DaoWaDiddy Posted March 10, 2007 From A Sand County Almanac The Geese Return One swallow does not make a summer, but one skien of geese, cleaving the murk of a March thaw, is the spring. A cardinal, whistling spring to a thaw but later finding himself mistaken, can retrieve his error by resuming his winter silence. A chipmunk, emerging for a sunbath but finding a blizzard, has only to go back to bed. But a migrating goose, staking two hundred miles of black night on the chance of finding a hole in the lake, has no easy chance for retreat. His arrival carries the conviction of a prophet who has burned his bridges. A March morning is only as drab as he who walks in it without a glance skyward, ear cocked for geese. I once knew an educated lady, banded by Phi Beta Kappa, who told me that she had never heard or seen the geese that twice a year proclaim the revolving seasons to her well-insulated roof. Is education possibly a process of trading awareness for things of lesser worth? The goose who trades his is soon a pile of feathers. Last weekend was Aldo Leopold Weekend here in Wisconsin, with educational events about ecology and land ethics at many towns around the state - that I managed to miss by seeing the notices on Monday. I am not particularly an outdoorsman and am at best semi-literate about conservation. But I find his writing evocative and moving - a reminder of how important the land and wilderness are to us. If you have not yet read it, I recommend A Sand County Almanac. For more info on his life and legacy see The Aldo Leopold Foundation. In particular, check the page on Land Ethics. All the best, Charlie Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
