Nature is Everywhere
A squirrel eats seeds and corn left at a local park
It often feels that the modern world is moving too fast to keep up with. Living in a suburban neighborhood, I can’t help but think that for many people the only wildlife they are going to see are the local crows, or the squirrels and waterfowl of the local duck pond. We often sacrifice experiences for convenience. But for those willing, there are often escapes that are no more than a 15-minute drive away.
While this is not the case for everywhere, I feel privileged to live in an area where this is possible. Only a few minutes from my local grocer is a hiking trail with waterfalls. Ten minutes in the opposite direction is a shore lands preserve where the birds never cease to offer great viewing opportunities. And twenty minutes in another direction allows access to Antelope Island, a state park with abundant wildlife encounters including bison.
As I visit these locations, I can’t help but feel how different we are from the creatures we share the world with. Humans will enter an environment and alter it to suit their needs, where as the wildlife will either need to adapt to the changes in their environment or move on. Often those living at the base of the mountains will complain of deer entering their yard and eating their flowers. There is a saying, “it comes with the territory,” and this is even more true when moving to the literal borders of the forests.
With the growing population, it becomes more difficult to find a balance to share the environments with our animal brethren. Difficult, but not impossible. While some areas will be safe because the environment is not ideal, some areas within urban environments can be kept wild as safe havens for the wildlife. I have visited many of these areas myself, inside the heart of a suburban city, and yet some areas inside these havens feel as though you are miles away. While the variety of life will not be as great, it can still offer solidarity for those who choose to find it.
Often we view modern architecture as a bold statement of humanity’s achievements. But more and more, I am seeing an integration of modern structures as well as plant life. Shade trees along streets with a sitting bench below. Public flower gardens and knolls of vegetation adds not only color, but a sense of returning to nature, while only minutes away from the modern conveniences that so many have come to depend.
The world we live in is not one that we own, but one we share. When we learn to share, to give as well as take, we can not only survive, but live with the amazing creatures that also call this world home.
