Sunday, June 29, 2008

Smoky Air & Salmon Runs

1) The Sacramento Bee today has a good overview of the air problems we’ve had over the recent years to help put this particular period in perspective, and today looks to be clearing a bit, at least in our Sierra Oaks neighborhood.

2) The salmon run in the Northwest is booming, while ours is miniscule, and the most perceptive comment about it is:

"It's a mystery. This is nothing like what was predicted," said Brian Gorman, spokesman for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Fisheries Service.”

For those of who feel that much of nature is a mystery and for good reason, this doesn’t come as a surprise. The seasons wax and wane, as do the creatures sharing our earth, and it is a central part of our stewardship to remember how little we really do know about why, but prudence reminds us to try not to do too much to ‘fix’ a problem we often do not understand.

Sometimes, just letting nature take its course is the best public policy.