MAN vs NATURE

1. MAN vs NATURE "Here goes lumber from the Maine woods ... pine, spruce, cedar, - first, second, third, and fourth qualities, so lately all of one quality, to wave over the bear, and moose, and caribou..." - Henry David Thoreau, 1845. Washington, DC (March, 2010) In a decision long anticipated by sportsmen and conservationists alike, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that the greater sage grouse will be designated a candidate species for listing under the Endangered Species Act. “The loss of native shrub-steppe rangelands means the loss of wildlife populations; unstable watersheds and degraded water quality; reduced livestock grazing; and more costly fire fighting. If measures are not taken to reverse the downward trend in sage-grouse populations, which are now near the threshold of being listed as an endangered or threatened species, they will continue to decline, as will other shrub-steppe obligate species.”

2. MAN vs NATURE " Unless we practice conservation, those who come after us will have to pay the price of misery, degradation, and failure for the progress and prosperity of our day” - Gifford Pinchot Emergency Federal listing of the Columbia Basin distinct population segment of the Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis) occurred in 2001. The population subsequently appears to have been extirpated from the wild by 2004 and there are no known pygmy rabbits remaining in the wild in Washington at this time. “Shrub-steppe is grassland that has a conspicuous brush layer, normally sagebrush. There's a whole suite of species that evolved in shrub-steppe and depend on it, sage grouse, sharp-tail grouse, pygmy rabbit, burrowing owl, jackrabbit and several species of song birds. Some of these are threatened or endangered, or candidates for it.“ - Don Larsen, wildlife biologist for the Lands Division of Fish and Wildlife

3. MAN vs NATURE The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has a new initiative for eligible producers to receive up to three years of payments for retaining sage-grouse habitat In addition, practices to improve sage-grouse habitat may be applied with funding through the federal Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP), which typically pays up to 75 percent of the costs. "Only after the last tree has been cut down. Only after the last river has been poisoned. Only after the last fish has been caught. Only then will you find that money cannot be eaten.“ -Native Cree Prophecy

4. MAN vs NATURE “The loss of native shrub-steppe rangelands means the loss of wildlife populations; unstable watersheds and degraded water quality; reduced livestock grazing; and more costly fire fighting. If measures are not taken to reverse the downward trend in sage-grouse populations, which are now near the threshold of being listed as an endangered or threatened species, they will continue to decline, as will other shrub-steppe obligate species.” " All across the world, in every kind of environment and region known to man, increasingly dangerous weather patterns and devastating storms are abruptly putting an end to the long-running debate over whether or not climate change is real. Not only is it real, it's here, and its effects are giving rise to a frighteningly new global phenomenon: the man-made natural disaster” -Barack Obama

5. Replace your ordinary light bulbs with Compact Fluorescent Bulbs (CFL Bulbs) and turn them off when you leave the room MAN vs NATURE reduce your impact by walking , biking or carpooling to work and school Recycle your family's paper,plastic,aluminum,and glass each week Don't let your sink drip or keep running when you brush your teeth and take shorter showers Use energy star appliances and use the sun to dry your clothes Unplug household appliances when not in use Make sure your car tires are fully inflated Go solar Turn off the TV and computer in your house when not in use Use e-mail rather then regular mail Use reusable tote bags instead of plastic bags Leave the thermostat alone and dress appropriately Buy rechargeable batteries Plant trees in your community

6. MAN vs NATURE Teach your children what we have taught our children, that the earth is our mother. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons and daughters of the earth. If men spit upon the ground, they spit upon themselves. This we know. The earth does not belong to us; We belong to the earth. This we know. All things are connected like the blood which unites one family. All things are connected. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons and daughters of the earth. We did not weave the web of life; we are merely a strand in it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. -Chief Seattle