I always enjoy reading your Field Notes and think your acknowledgment of the life in the edgelands lets us see our human selves in a different light. There is a sense of loss, but also of perseverance, of nature not giving in to our indifference. I live in a much different place; semi wild northern Texas Hill Country, where nature is still very close at hand. Even so, in the 40 years we've lived 20 miles from the closest town, development is happening everywhere. Land is being scraped, ranches are being subdivided and new subdivisions put in that use up our precious water resource, removing all the plant life but oaks. I try to focus on the beauty that's still here. Taking your example to guide me. Thank you.
First: thank you for “blue cranky,” the most accurate description of a blue heron I’ve seen. Cranky is likewise a good name for sandhill cranes. We’ve a lot of them here in south-central Michigan (even through winter, a sure sign of changing climate), and they have an inordinate amount of aggro for a bird their size.
Second: I live in the outer circle of residences surrounding a lake. Beyond me are farm fields and islands of woods. The diversity of wildlife around us is amazing, from prey to predator, from mice and moles and deer to coyotes, foxes, and owls (and sandhill cranes.) Your discussion about WIU made me consider what our local system looks like. There is a rumor that the field out back will be developed, adding another level to the residential ring around the lake. I wonder what the results will be.
I was just reading about the sandhill cranes that overwinter in the Texas Panhandle, and thinking how I should make a trek to see them in person. It sounds like a very special place where you live.
as someone who is almost totally blind, I enjoy your essays in a way that others probably don't. Your vivid prose shows me where you've been. Thanks for letting me see your world. If I can make a humble request, though. Is there a way for you to add ALT text to the images that accompany your essays? When I "read" them with the assistance of screen reading software, the software often describes the images with alphanumeric soup, such as "bbf746f4-1a86-4e55-aa3d-6445f64cee79_256x256.png". If it is at all possible for you to include a description of the image using the ALT image tag, I would greatly appreciate it.
Thank you so much for reading, and for this excellent suggestion. I am embarrassed that I never even thought of such an impediment. I shall do my best to figure out how to do this and provide you and other similarly situated readers with descriptions of the image.
Great article! For alternative vision of people and nature in cities. You might be interested in how Europe does things differently. There are lots of examples but you might find googling some European Rewilding and Urban Ecology interesting.
An example of urban nature reinvention that I've been a bit involved with is in "Nationaal Park Hollandse Duinen" (https://www.nationaalparkhollandseduinen.nl/) where they are trying to create a new urban park in Den Haag, which enhances cultural landscapes, biodiversity, & urban ecosystem services. Our work contributed to the planning processes - Kuiper et al Exploring desirable nature futures for Nationaal Park Hollandse Duinen https://doi.org/10.1080/26395916.2022.2065360
Much enjoyed this post. My wife and I are leaving our northeast Iowa farm, moving to a mid-sized Minnesota city, and I am floundering in my attempts to understand this new environment. Your essay is my starting point. Thank you.
I always enjoy reading your Field Notes and think your acknowledgment of the life in the edgelands lets us see our human selves in a different light. There is a sense of loss, but also of perseverance, of nature not giving in to our indifference. I live in a much different place; semi wild northern Texas Hill Country, where nature is still very close at hand. Even so, in the 40 years we've lived 20 miles from the closest town, development is happening everywhere. Land is being scraped, ranches are being subdivided and new subdivisions put in that use up our precious water resource, removing all the plant life but oaks. I try to focus on the beauty that's still here. Taking your example to guide me. Thank you.
Thank you, Martha. I am glad to hear you have been able to get that perspective from this project.
First: thank you for “blue cranky,” the most accurate description of a blue heron I’ve seen. Cranky is likewise a good name for sandhill cranes. We’ve a lot of them here in south-central Michigan (even through winter, a sure sign of changing climate), and they have an inordinate amount of aggro for a bird their size.
Second: I live in the outer circle of residences surrounding a lake. Beyond me are farm fields and islands of woods. The diversity of wildlife around us is amazing, from prey to predator, from mice and moles and deer to coyotes, foxes, and owls (and sandhill cranes.) Your discussion about WIU made me consider what our local system looks like. There is a rumor that the field out back will be developed, adding another level to the residential ring around the lake. I wonder what the results will be.
I was just reading about the sandhill cranes that overwinter in the Texas Panhandle, and thinking how I should make a trek to see them in person. It sounds like a very special place where you live.
as someone who is almost totally blind, I enjoy your essays in a way that others probably don't. Your vivid prose shows me where you've been. Thanks for letting me see your world. If I can make a humble request, though. Is there a way for you to add ALT text to the images that accompany your essays? When I "read" them with the assistance of screen reading software, the software often describes the images with alphanumeric soup, such as "bbf746f4-1a86-4e55-aa3d-6445f64cee79_256x256.png". If it is at all possible for you to include a description of the image using the ALT image tag, I would greatly appreciate it.
Thank you so much for reading, and for this excellent suggestion. I am embarrassed that I never even thought of such an impediment. I shall do my best to figure out how to do this and provide you and other similarly situated readers with descriptions of the image.
No need to feel embarrassed. Field Notes enriches me, with or without the images. You've set the bar high for my own prose. Keep up the good work.
Great article! For alternative vision of people and nature in cities. You might be interested in how Europe does things differently. There are lots of examples but you might find googling some European Rewilding and Urban Ecology interesting.
An example of urban nature reinvention that I've been a bit involved with is in "Nationaal Park Hollandse Duinen" (https://www.nationaalparkhollandseduinen.nl/) where they are trying to create a new urban park in Den Haag, which enhances cultural landscapes, biodiversity, & urban ecosystem services. Our work contributed to the planning processes - Kuiper et al Exploring desirable nature futures for Nationaal Park Hollandse Duinen https://doi.org/10.1080/26395916.2022.2065360
Very cool projects! I look forward to taking a deeper dive—and maybe visiting on a future holiday.
I saw some German examples of similar visions this summer, including the Isar River restoration in Munich, which I wrote about in September: https://fieldnotes.christopherbrown.com/p/notes-from-a-green-zeitreise
Thanks for reading and sharing.
Much enjoyed this post. My wife and I are leaving our northeast Iowa farm, moving to a mid-sized Minnesota city, and I am floundering in my attempts to understand this new environment. Your essay is my starting point. Thank you.
Thanks for reading, and best wishes for your move.