Letters

VISIONS AND EMOTIONS

Dear Editor,
Thank you for Stephen Packard’s “Chicago Wilderness 2030: Visions for the Future”.

Stephen’s visions evoked unexpected tears and prompted me to reflect not only on his sense of the future, but on the miraculous phenomenon of human “vision” and its role in the unfolding saga of human habitation on the blue planet.

Presenting his vision in a public forum struck me as an act of profound giving and an authentically intimate one. There is really nothing more unique about each of us than the vision we hold.

Authentic visions bear no resemblance to wishful thinking. I was struck by the impressive inclusiveness and scope Stephen articulated. He was equally concretely detailed when envisioning a shadowed, dystopic future as he was when envisioning a healthy, utopian one. His visions extended beyond the span of his own life, and were thereby imbued with an ego-transcending poignance.

Deeply affecting, too, was the quintessentially human, soulful love of place that so unmistakably pervaded Stephen’s visions. At their core is a spirit of large-hearted humanness that represents humans and wilderness as ultimately inseparable.

 

Eliezer T. Margolis
Evanston, IL

Dear Stephen,
I was moved by your article in the latest Chicago Wilderness. It brought to the front of our minds what’s been hovering in the back. And of course, we’re getting excited about spring. There have been some colorful waterfowl stopping by the ponds and the lake at Northwestern University—this morning there were northern shovelers and widgeons, and I saw a loon fishing off the breakwater. The bloodroot is poking up outside our back door, always a happy event.

Sunny Balsam
Evanston, IL

Dear Editor,
First and foremost—thanks, Stephen. Vision is indeed preliminary and necessary for achievement. As I write, I am weary from volunteering on a 30-acre woodland burn down here in beautiful southern Illinois.

Seeds are sown in many ways. I am humbled by the many seeds (both physical and metaphorical) that you have planted. Indeed, think of the seeds sown by our common mentor, Dr. Robert Betz. I am a seed in training. Currently, I am finishing up my B.A. in plant biology and anticipate further work as a graduate student in prairie ecology. I am inspired by your vision of 2030. I am inspired by all that Chicago Wilderness means and stands for. I am inspired to plant seeds of my own and to “devote a major part of my life to it.” To the land. To the people. To the vision. Thank you.

Ryan E. Campbell
Carbondale, IL

GIANTS OFF THE CHARTS

Dear Editor,
I read your recent article regarding tree age, which compelled me to measure a very large sugar maple in the front of my farmhouse. It has a diameter of approximately 52.83 inches—off the charts per your article. I realize that your chart represents trees that grow in forests, but could our tree have grown that much faster? Or is it true that our tree may be over 200 years old?

Wade Butt
DeWitt, IA

 

Editors’ note: We received several calls about chart-busting trees, so we contacted Marlin Bowles and Michael Jones, the chart’s creators. Unfortunately, currently available methods for aging trees of this size use data from eastern states, where tree growth may differ. That sugar maple could be up to 300 years of age. But open-grown trees may have had very rapid growth, especially in optimum conditions. Bowles suggested that readers e-mail him at The Morton Arboretum for help estimating ages of large trees.

DEER COMMISERATION

Dear Editor,
I saw your article on the devastating effect of deer on native plants—especially the trillium pictures [also see “Deer Dilemma”]. I can empathize. We live in Delafield, Wisconsin, and my husband and I have removed all the invasive buckthorn and honeysuckle. When a landscaper came over, he was surprised—no native plants growing. The deer have destroyed everything. We have a herd of six that come to our yard every night. They eat everything we put out—wild geranium, bellwort, wood anemone, white baneberry, and Solomon’s seal. When we first removed the buckthorn, some baneberry and Solomon’s seal came up, only to be eaten. They even ate some onion!

Now, as a last resort, my husband built a 16' x 10' pergola with a fence around it to keep out the deer. I have planted some of my trillium and they are doing fine. I could do so much more to restore our 1.5-acre lot; unfortunately, for now, the deer have the upper hand.

I have contacted the mayor and DNR, but since we live in the city, no hunting. We definitely need a reduction in deer because they are redesigning the landscape and creating an ecological disaster.

 

Mary Lou Qualler
Delafield, WI