Episode #81: Ethan Bonnin on Ecological Degradation at the Borderlands

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Episode #81: Ethan Bonnin on Ecological Degradation at the Borderlands

effects of ranching, border militarization and misuse of water on sky island ecology of southern AZ

Kelly Moody

Jan 13, 2024

About Ethan:

Ethan graduated from Humboldt State University with a degree in Wildlife Biology and Conservation. Currently, he works in the advocacy world for habitat protection and restoration on public lands that face various resource extraction industries. He homesteads on a piece of desertified land In southern Arizona and is attempting to reverse desertification processes to help build food/habitat. Beyond his focus in biology, over the last 12 years he has been involved with local organic agriculture systems in the places he has lived. Ethan has worked at many different organic produce farms/apiaries and is currently working more with sustainable livestock use on different landscape levels. He is also interested in foraging, food processing/preservation, processing/use of animal fibers for clothing, wildlife tracking/trailing, erosion reversal/desertified landscape restoration, music, wildlife tracking. Ecology and ecological advocacy has been his passion and focus through his adult life and many of these hobbies have helped him to connect with his local ecological systems. He believes that healthy human communities and landscapes are integrally tied and there is no environmental protection/advocacy without supporting the communities that live in those places. Ethan works with mutual aid networks in his area and has been involved in several direct action campaigns surrounding the border wall and local ecological issues. He has a wonderful dog companion, Tuck, who keeps him company at his desert homestead and on many adventures. Working to re-wild and decolonize the world around us starts within and Ethan hopes to continue this journey with the wonderful community of folks he’s met along the way.

This episode is in two parts: one part was recorded in person in September 2023, and the 2nd half on ZOOM December 2023 to complete the conversation. Both parts are included in this episode.

In this episode, we talk about:

Ethan’s wildlife tracking biology work in the sky islands of southern Arizona
how the border wall doesn’t just have a negative social impact, but a negative ecological impact as well
how climate change and poor land use practices are dramatically affecting the Sonoran desert
how overgrazing of cows affects water table and riparian areas in the Sonoran desert
the heightened tension of working near the border even doing conservation work and how doing this work can sometimes be dangerous in this region
small scale pastoral lifeways as a possible solution to ecological issues
grazing politics on public land in the Sonoran desert
fixing the ecological situation in the Sonoran desert would take a monumental cultural shift
how the ‘war on terrorism’ is connected to border wall politics, racism and cultural bias
the large scale ecological changes that have occurred in the southern Arizona region since colonization including large scale deforestation
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