Retirement Protests, an idea by Caree Risover

Because of the tragedy in New Zealand and the role, social media played in spreading the video of the event. Many of us are upset. In her post of March 15, Caree, over at "A Retirement Blog" talks about her concerns about the use of social media and makes some very good points. I agree with her statement:

"Fanatical and populist ideology posted by dubious sources and shared across newsfeeds worldwide has become so mainstream that people I might previously have considered to be critical thinkers now seem to repeat and repost without any obvious moral compass. They fail to hear or seek to comprehend that there is a valid argument against the stance that they promulgate. Where has reasoned and reasonable debate gone? I can offer an answer for that one: it has been buried in the adoption of subconscious Orwellian mantras like "the will of the people," "strong and stable," "no deal is better than a bad deal," or "make America great again."

She goes on to say, "I know protesting seemed simpler when you could turn up at Greenham Common with a tent and wire-clippers but how many of us have actually chained ourselves to railings recently? Planet Retirement is the perfect battleground to take the fight to the doors of commercial interests and large corporations. Boycotting remains a powerful tool as does complaining, giving bad (but honest) publicity and lobbying your MP.

Today I have absented myself from my Facebook account whilst contemplating its deletion. With over two billion active users monthly, imagine if only half its users did likewise. Ten percent of its current subscribers are apparently over 65; the deletion of two hundred million accounts isn't going to happen, but it would be some protest if it did!

Boomers were not the first generation to protest, but we did work hard at it in our youth. Over time I think got complacent and lazy. We believed we had won the battles that were important to us. We believed we stopped the war in Vietnam, we believed we had created a more open and forgiving society. We believed we had reduced, and some of us in our naively believed, we had overcome prejudice about race, sex, gender. Of course, none of that is true, but we believed it to be true. There may have been some movement in all of these areas, but not enough. 

Through social media sites, today those who hate, find each other and thrive in their own little worlds, and the rest of us ignore them or tolerate them and their views.  Our parents fought against the rise of the right-wing hate that is with us today, we lived in a time when we thought we knew the difference between the good guys and the bad guys. We were wrong, the bad guys were always there but they were underground and hidden in their own tiny frightened world.

In the day of the 24-hour news cycle, the agencies we used to trust to give us the facts, give us innuendo and rumour disguised as facts. In the "mainstream media" reporters, editors fearing for their jobs, latch on to the latest outrageous event, embellish it and attempt to grab our ever-shortening attention span. 

Over a period of time, the outrageous becomes the norm, the fringe becomes acceptable and the bad guys crawl out of their hidden worlds and creep into the mainstream through social media. We ignore them and we go on with our lives. I agree with Caree, we need to take a break from social media to gain back a sense of our understanding of humanity. By taking a break we can, I think, begin to move back to a time when we would not accept the fringe as the norm. 

So I ask you to do what Caree and I are doing which is taking a break from Facebook. Boycotting remains a powerful tool as does complaining, giving bad (but honest) publicity and lobbying your elected representative.

You Could Be a Citizen Science Volunteer

Want to make a difference for Canada’s birds and their habitats? Looking for a new favourite activity? Maybe our owl survey, marsh monitoring program, or loon survey is right for you.

Give a hoot and help us monitor owls

As you will read in the Owl Survey Updates, additional Nocturnal Owl Survey volunteers are needed in some parts of Canada. These volunteers spend one spring evening counting owls along isolated roads to document population trends and breeding range limits. Find out more.

One rail, two rail, Green frog, Wood frog

Join the Marsh Monitoring Program for a unique and rewarding experience contributing to the understanding and conservation of wetlands, some of North America’s most vital and sensitive ecosystems. Whether you are new to identifying frogs or a top-notch birder, this more intensive program lets you get outside and spend your spring collecting data. Volunteers are needed to survey marshes on both sides of the Great Lakes, in Québec, and in the Maritimes. Find out how you can get involved helping wetlands in your region.

Do you summer at the lake?

Kayak your favourite bay? Return yearly to your traditional fishing hole? Then the Common Loon needs YOU! If you will be at a Canadian lake at least one day in each of June, July, and August, you can help steward your lake and loons by joining the Canadian Lakes Loon Survey and monitoring loon chick survival. To learn more visit the Canadian Lakes Loon Survey webpage or contact Kathy.

Citizen Scientists

In fall of 2018, Bird Studies Canada invited volunteers like from across the country to participate in a research study and I responded along with over 500 others. The research inquired about wellbeing, connection to the natural environment and experiences as Citizen Scientists (collecting and contributing information about birds or other species to add to scientific knowledge

The researchers are happy to report some preliminary results, which I would like to share with you.  The 510 of us who responded range in age from 9 to 85 years, with the average age being 52.1. The majority (63.5%) are female and live either in city suburbs (30.6%), a small town (21.8%), or a rural/farm area (32.9%).

It seems many Bird Studies Canada volunteers reside in places with good opportunities for viewing wildlife, whether they have a backyard feeder or are able to hike, walk, or paddle in nearby nature areas. Participants are engaged in a variety of Bird Studies Canada projects, with the Christmas Bird Count, Great Backyard Bird Count, and Project FeederWatch being some of the most popular. Many volunteers submit data to eBird Canada, and contribute to bird surveys and breeding bird atlases.

Overall, the survey respondents reported high levels of connectedness with nature. Unsurprisingly, these findings suggest that Bird Studies Canada volunteers have a strong bond with the natural environment. This includes a sense of identity or self-concept that includes the natural world, as well as a comfort with and desire to be in nature. Our relationship with animals such as birds is an important part of our connection with nature; survey respondents reported concern for all aspects of the biosphere. Participants’ environmental concern for all living things was strongest, followed by altruistic concern for other people and future generations, and concern for how the environment affects one’s self interests.

Bird Studies Canada volunteers also reported being happy. They have more positive than negative moods, feel vital and alive, and also experience feelings of awe, curiosity, and fascination (emotions often associated with time spent in nature). Although all survey respondents reported high levels of wellbeing, overall, people who feel the strongest bonds with the natural environment are also the happiest (connectedness with nature positively correlated with happiness indicators). It is possible that being happy causes us to feel more connected to nature (as opposed to the other way around), but research on nature’s benefits for human mental and physical health suggest the effect is likely in the alternate direction. That is, spending time in nature and developing a sense of connection with the natural world enhances our health and happiness.

The links between nature connectedness and environmental concern also tell us that spending time observing and learning about birds and other wildlife is essential for helping people to develop a conservation ethic.

Hello darkness my old friend

Travel enlightens you and awakens you to the differences there are among us. When you travel your friends will call you "lucky". But as you are becoming aware of the bigger world around you and as you share your vision, you may hope that your friends will move forward with their own dreams. But the reality is that:
Some will hear, but not listen. 
Some will listen, but not understand.
And some will understand, but not act.

Paul Simon wrote these words below and he and Art Garfunkel sang it to us in 1964, and today we still need to heed the words in this song.

Hello darkness, my old friend
I've come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence

In restless dreams, I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone
'Neath the halo of a street lamp
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence

And in the naked light, I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never share
No one dared
Disturb the sound of silence

"Fools," said I, "You do not know
Silence like a cancer grows
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you"
But my words like silent raindrops fell
And echoed in the wells of silence

And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out its warning
In the words that it was forming
And the sign said, "The words of the prophets
Are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls"

And whispered in the sounds of silence