December 29, 2017

Thoughts on Diversity, Evolution and Creation

iNat is an incredible platform for documenting and learning about the magnitude of biological diversity. That said, it focuses just on singular, dissected aspects of the natural world. It's like how a dictionary serves as an invaluable assemblage of words and their meanings, but the true power of words is revealed when they are strung together to form sentences, paragraphs, stories, concepts, etc. So too does biology come alive when one starts to understand the broader concepts of how diversity derives from ecology, geography and evolution. Still iNat certainly helps me and many others gain a fuller "vocabulary" for understanding the world's story of life.

Some look at the cosmos for awe and perspective on existence, but for me life here on Earth provides fascination enough. Imagine the magic and complexity that goes into a single functioning cell. Then multiply that times the marvel of countless specialized cells needed for just one organism to survive and reproduce. From this perspective, even a single insect, earthworm or mushroom can become a fascinating example of successful natural technology. Now consider trillions of these organisms, from bacteria to blue whales, interconnected in an endlessly diverse, multi-layered and continually dynamic biosphere, and you far exceed a feeble human's comprehension.

There are those who refuse to acknowledge the overwhelming evidence of the theory of evolution, seeing it as a threat to their belief in the existence of a higher power. Perhaps if one clings tightly to literal interpretations of religious versions of history that might be the case. But if you consider a broader interpretation of a higher power and how things came to be, you might actually see evolution as supportive of your beliefs. That is, consider "Creation" not in the sense of a one-time physical creation of all things in an essentially static form, but rather in the sense of establishing an elegant mechanism for continually reshaping nearly infinite diverse and complex forms of life, sparked from just bits of elemental soup. That would be a wondrous God indeed.

Posted on December 29, 2017 03:10 AM by jonwbecker jonwbecker | 1 comment | Leave a comment

April 27, 2016

Okefenokee Swamp: A Naturalist's Paradise

I want to take this opportunity to give some love to my favorite southeastern natural area, the Okefenokee Swamp, or more formally the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.

The Okefenokee is one of the few places you can go in the eastern US anymore where you can feel like you are truly in a remote, vast and wild place. With its cypress trees, Spanish moss, abundant alligators and snakes, and meandering swampy waters, it bristles with a primeval and mystical feel. As Okefenokee Joe used to say, you gotta learn to be "swamp wise."

And as for spotting wildlife of all types, I've found no better place. Every time I go I encounter something amazing and unforgettable: a mother bear and three cubs climbing trees, a gathering of 40 gators bellowing deafeningly, a swarm of thousands of dragonflies, countless amazing bird sightings and activity. And there are a variety of sub-habitats within the swamp, allowing for remarkable diversity of species.

If you call yourself a naturalist, put the Okefenokee on your bucket list for a visit. You will not be disappointed. It is a huge refuge and there are various options for exploring. I recommend paddling and camping at one or more of the various platforms on the canoe trails. Or camp at Stephen Foster State Park near Fargo and explore the swamp on day paddles. You can search iNat Observations by place to get a flavor of what you'll see there. https://www.inaturalist.org/places/okefenokee-national-wildlife-refuge

You might want to pick up a copy of the Naturalist's Guide to the Okefenokee Swamp.
http://www.amazon.com/Naturalists-Guide-Okefenokee-Swamp/dp/0964103826

And watch one of the many videos about the swamp, including this classic
http://www.gpb.org/swampwise

Don't let this one scare you off. The gators are just being friendly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CQ1N1mAi9s

Posted on April 27, 2016 08:03 PM by jonwbecker jonwbecker | 0 comments | Leave a comment

December 6, 2015

Ecoregions, Hydrography/Watersheds, Land Cover and Protected Areas Map Application

In my day job, I work with geographic information systems (GIS) for environmental and water quality applications. I thought some of the publicly available environmental layers might be of interest to INat users to better understand the ecosystems they visit, so I created a simply web map application. Users can turn on/off ecoregions (US EPA), hydrography and watersheds (USGS/NRCS National Hydrography Dataset/Watershed Boundary Dataset, National Land Cover Dataset (MRLC) and the Protected Areas Dataset (USGS) to better understand landscapes and their ecosystems. You can click on map features to get a pop-up window with more information. I created this in a few minutes using a template and accepting many of the default choices, so it could certainly be fine-tuned to make it more user-friendly if there is an interest. If you like it or have questions, let me know. The URL is:
http://www.arcgis.com/apps/Viewer/index.html?appid=69601ebf70ff4eabb493a4d42c878b2c

Posted on December 6, 2015 05:49 PM by jonwbecker jonwbecker | 0 comments | Leave a comment

Archives

Gracias al apoyo de:

¿Quiere apoyarnos? Pregúntenos cómo escribiendo a snib.guatemala@gmail.com