Earth_Island_Journal_-_Spring_2020

EARTH ISLAND JOURNAL • SPRING 2020 3

Wa ke Up!

1TQ^MQV0I_IQӉQIVLTW^MQ\_Q\PITTUa
heart. Everyone should read “Toxic
Drift” (Winter 2020) and share their
knowledge about pesticide pollution
QV 0I_IQӉQ QV ]VLMZ[\IVLIJTM \MZU[
with those who may not be able to
comprehend the magnitude of the
egregious and unbelievable situation
here. What were the legislators thinking
when they allowed Monsanto to destroy
our precious Mother Earth? It is like a
horror movie or nightmare you want to
wake up from, but this is real, people.
Wake up!

Carmie Spellman
Lahaina, HI

A Fine Point

Journal Editor Maureen Nandini Mitra
OW\IÅVMKTW[QVOXWQV\WN^QM_WVITT
current world trends in her letter to
the readers (“In Community Lies Our
Strength,” Winter 2020). On the verge
of seeing the world falling into despair,
MKIV[\QTTTWWSIZW]VLIVLÅVL[WUM
hope even though the center no longer
holds. We don’t want the last strength,
which lies in community, to be crushed
and repressed violently by any system.
Those who are voting for and imple-
UMV\QVOTI[\WZMXZM[[XIKQÅKIK\Q^Q[U
are clearly community killers.

Patrice Assiongbon Sowanou
Garden Valley, TX

Feeling Heartened

I just wanted to say how much I

appreciate all that you to do with the

Journal. I was reading the latest issue

(Winter 2020) last night before bed and

felt heartened. So thanks much! The

short piece “A Feast for the Beasts”

(1000 Words, Winter 2020) was great.

I’d never heard of photographer Claire

Rosen but immediately looked her up.

This is super creative work and I’m

glad you brought it to my attention.

Betsy Howell

Port Townsend, WA

Staying Wild

I loved reading “Wildlife Tracking

2.0” (Autumn 2019) about the use of

AI technologies to track wildlife. I am

a wildlife biologist who works with

conservation detection dogs for Rogue

Detection Teams. The detection dog

method is another noninvasive tool for

researchers to consider when research-

ing their subject animal. Detection dogs

KIV[VQٺNWZI^IZQM\aWNWLWZ[5W[\

KWUUWVTa \PMa IZM LMXTWaML\ W [VQٺ

out scat, which holds the same infor-

mation that one would get from darting

an animal and taking blood samples.

Furthermore, we’ve been called the

poor man’s telemetry unit because the

feces shows where an animal has been,

what it has eaten, where it has slept,

etc., all things that researchers hope to

learn from using radio collars. A detec-

tion dog team never sees, interacts, or

otherwise engages with its research

subject. Wild animals stay wild.

Jennifer Hartman

Rice, WA

CORRECTION

Our Winter 2020 cover feature, “The Town

that Refuses to Drown,” incorrectly stated

that the El Zapotillo water project would

siphon off up to 120 cubic meters of water

from the Rio Verde a year. It would siphon

off up to 120 million cubic meters of water.

letters & emails

Letters to the Editor

Earth Island Journal

2150 Allston Way #

Berkeley, CA 94704

[email protected]

ww

w.

biz

arr

o.c

om