Prairie Notes #121: Pics & Proverbs 2016
Prairie Notes are monthly photo/journal observations from Tandy Hills Natural Area by Founder/Director, Don Young. They include field reports, flora and fauna sightings, and more, mixed with a scoop of dry humor and a bit of philosophy.
They are available free to all who get on the FOTHNA email list.
Pics & Proverbs 2016
Prairie Notes #121
January 1, 2017
01) Pics & Proverbs 2016
02) ReMembership
03) In Memoriam 2016
04) Attaboy of the Year: Joseph Lippert
05) MM&WW HIke the HIlls TODAY
06) 9th Annual Brush Bash
07) Painted Prairie Skies
08) Prairie Proverb
01) Pics & Proverbs 2016
With Tandy Hills more or less at rest, January is a good time to review and reflect on the past year via 2016's, Prairie Proverbs. I'm also including a dozen of my favorite pics, one from each issue of Prairie Notes.
Herewith, Prairie Proverbs I - XII from, Prairie Notes 2016, with a photo of the quotation author and a favorite pic from the same issue.
DY
January 1, 2016
“Shot gold, maroon and violet, dazzling silver,
emerald, fawn,The earth's whole amplitude and nature's multi-
form power consigned for once to colors;The light, the genial air possessed by them—
colors till now unknown,No limit, confine—not the Western sky alone—
the high meridian—North, South, all,Pure luminous color fighting the silent shadows
to the last.”
- Walt Whitman, A Prairie Sunset,1888
February 1, 2016
"Sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul."
- Edward Abbey, from, A Voice Crying in the Wilderness (Vox Clamantis in Deserto), 1990
March 1, 2016
“…a landscape can best be understood and given human significance by poets who have their feet planted in concrete - concrete data - and by scientists whose heads and hearts have not lost the capacity for wonder.”
- Edward Abbey, from, The Journey Home, 1977
April 1, 2016
"Nature holds the key to our aesthetic, intellectual, cognitive and even spiritual satisfaction."
- E.O. Wilson, American biologist, researcher, naturalist and author
May 1, 2016
April, dress’d in all his trim,
Hath put a spirit of youth in every thing.
- William Shakespeare, Sonnet #98, 1609
June 1, 2016
"Noise is power. The noiser we are as a country, the more powerful we appear to others."
- James Watt, U.S. Secretary of the Interior, 1981 - 1983
"Calling noise a nuisance is like calling smog an inconvenience."
- William H. Stewart, Former U.S. Surgeon General, 1968
July 1, 2016
"As one of the appointed City of Fort Worth resource managers for Tandy Hills Natural Area I’ve enjoyed very much working with the Friends of Tandy Hills. Their vision and appreciation for the park have been and will continue to be critical to its ongoing conservation and restoration to benefit the residents of and visitors to Fort Worth."
- Suzanne Tuttle, invaluable volunteer, advisor and friend of Friends of Tandy Hills
August 1, 2016
"It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see."
- Henry David Thoreau
September 1, 2016
"A healthy environment is “one of the basic human rights.”
- Rachel Carson, Silent Spring 1962
October 1, 2016
"After the sunset on the prairie, there are only the stars."
- Carl Sandburg
November 1, 2016
"It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the environment."
- Ansel Adams
December 1, 2016
“Our imagination is struck only by what is great; but the lover of natural philosophy should reflect equally on little things.”
- Alexander von Humboldt, 1769 - 1859
02) ReMembership
Do you support the outdoor education, conservation and restoration programs being done by Friends of Tandy Hills Natural Area for the past 11 years? How about our events such as Prairie Fest, BioBlitz, Brush Bash, Wild Food Walks, Trout Lily Walks, Kids on the Prairie, Wildflower Walks, PrairieSky / StarParty and the upcoming Manly Men & Wild Women hike? Or possibly the timely news and useful information you get from Prairie Notes and Facebook posts? Of course you do!
How about showing your appreciation with a 2017 Membership? Become a FRIEND today and get some goodies, too, such as this very cool organic cotton bandana designed by Jen schultes from Debora Young illustrations. Become a friend HERE: http://www.tandyhills.org/donate
> > > FYI - Friends of Tandy Hills Natural Area, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and protecting Tandy Hills.
03) In Memoriam
With heavy hearts, we remember two special friends lost in 2016. Self-appointed mascot of Tandy Hills, Olive the Prairie Dog, was last seen chasing a rabbit at sunset on February 15. She knew the prairie and woodland better than any human. Despite her short stature, she adapted a unique style to negotiate the tall grasses with ease. She attended every event at Tandy Hills since 2007, eagerly greeting everyone with warmth. Her joy in exporing Tandy Hills was a thing to behold.
On April 25, just three days after BioBlitz, esteemed Master Naturalist, Jim Varnum, passed on. Jim was a founding member of North Texas Master Naturalists and the local expert on Trout Lilies and Orchids, among others species. His dedication to education and enthusiasm for the natural world will be missed.
Two other nature mystics also died in 2016. Poet and novelist, Jim Harrison, whose books I highly recommend, passed on, as did Watership Down author, Richard Adams. Watership Down was widely cherished, a story sharing similarities with Tandy Hills. Read their obits here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/28/arts/jim-harrison-free-spirited-writer-dies-at-78.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/27/arts/richard-adams-author-of-watership-down-dies-at-96.html?_r=0
04) Attaboy of the Year: Joseph Lippert
Guys like 25 year old, Joseph Lippert, don't come along every day. He showed up for the Brush Bash in February, the BioBlitz in April and he led the Prairie Posse for the past 6 months. His day job at BRIT does not prevent him from devoting many volunteer hours on behalf of Friends of Tandy Hills. We sing your praises, Joe!
05) MM&WW Hike the HIlls TODAY
Hopefully the rain will stay away from the 8th annual Manly Men Wild Women Hike the Hills on New Years Day. Get your details here:
http://www.tandyhills.org/events/manly-men-and-wild-women-hike-hills
06) 9th Annual Brush Bash
The 9th Annual Brush Bash happens on January 30th this year. Read more here: http://www.tandyhills.org/events/brush-bash
07) Painted Prairie Skies
I like this new tradition of reviewing significant skies of the past year. Some months, the sky is the most interesting feature at Tandy Hills. At any rate, the variety of color and texture is astounding. Here are my best shots from 2016.
8) Prairie Proverb
“Our democracy is bound up in these places. I hope.”
Prairie Notes© is the official newsletter of Friends of Tandy Hills Natural Area, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization. All content by Don Young except where otherwise noted.
