One of the things Covid19 has done is isolate many of us from one another.  It has also inspired a lot of us to get outside into nature to go climbing, hiking, swimming, kayaking, boating and camping.  This is one positive out of this horrible pandemic.  I am currently climbing the mountains in Maine and New Hampshire, as well as kayaking and swimming with family here.  We are a "pod" and take every precaution during our adventures.  It has been a glorious summer with awesome weather!  I am truly impressed with the amount of families and others who pass us on the trails. Hiking groups are continuing, now with masks and social distancing, but these are becoming a part of our new normal.  When I sit on top of a mountain like Willard in the White Mountains or Pleasant Mountain in Maine, I am amazed at the sheer beauty of our earth.  The sounds of birds and crickets, the laughter of little children running down the path, the still quiet in the deep woods, the smells of pine and earth, the majestic changing hues of a sunset over sparkling waters, the broad expanse of stars spread out over the night sky.  So put down the electronics and get outside!  

If you live near a lake, even just lake access, I highly recommend that you stop using Tru Green or any lawn fertilizer services!  Why? Fertilizer runoff enters the groundwater carrying harmful chemicals such as phosphorus that eventually work their way into nearby lakes and streams, causing harm to the water quality.  Pishaw you might say!  Do the research...check your local lake's water quality...it really does make a difference!  Our subdivision's lake, Dunham Lake, has experienced a degradation of quality due to people using excessive amounts of fertilizer (even those without nitrogen and phosphorus) and it is directly affecting the lake.  Sadly, people prefer a "perfect lawn" to a clean lake.  So let's all do our part! Let a few weeds creep in. Raise the blade a little higher and let the clippings stay on the lawn.  Cancel that contract with the fertilizer company.  For more info, read the resources on this link: ​http://www.canandaigualakeassoc.org/get-involved/lake-friendly-living/ 
Additionally, follow the below step-by-step guide to a healthy, lake-friendly lawn.  http://www.canandaigualakeassoc.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Cornell-lawn-care-guide.pdf

While in Costa Rica this week, I visited an ancient Rainforest in Nosara.  This protected space was teeming with wildlife covered by a canopy of huge, ancient trees that were hundreds of years old according to our guide (one was over 600!).  I was reminded of America's redwoods and giant sequoias.  These massive trees are protected and it is illegal to cut them down, but only within the ecological preserve.  As we rode along on our horses, we heard the strange, haunting howls of howler monkeys, beautiful bird songs, and saw multi colored lizards and iguanas, red and black crabs, butterflies and trees with huge, emerald green leaves.  After our horseback ride through the forest, we left the preserve and I thought I could hear the distant sound of chainsaws.  As we came around a sharp bend, the dense forest opened up and I saw row upon row of hundred year old trees that had just been logged, lining the road.  Sadly, they would never grow into the giants we had just encountered.  Our code of life must include caring for our earth.  Our treatment of the environment around us MUST change, before we lose the beautiful, incredible diversity of plants and animals we have been lucky enough to enjoy.  I am reminded of a song by Crosby, Stills and Nash...

You who are on the road
Must have a code that you can live by
And so become yourself
Because the past is just a good-bye.
Teach your children well,
Their father's hell did slowly go by,  
and feed them on your dreams
the one they pick
the one you'll know by...

[Photo by Bob Moul}
Monarchs in North America are amazing in that they cover vast distances of up to 3,000 miles during their migration (or rather, several generations of monarchs eventually help complete the journey).  Key to their survival are milkweed plants, the caterpillars only source of food.  The trouble is many open fields that had milkweed have become subdivisions.  Also, farmers spray weedkiller on their fields killing the important milkweed plants - not good for our faithful and beautiful monarchs.  Can we help?  Certainly.  Plant milkweed!  Buy organic fruits and vegetables.  Lobby for protection of the oyamel fir tree forests and preserves in Mexico.  Small steps DO make a difference.

I think what is most disturbing to me about the current administration (and I will not go into politics here) are the changes to our environmental policies.  Believe what you want, but there are real statistics available to us on how our animals, plants, trees, and oceans are being harmfully affected by what we humans have done in the past 200 plus years.  First, if you haven't seen An Inconvenient Truth, watch it.  If you have no idea what is happening to our climate, seek out vetted news, read and explore scientific information.  If you are wealthy enough, visit the arctic circle and watch polar bears and penguins.  Travel to Africa and observe poaching first hand.  If you are not wealthy (like me) take the time to watch Nature or other shows about what is happening to our planet.  I am deeply distressed that our country is not doing everything we can to make a difference for the animals and creatures of our planet. Climate change and things like the hole in the ozone layer (which we DID do something about) are not "fake news". I wish all this was fake news.  It is not.  Things like melting glaciers, loss of animal populations, and destruction of animals and animal habitat are measurable. 

My husband sometimes kids me that I care more about animals than I do about people.  Well, possibly... because animals do not have a voice!  They can't do the things that need to be done to reverse this dangerous trend.  Animals can only try to adjust, not an easy task when natural adaptation or finding a new habitat (if it is even possible) can take centuries... When I see the extensive bleaching of coral reefs, starving polar bears, monocultures devoid of healthy ecosystems, slash and burn farming in the rapidly disappearing rainforests, animal species going extinct - I am not proud to be a human.  I am sad. 

So of course, there are thousands of websites that offer constructive suggestions for how to make a difference.  I suggest at a minimum you do this:  Study the views of future candidates and vote accordingly.  Teach your children how to care for all animals, how to plant a garden, how to cherish the earth's creatures, how to sit still and watch the wildlife around them, how to be empathetic, how to make a difference, how to live differently.  Then do the same!