Written by David Fallon, Upstream Care for Place Fellow
The other day I went to see my mother at the cemetery.
Lakewood was so beautiful and yet, despite the natural beauty of the place it seemed like something had been taken from it. There was no snow. Barely any ice on the water. At the end of December in Minnesota. It wasn’t right.
After I talked with my mother, I walked around for some time, thinking about the Upstream fellowship and how the story I saw unfolding in front of me needed to be told. This was what climate change looks like in one of my favorite peaceful places. It hurt.
As I write this, I understand that I was responding to the realization that one of those places was changing fundamentally due to human-created climate change.
Winter is a time of transition. A time of death, necessary to make re-birth possible. It is necessary for renewal and rejuvenation. It is as important a season as spring. They cannot exist without one another.
And yet there’s no snow. There’s barely any ice on the water. Winter is slipping through our hands, Minnesota. It’s melting away as we speak.
What will you do to steward our natural places in 2024? Really. I challenge you to spend more time in our natural places this year. Appreciate and celebrate them.
When you understand how valuable they are, you will be driven to take action to care for them.
RELATED: Finding Urban Serenity: David Fallon’s Reflections on Peace and Memory Along the Mississippi River
.
What’s Your Upstream Story?
We share stories of stewardship written by and about Minnesotans like you! Share your story here.