A bit of news we are not hearing about is the 1.2 million acres of methane, tundra and brush burning in Alaska. It is providing the high haze helping to cool this summer, like the spring was cooled by haze from the sagebrush fires, covering most of Nevada and Idaho. Indigenous folks might see this as a sign of a living planet, working to heal itself, from an increasingly effective onslaught of lands deterioration, toxins and intensifying population densities.
We honor the first nations for husbanding the land. Nuche partnered with nature to keep her in pristine condition, for thousands of years. Nuche gave us a clean, fertile, abundant, incredibly rich wilderness to settle. A land that sustained people almost effortlessly, as Nuche ranged between peak and plain with their brothers the elk and buffalo, over wide expanses.
Once the aboriginals were removed, Nuche trails became state highways, Nuche land became state land for us to buy and sell, develop and profit from. Now 400 years after landing on a pristine shore, our country is burning. Toxins and plastics have become a homogenous part of the water, land, air and our bodies. Even remote wilderness shows decline.
It’s time to join indigenous people in their worldwide focus on healing climate and the planet. We can link our intent to their dances and prayers to the intelligent, natural world.
Learn the ways of deeply honoring and respecting nature. Let’s incorporate mindful courtesy of the living environment into our business models and accept the urgency to make lifestyle changes that demonstrate respect for our only home.
John Hoffmann
Carbondale