Elephant census offers evidence of poaching’s toll

The results are in from the Great Elephant Census, and the numbers are much worse than expected.

A three-year count of elephants in Africa found only 352,271 African savanna elephants in 18 countries on the continent, down 30 percent in seven years.

The report found that about 144,000 of the magnificent animals were lost over a seven-year period in 15 countries. In some places, the elephant has become locally extinct.

The decline, sadly, has been driven largely by poaching, which is itself driven by a worldwide demand for ivory.

The census was the first of its kind and was funded by Microsoft billionaire philanthropist Paul Allen, who noted in a statement on his LinkedIn page that "in the 19th century, Africa boasted an estimated 12 million elephants. Today, that population has been reduced 97 percent and is dropping faster than ever."

It’s hard not to think about the decline of the American bison, which numbered in the millions on our Great Plains less than two centuries ago and was all but wiped out by the start of the 20th century. It has since made a modest comeback.

China is the world’s largest consumer of ivory, and the Chinese government has long controlled the market. Hopefully, the agreement made last year between China and the U.S. to shut down the international ivory trade will be more than just an empty promise, because it would be a shame to lose these magnificent animals.

It was easy to think of Wilder as a comic

News that actor Gene Wilder died on Monday at age 83 sent a wave of sadness rippling across our national consciousness this week, and rightfully so.

Wilder was best known for roles in two classic Mel Brooks films – "Blazing Saddles" and "Young Frankenstein" – and for deadpan portrayal of the title character in "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory." With roles like that, it was always easy to think of Wilder as a comic.

He wasn’t.

"I’m an actor, not a clown," he often said of his show-business career.

And a good one.

Using a style that might be described as "under the top," he approached his biggest roles with an authenticity that made even the farcical seem somehow believable. That, in turn, made them all the more memorable.

Planting a seed that leads to learning

It’s good to see the greenhouse at Nashua High School North is being dusted off and will be used to grow produce as part of the school district’s Farm to School initiative.

The Farm to School program aims to engage parents, students, cafeteria workers, teachers and staff in sustainability and healthy eating projects by using school gardens, cooking contests and healthy eating challenges to bring more healthy local food into schools and the community. Nashua is one of three districts in the pilot project being led by the University of New Hampshire.

The greenhouse, which was a part of the new high school when it built more than a decade ago, has fallen out of use in recent years and been used for storage. The learning possibilities in a greenhouse – as in a gymnasium or science lab – seem endless. Hopefully, this new project represents the planting of a seed that will flourish.