#sustainability issue

[reasonsforhope]

For years, the people of the Kitasoo/Xai’xais First Nation watched over their waters and waited. They had spent nearly two decades working with Canada’s federal government to negotiate protections for Kitasu Bay, an area off the coast of British Columbia that was vulnerable to overfishing.

But the discussions never seemed to go anywhere. First, they broke down over pushback from the fishing industry, then over a planned oil tanker route directly through Kitasoo/Xai’xais waters.

“We were getting really frustrated with the federal government. They kept jumping onboard and then pulling out,” says Douglas Neasloss, the chief councillor and resource stewardship director of the Kitasoo/Xai’xais First Nation. “Meanwhile, we’d been involved in marine planning for 20 years – and we still had no protected areas.”

Instead, the nation watched as commercial overfishing decimated the fish populations its people had relied on for thousands of years.

Nestled on the west coast of Swindle Island, approximately 500km north of Vancouver, Kitasu Bay is home to a rich array of marine life: urchins and abalone populate the intertidal pools, salmon swim in the streams and halibut take shelter in the deep waters. In March, herring return to spawn in the eelgrass meadows and kelp forests, nourishing humpback whales, eagles, wolves and bears.

“Kitasu Bay is the most important area for the community – that’s where we get all of our food,” Neasloss says. “It’s one of the last areas where you still get a decent spawn of herring.”

So in December 2021, when the Department of Fisheries and Oceans withdrew from discussions once again, the nation decided to act. “My community basically said, ‘We’re tired of waiting. Let’s take it upon ourselves to do something about it,’” Neasloss says.

What they did was unilaterally declare the creation of a new marine protected area (MPA). In June 2022, the nation set aside 33.5 sq km near Laredo Sound as the new Gitdisdzu Lugyeks (Kitasu Bay) MPA – closing the waters of the bay to commercial and sport fishing.

It is a largely unprecedented move. While other marine protected areas in Canada fall under the protection of the federal government through the Oceans Act, Kitasu Bay is the first to be declared under Indigenous law, under the jurisdiction and authority of the Kitasoo/Xai’xais First Nation.

Pictured: "In some ways, I hope someone challenges us" … the Kitasoo/Xai’xais stewardship authority.

Although they did not wait for government approval, the Kitasoo did consult extensively: the declaration was accompanied by a draft management plan, finalised in October after three months of consultation with industry and community stakeholders. But the government did not provide feedback during that period, according to Neasloss, beyond an acknowledgment that it had received the plan...

Approximately 95% of British Columbia is unceded: most First Nations in the province of British Columbia never signed treaties giving up ownership of their lands and waters to the crown. This puts them in a unique position to assert their rights and title, according to Neasloss, who hopes other First Nations will be inspired to take a similarly proactive approach to conservation...

Collaboration remains the goal, and Neasloss points to a landmark agreement between the Haida nation and the government in 1988 to partner in conserving the Gwaii Haanas archipelago, despite both parties asserting their sovereignty over it. A similar deal was made in 2010 for the region’s 3,400 sq km Gwaii Haanas national marine conservation area.

“They found a way to work together, which is pretty exciting,” says Neasloss. “And I think there may be more Indigenous protected areas that are overlaid with something else.”

-via The Guardian, 5/3/23

[kittykatninja321]

The heart wants a modern Robin Jason run but the mind knows better

[schistostegapennata]

Considering your moss poaching post, do you have any advice on how to source ethical moss? Especially large quantities like for a moss garden? I've always wanted one instead of a lawn but I don't want to wreck an ecosystem for it.

I do!! Also, sorry for the delay on this, I'm moving abroad and the preparations have made the past couple of weeks kind of crazy and I wanted to make sure to give a proper (and hopefully helpful!) answer. It is absolutely possible to get yourself some ethically-sourced live moss (even in larger quantities)! Places that cultivate moss are usually smaller-scale since the process can be a bit tricky, so it might take a bit of coordination for a larger amount.

In terms of live moss, there are dedicated moss nurseries that grow, harvest, and then sell different varieties. Their method is similar to that of mushroom farms, involving logs placed in a damp area in or near wooded land. Moss Acres cultivates their moss this way in a nursery that spans many acres. They also work with a sister company that makes living, ethically-cultivated and harvested moss walls.

Another really great option is Mountain Moss. They mainly rescue moss from land that is slated for development, saving it from being thrown out to make way for buildings. They are also certified to collect native mosses that would otherwise be destroyed and have all the proper permits to distribute them (both things to check on when picking a moss supplier). A lot of their moss ends up going to native restoration projects, which is amazing as well. They do a lot of public outreach too through lectures and workshops on moss gardening, moss terrariums, etc.

Also check with local plant nurseries near you, as lots of them cultivate moss (there's one near me that has a dedicated moss patch).

Main things to keep in mind when choosing a moss supplier:

·  Do they cultivate the moss themselves in a nursery?

·  If not, is it sourced from private land where it would otherwise be destroyed? Do they have a harvesting permit and an agreement with the landowner?

·  Is the moss native to where you want to plant it?

·  How do they harvest the moss? (even nursery moss needs to be gathered in smaller quantities from various parts of the nursery to fulfill a larger order)

·  Is the type of moss endangered?

·  Are they certified to distribute live moss?

Just as a side-note, for anyone who gardens with peat/sphagnum moss, a good sustainable alternative is coco coir! Also, if that doesn't suit your needs and you definitely need a moss-based growing mix, Sun Gro harvests ethically and sustainably, as does Better-Gro.

Hope this helps a bit, happy mossing! If anyone sees this and has other suggestions on where to look for ethical moss, please feel free to add on :)

[theidlespoon]

big believer in wearing clothes until they physically fall off my body

[rosalinesurvived]

Send to 10 other bloggers you think are wonderful. Keep this going to make someone smile. ☆♥

Oh. Okay. OKAYY!!!

@cut-out-paper-stars

@lesbianyosano

@sad-emo-dip-dye

@dinosaur-mayonnaise

@clementinecalls

@alicentdeservesbetter

@alphaboyd

@spikeface

@mylestoyne

@dayurno

💕✨❤️

[themakeupbrush]

Vogue Singapore May/June 2022

[thelesbianthespianposts]

“Jason’s so rebellious”, “he’s the problem child” bro is NOT. He THINKS he is. But if anything he’s the kiss ass child trying to seem cool and rebellious. He’ll blow up a building and immediately be like “did Bruce see that?” “Did he see how rebellious I am??” “What’d he say???”. Rebellious my ass.

[the-crimson]

(All talk about the characters not the ccs)

I’m finally watching bbh’s June 19th stream (day after Father’s Day) and he’s talking about removing everyone’s access to his base. I’ve seen people talking about how this could cause problems and lose him Forever and Bagerah’s trust but I think people - including Forever and Bagerah - are forgetting a crucial fact

Bbh is a single parent and has been from the start.

He has to be incredibly paranoid to keep Dapper safe. His paranoia is the only reason Dapper -and many of the other eggs - are still alive.

He can’t rely on other people to keep Dapper safe. He can’t tell Dapper to go live with another parent if his house is compromised. That’s why he has five different houses and keeps building more when too many people gain access.

I don’t think Forever or Bagerah have a right to complain about this considering they have 3/4 other parents/houses to keep their egg safe. They have a family structure that allows them a sense of safety that bbh has NEVER had.

Like yea, I understand why they would feel betrayed but from an objective pov, they have zero ground to stand on to protest because they have NO idea what bbh has gone through raising dapper alone, how could they? They have always had 3/4 other parents at their beck and call.

Trust doesn’t mean letting someone run rampantly through your house/safe space just because they feel entitled to it. Trust means having faith that if bbh is closing off his/Dapper’s house to you, he has a legitimate reason that doesn’t have anything to do with you personally.

Bbh has done so much for team friendship and taken down so many of his walls and boundaries for them that the fact THEY don’t have faith in him makes me sad. I trust team friendship and the q-ommunication smp to work everything out but I just hope Bagerah and Forever come to respect bbh’s boundaries a bit more :D

[curledupinmyarmchair]

J.E. Chapter 23

[crocodilenjoyer]

if sanji would just communicate, fully and truthfully, with his crew and allow himself to be loved as their friend and a member of their family and not by what he can do for them or the roles he’s supposed to be playing, i feel like he’d get hauled off and almost murdered by strange women less often

[anglerflsh]

(guy who regularly experiences paranoia voice) hey uhm. why am I irrationally convinced of terrifying things

[introspectivememories]

excerpts from my months old wip "think i'll miss you forever (like the stars miss the sun in the morning sky)"

[handdrawnfantasma]

i spent my first time playing this game with no idea that you could remove the bloodless debuff using Lesser Restoration and so Tilly spent like fully an entire third of her run going through all of that combat and exploration and cult destroying while mildly anaemic. my friends only told me about this yesterday and we all had a good laugh at my expense but we also decided that this is probably what was happening. and honestly. in any case it is a PAINFULLY in character Tilly thing for her not to be aware of this so I'm adding it to my beloved gallery of Tilly Tosscobble 10 INT Moments. not pictured: Gale frantically adding iron-rich foods to the evening meal every night

(also shart is wrong it's not a sex thing it is a halfling thing filtered through a very Tilly lens. everyone at the table eats)

[bluravenite]

Currently thinking about young white long haired primo in his garden.... I really need to stop building greenhouses in the sims

[princessnijireiki]

not to get crazy on a post about dwayne the rock johnson titties but y'all ever think about anarchy

[sun-marie]

It's been a while since I last thought seriously about Dr*gon A*e (even prior to falling in love with BG3) and I think a big part of that is I'm not as big a fan of the setting and the worldbuilding as I used to be. Like to me it really does feel like BW looked at typical fantasy settings and went "hmm okay but what if there was Catholic-enforced racism and abelism". And like. Cool thought experiment bro. Do we really need three games made by primarily white guys about that.