global warming is increasing..
Here%26#039;s an example: 200 years ago, the mid-section of the United States was pretty much just huge prairies, with only small numbers of trees - mainly growing along waterways. As humans have spread out, building our cities and such, we%26#039;ve planted trees - for a variety of reasons (shade, fruit, fuel, wind breaks, etc.). Because we%26#039;ve planted these %26quot;urban forests%26quot;, certain species of animals/birds have been able to expand beyond their %26quot;natural%26quot; range. One such case is the Barred Owl. Historically, the Barred Owl was pretty much limited to the southeastern United States. As these urban forests grew, the Barred Owl has increased its range. Now, there%26#039;s a dilemma beginning in the Pacific Northwest... Barred Owls have been sighted in increasing numbers in the range of the Spotted Owl - and because the Barred Owl is larger than the Spotted Owl, the Spotted Owls are being forced out of their ranges and predated upon by the Barred Owls.
...These are the same Spotted Owls that were the driving force behind closing off many of the forests of the Pacific Northwest to logging many years ago - because people were afraid that logging was killing the Spotted Owls... Just a side note: It has been noted in studies that the Spotted Owls seem to actually prefer areas that have been thinned by selective logging - and not the overgrown %26quot;old-growth%26quot; forests that were given the protected status that shut down many logging operations and put so many people out of work...
Now, there are people wringing their hands about what to do with the Barred Owls... Options being considered include shooting the Barred Owls to save the Spotted Owls...
Another example would be the %26quot;Common Flicker%26quot;. 20 years ago, there were two different species noted in bird books: The %26quot;Red-Shafted Flicker%26quot; and the %26quot;Yellow Shafted Flicker%26quot;, with the Red-Shafted Flickers living in the Western United States, and the Yellow Shafted Flickers in the Eastern United States.
Now?
They%26#039;ve been re-named the %26quot;Common Flicker%26quot; because they%26#039;ve begun inter-breeding where their ranges have started to overlap.
Certain areas are barren for reasons. Other areas (prairies) don%26#039;t - didn%26#039;t - have trees for a reason...
All things need to be considered before many %26quot;green%26quot; projects are attempted. In fact, green projects should be subject to the same scrutiny and environmental regulations that are required when logging, mining, construction, etc. are being considered for certain areas, and those %26quot;Environmental Impact Studies%26quot; for green projects, once complete, need to be open for public comment...
%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;cheers!!!%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;
