A bit of rain to begin this warm, muggy late-summer morning. Now the sun is out, abet wanly, its light reflected off the puddles. We have turned the corner of the year and are now headed into autumn. The goldenrod … Continue reading
Today is cool and dry, a sharp contrast to the weekend’s heat, humidity, storms, and flooding. This morning I joined a group of truly lovely people for breakfast. The group is loosely organized around liberal politics and is deeply grounded … Continue reading
We are now into July and the volume of birdsong has decreased markedly. The cardinals continue to sing throughout the day as they defend their territories and the robins chime in occasionally, but the overall soundscape is much quieter. The … Continue reading
Last evening we had a thunderstorm; I was working at the time so had little opportunity to experience or enjoy it. After the storm passed there was a superb display as the sunset illuminated the last of the trailing cumulonibus … Continue reading
The weather continues wet. Every few days the sun comes out, abet briefly, and we find ourselves momentarily disoriented by the light. The tree frogs have taken refuge in the topmost branches of the maples, and folks have traded in … Continue reading
I awoke to another sparkling early summer day, cool and cloudless. By mid afternoon the temperature had risen into the mid-eighties, and a lake cooled breeze was blowing from the west. Lake Chaplain remains cold for late June and the wind cools as it blows across the chilly water’s surface. On a low humidity day like today, the net effect is a sort of natural air conditioning. Continue reading
I awoke at 4:30 this morning. My cell was demanding to be charged and the birds were greeting the world in full song. (This was an instant reply of yesterday morning.) I awoke a second time to bright sunlight and … Continue reading
Today is one of those perfect early summer Vermont days, complete with warm breezes, bright sunlight, and dazzling blue skies. Our yard is a profusion of color as the perennials all burst wildly into bloom at once. The woods are … Continue reading
Such a crucial conversation! This is a topic I often think about as the fate of humanity and much of the natural world depends on how we navigate the issues of resource fairness and environmental justice. Ecological education is a most complex arena now.
As strongly focused as we are on biological diversity, conservationists have done a pretty poor job of focusing on diversity within our own ranks. Quick – think of a famous conservationist. Got one? Chances are good the person you just visualized is a white male, or at least white. If you want to explore this topic further, take a look at Wikipedia’s List of Prominent Conservationists.
This is an issue I have long been aware of, but a workshop I
recently attended helped crystalize some things for me. As a straight, cisgender, white man in an
affluent country, my perspective on this topic is clearly limited, but I’ve
also been granted some advantages I feel obligated to take advantage of. At the end of this post, I’m sharing a few
strategies I’m personally hoping to employ toward diversifying conservation. I’m hoping others will chime in with
additional ideas and…
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