Reflections of a Naturalist
By Chuck Dinsmore, Board Member
Why do I care and do what I do? Was it an influential childhood environment, an unanticipated educational trajectory, accumulated professional experiences, the many and often anonymous mentors and heroes whom one wishes to emulate? All of the above! Moreover, my ‘cares’ today draw on thoughts about our children and grandchildren, the legacy we shall leave and how they will look upon our stewardship. The question for me then becomes: how could I not care?
Every member of this community cares, in their own way and through their own contributions in support of our ‘commons’. So for me, it is a distinct privilege to be a member of such a dynamic family of conservation-minded individuals who care deeply about our common heritage, actively promoting an environment that is healthy in every respect.
I’ve come to the deck of the south yurt at Hidden Valley Nature Center in Jefferson looking for inspiration; the sun is shining, a breeze rustles the leaves, crickets chirp their chorus and a colorful caterpillar works over a leaf beside my laptop. When I get home, I’ll verify its identity - because I care.
The woods and fields of my childhood in a small Maine village, my first community, created many opportunities to get up-close and personal with nature, a vast self-contained educational institution that was tuition-free! That has only come into clearer focus for me in hindsight and underscored the need to help preserve such opportunities for present and future generations, for our children and grandchildren, to preserve and protect their right to a healthy environment. That’s on my mind, too - because I care.
Some guidance also comes from the works of Henry David Thoreau, John Muir, Aldo Leopold and others of that mindset, superimposed on personal experiences over many decades as a biologist/educator who now enjoys sharing outdoor explorations and observations with ‘children of all ages’. A particular hook for me is sometimes stated as “seeing things for the first time again” through the eyes of children as they discover the world of nature. Perhaps I can be their guide, and they, mine - because I care.
The question posed actually asks ALL of us to think about our core values with regard to the state of the environment on which we and all future generations fundamentally depend: “Why do WE care”? A short answer then might be that we care enough, at a significant turning point in human history, to have created a community like the midcoast of Maine, that is so rich in character and culture as it is in nature!
Chuck Dinsmore is an Educator, Master Naturalist, and Ambassador at Midcoast Conservancy’s Hidden Valley Nature Center in Jefferson. He also serves in the Midcoast Conservancy Board of Directors. He lives in Damariscotta.
