Walking the Chinook trails with Larry Daloz is a humbling experience. Where I see a dozen trees, Larry sees a dozen striving lives—evolution and circumstance, strategy and fortune, chance and design steering every tree’s growth as each plays its part in the drama of a maturing forest. Under his tutelage, a centimeter of soil reveals a century of ecological history. As I stand beside him under the canopy, my human lifespan shrinks to a single paragraph in a slowly unfolding, planetary biography—and I realize, in a grander sense than ever before, the true meaning of home.
I am proud to call the Whidbey Institute a home for my work in the world, and I cherish Whidbey Institute Fellows Larry Parks Daloz and Sharon Daloz Parks for their guiding roles with this organization. During our Second Annual Gratitude Gala, October 10, we’ll have the honor of recognizing their ongoing commitments to Chinook. —Marnie Jones
This issue includes articles about board member Dale Schweppe; Dan’s reflections on a kayak-based mindfulness retreat with Inside Passages; reflections on the year in the garden from Margaret Pickoff; updates about upcoming fungi tours and a Buffalo Field Campaign concert; a Chinook Encounter story from Kimi Hoover; and more!
Click here to view our September newsletter and read on.