SHARING OUR SPACE
            As trees and shrubs come to life in the spring, the diversity among them is obvious even to the casual observer. The variety of blossoms and the various times of emerging leaves in numerous shades of green make a wonderful, slow-motion, changing panorama that is difficult to ignore. Yet we manage to go about our daily lives rarely noticing the rich biodiversity of other life forms all around us.
            The richness of the biodiversity of the United States that includes a vast array of wild life forms from bacterial to bald eagles to blue whales, doesn’t get measured in our gross national product. This biodiversity “encompasses the broadest range and scale of living variety, from the most basic genetic essence of the individual to the variety of ecological systems in which all life lives, known by such names as forest, grassland, desert and marine ecosystems. By these biological measures, the United States is rich beyond all standard measures of wealth,” wrote William Stolzenburg in the May/June 2000 issue of Nature Conservancy.
            A network of scientists, drawing together research over the past 25 years, has determined that there are more than 200,000 species accounted for in the United States out of 1.75 million species formally listed on the Earth. It is likely that there are at least as many forms not yet discovered and/or recorded. Stolzenburg goes on to explain that there are 12 major ecological zones across our nation – out of only 14 ecological zones that have been identified across the earth.
            The early explorers of our country showed an interest in all of the new life they found, reporting their findings as exciting tales of the New World.  They collected and identified new species and subspecies. New technologies in the Twentieth Century, Stolzenburg reminds us, made possible better classification and a clearer vision of the difference between species at the level of chromosomes. The measurement of biodiversity was expanded further with the deciphering of genetic code. In addition, scientists began to realize that much of natural life was being threatened by human activity, including changing and degrading habitat, harvesting native life for food and other uses, introducing alien species (accidentally or for a specific purpose), and spreading disease and pollution. To reverse the damage done by these human activities continues to be a challenge.
            Saving this wealth of biodiversity is another challenge for us today. The United States has plenty of space – only Canada, Russia, and China are larger countries. The wealth of the diversity of life forms found in our country should have plenty of room.  Of course, we need our living space too. We can learn to work to meet our needs and, at the same time, share our space by preserving the habitats of other life forms.

Della Moen, Earth Team Volunteer, NRCS/Stephenson Soil and Water
Conservation District, an equal opportunity provider and employer, 040109/09 (for publication on 04/11/09 in the Journal-Standard, Freeport, Illinois). Della can be reached at info@stephensonswcd.org