Keep Mississippi Green by Planting Trees.
Keep Mississippi Green by Planting Trees.
Discover with your smartphone the biodiversity that enriches the landscape.
I was browsing on Facebook when I came across a disturbing post written by someone in the Tampa-St. Pete area which went something like this:
"I am getting out of this town, out of this state. There are too many people. There is too much traffic. There are not any good jobs. Cost of living is too high. Runoff from the farms and over populated city is causing red tide, killing all the fish. Have you ever smelled a whole beach covered with rotting fish? The putrid odor makes you want to puke! I can hardly wait to get out of this hell hole."
These and similar sentiments were being expressed by a life-long resident of Florida. They were frustrated by the consequences of the population explosion which has resulted in staggering numbers of people moving to the sunshine state. And now with record breaking forest fires in Canada, more and more people are migrating south, not to escape the cold winters of the north, but to escape the unbreathable air of summer.
We are lucky to live in Mississippi and should count our blessings. Over population has yet to ruin our state. But its coming and unless we act to do something about it, we could lose many of the great qualities which make Mississippi a little piece of Heaven on earth. In fact, I hesitate to suggest people relocate to Mississippi, as then that will lead to our state becoming over populated and deforested. In fact, already I have noticed the fireflies in Quitman are disappearing given over usage of foggers and more and brighter LED street lights. Seems people are paranoid, afraid of the dark, or just do not appreciate being able to look up and see a star filled sky at night.
One to the things every city and town in our great state should do is pass an ordinance to forbid the cutting down of healthy old growth trees without a permit. Building permits should only be issued when they allow old growth trees to remain, requiring construction around them. Plus every city and town should have policy in effect to foster and encourage the planting of trees, especially on landscapes which have no trees. This is important as trees help to provide shade, cool homes, save energy, and serve as homes for many birds, squirrels, and other small animals.
Keep Mississippi green! Plant trees! And the best kind of trees to plant are pine, Magnolia, and oak (especially Water Oak), and other hardwoods endemic to our state. This mix of flora is natural to much of Mississippi and will insure our state remains green, like the Garden of Eden, for many generations to come.
I challenge everyone to observe and record the flora and fauna on their property and around their homes. Take photographs of the plants and animals around your homes and property, including the trees. Post your pics on inaturalist.org. Get your kids involved in learning about nature. Make doing this a family project. Teachers, inspire your students to become naturalists, to take pride and joy in the green space around them. Over time this will help establish the biodiversity of our communities. Plus you will learn much in the process.
In just a month I have made some 432 observations and recorded 111 species around my home in Quitman (see https://inaturalist.org @drphotinus). How many species can you discover in your own backyard? It is this biodiversity that makes Mississippi like the Garden of Eden. Let's keep it that way!
