Bird Calendars

NOTES FROM NATURE

By Jerry Toll

Simplify! Simplify! With this admonition, the first stirrings of the American conservation movement was launched. Henry David Thoreau, influenced by the philosophy of Emerson, began his experiment in the woods of Massachusetts in 1845. In 1854 he published Walden, A Life in the Woods, recounting the philosophical revelations and enjoyment of nature he found during his experience.

He advocated living close to nature, taking from it only what was needed. During his time at Walden Pond, he was largely self-reliant. He built a simple home, raised his own food, fished and traded labor or produce for what few essentials he could not provide for himself.

He advocated minimizing one's labor to only the essentials in order to devote more time to reading and expanding one's intellect. He knew that this lifestyle was not for everyone. He himself was only able to remain at Walden Pond for a few years. Yet, according to his biographers, he recounts this time as the happiest of his life.

Thoreau's writings are of value to contemporary living, not in his adherence to self-reliance but in the stewardship and quality of life that were by-products of that lifestyle.

In line with his intellectual contemporaries, he observed nature from a scientific standpoint. He conducted experiments, recorded observations, and added to scientific knowledge. Yet he saw the spiritual in nature and considered both the spiritual and intellectual as equal parts of his nature.

Thoreau was very much alone in his thinking. He saw the excesses of the time: empire building based on exploitation of resources without regard to stewardship. He saw a better way. He marched to a different drummer. Consequently the publishing of Walden barely made a ripple in the publishing pond. Yet Walden is now the most reprinted work of any pre-civil war American author.

Being a product of the sixties, I read all of the popular classics of the time. Walden struck a chord with me. Making a concerted effort to simplify my life by not letting materialism rule my actions seemed desirable.

Looking back on my adult life, I find that this ideal was usually the measuring stick I used to guide my actions. Thoreau's suggestion to simplify our lives, to walk softly upon the earth, is as applicable to our complex lives as it was to his.

Douglas H. Strong recounts the contributions made by Thoreau and other historical leaders of the conservation movement in Dreamers and Defenders: American Conservationists, published by the University of Nebraska Press.

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The hawk watch at Hitchcock Nature Area is winding down as of this writing. There are only two days left until counting ends. It doesn't look as if we will be getting the 19 species of raptors we had in the previous year. However, we have seen 18 species, only missing Red-shouldered Hawk as one of the species very likely to be seen during the watch.

Hitchcock Hawkwatch is considered one of the most species-diverse hawkwatches in the country.

This happens because we straddle the divide between raptor species found in the east and those in the west. Very little is known about hawk migration through the Great Plains. Hitchcock is helping to expand our knowledge in this area.

What we have in diversity, we lose in volume. This watch is no Duluth. We don't get 32,000 Broad-wing Hawks going through in a day. But we do have a number of days in October over 100, still pretty exciting.

Those clear days before a frost carrying north winds can be a lot of fun. And there is no better place to observe the changing fall season or watch the sun go down than Hitchcock Nature Area.

On behalf of Mark Orsag and Sue Mattix, who organize this all-volunteer watch, I want to thank all of the ASO members who each fall have given generously of their time (I know you do it because it's fun, but thanks just the same). I also invite everyone to come to Hitchcock next fall when the hawks are flying.

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