{"id":11062,"date":"2022-06-21t05:42:45","date_gmt":"2022-06-21t05:42:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dpetrov.2create.studio\/planet\/wordpress\/with-book-in-hand-continuing-the-work-of-lovejoy-and-wilson-in-the-heart-of-dc\/"},"modified":"2022-06-21t05:42:45","modified_gmt":"2022-06-21t05:42:45","slug":"book-biodiversity-dc-canal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/book-biodiversity-dc-canal\/","title":{"rendered":"with book in hand: continuing the work of lovejoy and wilson in the heart of dc"},"content":{"rendered":"
\u201cunder new management. development plans to follow<\/em>.\u201d it was 1950, and the metropolitan washington, d.c., population was growing. consequently, these signs would have caused little surprise for this particular property composed of woodlands, wetlands, fishing banks, and vernal pools, all contained in what was planned to become a commuter parkway that would pass right through the heart of this wilderness. that was until someone called out, \u201ctake a little walk with me.\u201d and with that challenge, justice william o. douglas ignited a campaign that ended with what was formally called the chesapeake and ohio canal becoming a national park instead of a national highway in 1971.<\/p>\n it is hard to believe there was a time when what was renamed as the c&o canal national historical park was unknown to me and not a part of my life. but once i reached it, there was simply no turning back. that very same place i had avoided because it seemed too far from home, now became a part of my life, requiring hours at a time for wandering the towpath, mountain trails, tunnels, across wetlands, and always taking field notes and pictures. having been a teacher meant that i was always wondering how to convey this sense of exploration and discovery to others, especially the coming generation that was losing its contact with the natural world.<\/p>\n when biodiversity took off<\/strong><\/p>\n over the next three decades, separately, but soon to be interconnected, came a growing awareness of the world\u2019s biota. in 1986, scientists dr. e.o. wilson and dr. thomas lovejoy led a national forum on biodiversity,<\/em> which catapulted this subject into prominence. at this particular meeting, the national parks lacked a formal spokesperson regarding the biota within their boundaries.<\/p>\n one goal of this forum was to gain attention to the need for management and attention to our living, global species. as time passed, the concept and meaning of biodiversity grew from a novelty of the 1980s to the subject of global conventions and reports. reflecting on the interconnectedness of life, biodiversity came to stand for the study, discussion, and conservation of the various species that live on our planet. as this message reached out to the public, those crafting educational standards for science in grades k-12 also recognized the significance of biodiversity, albeit in a very truncated form. standards for such were instilled as part of the next generation science standards, a product of the national research council published in 2012.<\/p>\n eventually the national parks were recognized as another location where biodiversity could be found and studied. this recognition came as visitor\u2019s interests were increasing and diversifying. thus, parks had to scale up efforts to meet both the new interests of visitors and programs for the protection and conservation of biodiversity. an early example of such came in 2004 with a report titled, \u201cthe potomac gorge conservation plan,” which marked the first set of biodiversity surveys in the c&o canal park. this was done cooperatively between the national park service and the nature conservancy. however, it was not until 2018 that a strategic plan emerged for conservation to enter park planning.<\/p>\n a more recent document, from our national academy of sciences is titled biodiversity at risk<\/a>, which highlights extinction rates of 10 to 100 times those recorded before human domination. it also finds that at least 1 million species are further threatened with loss of life and concludes by recognizing how such losses cause decline in the world\u2019s functioning ecosystems.<\/p>\n sadly, in late december 2021, these global losses were again brought to our attention, but this time marked by remembrances and obituaries telling of the deaths of two scientists, who, more than any others, pioneered our understanding of the significance of the earth\u2019s green treasures, and whose thinking would come to influence the national parks as well.<\/p>\n first, lovejoy, 80, known as the person who produced the word biodiversity<\/em>, passed away on saturday, dec. 25, followed just a day later by wilson, who died at age 92 on dec. 26. their lives’ work became synonymous with the practice of understanding the birth, death, and loss of species, and how this understanding would guide conservation.<\/p>\n lovejoy first ventured into the tropics in 1965 and continued to expand his research by opening an educational camp in the tropical forests of brazil. from his forested camp 41, award-winning research on fragmentation of forests was born. it became a place where those most interested in the workings of a rainforest could be housed and informed by lovejoy himself of the often-unseeable entities hiding among the towering canopies.<\/p>\n among things championed by wilson was the bioblitz<\/a>, an event of citizen science at its best. one such event was held in 2016 to locate and identify species from the chesapeake and ohio canal national historical park<\/a>.<\/p>\n responsibilities for biodiversity in the c&o canal park became part of its current strategic plan (2018 to 2023), to \u201cmaintain and protect wisely, to ensure towpath continuity, and protect and preserve cultural and natural resources.\u201d it is this section that contains a strategic plan to develop and implement resource management by prioritizing critical natural areas and species of special concern. thus, while not yet embracing biodiversity by name, actions that lead to the conservation of species are now part of the park\u2019s strategy.<\/p>\n