Forests, in their ancient ecosystems, are crucial for the biosphere of the Earth. In this segment of Technics and Civilization, long-time activist and anthropologist, Deanna Meyer, Director of Prairie Protection Colorado, discusses Colorado’s forests and her life protecting what she loves – Nature and the wild. From her early days studying anthropology and English at the University of Alaska Fairbanks to her work with Deep Green Resistance, she has worked in various roles for the ecosystem, which supports life.
Today, her voice rings out clearly in defense of Colorado's majestic forests and the rapidly disappearing prairie dogs across the Midwest. As a member of Deep Green Resistance and WildLands Defense, she believes in transitioning environmental advocacy from polite pleas to bold defense. Colorado's forests are a tapestry woven with millions of acres of emerald magic.
These giant systems play a vital role in the state's ecosystem, acting as habitat and as guardians of its water and animals. Yet, like guardians facing a growing threat, these forests are under siege. A changing climate, relentless insect infestations, and the ever-expanding footprint of human activity are taking their toll. She laments the behavior and culture of “sustainability” or “forest service” and then off-road vehicle sport.
This is where the delicate project of Deep Green forestry practices comes in. Striking a balance between protecting the environment for its own sake, attenuating the “use” of the forest as a playground, and/or for destruction for use as natural resources is a constant battle. Deanna, guided by the principles of environmentalism, is striving to do just that.
Sustainable management in Colorado's forests will not meet the need to protect the forests as true environmentalism means ensuring forest health and resilience against human ecology or encroachment and use. This work also includes clear effects of human-induced climate change on the planetary scale.
For Deanna, advocacy and activism extend beyond the towering trees and into the cities and prairies. Her heart beats for the beleaguered prairie dogs, once abundant across the Midwest but now facing dwindling numbers. She believes their plight is intertwined with the health of the entire ecosystem, a domino effect in the grand tapestry of life. For the forests, it is long past time for global society to step up and protect and restore these great ecosystems.
Deanna Meyer is the director of Prairie Protection Colorado and an anthropologist working on biodiversity and habitat protection and restoration with Deep Green Resistance. She is also an organic farmer and long-time environmental activist.
Layne Hartsell, MSc, PhD is a board member at the Korea IT Times and a research professor at the Asia Institute in Tokyo and Berlin. He has worked as a research professor at Sungkyunkwan University and the Advanced Institute for Nanotechnology and Sookmyung Women’s University in South Korea; and at the Center for Science, Technology, and Society at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand.
