Manipulated Cycles

We have talked extensively in class about how cycles inform the history of the Adirondacks. We had talked about economic cycles of boom and bust, as well as the cycles of logging and reforestation, but all of these involved some sort of human influence. It was interesting, therefore, to read about the cycles that occurred naturally to create the landscape of the park, and those that still occur today. Porter talked about the way that nature destroys and recreates itself, specifically with erosion and uplift of mountainous regions. This cycle occurs, of course, over millions of years. Another example of one of these abundant, naturally occurring cycles is climate. Thousands of years ago, the ADKs were in a state of glaciation. As civilization began to appear, "the climate warmed to nearly modern temperatures by 7,500 years ago and by 4,500 years ago may have been warmer than today." (Porter, 31) In a continuation of this cycle, the climate should now be cooling again; falling towards this same state of glaciation once again. However "the advent of farming, clearing of forests, and animal husbandry may have helped" (Porter, 31) to maintain the climate at it's warmed state and prevent "a slide back into the glacial icehouse." (Porter, 31) And that's where the confusion begins. The same question of whether or not our presence is more important than that of these naturally occurring cycles comes to the forefront once again. By manipulating the climate, though not always consciously, we have given ourselves the ability to sustain our livelihood over a long period of time, without having to change our ways to adapt to a fall in temperature. But what are the longer term consequences of this manipulation on the environment? Will the mountainous uplift still occur in the same way even with our acceleration of the erosion process?

I seem to keep coming back to the same essential question. Can humans coexist with nature? And does our need outweigh that of the wilderness? I find this question frustratingly interpretive and impossible to answer. I think I need to make some sort of numerical scale with which to weigh each decision about human presence in the ADKs....But who even has the power to create that scale?