Sometimes we read headlines, and although we are sympathetic to a cause, it can be far removed from our area, or deal with things that we don't feel we can change. So I thought that a look at what we do, as humans, to the area around us, and how that affects the fellow beings who live hear would be more appropriate.
At Camphill Village, you are at the forefront of sustainable living and agriculture. I wouldn't begin to tell you how to do that. As a voice for the wild things, I might be able to share their points of view in a way you hadn't thought of before. So lets begin.
Roads. We take them for granted. We need them to travel safely. We maintain them for the safe travel of everyone that lives here. What is the downside? For some creatures they are impassable barricades. If they leave the edges, the long grasses, they risk being lunch for any waiting predator. Some cannot crawl across the gravel. Some can cross, but when they do, they are at risk from traffic. Many turtles, frogs and other amphibians find themselves needing to get to the other side. They winter on one side of a road, and live in a pond on the other side in the summer. We've all seen the results of bad timing.
Fences. We need them to keep our livestock safe. To protect the crops. But the animals that move through that area to go to feeding and bedding areas, places to get to water, they can be bad news. Some are injured trying to go over or through them. Some get separated from others in their herd. Fences can force animals to go through spaces that are harmful to them, like roads. Young can get left behind when the adults move quickly to escape a predator and jump fences.
"Cleaning up" woodlands, mowing yards. Lots of people like a nicely trimmed yard, or a woods that is park like, with trees for shade and no brush cluttering things up. This depletes the natural areas that are necessary for animals for eat, breed, raise their young and live their lives. Brush piles provide cover from predators. In most areas there is very little wild areas left. Most has been farmed (we need to eat!) and covered in houses, yards, and pavement. In my mind every square foot matters.
Dead trees. They are such an important part of a natural ecosystem. So many animals use them for homes, or eat the insects that are busy recycling them. As they decay, they break down into nutrients that keep the forest alive.Discounting the actual soil, the dead trees have the most variety of life within them in the woods.
By looking at all of these parts of our world, we can slowly adjust our way of dealing with the fellow travelers on this planet. Small changes, in our own backyards, are just as important as other ways to protect our planet, maybe more, because we can do a little, everyday.
