Natural Perspectives -- Vic Leipzig and Lou Murray

One of the joys of being a freelance writer is making my own schedule.

While Vic was stuck indoors teaching, I took off midweek for a noon

picnic and hike in Casper’s Wilderness Park off Ortega Highway in San

Juan Capistrano.

I called my buddy Larry Rolewic, who does computer consulting with the

Bolsa Chica Conservancy. He was available for a picnic, as was my cousin

and fellow freelance writer, Laura Klure from Riverside. Larry and I

car-pooled. We met Laura at the park under towering oak trees.

Talk soon turned to such lighthearted topics as recycling and solid

waste. We’re environmentalists, so we had taken measures to ensure that

our picnic didn’t make a major contribution to the landfill. For example,

our picnic tablecloth was reusable. I brought washable picnic plates and

tableware for three to avoid disposable paper plates and plastic ware.

Laura also had brought nondisposal service for three. We turned

expectantly to Larry. He said he hadn’t brought any plates because he was

sure the two of us would have it covered. However, neither Laura nor I

had remembered drinking glasses. Larry produced a set of reusable mugs.

This environmental potluck was working.

Warbler migration kept us busy with binoculars for a time, but

eventually we settled down to eat. Air quality was the next topic of

conversation. The American Lung Association had just given the greater

Los Angeles area, which includes Orange County and Huntington Beach, a

grade of “F” for air quality, mostly for ozone pollution. Despite

progress in improving our local air quality, we still have too much ozone

in the air we breathe. In fact, the greater Los Angeles basin has the

worst ozone pollution in the nation.

Ozone is a problem of our own making. Auto and truck exhaust produce

nitric oxide, which combines with oxygen from the air in the presence of

sunlight to produce ozone. This air pollutant damages lung tissue and

results in increased hospitalizations, especially during the hottest days

of summer when pollution is at its worst. Driving more fuel-efficient

vehicles and driving less are two ways to reduce ozone in the air we

breathe.

In contrast to the increase in ozone level near the ground, ozone is

decreasing in the upper atmosphere. In one of life’s little ironies, loss

of ozone in the upper atmosphere is responsible for an increase in

harmful ultraviolet irradiation. Past use of certain chemicals called

chlorofluorocarbons in refrigerants and aerosol spray products has

disrupted the normal ozone layer in the upper atmosphere. Without this

protective layer, more UV-rich sunlight makes it to the planet’s surface.

UV irradiation causes damage to the DNA of our skin cells and greatly

increases our risk of skin cancer. I’ve had skin cancer twice, so I

always use sunscreen now.

Vic says that when he lectures on ozone in his “Man and the

Environment” class, his students always suggest that we just transport

the ozone from the ground, where it hurts our lungs, into the upper

atmosphere, where it would block UV rays. Unfortunately, this is

impossible.

After lunch, Larry, Laura and I hiked the nature trail in Casper’s

Park. We noted how dry the foothills have become. Although it is early

May, cactus is shriveled, wildflowers are sparse and the grasses have

already turned brown. Our area normally receives 14 inches of rain a

year. This season, it received only four inches. San Juan Creek was bone

dry. The animals will have trouble finding food and water this year and

survival of young is likely to be low.

We attributed the abnormally dry season to climate change brought on

by global warming, which is due to burning fossil fuel. We expect

additional dramatic shifts in weather. In the future, periods of extreme

drought will be interspersed with severe storms that will bring too much

water too quickly for the ground to absorb. Fires, floods and mudslides

will give the news media plenty to cover in the coming years.

Unfortunately, America’s massive consumption of fossil fuel has

contributed greatly to increased ozone in the air we breathe and to

global warming. The three of us discussed the need to conserve

electricity and gasoline. Society needs alternative fuel sources. In the

meantime, we need to insist upon more fuel-efficient vehicles. Laura

commented that there are far better things to do with petroleum than burn

it. It is essential for manufacture of plastics, asphalt and synthetic

rubber.

As you can see, the three of us were more fun to be around than a

barrel of monkeys. Where some might have been able to just have a nice

picnic in the woods, we saw environmental problems brought on by the

actions of humans. We also saw ways in which humans can slow and perhaps

reverse some of the damage.

By all means, go outdoors and enjoy nature. But the next time you have

a picnic, think about how you can do so ecologically. Recycle, reuse, and

remember your sunscreen.

* VIC LEIPZIG PhD and LOU MURRAY PhD are Huntington Beach residents

and environmentalists. They can be reached at o7 [email protected] .