Eye on Faith

Wednesday, October 3, 2018

What goes down must come up

Ear Spring (USGS photo)

Like a bad lunch, human artifacts were recently regurgitated by Yellowstone’s Ear Spring.

It appears that people get their jollies throwing things into geysers. Cans, coins, and even a 1930s-era pacifier were found near Ear Spring’s “pie hole.”

Not that this is encouraged by park authorities. In fact, rangers have issued a warning that “foreign objects can

damage hot springs and geysers.”

Nevertheless, tourists will continue to turn Ear Spring into a dump site. And who knows? Years from now, archaeologists may treasure these thoughtless throwaways.

Resources

https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/for-years-tourists-tossed-trash-in-a-yellowstone-geyser-this-stuff-was-just-coughed-up/ar-BBNPJDo?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=BHEA000

Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Public means Public

Half Moon Bay (Photo by intothewoods29)

California can get pretty hot at times. That’s when the public escapes to the beach.

If billionaire Vinod Khosla had his way, there would be a little less beach for the public to enjoy. If others were to follow his example, perhaps a lot less beach.

Khosla challenged the public’s right to fun in the sun on Martin’s Beach, which is located “on the California coast south of Half Moon Bay.” This public beach abuts Khosla’s property, and access to it has been grandfathered in.

Nevertheless, Khosla “installed a locked gate and armed guards at the [access] road’s entrance.” The Surfrider Foundation then sued for continued public access, and won. Had Khosla instead prevailed, the public’s right to nature’s gifts could have been seriously eroded.

Resources

http://fortune.com/2018/10/02/vinod-khosla-california-beach-private/

Monday, October 1, 2018

Sea here!

'Cucumber' Critter (Photo by Francois Michonneau)

If you’re illegally harvesting sea cucumbers in Puget Sound, you might find yourself with a hefty fine, and/or worse.

Sea cucumbers, animals that resemble their vegetable namesake, are a key part of their local ecosystem. Harvest too many, and you endanger the future health of the environment.

One of the largest busts recently befell the owner of a seafood company. Hoon Namkoong was not only ordered to “pay 1.5 million in restitution,” but was also “sentenced to two years in prison.”

Namkoong had taken “nearly 20 percent of the total allowed harvest” of sea cucumbers statewide,” thus doing “serious damage” to Washington State’s ecology.

Resources

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/washington-man-gets-prison-for-overharvesting-sea-cucumbers-must-pay-1-5m/