Living in Pittsburgh

The past year has brought many surprising twists and turns to my life. First, falling in love once again after so many years with the first real love of my life perhaps is one of the greatest stories of my life. That has yet to be written - for public consumption. The second greatest twist happened when I fell in love with Pittsburgh. When I first visited here more than nine months ago, my daughter asked me why I was traveling to Pittsburgh. I wasn't sure I was ready to announce that I was going to meet my first love after a 37-year separation.

"I've always wanted to go there," I said.

"You have not," she replied.

And she was right. Pittsburgh was never on my top 10 list of places to visit - it probably wouldn't have made the top 100.

But here I am living here most of the time while I transition from Florida. And all I can say is I've fallen in love twice this past year - once with a man and once with a place.

The Wildlife Forecast -Climate Change bill provides for wildlife and habitats

Patricia writes this monthly column for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission

Amid all the media attention on health care reform, economic recovery and the first-moonwalk anniversary, a bill made its way through the U.S. House of Representatives this summer. It may be just one piece of legislation, but it is one gigantic leap for the environment and wildlife.

The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 contains one section particularly important to wildlife – Natural Resource Adaptation. It sets a policy “to protect, restore and conserve natural resources to enable them to become more resilient, adapt to, and withstand the impacts of climate change and ocean acidification.”
This is a wise course. Federal dollars will help state agencies and others “on the ground” implement the act – to make the kinds of lasting impacts that will ensure our wildlife adapts and is resilient to these projected changes.

Jackie Fauls, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) director of Legislative Affairs, says the money should be there to help Florida’s managers of wildlife.

“The bill includes language that will help fish, wildlife and natural resources adapt in a warming world,” Fauls said. “It provides 1 percent of revenues from a cap-and-trade system that will go to domestic natural resource adaptation, beginning in 2012, and will increase in allocation to 4 percent beginning in 2027.”

The adaptation component for wildlife is crucial because the experts agree that fish and wildlife will have to adapt to rising sea levels and warming temperatures, or they will not survive. It is up to the wildlife managers – in Florida state government, that’s the FWC – to help them adapt and remain resilient.

“Functioning ecosystems are critical to the future of life on this planet,” said Matt Hogan, executive director of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. “They provide a wide range of life-sustaining services in the form of clean water, clear air, and other benefits that determine the quality of human life. Ecosystems can significantly capture carbon and sustain fish and wildlife, which provide billions of dollars in direct economic benefits.”

The FWC has made adaptation of wildlife a priority by forming first a Climate Change Team and then an adaptation group that is already at work designing, planning and creating strategies that will manage fish and wildlife in Florida for the challenges ahead. The climate change bill has the potential to help agencies, such as the FWC, implement these management strategies to ensure no species goes extinct as climate change becomes more and more real.

“Climate change is a complicated issue,” said Terry Doonan, co-chairman of the FWC’s Adaptation Working Group. “We have some understanding of the impacts of climate change, but we have much to learn about the specific impacts and how they change from one part of the state to another. The more we understand, the better we’ll be at ensuring we do the best job possible of managing and conserving Florida’s diverse fish and wildlife species.”

While the politicians debate the virtues of the bill – which could go to a vote in the Senate sometime in the fall – and the wildlife managers plan strategies, individuals can lower greenhouse gas emissions, too.

The National Wildlife Federation asks us to do our part by taking the Good Neighbor Pledge found on its Web site at http://online.nwf.org. I took the pledge today. By promising such things as replacing five incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs; turning off lights when not using them; turning off my PC, monitor and printer when not in use; unplugging electronic devices (or putting on a power strip that is turned off); setting the thermostat two degrees lower or higher, depending on the season; using the air-dry setting on my dishwasher; and driving the speed limit, I passed the test to be a Good Neighbor. I even have a certificate to prove it, although I decided to save the ink and paper and not print it out. It is the simple things we all do together that can make a big difference for our future.
At the federal, state or individual level, all of us can do our best to ensure the forecast for fish and wildlife remains resilient and hopeful.

The Wildlife Forecast - Watch the coral reefs for effects of climate change

Written for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

Images of red and purple coral with darting blue and orange fish dance in my imagination when I think of Florida’s coral reefs. My dreams turn to nightmares, however, when I study the forecasts for the precious and important habitat.

“The coral reefs are the sentinel for climate change,” said Patty Glick from the National Wildlife Federation and author of “Preparing for a Sea Change in Florida.” “And in the Caribbean and Florida we’re already seeing the signs.”

Coral reefs are called the “rain forests of the sea” because of the number of species they harbor. They cover only 0.07 percent of the ocean’s floor, but they are home to one-quarter of the world’s fish and marine species.

The creation of a coral reef is a complicated process and takes thousands of years. Yet with increasing sea temperatures a reality, coral bleaching could wipe them all out by the end of this century.

The vibrant colors of the corals are actually caused by algae that feed the coral. High temperatures create stress, and the coral expels the algae. When this “bleaching” occurs, the coral loses its color.

“Coral is highly sensitive to temperatures at higher thresholds,” Glick said. “When bleaching occurs, it means the coral is starving to death.”

The most extensive living coral reef in the United States lies adjacent to the Florida Keys, serving as the first line of defense during storms, protecting our beaches from further erosion. They may offer a form of human protection, too. Corals may be home to medicines that hold the cure for today’s incurable diseases. The limestone deposits of the coral could become invaluable as a source for surgical bone replacements. The natural sunscreen of the coral is being studied by scientists around the world.

But for how long? One of the first effects of global warming may very well attack the sea before we see visible effects on the land. Rising sea temperatures are already having an impact.

“The Tropical Atlantic region’s temperatures have risen 1 degree Fahrenheit over the past three decades,” Glick said. “A full degree may not seem like a lot, but coral is highly sensitive, so it is very detrimental.”

Should we give up and rush out now to see a dying ecosystem? As we make our own personal sacrifices, rest assured there are groups doing something now. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) Coral Reef Evaluation and Monitoring Project monitors the condition of coral reefs annually throughout the Florida Keys, Southeast Florida and the Dry Tortugas.

“The focus of our monitoring is to observe changes in coral cover over time,” said Rob Ruzicka with the FWC’s coral reef program. “We document changes in status and trends of the coral reef sites we monitor for the managers at the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and the National Park Service.”

Places such as the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary help educate the public about the importance of reefs. The Nature Conservancy’s Florida Reef Resiliency Program identifies the resilient areas of the reefs and studies why those areas have been able to survive and revive.

In 2008, the FWC’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute was one of the sponsors of the International Coral Reef Symposium, which brought together the world’s top scientists, conservationists, economists and educators to advance coral reef science, management and conservation. Gov. Charlie Crist signed a bill at the symposium that eliminated the use of ocean outfalls for wastewater disposal in Southeast Florida.

“Coral reefs are extraordinary living ecosystems that draw visitors, support our economy and protect our beaches and homes from erosion and storm surge,” Crist said in a press release. “Florida will continue to take steps, such as new legislation reducing nutrients and other pollutants in the ocean, which will protect these sensitive ecosystems for residents and visitors for generations to come,”

According to the FWC, reef-related expenditures generate billions of dollars in sales and provide thousands of jobs in Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. Environmentally and economically, we can not afford to lose our coral reefs.

The forecast for our coral reefs may seem bleak, but if we do our part to support the programs that pursue their conservation, we may find we’ve slowed things down just enough to ensure the coral reefs survive for our grandkids.

The Time of My Life

This past Christmas, my daughter Anna and I decided to do something out of the ordinary so we met in San Francisco – one of our favorite cities. I first went there when I was in college – for a Beat Poets class. I stayed in a charming hotel close to Union Square and drank my first Irish coffee. In the ensuing years, I’ve returned five or six times and each time is more magical than the last. Something about the city makes my senses vibrate with possibilities.

When I returned this past December, I discovered I had booked our room in the very same hotel where I stayed nearly 35 years earlier. Nothing much had changed except they no longer had cages over the elevator doors or dumb waiters between floors. Each morning I woke before Anna and slipped down to the pub where a generous Continental breakfast awaited me. I sat near the fireplace and wrote a short story, transporting myself back to a time more than 100 years ago. I could hear the voices of soon-to-be lovers and smell the wet wool drying next to a roaring fire as the wind howled outside a year after the San Francisco earthquake. I wrote furiously while the visions danced in my imagination.

Then Anna and I would traverse the city visiting out of the way places and seeing Phantom of the Opera on Christmas Eve day. But it was Christmas Day that held the most magic for me.

We walked across Golden Gate Bridge in the morning and could see San Francisco clearly because the sun had come out – a rare occurrence over the Bay. Then we went to Union Square where I ice-skated for the first time in 40 years. I always loved ice-skating and for years had said I wanted to go again but whenever I had the opportunity some fear kept me from getting up on those single blades. But I faced my fear and despite my trembling, I managed to get on the ice and skate for 45 minutes without falling. I was exhilarated and proud. So was Anna who stood on the sidelines recording it all. If I can do that, I can do anything, I thought as I floated around the rink dodging young children sliding on the ice in front of me.

After a dinner at the Stinking Rose and one cute waiter who flirted quite artfully and tastefully with Anna and me, we ended up on Jack Kerouac Alley where I danced on the pavement as street musicians played any song we desired. I stood outside City Lights Bookstore where I had met Lawrence Ferlinghetti all those years ago and reveled in the moment and the synchronicity of my life.

Spring cleaning and shrapnel

Today I'm doing some spring cleaning of my house - slightly late for Florida, but it's still cool enough in the mornings to have the windows open. Soon I will have to shut them and turn on the air but for now I'm happily cleaning and the smell of lemon polish and lavender floor cleaner waft through the open windows.

A shiny small object caught my eye as I mopped the guest bedroom tile. I leaned over to pick it up and discovered a piece of glass - leftover shrapnel from the thieves who busted a window with a crowbar to steal my sense of safety in my new home eighteen months ago. I managed to survive the aftermath of the violation and am only reminded by the shards of glass that must have sprayed everywhere when the robbers decided they needed my family heirloom jewelry and new laptop more than I needed it. I've stopped thinking about the theft every time I pull into my garage. I don't always put on the security system at night when I sleep. And I'm proud that I didn't allow my fear to overcome my sense of well being in my home. But every once in awhile I'll find another sharp piece of window and remember the world is often cruel and arbitrary, and I look around in awe that we can survive at all. We can survive because in between the madness of harsh reality, sparkles of beauty and magic come along to set the world right.

The "hurry up and wait" game

I mailed the complete manuscript of "Two Moons in Africa" to the publisher yesterday, along with 22 photos with cut lines, directions for interior layout, author bio and book summary. It took us two weeks to pull this all together into one package. I worked every night after the day job and spent the good share of the past two weekends on it. Now we wait. . .

It may be weeks before we hear anything from the publisher, except to say they received the book. Then one day a call will come, "We need the galley proofed." I'll put myself on another marathon stretch because the publisher will tell me the only thing keeping the book from being in print will be my turnaround time. When I get that close to publication, I'm in a frenzy pushing toward that final goal. Then it will be the marketing plan that will have to be completed. Web page design and layout proofed. E-mail lists compiled and book reviewers chosen. And the long periods in between while what I accomplished is incorporated. And while the waiting time between each step becomes shorter, the waiting time in my mind becomes interminable.

It is a bit like giving birth. I know when I hold that "baby" in my hands and turn it over and see my picture on the back, I will have forgotten the four years of labor that went into its birth and only remember the exhilaration of producing something for others to see.

Then after those first moments of unadulterated joy in the accomplishment, the real work begins: the selling of the book.

And now I wait.

The Wildlife Forecast - Go green: It’s easier than you might think

Here's May's installment of my column "The Wildlife Forecast." I write this column for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

“Go green” taps us on the shoulder wherever we turn these days. We all know it’s a good thing when we see it, but do we really know what it means?

Any talk about going green inevitably leads to our carbon footprint -- the amount of carbon dioxide our activities emit into the atmosphere. I decided to check out my individual footprint online. Using a carbon footprint calculator, I discovered what I’m contributing to climate change. The results gave me some things to consider.

I recently attended a conference in Orlando billed as a “green” conference. Organizers donated money to a fund to plant native trees in parks and wildlife refuges for the carbon offset.
For this particular conference in Florida, trees were planted in a forest in the Midwest.
Fine concept, but wouldn’t it be more helpful to “go green” right in the same backyard where the carbon footprint had been left? I discovered a project that keeps it local and does more than donate funds.

It started when The Wildlife Society’s Florida Chapter wondered how to offset the carbon impacts from its 2008 National Conference in Miami.

“We wanted to do more than merely contribute funds to a project that might not be compatible with our long-term objectives for biological diversity,” said Jay Exum with the society. “We felt it important to enhance biological diversity and environmental resiliency – an important component of lessening the impacts associated with climate change.”

Diverse habitat and wildlife provides greater opportunity for resiliency, something the biologists passionately speak about when addressing the impacts of climate change on wildlife.
“We also wanted the project to be as local as possible,” Exum said. “A proposal from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) Wildlife Legacy Initiative fit the objectives of our vision.”

Peacock Springs, near Live Oak, held all the keys to a perfect project funded by the State Wildlife Grants Program. The sandhill site, managed by the Suwannee River Water Management District, lacked longleaf pines, wiregrass and wildfires - all necessary components of this ecosystem.

Longleaf pines are crucial to the sandhill landscape. The trees are fire resistant and can live for 500 years. Their expansive root system keeps them in place during hurricane-force winds.
Historically, annual summer fires burned through this ecosystem, burning plants closest to the ground, but leaving the tall longleaf pines intact. When fires are suppressed, the ecosystem balance becomes skewed.

Wiregrass, growing in huge bunches low to the ground in sandhill habitats, is the perfect fuel for the fires. It also nestles other low-growing plants and supports wildlife at the base of the food chain. Without the wiregrass, other plant species cannot exist; and without the other plants, their seeds, flowers and fruits cannot provide sustenance for insects and other tiny wildlife. Without those tiny members of the animal kingdom, animals further up the food chain do not have the food they need to exist.

The planting of longleaf pines began in February. Next, workers will plant wiregrass. Prescribed burns will further the restoration process.

How does all this relate to climate change and wildlife in Florida? Without healthy habitats, no matter how rural and non-urbanized, wildlife cannot adapt or survive what is in store as the climate changes.

“A project like this one at Peacock Springs restores an important Florida ecosystem and builds resiliency into the landscape,” said Doug Parsons of the FWC’s Climate Change Team. “It’s going to help us get through these long-term changes as the climate warms.”

What I discovered about my own personal carbon footprint shocked me. Using a carbon footprint calculator on The Nature Conservancy’s Web site, www.nature.org, I determined my estimated greenhouse gas emissions exceed the national average, and I thought I was carbon-conservative. Traveling – flying and driving – really drove up my footprint. I need to make some changes now, because the experts agree that we can not stop climate change; at this point, we can only lessen its impact. I can contribute to a carbon offset program, lessen my personal footprint or plant a native tree in my backyard. In 70 years, that tree will help offset my footprint now.

Look in your own backyard for your carbon footprint. If we follow the lead of The Wildlife Society, footprints in the sand may only leave an impression not a deep hole.

Contact Patricia Behnke at pat.behnke@MyFWC.com.