Nature conservation works. So says a landmark study recently published in >Science. This is powerful news, and it should be a heartening boost for everyone who has committed their work and funding to nature, as well as anyone considering whether to do so.
At some point one becomes keenly aware of time and capacity. In turning back, I see much to be satisfied with. Choices, what I have done with my capacities, such as they are. And also things I might be, but no longer will.
When I saw the State of the Chesapeake Bay 2022 Report in my inbox I thought of my father, an avid Bay sailor, and an image came to mind from sometime in the mid-1970s of him smoothing a Save the Bay bumper sticker on the car. But as I read on, this pleasant feeling did not linger… For 2002, the state of the Bay was rated D+.
I often find myself working with people and organizations in moments of transition. I have read academic examinations of the subject, but recently I picked up William Bridges’s more popular-style Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes.… Bridges’s conception of transition is simple. All transitions have three phases: an ending, a neutral zone, and a new beginning. This start-with-an-ending idea quickly made sense.
I often find myself working with people and organizations in moments of transition. I have read academic examinations of the subject, but recently I picked up William Bridges’s more popular-style Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes.… Bridges’s conception of transition is simple. All transitions have three phases: an ending, a neutral zone, and a new beginning. This start-with-an-ending idea quickly made sense.
“Fascinating little moth. It has red underneath its wings!” Insects delight my son and he texted me this photo while we were out of town recently. I too was captivated by it. And then we learned more… Lycorma delicatula, the Spotted Lanternfly. Arriving in the mid-Atlantic in 2014, it’s a nasty invasive pest that poses a major threat to a number of important crops, including apples and grapes, plant nurseries, commercial timber, and other trees, including maples, black walnut, birch and willow.
Introverts v. Zoom v. Extroverts My 16-year-old daughter has become fascinated by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator®. No, she’s become obsessed. You know it. That’s the personality test that describes you in four letters (Your “Type”). What could be more appealing to a sociable teen than that? Apparently there are sites where you can take the test for free online, and after doing so she persuaded her friends to take it.
Tea and T-Shirts: Sipping tea in my t-shirt, I contemplate the structure of a particular analysis for an evaluation I am working on. I glance over at the window boxes brightened by the morning sun, then adjust the back cushion I bought recently. The sofa wasn’t really made for “office” use. I get up to check that my daughter is up and readying for her first day of virtual school. “What’s for dinner?” she asks me…
A Biting Chance: If you should start to find yourself beginning to become numb to the idea that nature is a wondrous thing, and even if you remain alive to this idea, consider this. If bumble bees emerge from hibernation too early there may not be enough pollen around to start a nest.
Scenario Your Way Forward: While weathering the tide here in New York City these last six weeks, I’ve collected some notes, news, and photos and I thought I’d pass on a few. I hope they provide a measure of help as you work through this crazy time.