#cause the sea level

[ceramicrambles]

Rest in peace water master, you would’ve loved global warming

[magic-is-something-we-create]

thinking about how in the ehlverse, humans are like. an endangered species somewhat. like theres absolutely less than 500k of them in the world when they used to number over a hundred million. and how those millions dropped to literally like 2-3,000 and they're still recovering. and how that means in my world instead of humans being generic everymen they are literally The Survivors of An Apocalypse. and they share that burden with the shara'i who are still unable to bounce back to more than 3,000 at a time. they would be such great buddies if humans werent such good asymptomatic vectors for vampirism

[auspicioustidings]

If you see a Call of Duty fanblog that claims they are or were in the military I can say that 99% of the time they are lying.

A cishet white man who had a good experience in the military will not engage in fandom and will only brutally make fun of it, if he had a bad experience he is nowhere near the fandom.

A cishet POC man is the same, it's just a lot less likely he had a good experience.

A cishet woman who had a good experience in the military is, almost certainly, an ultra conservative who would despise fandom spaces.

Anyone outside of the categories above 99% of the time did not have a good experience with the military. They may have PTSD not from war zones but from how they were treated in their own departments. They may engage with fandom, but they will never idolise these characters uncritically and are not going to joyfully make it a part of their online fandom personality that they are ex-military so can totally help you with details (which given that all branches of the military function totally differently and countries again function totally differently they can't).

As a good rule of thumb, if anyone on the Internet is making something about them that conveniently relates to the fandom they are in a major part of their personality, treat that claim as unverified and move on with your day. You do not owe strangers on the Internet your blind trust and they do not owe you proof of their claims if they are not actively hurting anyone with them. If you think they are using their claims to actively try hurting someone, block them. These people thrive on attention and negative attention spends just as good as positive, do not give it to them.

[thereareeyesinsidethetrees]

first things first: ae love how you can tell the backrooms wiki is a community effort. ae haven't even looked at any of the level descriptions yet, just the names, yet you can tell a lot of different folks have contributed to the list

second thing: you can't throw a level called 'ad astra' at us and expect us not to do anything with it

[mugiwarafan]

so......do we all think that this is what happened on enies lobby or whatever island was in its place before????

[imminent-danger-came]

My new hobby is skimming through seasons of Ninj//ago to induce a fever dream like state in my psychese

[quaranmine]

hi it's me at the lookout :D

things of note:

-the terrain around this particular tower is a bit more rocky/extreme than i envisioned for grian's tower, but the environment in general is very similar. the geography, biome, etc isn't too different from wyoming, which is just to the north a few hours

-it is a good thing grian is very acclimated to all this after living in the mountains for a few years because the altitude kiiiiinda kicked our butts. i thought this trail would be fine for my mom since it isn't very long but i didn't really take the elevation in consideration. she did not make it to the tower, unfortunately.

fortunately...we have radios, because my dad gave them to us. i'm living the firewatch dream by radioing my mother from the top

-this lookout is staffed!! i think it's the only remaining staffed lookout in Colorado. it has been continuously used for over 100 years. unfortunately, it was Sunday, and nobody was on duty. I did see the lookout though at the cabin below, because she was talking with some search and rescue personnel who were out training. She stayed in her cabin though, or else I would have spent like half an hour asking her questions.

-this lookout is not a live-in one, it is a 10x10 ft cabin on top of the rocks. there's a huge staircase to get up there and at the bottom is the cabin the lookout lives in. that is also the set up that Philip Connors talks about in his memoir Fire Season, but both lookouts in the game Firewatch are live-in ones. thus, so are Scar's and Grian's.

^ very steep staircase

also, this lookout bears a STRIKING resemblance to the Thorofare Lookout in the game (which would be Scar's lookout in the fic)

^ firewatch game vs a photo of this place from google images because i don't have one at this angle. iirc, the thorofare lookout in the game wasn't quite as steep/insane to get to as this one though. there's stairs but not THAT many

i do not know if the kitty i saw was fjord or fiona, but i was so surprised and excited to see they had cats! previously in all my research i had only seen lookouts having dogs. Jellie the lookout kitty is in good company up here!

i had an excellent time :D i didn't even plan for this to land on the 100th day of the challenge ofc that just happened. i had this trip planned way in advance and when planning it i found this trail and decided to go. had no idea that it was day 100 of my writing challenge, which is also basically the 100th day of writing this fic

<333

[mangos-draws]

I'm crying about robots on Mars (again)

For context Ingenuity (the little helicopter that was sent to Mars with Perseverance) can no longer fly due to a damaged rotor blade:

And like. This is so sad

Perseverance will probably continue traveling Mars for another two decades and now it has to leave it's little buddy behind

Ingenuity will still do things, and is able to contact earth but it can't communicate with Perseverance in any way anymore and the thought that at some point Perseverance will be so far away that it can't even see Ingenuity anymore and Ingenuity will be all alone makes me sad :(

[windypuddle]

"In the likeness of what animal did the Creator make the world?" um. forg 🐸

[firelord-frowny]

yeah lmao i definitely dont like my psychiatrist anymore

not that she's doing or saying anything wrong, but she is definitelyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy not able to see where im coming from about pretty much anything important.

BUT WAIT thats not true lmao she is doing or saying something wrong! she keeps trying to Do Therapy on me even though i already have a therapist that i really really like and who understands me extremely well and just

idk im so fucking annoyed right now lmao.

[bisexualalienss]

so. uh has anyone else read that the Atlantic ocean circulation collapse is now likely before 2100 🥴

[hathorik]

THE BOMBS DROPPED ON GAZA ARE 25 TIMES THE PAYLOAD ALLOWED ON URBAN AREAS

25 TIMES THE PAYLOAD ALLOWED ON URBAN AREAS

25 TIMES

THIS IS A GENOCIDE

*IMPORTANT REPORTING* A Times Investigation Tracked Israel’s Use of One of Its Most Destructive Bombs in South Gaza

(Source: New York Times | Last Updated Dec. 22, 2023) During the first six weeks of the war in Gaza, Israel routinely used one of its biggest and most destructive bombs in areas it designated safe for civilians, according to an analysis of visual evidence by The New York Times

Here's a clip for easy access, but please WATCH the FULL VIDEO ON YOUTUBE with no paywall * Warning: Graphic Content* Ultimately, the investigation identified 208 craters in satellite imagery and drone footage. ... the findings reveal that 2,000-pound bombs posed a pervasive threat to civilians seeking safety across south Gaza. Reporting By Robin Stein, Haley Willis, Ishaan Jhaveri, Danielle Miller, Aaron Byrd and Natalie Reneau

This is not defense, this is not justice, this is an affront to international humanitarian law. Stop the carnage.

The international community must do more than merely profess the defense of human rights; it must also ensure compliance in practice. DON'T LOOK AWAY. KEEP UP PUBLIC PRESSURE. PUSH FOR PEACE.

[asgardian--angels]

Planet's Fucked: What Can You Do To Help? (Long Post)

Since nobody is talking about the existential threat to the climate and the environment a second Trump term/Republican government control will cause, which to me supersedes literally every other issue, I wanted to just say my two cents, and some things you can do to help. I am a conservation biologist, whose field was hit substantially by the first Trump presidency. I study wild bees, birds, and plants.

In case anyone forgot what he did last time, he gagged scientists' ability to talk about climate change, he tried zeroing budgets for agencies like the NOAA, he attempted to gut protections in the Endangered Species Act (mainly by redefining 'take' in a way that would allow corporations to destroy habitat of imperiled species with no ramifications), he tried to do the same for the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (the law that offers official protection for native non-game birds), he sought to expand oil and coal extraction from federal protected lands, he shrunk the size of multiple national preserves, HE PULLED US OUT OF THE PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT, and more.

We are at a crucial tipping point in being able to slow the pace of climate change, where we decide what emissions scenario we will operate at, with existential consequences for both the environment and people. We are also in the middle of the Sixth Mass Extinction, with the rate of species extinctions far surpassing background rates due completely to human actions. What we do now will determine the fate of the environment for hundreds or thousands of years - from our ability to grow key food crops (goodbye corn belt! I hated you anyway but), to the pressure on coastal communities that will face the brunt of sea level rise and intensifying extreme weather events, to desertification, ocean acidification, wildfires, melting permafrost (yay, outbreaks of deadly frozen viruses!), and a breaking down of ecosystems and ecosystem services due to continued habitat loss and species declines, especially insect declines. The fact that the environment is clearly a low priority issue despite the very real existential threat to so many people, is beyond my ability to understand. I do partly blame the public education system for offering no mandatory environmental science curriculum or any at all in most places. What it means is that it will take the support of everyone who does care to make any amount of difference in this steeply uphill battle.

There are not enough environmental scientists to solve these issues, not if public support is not on our side and the majority of the general public is either uninformed or actively hostile towards climate science (or any conservation science).

So what can you, my fellow Americans, do to help mitigate and minimize the inevitable damage that lay ahead?

I'm not going to tell you to recycle more or take shorter showers. I'll be honest, that stuff is a drop in the bucket. What does matter on the individual level is restoring and protecting habitat, reducing threats to at-risk species, reducing pesticide use, improving agricultural practices, and pushing for policy changes. Restoring CONNECTIVITY to our landscape - corridors of contiguous habitat - will make all the difference for wildlife to be able to survive a changing climate and continued human population expansion.

**Caveat that I work in the northeast with pollinators and birds so I cannot provide specific organizations for some topics, including climate change focused NGOs. Scientists on tumblr who specialize in other fields, please add your own recommended resources. **

We need two things: FUNDING and MANPOWER.

You may surprised to find that an insane amount of conservation work is carried out by volunteers. We don't ever have the funds to pay most of the people who want to help. If you really really care, consider going into a conservation-related field as a career. It's rewarding, passionate work.

At the national level, please support:

The Nature Conservancy

Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation

Cornell Lab of Ornithology (including eBird)

National Audubon Society

Federal Duck Stamps (you don't need to be a hunter to buy one!)

These first four work to acquire and restore critical habitat, change environmental policy, and educate the public. There is almost certainly a Nature Conservancy-owned property within driving distance of you. Xerces plays a very large role in pollinator conservation, including sustainable agriculture, native bee monitoring programs, and the Bee City/Bee Campus USA programs. The Lab of O is one of the world's leaders in bird research and conservation. Audubon focuses on bird conservation. You can get annual memberships to these organizations and receive cool swag and/or a subscription to their publications which are well worth it. You can also volunteer your time; we need thousands of volunteers to do everything from conducting wildlife surveys, invasive species removal, providing outreach programming, managing habitat/clearing trails, planting trees, you name it. Federal Duck Stamps are the major revenue for wetland conservation; hunters need to buy them to hunt waterfowl but anyone can get them to collect!

THERE ARE DEFINITELY MORE, but these are a start.

Additionally, any federal or local organizations that seek to provide support and relief to those affected by hurricanes, sea level rise, any form of coastal climate change...

At the regional level:

These are a list of topics that affect major regions of the United States. Since I do not work in most of these areas I don't feel confident recommending specific organizations, but please seek resources relating to these as they are likely major conservation issues near you.

PRAIRIE CONSERVATION & PRAIRIE POTHOLE WETLANDS

DRYING OF THE COLORADO RIVER (good overview video linked)

PROTECTION OF ESTUARIES AND SALTMARSH, ESPECIALLY IN THE DELAWARE BAY AND LONG ISLAND (and mangroves further south, everglades etc; this includes restoring LIVING SHORELINES instead of concrete storm walls; also check out the likely-soon extinction of saltmarsh sparrows)

UNDAMMING MAJOR RIVERS (not just the Colorado; restoring salmon runs, restoring historic floodplains)

NATIVE POLLINATOR DECLINES (NOT honeybees. for fuck's sake. honeybees are non-native domesticated animals. don't you DARE get honeybee hives to 'save the bees')

WILDLIFE ALONG THE SOUTHERN BORDER (support the Mission Butterfly Center!)

INVASIVE PLANT AND ANIMAL SPECIES (this is everywhere but the specifics will differ regionally, dear lord please help Hawaii)

LOSS OF WETLANDS NATIONWIDE (some states have lost over 90% of their wetlands, I'm looking at you California, Ohio, Illinois)

INDUSTRIAL AGRICULTURE, esp in the CORN BELT and CALIFORNIA - this is an issue much bigger than each of us, but we can work incrementally to promote sustainable practices and create habitat in farmland-dominated areas. Support small, local farms, especially those that use soil regenerative practices, no-till agriculture, no pesticides/Integrated Pest Management/no neonicotinoids/at least non-persistent pesticides. We need more farmers enrolling in NRCS programs to put farmland in temporary or permanent wetland easements, or to rent the land for a 30-year solar farm cycle. We've lost over 99% of our prairies to corn and soybeans. Let's not make it 100%.

INDIGENOUS LAND-BACK EFFORTS/INDIGENOUS LAND MANAGEMENT/TEK (adding this because there have been increasing efforts not just for reparations but to also allow indigenous communities to steward and manage lands either fully independently or alongside western science, and it would have great benefits for both people and the land; I know others on here could speak much more on this. Please platform indigenous voices)

HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS (get your neighbors to stop dumping fertilizers on their lawn next to lakes, reduce agricultural runoff)

OCEAN PLASTIC (it's not straws, it's mostly commercial fishing line/trawling equipment and microplastics)

A lot of these are interconnected. And of course not a complete list.

At the state and local level:

You probably have the most power to make change at the local level!

Support or volunteer at your local nature centers, local/state land conservancy non-profits (find out who owns&manages the preserves you like to hike at!), state fish & game dept/non-game program, local Audubon chapters (they do a LOT). Participate in a Christmas Bird Count!

Join local garden clubs, which install and maintain town plantings - encourage them to use NATIVE plants. Join a community garden!

Get your college campus or city/town certified in the Bee Campus USA/Bee City USA programs from the Xerces Society

Check out your state's official plant nursery, forest society, natural heritage program, anything that you could become a member of, get plants from, or volunteer at.

Volunteer to be part of your town's conservation commission, which makes decisions about land management and funding

Attend classes or volunteer with your land grant university's cooperative extension (including master gardener programs)

Literally any volunteer effort aimed at improving the local environment, whether that's picking up litter, pulling invasive plants, installing a local garden, planting trees in a city park, ANYTHING. make a positive change in your own sphere. learn the local issues affecting your nearby ecosystems. I guarantee some lake or river nearby is polluted

MAKE HABITAT IN YOUR COMMUNITY. Biggest thing you can do. Use plants native to your area in your yard or garden. Ditch your lawn. Don't use pesticides (including mosquito spraying, tick spraying, Roundup, etc). Don't use fertilizers that will run off into drinking water. Leave the leaves in your yard. Get your school/college to plant native gardens. Plant native trees (most trees planted in yards are not native). Remove invasive plants in your yard.

On this last point, HERE ARE EASY ONLINE RESOURCES TO FIND NATIVE PLANTS and LEARN ABOUT NATIVE GARDENING:

Xerces Society Pollinator Conservation Resource Center

Pollinator Pathway

Audubon Native Plant Finder

Homegrown National Park (and Doug Tallamy's other books)

National Wildlife Federation Native Plant Finder (clunky but somewhat helpful)

Heather Holm (for prairie/midwest/northeast)

MonarchGard w/ Benjamin Vogt (for prairie/midwest)

Native Plant Trust (northeast & mid-atlantic)

Grow Native Massachusetts (northeast)

Habitat Gardening in Central New York (northeast)

There are many more - I'm not familiar with resources for western states. Print books are your biggest friend. Happy to provide a list of those.

Lastly, you can help scientists monitor species using citizen science. Contribute to iNaturalist, eBird, Bumblebee Watch, or any number of more geographically or taxonomically targeted programs (for instance, our state has a butterfly census carried out by citizen volunteers).

In short? Get curious, get educated, get involved. Notice your local nature, find out how it's threatened, and find out who's working to protect it that you can help with. The health of the planet, including our resilience to climate change, is determined by small local efforts to maintain and restore habitat. That is how we survive this. When government funding won't come, when we're beat back at every turn trying to get policy changed, it comes down to each individual person creating a safe refuge for nature.

Thanks for reading this far. Please feel free to add your own credible resources and organizations.

[homesweetgoodneighbor]

Down here during major floods, sometimes skeletons get flooded out of their cemeteries, especially the mausoleums. They get confused and wander around in parking lots making friends with the gators who also end up in parking lots but only because "Whoo! My bayou became a lake! Let's ride!" Most people take it in stride and keep track of both gators and skeletons for the authorities until the flood's end. Once the waters recede, our local skeleton department of wildlife and fisheries usually round them up by enticing them with crab shells and crawfish tails from leftover seafood boils, which is part of their standard diet. (Gators are just hog tied and brought back to their bayous.) Some people try to feed them to get them to hang around their house to deter pests like door-to-door religion peddlers and snakes. (Snakes like to climb on them and wind around their bones making them easier to catch and release into the wild.) Skeletons, however, are hard to domesticate and can often become a pest themselves because when they get bored they chew on the masonry. So, always leave it to the experts, kids!

[meteorologistaustenlonek]

NASA Earth: "#Alaska’s #ColumbiaGlacier has lost more than half of its total thickness and volume since the 1980s. These images captured by #Landsat 8 reveal more recent changes, like how the main branch has retreated since 2019. Today, additional tidewater glaciers across the planet have garnered attention from scientists for their collective potential to contribute to #sealevelrise."

[lunarlicorice]

"hit the level cap 10 hours ago" ass activities