I think a nearly-dead area will inevitably rejuvenate itself, but we're impatient. We fast-track everything to suit our needs with little or no concern for the long term impact of doing so.

I'm currently trying to bend 26 acres to my will in order to become more self-reliant. It's very humbling to see nature's reactions to everything I do. I can almost hear it saying "Please don't do that.", "I warned you that would happen", "You're not looking at the big picture", etc.