Buddhism and Modern Science
______________________________________________________________________

In the four noble truths we find the definition of the human predicament according to the teachings of the Buddha.  The first truth is that human life is wrought with frustration, pain and suffering.  The Buddhist tradition refers to suffering as duhka.  

The concept is an honest and straightforward description of the experience of human life.  Although there are those times when we feel rather elated with our lives, as we engage with others we see, on the whole, so much suffering in the life of humanity.  The digital age and the revolution of technology exposes us daily and more readily than in the past to enormous quantities of stories of human suffering and tragedy.  

This discussion will reflect on two questions:

• Does modern science support these views of the human predicament?
• Does modern science support the Buddha's ideas about the human mind?

As we look around us in the world we see human beings living in some horrible conditions.  Starving children, war, racism and intolerance, homelessness.  For over a decade, we have lived with a very intense threat of terrorism driven by human hatred.  We sense a division between religions, most dramatically between the faiths of Islam and Judaism.  The attacks of 9-11, still fresh in our minds-eye, reinforces an almost silent feeling of inner dread in many North American citizens.  These are examples we can draw upon quite easily to define human existence as an existence of suffering, in support of the Buddha's claim.

The first noble truth  also defines human suffering as an internal issue for humanity.  Science would define this internal experience of duhka as psychic or psychological, emotional suffering.  The human intellect, with our innate capacity and ability of thought, can act almost as an enemy to us in life.  Thought alone, with recollection upon memories of psychological trauma, for instance, can inflict us with suffering repeatedly, long after the traumatic event has passed. 

Add to this the knowledge we carry that informs us, almost unconsciously, that we will age, get sick and ultimately, we know, we are going to die.  This makes human life seem rather pointless.  To some, the ultimate suffering of knowing we are living only to one day die, is what we might refer to as a meaningless life.  No matter how hard we might try to not think about our inevitable demise, we can't help but think about it.  Death, we know is waiting for us all.  We've seen death.  We know this is true.  With this knowledge, we suffer.

The theory of natural selection in science supports the Buddha's reference to life as suffering in a more sterile form.  Natural selection suggests that only the strong among us will survive.  By survival, the theory of natural selection proposes that as a species of primate, not far removed from the abilities of the chimp, our quest in life is also a simple one.  In this theory of science, the aim of humanity is to leave behind on earth, as many copies, individually, of our genes as possible to carry on into the next and coming generations.  

Therefore, individual human life is a life of competition with other humans, to ensure the passing on of our genes.  The study of evolutionary biology is the science we might engage to support this position to define the human condition or predicament.  Evolutionary biology proposes that all human activity is fueled by this survival of the fittest, internal biological drive within humanity.

The second noble truth taught by the Buddha, supports natural selections definition of human life.  This second truth teaches that suffering has a cause and that this cause is, in fact, that we are constantly struggling as humans to survive.  Individually, we are constantly trying to prove that we are important to the world and that our existence, individually, matters.  Unfortunately, the teaching suggest that the harder we struggle to establish ourselves in our efforts to survive with importance, the more painful our experience of life becomes.

The third noble truth in the Buddha's teaching tells us that suffering  can end.  He says that our struggle to survive, and our effort to prove ourselves to the world isn't, at all, necessary and that we can make adjustments to get along in the world in a peaceful way, without the suffering we tend to endure.  Basically, the Buddha says, if we can learn to act in a simple, direct and straight-forward manner with ourselves, by accepting the reality of life, we can eliminate the cause of our suffering.  He tells us we can do this by abandoning our expectations about how we think things should be.  

This takes us to the forth noble truth, proposed by the Buddha.The fourth noble truth is the way, or path to end the cause of suffering. The central theme of this path is the practice of meditation.  For the purpose of this specific discussion, meditation, here, means the practice of mindfulness.  

We become mindful, according to the Buddha, by abandoning our expectations about the way we think things should be and, out of our mindfulness, we begin to develop awareness about the way things really are. We begin to develop the insight that we can handle ourselves, and our relationships, and we can then learn to live peacefully and comfortably with ourselves and others in the world.

This is where Buddhism and science come together in an incredibly helpful way.  Mental health practitioners are now incorporating mindfulness training into treatment modalities.  Mindfulness practice, for those who suffer with a variety of medically defined mental illness, teaches the 'patient' to not only become mindful of behavior, but more importantly, mindfulness training teaches us to become aware of our thinking.  By observing our thoughts, without judgement, we can see the thoughts that cause us pain.  We can gently allow the thoughts to come and go, thereby eliminating power of negative thinking over time and with practice.
 
When we look at the tradition of the four noble truths with some comparisons to modern science, the two points of view seem to align.  Specifically, when we consider the value of mindfulness teachings and apply the practice in therapy in mental health practice, there is harmony between the two schools of thought.  

Speaking personally, I know mindfulness teachings have improved the outcome of my own experience with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I personally value the practice and now incorporate a few minutes, three times/day into my personal recovery plan.  Many report the same value in the mental health community.  

As we move towards healing our individual lives, it would appear, both Buddhism and modern science, with the application of mindfulness into treatments, can support one another without conflict.  As for any conflicts with religion, we'll leave this discussion for another time.  The single concept of mindfulness, is making a huge difference in terms of recovery potential for those who live with the effects of trauma.  

Consider a study of Buddhist practice.  Consider mindfulness training.  Don't suffer with any ideas of conflict.  Rather, embrace the concepts and you too will find a contributor to healing.  Peace awaits and this peace has been a long time in coming.  We all deserve this peace.  We all deserve to experience an end to our sense of personal suffering.  Mindfulness practice, adopted from Buddhism, can make all the difference.

Be Well. . . . . . . . 
 __________________________________________________________________
References:

Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia: Mindfulness (psychology): 2014 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindfulness_%28psychology%29
Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia: The Four Noble Truths: 2014 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Four_Noble_Truths
Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia: Natural Selection: 2014 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_selection
Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia: Evolutionary Biology: 2014 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolutionary_biology
The Trauma Recovery Blog: Thought & Mindfulness: 2014 http://www.traumarecoverybc.com/1/post/2014/02/thought-mindfulness.html

Take This Action Today to  Celebrate Earth Day in British Columbia

(Cut and Paste These Email Addresses)

Premier Clark: premier@gov.bc.ca
Environment: env.minister@gov.bc.ca
Environment Critic: s.chandraherbert.mla@gov.bc.ca
Natural Gas Critic: robin.austin.mla@gov.bc.ca

April 22nd, 2014

Office of the Premier
via email

Madame Premier:

The Canadian Government has lost a court challenge. 

http://www.ecojustice.ca/blog/its-time-to-put-the-action-back-into-the-killer-whale-action-plan

The courts have ordered protection for Killer Whales in  this same region. 

http://valuecoursework.blogspot.ca/2014/03/conservation-and-population-recovery.html


This optically represents game-playing to achieve a goal, contrary to the wishes of the Canadian people regarding Northern Gateway and other projects.  Such moves to proceed with these projects would prove contrary to the direction of the courts for the environmental protection of habitat on the BC Coast.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/humpback-whale-losing-threatened-status-amid-northern-gateway-concerns-1.2617633?cmp=fbtl

Keep these issues in mind, please, as we celebrate earth day.  Make this day, matter.

Regards,

(Your Name Here)

'Should We Be Moral Relativists: Reflections on Addiction in North America

___________________________________________________________________________
'Should We Be Moral Relativists?'
Reflections on Addiction in North America

___________________________________________________________________________

Bernard Gert, defines morality in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy*:

"The term 'morality' can be used either:

• Descriptively to refer to some codes of conduct put forward by a society; or some other group, such as a religion; or, accepted by an individual for her own behavior.

• Normatively to refer to a code of conduct that, given specified conditions, would be put forward by all rational persons."

Moral relativism explains that moral judgments may be formed differently by many different people and across various human cultures. The concept can be examined in the following three contexts.

• Descriptive moral relativism argues that some people (individually and culturally) disagree about what is considered moral.

• Meta-ethical moral relativism sets out that in such disagreements, individual or cultural, moral points of view should not be considered in terms of being 'right' or 'wrong'

• Further, 'Normative moral relativism' argues that without attaching judgements of right or wrong to individual, or cultural, moral points of view, we must then tolerate others behaviour, even though we might disagree in terms of the morality of the behavior. (Moral Relativism: Wikipedia: 2014).

This invokes the question:  Should we practice moral relativism as a society?  For the sake of example, lets discuss morality and relativism, by examining a most marginalized groups of human-beings in North America: the drug-addicted.

We might all agree that 'law' alone establishes our cultural definitions of morality in North America.  Illicit drug-use is against the law, so it must be immoral.  The addicted, however, abandon this collective agreement of morality.  They use drugs, in spite of the law. This leaves us with the non-addicted group viewing themselves as 'moral', while the addicted group is judged as living 'immorally'.

In the addicted community, issues of morality, are abandoned.  Drug use, to them, has no moral implications or judgements attached.  They may accept that using illicit drugs is harmful to them.  They might tell us that addiction is an illness.  But, they don't believe they are morally corrupt, in spite of what the law might say.

Two populations; living two different experiences; with two opposing points of view on morality, in conflict.  'Morality' translated to 'Law', creates this conflict.

Dr. Gabor Mate', in his best-selling book, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction, counters both notions of addiction as either a disease or as  a moral failure:

• "Dr. Maté, who for twelve years practiced medicine in Vancouver’s notorious Downtown Eastside – North America’s most concentrated area of drug use . . . Shows how the behavioural addictions of society’s more fortunate members – including himself – differ only in degree of severity from the drug habits of his Downtown Eastside patients . . ."  (http://drgabormate.com/book/in-the-realm-of-hungry-ghosts/). **

Statistics, from the United States, suggests that a moralistic approach to drug addiction is failing.  Drug Use Facts.org, reports the following:

• "The rate of current illicit drug use among persons aged 12 or older increased from 8.1 percent in 2008 to 9.2 percent in 2012. The rate in 2012 was similar to the rates in 2009 to 2011 (ranging from 8.7 to 8.9 percent), but it was higher than the rates in the years from 2002 to 2008 (ranging from 7.9 to 8.3 percent)." - See more at: http://www.drugwarfacts.org/cms/Drug_Usage#Overview" ***

In Hungry Ghosts, Dr. Mate' offers a solution to the moral conflict, by asking us to turn to a developmental understanding of addiction:

• Addictive tendencies arise in the parts of our brains governing some of our most basic and life-sustaining needs and functions: incentive and motivation, physical and emotional pain relief, the regulation of stress, and the capacity to feel and receive love.

• These brain circuits develop, or don’t develop, largely under the influence of the nurturing environment in early life.  Addiction represents a failure of these crucial systems to mature in the way nature intended.

• The human brain continues to develop new circuitry throughout the lifespan.  Dr. Maté examines the current mainstream by examining addictive patterns in what we would define as 'morally acceptable'^ addictions (^ emphasis, this addition, mine).(http://drgabormate.com/book/in-the-realm-of-hungry-ghosts/). **

Dr. Mate' has examined the drug issue from both cultural views.  If we were to adopt his vision of addiction, we could move towards new policies, rooted in understanding and 'healing'.  We could practice empathy and approach the addicted culture with compassion. 'Relativism' ends 'moral judgement'.  We could then accept the truth of addiction and the realities of life for the addicted in North America.

'Should we be, moral relativists'? 

"Walk a mile in your brothers shoes and understand."

Practicing 'moral relativism', might well teach us, how to do, just that.
___________________________________________________________________________
References 

**Gabor Maté, In the realm of hungry ghosts. Close encounters with addiction: 2008.  Random House,Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.

(http://drgabormate.com/book/in-the-realm-of-hungry-ghosts/).

*Gert, Bernard, "The Definition of Morality", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2012 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), (http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2012/entries/morality-definition/).

***Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Rockville, MD: (http://www.drugwarfacts.org/cms/Drug_Usage#Overview)

_____________________________________________________________________________

Conservation and Population Recovery Initiatives: Northern and Southern Resident Killer Whales In Canada's Pacific Region: March, 2014

(Photo: Amazon)

  

Introduction and Background

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Canada, has the role of leadership in managing the impact of human interactions on Canada's pacific coast, which runs the length of the shoreline of British Columbia. The pacific coast covers an areial distance of 965 kilometres, from the capital city of Victoria on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, to Stewart, British Columbia, adjacet to the border of Alaska.

In British Columbia, there are some 6,500 islands; 37,000 kilometres of shoreline; and approximately 450,000 square kilometres of ocean. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), through the Pacific Oceans Program, is mandated wiith the task of protecting the marine ecosystem and with maintaining a prosperous, marine economy. To these ends, the DFO is guided in Canada by the Oceans Act, the Fisheries Act, the Species at Risk Act and Canada's Oceans Strategy.

The Pacific Oceans Program supports the Government of Canada in achieving the country's commitment to sustainable development and assists with the protection of Canada's oceans and marine resources, ensuring productive and flourishing ecosystems to benefit current and future generations of users in the ocean environment. To do so, the DFO uses three key principles from Canada's Oceans Strategy:

• Sustainable development and use of Canada's marine resources to support economic growth and prosperity while ensuring a viable future.
• Integreated management by bringing ocean users together to manage and conserve Canada's marine resources.
• A precautionary approach by 'erring on the side of caution' to protect resources and preserve the marine environment. (Though this a stated commitment, action is often delayed, requiring intervention of the courts).

The DFO works with other federal departments, provincial agencies, Aboriginal peoples and other stakeholders who share responsibility and commitment in monitoring ocean issues in the pacific coast region. The Species At Risk Act is paramount in supporting Canada's conservation efforts in British Columbia's marine and inland waterways.

Species At Risk In Canada's Pacific Region: Coastal Marine Waterways of British Columbia

For the Pacific Region, coastal marine waterways of British Columbia, the Species At Risk Act, lists 12, out of 23 species of cetaceans and sea turtles as 'Endangered', 'Threatened' or warranting 'Special Concern':

• Considered endangered are: North Pacific Right Whales; Sei Whales; Blue Whales; and Leather-back Sea Turtles.
• Threatened species include: Fin Whales and Humpback Whales.
• Gray Whales and Harbour Porpoises are listed as species warranting Special Concern.

Appearing on all three lists, is a prominent species living in British Columbia's coastal waters, Orcinus Orca, or the Killer Whale.

(Photo Blogspot)

The Killer Whale: (Orcinus Orca)

The killer whale, Orcinus Orca, is a toothed whale, belonging to the dolphin family. Orcas are found in all oceans, from the Antarctic and Arctic, to regions in the tropics. They are marine mammals. They give birth to live young which are nursed with milk. They are Cetaceans, of the sub-order of whales, Odontoceti, characterized with having teeth and a single blowhole. In spite of their common name, as dolphins (Delphinidae) killer whales are part of 36 different species including bottle-nose dolphins and pilot whales. The killer whale is the largest of the marine megafauna species in the dolphin family.

When seen from a distance, young whales can be confused with other species, however adults are not easily confused with other such animals in the oceans. Adult Killer Whales are well-known for their distinctive black back, white chest and sides, and a white patch above and behind the eye. They have a heavy body with a large dorsal fin of up to six feet tall.  Behind the fin, Orcas have a dark grey saddle patch across the back. Numerous opportunities for sightings of these animals exist along the BC coast, where resident and transient killer whales actively forage for prey such as salmon, seal, seabirds and other fishes in the Pacific Ocean.

An apex predator, killer whales can live to between 50 and 80 years of age. Infant mortality in the species is high, with nearly half of all killer whales dying between birth and six months. This calculates to an adjusted, average lifespan of approximately 17 years for males and 29 years for females. Orcas calve only once every five years on average and mature for reproduction in their teens. With all of these factors combined, killer whale populations have a tendency towards a drastically low growth rate, making any threat to their survival, potentially, a problematic one.

Orcas are highly social animals, living in pods that are often specific to a geographical region. Individuals in pods can be identified by their unique markings specific to individuals, much like the human fingerprint. They are considered cultural animals with a form of developed language, in that different populations have specific vocalization types. In addition, within the same individual populations, variable dialects are known to exist.  Vocalization is taught and passed down the generations.

These animals have complex social structures and are organized into a series of social units along maternal lines. A matriline consists of a group of closely related whales that are related to the matriarch, typically the oldest female. Individuals travel together at all times and remain within the matriline (with their mothers) for their entire lives. Offspring of both sexes stay with the mother as long as she is alive. Families in pods, travel as a group, identifying further social and cultural interaction in the pod. Photo identification processes have been employed for many years, providing data over life-spans which is used to monitor life models of individual whales in each pod.

The Killer Whale is considered an iconic species off the British Columbia coast. The tourism industry benefits greatly by offering whale-watching tours that respects the habitat and life of these animals with thoughtful consideration, creating increased awareness of the animal's life for visitors. The industry creates opportunity for the general public to enjoy encounters with Orcas that ensures safety to the animal, while providing a public education experience that is, for all who visit, described as magical.

The Killer Whale holds major significance to the culture of British Columbia First Nations, as well. There are many stories of Orcas, across many individual groups of First Nations peoples.  Illustrated by the case of 'Luna' some years ago, some tribes believe that chiefs, after death, can reincarnate into Orcas.  Other legends tell tales of humans who drown at sea, later becoming killer whales.  

Orcas interacting with boats or swimming close to shore are seen, by First Nations peoples living along the BC coast, as really trying to communicate with their human families.  With such value to so many, the killer whale deserves thoughtful, mindful consideration in developing conservation initiatives.  The declining Northern and Southern resident killer whale populations is of paramount concern to many stakeholders now focusing on the survival of this species in Canada.

Northern and Southern Resident Killer Whale (Orcinus Orca): Conservation and Recovery in Canada

The coastal waters of the northeastern Pacific Ocean are home to three genetically distinct and socially isolated forms of killer whales, known as 'residents', 'transients; and 'off-shores'. Two of these populations are fish-feeding resident killer whales, known as the 'Northern and Southern Residents'. These two populations, whose feeding range does slightly overlap, are vocally, genetically and culturally distinct from each other.   

In 2009, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC), confirmed their earlier (2001) designation of the Southern Residents as 'endangered' and the Northern Residents as 'threatened'.  Both are listed in Canada's Species at Risk Act with these same designations.

COSEWIC considers these two populations at risk, because of their small population size, low reproductive rate, and the existence of a variety of anthropogenic threats that have the potential to prevent recovery or to cause further declines.  Anthropogenic threats are defined as those that are chiefly of environmental pollutants, originating in human activity.  Principal among these anthropogenic threats are reductions in the availability or quality of prey, environmental contamination, and both physical and acoustic disturbance.  Studies in the area have confirmed that prey availability for these residents, specifically, a decline in Chinook Salmon stocks, contributes greatly to the threat of the survival in this species.

Internationally, the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species (2013) currently lists the status of Orcinus Orca as 'Data Deficient'. The profile for killer whales cites as threats to the species: Shipping lanes; Biological resource use; Human intrusion and disturbances; Invasive native species; Genetics; Pollution and Climate change.

Issue of Concern: Declining Numbers in the Population of Northern and Southern Resident Killer Whales in British Columbia.

(Photo: Wikipedia)

As stated earlier, there are two resident populations of killer whales residing the northern and southern regions of British Columbia's coastal, marine waterways.  Transient populations travel often along the coast. Offshore populations, the most understudied of all the groups, are rarely sited inshore.  The Southern resident Orca population experienced declines of 3% per year between 1995 and 2001, and since then has shown little recovery. These animals are primarily found in the trans-boundary waters of Haro Strait, Boundary Pass, the eastern portion of the Juan de Fuca Strait, and southern portions of the Strait of Georgia.

The Northeast pacific resident population, resides in waters off northern Vancouver Island and the mainland British Columbia coast, as far north as southeast Alaska. This population is small and has a low potential rate of increase. Between 1977 and 1997 their numbers did show an increase, however the population then experienced a decline of 7%.

The resident killer whale population as of 2010 in British Columbia is only 300 individuals: 261 individuals in the northern community and 86 individuals in the southern community.  A possible attributing cause in the decline in numbers of these two Orca populations, is correlated to declining salmon stocks, during the same period of decline for Orca in the pacific region. Chinook Salmon, it's been determined, are an important food source for resident killer whales on the B.C. Coast.  Climate change and human activity are potential causes for the decling salmon supply to Orca's in the region.

Study Linking Killer Whale Survival and Prey Abundance: Pacific Region Resident Killer Whales

In a study published in Biology Letters in 2009, John K. B. Ford, Graeme M. Ellis, Peter F. Olesiuk and Kenneth C. Balcomb, presented their findings in a paper titled: “Linking Killer Whale Survival and prey Abundance: Food Limitation in the Oceans' Apex Predator”".  In this study, the authors determined that:

• . . . population trends are driven largely by changes in survival (of killer whales) and that survival rates are strongly correlated with the availablility of their principal prey species, Chinnook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)." ** Ford et al. (2009)

The team assessed the population dynamics of the Northern and Southern resident killer whales, using field study demographics, census data, and photo-identification of the killer whales in these two, distinct populations. They examined deaths and births in the individual groups, between 1973 and 2005 to establish averages in both categories.  They also examined annual Chinook and Chum salmon numbers during the same period.  Their findings showed a striking correspondence between changes in Chinook salmon abundance and mortality of northern and southern resident killer whales, suggesting that prey limitation was an important factor in population declines.

Killer Whale Expert, John K.B. Ford: Adjunct Professor with the Department of Zoology at the Universtiy of British Columbia

John K.B. Ford is adjunct professor with the department of zoology at the University of British Columbia and is a research scientist with the Pacific Biological Station, Fisheries & Oceans Canada. Since the 1970's, Ford has worked in collaboration with a variety of students and colleagues in a long-term study of the identification, social organization, and life history of killer whales.  His work involves studying the function of underwater acoustic signals in social communication of killer whales; the identification and description of group-specific vocal dialects; and interpretations of these dialects to yield insights into the historical social evolution of the populations.  Since 2001, his studies have broadened to include assessment of the conservation status of marine mammals and turtles off the pacific coast that are listed under Canada’s Species-at-Risk Act.

Additional Environmental Issues in Canada and in the Province of British Columbia: Impact on Killer Whales

Both the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia are currently engaged in resource development for economic gain that is proving tentative, at best. Two areas of focus include expansion in the oil and natural gas industries.  It is the current goal of the BC Government to see liquified natural gas refinery development with both the Province and the Federal Government also considering pipeline expansion, the Northern Gateway pipeline, in partnership with Enbridge Corporation.  Potential increases in oil-tanker traffic, should these projects proceed, is on the minds of many British Columbians.  Other environmental concerns include issues of species infiltration related to salmon farming, with issues now in debate, relative to the impacts of salmon-farming of non-native species on wild salmon stocks in the region.

Environmental groups and others are opposed to resource development projects due to the negative environmental impact such expansion will have on many fronts.  The maintenance of the pristine natural habitat, for many wildlife species, including killer whales and other marine mammals, is of utmost concern for the people of the Province of British Columbia; with the prominent voice of concern coming from various environmental groups and First Nations peoples.

The Governments of both Canada and in the Province of British Columbia, seem to rely heavily on the courts in making tough, environmental decisions, with cases often before the courts, due to forced action being undertaken by those concerned with the environment.  An original court decision in 2009, filed against the Department of Fisheries and Oceans by Eco-Justice, found that the Government of Canada had not adequately protected the habitat of killer whales, specifically, the Northern and Southern resident populations, whose numbers are in decline.

Although the Government of Canada appealed this decision, as they seem to do in all such cases, in February, 2012, the federal court of appeal in Canada, upheld the previous ruling; finding the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) had failed to legally protect critical killer whale habitat.  This ruling led to a draft action plan for the Northern and Southern resident killer whales in Canada, released in March, 2014.

Action Plan for the Northern and Southern Resident Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) in Canada [DRAFT]: 2014

'The Action Plan for the Northern and Southern Resident Killer Whales in Canada'***, just released in March of this year, outlines activities to be undertaken by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, with respect to all recovery efforts for this population of Orcas in the pacific region.  The plan is presented also to other jurisdictions, organizations and individuals having a role to play in the protection, interest and consideration of killer whales in the region..

All Canadians, for instance, are strongly encouraged, by the DFO, to participate in the conservation of Northern and Southern resident killer whales through various undertakings now considered priority recovery measures, as outlined in the action plan. The actions relate to the following objectives for recovery and form the broad conservation strategies outlined in the action plan:

• Ensure that killer whales have an adequate and accessible food supply to ensure recovery.

• Ensure that chemical and biological pollutants do not prevent the recovery of resident killer whale populations.

• Ensure that disturbance from human activities does not prevent the recovery of resident killer whales.

• Protect critical habitat for resident killer whales and identify additional areas for critical habitat designation and protection.

Although the impacts of the recovery measures in Canada's action plan are unknown, it is projected that the measures will ensure stronger survival rates and growth of this population of killer whales, and provide additional benefits to Canadians who enjoy these animals in the ocean environment.

Additionally, it is anticipated that some research and threat mitigation activities will result in benefits to other marine mammals and sea turtles, including a number of SARA (Species at Risk Act) listed species. Ensuring an adequate and accessible food supply is listed as the top priority for allowing recovery of the population of the species in these two resident groups.  It's important to note, however, that the action plan is just that, a plan.

The results of the legal process, although strong in condemning the Government of Canada's lack of action towards ensuring the protection of killer whale habitat, consideriing all the recent cuts to environmental, science programs and watchdog agencies in Government, it begs the question:  "Will the Government of Canada follow-through with their court ordered committments?"  It is estimated that, even under the best scenarios, recovery of numbers in these two populations will likely take up to twenty-five years.

(Photo Blogspot)

Suggestions for Further Reading

1. The draft Action Plan for the Northern and Southern Resident Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) in Canada, is available at the Fisheries and Oceans Canada website: http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/consultation/sara-lep/rkw-epres/docs/rkwap-paepres-2014-03-draft-ebauche-eng.pdf.

2. The Wilderness Committee of Vancouver and Victoria, provides very quality information on a number of environmental projects, including information on British Columbia's resident killer whales and provides articles covering the law-suits, enacted against the Government Of Canada, leading up to the development of the DFO action plan: 
(https://wildernesscommittee.org/press_release/appeal_court_decision_affirms_protection_killer_

whales).

3. The David Suzuki Foundation, collaborates with Canadians from all walks of life, including government and business, to conserve the environment and find solutions that will create a sustainable Canada through science-based research, education and policy work. The foundation works through a variety of approaches and with many other organizations, to ensure healthy and protected oceans. Consider joining 'Ocean Keepers': a Suzuki Foundation project: (http://www.davidsuzuki.org/issues/oceans/) (http://oceankeepers.davidsuzuki.org/)

4). Fisheries and Oceans Canada, as part of their forced commitment to the recovery of Killer Whale populations on the BC coast, have asked for the public to provide input as part of the recent (March 2014) action plan, draft release. (http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/consultation/sara-lep/rkw-epres/index-eng.html)

____________________________________________________________________________

References
B.C. Conservation Framework. 2014. Conservation Framework Summary: Orcinus orca pop. 5. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: http://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Jul 9, 2014).

Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada: Wikipedia: Under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License: 2014.  Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. a non-profit organization. ***Fisheries and Oceans Canada: 2014: Action Plan for the Northern and Southern Resident Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) in Canada [Draft]; Species at Risk Act Action Plan Series. Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Ottawa. Holly Fearnbach, John W. Durban, Dave K. Ellifrit, Ken C. Balcomb:  Size and Long-term Growth Trends of Endangered Fish-eating Killer Whales: School of Biology, University of Aberdeen, Lighthouse Field Station, Cromarty, Ross-shire IV11 8YJ, UK2: Center for Whale Research, Friday Harbor, Washington 98250, USA : Protected Resources Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 8604 La Jolla Shores Drive, La Jolla, California 92037, USA..

**John K. B. Ford, Graeme M. Ellis, Peter F. Olesiuk and Kenneth C. Balcomb:  Linking Killer Whale Survival and Prey Abundance: Food Limitation in the Oceans' Apex Predator?: Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Biological Station, 3190 Hammond Bay Road, Nanaimo, British Columbia,Canada V9T 6N7; Center for Whale Research, 355 Smugglers Cove, Friday Harbor, WA 98250, USA ; Author for correspondence (john.k.ford@dfo-mpo.gc.ca).

Taylor, B.L., Baird, R., Barlow, J., Dawson, S.M., Ford, J., Mead, J.G., Notarbartolo di Sciara, G., Wade, P. & Pitman, R.L. 2013. Orcinus orca. In: IUCN 2013. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. (http://www.iucnredlist.org) Downloaded: 15 March 2014.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Reflection on Past Performance

Assignment One: Reflection on Past Performance

In 2004, just prior to a diagnosis of PTSD entering my life, I worked under contract for a non-profit agency, assisting the agency with completing an accreditation process they were required to adopt.  Going into the project, I was totally unfamiliar with the accrediting organization.  It took much preparation to familiarize myself with the accrediting body; with the standards they held, relative to the non-profit service delivery agency I was assisting; and with the overall business model that was currently employed within the non-profit agency itself.

To prepare for the project, I first got to know the accreditation body.  I established a relationship with a mentor at the agency; acquired the written guides to achieving the accreditation; along with the standards of accreditation that would be applied to the non-profit I was representing.

I next spent considerable time reviewing the standards and the accreditation process to familiarize myself with what would be before us in terms of work over the coming months. To perform the functions of a facilitator in the process, I needed to become as fully informed of the material as I possibly could, prior to engaging with the supervisory staff. 

The goal of this process was personal.  I needed this preparation time to  ensure credibility with the management team I would be working with, as they were in a slight bit of crisis to ensure the accreditation was achieved. Without the accreditation, the agency would lose it's funding.  They had procrastinated in achieving this.  Having left things to the last minute, prior to seeking my assistance, along with the stress of the management teams heavy workload, the entire process was already somewhat overwhelming to the team.  The people I was working with were very defensive of the entire process.  

They needed clear advice as to the value of the standards of accreditation to their organization, moving forward from where they found themselves.  Therefore, I needed to be comfortable in selling the concepts and standards. I needed to believe in the value the accreditation process proposed.  To prepare, I needed to educate myself, in order to meet these objectives. Educating myself, became the first order of business I tackled, as I walked into the responsibility of facilitating the process.

This initial work required considerable skill in organizing myself for the work.  I needed to be conscious of time, implementing the best of my own time-management and organizational skills proved productive.  We were under a direct deadline.  I couldn't waste time.  We needed to get to the work at hand.  

This education process was completed over a two week period.  I felt confident with presenting the information once I had completed the tasks my education required.  I did see considerable value in the process, not only for the agency to receive accreditation, but also as a team-building exercise for the management team.  The business structure that accompanied the accreditation standards, provided for the agency a consistent and constructive model for them to apply to the day-to-day operation of the organization.  I also learned, through my own process of self-education, how valuable the standards would be to the agency in terms of service delivery and overall care to their clients.  In other words, in two weeks of engagement, I was personally convinced that the process we were facing would provide incredible direction and would improve the standards of care within the non-profit, adding value to their contribution to the people they served in our community.

Moving into the contract, I held strong communication skills.  In spite of my already developing emotional problems, I was able to keep my personal issues, somewhat, at bay. After researching the accreditation process and establishing my own strong position on the value of the process, I used my strong communication skills to pitch the importance and value of the process to the management team.

Together, we developed workable time-lines for completion of each stage of the process. Because I knew most of the individuals on the team personally, I was able to draw on their individual strengths and provide means for utilization of the teams skills, collectively, by negotiating portions of the project assignment to individuals based upon their individual gifts, talents, and interests.

Again, good time-management skill and organizational ability, kept me focused upon my own duties as a facilitator of the process.  We all accepted that I would only be there to get them through the leg-work.  It would be up to them, individually and collectively, to achieve their organization's goals.  I was to act as a guide, filling the role of educator, while using my own preference for writing, to assist directly with policy development and standard of care implementation.  It became my specific role to complete the puzzle, by writing the policy and procedure framework for the agency.  The work, overall, was their work to do, however the management team felt weak in this area.  Due to limits of time, we chose to use my skills to this end, rather than engage in the time it would take to re-educate someone on the team and assign this task to a team member directly.  We all agreed, that we could learn together, the ways and means of policy development as we worked.  Their education, therefore, would be through osmosis.

For the purpose of this assignment, I would say that the key skills I held coming into the project were:

• Strong communication skills, verbal, written and social, including productive active listening talents.
• Good organizational abilities.
• Average time-management skills.
• Good skills in terms of self-discipline for self-directed learning of a new process.
• Commitment, loyalty, and salesmanship were, thankfully, additional emotional and practical skills I used, that I did not know I possessed at the time.
• Research skill to learn the material required to be successful.
• Experience as an educator of sorts, having taught numerous first-aid classes over the years and led martial arts teams.
• Familiarity with management concepts, having worked for this non-profit in the past as a supervisor.
• Leadership ability.  This gift was first identified in my life as a young person-in elementary school.  
• Though I'd always not "cared for" leadership roles, I did demonstrate to myself and others strong skills in leadership and facilitation.

I used these skills to the best of my ability, minimizing the negative, emotional feelings that were developing due to my condition showing up in my life.  As yet, my experience of PTSD was undiagnosed.

This is where I struggled most, throughout the project: emotional self-regulation.  I struggled with difficult people in  conversation.  Time-pressure was very stressful to me.  In spite of my ability to manage the time, the deadlines imposed made things difficult. Though I was able to hide this well, I felt uncomfortable needing to hide this; needing to pretend to be in emotional control, when I actually was not feeling this way.  There were outbursts of frustration that I would have rather avoided.  I could attack a difficult staff member, verbally, if I felt her negativity would jeopardize the process.

Preparation, prior to engaging with the management team, proved invaluable to the overall success of this project.  Maintaining organization of the presentation of the material, from start to finish, helped us all to remain focused on our goal.  Though the timeline and deadlines imposed created personal additional hardship for me at the time, we needed this pressure to complete what needed to be done.  After all, the organization would lose it's place, completely, in the system should we fail.  

With persuasion and solid preparation to inform and educate myself, I was able, then, to use the best of my leadership capabilities to direct the management to accept, at an individual level, ownership of the process and tasks at hand.  There was value present in achieving accreditation for this agency.  I was able to convince them of this value with strong communication skills and we were able to build a strengths-based team concept, together.

How this translates into credit?  This is why I'm here: to invest time and reflection towards understanding the value of such life-experiences; to advance my education goals; and to ultimately re-establish a career in trauma care.