Highland Conservancy

A shift in Focus by Katheryn Krupa

I was kayaking yesterday when a good friend asked me if I had noticed how narcissism seems rampant these days.  Before we could continue the conversation my kayak got hung up on a submerged log and soon dialogue shifted to other topics.  But it got me to thinking...I wonder if part of the problem of today's generation (and ours too) is that we are too focused on tweeting, facebooking, blogging (yeah, I know) and a myriad of other me-me technology.  Are we so caught up in ourselves that we are forgetting the importance of giving back to others, the importance of getting outside and just enjoying a warm fall day?

Yes, I agree technology has opened up the world, connecting us in ways that were impossible before.  Still, I notice my sons and others holed up inside on their computers and wish they were outside bike riding, kayaking, hiking, boating, etc.  It helps take the focus off oneself and puts life in perspective.  Yesterday as I paddled down the Huron River, it struck me how beautiful it was to be there on such a perfect fall day.  Rounding a bend, I caught a sudden glimpse of a majestic blue heron, a blue grey statue among with reeds.  How sweet to be able to feel the warm sun on my back as I paddled along with a chatty group of like-minded friends.  What a luxury to slow down from a hectic life to enjoy the moment with others instead of just blathering on about myself.  I have nothing against Facebook or social media.  Yet I have noticed a general shift in the world of my children and my students... maybe because of the new ability to regurgitate every tiny aspect of their lives as they instananeously share every breath with others online.  Are we losing the ability to truly listen to others?  To engage in a real give and take in our conversations without focusing just on me, me, me?  Are we able to get outside and enjoy the incredible beauty of nature?  I wonder.

KEEP HIGHLAND RURAL by Katheryn Krupa

With a new township supervisor and fresh ideas flowing into our small township, I am one who believes strongly in keeping Highland rural.  When sewers were about to come online a few years back I was worried.  When new subdivisions starting cropping up before that, I was even more concerned.  As we look at the future for our township, I think it is important that we remember why many of us moved to Highland.  We moved here because we loved the fact that our township is filled with rolling pastures, horse ranches and beautiful undeveloped parkland.  It is special because we still see turkeys strutting through our yards and deer crossing our backroads.

I think we should welcome more bike trails connecting to existing trails and I love the idea of horse trails and hiking paths snaking through our parks.  But what we don't need is to open up our master plan to changes that would encourage more development or an influx of business and commerce.  Highland does not need to become another White Lake.  I would be concerned if we started to head down the route Hartland has with its big box stores crowding out the hometown mom and pop type establishments. 

Let's keep Highland rural and sleepy.  As we start dialogue and meetings in the township about the direction we are headed, please speak out and let your voice be heard.

MOUNTAINS IN PERIL IN APPALACHIA By Katheryn Krupa

Our beautiful Appalachian mountains are still being pillaged and ruined by mountain top coal mining.  Environmental groups continue to fight this destructive form of mining.  Not only does mountain top mining destroy habitat, it also pollutes the water when all the debris is dumped into rivers and streams, filling them with black slurry. Seeing this in person on my way to Florida was even more disturbing!

Right now, there are dozens of pending permits for new mountaintop removal coal mines in Appalachia.  If these new mines get approved, it will mean more people get sick and more mountains get destroyed.  It's important to let the Obama Administration know we're tired of seeing families get sick from mining pollution and tired of seeing our mountains vanish.

The Sierra Club is fighting for this important cause.  Click on this link to reach a quick form to let your opinion be known: 

https://secure.sierraclub.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=7343&s_src=911LSCSH01&s_subsrc=ty

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One Big Step Closer to Ending Mountaintop Removal

To Feed or Not to Feed - That is the Question by Katheryn Krupa

Photo by Stuart Freedman

It is extremely hard for me to ignore the cute little faces of squirrels that greet me every morning begging for treats!  Yet I admit I think it was a mistake to start feeding our local wildlife.  It all started when a golden furred squirrel would come begging at our back deck door.  By the end of the summer, my husband could hand feed him nuts.  Soon others came begging, standing on their hind legs, and even climbing up on the screen to stare me in the eye. The problem is now we've conditioned several generations of squirrels to come to our deck for treats and it seems too cruel to break this habit!  I feel bad that we are feeding the local wildlife but I also can't ignore their begging faces! We have Goldy, Stumpy (for the squirrel with a missing leg), Scratchy (poor things all seem to have fleas), and Black Bart to name a few of our squirrel gang that come up on our back deck for peanut butter handouts.  My sons keep trying to convince me to stop cold turkey.  I say others feed the birds - I feed squirrels.  I know I should stop - help!  Any thoughts?

Freecycling by Katheryn Krupa

 
 

Last night as I visited my father at a nursing home over in Howell, I was again reminded of the importance of recycling.  This time I thought about TVs.  Every time I walk through those lonely, sterile halls I can't help but look at the seniors lying on narrow beds in their small, dimly lit rooms.  Usually, the only entertainment is a lone TV blaring away day and night as they lie confined to their beds either by depression or illness.  Sure there are activities like bingo, cards, or Wii bowling.  Yet I've noticed far too many residents laying in bed most of the day snoring away or staring at the blank walls.  I've discovered that not all homes offer free TV, particularly to Medicaid or low income patients.  So here is how you can help.  Have you recently upgraded to a new flat screen or ditigal tv?  Do you still have your old TV and wondered what to do with it?  Or for that matter, has your child outgrown their bike, toys, or Legos?  Or maybe you just watched a hoarding show (love them!) and have decided to declutter your own home.

I'm suggesting you go out of your way to get take that TV to a nearby nursing home (they desperately need small, cable ready TV's or flat screens) or simply post that useable item on the Freecycle Network - Highland's local site is:  http://groups.freecycle.org/HighlandTownship/posts/all

Don't just go the lazy route and put that old bike out a few days early for trash pickup hoping someone will grab it.  I suggest you drop it off at a thrift shop or list it for free on your local e-group.  Upgraded your computer lately?  Freedom Work Opportunities will take your old computer.  They will destroy your hard drive if you wish (the cost is $20) then recycle the unit.  For more info call 248-887-1597.

I'd also encourage you to visit and volunteer at a nearby nursing home, but that is another story...

Commentary on Jane Goodall's Reason for Hope by Katheryn Krupa

 
Photo Courtesy of www.JaneGoodall.org

I just finished reading an excellent biography by Jane Goodall called Reason for Hope.  In it she shares interesting details about her work studying and living with chimps in Africa, her breakthroughs and personal journey.  The most disturbing aspect of the story for me was the revelation (or reminder) that over 1,000 chimps still are used in medical research in the United States.  Wanting to know more, I visited a variety of websites with pros and cons on animal research labs along with her website to see if I could find out more details on the need for this kind of work.  It was upsetting to see that our country (and Gabon) are the only two countries still using chimps for medical research despite the fact they are poor models for human disease research.  Her data reports that "despite chimpanzees sharing between 96 to 98 percent of the same DNA as humans, that small variation accounts for some major differences in the way diseases tend to behave and affect the two species."  I was surprised to learn that over 1,000 chimps still are kept in small, sterile, isolated cages for most of their lives (50 or more years) bored, frightened and with little chance for socializing or stimulation.  There are much more ethical avenues for research that would give better results for humans.  I encourage you to do your own studies and research and make your own decision.  This quote from the book really hit home for me after Jane Goodall visited a chimp named JoJo in a medical research facility:

“I knelt down in front of JoJo, and he reached as much of his hand as he could between the thick bars that formed a barrier between us. The bars were all around him, on every side, above and below. He had already been in this tiny prison for at least ten years; ten years of utter boredom interspersed with periods of fear and pain. There was nothing in his cage save an old motor tire for him to sit on. And he had no opportunity to contact others of his kind. I looked into his eyes. There was no hatred there, only a sort of gratitude because I had stopped to talk to him,. Helped to break the terrible grinding monotony of the day. Gently he groomed the ridges where my nails pressed against the thin rubber of the gloves I had been given, along with mask and paper cap. I pushed my hand in between the bars and, lips smacking, he groomed the hairs on the back of my wrist, peeling the glove down.

JoJo’s mother had been shot in Africa. Could he remember that life? I wondered. Did he sometimes dream of the great trees with the breeze rustling through the canopy, the birds singing, the comfort of his mother’s arms? I thought of David Greybeard and the other chimpanzees of Gombe. I looked again at JoJo  as he groomed me, and my vision blurred. Not for him the freedom to choose each day how we would spend his time and where and with whom. There was no comfort for him of soft forest floor or leafy nest high in the treetops. And the sounds of nature were gone too, the tumbling of the streams, the roar of the waterfall through the dim greens and browns of the forest world, the winds rustling and sighing in the branches, the scuttlings of little creatures moving through the leaves, the chimpanzee calls rising, so clear, from the distant hills."

For more information, and to support legislation to change these inhumane conditions, visit:  http://www.janegoodall.org/action 

Circle of Life by Katheryn Krupa

          Recently I have been reading and reflecting on a book called The Cherokee Full Circle by J.T. Garret and Michael Tlanusta Garrett, a Cherokee father and son from North Carolina.  It is an excellent book with many layers of wisdom and thought provoking ideas. For example, one precept deals with the Native American spirtuality that is "deeply rooted in the Principle of Noninterference, which focuses on the harmony created by the connection with all parts of the universe." (pg 53)  Everything has value, purpose, and personhood which leads to a deeper respect and understanding of one's place in the physical world.   Realizing our connection and responsibility to the earth and our place in the universe leads to a deeper understanding of one's "purpose to fullfill...[and] best path to follow."  Everything from trees, to animals, to rocks, to the winds - all have personhood and importance. 

         The first Americans traditionally have a deeply spiritual sense of “oneness” with the earth.  This rises from a “culture…born from beliefs and traditions that draw people together with a sense of oneness through the unity of family, clan and tribe.” (Garrett pg 21).  Mother Earth in traditional teachings is one’s Universal Mother who gives us life.  In this rich culture, a child learns to be sensitive to everything of which they are a part.  Everything is connected.  Human beings are a part of a whole, “kin to every living being…The animals are our four-legged brothers and sisters; the Earth is our Mother; the sky, Father; the Moon, Grandmother; and the Sun, Grandfather to all living creatures.  The connection we all have with others can be considered nothing short of sacred.” (pgs. 22-23).

          I wonder if the destruction of our planet is rooted in the white European/anglo culture’s disconnection with the natural world and our frenzied race for ownership and possessions?  Is this the basis for our disregard and irresponsibility toward everything that is not specifically ours?  Is the fact I do not own my neighbor’s land, or have any connection to it mentally or spiritually the reason it is so easy to disregard it, to disavow any responsibility for it?  As we have carved up the earth and established ownership of land, territories, countries and governments – have we simultaneously cut our connections to the land and everything living on it?

         I wonder if our white culture's drive to amass wealth to reflect power and respect leads many down the path of corruption and unhappiness.  I wonder if our need to carve up the earth and war over it has driven us away from the principles of interconnectedness, noninterference and living a purposeful life.  When climbing mountains or skimming quietly through rivers, I try to imagine what it was like here 900 years ago.  Is there any way back?  Could we find a way to forsake our ideas of ownership and do more to protect the earth?  On a personal level, could I stop trying to amass material things and focus more of my effort on restoring harmony and health to our wounded planet?

        We need to rebalance ourselves and examine what we are doing and how we are living our lives.  It is imperative that we follow a path that leads to restoring harmony in our relationships, in ourselves and with the earth.