October 2024

In this month's Newsletter, we'll cover the devastating wildfires tearing across South America and their impact on The Amazon. Also, an intro to my chicken sanctuary, and more!

WORLD HEADLINES:

WILDFIRES IN SOUTH AMERICA AND THEIR IMPACT ON ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST DIVERSE ECOYSTEMS

Flames rip across the continent, devouring rainforests and taking the lives of countless animals and people. Skies are turned black with smoke and rivers become choked with toxic ash. 

Since August of 2024, huge wildfires have been wrecking South America, at its worst in the country of Brazil. 13.4 million acres of land burned just this year across the continent. Several factors have contributed to this disaster, including climate change, a record-breaking drought, and slash-and-burn agriculture. 

Due to the fires, air pollution has become a huge problem for those inhabiting the affected countries. A cloud of smoke shrouds the skies over 4 million square miles. In the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil, schools have closed and airplane flights canceled due to poor air quality and visibility. The smoke-clogged air can have a crushing impact on health, leading to respiratory and cardiovascular issues in both humans and animals.

The fires have devastated the South American rainforests, namely the Amazon, killing over 44,000 wild animals. The Amazon Rainforest is one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world, and without it, the circle of life would spiral into chaos. 

The Amazon is home to 10% of the world’s known species. If the rainforest disappeared, countless plants, animals, and insects would go extinct. Also, the Amazon is a major carbon sink, absorbing about 2 billion tons of CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) from the atmosphere annually. Trees and plants convert the CO2 into sugars, which feed them, and the converting process generates oxygen - between six and nine percent of the world’s oxygen, in fact. Whatever CO2 isn’t converted into sugars is stored safely within the trees, but when the trees die and decompose, the carbon is released back into the atmosphere, speeding up the global warming process and starting the cycle all over again. 

What can you do to help? For starters, you can donate to organizations, like the Rainforest Trust, who aid in the conservation of rainforests and their inhabitants. Other similar organizations are the Amazon Watch, Amazon Conservation Association, and Rainforest Foundation. You can find more information and donate here:

• The Rainforest Trust

• Amazon Watch

• Amazon Conservation Association

• Rainforest Foundation

Some other ways you can help the environment are:

-- REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE. Take shorter showers, turn the lights off when you leave the room, and recycle items whenever possible.

-- USE SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION. Ride a bike or public transportation as often as possible. Also consider carpooling when going to the same place as a friend or relative. 

-- REDUCE MEAT CONSUMPTION, especially beef. Livestock have a huge negative impact on the environment because of the amount of water and land they use, as well as the greenhouse gas emissions they create.

--ADVOCATE AND VOLUNTEER. Raise awareness about environmental issues and educate your community. Volunteer with local environmental groups and donate to foundations working to keep our planet healthy and inhabitable.

The wildfires in South America are expected to continue throughout the duration of the dry season, which usually lasts until November or December. Once the fires stop, recovery efforts will focus on providing emergency aid to communities affected by the fires. Rescue operations will commence for injured wildlife, who will be rehabilitated and relocated to safe habitats. Then the reforestation and rebuilding process begins. It may take years for South America to recover emotionally, physically, and financially from these deadly wildfires.

Unfortunately, because of climate change and global warming, wildfires are becoming increasingly more common and destructive. Record-breaking droughts around the world will only escalate the issue, because fires are much harder to control in hot, dry conditions. 

There’s plenty you can do to help, though! Follow the suggestions I listed above and donate to organizations tackling climate change. The Earth needs you. 

Main information sources: 

• "The Earth is crying out for help": The Guardian

• "As wildfires consume South America, experts warn of a new normal";  UNEP

• South American Wildfires Wikipedia

• nasa.gov earth observatory

• https://copilot.microsoft.com/

Barnette's Chicken Sanctuary

INTRODUCTION

Many people think of chickens as egg or meat dispensers, simply existing for humans to farm and slaughter. But when I look at a chicken, I don’t see a piece of food, or a thoughtless egg machine. I see a sentient being, capable of forming deep bonds with humans and deserving of a happy life.

That’s why I started the chicken sanctuary. I saw chickens being abandoned and mistreated, and I want to change that. I adopt elderly, disabled, and unwanted hens and give them permanent homes with me. They get warm coops, free healthcare, and lives full of sunshine and dirt and grass. They are never forced to lay eggs, and they are never turned into meat. 

The name, “Barnette’s Chicken Sanctuary”, was inspired by a hen named Barnette. She had gorgeous gray feathers, and a neurological condition called Stargazing. Due to this condition, Barnette lived in a crate in the house and was fed with a dropper by my hand. She wandered around the yard during the day, under my supervision. Unfortunately, due to her Stargazing, Barnette’s quality of life was very low and we had to put her to sleep, but she left an imprint on my heart and made me realize my love for chickens. 

At the chicken sanctuary, I currently have 15 hens, including a blind one. I have two large walk-in coops which I clean weekly. The blind hen and her two “buddy” chickens live together in one coop, and the 12 healthy hens live in the other. 

In each issue of The Newsletter, I’ll have a section where I update you on the happenings at Barnette’s Chicken Sanctuary - new members, sick chickens, predator problems, and more. 

I also have a YouTube channel, simply called Barnette’s Chicken Sanctuary, where I post videos of all of the chickens. Please subscribe - if I can reach 1,000 subscribers, I can unlock monetization to help bring in funds for the chicken sanctuary. 

Speaking of funds, I have a GoFundMe page as well! Keeping chickens is expensive - I have to buy food, bedding, and medicine, and I don’t have a job yet. Every dollar counts, and you can help me improve the lives of my hens by donating here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/barnettes-chicken-sanctuary

Thanks for reading! I look forward to writing the next update about the sanctuary in the November edition. 

Curiosity Column

Ravens vs Crows

Did you know, there’s actually some significant deviations between ravens and crows? They look and sound the same to most people who don’t know any better, but in this month’s Curiosity Column, I’m going to show you how to spot the difference between these two species of birds.

Crows...

-- Are the size of pigeons

-- Have a smaller wingspan than ravens

-- Have rounder wing shape when flying

-- Have fan-shaped tails

-- Do more flapping than soaring when they fly 

-- Often have dark brown feathers mixed with their black ones

-- Have shorter beaks than ravens

-- Make high “caw-caws” as well as clicks and bell-like sounds

Ravens...

-- Are the size of a red-tailed hawk

-- Have much larger, longer wingspan than crows

-- Have wedge-shaped tails

-- Soar often, rather than flap, when they fly

-- Have iridescent, oily-looking feathers

-- Have long, chunky bills

-- Make guttural “gronk-gronk” sounds as well as some other weird noises, like some cat-like calls. 

Main source of information:

  -- NatureMapping Foundation Animal Facts

Thank you so much for reading! Hope you learned something new. Go check out my Group, "The Newsletter", where you can discuss this newsletter can get interviewed for the community spotlight (first one will be in November)! 

https://www.writerscafe.org/groups/The-Newsletter/14670/