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Nature Aware
Becoming more Nature Aware matters and not just in small, personal ways. With more than seven billion fellow human inhabitants vying for food, resources and living space, becoming cognizant of our effect on the world immediately surrounding us is paramount to survival. It’s easy to think of “nature” as a place you go to escape the rigors of the modern world. But, in reality, nature is what surrounds us no matter where we are. Even in our largest cities you can identify three or four species of birds, rodents and insects that coexist within our man-made urban Eco systems on a daily basis.
If we fail to recognize the importance that each natural element plays in our continued well-being and survival, then we damn ourselves to ruin. Sadly, when we’re not attuned to the animals, insects and plants around us, we tend to see them as nuisances or pests needing eradication.
As easily as we choose to isolate ourselves from nature we can also learn to commune with it and understand our place in the larger picture. We did not tame the wilderness, we only forced it to move, contract or adapt.
The other sobering truth is that we need nature. If we damage it, we damage ourselves. This already has come to pass with so many drastic changes in our environment, food supplies and atmosphere. If we destroy it, we destroy ourselves. Without pollinating bees, healthy plankton and clean, potable water we are screwed. We will have brought down an Extinction Level Event upon ourselves. I don’t say these things to perpetuate media-driven, alarmist ideas. I say it because it is a very harsh reality that we are staring into the face of…today.
We can choose to collectively turn our heads and look away… we can choose to debate the semantics of “Global Warming” or “Global Climate Change”… we can look at our oceans and tell ourselves that it’s all blue, clean water or we can accept some responsibility for trading our march towards progress for the sacrifice of resources that are not quite as resilient and renewable as we once thought they were. And then we can decide to do something to slow the degradation and destruction of our planet so, hopefully, other generations might have a chance at reversing a course charted by hubris.
I don’t think the challenge is beyond our ingenuity. I don’t think that a culture that sent Man to the moon and cured polio is incapable of tackling this tremendous issue in a near impossible time frame.
All it takes is choice and commitment. All it takes is reconciling with the natural world…in essence, becoming Nature Aware.
The book is a personal journey of insight and reflection, told through firsthand anecdotes and stunning wildlife photography. Nature Aware is the culmination of more than six years of exploration and discovery in the wild (and not-so-wild) areas of Washington State.
Written by award-winning journalist and photographer Rick Wood, the first edition of this book was a critical success and bestseller.
This new edition updates information about some of the conservation issues examined in the book.
If we fail to recognize the importance that each natural element plays in our continued well-being and survival, then we damn ourselves to ruin. Sadly, when we’re not attuned to the animals, insects and plants around us, we tend to see them as nuisances or pests needing eradication.
As easily as we choose to isolate ourselves from nature we can also learn to commune with it and understand our place in the larger picture. We did not tame the wilderness, we only forced it to move, contract or adapt.
The other sobering truth is that we need nature. If we damage it, we damage ourselves. This already has come to pass with so many drastic changes in our environment, food supplies and atmosphere. If we destroy it, we destroy ourselves. Without pollinating bees, healthy plankton and clean, potable water we are screwed. We will have brought down an Extinction Level Event upon ourselves. I don’t say these things to perpetuate media-driven, alarmist ideas. I say it because it is a very harsh reality that we are staring into the face of…today.
We can choose to collectively turn our heads and look away… we can choose to debate the semantics of “Global Warming” or “Global Climate Change”… we can look at our oceans and tell ourselves that it’s all blue, clean water or we can accept some responsibility for trading our march towards progress for the sacrifice of resources that are not quite as resilient and renewable as we once thought they were. And then we can decide to do something to slow the degradation and destruction of our planet so, hopefully, other generations might have a chance at reversing a course charted by hubris.
I don’t think the challenge is beyond our ingenuity. I don’t think that a culture that sent Man to the moon and cured polio is incapable of tackling this tremendous issue in a near impossible time frame.
All it takes is choice and commitment. All it takes is reconciling with the natural world…in essence, becoming Nature Aware.
The book is a personal journey of insight and reflection, told through firsthand anecdotes and stunning wildlife photography. Nature Aware is the culmination of more than six years of exploration and discovery in the wild (and not-so-wild) areas of Washington State.
Written by award-winning journalist and photographer Rick Wood, the first edition of this book was a critical success and bestseller.
This new edition updates information about some of the conservation issues examined in the book.
Kindle Edition
First published June 12, 2012
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About the author
Rick Wood
3 books4 followersAnimals and nature have always been a source of wonder for Rick Wood. From his earliest days, growing up in Germany, South Korea and the U.S., he developed an admiration for all creatures and a thirst to know how they behaved and what they did when people weren’t watching.
During his adult life, Rick worked as an “animal cop” and investigated cruelty and neglect of animals ranging from rabbits to horses. Later, as a journalist, he was diagnosed with Meniere’s disease and took up hiking to help regain balance lost from the vestibular disorder. It was during those hikes that Rick, always with camera in hand, began to capture unique images of seals, eagles, Orca whales, foxes and bears.
Currently, he resides in Washington State, where he is active in volunteering for marine mammal stranding responses.
During his adult life, Rick worked as an “animal cop” and investigated cruelty and neglect of animals ranging from rabbits to horses. Later, as a journalist, he was diagnosed with Meniere’s disease and took up hiking to help regain balance lost from the vestibular disorder. It was during those hikes that Rick, always with camera in hand, began to capture unique images of seals, eagles, Orca whales, foxes and bears.
Currently, he resides in Washington State, where he is active in volunteering for marine mammal stranding responses.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
April 1, 2016
Rick is an excellent storyteller, sharing his experiences with Nature and how they have shaped the person he is today. Nature Aware is a call to pay attention, while there's still time to make a difference to our planet.
Displaying 1 of 1 review