Though I will probably never go to the southern Appalachian Highlands in North Carolina, its ecosystem is important to preserving our own in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Over the past century, the red spruce has been decimated through a combination of bad logging and acid rain.
Red spruce and other species migrated to these mountainous areas after the last ice-age, creating what are called “sky islands” throughout the region. Now through the efforts of the Southern Highlands Reserve, seedlings are taking root for forest restoration. It will take time to restore the old world forest but it’s important.
Acid rain results when sulfur dioxide mixes with nitrogen oxides, often the result of burning fossil fuels, and is emitted over wide areas, not just near the fossil fuel burning electricity plant. But the Supreme Court limited EPA’s ability to counter air pollution in a 2022 decision. Didn’t you know we all have invisible walls so we don’t breathe bad air?
Prayer for the Day
The soft air of mountaintops beckons us, O God,
As the scrub pines and firs call us to save them;
The mossy ground squishes when we walk, O Lord,
As the many small creatures look to us for rescue.
Open us, O Holy One, to the beauty of mist and mountain,
And pledge us to end what would destroy them
In the name of the One who touched the earth,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
The sky islands are a relic, a remnant of what the old world looked like. The air smells different. The soil is spongy. It’s just magical—like being in a J.R.R. Tolkien book.
Kelly Holdbrooks, Executive Director SHR
One of the best things you can do for both of those species [northern flying squirrel and spruce moss-fir spider] is to restore habitat that was lost. The red crossbill, northern saw-whet owl, and black-capped chickadee also rely on these ecosystems, as do 16 rare plant species.
Sue Cameron, US Fish & Wildlife Service
O Lord, who may abide in your tent? Who may dwell on your holy hill?
Those who walk blamelessly, do what is right, and speak the truth from their heart.
Psalm 15: 1-2