One of the issues that I am most passionate in my life is fish and water management. My passion for fish and their environment eventually led me also to have a love for fishing and the many beautiful environments to which it brings me. Over time, I have also gained an appreciation for the interconnectedness of the natural world. Many people have trouble seeing the connection between recreational fishing and care for the environment. There are many environmental groups founded by outdoor enthusiasts like myself (Trout Unlimited, Ducks Unlimited). Some environmentalists say that these groups are too single minded and only focus on a single organism in the environment, purely for pleasure. I would respond that these environmentalists are failing to engage in ecological thought by not realizing that we are all part of a “mesh”. I firmly believe that, by monitoring and studying the population of certain species who act as environmental indicators, we will be better able to evaluate the overall health of ecosystems. The short film, Against the Current, tells the story of ranchers along the Yellowstone River, who for years have dewatered trout streams in order to irrigate their fields. The organization, Trout Unlimited, worked with one of these farmers to both restore the natural flow of the streams on his property and increase the efficiency of his irrigation system. The film also makes several good points about the inter-connectedness, or mesh, of our world. In addition, they bring up the idea of giving nature an equal voice with which to defend itself. While most idea and opinions in this film follow closely to my own, I disliked how the word “stewardship”, was repeatedly used. I feel that it is a term the places humans above nature, when in reality, I think we are on a level playing field and our place in the world is only to remedy the problems that we ourselves have created in nature. I also realize that, in helping to increase the farmers’ ability to irrigate, they are in a sense perpetuating many other environmentally aspects that go along with farming and ranching. However, in my opinion, the institutions of farming and ranching are such an ingrained part of our life that they are unlikely to cease any time in the future. Until such a time, it is my hope to make these practices have as little impact on our environment as possible.
P.S I could only find the first 4 min of the movie on youtube so I'm posting a link instead where you can view the full 18 min. Hope it works.
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