by Brian Houston

The changes Texas will go through within the next 10 years cannot be ignored.  A border fence, invasive species, industrial growth and population booms will continue to affect not only the Texas landscape, but also its inhabitants.  If the private citizen leaves it up to the scientific community at large, the changes may not be addressed until after the effects are realized.

Whether it is the current issue of Global Warming or the global cooling forecasted in the 1970s, the real issue is change.  Change is a normal phenomenon that occurs naturally within our atmosphere.  Aside from natural change we have human inflicted (anthropogenic) change.  Beyond the ethics debate over who caused what, we must contend with what changes are occurring, at what rate, to whom, and to what extent.

Even though the job sounds specifically designed for scientists, consider that Benjamin Franklin was a writer/printer who became an inventor and made contributions to science.  Similarly Forrest Mims is a local inventor and writer.  He is currently involved in the local study of Geronimo Creek.  He has spoken against the erecting of waste disposal along the creek.  Though he was not a science major in college, Mims is a self proclaimed “Citizen Scientist” and is a well respected science writer.

The advantage the private citizen has over the learned science scholar is that professional scientists rarely have the opportunity to live, struggle, and survive with nature in a semi-natural environment for the better part of their lives. 

Those of us who live with nature on the land, or near the water have a wealth of information earned through observation.  Nature has a way of informing us when change is coming.  Take for instance the Great Blue Heron that changes colors first among birds in this part of the world.  It is a bellwether for seasonal change, and other birds will follow suit.
           
In addition to the changing of the seasons, nature gives indicators of change in various ways.  I moved from the Pacific coast to southern Guadalupe County in 1979.  The contrast in landscape and wildlife was (and still is) extreme.  The differences piqued my interest, and I began to notice a few things.

Growing up in the country I notice that flies tend to “bite” within 24 hours of rain.  I also noticed that the “old-timers” would not plant until after the mesquite trees bloomed.  They had learned over the years that the peach tree might be fooled, but the hardy mesquite always knew when the last freeze had occurred.

The “old-time” wisdom helps illustrate that one doesn’t have to be a scientist to recognize indicators of change.  One might even contend that nature is speaking to us, if we would only listen…

The increased sharing and using of water must have an impact on the availability of clean water supply.  The increase of industry and water recreation is bound to have an impact on water quality.  Since sensitive species are a good indicator of the health of water ecology, anglers too play a key role in observing and reporting changes within aquatic species.

“Water is one of the major issues” facing the local areas, according to Mark Gustafson, associate professor of biology at Texas Lutheran University.  When asked what individuals could do to make a difference, he spoke of personal conservation efforts and being proactive in their local environments.

An individual being proactive in their environment doesn’t mean that one must attend rallies, or donate money.  It likens instead more toward a sense of caring about the impact we are having on nature.

Observing and noting changes in our own local environment can provide a wealth of information to the scientific community.  The reporting of changes to our natural environment should be performed by those most able to witness it on a daily basis.  Therefore it is up to me, and you, the “citizen scientists” to be the stewards and advisors of change within our environments.

July 2007