Can one person make a difference? Trying feels better than not trying. I spent a couple hours this weekend doing a volunteer trash pick-up for a river that is 35 million years old, give or take. The Willamette river is the 13th largest river in the U.S. It is 187 miles long. A key source… Continue reading Willamette river
Category: environment
Habitat Restoration
It was beautiful. It was fun. It was hard work. We brought our love of beavers, nature, and our lunch to spend the day tackling a habitat restoration project under the care of Beaverworks. We worked very hard with hand tools for hours. You must have wit, grit, and a sense of wonderment to complete… Continue reading Habitat Restoration
Dynamic situations
I made a photo booth without walls to mindfully receive images of happy birds landing into the frame by choice. I fired up the Canon Rebel XSi with a zoom lens and braced myself against a tree. The camera would not focus on the subject because I was impatient and had not allowed enough time… Continue reading Dynamic situations
Remember to play
Flotsam & Jetsam
If you don’t know what to do, pick up litter at the beach. It’s never the wrong move. At one point I am alone by the surf and this is where loud singing is released. I went to Heceta beach in Florence to pick up trash and I remembered a Mary Oliver poem that goes… Continue reading Flotsam & Jetsam
Plastic Fantastic
At first it all feels futile. Quickly, I find the connection with those who give a shit. It suddenly feels great. I agreed to to help Quakers with a modest plan to gather plastics and offer them to the plastic gods. I volunteered to be a drop-off place and ended up pulling a bike trailer… Continue reading Plastic Fantastic
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
Beaver Balance
Why do beavers matter? It’s like asking why does water matter? We need one for the other. There is something magical about beavers. They know the secret of restoration. We had beavers for a long time, about 7 million years, and then we almost lost them due to trapping. Now we are trying to build… Continue reading Beaver Balance