First Flowers -- Primeras Flores

The first flowers of spring -- las primeras flores de la primavera -- are appearing here in Northern California. February still has a chill in the air, and the days are still exceptionally short, but the first flowers are making their brave appearance.

What is it about having a new baby girl that makes the magic of natures creation that much more impressive? Why is the amazement on her face when taking a close up look at the new flowers so inspiring to me? Thanks Kiara for all the lessons you are giving to me, and thanks to the flowers for hinting at winters passing and the accumulation of life lessons.

The lessons of life that come with a child certainly are numerous. For instance, new positions for getting rocked to sleep go right along with learning what music she likes best. Seems that Boards of Canada for all their gothic electronics and Bluetech for the deep groove are both bands that Kiara loves -- or else I just tell myself that so I can put some calming music on for myself cuando la hora de su siesta nos haya llegada.

Kiara came down with us to town on Friday and stepped in briefly (well, got carried in...) to the KMUD studio when I did my latest Febrero Hip Hopero set for Latino America Sonando. She is just four months old, and really can't make any sense out of any of it (any more than she does for the Yard Dogs Road Show though she seemed to dig it anyways). It is fun to think that our love for music and the wild edges of nature are soaking into our daughter because of the style of life we maintain. She will do what she will do that much is for sure, she will be her own person and we will just have to celebrate that, especially when she starts to let us know that our taste is old and out of date.

But first flowers are always timeless, just like the amazing expressions dancing across a babies face. We just have to enjoy every minute of them.

Wild Things

We live in a very wild place, absolutely full of wild things. No matter how hard some people might abuse the land, Northern California always has wild phenomena to keep one close to the power of the earth.

For instance, we had another earthquake on the Lost Coast today. I was the only one that noticed at first, but the way things kept shaking definitely made the deep earth vibration unmistakable. The temblor might have been subtle, but we all, however, noticed immediately the new storm of river swelling rain that is drenching our mixed forest stands. Our rainfall is just barely average this year -- yet it is still twice what we have received in the last couple of years. Life giving rain, just another one of those little miracles we learn to treasure.

As they say, nature works in mysterious ways. We love the mystery of the wild life revealing itself to us in the rapid growth of Kiara. There's bears loose in our neck of the woods!

And, speaking of the wild, as an update about Patagonia I recommend checking out the February 2010 National Geographic with the article Patagonia's Peril -- great coverage about one of the planets last wild refuges, and burning descriptions of the threats looming over the region. There is a lot happening these days in Chile, including a change in government, and we will be sure to share more news in the next months. In the meantime, enjoy this video put together by colleagues in Chile using footage from our trip to the Pascua in 2008.



And in English this time, the same video!

Kiara Hughes is One Month Old!

Three is the Magic Number

Mama Isabel y Baby Kiara

Kiara - Back at Day Two

It is a belated announcement, that of the birth of Kiara Hughes at 7:45 PM on Wednesday, October 21, 2009, yet her one month birthday celebration is going on tonight and this post is just in time for that! It is a party night--lots of naps and sleeping and sooner or later more eating! Looking at it that way, everynight is a party night!

Kiara was born at 7 lbs. 13 ozs (más de 3 kilos 500 gramos) and is now grown to over 8 lbs. Thanks to everyone who has sent us greetings and energy. We wish that all might have wellness, abundance, and safety as part of the holiday and new year.

Welcome Kiara! We hope our parenting can do your beautiful nature justice.

Oh yeah!

Nesting Birds and Bouncing Stones

With a smile on our face we watched the nesting Downy Woodpeckers through the spring. Though they left us some while back, the nesting lessons are still appreciated. Natures teaching and the creative expression of art and music are staying with us as we prepare for our own nesting moment. It will probably be a lot of work, but, as well, this is going to be fun!

Along with her photos of el carpintero (la carpintera!) (and her blog of adventures), here is Isabel's Mandala, helping us focus and relax.
And, lastly, I post a fantastic music video, Bouncing Stones. It's a wonderful mix of the contemporary guitar of our friend Bodhi with the Aussie late-night favorites Spoonbill, all thrown down with some very cutting edge video production. Do enjoy!

Radio Globo Honduras

Those few folks who might drift past this Una Voz por lo Silvestre blog from time to time have probably noticed that I am not posting many photos or news here in the last months. Nevertheless, I have continued to blog with regularity as an important part of my position as the Patagonia Campaign Coordinator with International Rivers. You can check out that newer blog right here, and stay up to date on our work to protect rivers in Patagonia from massive hydroelectric development.

I am inspired this evening to rapidly post a link to an internet broadcast of radio news programming supporting the resistance to the military coup in Honduras. Radio Globo Honduras has been an amazing source of news and insight into the non-violent resistance to the military golpe del estado that occurred on June 28. I highly recommend giving a regular listen to Radio Globo Honduras, as a means of getting a true picture of what is happening in this small yet critical Central American nation.

While listening online I have heard on the street reports of many amazing political actions, even accounts of violent repression of protests by the military regime, making for absolutely breathtaking radio. Radio Globo Honduras has been a total inspiration to my community radio sensibilities, as they stay on the air amidst threats from the military regime to shut down their broadcasting, and remain firm in their opposition to the golpe. Not only that, last Saturday they played several hours of great cumbia--definitely a revolution that I can be a part of!

This is a must listen for anyone who is fascinated by how community radio can contribute to social movements.

Check it out!

Patagonia and Radio Universidad de Chile

I just made my quickest trip ever to Chile. I touched the Baker river, and I charged my batteries for the next months of work. And I was a guest on the show Semaforo Cultural -- Cultural Traffic Light -- at Radio Universidad de Chile. The show is a very interesting discussion about the international day of water and issues around agua in Chile. I got to speak about the harsh situation in rural Cochrane after the multinational corporation has invaded, and how it appears through the eyes of a foreigner. I am by no means the only person on the show with something interesting to say - give it a listen, especially si es que hables español.

The fotos are from the International Day of Action Against Dams celebration in Río Ibañez. The two upper photos are courtesy of friends at Aysén Reserva de Vida, and the photos below are mine, of some people that I have met and who inspire me in this work.

My batteries are charged, and at International Rivers we are on a good advocacy roll.

Free Flowing Rivers -- An Investment In A Better Future

I thought that I might get motivated to put together some text and try to blog about learning to dive and getting my PADI certification when we went to Utila, Honduras, in January. I am not a marine biologist, but Coral Reefs are one of the reasons why there is life on this planet, and I am glad to have gotten closer to this severly threatened ecosystem type.

Perhaps I should blog about all the radio I do with Redwood Community Radio--but I can't this time because I have not been doing any radio lately.

What I will blog about rapidly, for the first time in several months, is my committment to advocate for free flowing rivers and responsible investing in a time of severe economic meltdown. I am working full time to protect the wild rivers of Patagonia, and I share here what I believe is the most politically and economically compelling argument for cutting off all monies to mega-hydroelectric development in Patagonia, and beyond.

The protection of free flowing rivers is an investment in a better future!

Rejection Politics 2008

Electoral politics are no medium through which one should aspire to live out their ideals. It is only about making as practical a decision as possible in a civic duty that is but a small slice of each citizens political responsibility pie.

I have followed the primaries and the campaigns since they began, and a big chunk of that was during my trip to South America over the winter--back where this blog began. I have to say that I have been impressed with this country as far as what the movement to elect Barack Obama has succeeded in doing thus far. It was fantastic to see him out maneuver the Clintonistas. Nevertheless, I continue to be skeptical of the entire electoral process, and the duoploy of the major parties.

Some of my best sources for information about current events have empirical evidence that demonstrates that there are many instances in which the differences between the candidates are more stylistic than substantial. I find the webpage of Foreign Policy in Focus to be an excellent source of information on current events. There are many issues discussed by their writers in which the major party candidates are shown to have few differences.

On the other hand, one of the better informed and grassroots oriented voices of internet journalism is the publisher of Narco News, Al Giordano, who has maintained an independent blog covering the election that he calls The Field. He has continued to cover the campaign from an on-the-ground angle, looking at the work of the Obama campaign all over the country. Even though he weathered a falling out with more mainstream elements of the Democratic Machine he has continued to demonstrate support for Obama's candidacy. Considering his experience through out América, I take his position seriously.

The options are otherwise limited. I could not vote. But that is only one of the many things that I do for political expression. Hence my view that voting is a very small part of my civic duty. For being such a small part of my political expression, it is less important than others. I therefore do not worry about whether or not I can express my ideals in voting. Of the potential alternative candidates I believe I prefer Cynthia McKinney. Ralph Nader is an Has Been, and an egomaniac as well. If he truly believed in building an alternative to the duopoly he would continue to support the Green Party. Perhaps it is a misread of history to blame Florida 2000 on him, but his strategy of focusing on battleground states in the last week of his 2008 campaign is a nasty attempt to consciously play the spoiler in an election that is even more critical than the one 8 long years ago.

And what a spoiler he would be. A McCain-Palin administration would be a very rough and ugly victory, especially considering how hateful their campaign has become. One can only hope that the numbers continue to be in Obama's favor.

When it comes to survival there is nothing wrong with voting for the more palatable of some not-so-palatable choices. It is, after all, just election politics, and in this case again, just Rejection Politics 2008. I would be willing to grant Obama a landslide victory, if to do nothing more than send the Republicans home packing. The last eight years have been a torturous tragedy. I have few delusions about the Democrats, but my practical goal here is to see the USA reject the Republican platform and the McCain-Palin ticket, sending a clear message to the world, and the country, that the error is over.

In closing, I provide this video--a hilarious narrative that captures the superficiality of the electoral process, and the clear vision for what is an appropriate behaviour of the USA in the world that we must continue nurturing.

So You Think You Can Be President

Latino América Sonando

Thanks to KMUD stalwart and jazz and salsa horn player Jimmy Durshlag, I am starting to do a monthly set of the weekly KMUD show of Latino América Sonando. Yesterday I did the show and also got in a quick and informative interview with colleague Aaron Sanger of International Rivers.

It was fun to share with the KMUD listeners a bit more information about our work to protect rivers in Patagonia!

As an aside, a month ago I did an interview with my friend Burke Stansbury, who is the Executive Director of the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador-CISPES. I aspire to bring a mix of news and good music to the two hour set when I get a chance to get behind the board en la radio comunitaria de los redwoods.

Though the show is only archived for about 15 days, you can go here and listen to the Latino América Sonando show I did yesterday. With a touch of patience and a few minutes wait for the finish of the previous program and the start of the show you will get a two hour south of the border music and news extravaganza--or something like that...Que lo disfruten!