Closer to Home

For the last 18 months the world stopped, travel was suspended and despite the challenges presented we got to slow down and find the magic closer to home. In the quest to find the unusual and at risk I’ve sometimes looked past the ubiquitous but realize they need our help too. Polar Bears are the “canary in the coal mine”, the face of environmental change. But in my lifetime the Loons, Beavers, River Otters and Mergansers have been impacted too and their numbers are down. Forced to look closer to home you find rich bio-diversity to both celebrate and protect. To me the Loon is the sound of summer. Their early morning calls haunt the shoreline. Finding a Loon pair with 2 chicks is a treat, finding a Loon with a hitch hiker on her back is a bucket list item for me.