A few weeks back, I was invited to be the speaker for the Earlville Conservation Club. I was reluctant, as I am nearly phobic about public speaking. I finally accepted the invitation , and am glad that I did.

Understanding the natural world is a pretty cut-and-dry subject. Unfortunately, some forms of scientific study I've been involved in, mainly archaeology, can be ruined by setting constraints. About six years back, I had a eureka moment in the field of archaeology. I had been flint knapping or making stone tools for many years. While testing curated or more refined blades on deer, I found that they worked great for hide removal. Although, when I attempted to cut meat with the tools, they were completely ineffective. I began to research through trial and error, which is sometimes called experimental archaeology. The video that I produced, while testing stone tools on deer was a big hit with our local archaeology group. Little did I know what a bumpy ride it would create.

Attempting to condense the natural world into a scientific format is just plain laughable to me. There are too many variables that need be accounted for of which can change as quickly as the weather. For instance, if one were to attempt a study on deer hunting, and you had to make the shot based on some format, it would be nearly impossible to produce. My equation for hunting or fishing under any form of constraint is E=MCU later. Animals don't typically do as you want them to, and won't wait around for you to get ready. If you try and impose anything but natural law on such a project, you are doomed to fail. Things happen quickly, and you need to be flexible to get the job done.

A perfect example as to how archaeology is typically an upside down science, is a program that I encountered in a journal of an experimental project gone wrong. The scientist spent hours reproducing bone hooks and trout lines. The line was strung across a river and had hooks attached and baited with various creepy crawlers. Obviously none of the people involved were fishermen. They stated that their diametrically opposed lives left no time to man the lines. They were using barb-less hooks, and upon returning to check them, some were found to be broken and most of which were robbed of bait. Any novice fisherman knows that tension must be maintained throughout the fight with such tackle or the fish will spit the hook out.