Wolf packs in Oregon successfully interbreeding

Last updated on: November 24, 2012 at 3:10 am By Lupa Greenwolf

Much of the news surrounding the environment and its inhabitants is negative; therefore a bit of good news is more than welcome. One bright spot involves the recovery of the gray wolf in the lower 48 states: a recent report from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife revealed that there are multiple distinct packs in the state. Better yet, they’re interbreeding with successful litters as a result. This means that Oregon wolves are diversifying genetically, which improves their chances... Read more

New Writer: Rua Lupa

Last updated on: December 19, 2016 at 12:48 am By Rua Lupa

Rua Lupa's self introduction - written for when they started on No Unsacred Place in November 2012. Since having had closed its doors and moved to Patheos, Paths Through The Forests in April, 2014. Read more

Quick Post from the New Admin

Last updated on: November 13, 2012 at 6:31 am By Lupa Greenwolf

Hi, folks, As you may have read last month, No Unsacred Place’s creator, Alison Lilly, stepped down as the administrator of the blog. It’s almost a cliche to say “She will be missed”, but it really is true. From the time I became a writer for NUP a little over a year ago, she’s been a wonderful help (to include answering entirely too many questions) as well as working to keep this blog running smoothly, and interacting with the rest... Read more

Remember that we are among the most privileged beings to ever live on this planet.

Last updated on: November 5, 2012 at 1:26 pm By Lupa Greenwolf

We as a species have the ability to choose what we eat, where we live, with whom we mate, and how we raise our young, to unprecedented levels. From the moment we learned how to use fire, through our ability to build ever stronger shelters, and into the increasingly abstract thought processes we communicate to each other, we have altered the world more than any other animal. And we have done this at a price, a price paid not only... Read more

The Risks and Benefits of Nature

Last updated on: October 4, 2012 at 11:36 pm By Lupa Greenwolf

I just finished reading Richard Louv’s The Nature Principle. It’s one of the most constructive and inspiring looks at our need for nature, not just as children (as in Last Child in the Woods) but every bit as much as adults, too. There’s a really wonderful quote about the risks vs. the benefits of being out in nature: From the backyard to the backcountry, nature comes in many forms. The negative impacts of the risks that do occur in wilderness... Read more

Getting My Hands Dirty

Last updated on: September 27, 2012 at 6:17 am By Lupa Greenwolf

Last weekend I participated in my first environment-based volunteer action in a few years. When I first moved to Oregon I did some tree planting around the Columbia River with watershed activists, but after that all my volunteer time went for requirements for my Master’s degree work, mostly social services volunteering. The past year I’ve been getting the hang of being self-employed as an artist and author full time, and it wasn’t until the festival season wound down earlier this... Read more

The Dangers of Talking Plants

Last updated on: August 13, 2012 at 6:47 am By Lupa Greenwolf

Recently, a study was published in the journal Trends in Plant Science that suggests that plants “talk” to each other. The researchers observed plants making clicking noises, and when the same clicks were artificially reproduced the roots of new seedlings grew towards them. (The article itself may be found here in PDF form, for those interested.) This is all well and good. However, the researchers then proceeded to jump to conclusions about the significance of the correlation between the clicking... Read more

On the Impermanence of Mountains

Last updated on: July 11, 2012 at 9:19 am By Lupa Greenwolf

Scale is everything. When we walk across a grassy field, we push the plants aside and brush away errant insects. Except for a few curious children, naturalists, and field biologists, that is the extent of our interaction with that ecosystem, unless we happen to see a deer, bird or other such vertebrate. We’re not required to engage with the moment to moment dramas of tiny invertebrates at our feet. We don’t keep a watchful eye out for marauding dragonflies ready... Read more

The Power of Positive Greening

Last updated on: July 5, 2012 at 10:58 am By Lupa Greenwolf

Recently I happened across this excellent interview Minnesota Public Radio did with Richard Louv. Louv is the author of two key books in the modern environmental and ecopsychological fields, Last Child in the Woods and The Nature Principle. During the interview, Louv spent a good deal of time reframing the environmental movement in more constructive, positive ways. He pointed out that the prevailing “story” of environmentalism has largely been one of doom and gloom and “you’re all doing bad things!”... Read more

Bathing in the Colorado, Swimming in the Pacific

Last updated on: June 2, 2012 at 1:53 pm By Lupa Greenwolf

I am writing this from California, down here on business again. It’s been a pretty water-heavy few days for me, in between scheduled obligations. My partner took me to swim in the Pacific Ocean for the very first time the other day. I’ve waded a bit (up to my knees) in street clothes on the Oregon coast, but it was too cold for a proper swim. So when we got to the northern bit of Los Angeles, we diverted to... Read more