Poison Oak’s Interlude
Time passed, and the itch went, and then the rash, and then the scars. But the memory persists.
Category: Perspective
Opinion pieces and perspective from people connected to nature in Northern California.
Life in a Burn Scar
Five years after the Dixie Fire, a writer takes stock of her community and the forest around it.
A New Map to A Familiar Trail
The trail wasn’t asking either of us to win the encounter. It was asking us to notice one another.
In Memory of Jake Sigg, a California Conservationist
Jake Sigg, one of California’s best-known advocates for protecting native biodiversity, died on June 10, one week after his 99th birthday.
A Surprisingly Chill Hang Around a (Prescribed) Fire
Community spirit—and serious safety precautions—made my first prescribed burn feel like a friendly gathering.
The Camphor Tree
A big life, lived well, spreading wide, can mean so much.
Summer Slog
Why oh why do the lowest of each day’s tides only happen around my favorite swim hour?
How the Landscape Does Its Quiet Work
Landscapes are not just scenery. They are places where people learn skills, traditions, and a kind of hospitality that can last across generations.
AI Is a Place
Artificial intelligence is not magic, or placeless, or limitless. It is nature: wind, water, coal.
