flowersandspacestuff

[flowersandspacestuff]

“Express yourself Freely, it’s the Only way to stay Alive”. Björk

[flowersandspacestuff]

My favorite part of teaching lichen ID class always comes when we are taking walks and I get to point at patches on rocks and trees and be like "hey, see that? Lichen." And then the students are like "what? no way. You mean those black spots on rocks/white spots on trees/etc. have always been lichen?" And I get to be like "yep," and watch their brain explode as they realize that everything around them has been covered in lichen the whole time.

[flowersandspacestuff]

Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.

Carl Jung

[flowersandspacestuff]

Peter Miller, Burnt Hole Sun VIII, 2016.

[flowersandspacestuff]

MAKE A WISH!

[flowersandspacestuff]

[flowersandspacestuff]

[flowersandspacestuff]

[flowersandspacestuff]

This diagram illustrates how marshes can adapt to rising sea levels and naturally "migrate" upland if given enough space. Credit: Julie Rossman/Audubon

Excerpt from this story from the Audubon Society:

For over 40 years, the Coastal Barrier Resources Act has been a little-known bipartisan environmental law—quietly protecting critical bird habitat, providing coastal communities with a natural buffer against storms and sea-level rise, and saving taxpayers billions of dollars, all while staying under the radar. Audubon has long been a champion of this law, and now we have reason to celebrate! Last week, President Biden signed the Bolstering Ecosystems Against Coastal Harm (BEACH) Act, updating the Coastal Barrier Resources Act and expanding its protected system of coastal areas that buffers people and birds from flooding on our coasts. 

Congress passed the BEACH Act with overwhelming bipartisan support just last month, adding nearly 300,000 acres of wetlands and beaches to the Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA) system, codifying its largest expansion since 1990. For years, Audubon has worked with a diverse coalition of partner organizations, multiple presidential administrations, and legislators on both sides of the aisle to massively expand the CBRA system, and the sweeping success of this bill is one of our most exciting accomplishments for the coast. 

Created in 1982, the CBRA protects coastal habitat and property while saving lives and federal taxpayer dollars in a distinctive way. Undeveloped beaches and coastal wetlands around our country provide vital habitat for birds and wildlife, especially in the face of climate change impacts such as sea-level rise and increased storm frequency and intensity. These coastal areas are also particularly prone to those climate impacts, endangering lives, property, and vulnerable species. The CBRA discourages development in these hazard-prone areas by removing most federal spending, including flood insurance, disaster recovery grants, and other federal expenditures on the CBRA’s system of protected areas. This market-based approach is working. A recent study demonstrates this in its finding that CBRA is highly effective at achieving its intended goals—reducing development by 85 percent compared to nearby areas, reducing flood damage by 25 percent, and adding ecologically important layers of protection to coastal areas. 

Currently, CBRA protects 3.5 million acres on the coasts of the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Great Lakes, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These largely undeveloped areas are an ideal habitat for birds like American Oystercatchers and Piping Plovers to nest and rest well away from any human disturbance. Intact coastal beaches and wetlands like this also serve as a natural buffer for nearby communities from storms and sea-level rise. Beach dunes act as speed bumps to slow down wind and waves, and marshes act as sponges soaking up floodwaters. 

[flowersandspacestuff]

I am so in love, it pulses through me and pours from me victoriously

[flowersandspacestuff]

"Radiate boundless love towards the entire world" - Buddha

[flowersandspacestuff]

[flowersandspacestuff]

[flowersandspacestuff]

[flowersandspacestuff]

[flowersandspacestuff]

[flowersandspacestuff]

LIGHTPAINTING