...All (Sea) Creatures Great and Small

“Yonder is the great and wide sea with its living things too many to number, creatures both small and great. There move the ships, and there is that Leviathan, which you have made for the sport of it.” (Psalm 104: 25-27)

The Psalmist says the living things in the seas are too many to number; in the creation story in the first chapter of Genesis, God says, “Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures…” Somehow we have gone from thinking of marine plants and animals as existing in swarms too dense and too great in size to number to pondering the effects of very reduced numbers of some of these creatures. Those ships that move in the sea along with Leviathan have a lot to do with this, especially the ships that bring fishermen who engage in overfishing, bottom trawling, or other practices that can destroy habitat. The rest of us have a lot to do with it also, though, as we eat the fairly inexpensive fish that get caught by the bottom trawlers, as our increased carbon dioxide emissions cause ocean acidification (particularly harmful to shellfish), and as plastic bags and other trash get blown into inland waterways and eventually find their way to the ocean to be ingested by marine animals.

A variety of species of fish, coral, whales, and dolphins are on lists of endangered species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List website has a search feature; the search can be as general as ‘fish’ or ‘coral’, or can be a search for a specific species. The Psalmist was amazed by the number of species found in the sea; today, some of us are amazed by the number of ocean species that are in danger of becoming extinct.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium devotes some of its website to an effort they call "Seafood Watch". More information on habitat damage, overfishing, bycatch (fishermen catching and discarding fish and animals that play important roles in marine ecosystems), and the role of aquaculture is available on the “Ocean Issues – What’s Troubling Our Waters” page.

The health of our oceans and other waters is necessary to the health of our planet, and to humankind. The depletion and extinction of ocean species especially affects poorer people living along coasts or on islands who depend on fish and other seafood as a protein source. This is a key reason why environmental sustainability is one of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Because God told human beings to care for the Earth, and because we delight in these creatures, it is spiritually dangerous to do nothing about the major changes taking place in the waters. Because the ocean is a major food source both for those of us who have other options for protein and for some of the world’s poorest people who depend on fish and seafood as a food source, it is dangerous to our physical health and also politically dangerous to remain unaware and unresponsive to the crisis in our oceans.

The next post about what we can do to minimize species extinction will include the good news about the oceans: evidence that conservation efforts and changes in fishing techniques can restore collapsed populations of fish. We inland consumers can help by making good choices about the seafood we eat.

All Things Bright and Beautiful...

As the impact of humans on land habitats, on oceans, rivers, and lakes, and on the overall climate increases, we hear more about species extinction. It’s difficult to grasp the true meaning of the extinction of an entire species. It’s one thing for us to see fewer individuals of some species or another than we used to see, but quite another thing to realize that no human being will ever again see an example of that species. Some scientists think that if there is no great change in the way humans care for creation, half of all species of living things on the Earth will be extinct by the end of this century.

This post talks about species that live primarily on land or in the air. Next post will look at what is happening in the oceans, and a final post in this set will look at some of the things we humans can do to minimize species extinction and keep these grim predictions from becoming fact.

A few days ago, I was sitting outside listening to the morning bird chorus in my neighborhood – cardinals, doves, and a Carolina wren among them – and suddenly thought about what it would be like to sit outside and never hear any birds. What if these birds became extinct? What if they disappeared not only from my neighborhood, but I knew there was nowhere in the world where I could go to hear these familiar songs? Wouldn’t it seem lonely to lose that background of song, chatter, and splashes of color?

Some of the more familiar birds in North America have declined greatly in numbers. Using numbers from annual bird counts since 1967, the Audubon Society has compiled a list of twenty common birds in decline, including the Eastern meadowlark (cousin to our state bird), the common tern, and the whip-poor-will.

Besides the birds, there are all the other animals: from polar bears to the Tasmanian devils in Australia, from the Caspian seal to Holdridge’s toad in Costa Rica (not seen since 1986), we face the possibility of losing some of our companions on this planet, maybe during our own lifetimes.

Scientists know some things about how the disappearance of entire species of animals and plants affect the remaining species in a habitat. At some point, depending on the habitat and the sorts of things that become extinct, this can have a cascading sort of effect. Something that feeds on a plant, insect, or small animal that has become extinct also becomes endangered; something that was the prey of a now distinct predator increases in numbers, perhaps endangering another species by an upset of the ecological balance in the habitat. Ultimately, of course, the survival of our own species is linked to the survival of others.

The question of human survival alone should be enough to make us pay attention to what is happening and find the will to make changes to help avert this ecological disaster. But apart from that, there is the question of our charge from God to care for creation, for the other animals and the plants. The possibility of losing a large number of species of other living things impacts our spiritual health as much as our physical survival. This is God’s creation; experiencing the wonder and beauty of God’s creation can connect us with God, revealing the presence of The Holy. The other animals and plants are more than a means of physical survival; they are companions that can reveal something of their Creator, something of God. Without them, the world would be a very lonely place even if we were able to find a way to survive.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) publishes an annual list Red List of Threatened Species. Their website includes a section of case studies of particular animals, including a few encouraging stories of animals whose survival chances increased after strong conservation efforts were begun. A video from the 2008 World Conservation Congress opening summarizes the challenge and lets the viewer see many of the endangered species.

Extra Bits: Ogallala Aquifer Report

The print edition of today's Lincoln Journal Star carries this headline for a story about a new U.S. Geological Survey study of the Ogallala Aquifer: “Aquifer’s OK…for now”. The report basically says that the water in the aquifer is generally acceptable for human consumption, irrigation, and livestock watering. That’s the good news, and it’s very good news considering our dependence in Nebraska on this great water source.

However, the study warns that heavy use of the water is resulting in gradual increases in contaminants such as nitrates that, if continued, will make the water unusable. Because of the nature of the aquifer, reversal of such contamination would be extremely slow. The report is available at pubs.usgs.gov/circ/1337 .

Good stewardship of water resources is vital! God has given us many gifts, many resources, including this great water resource in the middle of our continent. If we care for them and use them wisely, they will bless us for many more generations to come; if we use them carelessly, future generations will not know the quality of life that we are privileged to know.

Extra Bits: Creation Care at General Convention

"Ubuntu in Action: Creation Care" was the General Convention theme yesterday (July 15). Episcopal News Service has an excellent report at http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_112609_ENG_HTM.htm

Besides talking about environmental resolutions, the steps taken to offset the carbon footprint of General Convention, and a summary of what the Church has been doing to address climate change and pollution, the report highlights the sermon given by Bishop Steven Charleston, in which he says, "I am here to tell you that unless we recognize that there is a higher, deeper calling that lies behind all of these needs...none of our hopes and dreams, whether they come from conservative hearts or liberal minds, will sustain the day on anything we have been discussing, for all will be for naught...lest we wake up and pay attention to the underwriting great issue of our day."

May we have ears to hear and find the will, wisdom, and courage to reset our priorities and care for God's Creation, the Earth that sustains us, feeds us, and delights us so that we can carry out all the other work and worship to which God calls us!

GC Resolutions and Garden Varieties

The Episcopal Church’s 76th General Convention is beginning this week. The Convention will address several important topics, including the environment. Resolutions concerning the environment are listed and summarized on the Episcopal Ecological Network (EpEN). These resolutions range from calls for better environmental stewardship to the development of a liturgical Pentecost Season Creation Cycle to establishment of an Environmental Commission.

Apart from a growing awareness among Americans in general of the practical necessity of taking better care of our environment, there are reasons for Christians in particular to pay more attention to the care of creation. Some of these reasons have to do with the way environmental issues fit into our traditions of being intentional about stewardship of God’s gifts to us and of advocating for policies that help people living in poverty, who are the people most affected by pollution and climate change; other reasons have to do with the way being in touch with the natural world helps to ground and enrich us spiritually. The variety of environmental resolutions for General Convention reflect this range of reasons for us to be more aware of our relationship with the environment. Uniting them all is this: our understanding of God is Incarnational; there is no great divide between body and spirit.

However, we do tend to create dichotomies when we use various categories to try to understand something complex. In this case, we might group the resolutions about environmental stewardship and justice under the category of compassionate action, and group the ones about spirituality under the category of contemplation. Many religious thinkers have explored the supposed dichotomy between action and contemplation; the Letter of James explores a similar dichotomy between works and faith.

This dichotomy came to mind this week as my travels took me to two very different garden projects in two parishes in very different settings. The first was the new flower garden at St. Mary’s in Bassett. I was in Bassett last Monday evening for their Celebration of New Ministry, and stayed overnight at the hotel across the street from the church. Early Tuesday morning, I spent some time sitting on a bench looking at the garden. It was a lovely place to sit, meditate, and feed my spirit at the beginning of the day: a contemplative garden.

The second parish garden I saw was this Sunday at St. Paul’s in Akron, Ohio, where I was confirmed and where my mother is still a parishioner. While St. Paul’s has some beautiful flower gardens, there was a new garden that surprised and delighted me -- a very well-tended vegetable garden. The purpose of this garden is to produce fresh vegetables to share with people who need food for their bodies: an action garden.

While the flowers at St. Mary’s and the vegetables at St. Paul’s seem like two entirely different projects, they have a lot in common. Both give the people who tend them an opportunity to be outdoors and get grounded in the truest sense of the word, by working with the ground. Both suggest good alternatives to grassy areas that need to be mowed and are often maintained with lots of chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides. Both remind us that something important in the life of a parish can occur on the outer side of the church walls, that our lives as Christians aren’t contained within the indoor worship space. Both give people walking by a reminder of God’s gifts to us, and especially of the gift of new growth and fruition.


In my own garden at home in Nebraska, I tend to mix vegetables and flowers, partly because of lack of space, partly because of my personal taste in landscape aesthetics, but also because I have learned that planting flowers among vegetables – companion planting -- can help keep the vegetable plants freer of pests. Companion planting might be a good metaphor for good Christian discipleship, combining spiritual groundedness with compassionate action.

As I understand the General Convention theme of Ubuntu, it involves the idea of the interconnectedness among all of humankind and all of Creation. Sometimes things that seem very different are really interconnected or even intertwined. James says that faith without works is dead, yet we also know that works or action are more fruitful and lasting when they are grounded in a solid spiritual foundation. In the end, they are not really different things, but just two sides of faithful Christian discipleship.

Herds Upon the Hills -- and Carhenge

The weekend before last, my husband and I had a beautiful drive on Highway 2 through the Sandhills to Alliance. The Sandhills are green now, and there were wildflowers blooming as well. It was wonderful (in the full sense of filling-us-with-wonder) to find ourselves in places where there was nothing in sight but green hills, patches of wildflowers, a few birds, and cattle. Psalm 50 came to mind, where God asks for a sacrifice not of animals but of thanksgiving, for grateful hearts: “For all the beasts of the forest are mine, the herds in their thousands upon the hills. I know every bird in the sky, and the creatures of the fields are in my sight.” Surrounded by green hills and a constantly changing sky, it was easy to have a grateful heart!

It was exciting to visit St. Matthew’s in Alliance and learn more about their environmental stewardship activities. The parish has an active recycling program, both at church and in parishioners’ homes; they kept environmental issues in mind when they selected a new HVAC system for the church; and, under Father Don Huber’s leadership, there seems to be a growing awareness of the importance of Christians being intentional about the way we care for creation.

Recycling is really nothing new for St. Matthew’s. Their chapel incorporates windows, panels, pews, altar, and organ from their former building. The parish also support the Mission Store, a thrift shop in downtown Alliance that is a source for affordable clothing, housewares, and furniture. Deacon Cheryl Harris and her husband, Todd, are among the people who keep the Mission Store going. They gave us a tour Saturday evening, and what we saw was a very well thought-out way for people to recycle all sorts of things. It’s a great ministry to the people who need the items they sell, and also to the people who have a way to recycle items they are no longer using.

Several people at St. Matthew’s told us we really needed to see Carhenge before we left Alliance, so as we left town late Sunday morning, we swung by there.
Carhenge is a replica of Stonehenge made out of used cars that are welded together and spray painted. It struck me as a surprisingly interesting combination of art, American roadside kitsch, and a statement of some sort about the automobile. It is, in its own way, recycling on a grand scale. And no matter whether it’s taken as art or something else, there is no question that it is creative!

Early this morning I was sitting on my porch having a cup of tea and thinking about Carhenge, when I noticed a spider web in the early morning sunlight. Because a spider produced the web, we consider that part of “nature”. Humans are part of nature also, so it seems odd that we don’t usually consider our products, things like Carhenge, to be part of nature in the same way we do a spider’s web or a bird’s nest. The difference is in our capacity to reason, to critique our own instincts, to consider and choose among alternatives, and then to create something that isn’t necessarily instinctive. The same gifts of reason and free will that allow us to create in a human way are also what give us the capacity to sin. Similarly, the gift of being able to critique our instincts sometimes results in our losing touch with our basic instincts and basic needs. Thus, human beings sometimes end up creating things that are ultimately destructive, and we can end up producing things in a way that harms the air and water we need to live.

In medieval times, Hildegard of Bingen talked about human beings as “co-creators” with God. As the Psalmist points out, God, who owns all the cattle on all the hills, doesn’t need our help, but invites us into a relationship as co-creators, as partners in sustaining God’s creation. God invites us into the joy of creative work, using our gifts toward the sustenance of God’s good creation: the animals, birds, flowers, grass, and ourselves.

Extra Bits: Report on Climate Change Impacts

Yesterday the multi-agency U.S. Global Change Research Program released a report, “Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States”. Nebraskans might be especially interested in the part of the report about predicted impacts on the Great Plains.

Major news outlets covered the story, but few featured it. It’s puzzling that we don’t pay more attention to this situation, which will impact everything else – human economy and activities as well as the ecology of other animals and plants -- as it unfolds. The report emphasizes the importance of acting now to minimize the impact of climate change. Here are links to a few of the media reports: The Associated Press, Nature.com ,The Seattle Times , U.S. News & World Report, and CNN.

The good news about the report is that it gives us a clearer picture of what we need to do to be good stewards of creation. More information helps us to focus our efforts, and also to see the importance and urgent nature of this work. Thanks be to God for the scientists who are studying climate change, and for giving us humans the intellectual tools to figure out how to proceed from here!