Every time I see a breathtaking sunset, an enormous moon filled sky, fox, deer, hawk, I remember the phrase “In the beginning God created” and I am filled with awe…
I forget how old I was the day I was in a doctor’s office with my grandmother and I saw an illustrated book of the bible. The inside cover had a sleeve, like a library book, but instead of a check out card there were prepaid postcards to request ‘additional information.’ My Daddy was surprised the day a door to door salesman knocked, asking for me. I loved those books.
I also forget how old I was the first time I saw a sponsorship packet for the World Wildlife Fund; I learned whales, polar bears and panda bears needed my protection. I became adept at filling out ‘for more information’ cards, I was always rewarded with stickers of animals I fell in love with.
I generally stay away from publicly discussing my deeply held beliefs because inevitably one of two things happen, simple conversation turns into a heated debate or I am beaten over the head with ‘science.’ As an INTJ the leap of faith required to cover the chasm called “the missing link” is far greater than looking at the diversity of our planet, its inhabitants and attribute the marvels of creation to a creator.
I have said ‘I’ way too many times on this blog but soon I’ll be working with folks as we try and develop a blueprint for growth for the City of Martinez. It just feels right that I share a bit about what’s important to me and why. Of the few posts I’ve written, this has been the most challenging for me personally. I mentioned on my facebook page, one afternoon not that long ago, that I don’t do emotion easily; how I feel about the natural world is pure emotion. How I will communicate about conserving open space, wildlife corridors and wildlife will be from an emotional point of view.
And not everyone will get it.
In the beginning God created; in the hierarchy of creation I am told I am more valuable than the sparrows, but God is still mindful of the sparrow. Who am I to not be equally mindful…
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Stewardship: My Secret Garden, choked with weeds of neglect
Three months ago I was taking my afternoon walk around the creek when I noticed two very large truck tires in the water. Just the night before a group of teens from our Environmental Studies Academy (14 minutes into regular meeting) gave a presentation to the city: Clean Water Program - Student Public Service Announcement. The PSA the students are developing is about litter in Alhambra Creek. I’m a sucker for fresh faces embracing a proactive role in maintaining our natural environment; I emailed our city engineer working with the kids about the tires.
After having helped organize two tree plantings, two beaver festivals and one 4th of July Parade, I’ve learned free labor is a god send and the email response seemed to be just that.
From: XXXX
Sent: Thursday, May 06, 2010 3:43 PM
To: XXX
Cc: XXX; lindajmeza@XXX
Subject: FW: Tires in creek
Mary, can you forward this request to the weekend cleanup crew and tell them to be extra careful around the dam.
Thank You
XXX
A local LDS ward was working with Friends of Alhambra Creek on a service project and they were interested in helping clear debris from the creek, tires and all. I explained where the tires were and looked forward to seeing busy hands that Saturday morning. Instead I received a terse email from the stewards of this particular stretch of the creek.
From: XXX
Sent: Friday, May 07, 2010 5:55 AM
To: lindajmezaXXX
Cc: XXX
Subject: Your request about the tires was forwarded to me
I have been working hard to keep them OUT of that area (they wanted to lower the dam by a foot). Please let XXX know specifically where the tires are.
XXX
After having helped organize two tree plantings, two beaver festivals and one 4th of July Parade, I’ve learned free labor is a god send and the email response seemed to be just that.
From: XXXX
Sent: Thursday, May 06, 2010 3:43 PM
To: XXX
Cc: XXX; lindajmeza@XXX
Subject: FW: Tires in creek
Mary, can you forward this request to the weekend cleanup crew and tell them to be extra careful around the dam.
Thank You
XXX
A local LDS ward was working with Friends of Alhambra Creek on a service project and they were interested in helping clear debris from the creek, tires and all. I explained where the tires were and looked forward to seeing busy hands that Saturday morning. Instead I received a terse email from the stewards of this particular stretch of the creek.
From: XXX
Sent: Friday, May 07, 2010 5:55 AM
To: lindajmezaXXX
Cc: XXX
Subject: Your request about the tires was forwarded to me
I have been working hard to keep them OUT of that area (they wanted to lower the dam by a foot). Please let XXX know specifically where the tires are.
XXX
Today this stretch of Alhambra Creek is overgrown, littered with debris and filled with stringy algae.
People willing to help clean the creek are discouraged from doing so because it may disturb the pond’s nocturnal inhabitants. Instead of employing a system wide solution, these stewards have dedicated their full focus and public resources on one aspect of the environment.
People willing to help clean the creek are discouraged from doing so because it may disturb the pond’s nocturnal inhabitants. Instead of employing a system wide solution, these stewards have dedicated their full focus and public resources on one aspect of the environment.
It’s never just about one thing, nor should it be…
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Nature is Nurture
After Northrop I went to work for FHP, Inc. in Cerritos. I had parlayed my knowledge of Paradox (in non-geek speak it was the relational database program) into a new job. It was while at FHP that I was offered the opportunity to move my family to the Bay Area. I jumped at the chance.
I’m not going to get into the decision making process that finally led us to Pleasant Hill near Diablo Valley College. However, what is germane is my reaction the first time I crossed over from the Berkeley side to the Orinda side of the Caldecott Tunnel. Los Angeles and its suburbs hadn’t prepared me for tree lined hills and grassy meadows where deer could be seen grazing as your car zipped by at 65mph. We all fell in love.
Our apartment community was close to the creek and landscaped with liquidambers. Early one Saturday morning movement in the tree outside my bedroom window caught my eye; I watched, puzzled, as a bird appeared to scale the trunk of the tree. I can remember thinking the black and white ladder affect of its feathers was different from any bird I was familiar with when, suddenly, it stopped scaling and pecked. My whispered screams for my kids meant there soon was a dogpile on top of me. The four of us watched in amazement as the downy woodpecker scaled and pecked a bit more. After that morning Wild Birds Unlimited became our favorite hangout.
My Stokes “Beginners Guide to Birds” has seen better days but armed with it and our Bay Area Bird Guide we were soon on the trails, walking from Pleasant Hill to Hidden Lakes looking for new birds to identify.
Many years and miles later I was surprised by a call from Naval Station Great Lakes. Noel just called to say there was a northern cardinal outside of his barracks window. This late winter 2002.
From the National Wildlife Federation, Be Out There, campaign: Be Out There’s mission is to return to the nation’s children what they don’t even know they’ve lost: their connection to the natural world. Kids today spend twice as much time indoors as their parents did, missing out on the simple pleasures and lasting mental and physical health benefits of daily outdoor time.
What We Do - National Wildlife Federation
I’m not going to get into the decision making process that finally led us to Pleasant Hill near Diablo Valley College. However, what is germane is my reaction the first time I crossed over from the Berkeley side to the Orinda side of the Caldecott Tunnel. Los Angeles and its suburbs hadn’t prepared me for tree lined hills and grassy meadows where deer could be seen grazing as your car zipped by at 65mph. We all fell in love.
Our apartment community was close to the creek and landscaped with liquidambers. Early one Saturday morning movement in the tree outside my bedroom window caught my eye; I watched, puzzled, as a bird appeared to scale the trunk of the tree. I can remember thinking the black and white ladder affect of its feathers was different from any bird I was familiar with when, suddenly, it stopped scaling and pecked. My whispered screams for my kids meant there soon was a dogpile on top of me. The four of us watched in amazement as the downy woodpecker scaled and pecked a bit more. After that morning Wild Birds Unlimited became our favorite hangout.
My Stokes “Beginners Guide to Birds” has seen better days but armed with it and our Bay Area Bird Guide we were soon on the trails, walking from Pleasant Hill to Hidden Lakes looking for new birds to identify.
Many years and miles later I was surprised by a call from Naval Station Great Lakes. Noel just called to say there was a northern cardinal outside of his barracks window. This late winter 2002.
From the National Wildlife Federation, Be Out There, campaign: Be Out There’s mission is to return to the nation’s children what they don’t even know they’ve lost: their connection to the natural world. Kids today spend twice as much time indoors as their parents did, missing out on the simple pleasures and lasting mental and physical health benefits of daily outdoor time.
What We Do - National Wildlife Federation
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Urbanization and conflict resolution
Going to check out our first Tuesday's Blues Days but I wanted to leave folks with this trailer from local filmmaker Don Bernier highlighting the potential pitfalls of urban development. Be on the watch for celebrity cameos of the two and four footed kind.
TRAILER: The Concrete Jungle from Don Bernier on Vimeo.
TRAILER: The Concrete Jungle from Don Bernier on Vimeo.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Stewardship: No it’s not just a stupid effing mouse…
For the first meeting of the general plan update task force we were each given a homework assignment: “Telling My Story” an introduction in short story form touching on; where we’re from, hobbies and interests, community group affiliations, occupation, special skills and expertise and ‘anything else that could help people get to know you better’. I think I’ve covered those here as well so I’m optimistic my choice of stewardship as a focus isn’t surprising.
Ten days ago I overheard a comment about our marina and the dredge ponds as I left Starbucks on my daily hike with my dogs Baron and Snoop. There are times when I’d love to be able to just stop, turn and say “it’s never just about one thing” instead I tossed my frustration out to the twitterverse and went about my day.
This comment stands out for me not because it was unique, negative reactions from people who perceive an aspect of the natural world as an impediment to “progress” are common, but it highlighted an ignorance of the greater than fifty year history of our dilapidated marina and pier. The current state of general disrepair and neglect was decades in the making, long before some stupid effing mouse chose to reclaim its rightful place in our marshlands and wetlands.
"Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it." ~Edmund Burke.
Unfortunately the final work product developed by the task force will have zero bearing on the development of the Alhambra Highlands project. Some very smart people have already voiced concerns regarding drainage and sluff when contemplating the removal of 650 trees and grading hill tops. I see it from a different perspective. I look at the removal of 650 live oak trees, presumably many of which are acorn granaries, as setting the stage for future human/wildlife conflict similar to what’s happened in Rossmoor.
Years from now the comment will be, ‘they’re just stupid effing woodpeckers’ and my response will still be it’s never just about one thing…
Ten days ago I overheard a comment about our marina and the dredge ponds as I left Starbucks on my daily hike with my dogs Baron and Snoop. There are times when I’d love to be able to just stop, turn and say “it’s never just about one thing” instead I tossed my frustration out to the twitterverse and went about my day.
This comment stands out for me not because it was unique, negative reactions from people who perceive an aspect of the natural world as an impediment to “progress” are common, but it highlighted an ignorance of the greater than fifty year history of our dilapidated marina and pier. The current state of general disrepair and neglect was decades in the making, long before some stupid effing mouse chose to reclaim its rightful place in our marshlands and wetlands.
"Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it." ~Edmund Burke.
Unfortunately the final work product developed by the task force will have zero bearing on the development of the Alhambra Highlands project. Some very smart people have already voiced concerns regarding drainage and sluff when contemplating the removal of 650 trees and grading hill tops. I see it from a different perspective. I look at the removal of 650 live oak trees, presumably many of which are acorn granaries, as setting the stage for future human/wildlife conflict similar to what’s happened in Rossmoor.
Years from now the comment will be, ‘they’re just stupid effing woodpeckers’ and my response will still be it’s never just about one thing…
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Educating Rita: The Road to Political Advocacy
Back in April I had a surprise Facebook friend request from someone I knew twenty years ago. I had just divorced and took a job at Northrop Corporation, B-2 Division. I held entry level positions, housekeeping, copy center and finally data monitor. Looking back, hindsight being what it is, I can say that my time working with the trainers and engineers in the Integrated Logistics Department was, and continues to be, life altering.
I owe a debt of gratitude to one man, E.L. Wells, who saw something in the girl who copied his documents and offered to teach her how to use a computer. That one skill has opened doors of opportunity that otherwise would have remained closed to a single mother of three with a high school diploma. This was the late 80’s, before Al Gore invented the internet and the world’s knowledge became my pearl. Ernie used to nag me to rent the movie Educating Rita (I have yet to see it) but I understand the parallels.
Long before I learned about keystones I knew about cornerstones and foundations. That is what Ernie gave me and again I am grateful beyond measure. I’ll leave discussions of recent life altering events for another occasion.
The time I spent working around war worn veterans deepened my admiration for our nation’s armed forces and I began grooming my young family for a life of service. Two of my three children enlisted in the United States Navy post 9/11. My emotions have run the gamut between pride and dread ever since. Every day my children were in a theater of war or training their fellow citizens I knew the gnawing fear of not being able to protect them from what the world was willing to throw their way. Not an easy thing for a parent accustomed to slaying the dragons of childhood.
I brought these life experiences with me the day I learned the City of Martinez was seeking a depredation permit for a colony of beavers. Suddenly, like the loosening of the floodgates people were envisioning, I felt the rush of purpose and found something I could protect. I went to bed as someone politically aware and awoke as someone politically active.
I owe a debt of gratitude to one man, E.L. Wells, who saw something in the girl who copied his documents and offered to teach her how to use a computer. That one skill has opened doors of opportunity that otherwise would have remained closed to a single mother of three with a high school diploma. This was the late 80’s, before Al Gore invented the internet and the world’s knowledge became my pearl. Ernie used to nag me to rent the movie Educating Rita (I have yet to see it) but I understand the parallels.
Long before I learned about keystones I knew about cornerstones and foundations. That is what Ernie gave me and again I am grateful beyond measure. I’ll leave discussions of recent life altering events for another occasion.
The time I spent working around war worn veterans deepened my admiration for our nation’s armed forces and I began grooming my young family for a life of service. Two of my three children enlisted in the United States Navy post 9/11. My emotions have run the gamut between pride and dread ever since. Every day my children were in a theater of war or training their fellow citizens I knew the gnawing fear of not being able to protect them from what the world was willing to throw their way. Not an easy thing for a parent accustomed to slaying the dragons of childhood.
I brought these life experiences with me the day I learned the City of Martinez was seeking a depredation permit for a colony of beavers. Suddenly, like the loosening of the floodgates people were envisioning, I felt the rush of purpose and found something I could protect. I went to bed as someone politically aware and awoke as someone politically active.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
NATURE | Behind the Scenes of "Hummingbirds" | PBS
Gorgeous video, great suggestion Bill, thank you!
Thursday, August 5, 2010
General Plan Update Task Force
Last year when I was in Santa Cruz inspiration for a blog struck and suddenly I was on the phone with Go Daddy registering the .com domain name. A year later much has changed; what I envisioned as a launching pad for a book and video with a virtual storefront is morphing into something completely different.
Back in February I learned the City of Martinez would be updating its General Plan. Part of the process included the formation of a task force comprised of 17 individuals representing various interests and geographic areas of Martinez. I expressed an interest and in May I received an email congratulating me on being one of the 17 chosen from a field of 54 applicants.
In the later part of this month our task force will take a field trip to familiarize ourselves with the various elements that make up a General Plan: Land Use, Circulation, Housing, Conservation, Open Space, Noise, Safety and Other Elements. For those familiar with the role I played in the formation of Worth A Dam and the ultimate détente between the City of Martinez and the now world famous ‘Martinez Beavers’ you can probably determine which of these elements are of a special interest to me. That’s why Untamed Martinez still works for a blog/domain name.
But as religious readers of the Martinez News-Gazette know, I do more than hike with my dogs in the hills above the Carquinez Straits or dabble in sales and marketing discussions on Twitter. As in the case of this blog’s focus my community identity has morphed from ‘beaver lady’ to ‘ad lady’. I’m in the trenches with business owners and entrepreneurs; I also carry their voices into this process.
The blog still needs an identity so expect cosmetic changes soon but I’ve learned that when my muse speaks I heed his voice. Waiting until I’ve nailed down my blog design before I begin, oh blogging, is just silly.
Back in February I learned the City of Martinez would be updating its General Plan. Part of the process included the formation of a task force comprised of 17 individuals representing various interests and geographic areas of Martinez. I expressed an interest and in May I received an email congratulating me on being one of the 17 chosen from a field of 54 applicants.
In the later part of this month our task force will take a field trip to familiarize ourselves with the various elements that make up a General Plan: Land Use, Circulation, Housing, Conservation, Open Space, Noise, Safety and Other Elements. For those familiar with the role I played in the formation of Worth A Dam and the ultimate détente between the City of Martinez and the now world famous ‘Martinez Beavers’ you can probably determine which of these elements are of a special interest to me. That’s why Untamed Martinez still works for a blog/domain name.
But as religious readers of the Martinez News-Gazette know, I do more than hike with my dogs in the hills above the Carquinez Straits or dabble in sales and marketing discussions on Twitter. As in the case of this blog’s focus my community identity has morphed from ‘beaver lady’ to ‘ad lady’. I’m in the trenches with business owners and entrepreneurs; I also carry their voices into this process.
The blog still needs an identity so expect cosmetic changes soon but I’ve learned that when my muse speaks I heed his voice. Waiting until I’ve nailed down my blog design before I begin, oh blogging, is just silly.
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