
California’s Fires – Nature Bites Back
Although the intentional use of fire to keep brush down is no longer as viable because of air quality regulations, we should learn from the Indians’ custom of actively controlling the land for the benefit of wildlife, and safety. The notion that the Indians preserved nature as if locked in amber is now being called "The Pristine Myth". The lesson we need to accept — that the Indians understood — is when nature is left to its own it may be bad for the environment. Too many snow geese can ruin wetlands, protected forests eventually rot and fall down, or burn (releasing way more carbon than new forests), and in California the environment is not clearly benefitting from the 20-30 foot high chaparral that has grown up in the hills surrounding Los Angeles — at least not as much as would grass and small shrubs animals could eat easily. We need a more dynamic approach to these public lands, perhaps cattle, goats or just clearing it by hand if necessary.
In Charles Mann’s book: "1491", his collaborative research argues the Indians dominated the hemisphere — humongous farms and cities in the Yucatan and South America,… Read More