Even more Oregon...

How often do you see a crow close-up? 

They're everywhere, yet so far away.

More Oregon...

Marsh hawk hunting and juvenile bald eagle landing.

Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, in Washington State, just north of Portland.

Back to Oregon...

Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

a tribute to all things small...

A real test for the limits of one's empathic spectrum is whether a person can seriously care about the smallest creatures of the planet: the insects, the microorganisms, the creatures that fill in the cracks of creation - or rather, from perhaps a more enlightened point of view, hold the whole thing together.

There are two people in Kalamazoo who have devoted more time, care and attention to this spectrum of creation than anyone else I know. Those two people are sadly only one now. 

With the recent passing of Nancy Cutbirth Small, Kalamazoo lost a real champion of the creatures of the Earth, both plant and animal. Nancy and her husband Tom's passion and commitment to the restoration of wild spaces, particularly the yards in our community, and how it can restore biodiversity, is testament to a rare love of creation and all it's tenants. 

If you read Nancy's obituary, you'll understand she spared no compassion and concern for humans either. Nancy stood for peace and justice on behalf of the Iraqi people. 

My appreciation for Nancy and Tom's work with Wild Ones, and protecting wild spaces, evolved late in our relationship as friends, since I knew both of them years ago through the Whole Art Theater. We rediscovered each other after our passions for the wild had evolved along separate, parallel paths. As I was tracking down urban animals, in many cases the "charismatic megafauna", Tom and Nancy were kindling the fires of a landscaping revolution, celebrating and defending native plants and wildlife in our lawns and gardens. When we re-discovered each other as urban environmentalists, our complimentary passions resonated with each other.* It was Nancy and Tom's appreciation of the smaller spectrum of creation that really challenged my own view of the ecosystem and all it's component parts.

It was the passion and conviction in Nancy's voice (and that unmistakable laugh), when she spoke in defense of the wild, that always moved me, particularly the fire in her condemnation of selfish or senseless human endeavors. She defended the most defenseless beings in our community. And her defense didn't have to relate back to an animal or plants significance to our own well being. Nancy would defend a butterfly simply for it's right to exist. That is a true love of creation. 

If you knew Nancy and would like to honor her, I suggest either a donation to the Kalamazoo Chapter of Wild Ones, which she and Tom founded, or, if you're truly inspired, consider converting your lawn into a native prairie. In doing so, I'm sure a part of Nancy's spirit will be growing in your own yard.

*I was fortunate enough to collaborate with Nancy and Tom recently in documenting a presentation by Douglas Tallamy at the Kalamazoo Nature Center on native gardening. That video will be broadcast, and made available on DVD, very soon. Stay tuned.

BIG Piece of the Wild

I've been delinquent in posting for a very good reason: I've been out in Oregon exploring the North West Coast with my girlfriend; and you can say one thing about me: I've got my priorities straight. For the past couple weeks I've been "unplugged" in a very good way - it was a vacation, and rather than writing about the natural world, I was enjoying it.

This also explains the staling nature of my previous post: trying to sell copies of my Colony Farm Orchard DVD as Christmas presents, which is especially old news since Governor Granholm has since signed legislation (House Bill 5207) officially lifting restrictions on the Orchard and allowing WMU to expand the BTR Park onto the property. The time sensitive nature of my Orchard video is now passed, making a second installment all the more necessary.

I must say, exploring the Cascades Mountains, the high desert, the extraordinary forests, and the epic Oregon coast was truly experiencing a BIG piece of the wild. Aside from a particularly heightened consciousness of crows in the city of Portland--mainly because of the great book Crow Planet by Lyanda Lynn Haupt--I wasn't tuning in to the urban animals of Oregon. Rather, I was indulging in what I now consider the more enriching expanses of wilderness that the urban wilderness merely echoes or approximates. I was in 1,000 acre preserves and million acre forests; I was gazing out on pounding surfs, vertical rock faces, and an ocean horizon that extends way, way beyond the curvature of Lake Michigan. It was vast and extremely compelling.

That's not to take away from the urban wild and the gifts it offers, even in it's "littleness". On the contrary, it reinforces the need for our near-by connections to the greater natural world; our need for urban parks and woods and wildlife. Our little pieces of the wild are the daily doses of nature that tide us over until we can satiate ourselves in a more profound and lasting way in the humbling and inspiring expanses of our state and national parks and forests. 

Colony Farm Orchard on DVD

If you're looking for that special gift for your environmentally minded friends, might I recommend The Colony Farm Orchard: Here We Go Again on DVD for $10.00.  

They're packaged in a jewel-case, as opposed to a regular DVD case, and consequently make good stocking stuffers.

Although the program is available online, watching it on a TV screen does much more justice to the image quality and overall story. Having a DVD is also a convenient way to pass it along to others who might be interested in the issue.

You can purchase one by making a check payable and sending to:

HorsePower Pictures

579 Nazareth Road

Kalamazoo, MI  49048

(NOTE: HorsePower Pictures is not a 501(c)3; donations are unfortunately not tax deductible)

RALLY FOR THE ORCHARD

This Tuesday, Dec. 8th, ALPA (Asylum Lake Preservation Association) is holding a public meeting at the Kalamazoo Public Library to educate and mobilize people around the situation facing the Colony Farm Orchard.

As part of the program, they'll be screening my recent documentary, The Colony Farm Orchard: Here We Go Again (see Oct. 2nd Post). It's an honor to finally screen the video in front of a live audience as well as on the big screen.

I highly encourage people to attend the event. It's a really important matter for the citizens of Kalamazoo, WMU, and the environmental community. Check out the flyer for details.

Turkey Ballet

Photo taken at the Colony Farm Orchard, August 2009.

Thanks for the Turkey

Thanksgiving and Christmas both have substantial sacrifices: for Christmas, it's the tree, and of course for Thanksgiving, it's the turkey.

Taking life is no small matter and for that reason I give thanks for the turkey, a bird in a class of it's own and indigenous to North America. Although most people eat the domesticated variety, they're descendants of the more attractive and now plentiful wild turkey. And when it comes to the bounty of the autumn harvest, there is no bigger bird around. We are very fortunate.

Bird books, when identifying a bird, will reference other birds that are similar, to help you narrow your sighting down to the specific bird. Well, in one of my bird books (National Geographic?) they say for the turkey that "there is no other bird like it". And that's true, they're unmistakable.

Thanks to State reintroduction programs, the turkey has rebounded amazingly well, and like a great deal of wildlife, is penetrating our urban cores. I was astonished when I discovered this turkey on my trailcam over next to the Michigan Center for the Blind. Taken in 2005, I had no idea at the time that we had these big birds roaming our woods. Now, they're relatively common, but need good habitat with good cover and most importantly, privacy.

To date, I've yet to photograph, let alone witness a Tom (adult male turkey) in full display, fanning it's tail feathers and strutting it's stuff. Yet another natural wonder awaits me.

If You're Gonna Shop...

With Black Friday fast approaching, and in some ways eclipsing Thanksgiving, I urge you to counter the impulse to shop, or consume, and instead, make your way out into the wild. Walk off the caloric intake and give thanks for the turkey's sacrifice and the bounty of the harvest with a walk in nature. This is where all our sustenance comes from originally anyway.

Not to contradict myself, but let me offer a counter balance to my plea for less consumerism. If you're going to buy a Christmas present, either this coming weekend or in the coming weeks, buy one from ME! But seriously, my wildlife documentary, ANIMALS AMONG US is a great Christmas present. It's physically small, affordable, created locally, and most importantly, celebrates local wildlife and wild spaces. It can also be an excellent way to bring the family together, gathering around the electronic fireplace. 

To that end, I'll be at the Kalamazoo Nature Center's Local Art & Gift Fair, December 12th, selling DVD's and various prints of my photographic art. Come check it out; admission to the Nature Center is FREE, and you'll be supporting a local economy. So, don't forget December 12th. That way you can avoid Black Friday as well as procrastinate on your Christmas shopping with little worry.