LAMORINDA WEEKLY | Reliving our experiences in nature


Backyard photo of bird feeders Photo Toris Jaeger

As we move from summer to fall, we can remember all of our special connections in nature - maybe it was a hike on your favorite trail, along your local creek, a visit to the mountains or the ocean or just sitting in your backyard enjoying watching the birds and other wildlife enjoying the food, water and cover you have provided.

Deciduous flora is beginning to change color from green to yellow, red and brown. The Buckeyes and Elderberry are the first to let go of their leaves to conserve water until the rains return. The evergreens are also shucking off their spent leaves to make room for new growth.

Many of the Conifers have really felt the three-year drought and are dying despite a wet winter. These connections with nature heal us and help us understand life better. As Albert Einstein once said, "Look deep into nature and then you will understand everything better."

The issues of climate change are ever present and we must work together as communities locally, statewide, nationally and globally to find solutions.

Sitting Bull Hunkpapa Lakota put it best: "Let's put our minds together and see what life we can make for our children."

The indigenous systems approach offers answers to the climate crisis by sharing resources, working with the flow of nature's cycles, not wasting them, and going with the seasons of nature.

"Indigenous people know what it takes to save our planet and the life-giving resources it provides," said Jade Begay, the?director of policy and advocacy at?NDN Collective, an Indigenous-led organization dedicated to building Indigenous power.?

It begins with our neighborhoods; we can make this happen if we have hope and we work together.

May nature touch you today.