Letter from Ron Bishop
Kudos for ‘Citizen Science’ Column
I applaud you all at Iron String Press for continuing your column series “Citizen Science.” I have greatly appreciated the insights of Jamie Zvirzdin these last three years, and now look forward to more from Roberta McLain and the other two writers taking up the baton for the next months and years. As Isaac Asimov wrote in his 1970 review of “Geology of the Moon,” “There is a single light of science, and to brighten it anywhere is to brighten it everywhere.”
The Earth’s average temperature from 2023-2025 exceeded 1.5 °C above pre-industrial temperatures (the “orange line” limit of the Paris climate accords), and carbon dioxide in our atmosphere surged past 430 parts per million (up from 280 ppm in 1750 and 325 ppm in 1970). It’s important for us to ponder that if we keep doing what we’re doing to this natural world, our children and grandchildren are as good as cooked. Helping us all understand how this works is a major public service, so thank you for offering great science writing to readers of “The Freeman’s Journal!”
Building from the column’s header, I also want to applaud the many citizen scientists who volunteer all over Otsego County: teams monitoring stream water quality, culvert integrity, invasive species spread, natural species decline, trail maintenance, and more. (Here’s a shout out to my Red Creek monitoring partner, Morgan Freehafer.) Folks who want to learn more about—and better yet, join—these efforts should contact the Otsego County Conservation Association at occainfo.org
Happy Earth Day, everyone!
Ron Bishop
Cooperstown
Thank you, Ron! A friend gifted me his collection of Asimov books, most of which were nonfiction and dedicated to communicating science in an accessible way to others. Asimov was definitely part of why I wanted to start Citizen Science in the first place. Sincere thanks to you and the many others who work and volunteer in conservation efforts. Getting involved in our local communities will help right the ship.
Thank you for your kind words, Ron! Your support for Citizen Science means a great deal. I am honored to help continue the column Jamie created. And I really appreciate your reminder that science is strongest when communities get involved. The work of so many citizen scientists across Otsego County is exactly the kind of example we hope to highlight. Thank you again, and Happy Earth Day.
Amen Ron