Every River Tells a Story
Every River Tells a Story By: Mike Clifford HeartlandOutdoorsman.c
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The next time you begin a journey or fishing expedition on one
of your favorite rivers or streams, take the time to look at the
surroundings (I mean REALLY look), and listen closely, as each
one has it's own unique story to tell. As we begin our journey,
we may see a typical farmer out in the field plying his trade,
doing his best to put food on your table and eke out an
existence that was handed down to him over generations. Coming
around the bend, we notice the billowing white smoke of a local
power plant churning out electricity to make your life
comfortable and secure. As we turn our head to look at something
perhaps more aesthetically pleasing on the opposite bank, we
notice that elusive red fox we've been hoping to see for the
longest time on this particular waterway. Watching the vixen run
back and forth delivering food to the underground shelter of her
cubs tells you that they are around 2 weeks old, and you can't
help but think to yourself that wildlife go about the business
of living not much unlike that of each and every one of us on
Earth. Every living thing needs to eat the food and drink the
water that this planet provides in order to survive.
Perhaps the hardest facts to consider are those of how we, as
humans, go about existing in this environment. The river
provides drinking water to the local residents, who in turn pay
for this service by going to work at the plant that treats the
water to make it palatable and healthy enough to drink in the
first place. Like the fox and her cubs upstream, we too are
characters in one long story of life along the river. Let's take
a closer look at a few of the characters involved as our journey
continues:
With the sight of the power plant just a blur on the horizon, we
come upon a neighbor of ours. This man (or his predecessor) had
long ago cut down his woods opposite mine, and is on his riding
mower cutting his grass to within an inch of its life. This lawn
exudes a bright green color that can only come from a bucket of
chemicals designed for such. His mission for himself on the
land, from our perspective, might be expressed as 'clear, drain,
mow, spray, control. For him the story of a property owner
features an actor at war with his surroundings, which can be
beaten and shaped and maintained by constant vigilance. A piece
of property such as his can only be described as a great place
to practice with a pitching wedge before holing out a 25 footer
on the putting green, all the while considering this to be a
piece of recreational paradise on earth. The neighbor fully
believes in his heart that he has the best that nature provides,
and uses it to his full advantage.
Around yet another bend in the river we come upon the work crew
that is clearly pouring every ounce of energy they can muster
into the project at hand. Their story says a person can draw a
living from nature without harming it. One can move steadily
through the workday and through one's life, chopping and
digging, sawing and clearing, earning an honest buck and
sleeping the good tired sleep of the farmer or stone mason. They
wish nature no harm, and believe they have enough knowledge
about proper and improper behavior in the field. Like our
forefathers, they are forging ahead towards a bright future
among fresh new land, only much more efficiently with their
expensive trucks, backhoes and graders.
The end of a reflective day is nearing as we tie up the canoe at
the modest dock we've fashioned at the edge of our 3 acres of
wetlands and natural prairie with a simple pathway made of stone
leading up to the house. Our guiding story is that of someone
with conservationist knowledge and instincts, who is willing to
stand up to his neighbors for those goals. Our aesthetics
embrace woods and wildlife. Thoughts turn easily to how we may
better protect the species of fish we are after and the quality
of our water. Like a sudden bolt of lightning in the night, a
knock comes at the door and we are snapped backed to reality in
an instant. Two men from a local governmental unit have come to
explain the details of their latest plan to dredge and
straighten the portion of river in front of our house. It is
explained that our woods and the neighbor's property get flooded
during times of high water, and a very generous consortium has
offered to pay for the work to its completion. They go on to
mention something about mosquito control and such, but we're not
really paying attention at this point, as our attention is fixed
on the sight and sound of some birds working feverishly to build
a nest in the tree just beyond the door.
In each case stated above, the actors are guided by personal
stories directed by specific attitudes and behaviors. Attitudes
perhaps prescribed to by our own personal environmental heroes:
golfers, loggers, naturalists. Spontaneously and without
conscience we go about our life standing by our beliefs and
traditions. I'll leave it to all of you to decide if there is a
moral to the story this river has to tell. I'm certain your
favorite stream has one of its own, unique in nature but common
in its entirety.
Until next time, I'll leave you with this to ponder: "The nation
behaves well if it treats the natural resources as assets which
it must turn over to the next generation increased, and not
impaired, in value." ~Theodore Roosevelt