Saving the Planet, One Acre at a Time

Saving the planet is important to all of us and the generations that come after, but my way of doing it is one acre at a time. I've always preferred life in a rural setting and am fortunate enough to have title to acreage that's belonged in my family for three generations. Taking good care of this land is important to me because I want to preserve as much of its naturalness as possible.

There will be many community activities throughout the United States and in other parts of the world on Earth Day, April 22, 2011. To be honest, I won't be participating in any of them, although I'm glad that others will. For at least a few hours people's minds will be on something other than cutting down trees and bulldozing dirt to make way for yet another micro community of houses built by traditional city-dwellers who seek "life in the country."

It's both appalling and fascinating to a country bumpkin like me to watch the earth-moving machines make their way down my country road--a road that not so many years ago was still made only of the red earth of Oklahoma. These city people who so love the rural areas that they build houses large enough to be hotels, have no true concept of the natural habitat that is lost forever once the natural forestation is razed.

I have no animosity towards these new neighbors because I realize their perception of country life differs greatly from my own and that of my long-time neighbors who all live at least one-quarter mile apart. Many of the people who come to live in the new housing developments will complain if a skunk or armadillo or snake crosses their path. It's not a concern they will have for long because the population of wild animals here has diminished greatly since this advent of construction.

The mindsets of those of us who've been born, raised and lived our adult lives in these rural settings is different than the mindsets of many who venture here from the city. I don't kill or trap any animal that isn't causing harm to me or my livestock. Much of my land remains just as Nature provided. If I am fortunate, I still see a white-tailed deer or two occasionally.

I avoid the use of chemical pesticides and herbicides whenever possible. It requires a lot of time and elbow grease to manage the weeds throughout the yard and along the fence-line, but it is time and energy well spent. There are many natural shrub and bushes growing in the yard--enough so that a few pair of cardinals and blue jays nest there.

On Earth Day, I will likely be working out somewhere on the acreage, weeding or mending fence-line. It is my way of saving the planet, one acre at a time. And by sunset that day, I will be sitting on the porch, enjoying the beauty of that time of day and inhaling the good country air. Life is good in the country; I want to preserve that.