59 results for author: Dan Barth
Climate Change and the Grand Canyon
It’s called the Dragon Bravo fire, and it has burned well over 140,000 acres on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, taking the historic Lodge and many of the guest cabins with it. Whether we’ve been there or not, mark this loss as one of enormous proportions. Sitting on the canyon rim, the view of a storm crossing the chasm while resting in front of the Lodge’s great window almost 55 years ago still lights up my soul the way a western lightning bolt lights up the night sky. The guest cabins, which in those days you could rent for the night even mid-Friday afternoon without a reservation, were about as cheerful and inviting as the memory of a ...
Honoring the Gift of Water
In my next life I want to be an otter. I’ve seen their playful slides in the snow, and the fact that they can outdo us when it comes to catching trout has me sold. Agile in the water, happy on land, a joy to watch as they lope along like furry slinkies, and, oh, so family oriented, otters suit me just fine. When I’m in my canoe absorbed with my own fishing, I usually hear them before seeing them. Their displeasure with my presence in their private bay is undeniable. They pop their heads up, disapproval written clearly on their faces as they look directly at me, and kind of bark, kind of snort their opinion of my rudeness. They dive, swim a couple ...
Jalisco and the Refugee Crisis
Jalisco state in Mexico rings in the ears with mariachi music and brightly dressed dancers twirling, while onlookers toast glasses of tequila. Both this iconic music and the even more iconic drink fermented and distilled from the blue agave are said to have been born there. Nat King Cole and Elvis sang the praises of Guadalajara, Jalisco's capital, and the beaches of Puerto Vallarata will undoubtedly tickle the memory circuits of many folks from Central Wisconsin. Colorful and inspiring, Jalisco is also home to one of Mexico's brutal drug cartels and entered my consciousness recently in a story about a farm there now known locally as ...
Fifty Five Earth Days Later
2025 marks the fifty fifth Earth Day. The local chapter of the Citizen's Climate Lobby and our NAOMI friends invite you to celebrate another Beloved Community Earth Day in Wausau at Westview Terrace Park (1501 Bissell St) at 10 AM on Saturday, April 26th.
Wisconsin and Earth Day go back a long way together. Truth be told, without Wisconsin Earth Day might not even exist. Horrified by a disastrous oil spill off the coast of California in 1969, our own Senator Gaylord Nelson conceived and set in motion the gears that made Earth Day 1970 a phenomenon to be reckoned with. Twenty million Americans marched proudly in their streets and ...
Fifty Five Earth Days Later
2025 marks the fifty fifth Earth Day. The local chapter of the Citizen's Climate Lobby and our NAOMI friends invite you to celebrate another Beloved Community Earth Day in Wausau at Westview Terrace Park (1501 Bissell St) at 10 AM on Saturday, April 26th.
Wisconsin and Earth Day go back a long way together. Truth be told, without Wisconsin Earth Day might not even exist. Horrified by a disastrous oil spill off the coast of California in 1969, our own Senator Gaylord Nelson conceived and set in motion the gears that made Earth Day 1970 a phenomenon to be reckoned with. Twenty million Americans marched proudly in their streets and ...
Modern Abolitionists – All
I remember trout fishing in the mountains just east of Salt Lake City when we lived there in the '60s. Beautiful, clear, achingly cold streams in mountain valleys so picturesque you almost didn't care if you caught any fish at all. The prize might well have been just breathing in the view along with the cool, clean air. One hot afternoon I followed a small feeder stream away from the river I had been fishing. About a hundred yards or so up the ravine the small stream literally disappeared under a dark, thick wall of shrubs and scrub oak. I spread some branches apart, almost like a curtain, and peered in, finding a dimly lit, shady glen with ...
Indinawemaaganidog – We are ALL Related
Many Native American tribes have a word meaning "We are ALL related". For the Ojibwe people that word is Indinawemaaganidog. It represents a concept foreign to English speakers in its all-encompassing inclusivity. Not only are all people part of a single family, but so is all of life on this fine planet, including rocks and mountains, rivers and lakes. Knowingly, living in a world full of family is rich with implications. We respect family, we honor and love our family. We are grateful for gifts given, wanting to give something in return. Most importantly, we feel a strong need to protect and care for our family members. Living in ...
November Marsh Marigolds
If not the very first to flower in the Central Wisconsin spring, the radiant yellow Marsh Marigold is by far the most exciting of the spring ephemerals. These perky bouquets love shallow seeps of water, poking their golden heads above a green nest of round edged leaves, and where conditions are favorable, they carpet the wet, leafless spring woods for several glorious weeks in April. My first picture this year is dated April 14th, about the time our Forsythia blooms. This early splash of color in the drab days not long after winter's end is joy incarnate. It demands a trip into the ditch for pictures that get enthusiastically shared broadly ...