corporations, government entities, and mass media companies. While Melissa and I have worked on several houses, it is probably better known that President Jimmy Carter and Rosaland worked many more volunteer hours building Habitat houses.

Along with building houses, Habitat ReStores accept small and large donations of new or gently used furniture, appliances, housewares, and building materials. The sale proceeds then help Habitat’s work in the local community and around the world. Items can be donated in person, and many Habitat ReStores offer free pickup of large items. We were able to donate 2 sofas, 1 recliner, and a love seat to our local ReStore. I made an appointment, and they picked up the items this morning. Unfortunately, 1 recliner did not make the cut (worn). The EPA estimates that 9 million tons of furniture are tossed every single year, or roughly 5% of everything brought to landfills. Most of the furniture going to the land fill was made within the last 10 to 15 years, according to Ashlee Piper, sustainability expert and author. Part of the problem is that today’s fast furniture is more challenging to repair because of its materials. Unlike grandma’s, these pieces are not meant to last a lifetime.

THOUGHTS: While in Berkeley I was living across the street from the Cal dorms. The students obviously did not know about Habitat and each spring term as they were kicked out for the summer their fast furniture ended up in my building’s dumpster, allowing me to upgrade every year. The price or where the item of furniture was made can be a red flag for new items. Shopping locally can increase your odds of something being made with a thoughtful production process, rather than something where the emphasis is put on producing goods as cheaply as possible. There are often good finds in secondhand stores (like Habitat) that with some minor repairs or refurbishing will make the piece feel fresh. We are not all blessed with an overflowing dumpster. Act for all. Change is coming and it starts with you.

Leopard Darters

September 25, 2024

Last week the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AFGC) released 80 leopard darters into the wild with the help of state and federal partners along with Conservation Fisheries LLC, a private hatchery specializing in propagating rare and threatened species. According to Chance Garrett, fish ecologist for the AGFC, this release is the first of two scheduled for the Cossatot River in western Arkansas this year and is the first historical reintroduction effort of leopard darters anywhere. The fish were grown from broodstock taken from the Mountain Fork River which flows from Arkansas into Oklahoma. Another 250 fish are planned for release in early October. Garrett said, “They originally thought it was only found in Oklahoma, but some populations were found in the Rolling Fork and Cossatot after its listing. Those two populations are thought to no longer exist, so this effort to re-establish them is extremely important.” This is the second year of the project, but the first year saw a low survival rate as the hatchery and were added to the broodstock rather than being released. The leopard darters measured and an inch or two (2.5 to 5 cm) at stocking size and were transported from the hatchery to their destination in one day.

When I looked online, I found leopard darters (Percina pantherina) are a species of freshwater ray-finned fish, from the subfamily Etheostomatinae. The family (Percidae) also contains the perches (Genus, Perca), ruffes (Gymnocephalus cernua), and pikeperches (Genus, Sander). The species is native to the US and is only be found in the Little River drainage in Oklahoma and Arkansas. A typical habitat is medium to large streams with rubble and boulder substrate. The leopard darter feeds on small invertebrates on the riverbed and spawns in March and April. Adults rarely exceed 3 inches (8 cm) in length and have 11 to 14 large, dark spots on their sides, which contrast against a light background that ranges from pale olive on the back to yellowish olive on the underside. The back of the fish has numerous saddles and bars. The leopard darter is threatened by impoundment, habitat loss, and runoff from agricultural activity. It has never been a common species and has been listed as a threatened species in the US since 1978.

Transporting and releasing the leopard darter was a full day affair. They left the Conservation Fisheries hatchery in Knoxville, Tennessee in the morning, were met by AGFC personnel in Memphis, and driven to the other side of other side of Arkansas by 6:30 p.m. that evening. Once at the river, the fish had to be tempered to adjust to the river water. They arrived in bags which were floated to slowly acclimate to the temperature of the river water. Then some river water was let into the bags to help them adjust slowly to the chemistry of that location. Finally, they are ready for release. The staff scanned the release pool the next day and found many of the fish had dispersed. Garrett said. “Hopefully we’ll see them in future survey efforts . . . Ultimately our goal is to see some spawning activity in spring.” The leopard darters represent one of the longest-standing members of the Endangered Species Act.

THOUGHTS: Leopard darters typically live less than two years, but individuals older than three years have been found. Introduction of these 320 fish (total) could reintroduce a viable population into the Cossatot River, but the fragile species still faces the loss of habitat due to construction of reservoirs and population isolation, along with agricultural and industrial activity, that drove them to decline in the first place. Species reintroduction and preservation takes the combined efforts of government agencies, business, and individual landowners to be effective. While it may take a village to raise a child, it takes concerned communities to preserve endangered species. Act for all. Change is coming and it starts with you.