Special Places  - Archive of Older Posts

Special Places

On March 14, 2010 The Eastern Native Tree Society and Western Native Tree Society switched from discussion lists on Google Groups to a new discussion list in a Bulletin Board format at: http://www.ents-bbs.org/index.php  Posts made since the inception of the BBS on march 14, 2010 will be sorted and archived on the BBS. Click on the link above to go to the equivalent section on the new BBS. This website will continue to serve as a front end for the ENTS and WNTS groups. It will continue to serve as a repository of older posts, and will serve as the host site for special projects and features that are not well suited for a BBS format. Please visit the BBs for the latest information and trip reports.


The sierra Club has a section on its website that I would like to emulate on the ENTS site. It is a section called "Our Special Places"

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What is a Special Place?

http://www.sierraclub.org/specialplace/ 

Big majestic places, or everyday places. A place that was special when you were growing up, or just last weekend. The places that mean something to you.

Spending time in nature is always important - especially so in times of stress. As former Sierra Club president and current summer camp director Chuck McGrady has said, "Each of us has a special place that heals us, that quiets our confusion and helps us to hear our own voice again."

http://www.sierraclub.org/specialplace/ourplaces/


The Sierra Club shares some special places to explore, enjoy and protect.

     "Sit under a tree, look at a brook, lake, river or ocean. Do something you enjoy. Whenever possible, take a few minutes to look out the window at the sunshine and the flowers. Remember that you are still free and that there is still beauty in the world."      from the Red Cross

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For example, this is a post made about the Okeefenokee Swamp by one Member:

http://www.sierraclub.org/specialplace/yourplaces/okeefenokee2.asp

I think we could do this for sites special to ENTS members. I could put it under a separate heading (cross-list it as well). Do any of you have special places you would like to write about to get the process started. I see this more of a section for places that elicit special feelings, emotions, and memories rather than cold descriptions.

Edward Forrest Frank
Special Places Commentary:
Ernie's forest sensitivities		   Robert Leverett
  Sep 21, 2005 09:48 PDT 
Ernie,

(Some Pennsylvania Locations - Ernie Ostuno  Sept 2005)

   I relate well to what you wrote about special places. Real forest magic seldom derives from a single feature or spot, but how many features blend together. Despite the impact that a single tree can have, it's usually the gestalt built by many forms interacting with changing light mingled with many scents and sound, each place with its unique blend.

   I, like you, are a fan of hemlocks and white pines, especially the old ones. Their individualistic forms distinguish them from the controlled forms of plantation trees and the non-descript feeling of young, shrubby regrowth. I can't imagine the New England forests without at least pockets of mature hemlocks and white pines.   

   Old growth forests affect us on many levels. The late Dr. Michael Perlman ("The Power of Trees") recognized their appeal to our need for freedom and our need to retain ties to our collective past. Even though all of us acknowledge that all forests change with time, retaining a part of the landscape that stays relatively unchanged at the landscape level and on human-scaled time.

Bob