The Healing Power of Work and Nature

What has seemed like an endless parade of medical emergencies, long days, sleepless nights, relief finally came in the form of an email from my friend Misaeng. She had invited me to come to a house building event for a local couple active in the sustainable living community. The house is being constructed with straw and a clay-based mortar and will be powered off the grid. I was intrigued to say the least and agreed to go.

So early Monday morning, I packed up my gloves, boots and a change of clothes and drove up to Misaeng’s home where she and her young son, Noah were waiting. On the drive to the house, we exchanged our tales of woe for I was not the only one who had had an eventful September. When we arrived at the homestead, the crew was already at work, mixing the mortar, setting the frames and stomping the straw into the walls. We quickly jumped into action, toting wheelbarrows of heavy mortared straw and shoveling the mixture into the frames where the younger guys packed it tightly within the walls. With no roof on the house, above us was a beautiful cloudless blue sky, framed with maples, evergreens and oaks.  One of my co-workers talked about how great a zip line would be on the property, where you could sail above the tree line, seeing all the trees in color. I had to agree.

We were served a simple lunch of soup, bread, brownies and warm apple cider. It was delicious and so appropriate for this autumn day. I had the chance to talk with the homeowners about the house and their plans for completion. They had much to do before the snow comes, but the key was completing the side walls so that the roof could be installed.

After lunch, the pace accelerated. We were now operating on a deadline; the various crews had to leave at designated times (including my group) and the young crew of men would not be available after Monday. The work now involved packing the straw into the top of the walls where they meet the roof frame. Being scared of heights it was not a job for me so I packed pails of straw that were lifted to the guys on top of the frame. It didn’t take long for my arms to tire from all the lifting and shoveling so when the time came to leave, my body was spent.

As we drove home, Misaeng, Noah and I were tired but happy. For the first time in weeks, I had forgotten all the drama that had encompassed my life and I had used all that pent up anxiety to help other people in the community. The sunshine and wind had burnished my face, bringing a healthy glow to a pallid skin. My arms, back and legs were tingling from the energy exerted, and I felt so relaxed.

I often walk in the woods when I am distressed for the fresh air, trees and wildlife reset my anxious mind back to calm. But given the severity and length of my experiences of late, no simple walk would have done the job. I needed to work it out of me strenuously surrounded by the woods that I so love. So when I woke up this morning, faced with a long list of tasks to be done, my anxiety rose then quickly dissipated. I may not have resolved all the issues of my life yesterday, but at least I can face them with a calmer mind and a healthier perspective.

P.S. I am grateful for Brad and Amanda for giving me the opportunity to help them in their house construction. I wish them much love and happiness in their new home.

Rethinking How Best to Help

On numerous occasions I have had to defend the work of wildlife rehabilitators from people who believe that rehabilitation was interfering with the natural selection of wildlife. That same argument has been made for bird and squirrel feeders, water containers and nest boxes. Let nature take its course and don’t meddle.

I looked at my rehabilitation work and the placement of feeders, birdbaths and nest boxes as my contribution to offset the destruction of habitat cause by my actions. I choose to drive a car. In order to have a safe transportation system, roads must be built and maintained that may cut across wildlife corridors or destroy habitats in their entirety. My home requires construction materials such as wood, plastics and metals whose manufacturing processes involves logging, extracting and chemical treatments that can alter the landscape and potentially leach toxins into the environment. The list goes on from food I eat, the electricity I use, the clothes I wear to the activities I participate in. I felt that my rehabilitation work and feeders/nest boxes I provided are actions that are ethical and appropriate.

But I do have some reservations. If my ultimate intent is for wildlife to live and thrive in natural habitats would not a better option be to restore my yard into a natural wildlife environment? Am I creating and promoting a situation where birds and other animals depend upon commercially grown seeds and suet cakes rather than their native food? Am I promoting wildlife overpopulation in my neighborhood by providing an artificial food source far in excess of what nature would provide?  

Wildlife experts caution against the use of shelled corn for wildlife. Acidosis (Grain Overload) and Enterotoxemia (Overeating Disease) have been found in whitetail deer populations. Both diseases can cause digestive and intestinal distress resulting in diarrhea, failing coordination and death. Yet corn is a frequently found food in feeders and sold in large quantities at feed stores. In addition, poor maintenance of feeders and bird baths allow for the establishment and growth of e-coli and other pathological bacteria detrimental to a healthy wildlife population.

When I think about the potential risks involve, plus the large sums of money spent annually to refill feeders and replace equipment, perhaps applying that money towards landscape improvements would be a better alternative. Many local conservation districts, land conservancies and extension services offer workshops on native landscaping. Greenhouses and landscape designers have stepped up to offer native plants and garden design alternatives to attract butterflies, birds and small animals. Even the National Wildlife Federation sponsors a Certified Wildlife Habitat program that provides resources on making your yard wildlife friendly.

With the advent of fall, it is too late to stop the filling of feeders and water bowls, depriving my wildlife with a known food source for the upcoming winter. But the winter does afford me months in which to plan changes to the backyard, researching and ordering appropriate shrubs, trees and flowers to plant next spring.

When Bad Weather Strikes

Michigan Weather - Heavy Cloud with alittle Sun!!

One of the running jokes if you live in Michigan is if you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes and it will change. The past several days it has been a comfortable 70 degrees with sunshine, warmer than your typical October day and very pleasant for being outside. Even last evening with temps in the low 60’s, I could refill my bird feeders without wearing a jacket. Well, all that has changed this morning. Now, the skies are overcast, the winds blow strong and it’s a not so balmy 50 degrees. Even Lucy, my intrepid 18 year old cat who loves to sit outside on the back patio insisted on coming back inside after only a few minutes.

I’m one of those people who will find any excuse to be outside even if it means wrapped in a blanket sitting on a lawn chair holding a cup of hot coffee. But today, the wind just makes it too uncomfortable so I have resigned myself to finding indoor activities.

When I am not watching and photographing wildlife, I devote many hours a week to reading about animal natural history through the numerous daily e-mails I receive and magazines I subscribe to. But one avenue that I have discovered in the past year is the webinar. For those unfamiliar with them, a webinar is simply a seminar offered over the internet. You register for the event, and then on the day of the seminar, a link is sent to you gaining access to the meeting. Most webinars last about an hour and are typically held during the noon hour or early evening allowing participation by all. The webinars I attend are usually hosted by universities or national wildlife organizations who secure noted experts in the field as speakers. It is like a college class on-line. Most webinars are free to participants and many are archived for future viewing. All you need is a computer with internet connection.

In addition to webinars there are distance learning courses available also through the computer. Some of these courses are free such as those offered by Coursera.org. I’ve signed up for the Animal Behaviour taught by two professors from the University of Melbourne in Australia. The course begins in February and is six weeks in length. If biology classes aren’t to your liking, Coursera offers a full array of courses from business to literature.

Other noncredit online classes may require a registration fee. That is the situation with a course I recently enrolled in through Cornell University. Call Courtship & Rivalry, Cornell University Lab of Ornithology offers a five week on-line course on avian behavior taught by university instructors. The class begins next week, and I will keep you up to date on my progress.

Many local environmental and wildlife groups host their annual conference in the fall and winter too. I will be attending the October 16^th Freshwater Summit here in Traverse City. Sponsored by the Watershed Center of Grand Traverse Bay, the Summit brings in speakers to discuss issues related to the Great Lakes and freshwater ecosystems. I attended this conference last year and it was so fascinating.

For people interested in wildlife and rehabilitation, both the International Wildlife Rehabilitators Council (IWRC) and the National Wildlife Rehabilitation Association (NWRA) host their annual symposiums in the fall and winter. The IWRC symposium is titled “The Science of Rehabilitation” and will be held in Appleton, WI from November 12 to 18, 2012. ( http://theiwrc.org/symposium). The NWRA’s annual symposium will be in Portland Oregon from March 5-9, 2013. Both symposiums are education based, giving participant hands-on and lecture information on current trends and protocols for wildlife rehabilitation.

So, in spite of the weather, I can still use this time to learn more about wildlife and their habitat. When the nicer weather returns, I can apply what I’ve learned to my time in the out of doors.