PART I: Cats as predators; we're meat eaters, too

Last night's prey

When I look at the field mouse tunnels on our lawn, I feel no grief! They tunnel under the snow, as this Red Fox video shows. Our shed has deermice (left) in what was a box that houses the electrical plug. I think the first owner ran an extension cord from the house to light the backyard shed. The next owner must have cut it off. The box remains as a nice little mouse den. Daisy told me there are mice in there! When I open the shed door to get some bird seed, they run and hide.

I often find mice eating the bird seed. Sometimes, they will hop into the garbage cans, in which I store the bird seed, and when I next go back to the cans they will have sat there overnight, happily devouring the seed.

Oliver caught red squirrels our first year here, but they've had babies, and came back with compensatory reproduction. Thankfully! I felt so guilty. The mice are plentiful, as well, and form the basis of our cats' outdoor activities. As a meat-eater, I cannot judge. They'll bring garter snakes to me, poor things just harvesting the frogs from the goldfish pond, which I release in the far-off meadow. I liken them to our wolf and coyotes, they prey on the weak,  slow to run, not-so-swift (chipmunks really are dumb as bricks - why built a home outside our back door) and keep the gene pool strong. The wild canines, as well as our domestic felines, eat more mice, voles, moles than we know. Bless their hearts.

Daisy, trying to catch the chickadees.
They're far too quick for her, sitting tweeting, and teasing her!

Birds are clever and visit various food sources throughout the day. Deer, not so much, and tend to exploit an area, then move on. Ours is their winter yard, where they congregate feeling safe in our meadow, unlike Bambi and his momma.

There are 'research studies' out there, proclaiming how many critters cats kill. The media has grabbed these stories and run with this poor science. Now, as with the deer that we feed, if you regularly feed the birds, you'll support the species. So long as you continue to feed them. If you live in a rural area, have access to a large acreage (1200 acres of land nearby), and feed them quality food, I'm happy to continue our feeding program begun by the previous owners.
They expect it, their meagre mouthful each day.

Caught it in the seeds!

This cat study [KittyCam] was a lesson in sloppy science on the part of National Geographic (media seeking readers), for a project seeking funding, with these conclusions. Perhaps Tree Hugger embraces the 'call to action' popular in the media, but the numbers of cats studied was too small, environmental conditions will vary from area to area, rural/urban, country-to-country, and there are too many variables to make it a valid study, susceptible to inflated numbers. Any extrapolation of the results from that small a collection of data to world-wide statistics, is criminal. You can conclude and extrapolate for Georgia, for a temperate climate, cannot compare to this climate.

Field mouse - they've been nipping my goldfish
pond liner.

Reputable studies need more than a study population of 60 cats, with 30% capturing prey. That said, only a minority of these cats hunted at all all the time. The prey recorded included Carolina Anoles (abundant lizards), voles (abundant) then unspecified invertebrates (probably abundant), and last of all birds. One cat refused cat food, which further changes predictive value of cats. As with all predators, they are most likely killing the sick, injured, and most commonly found birds, when they do get a bird. One has to put it in perspective. My field is filled with mice, judging by the mouse tunnels, yet they aren't caught all that often.

"You can be pretty sure they're not bringing down endangered American Eagles; and we don't have endangered birds in our forest." wrote one commenter. 

A GOOD scientist can not extrapolate that cats are killing 500 million birds a year from THIS study; "cats are likely killing more than 4 billion animals per year, including at least 500 million birds."

deer mouse

The American Bird Conservancy extrapolates this data from Athens, Georgia, to a 'slaughter of 4 Billion birds', yet it doesn't apply everywhere, especially to non-feral cats, like ours. Nor can you extrapolate to cats who live in cold regions, where they are indoors, out of the snow and cold, or barn cats.

And, yes, Kellie, we can point fingers at one another, but ultimately, naturalists must be realists. As with the 'End Poverty Now' campaigns, we aren't going to eliminate cat ownership. It is a fruitless endeavour, especially in rural Canada, to keep all barn cats and feral cats indoors! There is a purpose to their captures.

KittyCam Technology Reveals How Much Wildlife Is Killed by Outdoor Cats

The results of the study showed that of the 60 cats wearing the cameras, 30% captured and killed prey with an average of one kill for every 17 hours spent outside, or 2.1 kills per week. You can watch several select videos of cats' activity, like fighting off an opossum, making a new cat friend, and birdwatching.
We used Kitty Cams to investigate the activities of urban free-roaming cats in Athens, Georgia from Nov. 2010 -Oct. 2011

I had such a time with rude, abusive posts, wishing a zoonostic cat disease on me and my grandchildren, that I had to delete them. As with other invasive species, we must learn to live with cats. From a discussion, she went into rants. Very rude and disrespectful youngster.

She got me banned from a Facebook sight, as I wanted people to discuss this topic reasonably. It didn't happen. It skewed into cats as invasive species. 

Environmental concerns – fracking or hydraulic fracturing

I know how much we worry about our well water. The drought last year (2012) was frightening. We watched our trees wilt. Several near-by suburban communities and farmers had water issues. We ended up being fine. We have a deep well.

The news has been full of protests lately. They are many. We move so quickly ahead in all areas of science, whether healthcare, the government or big business has data or not. What is of utmost concern are the reports and data that are not made public.

The Canadian government, AKA PM Harper's PMO, has been clear on muzzling public sector scientists, who are not permitted to speak to media. Many complain about this issue.

Stop muzzling scientists, protesters tell Tories

www.thestar.com

Sep 16, 2013 - Hundreds of frustrated scientists descended on Parliament Hill Monday to demand that the Tories stop muzzling scientists and cutting research funding.

First Nations protested the intention of a company to begin fracking in New Brunswick. Police cars were fire bombed following months of peaceful protests. The N.B. government will not discuss this issue nation to nation.

Protest was an 'armed encampment' says N.B. Premier David Alward

http://www.theglobeandmail.com

Alward defended the RCMP’s actions that sparked violence, saying the encampment at the side of a highway leading into the village of Rexton was not a 'safe and secure place.' The police moved in to ensure the safety of the public, he said. Alward also called on native leaders across the province to…

It is no wonder they are worried with Environment Canada reports like this:

Chinook Fuels Ltd. Sentenced to Pay $60,000 for Offences under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999

FORT McMURRAY, Alta. – October 24, 2013 – Chinook Fuels Ltd, of Fort McMurray, Alberta, was sentenced on Friday, October 18, to pay $60,000 in Alberta Provincial Court to the Environmental Damages Fund for offences under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999. The company pleaded guilty to the transfer of petroleum products into unregistered tanks, failure to register tanks with Environment Canada, and failure to have tanks installed by a party approved to do so in the Province of Alberta.

[Download the
full report here (PDF).] 

Then there is Jessica Ernst. She can light her well water on fire after fracking. Her water has methane and ethane. 

She is a scientist, 30-years employed in the industry, ironically enough.

She went through all the proper channels, finally writing a detailed report.  Her well water burned her skin until she figured it out. She now has to travel to get water. She questioned what was going on.

The report details one explosion.
An incident in which Mr. Jack was injured.

She states:

But, what I thought was discouraging, is…in me posing that question, I was called an environmental extremist both by Tom Flanagan on a CBC show and the National Post and I think that was a reflection of some of the bullying – unfortunately – that some environmental groups experienced in asking basic questions about what is the state of Canada’s environment. ... 

Hydraulic fracturing involves pumping water, nitrogen, sand and chemicals at high pressure

to fracture rock and allow natural gas or oil to flow through wells to the surface. 

Ernst attempted to sue the province for being in bed with the energy companies, as well as the energy companies themselves. The issue of Crown Land has been a difficult one.

 You'd think the provincial agencies were there to protect citizens, and the environment, but it hasn't proven to be the case. In listening to a CBC The Current report, she tells us that she has been unable to hold anyone accountable. She believes that her neighbours are afraid to speak out, and she believes many have been muzzled by non-disclosure agreements, having been bought out by the industry. She is standing firm, having seen what fracking has done to her water.

 

Fracking Immunity: Holding regulators accountable

http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/

Jessica Ernst says she could light her water on fire as it came out of the tap from her well

$33-Million Anti-Fracking Lawsuit On Shaky Ground

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/

ROSEBUD, Alta. - An Alberta woman has lost a round in her legal battle against the contentious process of hydraulic fracturing.Jessica Ernst launched a $33-million lawsuit against the Alberta government, the province's energy regulator and energy company Encana. She claims gas wells fracked around he...

Cuts to the environment and science budgets are the sign of the future

Having been an elementary teacher, I know the importance of teaching using an holistic approach. My curriculum included Music - Art - Dance - Drama (MADD!) as well as language arts, math, science, integrating all this with computers and technology. Elementary teachers understand the balance that is necessary in this world. It is important to balance science, information, and environmental issues, with human's need to change the world around us. What worries me is the government's move to save money, at the cost of science and nature
Climate change - no policy.
Cutting the long-form census which provided information for non-profits who care for others.

Here is a long article worth reading:

1984 in 2012 – The Assault on Reason

Notes for Remarks to Carleton University – September 5, 2012
By Allan R. Gregg
Researcher, and pollster, Allan Greg's key points: the cuts to science and the environment made by our PM Harper are crippling us.

• Cuts at Stats Canada – 50% of employees were warned that their jobs were at risk. (Why do we data to make informed decisions?!)
• 20% of the workforce at the Library and Archives of Canada put on notice.
• CBC was told that it could live with a 10% reduction in their budgetary allocation.
• In 2014, Parks Canada will receive $29-million less from federal coffers than it did last year. Some parks will be open for shorter seasons and more than 600 staff will lose their jobs. Many of those who have received notices are scientists.
•  30% of the operating budget of Parks Canada was cut, eliminating 638 positions; 70% of whom would be scientists and social scientists. 
• The National Roundtable on the Environment, the First Nations Statistical Institute: the National Council on Welfare and the Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Science, all were cut saving $7.5 million.
• The Experimental Lakes Area, a research station that produced critical evidence on acid rain 3 decades ago and groundbreaking research on water quality, is to be shut down. Savings? $2 million. The northernmost lab in Eureka, Nunavut, awaits the same fate.
• The unit in charge of monitoring emissions from power plants, furnaces, boiler and other sources is to be abolished in order to save $600,000.
• Against the advice of 625 fisheries scientists and four former federal Fisheries Ministers – saying it is scientifically impossible to do — regulatory oversight of the fisheries was limited to stock that are of “human value”. Has PM Harper not heard about ecosystems and the cycle of life?
• These amendments was bundled in with 68 other laws into one Budget Bill, so that – using the power of majority government – no single item could be opposed or revoked without defeating the government and calling another election.

BUT: Canada Revenue Agency received an $8 million increase in its budget to investigate the political activity of not-for-profit and charitable organizations. What is with this?

Resources

FEDERAL BUDGET DECISION ELIMINATES FUNDING

OTTAWA – March 30, 2012 –The federal government's Budget 2012 has resulted in cuts

For the Canadian Environmental Quality Guidelines go to the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment :

Go to "CEQG Online" to view all current guidelines for air, water, soil, sediment and tissue residue.

When a new guideline is approved it will be posted to "CEQG Online" where users can print the ones they want.

For the Canadian Environmental Quality Guidelines Summary Table:

Go to http://st-ts.ccme.ca/.

Grampa helped plan a picnic at the beach

 

Happy girl!

Ontario Parks - a  back pack of beach fun - nothing better.
(A gift from Grampa!)

I took the day off today. We went to Murphys Point Park, to the beach.

Grampa went into town early and picked us up buns and lunch meat. Gramma made sandwiches.

There were surprises in the bag. Chocolate milk was a big treat!

We love visiting our provincial park.
Lots to see and do.
The park interpreters do a fine job, too.

Brock educates our young people!

Rusty Crayfish
-invasive species in ON

We learned about an invasive species, the Rusty Crayfish, from Brock, one of our student employees. Friends of Murphys Point Park receive government grants in Student Employment Opportunities. Most are entering university as biologists, or related fields. It is important that we nurture these young scientists. My daughter, M.Sc., is a hydrogeologist.

I always like to learn something new, being an avid science teacher (JK - Gr. 6) in my previous life, I realize how much there is to learn!

My girls!

The kids still talk about touching Nameless Ratsnake in the park Visitor Centre.
Isabelle (2) loves to pretend to find a snake, (a piece of black ribbon?) and pretend to be scared. But she remembers touching the snake, as does big sister, Josephine.

My daughter sent the photos to their Day Care provider, who doesn't like snakes! All it is - is education!

Meantime, back to our day:

The beaches are clean and well-groomed in our park. We had a grand time splashing. Nice, safe, buoys to keep the kids in close. However, Isabelle kept falling, and walking out deeper. "Me deep!"

Another happy girl!
This was the place to be today.

Picnic lunch!

Isabelle Coccinelle and a Beach bunny!

Isabelle's story: Grampa bought me some chocolate milk for our picnic at Murphys Point Park Beach. I couldn't put it down. I love my Grampa! He spoils me!

Fact versus Fiction

I have been listening with great interest to the CBC Ideas program on How To Think About Science। I am tired of the Man in the Street interviews in which fiction is taken as fact and misinformation presented and held up as reality. This kind of information is delivered to an acquiescent public. How knowledge is produced, designed in social context, presented by mass markets, is not necessarily for scientific purposes. Even breast cancer websites are risk for the average consumer.

We know that social and economic interests shape research topics, methods and have bias, including ‘scientific’ research। Results are delivered to a public that does not examine it for accuracy. We believe a lot of what we see and read. Media owes a great responsibility to informing the public in a way that presents information, not heresay.

Reliability and validity are not buzzwords for any politicians I know. Nor do they factor into much of that which we read online. We know, too, that the Americans shape Canadian policies, or try to. Homeland Security has continued to direct Canadian transportation policy and procedures. I follow, with great interest, the Fair Copyright for Canada.

We must be vigilant and remain firm in our convictions. In Canada the geopolitical climate differs from that of the United States (Gwyn, 1995), and does not include the traditional ‘right to bear arms’, or ‘rugged individualism’, rampant in some areas of the country, with heavy-handed applications of either the Quran or the Bible affecting the values of business and government agencies and NGOs.

Canadian viewpoints must be presented in the Global Village. We think and act differently. That said, many of those who conduct interviews on some of my favourite media stations, tend to miss out the p oint of the interview. They like to talk explore issues about how a person ‘feels’ about an horrific event and talk around the topic. With no new information, the topic is pursued with the vigour of a dog and a bone. Some much presented as news is simply a reaction to news already broadcast. Is there nothing going on in the world that we must examine how one feels after losing a family member, or their house to disaster?