Chaparral Wisdom
To celebrate the magic and beauty of Nature & the chaparral
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?”
Read MoreBreathe Again – Become a Chaparral Naturalist
Once a year, we offer a unique learning experience to explore and enjoy a place few people know – the chaparral.
Our Chaparral Naturalist program is an opportunity to discover the remarkable native plants and animals with which we share California’s beautiful landscape, and to rekindle our innate love for Nature.
The adventure begins March 2, 2024, in sunny San Diego County.
All the details, a sample class schedule, and topics covered can be found on our Education page here:
https://californiachaparral.org/education/
The class typically fills by the holidays, so please apply soon.
We hope you will join us.
Wilderness Transcends Human Myopia
Wandering the wilds of the eastern Sierra Nevada this past week, stumbling over rocks and melted snow through Kearsarge Pass, listening to Clark’s Nutcrackers proclaiming their raucous wisdom, and becoming overwhelmed by mountainous crags reflected by moonlight in the alpine lake next to our camp, a gentle calmness settled into our souls.
And so, it should come as no surprise that as we began our return to civilization in the car, my hiking buddy, after attempting to catch up on the multiple human dramas we had missed, via texts, emails, and social media, turned to me and said, “Let’s go back.”
Thus is the magic of Wilderness, of removing one’s self from the confines, expectations, and myopia of civilization for an extended period of time – life becomes free to live authentically, unfettered by the accumulated dross of society’s chatter, or as identified by philosopher Martin Heidegger, Das Gerede (an excellent explanation of Heidegger’s thoughts is available here).
The Sierra helped us resolve the conundrum we’ve faced for the past two decades: how can modern hominids, characterized as sapient beings, see living things, and the thriving, dense habitat in which they live, as merely “fuel?” The Nutcrackers taught us that such a mindset is to be expected from those who have become seduced by their own personas, personas created to survive in an artificial world.
Charles Bukowski’s question, “Can you remember who you were, before the world told you who you should be?” would be an appropriate question for the fuel-centrists to ask themselves. For only lost souls could be so blind to the beauty that wild Nature and Wilderness provides.
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