On Dec 5, 8:28*pm, Giles wrote:
On Dec 5, 3:01*am, DaveS wrote:

Thank you.

De nada.

I read the WHS article on Aldo/Game Association, and that
one on spatial theory, . . . both very interesting and relevant to the
mixed cover, river course I am working with.

Haven't looked at the latter, but found the former both fascinating
and revealing.....especially in light of further reading. *What
sparked the whole affair was references to the Riley business in the
prefatory material to "For the Health of the Land: Previously
Unpublished Essays and Other Writings" by Aldo Leopold, Edited by J.
Baird Callicott and Eric T. Freyfogle.....none of which would likely
have produced a lasting impression in most people. *Nor in your
correspondent.....except for the fact that coincidence is the
fundamental organizing principle of the universe. *Growing up in
Curdistan and embracing the out of doors makes unfamiliarity with
Leopold virtually impossible......well, except for the illiterate and
aliterate, which, granted, comprises the vast majority.....but that's
a whole 'nother lament. *In any case, I have, in the past few decades,
spent a great deal of time in Leopold's company, never tiring of his
oft repeated (which is to say, reread) stories.....see "Good Oak" for
a sterling example.....and, in the past couple of weeks, gone past his
property several times. *Unbeknownst to me, at the time, I had also
(not surprisingly, under the circumstances) passed by the Riley
property a number of times. *Well, these ARE "The Sand Counties" after
all.....so what? *So, it turns out that Callicott is also a
disturbingly familiar name. *Hm.....where have I heard that before? *I
don't know. *But Google does!

Turns out that J. Baird Callicott, who, according to Wikipedia, "is an
American philosopher whose work has been at the forefront of the new
field of environmental philosophy and ethics" *and who is currently
"University Distinguished Research Professor and a member of the
Department of Philosophy and Religion Studies and the Institute of
Applied Sciences at the University of North Texas," also once "held
the position of Professor of Philosophy and Natural Resources at the
University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point from 1969 to 1995, where he
taught the world’s first course in environmental ethics in 1971." etc.

AHA! *I KNOW that guy. *Well, I met him a couple of times anyway.
Turns out that Callicott and I have a mutual acquaintance, through
whom we were introduced. *My old friend, Gail, once worked for
Callicott (a work/study job as general secretary/factotum/gopher/
amanuensis) while the three of us shared tenure (of one sort or
another) at UWSP back in the early 90s. *Visiting Gail in her (his)
offfice from time to time, it was virtually inevitable that Callicott
and I were eventually introduced to one another, and we engaged in a
bit of polite conversation on a couple of occasions. *So?

So, I had completely forgotten him and (it is virtually certain) vice
versa (well, there IS the distinct possibility that an unusual name
would ring a faint bell, even if heard decades later).

In any case, one dare not (if one has anything resembling good sense)
ignore such convergences. *There is meaning somewhere in there.....or
should be.....or we can manufacture it if need be.

Meanwhile, Aldo. *Leopold's impressions, convictions, attitudes, and
methods evolved over time. *The Riley business serves as a good enough
example of how Leopold departed from his (and his mentor's) earlier
convictions and goals. *None of which might be interesting (and
certainly none of it is.....to most people) except for that all
important connection to place.

Colder than usual Winter as predicted setting in here. We don't do real cold here very pretty.

The difference between there (climate) and here, or near enough,
anyway (weather)......you don't do cold very pretty there, and cold is
clean, clear to the bone UGLY here (or near enough, anyway).

+2 F. at the tree farm at 10:17 p.m (CST).....and doubtless much less
pretty 5 or 6 hundred miles to the northwest.....and the BEGINNING! of
winter still three weeks or so away. * * *

Wolfgang
whose recent experiments with a leaf blower to control snow in the
immediate environs of the house proved remarkably successful.....for a
very short while. * *

I will graze Callicott as well.
The Riley/Aldo stuff rings home to me because as a kid, hunting in NJ,
we were taught lots of the game cover practices that were applied at
Riley. NJ is a small state and the ag landscape offered a similar mix
of wood, cultivated and fallow field, corn/soy/mixed farming, brush,
etc as that described at Riley. Personally my understanding evolved
into a simple "pleat" analogy; ie in a given space, increase the
number and intersection of "pleats." So for example, add missing upper
and lower stories of flora. Add more secure and foul weather places
for fauna. Create more edges between cover types. etc.. As red-neck 14
year olds we knew this stuff because as hunters we had direct evidence
that these practices yielded more and different game for our
shotguns.

Obviously this was before the day that the NRA shifted its focus from
conservation and safety, into protecting my rights to buying and
carrying unregistered thug guns I might need to rob a store or defend
the Republic against the threat of universal health care. And of
course, creaping suburbanization didn't help our brush piles much
either.

2 degrees? Are you kidding? We get very squirrelly when things move
into the 20s. Except when we are skiing in the Mtns. But then
flatlanders are not much fun to watch driving in the Mtns either.

Dave