A 2019 Wattys entry deeply into climate change, global warming, and environmental destruction, especially the nuclear kind! A lot of true facts are embedded in this story which has both true and fictional characters. Who is to be believed is for y...
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"Well, MYKA, I'm sorry we kind of got off subject. I want to hear more about your trip, after your yacht pulled free from the gyre near Greenland."
"Fortunately, our next stop was Iceland and it was beautiful, having geysers and fjords and green fields with beautiful yellow and blue flowers. Iceland has been an independent republic since 1944, no longer a territory of Denmark. It became one of the world's most prosperous economies. Before the big collapse of banking systems worldwide back in 2008, Iceland thrived on its fishing industry. Now, the biggest industry is processing aluminum. We were there before the eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano (try saying that three times fast)! There's been issues with petroleum offshore drilling and harvesting of whale meat and certain industries getting favored treatment with the cheapest electricity in the world. But, it is very scenic and has interesting species that live there including arctic foxes, and polar bears, and birds.
The arctic fox is the only land mammal native to Iceland, and there are several subspecies of arctic fox in the country. My favorite is a rare subspecies that appears to have black fur, and seems to be native only to Iceland. Other subspecies have slate blue fur or white fur and in some seasons, the fur looks brownish to dark brown. The arctic foxes were so fun to watch in the Hornstradir Nature Reserve, where they have no fear of man and are inquisitive and photogenic. The arctic foxes have the best survival rate in the West fjords, where there are some of the largest bird cliffs.
In other parts of the arctic, tundra foxes may feast on lemmings. But there are no lemmings in Iceland. The main food resources are birds and eggs, invertebrates and berries, and, oh yes, carrion. The red fox has moved northward and adapted to living in the arctic, as the climate change has made the living conditions less extreme. Iceland will need to do more to protect its special species of arctic fox, if the red fox arrives and competes for food. Our visit to the Arctic Fox Center in SudavikWestfjords was a wonderful place to learn about the arctic foxes and their long history with Iceland. So, thanks for listening. Now it's your turn."
"There are no lemons in Iceland?" laughed StLF. "Once I heard my mom say that there was no mayonnaise in Ireland and I told my dad what Mom had said. They finally figured out that I'd overheard Mom on the phone saying, "There's "No Man is an Island", when naming some poetry choices for an upcoming discussion."
"You crazy goof. You know I said lemmings. Not lemons. But I am guilty of mishearing song lyrics all of the time, so misunderstanding your mom's reference to a famous poem seems plausible."
