Chaparral Wisdom
To celebrate the magic and beauty of Nature & the chaparral
Nature is Not Our Garden in Need of “Tending”
– How the California Coastal Commission is Failing Us –
The clearance of old-growth Bishop Pine Forests at Tomales Bay State Park
In the summer of 1972, my friend Eric Strom and I went door to door to encourage our neighbors to vote for Proposition 20, the landmark initiative to create the California Coastal Commission.
After suffering a defeat in the legislature the previous year, citizens had rallied to place the proposition on the ballot. As high school students, we dove into the battle through the neighborhood environmental group we formed, Help Our Environment. Our monthly publication, The Conservatory Tribune, published courtesy of the ditto machine in our school’s copy room, was distributed by mail to around 100 people. We covered a lot of issues, garnering support for the causes we championed during the heyday of the environmental movement. But the cause we were most proud of was our participation in the effort to establish the California Coastal Commission to protect our fragile coastline.
Prop 20 passed, Eric and I graduated from high school, and a wonderful assortment of laws were on the books to protect Nature. We felt the natural environment was finally given a fighting chance.
Although the laws are still with us, anthropocentrism has slowly crept into the collective mindset, elevating human interests and desires above the needs of native, wild life forms. The Tomales Bay State Park Public Works Plan (PWP) is unfortunately a reflection of this change.
We lost Eric on Easter Day, 1995. He lived large. I can still hear his booming, beautiful voice singing his favorite songs on stage. Both my parents passed away about the same time. I remember the animated disagreements we had over Prop 20 at the kitchen table. Mom voted yes, dad voted no. In 1972, people could have opposite opinions and still respect each other.
And so, as I reflect on my decades-long effort to protect Nature from misconceptions and vested interests determined to demonize vibrant ecosystems, it is bittersweet to be writing this letter. It has been difficult to see the California Coastal Commission, under pressure from Cal Fire, helping to facilitate the loss of the very coastal habitats it was originally chartered to protect.
Read MoreAn Inspired Spirit for Thousands
Dr. Marvin Druger – Emeritus Professor of Biology, Syracuse University
Below is the note I sent to Dr. Marvin Druger this morning, to thank him for the inspiration he has shared with so many.
Dear Dr. Druger,
I met you at a AAAS conference in San Francisco, I think, back in 1985. You presented a remarkable set of examples of how to motivate general biology students to not only enjoy your class, but the entire field of biology. As a beginning high school biology teacher, I was constantly searching for ways to inspire. What I learned from you influenced what I did over the twenty years I spent in the classroom, as well as the years that have followed when I’ve endeavored to communicate my ideas effectively as an advocate for the environment, and again, now, as a teacher of our Chaparral Naturalist course, a program our organization founded in 2015. As I ramped up for the tenth year of our class starting next month, you came to mind as the mentor who set the stage for so much of how I have approached teaching.
When I looked you up on the web last night, I was not surprised to find your infectious smile and welcoming eyes greet me. It’s obvious your zest for life and enthusiasm for teaching continues to shine!
Algerians in the Chaparral
The Berbers, the indigenous population of North Africa, partnered with, fought against, and embraced so many different civilizations; the Phoenicians who established Carthage, the Romans who destroyed the city and incorporated its territory into the Empire, the Vandals, multiple Arab dynasties, and the French. In 1962, the locals finally established their own republic – Algeria.
“I feel like I’m home,” one of our new Algerian friends said last week as we wandered through the maritime chaparral landscape of Manchester Preserve in Encinitas, California. So many of the plants looked familiar to them. “This one,” pointing to a lemonade berry branch, “looks just like one of our oaks. Thick leaves. Thick bark. All to protect itself from drought.”
Citizens of Mediterranean climates all share a common bond – a familiar habitat, a sense of place amongst the shrubs.
Our seven new friends connected with us through the State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program a couple of months ago. Organizers called and asked if we could give their participants a tour of our favorite habitat. All were connected to firefighting or environmental conservation in Algeria and were very interested in hearing about our efforts to protect the chaparral, including our lawsuit against Cal Fire.
As we walked, we thought about the short period of time the United States has been around in contrast to the many civilizations of Algeria. We wondered how Algeria’s long history has impacted how Algerians see themselves and the land upon which they live. “Is there a national, conscious connection,” we asked, “to all those thousands of years of history that have shaped you as a people?”
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