TV Interview about Thoreau and Climate Change

 By Richard B. Primack

 

“Truth is ever returning to herself. I glimpse one feature today – another tomorrow –and the next day they are blended.” Henry David Thoreau in his Journal.

 

I was interviewed yesterday by meteorologist Jacob Wycoff for an Earth Day program on CBS TV Boston. 

Figure 1: Primack being interviewed by Wycoff.

 

I described how we are using the records of Henry David Thoreau from the 1850s to show that climate change is affecting the plants of Concord, Massachusetts. Wildflowers are flowering about 10 days earlier and trees are leafing out 14 days earlier. 

Figure 2: Thoreau made detailed observations of flowering in the 1850s.

 

Our team came to determine that climate change was affecting the abundance of species since Thoreau’s time, with around half of the native wildflower species declining in abundance or even locally extinct. We found that many of the declining species were cold-loving, northern wildflowers, while the species that tended to persist were warm-loving, southern species. 

Figure 3: 27% of the wildflower species present in Concord around Thoreau’s time are now locally extinct in Concord.

 

Our 22 years of work in Concord demonstrate that Thoreau should be revered in scientific circles the same way he's revered in literature. The evidence is strong that Thoreau was, in fact, a very accurate scientist. 

Figure 4: Thoreau is now recognized as an accurate scientific observer.

Here's the link to the interview: LINK

Big Scientific Conferences Return

By Richard B. Primack

 

“I have much to learn of the Indian, nothing of the missionary.” Henry David Thoreau in The Maine Woods.

 

During the COVID pandemic, researchers considered whether scientific conferences might change in permanent ways, perhaps to be held remotely or become more inclusive. Two recent large scientific meetings—the International Congress for Conservation Biology (ICCB) in Kigali, Rwanda and the Ecological Society of America (ESA) in Portland, Oregon (USA)— suggest that scientific meetings have indeed changed, but not in all the ways imagined.

Photo 1: ICCB had strong representation from African countries.

Namely, the meetings were back to being held in-person, were expensive to attend, and involved long-distance travel generating greenhouse gases. Both meetings, however, emphasized diversity and the human context of science more than at previous conferences.

Photo 2: Conservation organizations brought their African staff to the ICCB meeting.

The meetings provided excellent opportunities to learn about new projects and directions in ecology and conservation, and their emphasis on diversity, Indigenous science, and working with local communities brought new voices and perspectives to the table and added to the vibrancy and quality of the meetings. 

Photo 3: Adrienne Sponberg (center) of the ESA addressed a workshop on ESA policies to encourage diversity and inclusion in the meeting and the Society.

Here is a complete report about the meetings: LINK

Mississippi Views

 By Richard B. Primack

 

“What can be more impressive than to look up at noble river just at evening - one perchance that you have never explored - & behold its placid waters reflecting the woods and sky lapsing inaudibly toward the ocean, tempting the beholder to explore it & his own destiny at once.” Henry David Thoreau in his Journal.

 

Most visitors to Minneapolis will only see the Mississippi River in a highly modified state, with dams, bridges, power plants, and factories. 

Video 1: Industrial landscapes frame the falls at Minneapolis.

 

Photo 1: Several arch bridges spanning the river dominate the landscape. An abandoned flour mill can also be seen along the river. 

However, many parks lower down the river, such as Hidden Falls Regional Park and Minnehaha Regional Park, preserve beautiful river forests.  

Photo 2: Forests line the river gorge below Minneapolis.

 

Photo 3: Cottonwood trees grow in the sandy soil of the riverbank. 

 

Photo 4: Trees put out adventitious roots at ground level. 

 

Photo 5: The forest floor in spring is covered with decaying cottonwood leaves and recently-fallen red maple flowers.

 

Thoreau’s Concord in Italian

 By Richard B. Primack

 

“Language is the most perfect work of art in the world. The chisel of a thousand years retouches it.” Henry David Thoreau in his Journal.

 

The research of our group about the ecological effects of climate change was included in a recent article in the print edition of Mondadori Scienza SpA, the leading popular science magazine in Italy.

 

Photo 1: Image of people speaking Italian.

Our research was the featured subject of a second article published in the online edition of the same magazine, based largely on the recent popular articles by Amanda Gallinat and me in Living Bird and American Scientist.

Photo 2: Image of waiter and diners speaking Italian.

If you are looking to practice your Italian, here is a paragraph to start with:

Di certo, la natura sta cambiando i propri tempi. Una delle ricerche che evidenziano il fenomeno in corso è quella condotta da anni da Richard Primack, biologo della Boston University (Usa), nella zona di Concord (Massachusetts), nel Nord-est degli Stati Uniti. Qui, a metà 800, il filosofo e ambientalista Henry David Thoreau annotò, durante le sue passeggiate nella zona di Concord e in particolare attorno al lago Walden, una serie di osservazioni sui tempi di fioritura, sulla comparsa delle foglie e sull'arrivo degli uccelli migratori in primavera.