<
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/to-revive-a-river-restore-its-hidden-gut1/>
"Salmon are so elemental to Indigenous peoples who live along North America’s
northwestern coast that for generations several nations have called themselves
the “Salmon People.” But when settlers came, their forms of agricultural and
urban development devastated the mighty fish. The new inhabitants cut down
streamside vegetation that once slowed and absorbed rains, causing floods. They
straightened curvy creeks to try to speed floodwater off the land and armored
the sides to prevent erosion, but the faster flow gouged the riverbed. Later,
urban planners and engineers funneled streams into buried pipes so they could
build more city on top, disconnecting waterways from soil, plants and animals.
The cumulative impact of these injuries led to flash floods, unstable banks,
heavy pollution and waning life. The hallowed salmon all but disappeared.
Across North America and the world, cities have bulldozed their waterways into
submission. Seattle was as guilty as any until 1999, when the U.S. Department
of the Interior listed Chinook salmon as threatened under the Endangered
Species Act. That legally obligated the city to help the salmon when
undertaking any new capital project that would affect the fish. Engineers
trying to improve Seattle’s ailing streams began to reintroduce some curves,
and insert boulders and tree trunks, to create more natural habitat, yet by and
large, salmon did not return. Flooding also remained a hazard because rain
rushed off the hardened cityscape into the still mostly inflexible channels,
which overflowed."
Via
The Fixer April 13, 2022:
https://reasonstobecheerful.world/recycling-algeria-refugee-camp/
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
