Basket weaving 101: no bad rap here--just some skills the new Congress may find helpful.Perhaps Congress should take up basket weaving Basket weaving (or basket making, basketry, or basketmaking) is the process of weaving unspun vegetable fibers into a basket. People with the profession of weaving baskets are basketmakers. . It's true that basket weaving has a bad rap, but my suggestion isn't meant as a commentary on lawmakers' abilities. I've been a basket weaver for years, and there are lessons in this craft for all of us in the natural resources field. The strength of a basket depends on its weave--tighter is stronger--in fact, some baskets are watertight. But even a loosely woven basket will hold together and may flex and bend but not pull apart. This is the way the environment should be seen: a strand that is woven together with the other strands, the human systems that serve the public good, systems like transportation, trade, and communications. For too long the environment has been seen as a passive thing. It just lays there as we build our systems on top of it for better, or most likely, for worse. But the environment is a strand, a contiguous Adjacent or touching. Contrast with fragmentation. See contiguous file. length of natural resources that form systems to cycle air, water, and carbon, very much like the reed used in weaving weaving, the art of forming a fabric by interlacing at right angles two or more sets of yarn or other material. It is one of the most ancient fundamental arts, as indicated by archaeological evidence. a basket. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Our special focus Autumn issue demonstrated the wisdom of seeing the environment as one strand of many that also include human systems of trade, communications, and transportation, which must be woven together. The challenge is to help those making development decisions start seeing the environment not as something "out there, far away," but as a continuous system to be woven into their region. The challenge for those who care about the environment is to see it as an integral part of development, and to see development as a way to ensure that the environmental systems are allowed to function as healthy systems. This is a big change from the way things are done now, but one we are confident will spell not only better development practices, but better functioning ecosystems. Leaders in cities and counties can start to see the environment as a system interwoven in·ter·weave v. in·ter·wove , in·ter·wo·ven , inter·weav·ing, inter·weaves v.tr. 1. To weave together. 2. To blend together; intermix. v.intr. with the human networks. The environment flows through their cities and towns just like the roads and communication systems. When this happens, lawmakers see natural areas on a par with road systems, and give equal weight to natural and human systems. The dialogue on this new framework continues in this issue with interviews from scientist George Schaller Dr. George Beals Schaller (born 1933) is a mammalogist, naturalist, conservationist and author. Schaller is recognized by many as the world's preeminent field biologist, studying wildlife throughout Africa, Asia and South America. , a premier primatologist, and Mike Dombeck, former chief of the U.S. Forest Service (pg. 41). Their experiences clearly point to the need for a new type of environmentalism environmentalism, movement to protect the quality and continuity of life through conservation of natural resources, prevention of pollution, and control of land use. . Several other articles in these pages bring home our love of trees as the largest, oldest living things Living Things may refer to:
Journey to a shrine or other sacred place undertaken to gain divine aid, as an act of thanksgiving or penance, or to demonstrate devotion. Medieval Christian pilgrims stayed at hospices set up specifically for pilgrims, and on their return trip they wore on their in Israel, pg. 34). In Healthy Forests, Happy Potters (pg. 7) we explore a program in New Mexico New Mexico, state in the SW United States. At its northwestern corner are the so-called Four Corners, where Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah meet at right angles; New Mexico is also bordered by Oklahoma (NE), Texas (E, S), and Mexico (S). that proves how a local community can build an economy that helps improve the health of surrounding forests. This story verifies our belief that healthy economies and healthy forests do go hand-in-hand. With a new Congress starting in January, AMERICAN FORESTS American Forests is a nonprofit conservation organization that promotes healthy forests and urban tree planting. The organization was established in 1875 as the American Forestry Association, by physician/horticulturist John Aston Warder and a group of like-minded citizens sees an opportunity to have meaningful, bipartisan dialogue about the environment. We know both Republicans and Democrats care about the environment, and we believe that this new Congress presents a unique opportunity to be creative is elevating the environment within the context of other global, national, and local issues. First, though, they may want to take up basket weaving. DEBORAN GANGLOFF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] |
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