The “view from the tree fort” is a new addition to the monthly e-notes. The upstairs office has been renamed and we are going to use this column as a forum to share staff and volunteer’s thoughts and writings on things that take place or are discussed there. We hope you enjoy it and we look forward to your comments.
View from the Tree Fort
Greg Keilback
One of the most interesting occurrences to me is the progression of green. I love the way it looks early in the spring, just sort of sprinkled here and there against the tawny browns of the forest floor. It starts so slow, waiting for just the right timing, and then it explodes as a green flame into the understory. The Viburnums and Dogwoods quickly use their new “green power” to fuel themselves for this year’s growth. Then one last jump: Canopy! The green now has a backdrop of blue. Could there be a more beautiful color palate? This idea of green climbing to reach blue may be an oversimplified concept, but those of us who study nature sometimes need to stop making it more complicated than it needs to be. Yes, I understand the light requirement ratios and the leaf area indices of shade tolerant ecosystems and the fluctuations that occur as each photo layer interacts with each other. But I also understand that green looks good with blue.
Amazing Stuff
Earth Day has come and gone for another year. I hope you celebrated it well. Earth Day is like a few other days that we really should be celebrating every day. wew should treat each day like it was our birthday and ever day should be Mother’s Day, don’t yo think? So that was the thought behind this essay called, “A Letter to Mom on Earth Day.” (here is the link )
Something to Ponder
As we grow and learn in schools, we are taught to think with our heads. We remember dates and memorize multiplication tables and so on. There comes a point in one’s life when we need to think with our hearts. Above and far beyond what we learn from a book or on a computer. Things that just feel right.
If we stay connected to our surroundings, something almost magical happens. This thing, I’m not sure what it is, starts to connect your heart to your brain. It joins them as if they were one. The heart and the head then start to work together. Thinking and having feelings all at once. Caring, compassion and action come from this new partnership. It is an occurrence that should be carried throughout an entire lifetime. However, few of us are fortunate to have it occur, even more unfortunate for the natural world that surrounds us.
We, as the staff at Severson Dells have hopes that you find your heart and head have begun to unite together. We hope it will translate to a lifetime of appreciation, awareness and passion for the world around you.
Tuesday Adventures with Greg
In the months of March and April, the Winnebago County Forest Preserve Severson Strike Force (WCFPSSF) has been very busy. While spending most of our time climbing around the most spectacular parts of the Dells “working,” we have located many very rare and fragile plants that we will focus on protecting in the near future. There are two ways I can try to explain this: one being nerdy and long with big words explaining tipping points within the successional seres and Tilden’s philosophy for adaptations of ecosystems, OR I can explain it as every Tuesday morning from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. me and a group of my friends go adventuring! We get to explore some of our county’s most beautiful scenery and know at the end of the day we are making a difference. The adventure continues and we always have something to do for anyone interested. You don’t have to have any background experience, just a love for conservation and the protection of our native plants and animals and the landscapes they call home.
If interested in volunteering please contact:
Greg Keilback
1-815-335-2915 or email- greg@seversondells.org