Restoration and revival is 21st Century environmentalism. This means managing eco-system diversity. For example, feral horses degrade riparian areas, native vegetation, and fragile desert biocrust. This problem must be managed. They are captured by the Bureau of land Management. The mares can be dosed with birth control. But others are slaughtered after long-term holding unless they are sold for private ownership.

Another effort currently is the restoration of forests. They are being replanted to deal with climate change and destructive invasives. Wildfires destroying forests have been widespread in our western United States. There new firefighting tactics like creating fire lines are used to halt blazes.

The human touch can help foster wildness so species can recover as well as the surrounding terrain. We help to restore streams, eliminate some dams, replant native flora and fauna, employ regenerative farming technics, establish limits on fishing catch, and ReWild local areas like our campus: the Unitarian Congregation at Shelter Rock. Besides establishing a Wildflower Garden and Butterfly Garden, we have an organic community garden and are making our trails more user friendly.

Every strategy that we can employ today needs time and effort by humans that care.  It is our hope that you will become one of them.

Elaine peters for the Green Sanctuary Committee