The Roots and Politics of Bioregionalism
bi·o·re·gion·al·ism (bī'ō-rē'jə-nə-lĭz'əm) n. The belief that social organization and environmental policies should be based on the bioregion rather than on a region determined by political or economic boundaries. bioregionalist (bi'o·re'gion·al·ist) n.
(http://www.answers.com/topic/bioregionalism)
After a pretty extensive search for things relating to the concept of the bioregion (bioregional, bioregionalism), I found that that the bioregion is also sometimes called the ecoregion.
I like to compare definitions of the bioregion, and here is another I like:
Bioregionalism is a term used to describe an approach to political, cultural, and environmental issues based on naturally-defined regional areas, consistent with the concept of bioregions, or ecoregions. These areas are usually based on a combination of physical and environmental features, including watershed boundaries and soil and terrain characteristics. Bioregionalism stresses that the determination of a bioregion is also a cultural phenomenon - with phrases such as "the politics of place" and "terrain of consciousness" appearing in bioregionalist writings - and places emphasis on local populations, knowledge and solutions. ...The term appears to have originated in work by Peter Berg and Raymond Dasmann in the early 1970s. The bioregionalist perspective opposes a homogeneous economy and consumer culture because that culture ignores a dependency on the natural world. Those taking a bioregionalist perspective seek to:
...Bioregionalism intersects with green politics but is in no way subsumed by it. In addition to birthing the North American green party, bioregionalism can also take major credit for the birth of the current sustainable movement. It is curious to note that except in certain progressive regions, mainly the west coast, both the greens and sustainabilists operate largely unaware of this heritage.
(http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Bioregionalism)
However, Cascadia is not only a bioregion, but a secessionist/independence movement based on the bioregional concept as well:
Cascadia (commonly called the Republic of Cascadia as a full name) is a proposed name for the independent sovereign state that would be formed by the union of British Columbia, Oregon, and Washington. Other suggested boundary lines also include Idaho (all or parts), Northern California, parts of Alaska, and parts of the Yukon. This type of "federation" would require secession from both the United States and Canada. The boundaries of this proposed republic would incorporate those of the existing province and states. (http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Cascadia_(independence_movement))
So no wonder it felt to me like Cascadia had a political taste to it and why I keep bumping into political references...bioregionalism was/is tied into Green politics and political identity based on regionalism. The funny thing, is that while the argument is localist, and a resentment against the domination by the national metro centers of Washington, DC, New York, LA, etc. ...the new centers would also be metro centers, only this time, Seattle, Portland and Vancouver. Local people and tribal nations would be trading national "Romes" for local metro overlords (sigh). You can read more about Cascadia at the link above. It has old roots, in the 1800s quest for independence from the U.S. by Oregon; such movements were repeated in the 1930s and 1950s (http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Cascadia_(independence_movement)).
Except for perhaps Missoula and pockets of people here and there, Montana is not really involved with Green politics, although there is a sense of isolationism we drink with our mother's milk. Such feelings were summed up in a 1970s issue of National Geographic which asked "Should They Build a Fence Around Montana?" (National Geographic (May 1976), 614-57_. Some folks still feel that way, but it is probably too late since the latest influx of migrants because of such movies as "A River Runs Through It." Montana is still pretty much formed along the Democrat and Republican moiety lines, with some Independents and Libertarians here and there.
That same article I quote above mentions a number of bioregions with active bioregionalist movements in them. I list them below for your reference; I believe I will be returning to the topic of national bioregions sooner or later:
I will be looking around for a more comprehensive list of the supposedly hundred or so bioregionalist movements in the U.S,
==============================================
The US History Encyclopedia as quoted at Answers.com also has a nice treatment of bioregionalism:
Bioregionalism, as much a movement as a philosophy, is a North American response to the modern environmental crisis. The term comes from the Greek root bio (life) and the Latin regio (place). As a philosophy, bioregionalism refers to the fullness of all earthly life existing in mutuality and synergy. Regions are defined not by legislation, with dotted lines and borders, but by nature, with a commonality of climate, geology, hydrology, species, and earth forms. Islands and deserts are defined as bioregions. Usually, however, the term applies to a watershed, an area defined by a network of runoffs into a central river that forms a kind of organizing spine. It is along such spines that all natural species, including humans, have situated themselves. Bioregionalism posits that human societies must learn to honor these networks if they are to be ecologically sound. The philosophy also argues that nations, empires, and large political economies of any kind are antiecological, claiming that the bigger they are, the more threatening to nature they become. It is only at the natural scale of the bioregion that people can learn the complete systems and species of nature and thus know how to satisfy their basic needs and create social institutions that do not do violence to that ecosystem.
As a movement, bioregionalism began in the late 1970s in the San Francisco Bay Area and slowly spread through the West and into the Ozarks, Appalachia, and the Hudson River area. The first continent-wide gathering was held in the tall-grass prairie near Kansas City in 1984. Since then, congresses have been held at sites from the Squamish bioregion of British Columbia to the Gulf of Maine bioregion on the Atlantic. Over the years these meetings have established a bioregional "platform," with position papers on subjects ranging from agriculture and forestry to art, economics, and community. By 1994 there were more than one hundred active bioregional groups throughout North America, or what bioregionalists call (following Native American tradition) Turtle Island. Movements have also taken root in Europe and Australia. In the United States, bioregionalism groups do local ecological work, especially restoration and environmental education. Other groups concentrate on forming networks and "green pages," environmentally focused directories, within their regions, often with newsletters and magazines. Other bioregionalist groups work to link like-minded organizations into alliances on specific issues, such as water conservation, organic farming, and tree planting. Movements within the larger bioregionalism movement focus on practices such as permaculture (short for permanent agriculture) and asset-based community development, which are attempts to make communities more self-sufficient by mapping and utilizing local assets. Communities were mapping such local assets through the late 1990s. Other concerns include bioremediation, which aims to clean up polluted land, water, and air using organic means.(http://www.answers.com/topic/bioregionalism)
There's a lot of other stuff out there on bioregionalism.
BIOREGIONALISM or BIOREGIONAL ANIMISM?
Since what we are REALLY talking about here is more about bioregional animism rather than strict bioregionalism, we should differentiate the two as follows:
1. Bioregionalism is an anthropocentric movement; although it is based on bioregions/or ecoregions, it focuses on what humans see as the boundaries for a differently-defined political identity and the planning and resource base for their bioregion.
2. Bioregional Animism, at least as I see it, is based more on mutualism, nature-centric spirituality, and on seeing the human being as a member of the bioregional community, but not as the planner-directors as in Bioregionalism.
Perhaps this is a subtle difference to some, who seek to practice both, but it is a yawning chasm to others.
(http://www.answers.com/topic/bioregionalism)
After a pretty extensive search for things relating to the concept of the bioregion (bioregional, bioregionalism), I found that that the bioregion is also sometimes called the ecoregion.
I like to compare definitions of the bioregion, and here is another I like:
Bioregionalism is a term used to describe an approach to political, cultural, and environmental issues based on naturally-defined regional areas, consistent with the concept of bioregions, or ecoregions. These areas are usually based on a combination of physical and environmental features, including watershed boundaries and soil and terrain characteristics. Bioregionalism stresses that the determination of a bioregion is also a cultural phenomenon - with phrases such as "the politics of place" and "terrain of consciousness" appearing in bioregionalist writings - and places emphasis on local populations, knowledge and solutions. ...The term appears to have originated in work by Peter Berg and Raymond Dasmann in the early 1970s. The bioregionalist perspective opposes a homogeneous economy and consumer culture because that culture ignores a dependency on the natural world. Those taking a bioregionalist perspective seek to:
- Ensure that the boundaries which demarcate political regions match those which demarcate ecological, or bio-regions.
-Become familiar with the unique ecology of the bioregion.
-Eat local food where possible.
-Use local materials where possible.
-Cultivate native plants of the region.
-Live sustainably in a way that is specifically tailored to the bioregion.
...Bioregionalism intersects with green politics but is in no way subsumed by it. In addition to birthing the North American green party, bioregionalism can also take major credit for the birth of the current sustainable movement. It is curious to note that except in certain progressive regions, mainly the west coast, both the greens and sustainabilists operate largely unaware of this heritage.
(http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Bioregionalism)
However, Cascadia is not only a bioregion, but a secessionist/independence movement based on the bioregional concept as well:
Cascadia (commonly called the Republic of Cascadia as a full name) is a proposed name for the independent sovereign state that would be formed by the union of British Columbia, Oregon, and Washington. Other suggested boundary lines also include Idaho (all or parts), Northern California, parts of Alaska, and parts of the Yukon. This type of "federation" would require secession from both the United States and Canada. The boundaries of this proposed republic would incorporate those of the existing province and states. (http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Cascadia_(independence_movement))
So no wonder it felt to me like Cascadia had a political taste to it and why I keep bumping into political references...bioregionalism was/is tied into Green politics and political identity based on regionalism. The funny thing, is that while the argument is localist, and a resentment against the domination by the national metro centers of Washington, DC, New York, LA, etc. ...the new centers would also be metro centers, only this time, Seattle, Portland and Vancouver. Local people and tribal nations would be trading national "Romes" for local metro overlords (sigh). You can read more about Cascadia at the link above. It has old roots, in the 1800s quest for independence from the U.S. by Oregon; such movements were repeated in the 1930s and 1950s (http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Cascadia_(independence_movement)).
Except for perhaps Missoula and pockets of people here and there, Montana is not really involved with Green politics, although there is a sense of isolationism we drink with our mother's milk. Such feelings were summed up in a 1970s issue of National Geographic which asked "Should They Build a Fence Around Montana?" (National Geographic (May 1976), 614-57_. Some folks still feel that way, but it is probably too late since the latest influx of migrants because of such movies as "A River Runs Through It." Montana is still pretty much formed along the Democrat and Republican moiety lines, with some Independents and Libertarians here and there.
That same article I quote above mentions a number of bioregions with active bioregionalist movements in them. I list them below for your reference; I believe I will be returning to the topic of national bioregions sooner or later:
- Cascadia Bioregion- derives from the Cascade Range of generally the Pacific Northwest and, for some, the entire Columbia River watershed, with Seattle-Vancouver-Portland foci). It's probably the most active bioregion in the bioregionalism paradigm.
"The Cascade Range is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, including the rugged spires of the North Cascades, and the notable volcanoes known as the High Cascades. The small part of the range in British Columbia is called the Canadian Cascades or Cascade Mountains; the latter term is also sometimes used by Washington residents to refer to the Washington section of the Cascades in addition to North Cascades, the more usual American term, as in North Cascades National Park." (http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Cascade_Range)
Eastern Piedmont Bioregion- the piedmont areas of North Carolina, South Carolina and northern Georgia, characterized by the Piedmont Plateau: "Erosion of the piedmont plateau created iron-oxide rich clay soils. Three general landforms exist. Flat ridges, Hillsides and, Floodplains. Each landform has its own Ecology" (http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Piedmont_bioregion).
Katuah or Southern Appalachian Bioregion- the mountain areas of North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, southwestern Virginia, and northern Georgia...named after a Cherokee (Tsalagi) name for the same region.
Blue Ridge Mountains, North Carolina
Excelsior Springs, Missouri
Sleeping Bear Dunes, Michigan
Lake Cobbosseecontee, Maine
Guadalupe River, Hill Country, Texas
Ohio River, Kentucky
I will be looking around for a more comprehensive list of the supposedly hundred or so bioregionalist movements in the U.S,
==============================================
The US History Encyclopedia as quoted at Answers.com also has a nice treatment of bioregionalism:
Bioregionalism, as much a movement as a philosophy, is a North American response to the modern environmental crisis. The term comes from the Greek root bio (life) and the Latin regio (place). As a philosophy, bioregionalism refers to the fullness of all earthly life existing in mutuality and synergy. Regions are defined not by legislation, with dotted lines and borders, but by nature, with a commonality of climate, geology, hydrology, species, and earth forms. Islands and deserts are defined as bioregions. Usually, however, the term applies to a watershed, an area defined by a network of runoffs into a central river that forms a kind of organizing spine. It is along such spines that all natural species, including humans, have situated themselves. Bioregionalism posits that human societies must learn to honor these networks if they are to be ecologically sound. The philosophy also argues that nations, empires, and large political economies of any kind are antiecological, claiming that the bigger they are, the more threatening to nature they become. It is only at the natural scale of the bioregion that people can learn the complete systems and species of nature and thus know how to satisfy their basic needs and create social institutions that do not do violence to that ecosystem.
As a movement, bioregionalism began in the late 1970s in the San Francisco Bay Area and slowly spread through the West and into the Ozarks, Appalachia, and the Hudson River area. The first continent-wide gathering was held in the tall-grass prairie near Kansas City in 1984. Since then, congresses have been held at sites from the Squamish bioregion of British Columbia to the Gulf of Maine bioregion on the Atlantic. Over the years these meetings have established a bioregional "platform," with position papers on subjects ranging from agriculture and forestry to art, economics, and community. By 1994 there were more than one hundred active bioregional groups throughout North America, or what bioregionalists call (following Native American tradition) Turtle Island. Movements have also taken root in Europe and Australia. In the United States, bioregionalism groups do local ecological work, especially restoration and environmental education. Other groups concentrate on forming networks and "green pages," environmentally focused directories, within their regions, often with newsletters and magazines. Other bioregionalist groups work to link like-minded organizations into alliances on specific issues, such as water conservation, organic farming, and tree planting. Movements within the larger bioregionalism movement focus on practices such as permaculture (short for permanent agriculture) and asset-based community development, which are attempts to make communities more self-sufficient by mapping and utilizing local assets. Communities were mapping such local assets through the late 1990s. Other concerns include bioremediation, which aims to clean up polluted land, water, and air using organic means.(http://www.answers.com/topic/bioregionalism)
There's a lot of other stuff out there on bioregionalism.
BIOREGIONALISM or BIOREGIONAL ANIMISM?
Since what we are REALLY talking about here is more about bioregional animism rather than strict bioregionalism, we should differentiate the two as follows:
1. Bioregionalism is an anthropocentric movement; although it is based on bioregions/or ecoregions, it focuses on what humans see as the boundaries for a differently-defined political identity and the planning and resource base for their bioregion.
2. Bioregional Animism, at least as I see it, is based more on mutualism, nature-centric spirituality, and on seeing the human being as a member of the bioregional community, but not as the planner-directors as in Bioregionalism.
Perhaps this is a subtle difference to some, who seek to practice both, but it is a yawning chasm to others.