Never a shortage of ideas when writing about nature

This will not be my usual article, as some numbers have more clout than others. As the backbone of my 200th article for The Local, I wanted to take a moment to express a sincere thank you for your readership and engagement over the years past!

I have wanted to write an article of this nature since I published article number one. And sitting here and writing this, I'm curious to know what category to put these articles in. Is it a nature column? An environmental column? An opinion piece? Eco-politics? A passionate tangent, or an educational passage talking insects to astronauts!

Regardless, when Penny Coles initially contacted me with an invitation to write a weekly article for NOTL's citizens, I felt beyond grateful that a local paper would be willing to dedicate print space for environmental discussions of all shades. Not all media outlets dedicate routine airtime or paper space to talk about different aspects of our natural world, and our rocky relationship with it.

What I love most about writing articles involving our biosphere, the vertical zone where life from deep sea bacteria to mountain elephants and birds can survive. It's not only fulfilling to story tell about camping trips, canoeing accidents, my nature Hidden Corners nature documentaries, and close calls with jaws and viruses, but there is always a local tieback to you, as the presumed Niagara reader, or beyond.

Ultimately, I try best to convey a virtual journey into the forest, creek, or recesses of your mind that invite you and our culture to think about how nature is undeniably important, sharing stories to make you think about it all from a local angle, right from your living room or favourite spot at the pub.
It’s not that difficult to come up with new material nearly every week of the year, and for years straight, with a personal goal of mine to never write about the same subject twice. Without tracking that, I think that objective remains true to intent!

Furthermore, there is always a concept to write about, one of which is unbound by time. Meaning, it can be discussed and brought up in any season or any time in life, and still be a relevant and provoking topic. Theoretical discussions about our relationship with nature is as old as the human species itself.

Think about our relationship with fire and running water, or how to easily change the lens you look at your own neighbourhood trails with. And there always seems to be a local or international news story about the loss of habitat, climate change, or how local kids are cleaning up garbage from our beaches.

Remember NOTL and the coyotes? Remember the latest failed international summit about climate change, where prime ministers, presidents and kings sat around a fancy table and said, “Hey, remember when we were saying this a few years ago?”

Sometimes, the idea of what to write about is delivered to me by innocence on a silver platter. Usually, that is something a student will ask at work, or what a kid will say on one of my hiking tours. One thing I have really enjoyed about writing for The Local and my other work is having the opportunity to engage with all age groups.

Although I usually find myself on the teaching and delivery side of the communication, those around me teach me to ponder and then write abut our day-to-day experiences with the great outdoors. The indigenous, pioneers, and the neighbours of yesterday have all told stories about nature. It is an integral part of our human existence, and it will never stop, no matter how far we are perceived to be removed from it. What does that tell you about how important it is to protect and appreciate our land?

On that note, I want to take one more moment and pay respect to Penny Coles and the incredibly talented, dedicated to The Local team. This article is not to be taken as self-congratulatory. Rather, the 200 milestone is a solid and fun number to use as an excuse to reflect on how grateful I am for all of the community engagement I have had with you, the readers of The Local!

I am eager to continue writing for The Local’s Village Media website, and to hear from you if you have any questions, comments or inputs at [email protected].