The Mackenzie River

Rising at the west end of Great Slave Lake in Canada's Northwest Territories, the Mackenzie River flows northwestward for almost 1100 miles to the Beaufort Sea. Un-dammed and winding through Subarctic and Arctic wilderness, its wide, braided channel is just the final conduit of a massive watershed that covers 20% of Canada, extending from northeast British Columbia, northern Alberta, northwest Saskatchewan and the western Yukon to the massive Mackenzie River Delta, the 12th largest on our planet. If one includes its most distant tributaries, this river system exceeds 2600 miles in length (the longest in Canada) and drains a watershed of almost 700,000 square miles.

To the southwest, the Peace and Athabaska Rivers rise on the east side of the Continental Divide in the northern Canadian Rockies; these large streams merge to form a large inland delta along Lake Athabaska, which drains to Great Slave Lake via the Slave River. Leaving Great Slave Lake, the Mackenzie River picks up meltwaters from the Mackenzie Mountains (to its west) via the Liard River system and then receives flow from Great Bear Lake, to its east, the largest lake in Canada. At its braided delta, just east of the Richardson Mountains, the Mackenzie discharges copious amounts of relatively warm, fresh, nutrient-rich water into the Arctic Ocean; this annual discharge, the 14th largest on Earth, dramatically affects the regional ecosystem, allowing boreal woodlands to extend well north of their usual range and increasing the diversity of plants and animals across the ever-changing delta. Beluga whales gather here in spring to molt in the mild river current and the countless, shallow lakes provide ideal breeding habitat for shorebirds, tundra swans and snow geese. Resident mammals include black bears, barren ground grizzlies, Arctic fox, Arctic wolves, caribou, moose, musk ox and a massive number of muskrats.

However, all is not well in this seemingly pristine wilderness. Dams on tributaries of the Mackenzie have reduced flow through its primary channel and are diminishing the annual floods that are crucial to the welfare of its delta ecosystem. In addition, worrisome levels of mercury have been found in the river over the past few years, the product of mining and power plant effluent across the watershed. Of course, as with other Arctic ecosystems, global warming may dramatically affect the natural diversity of this magnificent yet fragile landscape.

The Caspian Sea

A remnant of the Paratethys Sea, the Caspian Sea is the largest inland body of water on Earth. Covering more than 143,000 square miles, it was cut off from the Black Sea when the Caucasus Mountains rose some 6 million years ago, a product of the Red Sea opening which forced (and continues to force) the Arabian Plate to collide with the Eurasian Plate. Retaining some salinity from the Paratethys, the Caspian Sea has become a massive basin lake, receiving inflow from more than 130 freshwater rivers but having no outlet to the sea; 80% of the inflow is via the Volga River while the combined flow of the Ural and Kura Rivers adds another 15%.

Since this inflow is primarily from the north and northwest shores of the Caspian Sea, its relatively shallow northern waters (only 20 feet deep) are fresh while the deeper waters of its southern section (exceeding 3000 feet in some areas) have a salinity that is 1/3 of that found in our oceans. Kara-Bogaz-Gol, a large lagoon on its eastern shore (within Turkmenistan) has been nearly cutoff by sandbars and receives inflow only during periods of high water in the Caspian Sea; the lagoon's waters, subject to intense evaporation, have a salinity that is 10 times that of sea water. Today, five countries border the Caspian Sea: Russia on the northwest, Kazakhstan on the northeast, Azerbaijan on the southwest, Turkmenistan on the southeast and Iran on the south; except for the Caspian Depression to its north, the Caspian Sea is rimmed by highlands and its surface elevation, while variable, is about 92 feet below sea level.

While lush wetlands are spaced along its western and southern shores, the Caspian Sea is bordered by desert on its northern and eastern coasts; of special interest is a region of geothermal mud domes along part of the Azerbaijan coast, a testament to plate subduction in that area. Famous for a magnificent diversity of birdlife (especially during migrations), its prized sturgeon caviar and its endemic Caspian seals (thought to have arrived when the Paratethys connected to the North Sea), this unique and varied ecosystem is threatened by both global warming and industrial pollution (especially from oil and gas production). Since it is rimmed by five countries, the effort to protect this ecological treasure is especially challenging.

Mixing Oil & Wetlands

Since I drive a car and heat my home, it would be hypocritical of me to renounce oil production in the U.S. or elsewhere across the globe. Nevertheless, the oil industry has a tendency to minimize its potential impact on wetlands, the most productive ecosystems on our planet.

Sabine National Wildlife Refuge, in extreme southwest Louisiana, is the largest wetland preserve along the Gulf Coast, renowned for its large flocks of wintering waterfowl, its wide variety of wading birds and its resident population of American alligators and wetland mammals. Yet, oil production continues on this preserve despite a significant spill during the winter of 2002-2003 and the devastation of Hurricane Rita, in September, 2005, which spread more than 1400 barrels of toxic chemicals across the refuge. More recently, shortcuts in the startup of BP's Deepwater Horizon inundated coastal marshlands with crude oil, the worst man-made disaster in the history of the Gulf of Mexico. Now, despite concerns for potential damage to wetlands and groundwater across the unique sandhills ecosystem of western Nebraska, conservative politicians and their oil company supporters are attempting to push through the Keystone Pipeline Project before appropriate environmental studies are complete. And, of course, conservationists have been battling proposals to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for decades.

While we cannot replace fossil fuels with "green" sources of energy overnight, it is equally short-sighted for the oil industry to minimize its impact on fragile and vital ecosystems across our planet. Oil and wetlands will not mix and we destroy those crucibles of life at our own peril.

The Noise Industry

As a naturalist, I enjoy walking on the beach to the sound of crashing surf and frantic gulls. I relish tranquil bays, cathedral forests, the solitude of deserts and the quiet inspiration of mountain vistas. Unfortunately, there is a growing industry that often deprives us of such experiences.

Marketed as exciting ways to explore nature, jet skies, four-wheelers, dirt bikes and snowmobiles have invaded the landscape, polluting the environment with their noise and fumes. While essential vehicles for certain cultures and businesses, they have spawned a population of "nature lovers" who are more interested in speed and power than in the natural surroundings through which they race. Those of us who do not share their infatuation with combustion engines must, unfortunately, accept the side effects of their activity. National and State Parks, after all, are for the people, not so much for the environment.

Many who read this blog will perceive my views as just more selfish gibberish from a tree-hugging purist. I gladly accept that title if, in some small way, it would lead to more restrictions on the use of motorized noisemakers in nature preserves and wilderness areas.

The Nature of Yard Work

Despised as just another chore during our teen years, yard work is a favorite activity for many adults. After all, it gets us outdoors, affords plenty of exercise, allows us to reconnect with nature and rewards us with garden foods and the beauty of flowering plants.

Of course, our definition of natural beauty varies and our individual preferences can lead to household conflicts. Some prefer manicured landscapes with broad, uniform lawns, evenly trimmed shrubs, neatly spaced plants and store-bought mulch. Others, myself included, favor limited lawn space, broad, naturalized borders and self-sustaining perennials. Perhaps the primary source of disagreement arises with the decision to use or ban fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides and other products that are marketed to yield pristine, weed-free, insect-controlled lawns and gardens. After all, one must compete with the neighbors.

If you, like most naturalists, want a property with a diverse population of wildlife, it's best to utilize native plants, establish wild borders, minimize lawn space and abolish the use of artificial chemicals. You'll still have enough to keep you busy but you'll have more time to enjoy your wild neighbors and they will benefit from your pollution-free patch of earth.

Illusion in the Gulf

One year after the Deep Water Horizon exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, all appears to be well. The blue waters and white beaches are no longer tainted with black swaths of oil, sea birds are not encased in crude and most of the Gulf fisheries have reopened for business. BP and the Federal Government have pulled most of their cleanup crews, fines have been levied and reimbursement funds are trickling through the Gulf Coast economy. Most important to U.S. oil companies, offshore drilling continues in the wake of our country's greatest environmental disaster.

As often occurs after such events, political and industrial response is directly proportional to the degree of media coverage that is generated by the disaster. Once the gushing oil well was plugged, almost three months after the explosion, intense media coverage waned and the commitment of BP faded with the camera lights. The Federal Government, hobbled by debt and a weak economy, lost interest in the Gulf and failed to prosecute the other industrial giants responsible for this catastrophe.

The fact that we continue to refer to the event as an "oil spill," as if an oil barge capsized in the Gulf, highlights our tendency to minimize the effects of man-made disasters; in this case, crude oil gushed into the Gulf for 87 days and it's hard to accept the soothing conclusion that environmental effects have been limited. We have yet to learn how deep water ecosystems were affected by the oil and, as any student of nature knows, all ecosystems are interconnected. The image of recovery, fostered by the oil industry and condoned by our Government, is but an illusion.