Category: conservation

Green Island

This is where two rivers meet: McKenzie and Willamette. Sometimes I think we ask too much of nature. We go forest bathing and swimming in it; walking and running through it; drinking, huffing, and gobbling it down, all the time. It gives all that we need. How do we give back? I thought this while… Continue reading Green Island

Turtle Club Med

Western pond turtles live here! Here is Golden Gardens park, in west Eugene. It’s nearly 200 acres of land, with a mile walking path that weaves around ponds. This area became ponds after gravel was removed to build freeways. Back then they didn’t demand that gravel businesses restore the land. Instead, they left steep loose… Continue reading Turtle Club Med

transformation betwixt land and sea

Plankton are abundant here. “It smells very biological,” said one man I met in the sparsely filled parking lot. One area in particular did smell like the brew of a million creatures. The South Slough Reserve is so understated, I think it goes unnoticed by the crowds. It was America’s first estuarine research reserve, established… Continue reading transformation betwixt land and sea

Lichen sanctuary

Some of my best ideas start out as jokes. Such as, the lichen sanctuary. The lichen sanctuary would rescue wayward lichen. There would be ample space to relocate displaced lichen. This place would be a safety net for lichen that has been pushed out of its habitat, fallen out of a tree, and unable to… Continue reading Lichen sanctuary

Notes from January

We gathered on my living room floor near the flickering stove to start our group meditation. The orange tabby loitered in front of me. The small dog jumped in her round bed, 2 feet away.  “So, tell me what brings you here to meditate? “ The cat started to chase a bug. The dog stared… Continue reading Notes from January