*[Enwl-eng] Everyday Magic (News of the world environment)

Sat Dec 21 16:33:49 MSK 2024

In appreciation of the hidden wonders all around us. 

                                News of the world environment 

                                 NEWSLETTER | DECEMBER 20, 2024 

                                Everyday Magic

                                Last week, I headed out to a trail along Marin County’s Lagunitas Creek with a singular hope: to witness salmon on the tail end of their journey from the Pacific Ocean to their freshwater spawning habitat here in California. Several fish species return to this creek every year, including Chinook and Coho salmon and steelhead trout.

                                When I arrived at a trailhead, my two children and sister in tow, another group was just returning from their own salmon-spotting attempt. They hadn’t had any luck, they told us. There were no fish to be seen. This did not bode well for us, I thought, but we hit the trail nonetheless.

                                And minutes later, we spotted our first fish. It was a Chinook, I think, beautiful as it battled its way upstream, flashes of silver shimmering in the water. Then we saw another. And several more. Most were smallish. One was huge. Another was stuck in an exhausting cycle, navigating the same small rapid only to be swept down again, over and over.  

                                The persistence of that exhausted, undaunted fish filled me with awe for the pure magic of these ancient animals. Individually, salmon accomplish the seemingly impossible, battling currents, boulders, and downed trees as they migrate miles inland to spawn. Collectively, they have survived tremendous threats to their species in recent decades, including intensive logging and stream sedimentation, loss of waterways to urban development, and massive water diversions. Despite all of this, they keep up their efforts to return to California streams, as they have done for thousands of years. If we could just get out of their way, they might continue for thousands more.

                                As we made our way back to the car, I couldn’t help but feel for the group that hadn’t spotted a single fish; they had missed out on the wonder and joy of the experience. When I relayed the sentiment to my colleague Brian, he pointed out that we all sometimes miss the wonders right under our noses. He’s right. There is hidden beauty all around us, whether we’re looking for it or not. I think there’s a bit of magic in that, too.

                              Zoe Loftus-Farren
                              Managing Editor, Earth Island Journal

                              P.S. Follow the Journal on Bluesky! We are looking forward to sharing, learning, and joining constructive conversations with our readers.

                                Photo courtesy of Bureau of Land Management

                              TOP STORIES  

                              Must We Kill to Conserve?

                              To save one species that is doing poorly, the thinking goes, we have to harm another that is thriving. But is that really the best conversation strategy?

                              READ MORE 

                              Working With Salt
                              In the Bangladesh delta, simple, replicable solutions have brought thousands of acres of salinized farmland back into production, offering lessons for other regions around the world.

                              READ MORE 

                              People-Powered Journalism
                              Because of generous reader donations, Earth Island Journal can say things that corporate media won’t say.

                              Reader support gives us the independence to amplify voices and perspectives that strengthen communities, especially communities that don’t have access to corporate media.

                              Your support is essential to our long-term success. And with your help, we can reshape the media landscape. Won't you join us today?

                        I Support Earth Island Journal 

                              Plastic Treaty Stalls

                              Long-running UN negotiations over a global plastics treaty stalled yet again last month. But advocates say they will keep up the fight for an end to plastic pollution.

                              READ MORE 

                        ICYMI  

                        Wisdom Persists

                        The world’s oldest known wild bird has done it again. At age 74, Wisdom, a Laysan albatross, has a new mate and has laid an egg at the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in the Hawaiian Archipelago. Go Wisdom!

                        READ MORE >>
                        Image by Dan Rapp / USFWS 

                        Climate Suit Holds

                        This week, Montana’s Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s decision in a landmark climate suit, affirming that a group of young plaintiffs have the “fundamental constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment,” which includes a stable climate.

                        READ MORE >>
                        Photo by Peg Hunter

                              Did a thoughtful friend forward you our newsletter? Keep up with the latest from Earth Island Journal!

                              SIGN UP TODAY

                                 Follow 

                                 Follow 

                                 Subscribe 

            You are receiving this email newsletter because you signed up on our website.
            If this newsletter was forwarded to you, you can sign up to the email newsletter here.

            Support our work by subscribing to our quarterly print magazine.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

            Copyright © 2023 Earth Island Journal, All rights reserved.

            Our mailing address is:

            Earth Island Journal
            2150 Allston Way Ste 460
            Berkeley, CA 94704-1375

            Add us to your address book

From: Editors, Earth Island Journal <editor at earthisland.org>
Date: сб, 21 дек. 2024 г., 3:45
Subject: Everyday Magic

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.enwl.net.ru/pipermail/enwl-eng/attachments/20241221/47e506f2/attachment-0001.html>