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The Foolish Notion of Letting Wildlife Manage Itself

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The Foolish Notion of Letting Wildlife Manage Itself

"If we want a balance of predators and prey in nature, humans must be involved in managing wildlife populations. There’s simply no other way. The alternative will result in widespread disease, animal decimation and the possible extirpation of species in certain areas. Human beings want a balanced natural system, where we are able to enjoy wildlife in numbers for viewing and hunting. Since we have the ability to somewhat control wildlife populations, we should do it for the benefit of both humans and wildlife."

"If left to its own devices, nature will always promote an imbalance in wildlife populations. Predators will outnumber prey or vice versa, and some populations will suffer, taking years to recover. We also cannot deny the role and interest of human beings in the natural system. We are part of the natural system, part of nature. To deny or reject this reality is foolishness of the highest order."

If we weren’t the first industrial civilization on Earth, would we ever know?

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If we weren’t the first industrial civilization on Earth, would we ever know?

"In any case, say Schmidt and Frank, the fraction of life that gets fossilized is tiny. Dinosaurs roamed Earth for some 180 million years, and yet only a few thousand near-complete specimens exist. Modern humans have existed for just a few tens of thousands of years. “Species as short-lived as homo sapiens (so far) might not be represented in the existing fossil record at all,” say Schmidt and Frank. What of human artifacts—roads, buildings, baked-bean tins, and silicon chips? These, too, are unlikely to survive long, or to be found even if they do. “The current area of urbanization is less than 1% of the Earth’s surface,” point out the researchers. “We conclude that for potential civilizations older than about 4 million years, the chances of finding direct evidence of their existence via objects or fossilized examples of their population is small,” they say."

2018’s 2nd Blue Moon on March 31

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2018’s 2nd Blue Moon on March 31

Don't forget Saturday is the second blue moon of the year!

"We had a Blue Moon on January 31, 2018. It was a supermoon, too, and underwent a total eclipse (photos here). But another Blue Moon is coming right up. They’re both Blue Moons by the monthly definition of the term: the second of two full moons to fall within a single calendar month. The second (and last) Blue Moon of 2018 will be on March 31. We haven’t had a year with two Blue Moons since 1999 and won’t have one again until January and March, 2037."

Who Is Garrett Hardin? The Master Ecologist Who Warned Us About Population Growth

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Who Is Garrett Hardin? The Master Ecologist Who Warned Us About Population Growth

"Garrett James Hardin was one of the first thinkers we would call an “ecologist” – arguably, he helped created the movement. His 1968 paper on The Tragedy of the Commons explained that if a shared resource — for example, a forest or a lake — was not centrally managed, its users would tend to destroy it over time as they acted rationally in their own interests. That idea led Hardin to his lifelong unpopular argument against continued human population growth. And as a result, Hardin was a supporter not only of all birth control methods, but also of sterilization. He also stood firmly against most forms of immigration, comparing immigration into a society with limited resources to an overcrowded lifeboat taking on new members. His position caused him to be ostracized by many mainstream political and academic thinkers."