A thread on being with nature during isolation.
Since my part of Oregon is very uncrowded, I didn't see the campground & trail closures coming. When they did, I felt strangely claustrophobic. I realized that I, like most Westerners, have an unconscious sense of expanded space.

I realized public land isn't just places to hike, hunt, fish, camp, etc.--it also provides a psychological service. If I know in the back of my mind I can bug out to a mountain or forest for some solitude and immersion in the nonhuman, it helps me cope with daily stress.

I fully support land managers closing areas to prevent crowding & damage to the land right now, though. I'm refocusing on the hyperlocal nature I often talk about in my work. Yesterday we saw some Greater Yellowlegs in the canal a few blocks away! I'm working on my sparrow IDs.

I talked about all this with @HaleJamesB yesterday and he has a great new article out about how to deal when your usual coping mechanism is closed. https://www.oregonlive.com/coronavirus/2020/04/how-do-oregonians-cope-when-we-cant-escape-to-our-favorite-natural-spaces.html

Here are some suggestions for those who are used to more epic landscapes, but now confined to their own neighborhoods:
1. If trees have leafed out where you are, see if you can ID all the street trees on your block.

2. If you are isolating with kids, ask them to "guide" you on a walk, showing you all the little things they find interesting. The younger the better here. Three-year-olds are as excited about a nut shell or a pointy rock as adults are about seeing a bear.

3. Learn to tell the difference between the different types of clouds. You may be in a smaller space, but the sky is right there above you, and it is huge! https://cloudatlas.wmo.int/cloud-identification-guide.html

4. For those of you used to setting hiking or running goals, clocking lots of miles or hitting certain speeds, try the reverse. See if you can take a full 30 minutes to walk a mile, noticing as much as you can on the way. Can you do 45 minutes?

5. Choose a common species you barely see any more and do a deep dive, learning as much as you can about it. As an example, here's an essay I wrote about the good old American robin: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/we-once-hunted-and-ate-robins-now-the-birds-are-a-colorful-harbinger-of-spring/2019/03/22/4d58d9d2-4a6e-11e9-93d0-64dbcf38ba41_story.html

I'd love to hear what people are doing to connect with their nearby nature! What revelations have you had about species that live right by you?
Much to everyone.