• Animal Tracks •

This is not a very unique sight anymore. I have seen some very large bears cross the road. Last year, Anya clipped one that came off an embankment right in front of her so abruptly that she couldn't stop or miss it entirely. It just kept on running and probably was bruised but not badly hurt. Perhaps it even learned that staying away from cars or vehicles in general is a better choice. Saturday's, was quite a bear for size and traffic that had been rolling along on our 50 mph two lane at 58- 60 mph was suddenly going under 40mph for the next 5 or so miles. Good reason for caution too. There was a bear/pick-up collision that killed the bear on Rt 15 last year and the truck was totaled. The bear was killed and when I passed and saw the bear it was stretched out with it's forelegs off the pavement and it's hind legs over the white line. That means it would have been able to mark a tree well over 9' up. (I can reach to 8' at my finger tips.)

Animals just don't comprehend cars or other vehicles for that matter. New Jersey is really littered with road killed animals of all kinds. Certainly there are a few whacko people who aim to hit smaller animals and get some kind of sick pleasure in feeling the bump but most collisions of animals and vehicles are purely accidental. All any discussion about mans' encroachment into natural areas and the loss of habitat, while valid, doesn't deal with the issues of the islands of green and riparian areas where wildlife is abundant and road accidents are rising. The other side of the equation, while less often fatal is tragic. Many people swerve to miss an animal and lose control of their vehicles resulting in injury or death. Our next door neighbor was traveling home around 9:30 on Rt 15 a few years ago, she swerved to miss a racoon that was running across the road, lost control of her car and lost her life. This was an especially poignant tragedy to us because the family was identical to ours; all four the same gender and age.

Moth on log end

The imbalances that result in nature from our activity as a species are all moving towards new balance of some type. The greatest difficulty is that technological advances are occurring at a blistering pace in terms of the ability for natural evolutionary mechanisms to be able to adjust.

I really believe that the corporate, profit driven industries and the people who derive a more indolent lifestyle through applying the technologies are not cognizant of the potential devastation that awaits if we get too far out on this limb. I believe that it is critically essential for our society to reassess and rediscover the merits and value of natural systems and living as harmoniously as possible, without exception. Or, I believe, that down the road we ourselves will be the next road kill, with no comprehension of the danger we face.

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