Hi-Sci-Fi

by Irma Arkus

First thing I popped open today comes courtesy of New Scientist (I know I keep complaining on the quality of their articles, but this stuff is like a gossip rag of science) on Schwarzenegger’s new move to TERMINATE FUNDING for California state parks.

Why am I mentioning this?

Ah well. California, touted as literally the third world greatest economy, is having some serious financial issues. Not sure if you’ve been keeping track, but Schwarzenegger has been in the news as the governor of California who refuses to pay his civil employees for months at a time, and his budgetary issues have come up as soon as someone mentioned stimulus funds. In other worlds, they are drowning, and cutting corners everywhere.

Currently, California is juggling a massive deficit, of almost 25 billion dollars. While financially, it may make sense to cut funding to parks, the species that exist and are threatened might fair worse without a little extra help. For one, Sequoia trees are having the roughest time with their comeback, as they are currently tended from being overingulfed by more aggressive Fir trees.

Since I was a kid, Sequoia trees have been on my list of “things to see.” My brain still screams in agony at the thought of fisheries collapsing due to overfishing. When it comes to extinction of something as old as Sequoia trees, it simply shuts down, as if hit by lighting or a mild stroke.

Furthermore, the ongoing research projects in the park are at risk of losing their funding. Parks currently host some 120 projects, all of which are in danger of either losing their financial or administrative support.

We, on the other hand, are in risk of losing countless species, to money.