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experiencelifemag.com
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Restore the Land, Restore Yourself
Threatened native habitats offer an opportunity for service amid some of the
country’s most stunning landscapes.
By Laurel Kallenbach |
April 2008 |
This Land Is Your Land
Prairie Revival
Conservation's Next Generation
Tread Lightly
Think Globally, Travel Locally
Saving Space
As Dorothy Prowell dips her paddle into the rich, brown swamp water, she
cranes her neck to see the tops of the towering, bald cypress trees. Cat Island
National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), a Louisiana wetland, is one of Prowell’s
favorite outdoor getaways. “It’s so majestic, vast and wild,” she says. “You can
canoe all day through tree cathedrals and watch thousands of wood ducks.”
Located just 30 minutes from Baton Rouge, Cat Island is one of the
state’s few unleveed areas, where wetlands naturally rise and fall with the
nearby Mississippi River. As a result of development, river diversion, levees
and hurricane activity, though, Louisiana’s wetlands are among the world’s most
endangered habitats. Fortunately, people like Prowell and organizations like the
Friends of Cat Island NWR are helping to preserve and restore this and other
at-risk environments across the country. In the process, they’re helping make
them accessible to people interested in exploring and learning more about the
land and its inhabitants.
This Land Is Your Land
The United States is home to a vast array of
landscapes — prairies, deserts, mountains and coastlines — each host
to
unique ecosystems teeming with animals and plants. As humans settled, explored
and cultivated the terrain, however, we disturbed these habitats and their
natural processes with little thought to how we fit into them. In the process,
we displaced and sometimes destroyed plant and animal species.
Years later,
we’re realizing the value they hold, and thanks to preservation legislation and
rehabilitation and restoration projects nationwide, many vanishing landscapes
are returning to their natural states.
The U.S. National Park Service, for
instance, protects 391 unique ecosystems, which cover more than 84 million
acres, from the Everglades swamps and Death Valley desert to Hawaiian volcanoes
and Virgin Islands coral reefs. These vast national preserves offer a rare
opportunity to hike, swim or paddle in pristine environments.
You don’t have
to travel across the country to spend time in an endangered area, though. Look
around and you’re likely to find state parks or wildlife preserves within an
hour or two of your home. Most allow recreational activities, so you can get
your exercise while enjoying fresh air and beautiful scenery.
Prairie Revival
In the Midwest, grasslands-advocate Bill Whitney sees
vibrant art where some might see boring flatlands. “The prairie is a colorful
mosaic of plant species,” says the executive director of Prairie Plains
Resource Institute, a nonprofit land trust in Nebraska that restores and
preserves this vanishing landscape. “If you’re out hiking on a sun-drenched
afternoon in late summer, when the goldenrod and sunflowers bloom and the tall
grasses turn reddish, the land looks like a colorful tapestry,” Whitney
adds.
Unlike mountains or beaches, grasslands draw few tourists — and their
ecological importance often goes unrecognized. Yet local visitors are aware of
the unique outdoor experiences prairies offer.
Colleen Babcock, RD, a
Lincoln, Neb.–based health counselor, has hiked, run and bicycled for 17 years
at a number of the Prairie Plains preserves. “Getting exercise outdoors relaxes
and restores me,” she says. “As I walk or ride, I’m looking, listening and
learning about the land, which is always changing. I never get bored exercising
on the prairie because there’s so much to notice: the clouds, the angle of the
sun, what’s blooming in spring or what’s drying up in the fall.”
Seven
Prairie Plains preserves are scattered throughout Nebraska, and Whitney is
confident they’ll someday become popular volunteer vacation destinations that
will attract both locals and out-of-staters interested in such activities as
taking guided prairie walks, collecting and sowing seeds, or hand-planting areas
for restoration.
The organization is building an educational center in a
historic barn on its Griffith Prairie and Farm, in Hamilton County, to help
visitors realize grasslands’ beauty and motivate them to experience it for
themselves. In addition, Prairie Plains’ summer daycamp uses the Griffith
Prairie and the Olson Nature Preserve, near Albion, to encourage kids to explore
the Platte River environment.
Conservation's Next Generation
For kayaker Kenny Howell, “there’s nothing
like the Cosumnes River anywhere else in California.” Program director of
California Canoe and Kayak, in Half Moon Bay, Howell paddles the intricate
calm-water channels just south of Sacramento on his own and as a tour leader
several times each spring.
The preserve’s wild, pristine setting
originally drew him to the area. “It’s not tamed, dammed, diked or overmanaged,”
Howell explains. “You can paddle through magnificent old-growth forests under a
lush canopy of tall oaks. It feels like you’ve escaped to another century. It’s
the last remnant of this habitat.”
Which is exactly why many outdoor
enthusiasts consider Cosumnes and similar habitats worth saving. Many of
these individuals double as volunteers and donate money, put in sweat equity on
work days, or help educate visitors about the spaces they love.
Before hiking
or launching their canoe or kayak onto the Cosumnes River, for instance,
visitors are often welcomed by the preserve’s youngest volunteer naturalist,
10-year-old Marcos Cabrera, who enthusiastically promotes the wonders of the
only undammed river that flows from the Sierra Nevada mountains to the ocean.
“We have trails and a lot of trees, and you can see lots of animals when you
walk along the river,” he explains.
Marcos lives inside the Cosumnes River
Preserve with his father, Alex, the preserve’s site coordinator, so he knows
nearly every owl, beaver lodge and valley oak in his 46,000-acre “backyard.”
Marcos is a shining example of how people now — and in future generations —
will care about the land. Because he and the adult naturalists are there to
answer visitor questions and point out Cosumnes’s natural wonders, 40,000
visitors annually realize why this wild area matters to them and the planet. As
they enjoy exploring this endangered habitat by foot or boat, they have more
incentive to protect it. “I tell people this land is for the natural communities
and the diversity of wildlife,” says Marcos.
Tread Lightly
Whether you visit endangered habitats as a tourist or a
volunteer, it’s important to respect these lands and waterways. Some areas might
be closed to human traffic or pets because of the ecosystem’s delicate nature.
Some activities might be banned; for instance, you might not be able to take
your mountain bike on a trail because of erosion concerns, or you might forgo
fishing from your rowboat because the aquatic population is threatened.
Still, there are innumerable revived and reviving habitats around the
country where you can have an invigorating outdoor experience — whether you
choose to hike, paddle or get your hands dirty — while also supporting that
ecosystem’s plants, animals and birds. By heading out and appreciating what’s in
your neck of the woods, you and nature can rejuvenate together.
Writer and editor Laurel Kallenbach takes a computer break by hiking around a
protected urban wetland in Boulder, Colo.
Think Globally, Travel Locally
You don’t have to go very far to find environmental-upgrade opportunities.
Chances are good that a habitat near you is endangered. Get to know it — and
love it — by visiting and getting involved. 1. Choose your spot. Search the Internet using your state or city, plus
“wildlife refuge,” “preserve” or “restoration project.” Also check out Web
sites for organizations that specialize in preservation:
2. Once
you’ve found a restored habitat to visit, follow these steps:
- Check
whether the public is allowed. Ask where you can go, when it’s open and whether
there’s an entrance fee.
- Find out what activities are allowed. Some
areas are off limits to motorized vehicles, bicycles or horses. Some allow dogs
on leashes. Some ban fishing and hunting.
- See if the park or preserve
has an educational center where you can learn more about the
habitat.
- Ask about volunteer programs. Many places have work days
during which volunteers can help with restoration projects.
- Stay on
designated trails, and practice Leave No Trace guidelines to minimize your
impact on the landscape (see Web Extra!).
Saving Space
From the redwood forest to the Gulf Stream waters, preserves and refuges
offer outdoor recreation in a natural setting.
Baxter State Park — Hike
and climb in the alpine and boreal forest at the foot of Mount Katahdin in
Maine. 207-723-5140; www.baxterstateparkauthority.com Cat
Island National Wildlife Refuge — Canoe or fish in a Louisiana bald cypress
swamp. 601-442-6696; www.fws.gov/catisland Cosumnes River
Preserve — Hiking and paddling south of Sacramento, Calif. A paddling map is
downloadable online. 916-684-2816; www.cosumnes.org
Elkhorn Slough — A tidal
salt marsh in California’s Monterey Bay is home to plant, animal and bird
habitats. Volunteer and kids’ activities available. 831-728-5939; www.elkhornslough.org
Midewin
National Tallgrass Prairie — Formerly the site of an Illinois ammunition
factory, this land now boasts the first national tallgrass prairie in the
country. Some trails are open for hiking, horseback riding and biking.
815-423-6370; www.fs.fed.us/mntp
Mojave National
Preserve — Horseback riding, hiking and backpacking on 1.6 million acres in the
Southern California desert. 760-252-6100; www.nps.gov/moja
Peveto Woods Sanctuary —
Bird and butterfly watching and hiking on 40 acres along the Louisiana coast in
Cameron Parish. The land is owned by the Baton Rouge Audubon Society.
225-757-1769; www.braudubon.org/sanctuaries.asp
Prairie
Plains Resource Institute — Seven preserves in Nebraska for hiking, bird
watching and occasional cycling. Offers kids’ educational programs and volunteer
restoration projects. 402-694-5535; www.prairieplains.org
Siuslaw
National Forest — Explore the forest, dunes or beach along central Oregon’s
coast, an endangered spotted owl
habitat. 541-750-7000; www.fs.fed.us/r6/siuslaw
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Restore the Land, Restore Yourself
Threatened native habitats offer an opportunity for service amid some of the
country’s most stunning landscapes.
By Laurel Kallenbach | Head Out Department,
April 2008 |
This Land Is Your Land
Prairie Revival
Conservation's Next Generation
Tread Lightly
Think Globally, Travel Locally
Saving Space
As Dorothy Prowell dips her paddle into the rich, brown swamp water, she
cranes her neck to see the tops of the towering, bald cypress trees. Cat Island
National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), a Louisiana wetland, is one of Prowell’s
favorite outdoor getaways. “It’s so majestic, vast and wild,” she says. “You can
canoe all day through tree cathedrals and watch thousands of wood ducks.”
Located just 30 minutes from Baton Rouge, Cat Island is one of the
state’s few unleveed areas, where wetlands naturally rise and fall with the
nearby Mississippi River. As a result of development, river diversion, levees
and hurricane activity, though, Louisiana’s wetlands are among the world’s most
endangered habitats. Fortunately, people like Prowell and organizations like the
Friends of Cat Island NWR are helping to preserve and restore this and other
at-risk environments across the country. In the process, they’re helping make
them accessible to people interested in exploring and learning more about the
land and its inhabitants.
This Land Is Your Land (Back to Top)
The United States is home to a vast array of
landscapes — prairies, deserts, mountains and coastlines — each host
to
unique ecosystems teeming with animals and plants. As humans settled, explored
and cultivated the terrain, however, we disturbed these habitats and their
natural processes with little thought to how we fit into them. In the process,
we displaced and sometimes destroyed plant and animal species.
Years later,
we’re realizing the value they hold, and thanks to preservation legislation and
rehabilitation and restoration projects nationwide, many vanishing landscapes
are returning to their natural states.
The U.S. National Park Service, for
instance, protects 391 unique ecosystems, which cover more than 84 million
acres, from the Everglades swamps and Death Valley desert to Hawaiian volcanoes
and Virgin Islands coral reefs. These vast national preserves offer a rare
opportunity to hike, swim or paddle in pristine environments.
You don’t have
to travel across the country to spend time in an endangered area, though. Look
around and you’re likely to find state parks or wildlife preserves within an
hour or two of your home. Most allow recreational activities, so you can get
your exercise while enjoying fresh air and beautiful scenery.
Prairie Revival (Back to Top)
In the Midwest, grasslands-advocate Bill Whitney sees
vibrant art where some might see boring flatlands. “The prairie is a colorful
mosaic of plant species,” says the executive director of Prairie Plains
Resource Institute, a nonprofit land trust in Nebraska that restores and
preserves this vanishing landscape. “If you’re out hiking on a sun-drenched
afternoon in late summer, when the goldenrod and sunflowers bloom and the tall
grasses turn reddish, the land looks like a colorful tapestry,” Whitney
adds.
Unlike mountains or beaches, grasslands draw few tourists — and their
ecological importance often goes unrecognized. Yet local visitors are aware of
the unique outdoor experiences prairies offer.
Colleen Babcock, RD, a
Lincoln, Neb.–based health counselor, has hiked, run and bicycled for 17 years
at a number of the Prairie Plains preserves. “Getting exercise outdoors relaxes
and restores me,” she says. “As I walk or ride, I’m looking, listening and
learning about the land, which is always changing. I never get bored exercising
on the prairie because there’s so much to notice: the clouds, the angle of the
sun, what’s blooming in spring or what’s drying up in the fall.”
Seven
Prairie Plains preserves are scattered throughout Nebraska, and Whitney is
confident they’ll someday become popular volunteer vacation destinations that
will attract both locals and out-of-staters interested in such activities as
taking guided prairie walks, collecting and sowing seeds, or hand-planting areas
for restoration.
The organization is building an educational center in a
historic barn on its Griffith Prairie and Farm, in Hamilton County, to help
visitors realize grasslands’ beauty and motivate them to experience it for
themselves. In addition, Prairie Plains’ summer daycamp uses the Griffith
Prairie and the Olson Nature Preserve, near Albion, to encourage kids to explore
the Platte River environment.
Conservation's Next Generation (Back to Top)
For kayaker Kenny Howell, “there’s nothing
like the Cosumnes River anywhere else in California.” Program director of
California Canoe and Kayak, in Half Moon Bay, Howell paddles the intricate
calm-water channels just south of Sacramento on his own and as a tour leader
several times each spring.
The preserve’s wild, pristine setting
originally drew him to the area. “It’s not tamed, dammed, diked or overmanaged,”
Howell explains. “You can paddle through magnificent old-growth forests under a
lush canopy of tall oaks. It feels like you’ve escaped to another century. It’s
the last remnant of this habitat.”
Which is exactly why many outdoor
enthusiasts consider Cosumnes and similar habitats worth saving. Many of
these individuals double as volunteers and donate money, put in sweat equity on
work days, or help educate visitors about the spaces they love.
Before hiking
or launching their canoe or kayak onto the Cosumnes River, for instance,
visitors are often welcomed by the preserve’s youngest volunteer naturalist,
10-year-old Marcos Cabrera, who enthusiastically promotes the wonders of the
only undammed river that flows from the Sierra Nevada mountains to the ocean.
“We have trails and a lot of trees, and you can see lots of animals when you
walk along the river,” he explains.
Marcos lives inside the Cosumnes River
Preserve with his father, Alex, the preserve’s site coordinator, so he knows
nearly every owl, beaver lodge and valley oak in his 46,000-acre “backyard.”
Marcos is a shining example of how people now — and in future generations —
will care about the land. Because he and the adult naturalists are there to
answer visitor questions and point out Cosumnes’s natural wonders, 40,000
visitors annually realize why this wild area matters to them and the planet. As
they enjoy exploring this endangered habitat by foot or boat, they have more
incentive to protect it. “I tell people this land is for the natural communities
and the diversity of wildlife,” says Marcos.
Tread Lightly (Back to Top)
Whether you visit endangered habitats as a tourist or a
volunteer, it’s important to respect these lands and waterways. Some areas might
be closed to human traffic or pets because of the ecosystem’s delicate nature.
Some activities might be banned; for instance, you might not be able to take
your mountain bike on a trail because of erosion concerns, or you might forgo
fishing from your rowboat because the aquatic population is threatened.
Still, there are innumerable revived and reviving habitats around the
country where you can have an invigorating outdoor experience — whether you
choose to hike, paddle or get your hands dirty — while also supporting that
ecosystem’s plants, animals and birds. By heading out and appreciating what’s in
your neck of the woods, you and nature can rejuvenate together.
Writer and editor Laurel Kallenbach takes a computer break by hiking around a
protected urban wetland in Boulder, Colo.
Think Globally, Travel Locally (Back to Top)
You don’t have to go very far to find environmental-upgrade opportunities.
Chances are good that a habitat near you is endangered. Get to know it — and
love it — by visiting and getting involved. 1. Choose your spot. Search the Internet using your state or city, plus
“wildlife refuge,” “preserve” or “restoration project.” Also check out Web
sites for organizations that specialize in preservation:
2. Once
you’ve found a restored habitat to visit, follow these steps:
- Check
whether the public is allowed. Ask where you can go, when it’s open and whether
there’s an entrance fee.
- Find out what activities are allowed. Some
areas are off limits to motorized vehicles, bicycles or horses. Some allow dogs
on leashes. Some ban fishing and hunting.
- See if the park or preserve
has an educational center where you can learn more about the
habitat.
- Ask about volunteer programs. Many places have work days
during which volunteers can help with restoration projects.
- Stay on
designated trails, and practice Leave No Trace guidelines to minimize your
impact on the landscape (see Web Extra!).
Saving Space (Back to Top)
From the redwood forest to the Gulf Stream waters, preserves and refuges
offer outdoor recreation in a natural setting.
Baxter State Park — Hike
and climb in the alpine and boreal forest at the foot of Mount Katahdin in
Maine. 207-723-5140; www.baxterstateparkauthority.com Cat
Island National Wildlife Refuge — Canoe or fish in a Louisiana bald cypress
swamp. 601-442-6696; www.fws.gov/catisland Cosumnes River
Preserve — Hiking and paddling south of Sacramento, Calif. A paddling map is
downloadable online. 916-684-2816; www.cosumnes.org
Elkhorn Slough — A tidal
salt marsh in California’s Monterey Bay is home to plant, animal and bird
habitats. Volunteer and kids’ activities available. 831-728-5939; www.elkhornslough.org
Midewin
National Tallgrass Prairie — Formerly the site of an Illinois ammunition
factory, this land now boasts the first national tallgrass prairie in the
country. Some trails are open for hiking, horseback riding and biking.
815-423-6370; www.fs.fed.us/mntp
Mojave National
Preserve — Horseback riding, hiking and backpacking on 1.6 million acres in the
Southern California desert. 760-252-6100; www.nps.gov/moja
Peveto Woods Sanctuary —
Bird and butterfly watching and hiking on 40 acres along the Louisiana coast in
Cameron Parish. The land is owned by the Baton Rouge Audubon Society.
225-757-1769; www.braudubon.org/sanctuaries.asp
Prairie
Plains Resource Institute — Seven preserves in Nebraska for hiking, bird
watching and occasional cycling. Offers kids’ educational programs and volunteer
restoration projects. 402-694-5535; www.prairieplains.org
Siuslaw
National Forest — Explore the forest, dunes or beach along central Oregon’s
coast, an endangered spotted owl
habitat. 541-750-7000; www.fs.fed.us/r6/siuslaw
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