#look for the helpers

[jimstares]

This is on Disney+ so I recognize that not everyone will be able to watch it, but if you get the chance I can’t recommend this Oscar nominated short enough.

#to quote Mr. Rodgers #look for the helpers #disney+ #the last repair shop #oscar nominee

[rebeccathenaturalist]

Climate Change Fuels Northwest Tree Die-back

I’ve been living in the Pacific Northwest since 2006. I moved here in part because of the overall milder weather compared to the Midwest where I grew up. And yet since then I’ve watched the average temperatures get hotter, the hot periods get longer, and the rainy season shorten at both ends like the edges of a dried leaf curling up in drought. This has led to an increase in tree die-back.

There’s no more iconic natural symbol of this region than a forest. Images of vast conifer woods are used to attract tourists here, and tree iconography graces company logos, license plates, and the flag of our bioregion. The timber industry still holds immense amounts of power and land here, but conservation groups are hard at work preserving as much non-plantation forest as possible, especially the last few scraps of old growth.

It is alarming, then, to see that some of the first widely visible casualties of climate change are trees.

Last year Oregon saw the biggest die-off of fir trees–true firs in the genus Abies, not the Douglas fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii. My favorite species of tree, the western red cedar (Thuja plicata) is also declining at a frightening rate. And for the last few years, I’ve watched numerous Sitka spruce trees (Picea sitchensis) struggle and ultimately die; mature trees are surprisingly susceptible. It’s not just the conifers that are in trouble, though; one of the region’s largest deciduous trees, the bigleaf maple (Acer macrophylla) has also been hit hard by hotter, drier summers.

It’s a one-two punch, because drought-stressed trees are more susceptible to diseases and parasites. The Sitka spruce are plagued by spruce aphids, for example, but the other species also have trouble fighting off their attackers. Couple that with warmer winters that may not kill off as many invertebrates, fungi, and bacteria as usual, and infestations often roar back even bigger once spring returns. If the trees were healthy and well-hydrated their immune systems might have a better chance of fending off pathogens, but drought weakens them too much.

Other denizens of the forest are struggling, too. Amphibians here and elsewhere aren’t just going to be seeing more of their habitat dry up, but they’re also feeling more pressure from fungal infections and other pathogens. And last year the mycelium of many fungi dried out so badly in the heat that we had a terrible fall mushroom season; fungi need a certain level of hydration to be able to move the nutrients required to build the mushrooms.

I wish I could tell you there were sure fixes for tree die-back and other environmental ills. Unfortunately, even a basic understanding of climate change makes it clear that this is a massive, multi-faceted problem compounded by other environmental destruction. There are plenty of people trying to pick this massive Gordian knot apart, but it’s going to take time, and for those of us alive right now climate change mitigation is more likely than total reversal.

But–sometimes the best thing one single person can do is tug at an individual thread. And sometimes that can make a difference on a local, personal level. For example, arborists suggest that if you have a small number of vulnerable trees in your yard, you may be able to help them get through the drought with supplemental watering. Planting more native trees is still a valid way to help, too! Your young seedlings and saplings may also need some extra water each summer, but even if only some of them survive further tree die-back that’s still more trees than there were before. Just make sure you’re planting them in appropriate ecosystems!

Since I mentioned them earlier, amphibians and other wildlife can benefit from the preservation and restoration of their habitat, even small patches of wetlands and other cool, damp places. If you’re feeling ambitious and have the opportunity, building a small pond and surrounding it with native plants may offer frogs and salamanders a safe place to spawn and rest.

Even if you don’t have a yard or can’t take on a project at home, see if any local municipal, county, or nonprofit organizations need volunteers for habitat restoration projects in your area. Biodiversity centered on native species is one of the best ways to help an ecosystem weather harsh changes; even if one species is struggling, another native species in the ecosystem may be able to take up some of the slack and still support the overall web of interrelationships. Removing invasive species is quite possibly one of the best ways to prepare an ecosystem for the onslaught of climate change. And not every member of a given species is going to drop dead instantly; a healthy population of a species can handle some mortality and still reproduce enough to keep going. Habitat restoration is key to both bolstering biodiversity and increasing population numbers of the species themselves. That’s going to help the trees, the fungi, the amphibians, and everyone else, too.

Finally, it’s important to keep taking care of yourself. You can’t be a good steward to the nature around you if you’re so tired and depressed that you can barely get out of bed. The stress of climate change, sociopolitical turmoil, and interpersonal issues, among other things, is enough to have knocked a lot of people down; even I have days where my optimism gets tarnished and worn. So please don’t feel bad if you just can’t muster the time, energy, or other resources to “go save the world.” Do your best to get that self-care going, even if it’s just the bare bones, and no need to feel guilty, either.

One thing I find helps a lot when I’m feeling down about, well, everything is to take Mr. Rogers’ advice and look for the helpers. The news is full of negativity because that’s what gets clicks. But I try to focus on ways people are trying to improve things. Sometimes amid the scary headlines I do find stories of scientific breakthroughs that can help curb climate change symptoms, or other environmental success stories. I consider that in spite of the unwieldiness of large, governmental bodies, there are people within federal, state, and other public entities who are doing their best to use the resources available to them to do some good in the world. I also reconnect with individual people I know who are trying to make the world a better place, even in very small ways, and I remember that quite often the changes that are helping are too quiet and unobtrusive to make it into the media. Or, as Tolkien said via Gandalf the Grey: “I have found that it is the small everyday deed of ordinary folks that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.”

And I walk outside, where there are still many Sitka spruce in view. A few of them still show damaged branches from previous heat waves, but they persist in spite of that. In the weeks to come, the tips of their branches will start growing bright green new growth for the year. I can’t promise them that I can save every single one in the next tree die-back, but it reaffirms for me that I still have many reasons to keep fighting.

Did you enjoy this post? Consider taking one of my online foraging and natural history classes or hiring me for a guided nature tour, checking out my other articles, or picking up a paperback or ebook I’ve written! You can even buy me a coffee here!

#climate change #tree #forest #environment #environmentalism #conservation #habitat restoration #endangered species #nature #trees #look for the helpers #amphibians #wildlife #ecology #self care #fungi #mycelium #drought

[somethingusefulfromflorida]

Whenever I get special treatment for something, my first thought isn't "yes, of course, I deserve this, I'm important and special and everybody knows it," it's "oh my god, this is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me, I have to change my behavior to make them proud going forward so they don't feel like they wasted their time helping me."

In college I had a professor who gave me extra credit for a bunch of assignments I just never submitted because I was going through a depressive episode, and from then on I was on top of things, never missed another one. I would have failed without him, he had no reason to help me but he did anyway.

In November 2020 a stranger who is now my closest friend helped me out of a bad situation, and I can never repay her kindness and generosity. She honestly changed my life.

I don't deserve anything, and I'm grateful for all that I've been given. I can't imagine how entitled someone would have to be to expect this sort of treatment at all times. How could anyone sleep at night if they took advantage of the generosity of others? Help isn't an infinite resource, it must be cherished and either paid back or paid forward (that's not to say that all help must be transactional, there's not some ledger that needs to be balanced, I'm just saying that you should follow the golden rule; do unto others)

If you find yourself as a starfish, and someone throws you back into the surf, be grateful and strive to live the best starfish life you can; if you're not thrown back, don't resent others who were or the helper who passed you by.

If you're the one walking the beach, help as many starfish as you can, but don't kick yourself over the ones you couldn't.

#not sure how to tag this #i'm going through some stuff and I'm just so glad to have friends to talk to about it #thank you all for reading this #i really appreciate you guys #starfish story #look for the helpers #do unto others #pay it forward #be kind #it's chaos be kind

[fivestarhuman]

When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.'

Fred Rogers (the TV Mister Rogers)

#mister rogers #look for the helpers

[twiststreet]

#there are still heroes #look for the helpers

[parastish]

Evil has a megaphone.

#smidgereen #look for the helpers

[daltongraham]

I was so, so angry about Uvalde and Buffalo, and then I remembered “Look for the helpers.” (Of course, with Uvalde, you can’t look to the people you’d usually expect to help...yes I’m talking about you Uvalde police.) 

So I went looking for groups that work against gun violence, and this group had a good rating on Charity Navigator, so I donated to them.

#mass shootings #uvalde #trying to do something about my anger #look for the helpers

[luannudell]

Everyday Heroes and Angels Are Everywhere!

My recent post on NextDoor, a site that means well but often falls into hard places…. HEROES IN ODD PLACES II If you’d like to hear a happy post today…. I had just left my studio at the Barracks on Finley AVE today, and when I turned right onto Wright RD, I saw four dogs running loose down the street towards Hwy. 12. Two small cockadoodles (?), a small pug, and a larger red dog. I pulled…

View On WordPress

#angels in odd places #everyday heroes #look for the helpers #Mr. Rogers #runaway dogs #the kindness of strangers

[thismachinethismachine]

Hello neighbor! Could you reblog this so I can find my way to the...

*checks notes*

deranged femme twinks with daddy issues?

#look for the helpers

[hauntedkittennerd]

New Blog Alert

Anyone who has been following the Small Steps saga on here, please go follow the Hitchhiker's Guild blog over at hitchhikersguild.tumblr.com

#small steps #hitchhikers guild #the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy #nerds #nerds unite #helpers #look for the helpers #fill the void

[ecrivainsolitaire]

Reblogging some of the greatest hits of 2023, the Finding Out Year 🎉 hope 2024 ends with more creeps in jail, more rights in law, and more capitalists in bankruptcy.

…and a happy new year. 🎵

#2023 #2023 year of finding out #2023 find out year #look for the helpers

[the-psudo]

US occupational therapist helps Ukrainian victims of war.

#ukraine #slava ukraini #look for the helpers #war #putin's war #Youtube

[thisisthetown]

#old meme #moist #cold weather necessity #chapstick #anthropomorphic object #look for the helpers

[parastitch]

"Look for you the helpers" Fred Rodgers

LoveIsOurResistance

#look for the helpers #fred rodgers #mr rodgers #LoveIsOurResistance #dmitry muratov

[critterbitter]

The way you draw blitzzle kinda makes me want to draw blitzzle.

Do it. Draw the funny oreo donkey. Dig into that mlp childhood and draweth the horses.

It doesn’t have to be clean or pretty, as long as its out there you won! Observe.

(Coughs up a zebra).

(EDIT: CHANGED LITWICK AND TYNAMOS NATURES SO THEY CAN BE MORE VIABLE TO COMPETITIVE BATTLES. Assume i fed them mints off screen haha)

#blitzle #elesas helper donkey #look at my son he’s so displeased #art #pokemon #myart #sketchbook #these sketches r in their rawest primal form #ie #i got lazy and colored my first pass sketches #but twas necessary! if he had a name it’s be jolt. and i would call him jojo for short #(also once again never on model. oops.) #ask #mailbox

[corollarytower]

So you may have heard about the sexual violence Russian troops have committed in Ukraine. The problem right now is that a large number of the victims of this violence have fled to Poland, which has one of the most restrictive sets of abortion laws in Europe. One of the more active groups in fixing this is Abortions Without Borders, a Polish group that helps get people access to abortions as needed. If you have the cash to spare, they could really use the help right now:

#abortion #tw: rape #rape tw #look for the helpers #donation link #ukraine #war crimes