deer, elk, and fences

In an interesting article from the AP, we learn that :

"Deer still balk at crossing the border with Germany even though the physical fence came down a quarter century ago, new studies show.

Czechoslovakia, where the communists took power in 1948, had three parallel electrified fences, patrolled by heavily armed guards. Nearly 500 people were killed when they attempted to escape communism.

Deer were also victims of the barrier. A seven-year study in the Czech Republic's Sumava National Park showed that the original Iron Curtain line still deters one species, red deer, from crossing.

"It was fascinating to realize for the first time that anything like that is possible," said Pavel Sustr, a biologist who led the Czech project. Scientists conducting research on German territory reached similar conclusions.

The average life expectancy for deer is 15 years and none living now would have encountered the barrier.

"But the border still plays a role for them and separates the two populations," Sustr said. He said the research showed the animals stick to traditional life patterns, returning every year to the same places.

"Fawns follow mothers for the first year of their life and learn from them where to go," Sustr said."

This is interesting to me because I have been observing the local elk herd (and deer) here in Muddy Valley for a number of years. I have maintained game cameras on our property which let me know when they are here even if we don't happen to see them.

 We are located on a major wildlife corridor and it recently was disrupted by the continuing addition and expansion of the local wine industry's vineyards.

The forest in the background...Only a matter of time. (web photo)

These come at the cost of removing all plants growing on land that traditionally was unsuited for farming and erecting deer and elk proof fences. Actually animal proof in general, as not much can get through them. This includes most all native insects and pollinators, as their habitat inside has been destroyed.
I have noticed that the elk herd stayed away for several months with the latest fences added to Eagle Point road, just North of us. (Insert photo of fence)
Needless to say, I am not a fan of the addition of more of these new tax shelters for the wealthy. Somehow they have managed to bring snob appeal to being a wino. "How is your vineyard doing" is becoming the new topic among some of the already wealthy. I say "already wealthy", because I see hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars inserted inside those game proof fences to build the lodge style tasting rooms, processing facilities, new diesel equipment, and the high maintenance vines themselves. I don't believe that many of these could possibly pay off the investment in our lifetimes. It's not like they were built up slowly over generations, these seem to pop up almost daily.
And they aren't much good for bees either.

Too many people too little room.

Whether or not climate change is caused by man, or is just a normal cycle is 

irrelevant. Either way, I do believe that we contribute to it. 

The real problem is man's overpopulation and greed, which feeds the utter disrespect of the 

majority to our environment and the world's ecology in general. 

The days of 

safaris and the unchecked hunting of Africa's game has depleted and brought 

them close to extinction. Those that are left are being slaughtered for food 

and folk medicine by the hungry and greedy.

The rain forests are being cut down, also by the hungry and greedy. 

The old growth forests here in Oregon 

with the exception of a few protected acres have been cut and re-planted as 

tree farms. These forests are not the same , if and when they are replanted. 

Countless thousands of species do not survive in the interim and what 

results is a forest that is a ghost of it's former self.

The cities are expanding and all those roofs and pavements collect toxic 

water. This water unfiltered by the earth, then runs unchecked through the 

storm drains daily, by the billions of gallons and drains directly into and 

pollutes the oceans. The ocean is being literally fished out of not only the 

large predator species, but the sardines and smelt at the bottom of the food chain.

And so on......

Wherever man has reached a certain critical population, he has tended to do 

so at great cost to the earth's, and his children's future. The days of 

being fruitful and multiplying are past. The earth has only so much room, 

and while maybe not as fragile as any one particular species that may go 

extinct on any given day because of man, all of the earth's biota is 

interconnected and interdependent.

The twenty acres I once lived on far (I thought) from the city, in Florida, 

are now surrounded by developments and the small two lane country road has 

become a six lane highway. 

If you are over 30 years old, look around and remember what it was like 20 years ago. 

What is left of the forested hills here in the Willamette valley are being 

cleared to plant grape vines. This was land traditionally unfarmable, and 

was a refuge for the local wildlife and native plants. These acres are 

stripped and fenced to keep any animals out. In our local economy here, it 

is permitted to do this, but not to build a house up in the woods in addition to the old farmhouse. 

Something if done properly, would have very little impact on the local biota. (a personal gripe)

The problem cannot be solved simply by carbon credits, electric cars wind 

generators and such. The problem is that there are too many of us. I do not 

know what the solution is. But, if we haven't reached a critical mass yet, 

we soon will, and I do believe that our growth rate is unsustainable.

Can we feed everyone tomorrow? The biosphere is collapsing, and soon our diet 

will have little variation as we turn to a minimum of large scale bio engineered foodstuffs.

But we will probably still have plenty of wine. 

After all, this is not our problem, it's our children's. Or is it?