Making Friends for
Biodiversity Conservation
(and being happy
while we’re at it)
Public lands need public support. We wanted to engage our Somme neighbors with something
pro-forest and pro-steward. Might a Solstice bonfire be an opportunity for education and community building? Cutting brush means “the return of the light” to the oak woodland understory - just as the holiday season means in part the beginning of longer days.
For the first couple of years, a few dozen people would show
up. The newly organized Friends of Northbrook Forest Preserves (with a
strong representation of community leaders from the schools, churches, and
recognized citizen activists of many kinds) made an advertising banner, and more and more curious people started to attend.
Our third annual solstice fire – in 2001 – followed the horror of 9/11. We reached out and found allies of nature representing the three faiths that were most
impacted by the ugly terror. That year our bonfire, as always, was dedicated to
peace and harmony. But this time it was lit from three sides by a Christian priest, a Jewish
cantor, and a Muslim scholar from the Northbrook mosque. Well known and
respected locally, Father Jay Risk of St. Giles set a generous tone.
Honor for creation as seen by all three faiths was compellingly and simply expressed, and the
related ethics of the humane volunteers who worked all year to protect the woods and the planet seemed embodied and illuminated by the profound words. A good ceremony and celebration gives positive
energy while making us a bit wiser.
The event celebrates nature, but it's also about people - we the people who honor nature. |
For many years the welcoming speeches by varied volunteers have
tried to engage people afresh each year with the spirit of the season and Somme
Woods ecosystem. We’d report: Endangered plant numbers have been rising. Rare
birds have returned to nest. Most people don’t pay attention to such questions
for most of the year. Being reminded of them in a season of good will (while
escaping the mall and various responsibilities) seemed right. But the crowds got too big for people to hear a speech. Instead we relied on handing out a written introduction and explanation as people enter the preserve.
Then we'd hike through the woods in procession, following the stirring notes of the bagpipes - as seen in this video from 2017:
But the event got too big for that too. Took too long for people to straggle in. So these days we encourage people to head right into the bonfire pile, with only some people waiting for the procession.
Now we're ready to be awed anew by the power of the flames that unite nature, and physics, and good stewards. This video focuses on both the fire and the community:
Once the blaze is dying down, the home baked refreshments and
the antics of the kids take over.
Here’s a sample press release from 2008. Notice how the
drafters tried to include both the human and the ecological.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SOLSTICE BONFIRE FEATURES DJEMBE DRUMMER
An offbeat and sweet feature of the holiday season in
Northbrook is the towering bonfire of brush that marks the winter solstice in
Somme Woods. This year, the event will feature a procession through the woods
following djembe drummer Josh Baigelman. The procession leads to a ten-foot
tall pile of invasive brush, cut to improve oak woodland habitat during 2008.
When it’s lit up, it’s impressive.
It’s a festival of renewal, since our shortening days will
start to get longer on the solstice, December 21st. The event is
sponsored by the Friends of the Forest Preserves, North Branch Restoration
Project, and the Forest Preserve District of Cook County. The event is
appropriate for all ages, but dress warmly for the walk through the woods.
(Then expect to start unzipping layers, as the fire builds.)
The solstice is one of the most widely celebrated holidays
over huge areas of Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas. Christian, Jewish,
Buddhist and many other traditions have included such “festivals of lights” and
rejuvenation. The Zuni or Hopi of the American southwest made “prayer sticks”
at this time to bless their community, homes, animals and plants. At the
Northbrook solstice, participants are invited to choose a natural stick from
the forest floor, invest it with the thoughts of some important event from
2008, or hope for 2009, and toss it into the bonfire for a sort of
consecration.
Is the bonfire symbolic? “Heck, yes,” says Linda Masters,
one of the forest preserve stewards. “It’s a big pile of destructive woody
weeds, and therefore symbolizes evil, greed, injustice, thuggery and death. The
generous volunteers who cut all this brush did so to restore beauty and health
to the natural habitats of a noble woods.” Participants are invited to
appreciate the beauty of the huge ancient trees and listen for the calls of
winter birds as they join the procession to the pile.
The Forest Preserve volunteer coordinator Bill Koenig added,
“This event thanks the generous people who’ve done so much to help, and it
invites everyone to experience the woods in winter, in a friendly and sociable
way.”
Josh Baigelman is a Glenbrook North High School senior and a
forest preserve volunteer. He is fascinated by the African djembe drum, that is
about one foot in diameter and two or three feet tall. It is covered by goatskin
and used in rituals and dances over much of Africa.
The event is free and will include spiced cider, hot chocolate,
and tasty treats. Everyone welcome. The annual Solstice Bonfire is Sunday
December 21 at 2:00PM in Somme Woods Forest Preserve on Dundee Road in
Northbrook.
People gather around the Solstice hawk and ask questions. Rob Sulski explains predation in the ecosystem. |
How big is too big?
On Sunday, Dec. 20, 2015 – four hundred neighbors showed up
for the 17th annual. It is now part of the local culture. Some new people
still ask why we cut brush and invasive trees, and what Somme Woods restoration is about. There are great
discussions from many different perspectives. Cutting, herbiciding, and burning
for biodiversity conservation require people to rethink much of what they know
and feel about nature. It’s complicated, and even good, clear answers don’t
register with full clarity for most people on the first hearing. On the other
hand, for these people, biodiversity conservation in the Somme preserves is now increasingly a part of the culture of the Village of Northbrook.
People filled Facebook with comments like “This is the best
– perfect for the holidays” and “One of my favorite events of the year.”
Young people came, old people, families. Kids who discover varied "woods fun" every year. They climb on fallen trees – break ice on
the shallow ponds – throw wood on the fire. And
cooking, can marshmallows be a wholesome tradition? They cook potatoes too.
Kids line up to goof off on a strange tree. They master the ascent. They perform and cheer each other on. Parents watch, worried and amused. |
Since the public owns this land, it seems crucial that we the public love it and have a feeling for the care of it. Aldo Leopold said, “A thing is right when it tends to
preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community.”
We stewards, who also like kids and peace and the drama of the bonfire –
believe this event fosters the integrity, stability, and beauty of our own
human community as well.
As the crowd got too big for the site, we cut way back on advertising. The entire parking lot was filling up, and street parking was distant, inconvenient, and dangerous (due to having to then walk across one or two busy 4-lane roads). The police helped. But many people just gave up and drove home, while many others still poured in.
These days, it's smaller. We imagine we should stage it at a place with a bigger parking lot. But the Somme preserves are where we work and where we love to welcome neighbors and fellow stewards. And love to have this experience.
So, these days, it's a sweet little event that mostly organizes itself, on New Year's Day, at 2 PM.
ANOTHER VIEW OF THIS EVENT is at the blog:
http://vestalgrove.blogspot.com/2015/12/why-we-celebrate-solstice.html
PHOTO CREDITS: Many thanks to Carol Freeman
ANOTHER VIEW OF THIS EVENT is at the blog:
http://vestalgrove.blogspot.com/2015/12/why-we-celebrate-solstice.html
PHOTO CREDITS: Many thanks to Carol Freeman
What a wonderful tradition you have created! Thanks for all you do for the natural world and introducing it to the community.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas, Happy Holiday’s, Season’s Greetings, etc., etc. to all you philosopher warriors who protect the Holy Grail that is our precious little remaining wilderness.
ReplyDeleteMay your long hard efforts continue to awe people and bring happiness to children during your Solstice Bonfire.
I feel compelled to mention I do not desire that the way restoration is accomplished along the North Branch be the rule for how restoration is practiced everywhere. The FPCC has instituted rules to solve specific political problems that are not relevant outside certain jurisdictions. The practice of cutting, stacking, and immediately burning makes me feel like I am helping to clean up a city park rather than working to preserve a wilderness. This extra work to clean up the forest comes at a cost of getting more work accomplished to control invasive species. I think a gathering such as the Solstice Bonfire would be best centered on food at sites where getting the job done is a higher priority than making the forest pretty.
DeleteInvasive brush can be a Grinch that can steal the beauty of a late Easter Walk or a May Day eve. Traditions are good. It is better to start them early with a new family.
ReplyDeleteIt's beautiful to see a tradition like this! But as you point out, tradition can get eroded as times changed. I hope this one can stick around.
ReplyDeleteGood point, Patent Lawyers Guy. These days, a "tradition" that's lasted for 20 years impresses people. But bonfire ceremonies feel real quickly. You relate to people seeing and feeling the same - 20 thousand years ago. People also notice it when we're harvesting rare seeds in the wilderness. People start talking about "hunter-gatherers" regularly. It's natural to us.
Delete