A word from the animals

Old MacDonald had a farm…

And apparently so does Hollywood.

Mother Nature Network’s (MNN) blog often talks about green celebrities, lifestyles and culture. They have several stories on celebrity farmers. As food becomes more expensive, and habitats being destroyed for industrial farms around the world, organic, local farms are becoming more popular. Here is a closer look.

Oprah Winfrey is producing 145 pounds of produce a week on her land in Hawaii. What started out as an experiment will be turning into a business very soon.  Oprah and Bob Greene (one of her health guru’s) realized that almost 90% of all island food is flown or shipped in, making it very expensive and leaves a large environmental foot print. They decided to try to grow their own food and share it locally.

Right now, according to MNN, she gives the food away, but that will soon change as they get more involved in the process (MNN, 2013). Follow the link to read the whole story.

Dylan Ratigan, an MSNBC anchor gave up his career to become a farmer. He relocated to Southern California to go into the farming business with a former marine, Colin Archipley, to start a network of hydroponic greenhouses that will be aimed at employing veterans. “Their mission has a double agenda: to operate a successful small-scale organic farm and also help soldiers make the transition from war to agriculture ... and financial independence” (Breyer, 2013).

James Cameron has two very successful biodynamic farms. He owns over 4,000 acres of farm land in New Zealand; and now has an over 100 acre home in Los Angeles, that is turning out to be quite impressive. This farm provides roughly 90 percent of the food for the family. He hired consultants and the crops are grown in accordance with the phases of the moon.

Cameron stated that after he and his wife saw the documentary “Forks over knives”, they completely switched to embrace a vegan lifestyle (MNN, 2013).

To watch forks over knives (which the library owns), consult the library catalog.  To learn more about industrial farming, organic farming, carbon footprints or vegetarian, plant based diets; don’t forget to search our databases for more information.

Here is an article  to get you started…on what biodynamic farming is and how it benefits the planet.

References:

(MNN) Mother Nature Network, 2013. Online. http://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/blogs/oprah-winfreys-farm-growing-large-in-hawaii

 

http://www.mnn.com/your-home/organic-farming-gardening/blogs/james-cameron-shows-off-his-biodynamic-farm

 

Breyer, 2013. (MNN) Mother Nature Network, 2013. http://www.mnn.com/money/sustainable-business-practices/stories/msnbc-anchor-dylan-ratigan-gives-up-fame-and-fortune-to#

Biodynamic Farmer and Gardner Association   https://www.biodynamics.com/biodynamics.html 

Image: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Organic-vegetable-cultivation.jpeg

Batta, batta, SWING, batta!

Human throwing ability vs. the chimp

Can a chimp throw the same as a human? Researcher, Neil Roach, at George Washington University decided to find out. He found that humans are unique in throwing ability, even when compared to chimps.

Chimps are very athletic, but can only throw one-third the speed of a 12 yr. old little league pitcher. Human ability to throw evolved nearly 2 million years ago to aid in hunting. 

Their study recorded throwing motions of collegiate baseball players, finding the shoulder acts a lot like a slingshot during a throw, storing elastic energy and generating fast forward motion. 

Applications for the study may help athletes and injury. Those athletes throw more than our ancestors did, and consequently can end up with injury (Science Daily, 2013).

 There is a more in depth look at the biomechanics of pitching on the Human Kinetics website here.

You can read a short summary article in science daily (see link below) or read the entire article listed in the references. Students don’t forget you can research sports or injury biomechanics and many other topics from our online databases.

Journal Reference:

    Neil T. Roach, Madhusudhan Venkadesan, Michael J. Rainbow, Daniel E. Lieberman. Elastic energy storage in the shoulder and the evolution of high-speed throwing in Homo. Nature, 2013; 498 (7455): 483 DOI: 10.1038/nature12267

Science Daily, 2013, Online. Available at: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/06/130626142710.htm

Image attribution: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Baseball_pitch_release.jpg

How ‘bout a hug?

Scientific validation for hugging trees

image credit Uplift, 2013.

You have all heard the term, tree hugger to describe environmentalists, hippies and other nature conscious groups. Well, turns out that there is now scientific evidence to support health benefits from hugging trees. You don’t even have to actually touch a tree to benefit from it; you just have to stand close to it.

The editors at Uplift recently published an article reviewing the book Blinded by Science, by Matthew Silverstone. The book states that tree hugging has many health benefits and can improve “Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), concentration levels, reaction times, depression and other forms of mental illness. He even points to research indicating a tree's ability to alleviate headaches in humans seeking relief by communing with trees” (Uplift, 2013).

Research also indicates that children’s cognitive and emotion functions improve with play in green areas. Up until now, it was the open green spaces thought to be the contributing factor for these benefits. It is now shown that the actual trees and plants are beneficial because they all vibrate. These various vibrations affect biological behaviors.

Reference:

Uplift, 2013. Tree Hugging Now Scientifically Validated  . Online @ http://uplift-media.com/index.php/people/natural-healing/521-tree-hugging-scientifically-validated#!

Image credit Uplift, 2013. Same as above.

Home on the range

Saving the European Bison

The European bison (Bison bonasus), also known as the wisent, is the largest herbivore in Europe. Historically, the Bison bonasus was distributed widely throughout Europe. At the end of the 19^th century, the wild European bison (Bison bonasus) herds were reduced to two populations; Bialowieza Forest (B. b. bonasus) in Poland and in the western Caucasus Mountains (B. b. caucasicus)[LHN, 2012]. According to Pucek (2004), the initial decline of the wild bison was due to an over-population of deer species and drastic reductions of natural food sources. The onset of World War I and poaching were the final causes for extinction of the European Bison (Bison bonasus) in the wild. At the time of extinction of wild bison, the captive population consisted of 54 individuals (29 males and 24 females; with 12 founder animals)[LHN, 2012]. In 1923, Polish zoologist, J. Sztoleman introduced the idea of restoring wild populations of the European bison (Bison bonasus) from captive stocks housed in zoos. Later that year the International Society for Protection of European Bison (Bison bonasus) was founded in Germany (Pucek, 2004).

Bison restoration can be grouped into two main categories. The first is intensive captive breeding, followed by the creation of free-range herds. By the year 2000 there were 1700 free range animals and a total of 2900 individuals (Pucek, 2004). The European bison is currently listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red list of Threatened Species (IUCN, 2012).

Summary of reintroduction programs

 The first reintroduction program of the European Bison (Bison bonasus) [from captive populations] began in 1952 (Pucek, 2004) in the Bialowieza Primeval forest (BPF) in Poland. Efforts resulted in the establishment of a single breeding population. Following this initial success, additional herds were established in other areas of Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Russia & Kyrgyzstan; resulting in a total of 30 free ranging herds (Pucek, 2004).

Protection of genetic purity was aided by the European Bison Pedigree Book (EBPB) that had been created in 1932. All crossbred animals were eliminated from the breeding cycles of the pure genetic lines of bison. The EBPB is still in use today and every individual born worldwide is entered in the book. The reintroduction program began with intensive captive breeding programs in zoos and reserves from a founder stock of 12 individuals. Contemporary herds are now separated into two distinct genetic lines (Olech & Perzanowski, 2002). The second phase of the reintroduction began producing free ranging herds in natural habitat areas. The total global number of European bison (Bison bonasus) is approximately 2,900 (1,700 free or semi-free)[Pucek, 2004].

Since inception of the bison reintroduction program in 1952, staff at the BPF has been monitoring the free range bison populations (i.e. size, sex and age structure; recruitment; mortality)[Mysterud, et al. 2007]. Population dynamics analyzed by Mysterud, et al. on the BPF bison population [from data collected between 1952-2000] report that recruitment for the entire time frame yielded 741 males and 770 females resulting in nearly a 50:50 ratio. Analysis of the herd did not find any impact on recruitment pertaining to climate variations; however mortality rates were found to be higher in cold winters, as well as lowered reproduction rates (Mysterud, et al., 2007).

Habitat preservation is essential to the success of reintroduction of the European bison.  The BPF is one of the best   protected deciduous lowland forests in Europe (Mysterud, et al. 2007). Currently the bison are dispersed globally in 30 countries. Studies conducted by Kuemmerle, et al. (2011) indicate there is suitable widespread habitat that is currently unoccupied in Central and Eastern Europe. Viable population increases are not limited by habitat accessibility.

 

References

Bishnev, Igor, 2012. Photograph. Photo Gallery of Berezinsky Preserve. Online. Available at:

http://berezinsky.by/content/en/fgal/bison.html [Accessed on 12/06/2012].

Bison Specialist Group. European Bison. Online. Available at: http://ebac.sggw.pl/ebac.html#Project's%20background

IUCN, 2011.2. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Bison bonasus. Online. Available at: http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/2814/0 . 

IUCN, 1998. Guidelines for Re-introductions.Prepared by the IUCN/SSC Re-introduction Specialist Group. IUCN. Gland, Switzerland. 10pp. Online. Available at: http://www.iucnsscrsg.org/download/English.pdf.

Kuemmerle, T., Radeloff, V., Perzanowski, K., Kozlo, P., Sipko, T., Khoyetskyy, P., Bashta, A., Chikurova, E., Parnikoza, I., Baskin, L., Angelstam, P., and Waller, D., 2011. Predicting potential European bison habitat across its former range. Ecological Applications, v. 21, 3. Pp.830-843. Online. Available through: ESA journals. 

Large Herbivore Network, 2012. Factsheet: Wisent, European Bison-Bison Bonasus. Online. Available at: http://www.lhnet.org/wisent-european-bison/#Maps

Martin, C., Pastoret, P., Brocher, B., Humblet, M., and Saegerman, C., 2011. A survey of the transmission of infectious diseases/infections between wild and domestic ungulates in Europe. Veterinary Research. 42 (1). Online. Available through Biomed Central at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3152899/ 

Mysterud, A., Barton, K., Jedrzejewska, B., Kransinski, Z., Niedzialkowska, J.F., Kamler, J., Yoccoz, N. & Steneth, N., 2007. Population ecology and conservation of endangered megafauna: the case of European bison in Bialowieza Primevil Forest, Poland. Animal Conservation, 10. Pp-77-87. Online. Available through Wiley online. 

Olech, W. & Perzanowdki, K., 2002. A Genetic Background for reintroduction program of the European bison (Bison bonasus) in Carpathians. Biological Conservation, 108. Pp.221-228. Online. Available through Elsevier.

Pucek, Z., 2004. Status Survey and Conservation Plan: European Bison. IUCN/SSC Bison Specialist Group.  Online. Available at: http://ebac.sggw.pl/actionplan.pdf

Tokarska, M., Kowalczyk, R., & Perzanowski, K., 2011. Genetic status of the European bison Bison bonasus after extinction in the wild and subsequent recovery. Mammal Review. V. 41, 2. Pp. 151–162. Online. Available through: Wiley Online.

Wolk, E. and Krasinska, M., 2004. Has the condition of the European Bison deteriorated over the last twenty years? Acta Theriologica. 49 (3). Pp. 405-418. Online. Available through Ebsco host.

image: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wisent_mit_Star_auf_Vorderlauf.JPG