Protecting the Great Bear region

One of the remaining beautiful temperate rain forests of the world exists on the north coast of British Columbia, Canada. This area is often called the Great Bear region and is teaming with a vast variety animals in plants including the majestic black bears and grizzly bears. Canada has done well to keep the populations constant in many areas of their natural habitat. However this has not been without the determination of some individuals. Two decades ago, almost every valley of the Great Bear Rainforest was slated for clear cutting. After 15 years of conflict and negotiation, First Nations, forest companies, environmental organizations, and governments created a world-leading model of ecosystem management for the region. By combining conservation with better logging practices, they found a way to protect the environment and the economy.

However these region is under threat again. The ongoing troublesome Alberta tar sands project has already had reported negative impacts on the local environment in Alberta. Now a 1170km pipeline is being proposed to transport the tar sands oil to oil tankers on the BC coast. This pipeline will bisect the Great Bear region, running through rainforest, across hundreds of salmon streams (a key food source for many bears) to the currently peaceful coast.

The risk of destruction during the building of the pipeline plus the possibility of leaks once complete threatens this highly sensitive area. Not only is the land at risk but with up to 220 supersized oil tankers coming to collect the tar sands oil, the oceans of the Great Bear region are too. This coastal area is a peaceful and protected habitat for many whales, dolphins and porpoises. These animals rely on sound to communicate, navigate, and find food. Quiet waters are important for their health and survival. Ships in the area could affect these animals by increasing underwater noise.

What can you do?

The WWF Canada is working to ensure the optimum well being of all animals, plants and habitats in the area. You can read more about their work and support them by visiting http://wwf.ca/conservation/oceans/greatbearsea/. Once again it is time to ensure our environment does not suffer at the hands of the economy. With proper management these can both prosper and ensure the children of tomorrow will still have the bears roaming these forests.

Animal of the Week: Wedge Tailed Eagle

The wedge tailed eagle is the largest bird of prey in Australia. With a wingspan of up to 2.5 meters and a length of over one meter, the wedge tailed eagle is an amazing sight soaring through the air. Wedge tailed eagles can be found around Australia, including Tasmania as well as in southern New Guinea. They are comfortable in many habitats including forest, open plains or mountainous regions.

Adult males will hold the same territory throughout the year and one paired will help a female build a nest in the fork of a tree. A wedge tailed eagle pair will often have several nests around their territory. At mating time the pair will perch close together and preen each other. The male will also perform elaborate flying displays including diving downwards at great speeds towards his mate before changing direction and soaring off just a few meters above her. She will either ignore him or join him in flight where she will fly with him upside down or performing tricks such as a loop-the-loop.

Once the eggs are laid incubation lasts for about 45 days. A good season will produce two chicks although it is common for one chick to kill it's sibling. In arid, drought affected areas, pairs may hold off on breeding for several years. The young eagles depend on their parents for food for up to six months after hatching. They leave only when the next breeding season approaches.

Wedge tailed eagles will spend hours soaring around their territory without a wing beat or effort, regularly reaching 1,800 metres (5,900 ft) and sometimes considerably higher. Their keen eyesight extends into the infrared and ultraviolet bands. This helps them spot prey and allows them to see rising thermals, which they can use to gain altitude while expending little energy.

Increased human activity has increased the in some ways been beneficial to the wedge tailed eagle. A large portion of their diet is carrion and with increased amounts of roadkill you can often find wedge tailed eagles feeding on the side of the road. Some times they will congregate around carrion in numbers in their thirties. However it is uncommon for more than one to eat at once. While one is feeding the rest will stand around digesting and waiting their turn.

Since European settlement, the introduced rabbit and Brown Hare have become the primary items of the eagle's diet in many areas. They display considerable adaptability, and have sometimes been known to team up to hunt animals as large as the Red Kangaroo, to cause goats to fall off steep hillsides and injure themselves, or to drive flocks of sheep or kangaroos to isolate a weaker animal. Wedge-tailed Eagles may also kill young calves.

The IUCN conservation of the wedge tailed eagle is "Least Concern", however the Tasmanian subspecies is listed as endangered with fewer than 200 breeding pairs in the wild. One danger to them are wind turbines (click here for a news article). However the increase in road kill and the reduction of the number Tasmanian Devils, another carrion eater, is helping their plight.

Eagle Medicine
Eagle medicine is the connection to the Great Spirit. Eagle soars high above the land and thus is closer to the heavens that man can be. Send your prayers to Eagle, and he will rise above the chaos to meet Great Spirit and return, with a vision for you.

You too must take flight. It is time for you to soar to great heights. You must have a willingness to face the extremes, to push yourself to your limits. Through facing these challenges you will undergo a great spiritual initiation and reach a new zenith of your self growth. It is time to go beyond your dreams.

If eagle has come into your life it is a reminder that it is time to reconnect with the universe and your reasons for being here. What is your path and how are you contributing to the Greater Good? If you are not clear, connect with the eagle, ask him to aid your contact with the Great Spirit. He will bring you answers and then, like eagle, set your eyes on the target and take flight.

In your spiritual pursuits, you must still remember to stay grounded and connected to the Earth. Eagle's strong talons ensures he has a strong grasp wherever he lands. You too must not get lost up in your head with your spiritual pursuits.

An Insight into the Next Age

Do you think people living 100 years ago could have envisaged what life would be like in the 21st century? How many people would have been able to imagine the Internet, mobile phones, 3D movies and nuclear bombs? For us to imagine life 100 years from now, is almost as challenging. The rate at which technology changes and updates now, evolution of lifestyle happens quickly.

The year 2012 is set to be an interesting one. The Mayan calender and that of some other ancient cultures predicts an ending at some point soon. Will the world explode? Personally I don't think so. The Mayan's could have only conceptualised an end within their concept of reality. They would not have had any concept of world governments, massive trade, nuclear weapons, airplanes, modern communication infrastructure, etc. Maybe all they could imagine was an end would mean an explosion. However I see the end of the world could simply be the end of the world as we know it.

The global economies are looking less secure by the day. Large masses of people are starting to question the basic systems in which we have been accustomed to; consider the "Occupy" movement. One documentary has changed the way I view the possible future and I encourage you to explore the vision too.

Zeitgeist Addendum clearly explains the financial position the world is in today. In a simple way I have never seen before it shows where money comes from while exposes some interesting facts. Did you know that the World Bank is in many ways, simply a US Bank? All but one president of the bank has been American. It looks at how poor countries are lent money so they can pay US companies to come in and build infrastructure, thus giving the US more money rather than training their own countrymen.

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

Countless numbers of documentaries are available detailing the way life is today but rarely is a possible viable option also offered. This is not the case in Zeitgeist Addendum. The second part of the documentary introduces The Venus Project. This concept way of life, conceptualised by Jacque Fresco, tackles many of the issues prevalent in today's societies. A key component is the removal of money, since it is meant to be the root of all evil isn't it.

Here is a The Venus Project self description:
The Venus Project presents a bold, new direction for humanity that entails nothing less than the total redesign of our culture. There are many people today who are concerned with the serious problems that face our modern society: unemployment, violent crime, replacement of humans by technology, over-population and a decline in the Earth's ecosystems.


As you will see, The Venus Project is dedicated to confronting all of these problems by actively engaging in the research, development, and application of workable solutions. Through the use of innovative approaches to social awareness, educational incentives, and the consistent application of the best that science and technology can offer directly to the social system, The Venus Project offers a comprehensive plan for social reclamation in which human beings, technology, and nature will be able to coexist in a long-term, sustainable state of dynamic equilibrium.

You can find out more about all the Zeitgeist movies at http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/ and the Venus Project at http://www.thevenusproject.com/.

The watch Zeitgeist Addendum, simply click below:

2012 Year of the (Green) Farmer

Farmers are a key component of the Australian cultural fabric. Many of the country's great literature covers the outback Aussie men and women working with, on and against the land for survival. In today's economy the 136,000 farms around the country contribute more than $405 billion each year to the economy. That's 27% of the country's GDP. Without farmers industry would not have the materials needed to support the human population's basic needs such as food and clothing. These are just some of the reasons 2012 has been named "Year of the Farmer".

When it comes to being environmentally conscious, farming and being green may not be seen as going hand in hand. However WWF Australia has be working with farmers to protect our natural landscape. With the human population growing, demands for greater output from farmers is created. It could be assumed that this would require more clearing of land, having a negative effect on the country. WWF is working with farmers all over the country to help them adopt higher intensity ways of production,that require less land, less water and often are less expensive.

The south-west wheatbelt has long produced large quantities of Aussie grains but traditional clearing of land has threatened the temperate eucalypt woodlands of the area. Since 1998 WWF Australia has been working with local farmers to change their farming techniques and help them understand their important role as stewards of the land. Since this area is under represented under the National Reserve System, WWF Australia has played a direct role in brokering binding voluntary agreements with farmers that have resulted in more than 10,000 hectares of these precious woodlands being protected forever.

In Northern Queensland more than 70 sugar farmers are working in partnership with WWF Australia as well as  local natural resource management groups and Coca-Cola, one of the world's biggest buyers of sugar, to get more from their crops while using less. New intensive farming techniques have meant have meant farmers have not only saved money but they have been able to increase local water quality. New techniques require fewer pesticides, thus reducing run-off that eventually makes it's way through local streams and rivers to the Great Barrier Reef.

When humankind first discovered agriculture a long time ago, everyone had to work with the environment to ensure it's well being. These days as most of us have moved off the land, the responsibility of land stewardship has been left the just a select few. To find out more on how to support them please visit www.yearofthefarmer.com.au and www.wwf.org.au.