Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Ecologist of the year

Tuesday evening we attended the Sinnissippi Audubon annual meeting and banquet. This year my father received an award for his lifetime contributions to numerous ecological organizations. No one has worked more tirelessly to preserve natural places and bring a harmony between people, birds and wildlife. I'm so proud of all the achievements he's made and he stands as a example to everyone. One person can make a difference.

My Dad is 86 and blind now. Up until a few years ago he was active in many wildlife organizations, the Ornithological Society, the National Land Institute wetland restoration projects, river clean up projects, and was a frequent lecturer on creating habitat for birds, butterflies, and wildlife. He helped a lot of homeowners build safe havens in their own backyards where nature could coexist peacefully with people.

Well done, Dad.

Another keen observer of nature was Robert Frost. His poems about simple, rural life in America have always touched my heart. The following poem is one of my favorites and beautifully describes spring in the northern United States.


Two Tramps in Mud Time

The sun was warm but the wind was chill.
You know how it is with an April day
When the sun is out and the wind is still,
You're one month on in the middle of May.
But if you so much as dare to speak,
A cloud comes over the sunlit arch,
A wind comes off a frozen peak,
And you're two months back in the middle of March.

A bluebird comes tenderly up to alight
And turns to the wind to unruffle a plume,
His song so pitched as not to excite
A single flower as yet to bloom.
It is snowing a flake; and he half knew
Winter was only playing possum.
Except in color he isn't blue,
But he wouldn't advise a thing to blossom.

The water for which we may have to look
In summertime with a witching wand,
In every wheelrut's now a brook,
In every print of a hoof a pond.
Be glad of water, but don't forget
The lurking frost in the earth beneath
That will steal forth after the sun is set
And show on the water its crystal teeth.






33 comments:

Lisa at Greenbow said...

I also want to congratulate Dad on his lifetime achievements.

Love the poem too.

Mr. McGregor's Daughter said...

Bravo! I wish there were more people around like your dad. That's great.

sweetbay said...

Marnie your dad is a wonderful person. I wish there were more people around like him too.

Roses and Lilacs said...

Lisa thank you.

MMD, he feels more strongly than most that people can make a difference.

Sweet Bay, I do too.

Marnie

Susie said...

Hi Marnie, I'm so happy for your dad. He obviously deserved his award. How wonderful!

Gail said...

Marnie, How wonderful for him and for you to grow up with such a generous, caring man... he is an example to us all...gail

marmee said...

how wonderful for your dad to receive a reward for something that he loves doing. you must come by the love of nature naturally.
timely poem with all days in the webb and flow of spring. lovely.

Jan said...

What a great accomplishment for your dad...and good to know his contributions were noticed & appreciated by others. He must be where you learned to enjoy nature...it's just in your genes!

I like Robert Frost, too, Marnie.

BeadedTail said...

Congratulations to your dad and it's wonderful for him to be acknowledged on his lifetime contributions to ecological organizations! I also enjoyed reading the poem!

Kathleen said...

Add my congratulations to the hat for your father and his accomplishments too Marnie. It sounds like he had a lot of foresight and vision to realize what was happening to our planet before it became a "movement." I can tell by your posts, you inherited/learned a lot from his example.

TYRA Hallsénius Lindhe said...

Congratulations to a great man, well done. Say hallo to him from me and tell him that I'm deeply impressed.

I wish you a great weekend/
Tyra

Roses and Lilacs said...

Thank you all for your kind comments about my Dad.
Marnie

Monica the Garden Faerie said...

Marnie, Congratulations to your dad. His involvement is really great--was he into all this as you were growing up, too? Happy Friday!

A Wild Thing said...

Congrats Dad...but what a wonderful legacy to leave his daughter. You obviously have learned much from him, he set a perfect example for you.

sharon

Gail said...

Marnie, I was wondering if you were going to be able to attend Spring Fling...you may have already answered this question...my mind is a sieve these days! gail

Dog_geek said...

Wow - congrats to your dad! How wonderful to have his contributions honored that way - a well deserved award! Well done!

Sherri said...

Marnie, congrats to your Dad. He sounds like a wonderful person!

walk2write said...

Your dad sounds like a rock-solid guy, an inspiration to us all. You are to be congratulated as well as your dad for the good that you do by blogging and sharing what you know. Love the Frost poem!

Kerri said...

This is a well-deserved award for your dad. No wonder you're proud of him. What a great legacy he has built, and you've obviously inherited his love of nature.
I love the Robert Frost poem. Another great nature lover!

Moonchild Dancing! said...

That's really sweet! Congratulations to your Dad. :) Peace.

Bren Haas said...

YES... this is why I come back to your blog regularly. You and your garden are amazing!

Happy Spring!

Gayle@Mountain Moma said...

What a wonderful legacy! That must have been an incredible night.

Unknown said...

Now that's something you can hang your hat on!!

tina said...

Well deserved congratulations go out to your father!

Rose said...

Congratulations to your Dad, Marnie! You have every reason to be proud of him; what a lifetime of accomplishments he has achieved.

Thanks for the Frost poem; you know he is one of my favorite poets, too. This poem captures the images of April so well, from the cold, winter-like days one day to the warmth of spring the next. Frost had such a keen eye for the details of nature.

Morning Glories in Round Rock said...

People CAN make a difference. Your father is a living example. Congratulations to him--I know you are so proud, and he has had a huge impact on your life--I can tell from your blog.

kd said...

Congratulations to your Dad on his award. I suspect, however, that an achievement he is even more proud of is the knowledge that he has managed to ensure that his love of nature and the environment and his passion for preserving it has been passed on to the next generation -- to you. So... congratulations to you both!

TC said...

Congrats to your dad! That's great. The world needs more men and women like him. Loved the Frost poem. For this coming Wednesday's column I wrote about April's warm days that turn into cold nights and then makes us all realize who's really in charge. I just finished the article today.

Dee/reddirtramblings said...

What a beautiful tribute to your father, and he sounds so very worthy. All the unsung heroes who work tirelessly to help all of us live together peacefully. I'm honored to read this post. Tell your father "Bravo."~~Dee

Anonymous said...

Many congratulations to your dad. My goodness he has tirelessly blazed a trail for the natural habitats. Thank him for me. I never take it for granted what people like your father have done. They did it during a time when being ecologically friendly wasn't so popular. Love the poem too.

Genie said...

My goodness, big congratulations to your father!!!!!!!! I wish him many good things. The idea of a nature lover (a champion of nature) losing his sight, that makes my heart hurt. It seems so unfair. I'm really glad he got this recognition.

Anonymous said...

I'm so impressed with your Dad!! I see where you get your love of nature. Congratulations!

ChrisND said...

That is so wonderful to hear about your father's award. It is nice that such heroes are recognized. It is interesting how most people like your father get the most joy from providing such service to community and nature.