Gopher Tortoise in Close-up Shot
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Conservation Lands and You: the Importance of Preserving the Wild

I’m supposed to be hyping my upcoming webinar, but this conversation is too important not to share here:

In my corner of the world, our conservation lands have come under fire. Here in Florida, we have beautiful state parks, areas of preserved wilderness that are home to many magnificent creatures, including endangered and endemic species like the gopher tortoise and scrub jay. In the last week, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection has proposed to build golf courses and pickleball courts inside the park boundaries.

In a state that is under heavy construction, it’s imperative now more than ever to preserve these bits of wilderness. For the four-legged, whose habitats that have been fragmented into unrecognizable bits, for the waterways that would be impacted by, at the very least, the additional runoff and habitat loss, and at the worst, excess fertilizer and herbicides.

It’s vital to preserve these spaces of true wilderness. For future generations, yes, but also for those of us who are here now, in this time and place.

This is true worldwide. Bits of untouched wilderness are treasure troves. They offer reprieve, and a portal in time, both backwards to the lands of our ancestors, and forwards to the lands of future generations.

Studies upon studies have shown the value of Nature to human health. It’s why I call it Vitamin Nature and it’s a requirement in my program. Spending just twenty minutes outside, even in an urban area, reduces the stress markers of cortisol and elevated blood pressure.

Spend more than that? The results get even better. The wilder the space (true wilderness versus the city park), the more the benefit. It’s a well documented phenomenon that proves what we already intuitively know: getting outside just feels good.

Our cells, the very essence of our being, are wired for Nature. We evolved over thousands of years to live in harmony with this living organism, this planet, we call home. At the very core of us, beneath all the layers of “comfort,” this is what our bodies + souls are craving: this connection.

The animal within loves feeling the sun on her face, wind in her hair. To swim in the open waters of the ocean or fresh spring. To howl at the moon and marvel at the stars.

These wild spaces remind us of who we are at our very core. They remind us that the hustle and bustle, the beeps and buzzes and everyday distractions are just fabrications in our existence, and that the real us exists underneath that veneer of busy-ness and tech.

There’s been many articles published about the current attack on our conservation lands in Florida. One in particular, struck home. It spoke about how the “environmentalists” have been swift to act. The sentiment made me cringe. Not because of the swift actions of people that understand the importance of our lands, but because of the term used.

Let’s do away with the term “environmentalist.” This is a way to make fringe the people that recognize we live on a living planet, and our fate is inextricably linked with hers.

“Environmentalist” pigeonholes people into a niche, and detracts from their sentiments. It’s usually accompanied by an eye-roll. “Oh those environmentalists.” Almost as if these people are errant children, and not articulate, intelligent people who understand the value of Nature.

Instead of “environmentalist,” let’s use “common-sensalist.” Because it is common sense to protect the living, breathing world around us, the one that provides us our own life.

It’s common sense to work with her, to provide habitat in our yards that supports local wildlife like butterflies, birds, bees instead of ornamentals that, at best, just look pretty or, at worst, become invasive noxious weeds that crowd out the natives.

It’s common sense to utilize the already existing, breathing, living wild park as an amenity for “forest bathing” instead of deadening the land with bulldozers, excavators, and turf to build golf courses (of which there is already an abundance).

There is a Native American saying, “When the last tree is cut down, the last fish eaten, and the last stream poisoned, you will realize that you cannot eat money.”

These creatures that live on these wild spaces provide ecosystem services that we have not even begun to fully understand. As biodiversity is lost due to habitat loss and fragmentation, we have no idea the ripple effect it can have on us, our clean air, water, and food supply. 

Everything on this planet, every plant, animal, and person, has a purpose.

It’s time we make this connection and preserve to keep it. 

At the end of each post, I like to give something actionable to do, and today it’s a simple one:

Find the wildest space you can near you. Maybe it’s a city park, an untouched lot, or maybe you’re lucky enough to live near a state or national park. Go to this space, and just be. Turn off the phone, notice what’s around you. What grows there? What season are you in? 

Take at least twenty minutes to do this. If you’re too busy, take an hour. Notice how you feel afterwards.

We protect what we love, so get out there, and fall in love.

If you’re inspired to take additional action to save Florida’s Parks here are some ways to help: