Downeast Sojourn

Having been on this site for a while, I'm well aware at this point. How many times oil tankers run aground or break up in the ocean, and it's not a pretty thought. All of this without much more than a slap on the hand. Not good for the environment, the oceans food chain. Is it any Wonder that petroleum companies are the true bad boys on land, on sea, and in the air?

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The Christos Bitas was a Greek oil tanker that ran aground off the Pembrokeshire coast, Wales, on 12 October 1978 while carrying 35,000 tonnes of Iranian heavy crude oil. About 4,000–5,000 tonnes spilled into the sea, threatening local wildlife and protected areas like Skomer Island. Though the master refloated her, damage was far worse than believed, and the tanker continued leaking. British Petroleum (BP) quickly stepped in to organize cleanup and lightering. Two tankers, British Dragoon and Esso York, removed 26,000 tonnes of oil by 20 October.

A massive response followed: 40 vessels deployed booms, skimmers, and dispersants offshore, while cleanup crews worked along the coast. On Skomer Island, dispersants were banned due to its fragile ecosystem of seabirds and seals, forcing manual oil removal. Around 350 tonnes of oily “mousse” washed up there, with 300 tonnes eventually recovered. Still, the spill killed 1,035 birds out of 1,520 oiled, and 3 out of 40 seals died. With repairs too costly, the damaged Christos Bitas was towed 500 km into the Atlantic and scuttled on 31 October 1978. A slick formed but dispersed naturally within two weeks. The case became an early example of coordinated UK–Ireland–BP oil spill response, highlighting the need for contingency planning and proper oil disposal sites.

Study your geologic history, and you'll know, we're in for trouble.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/aug/28/collapse-critical-atlantic-current-amoc-no-longer-low-likelihood-study?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=soc_567&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwQ0xDSwMep_FjbGNrAx6nwWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAAEe95pJhKgelvvleIiNCtnAAnS41PF_obYF8ChnRNvtFpFZjCIj5dEsDRcAytk_aem_MayC332fK5T8cD51aV-3tA =1756421410

Collapse of critical Atlantic current is no longer low-likelihood, study finds Scientists say ‘shocking’ discovery shows rapid cuts in carbon emissions are needed to avoid catastrophic fallout

40% of lobster was coming from the north, not sure about that now with the new tariffs.

U.S. lobster catch drops as crustaceans migrate to colder Canadian waters | CBC News

U.S. lobster catch drops as crustaceans migrate to colder Canadian waters | CBC News The U.S. lobster industry is based mostly in Maine, where lobsters are both a cultural signifier and the backbone of the coastal economy.

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nîtisânak, listen closely, for these are strange and heavy days across the lands we now call Canada.

In the east, in places like Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, the governments have placed strong hands over the forest gates. They say the air is too dry, the earth too thirsty, the fire too quick to wake. From August until mid-October — and perhaps beyond — they have closed the trails, the camps, even the quiet fishing spots. They warn of fines as high as $25,000 for those who step where the trees still stand.

I will tell you, I know fire. I have seen it run like a wild horse, devouring the hills. We, the First Peoples, have always respected the danger and the medicine of fire. We knew how to tend it, to clear the dry brush, to burn small so that the land might live long. But this — this blanket ban without distinction between those who wander for fun and those who go to gather medicine, to pray, or to visit the graves of our ancestors — this feels like another wall between us and the land that has always been our relative.

Tourism people speak of their losses — the empty lodges, the cancelled tours. Their pain is real, for they too depend on the land. But our pain is older. When the forest is closed, it is not only an economy that suffers — it is a way of life. The medicines go unharvested. The sacred sites sit alone. Our youth, already hungry for connection, lose another path back to their teachings.

And yet, I understand the fear. This summer has been hotter, drier, more brittle than many remember. The winds carry the scent of smoke more often now. The seasons are changing in ways that our grandparents warned us about when they spoke of a warming world. In their language, they did not say “climate change” — they spoke of the land shifting because the people had shifted away from respect.

What is missing here, my relatives, is balance. These governments reach for the biggest tool — a ban — instead of walking with us to find the wiser path. What if we brought back Indigenous firekeepers? What if we used controlled burns, firebreaks, and community watch over the land? What if, instead of locking the forest, we tended it together, as was done for thousands of years?

These are not just laws about recreation. They are about the relationship between people and the land. If we treat the land only as a danger to be closed off, we forget that it is also our teacher, our healer, and our ancestor.

So I say this: protect the land, yes. Protect life, yes. But do not forget that our freedom to walk the earth is also sacred. If we are to face the fires of this new age, we must do it with the old wisdom — together, not apart.

Tapwe,

—Kanipawit Maskwa
John Gonzalez
Standing Bear Network

So, the counter narrative of the so-called Christians is never done with their job of destroying truth & Justice.

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Because life is interesting, and because, I'm no longer busy in the same way I was, I'm going to go back to making observations. Because, I can. Sorry for the absence, I was busy with a different project. It's interesting to see two lines. Intersecting on one point where we all just happen to be in DownEast, Maine.
(Click the link to see the other line that intersects.)

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