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Post by beetlehorn on Mar 22, 2019 5:39:02 GMT -8
At one point or another, there will be so much loss of natural habitat and fracturing of ecosystems, that there will be a tipping point. As stated before, many places are already there. Will the people in local communities get together and organize some kind of conservation program, or perhaps make a complete turn around and actually implement some form of habitat restoration? Or will these kinds of efforts be totally ignored to the point where nothing is left to conserve, or restore, due to the fact that there are no resources left to rebuild from? It would be a test of the human race's sense of humility, and willingness to save our natural earth.
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Post by beetlehorn on Mar 21, 2019 14:38:24 GMT -8
Today I drove by the area I mentioned in the introduction, and took some pictures. As you can see there is nothing left but dirt in the same place where there were stately Tulip Poplars, Hickories, Oaks and Maples. In the distance you can see where housing development has already taken over, and even further down there is more development. I would estimate the entire are to be some 1500 acres. The picture only shows a small section, about 10 acres or so. I know it is not the large scale destruction like we see in the Amazon or Pacific Northwest, but this kind of fracturing and chipping away at isolated ecosystems throughout the country, day by day, month after month, and year after year, is what is so devastating. I see this everywhere I go, and I'm afraid some day soon all we will see is subdivisions and shopping malls as far as the eye can see.
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Post by beetlehorn on Mar 20, 2019 11:39:30 GMT -8
I would vote to not buy anything from Nestle, especially bottled water. If enough people refused to buy their product in the name of conservation, perhaps then they would do things differently!
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Post by beetlehorn on Mar 19, 2019 18:26:55 GMT -8
Support a local land trust - donate $$ to help them preserve habitat in your region. They try to protect green space for the sake of keeping some things green. Or support a larger land trust, - like the one I work for (TNC). Not everyone has to donate a zillion dollars to make a difference like the Dangermonds just did (https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/12/bixby-ranch-dangermond-land-donation-in-california/548849/ ). Every dollar counts... Right now in Indiana, I'm trying to scrape up about $300k to purchase a key tract at our Green's Bluff reserve - this would push us to almost 900 acres at this site (https://naturalbloomington.com/blog/2014/05/31/greens-bluff-one-states-most-scenic ). The bottom line is that every $$ counts in this type work. John That sounds like a great idea John, but getting enough people to participate is the key. Some years ago I purchased 5 acres for $20,000. The trees that existed there 100 years ago are there right now. Huge Tulip Poplars, Oaks, Maples, Ash, Cedars, and one of the biggest Shagbark Hickory trees Iv'e ever seen. It is a patch of forest that is joined by other sections that make up a rather large tract of Eastern Hardwoods. I have been approached by potential buyers for development, but I refuse to sell, simply because I don't want it to be ruined. I may thin out some of the trees on one end of the property to promote secondary growth, but will talk to a forester first. Either way, the only development I will allow would be for the improvement of the forest for the local wildlife.
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Post by beetlehorn on Mar 18, 2019 11:02:18 GMT -8
Sadly this is happening everywhere, and when the areas around pristine habitat are degraded/"developed" that causes the environment inside the habitat to be more sensitive to environmental events. For example, it is known that the strong El Nino event in 1983 caused the extinction of Bhutanitis lidderdalii ocellatomaculata on Doi Chiang Dao, about 90 km north of me here in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Probably the degradation of the habitat all round the edges of the mountain exacerbated the effects of the drought. After all, EL Nino events happen every few years, some stronger than others, and the butterfly had survived there probably for at least a million years. Adam. The thought of being responsible for the extinction of an entire species or even subspecies just strikes me as a catastrophic event. It begs the question......what in the hell are we doing to our planet, and just what gives anyone the right to go in and completely destroy a habitat that has been there for thousands of years?
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Post by beetlehorn on Mar 17, 2019 19:42:03 GMT -8
Not too far from where I live, I used to visit lighted lots for several key species of insects such as the beetles- Lucanus elaphus, Dynastes tityus, and different Buprestids and Cerambycids. Moths such as Callosamia angulifera, Hyalophora cecropia, Sphinx moths, and several different Catocalas including various other species. In the last three years the wooded areas around the locations I mentioned have been totally destroyed, and to no surprise, there are very few if any beetles to be found, much less any interesting moths. The constant chipping away of ecosystems here and there are really taking their toll on not only insect populations, but other wild creatures that once lived there. The trees that occupied these areas were mostly- Tulip Poplar, Hickories, Oaks, Maples, Ash, Cedar and Locust. All of them key host plants for a wide variety of species,and now they are All gone forever.
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Post by beetlehorn on Mar 13, 2019 19:07:13 GMT -8
I remember as an 18 year old High School student riding a passenger train across India to Bombay to get a plane to England and them home to the States. As the train approached Bombay, approximately 50+ mile west of Bombay, we could smell the city, an absolutely breath taking stench. We were in Bombay for almost 48 hours. No matter where you went in the city, that nauseating stench was ever prescient. The people stunk, the water out of a faucet stunk, the food stunk, I could break wind with absolutely no effect. Upon arrival in London, I opened my suitcase and it still stunk. Even after I returned home, when my mother did my laundry, she washed everything twice, and even then, there was a faint whiff of Bombay in my clothes. A gnarly fart was like a breath of fresh air. To this day I have never experienced a smell so penetrating as "Bombay". Not even "Narf" can top Bombay. This example puts things into perspective. In retrospect I deleted a previous comment because I didn't want to offend anyone. However looking back it really makes me wonder about the priorities of the lawmakers and leaders of certain countries. They have horrid living conditions, and the people suffer, but at the same time they are concerned about the export of a dead bug! Seriously?!?
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Post by beetlehorn on Mar 13, 2019 12:06:06 GMT -8
I have always wondered why and questioned the logic behind worshiping a cow, meanwhile your people are starving to death in the streets. I would be thinking about steaks and roasts instead of bowing down to cattle while my kids and family are looking forward to their next meal! If someone of importance in India could see the revenue potential of foreign trade in legally collected wildlife such as an insect dealer might provide, perhaps then something will change......but I wouldn't hold my breath.
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Post by beetlehorn on Mar 4, 2019 17:11:26 GMT -8
Wouldn't it be rather funny if someone actually bought it? All jokes aside, there are clueless sellers, but also clueless buyers!
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Post by beetlehorn on Mar 3, 2019 22:32:08 GMT -8
If the cocoon is wild, then in my opinion there is a much greater risk of it being parasitized. At least if it were reared in a sleeve for example, the larvae would be better protected from Ichneumon wasps and other parasites. In my experience, Wild Black Cherry is the best host plant for Hyalophora. My success rate is usually much higher using it. Works well for C. promethia, Automeris species, and a good many other Saturnidae.
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Post by beetlehorn on Mar 2, 2019 23:39:56 GMT -8
That is one cecropia cocoon for 130 bucks?!? Damn.....for that price I could get rich considering all the cecropia cocoons I have had. That is if they would all sell at that price. I just can't see it.
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Post by beetlehorn on Feb 28, 2019 6:23:46 GMT -8
Patience my friends!
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Post by beetlehorn on Feb 27, 2019 6:38:32 GMT -8
With the US national debt at $22 trillion, and so far no relief in sight, a person is left with the question.......when if ever will it be repayed? In my opinion it never will, and it will just go up no matter who is in office. This one major issue is the thing that can cause a global economic collapse some day. The consequences of this event could and most likely will include such things as riots, extreme civil unrest, anarchy, martial law, and possible civil war if forces organize into militia groups. There is always a tipping point so to speak, that is when "one side against the other" happens as mentioned above. It is my hope that the entire issue can be resolved peacefully, but that is most likely wishful thinking.
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Post by beetlehorn on Feb 26, 2019 14:23:22 GMT -8
Are you referring to the illegal immigrants or Mexican people in general?
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Post by beetlehorn on Feb 26, 2019 13:13:06 GMT -8
If you browse the internet you will find many posts and articles about a looming catastrophe, everything from a complete economic collapse to a worldwide disaster. There are so called peppers that say get ready now in case something happens. What they are suggesting is having a water source, food stockpiled, and a means of self defense. I for one am not too worried about this, but I do see signs of potential trouble. The state of political affairs has me somewhat concerned, because I have never seen so much division in the US in all my years as what we have now. I can see that a civil war might be possible if things escalate, and that could potentially lead to major problems for a lot of folks. I just wonder if others on this forum have noticed any similar concerns.
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