Now, more than ever, we need to connect with those who went before us, role models and heroes, those who might help show us a way forward. We need guidance in this time of incomprehensible challenge.

I might consider the life of Martin Luther King, or John Lewis, or more contemporarily, Cory Booker and a handful of other fighters, but I am going to look more locally.

I want to connect to Josephine Del Deo.

My personal cause is and always has been the preservation (and celebration) of the natural world. Since I can remember, I have been drawn to nature and concerned about the massive losses of our natural areas. Many others were of a like mind, especially in the 1960s, but we were still a minority.

They are not the only casualties. As I write this, we have received the first report of a ship-struck right whale calf. It is one of only 17 seen so far this year, I think. The photographs are horrible to look at; the wounds are gruesome, involving the head and upper body. With damage like this, it is hard to imagine that baby would even be able to nurse, as it must do to live.

The word bird can be a verb. It is short for birdwatch. Birding is birdwatching. I am a birder; therefore, I bird.

How many trees have I witnessed being literally ripped from the ground? How many times on Route 6 have I followed huge trucks lumbering along with the carcasses of trees as cargo? How many giant yellow earth-chewing machines have I seen at construction-destruction sites? The sound of a chain saw and the roar of a wood chipper chills my blood.

In the face of climate change, and mass extinctions of birds and other animals, the voters of Provincetown must reject Article 19 so our community can focus on imagining more ecologically friendly ideas for affordable housing.

Undeveloped land is 'natural infrastructure' that prevents flooding and other impacts of increasingly common severe weather events.

I sing the praises of the lowly Sand Jointweed (Polygonella articulata), which grows primarily in the sandy “Site Y” area north of the Old Colony Nature Trail, in the East End of Provincetown, where my dog and I hike every day.  It is lowly- just a few inches tall- and almost always recumbent (I love that word, a word that sounds like what it is, like “hummock”) or absolutely prostrate (another great word) on the sand. 

After 51 Earth Days, we finally have a president who sets a bold vision for open space conservation in the United States. Acknowledging the importance of preserving natural areas as a mitigation strategy for climate change, President Biden’s 30 x 30 initiative seeks multi-level cooperation to set aside 30% of the nation’s land and waters as conserved lands by 2030.

A toast to individuals and whole families who Would, who have voluntarily stayed the hand of development from their property, often at substantial opportunity cost and protected for the enjoyment of future generations.

Who is not a fan of nature trails? They provide an opportunity to connect with the natural world, to see, hear, smell and touch the glories of nature, and be surrounded by them.

The pitch pine is the signature tree of Cape Cod, growing in dry, barren areas, even in the white sands of a beach. Any tree that can fill this role in nature has my admiration.