Kanapaha Prairie: Recalling a Legacy of Freedom

-->

                                    Kanapaha Prairie: Recalling a Legacy of Freedom

Kanapaha is one of many ancient depressional prairies in North Central Florida. The largest and famous of these is, of course, Payne's Prairie, immediately south of Gainesville-- described extensively by William Bartram in the 18th century as "The Alachua Savanna".

One of my field site: Kanapaha Prairie (picture (c) Chris Wilson 2012)

 Bartram extolled this part of Florida as a landscape dotted by numerous such grassy savanna's, but dominated by pine savanna and mixed hardwood hammocks-- full of oaks, magnolias, hickories, wild citrus and so on. The Seminole Indians, descendents of lower Creek groups, moved into the area in the early 1700's, displacing the last of the Floridian tribe remnants (e.g. Timicuans) and the Spanish outposts that had earlier assured their demise through disease, and attrition. 

Hardwood Hammock adjacent prairie (picture (c) Chris Wilson 2012)

-->

The Seminole thrived in this land of great abundance of wild game, birds and fish- replete with numerous freshwater springs and healthy, clear-running rivers. They became great cattle and horse people as well, herding the naturalized populations of these beasts originally introduced by Ponce De Leon in the early 1500's. Forage for their beasts was furnished primarily by these numerous savanna openings. These resources were supplemented by the grazing available in the open pine savannas, and the edges around the hardwood hammocks. Bartram described the horses and cattle as small and sleek- admirably adapted to the vagaries of this environment.

 

Cracker Cattle at Kanapaha (picture (c) Chris Wilson 2012)

The cattle shown in these pictures are "pure stock" of the "Spanish Colonial Cattle", otherwise known as "Cracker Cattle", the most direct descendants of the Seminole cattle, and a link to this cultural history. Like their forebears, they are small, horned, and hardy animals. They calve easily without assistance and their mothering instincts are strong and effective. These beasts know how to stay alive in a tough, predator-rich environment.

As the plantation economies grew in the Cherokee lands to the north, in Georgia, the political role of Florida’s Seminole territory became significant. They were a fierce, proud people- passionately devoted to their hard-won lands. Numerous African slaves began to escape their lot in Georgia and North Carolina, as the conditions of their chattel slavery became more brutal. Over the decades, a large population of these escaped “maroons” established themselves alongside the Seminole in North Florida.

Great old Live Oak (picture (c) Chris Wilson 2012)

Together, the maroons and Seminole hunted, fished, managed their lands with frequent fires, and practiced traditional polycultural field agriculture. The Seminole, too, sometimes practiced slavery, but the terms were ordinarily relaxed. “Slaves” were most often allowed to set up shop, marry, and profit from the proceeds of their own work- so long as they paid a moderate tax to their erstwhile masters.

For the span of a few decades, Florida was thus a potent symbol of freedom and resistance. For many, it represented the chance to create a new society and lead a dignified and free life. The US government’s war on the Seminole in the early-mid 1800’s stretched for decades as the joint resistance of the fierce Seminole and their Maroon allies proved difficult to overcome.

Whenever I set foot in one of these Prairies in my new home, I recall this legacy of freedom and resistance set amidst a tough yet abundant landscape.  For me, it symbolizes the enduring connection between human prosperity, freedom and the health of the land. 

Twin Live Oaks on Prairie (picture (c) Chris Wilson 2012)

Recommended Reading:

-William Bartram’s Travels. (Available freely online)

-Riordan, Patrick (1996). “Finding Freedom in Florida: Native Peoples, African-Americans, and Colonists, 1670-1816”. The Florida Historical Quarterly 75(1): 24-43.

-Mann, Charles (2011). 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created. Knopf: New York.

Regenerative Ecology: A Look Ahead

Over the upcoming months I hope to address a few related topics on this blog. Since I expect to be fairly busy, and I feel the internet is already a dumping ground with loads of low-quality information, my goal is going to be quality over quantity. But I wanted to give a sense of what this project is supposed to be all about, assuming yours truly keeps himself on track :)

1) The origins, ecology, and evolution of grasslands and ruminant animals. I will briefly cover the relevant biology of grasses and ruminant animals, and then discuss the changing extent and nature of grasslands over the ages, and their present significance. Since grasslands account for 25-33% of the earth's terrestrial surface, it's important to understand the basics of how they function, contribute to biodiversity, and provide invaluable "ecosystem services" to our species.

2) The role of ruminant livestock in agriculture from a national and global perspective. I will consider how ruminant animals contribute to nutrient cycling on organic farms, the maintenance and health of grasslands and rangelands, and the human food supply. We will consider the common environmentalist objections to ruminant animals. In particular, I will focus on the methane production of ruminant animals: Why does it happen? How much of it is released? How does livestock husbandry affect methane production?  What are the global sources and sinks?

3) A detailed look at the global carbon cycle, including a layman's primer on ecosystem carbon storage, and other sequestration strategies. The goal is to understand how land management can contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation.

4) Exploration of the subject of resilience and sustainability. What does it mean for landscapes, and ecosystems? For human economies? How does politics help or hinder? What can we do to foster resilience in our own lives and communities? I will argue against many of the common assumptions about sustainability, green development, permaculture and so on.

                                                                      ----------

So what is "regenerative ecology" anyways?

I suggested a partial answer in my first post. It wasn't a very good explanation though. I think that the answer to this question will become clear as I address the above issues. Nevertheless, a few more words may be in order.

Our civilization has been under-written by relatively cheap, abundant fossil energy since the industrial revolution. I take this to be axiomatic. At the same time, the legacy of colonialism, excesses of capitalism, foolish decision-making and other politico-economic forces have encouraged exploitation rather than wise stewardship of natural resources and capital. So far, we've done a good job at insulating ever growing numbers of people from the condition of ecosystems on which we all depend, but this too has been facilitated by cheap energy.

 Consider agriculture.Yields have risen, even as natural capital has literally been eroding into the sea:
-Global agriculture produces several tons of eroded topsoil for every ton of food produced
-Industrialized intensified agriculture (such as in the US), uses between 5-12 kcals of fossil energy for every kcal of food energy yielded
-Global agriculture has become a net sink of energy, rather than a net producer 

The consequences of this pattern of development are numerous:
-Despite record yields, more and more people go hungry
-Nutrient export into oceans creates hypoxic zones
-Loss of carbon from topsoils depletes long-term fertility and soil quality, and contributes to global warming
-Human health suffers from the over-production commodity crops for the processed food industry

At the same time, the outlook for global energy supplies appears tight, to put it mildly. The consequence is rising prices for everything.

We can do things differently! We can rely on ecosystem services, and sunlight energy. Again, agriculture is the most tractable example. It should
-build soil fertility rather than deplete it
-conserve or restore biodiversity rather than imperil it
- be a net yielder of energy, rather than a net sink

I don't want to be glib about this transition. Indeed, that's why I'm writing this blog. But if we want to rely increasingly on natural ecosystem processes and agroecosystems for our necessities and goods, we cannot just talk about sustaining them; in many cases, we have to regenerate them! This is analogous to politics, where we need to eschew "lesser of two evil" choices, and start supporting things that are actually part of the "solution matrix".

This means that excellent land stewardship has to become the norm, and not the exception.

So, broadly speaking, I define "regenerative ecology" as the application of ecological sciences towards the aim of regenerating ecosystem health while returning a yield to their human inhabitants and managers.