The Wilderness Must Be Explored!

Hello friends!
      I really hope that you caught the reference to the movie UP in the title of this blog...If not, that's okay. Take the message for what it is.

      Every single day (whether in a city or the very middle of nowhere), we are surrounded by nature in some way, shape, or form. Think about it; we rely on the environment for food, air, scenery, inspiration, and a vast amount of resources. There is not a single thing we own that does not share some link with nature itself. Aside from water, nothing just falls from the sky, contrary to popular belief. So, as cliche as it sounds, we could not live without all that our earth gives us. I would hope that many agree with me when I say that we as humans fail to fully appreciate the gifts that nature provides.
       The first step toward appreciating the world that surrounds us is acknowledging how we are harming it. All we do is take, take, take. Do we ever give back? At the very least, are we minimizing our impact? What is being harmed as a result of our actions? The questions are unending. Thus, my goal is to break down these questions and focus on individual aspects of the environment as well as the organisms that inhabit it.
       As I look around my room and notice the numerous animal posters and pictures I have covering every wall, I suppose it is important to note that I am extremely passionate about not only protecting animal species but also conserving the environment in which they reside. Confession time: I'm a bionerd. As time goes by, I hope you will grow to understand what exactly that means. But more importantly, I want to be able to prove why we should bother protecting what we may not even know about. The title of my blog might make it sound as though I want to save just the tigers and just the trees- okay, and the earth too. But the tiger represents all endangered species that are currently being threatened by habitat loss, poaching, invasive species, and the like. The trees serve as a symbol for all plants as well as ecosystems (specific environments that include both living and nonliving factors) that are being harmed and destroyed by humans. The Earth represents totality - we are responsible for everything it contains.
       Thomas Jefferson once said, "For if one link in nature's chain might be lost, another might be lost, until the whole of things will vanish piecemeal." What an incredibly accurate quote. You see, the very world we live on is more fragile than we can even imagine. As Thomas Jefferson described it, each ecosystem is a long chain linked to other ecosystems until they are all connected across the globe. Now picture a single link as some sort of animal (take your pick). If that animal becomes extinct, what does that entail for the rest of the chain that connects everything? It's a scary thought.
       Awareness. That's what it's all about. The more we know about a particular species, be it plant or animal, that is being severely harmed by human actions, the more we can do to protect that species.
       Rachel Carson serves as an excellent example of someone who supported the protection of wildlife. She has always been a role model of mine, because she sought to raise awareness about the pesticide DDT that was killing off bird species. Most probably thought she was just another "tree-hugger" (Disclaimer: people who really care about nature don't actually hug trees, but I digress) and criticized her hypothesis that DDT was responsible for harming birds. Despite these criticisms, Carson went ahead and published her famous book, Silent Spring. Thanks to this book and Carson's efforts overall, she managed to convince John F. Kennedy to ban DDT in the United States.
       On a more recent note, I feel as though organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund and National Geographic are making incredible strides in defending wildlife and the environment. They do not simply talk about how organisms are being harmed; rather, they get out of the office, explore, and act to try and solve the problem. That's awesome.
       On a final note, I just encourage you to recognize your ability to make a difference. We aren't all environmental engineers or expert biologists, but by using our voices and informing people about the "footprint" we are leaving behind on the earth, more will know and (hopefully) more will care about the very ground we stand upon.
        Russell from UP was 100% correct in saying that "the wilderness must be explored." Let's make sure that there is always wilderness to explore.

                        Peace. Love. Save the Tigers.