One of the things that helps me put the stress of everyday life behind me is watching the hummingbirds that flock to our feeders. These little birds buzz around and perform maneuvers that would impress the best fighter jet pilot.
They are the only species of bird that can fly backwards (not even fighter jets can do that) and its a skill they frequently use at the feeders. They hover beside each feeding spot with their little wings beating feverishly (60-80 beats a second). The most common species at our feeders are the black-chinned and the broad-tailed. Later in the summer, the rufous hummingbird will start to show up and these aggressive little feeders seem to spend more time chasing other hummingbirds away from the feeder than they do eating.
The other thing I like to do is listen to the birds sing, particularly in the evening. I don’t know which bird is singing which tune, but I do know that its pleasant to sit and watch the sun set while listening to them chirp.
I imagine that one day activities like this will be the primary way I’ll enjoy the outdoors. Like it or not, time is a great leveler. We all get older and slower.
For now, though, I’ll still try to hike down and fish the canyons of the Chama and the Rio Grande. I may not do it as energetically as I used to, but I still get a kick out of walking down a river to a spot I know few fisherman get to and having it to myself.
Almost all my outdoor recreation takes place on public land, either federal or state. Without public land, the opportunities to hunt and fish would be very limited
The problems that have hit our economy have me worried. I read recently where California is thinking of closing the majority of their state parks because of their economic woes. I don’t think limiting people’s opportunities to experience and appreciate where they live is a good idea. It would be disastrous here in New Mexico.
The last time I went fishing, I parked at Heron Lake State Park and hiked down to the Chama. Likely, some of the fish I caught had come up from El Vado Lake, another state park.
Closing state parks seems to me to be a drastic step. First of all, are they ever going to open again. Second of all, What’s next? Sell them to help balance the budget, thereby making them unavailable for most people to enjoy.
The same economic woes are hitting the federal government as well. Will they start closing national parks and monuments? Will they sell off public land? Remember the “Sagebrush Rebellion” in the Reagan Years. This was an attempt to have control of federal lands — read public lands — transferred over to states.
If this had happened in California, I wonder what would have become of Yosemite, Death Valley, Sequoia, Lassen Volcanic and all the other national parks, monuments and other federal lands in the Golden State.
It wouldn’t surprise me if the same folks who were behind the “Rebellion” use the tough economic times to open up this can of worms again.
One thing that we all can do is to get out and enjoy all the public lands we have now. Visit a national park or a state park. Camp on a national forest or hunt on Bureau of Land Management lands. Get out and use these areas and show folks that we don’t want them taken away. If we don’t use them, we may lose them.