Lovers of public lands. Seekers of adventure. Travels by van, foot, and bike.
First and foremost, we believe in conserving wilderness that protects the health of ecosystems. We believe in keeping land accessible for the use/ enjoyment of all … including a balance of human, plant, and animal needs. Yes, we believe that we can all thrive together.
The notion of reciprocity is really different from that. It’s an expansion from that, because what it says is that our role as human people is not just to take from the earth, and the role of the earth is not just to provide for our single species. So reciprocity actually kind of broadens this notion to say that not only does the earth sustain us, but that we have the capacity and the responsibility to sustain her in return. So it broadens the notion of what it is to be a human person, not just a consumer. And there’s such joy in being able to do that, to have it be a mutual flourishing instead of the more narrow definition of sustainability so that we can just keep on taking. –DR. ROBIN WALL KIMMERER
Melanie
By day, Melanie is a professional librarian. What do public lands and libraries have in common? ACCESS. Melanie fell in love with the concept of public lands while backpacking across Scotland where wild camping is permitted in nearly every corner of the country. Growing up in the suburbs or Cleveland, Melanie had not encountered the vast stretches of public lands that line the Western & North Eastern US. It wasn’t until later in life, that Melanie fell in love with backpacking and camping in National Forests. There is a great sense of freedom in strapping the essentials in a backpack, putting one foot in front of the other, and finding a place to sleep under the stars.
We have turned 54% of the lower 48 states into cities and suburbs, and 41% more into various forms of agriculture. That’s right: we humans have taken 95% of nature and made in unnatural. But does this matter? Are there consequences to turning so much land into the park-like settings humans enjoy? Absolutely, both for biodiversity and for us. –DOUG TALLAMY
Becky
“When the animals come to us asking for our help, will we know what they are saying? When the plants speak to us in their delicate, beautiful language, will we be able to answer them? When the planet herself sings to us in our dreams, will we be able to wake ourselves and act?” – Gary Lawless
All of my life, nature has been my sanctuary. I love being outdoors, in natural places. Places where as far as my eyes can see there are natural things: trees, rivers, rocks, plants, animals. Where the only sounds I hear are birds singing, the bugs moving, the whispers of the plants, the magic of the moss and fungi, my breath and the breath of a loved one or two. That makes my heart sing.
I am fortunate. I grew up playing outside, having grass and trees to play in, and having many parks outside of my suburban home where I could run into the woods. These places became more than just a walk in the woods. They became, and still are, one of the reasons my heart beats. So special. So sacred.
With this love I have for the natural world, comes great sadness also. I see, hear and feel every day the destruction of her. I am completely dismayed, confused, and frustrated about why the human species purposefully destroys their life sustaining habitat, the only Earth we have and share with other species. I get angry, I cry, I fall to the ground. And then something magical happens every time. I feel the energy of the Earth. I hear the whispers in the trees. I get a blessing of animal friend to relay the message: “Don’t give up, don’t dismay, we are stronger, this is eternal. Just Love.” And then I get up, I do what I can do. I tell others. I lead with my heart.
Wander for the Wild, for me is the result of my 39 years of learning, growing, loving, and listening here on Earth. I believe this is what I am meant to do at this time. To pay attention. To be astonished. To tell others. To do what I can to help. To Love. To be full of, and surrounded by Grace, all ways. Thank you for being on this journey with me.