Vintage Habitats

[Caledonia]

I know this is a bit wide of the mark, but as an ecologist this is interesting. We live in times when the habitats around us are being eroded and removed by our ever expanding need for housing, shopping malls, and all the accoutrements of life.

How long has it been since you were last somewhere that you felt was wild? And not even wild, just somewhere that you might have seen from your window 50 or 60 years ago and that is now under concrete.

The Panama Canal, while a marvellous conduit for human trading, no doubt decimated the environment through which it was driven, and the same goes for every road, rail, and tramline we build.

Any thoughts?

 

[nightandthecity]

Wel, I found your new thread!

I shall have to think before answering this. In fact I might opt out as its late. The fact is that the world I knew as a child and a young man has been so thoroughly trashed that I hardly recognize much of it. And it is still going on. I understand that everything changes, but since WW2 the British townscape and landscape have endured levels and forms of change that amounts to systematic official and corporate vandalism. Now that our beloved leaders have completely sold their souls to the "free market" I expect it to get worse.

I think I had better go to bed before i start one of my infamous NATC mega posts.

 

[Pilgrim]

Living in the west and 60 miles north of Denver, there's plenty of "wild" around here. If I were a city dweller, it would be different.

Of course, "wild" is relative. some folks don't classify it as wild unless you can't see a sign of humans for 10 miles around.

 

[colleency]

I moved into my current residence in 2002. When we moved in there was a marsh/bird migration area at the foot of a bluff that was all a wild field. Now the field has been mown down and micromansions erected and the marsh/bird migration area has been cut at least in half so that condos, houses, and businesses could be plonked down.

 

[LizzieMaine]

The whole northern half of my state is still pretty much wilderness -- huge swatches of Aroostook County aren't even organized into towns. Instead, the area was divided up on a grid, and you'll see road signs reading "Now Entering Township 9, Range 5" instead of a city name. The area's primarily of interest to paper companies, who harvest the forests for raw material, but there's also plenty of space for wildlife.

Even closer to where I live along the coast there's plenty of undeveloped land where you can go out into the woods and feel like the only human being on the planet. I don't know how much longer that will last, but I'm glad I've had the chance to experience it.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Funny thing: I read in one of Bill Bryson's books that much of the "wild" woods in New Hampshire was actually planted in the late 1800s.


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[Viola]

Well, Philadelphia has one of the best CITY park systems in the country, and I love it to pieces, but its not exactly thundering wildnerness and hasn't been in some time.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

The New Hampshire woods, though, are as wild-looking as all getout. Ever seen the movie The Blair Witch Project? That's what they look like.

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[HistWardrobe]

my wild backyard

I live in a historic house that's surrounded by a subdivision built on land formerly belonging to this property which use to be 1500 acres. The good news is that the subdivision lots are all quite large, 5-10 acres, and we've still got 12 acres. The back half of everybody's lot is broadleafed woodland, much of it old growth, culminating in a swamp which is bald eagle habitat. At the back end of my property I can't see any houses or any sign of human habitation, which is rather neat.

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

I live in an apartment not far from the house I grew up in. The land it sits on used to be part of a large wooded area, of several square miles. There were trails, a small stream, several small ponds and one large one. All of it was torn down to build a housing development, apartments, and strip malls.
The only things left are the large pond enclosed in a small park, a few scattered patches of trees, and the deer that used to live in the woods. Now the area is congested and every square inch of land that could be built on is gone. I know we need some development, but it has gotten totally out of hand. Mainly due to greed as they have lately taken to building developments with 300,000 to 500,000 dollar houses on tiny half acre lots! :rage:
Some intelligent planning and less greed would make for far nicer communities.

 

[VintageJess]

Some intelligent planning and less greed would make for far nicer communities.

Here, here!! :eusa_clap

 

[Rosie]

I agree totally. My dad grew up in St. George, South Carolina where he bought land which he passed on to me, I went down there two years ago and being a New Yorker originally I was like "What is this, WOODS?!" But, I like many people have to realize, that is what the world looks like. We're so used to concrete and a Starbucks every two feet, that isn't the earth.

Now that I'm older, when I'm finished all of this schooling, I'm off to the country to find myself a little slice of real earth. Look at my quote:

Ecstasy is uncut forests and the smell of fresh baked bread

 

[Caledonia]

I moved into my current residence in 2002. When we moved in there was a marsh/bird migration area at the foot of a bluff that was all a wild field. Now the field has been mown down and micromansions erected and the marsh/bird migration area has been cut at least in half so that condos, houses, and businesses could be plonked down.

Sadly in my line of work we see this kind of fragmentation and isolation of habitats all the time. There's only so much you can do with what is left out of the client's proposals to mitigate for the loss. But that's what we try. Legislation is becoming stricter but the Planning Authorities can still let things through that would be far better left alone. Having said that, while the human population keeps expanding we are going to need more land, so the flip side of the coin is to keep pushing for better planning laws and regulations, and a greater emphasis on conserving what is left and making sure that development integrates with the remaining semi-natural areas rather than smashing them to pieces.

 

[Caledonia]

Funny thing: I read in one of Bill Bryson's books that much of the "wild" woods in New Hampshire was actually planted in the late 1800s.


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In Scotland that would be designated as Long-Established Woodland of Plantation Origin. Its different country to country (as some of your posts clearly demonstrate) but in the UK there is very little ancient natural woodland left. Most is what we now call semi-natural whether ancient or not, ie it has been affected by man over the centuries or decades, and while it has perhaps remnants of natural vegetation it is largely interfered with.

Your place sounds great Hist. We're surrounded by Sitka plantation which varies from 25-50 years old, and while broadleaves must be planted now through the forestry regulations, there's very few! But we did manage to get a hectare of mixed broadleaf planted at the back of us last month, so in 15 years we'll have a young woodland out there.

 

[GA Wildlifer]

What area of ecology is your focus?

I am a forester and wildlife biologist. I work for the state of Georgia helping landowners manage their land sustainably.

It is late or I would write more, but I am interested in hearing about your work.

Robert

 

[Caledonia]

Hi. I'll PM you.