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Why I Care About Wildlife and Wild Places
Friday, April 30, 2010
By: Marcia Sessions
Why I Care About Wildlife and Wild Places
Rhode Island
All of my life, I have understood and felt the interconnection of all living things. As a child, my family taught kindness to all living things and that every creature is good and has its place in the world. Furthermore, they taught that each creature has intrinsic worth: it does not live for us. I grew up near a beach, woodland and meadow all in one place, at the "Dead End" of my street. It was anything
but dead! So for me, "Nature" was never a separate place, it is all the world and every living thing that lives and breathes.
Through magazines such as National Geographic, Life and Look, I learned about the struggles of so many species due to the actions of humans. I read about and saw graphic photos that described the reality so many species suffered and the people who lead the way in protecting them: Brian Davies and the annual baby seal hunt in Canada; Hope Ryden's landmark studies of America's wild horses; Diane Fossey and her groundbreaking work with Gorillas; Cleveland Amory rescuing every burro via helicopter from the Grand Canyon and founding The Fund for Animals and Black Beauty Ranch; Jacques Cousteau's eye-opening television programs about life in the oceans of the world. They all revealed both the marvels of life on Earth and the all too often human assault on these creatures and/or their habitats.
The destruction of habitat was a reality I witnessed in my own town, as ponds, woodlands and meadows were bulldozed for the ever-increasing housing developments. I also witnessed first-hand the saga of the Osprey, or "fish hawk" as we called it. As a pre-school aged child in the mid 1950's I could look up and see them aloft: as common as "seagulls". Then, their total disappearance. Again, through Nature-oriented magazines, books and television programs, I learned about DDT. The title of Rachel Carson's book, "Silent Spring" said it all for me.
I joined the local Audubon Society as a young adult and lead nature walks throughout the state. I also joined The Fund for Animals and, at times, wrote letters advocating protection for a species or group of animals (both wild and domestic) that needed it. Rhode Island's governor during that time was John Chafee. He acquired the huge Colt family estate in Bristol, RI and designated it a State Park, which it is to this day. He thus preserved dozens of habitats within the estate: marshlands, meadows, woodlands, shoreline and estuaries and all the species that call those places "Home". It made a strong impression on me: he actually STOPPED the bulldozers and protected wildlife! He later became one of Rhode Island's Senators and continued his pro-nature work. Over the years I wrote to him and he always wrote back.
With the advent of two technologies: the personal computer and Digital/SLR cameras, I became a full-fledged activist or advocate for Wildlife, Wild Places and domestic animals in need. The computer allows for real time communication to governments, businesses and more via websites, petitions and emails, as well as affordable, real time photos of everything from what lives in your yard, to species on the brink of extinction the world over.
I became an Episcopal priest in 1992 which was for me, a natural dove-tailing of my ever-present passion for God and for "all creatures great and small". The Episcopal Church has always had an open-minded connection to the rest of life on Earth. It supports the Theory of Evolution and the teaching of sound science in our schools. It makes no pretense of having all the answers, but rather finds much in struggling with the "gray areas" in life. I recall seeing a poster a few years ago, which showed a drawing of Christ with the following words underneath, "He came to take away your sins, not your mind". It went on to encourage those seeking a spiritual home to visit Episcopal churches, where thinking and asking questions are seen as essential ways of being. It is also involved in the myriads of need the world over, which of course, includes the "natural" world. Our present Presiding Bishop was an Oceanographer!
From the pulpit, from teaching classes, to conversations, as well as from exhibits of my photographs at institutions as well as at online websites, I preach that "Love your neighbor as you love yourself" includes ALL creatures as our "Neighbors". From the backyard to the Arctic, we are called to care for each and every neighbor as though they matter: because in the eyes of God - they do matter and matter very much!
Therefore, it is part of my very being to be an advocate and activist for Wildlife and Wild Places, as well as for domestic animals. BioGems capitalizes on the computer-generated "Information Age", and so increases the ability of BioGem members to support meaningful action. I am but one of the many creatures that live on this wonder-filled Earth. I care deeply about my neighbors of all species and the habitats they live in. From local to far-away, I will stand up and stand for the protection of non-human species from the many onslaughts rooted in human actions, for the rest of my life. I will never give up being an advocate for those "who have no voice but our own."
Marcia A. Sessions
www.picasaweb.google.com/msessionsphotos
www.flickr.com/photos/msessions
http://msessions.zenfolio.com/
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