Dana Lyons

Environmental Threats

In my opinion the greatest threats facing the Salish Sea are fossil fuel export ships, pollution generated by overpopulation:  too many cars, too many lawns using pesticides etc., destruction of salmon habitat such as dams etc., and climate change.  While the list of threats to the Salish Sea could go on for pages, the chief environmental threat is our unsustainable industrial culture which treats the Earth and her creatures with disrespect, and often treats the Salish Sea as a large sewer.

Cultural Issues

 The current industrial culture, originally introduced by the European immigrants (or invaders, depending on your perspective) completely upended the Native American culture which treated the land and water with respect and more or less was sustainable so the nearly all species could flourish.  Fortunately the Salish People are still here and are teaming up with the rest of us to attempt to evolve back into a more sustainable culture. 

 Stewardship

In order to be better stewards of the Salish Sea the first thing we should do is listen to the youngest generations' pleas about climate change, and make the changes they are demanding.  Yes folks, this will mean a large cultural overhaul.  Anything short of that will not stop climate change, and as the Pacific ocean warms, eventually the Salish Sea will become too warm, have a giant algae bloom, and have a complete die off, like they have in some waterways in Florida every few years (also due to climate change and pollution).  We need to back our kids who have the guts to call out the older generation oil addicts (like myself).