Monday, October 12, 2015

Perfect Early Autumn Walk


Walkers stopped to appreciate our newly renovated 1817 stone arch bridge
Yesterday was a perfect autumn afternoon--temperatures in the low 70s, low humidity, and crystal clear blue skies.  I had an opportunity to lead a 2-mile walk through my preserve for about 50 of my members and supporters of a statewide environmental advocacy group named PennEnvironment.  

I was approached by PennEnvironment because the organization wanted to highlight the importance of the EPA's new Clean Water Rule that protects small headwater streams.  So, my comments along the way focused on my organization's efforts to safeguard upland drainages through open space acquisition and habitat restoration.
PennEnvironment's David Masur (with child on his shoulders) addressing the group
The executive director of PennEnvironment brought his wife and two young children to the preserve for the walk.  Near the end, on a stone bridge spanning one of our headwater streams, he thanked the walkers for coming and encouraged them to advocate for clean water.
Walkers listening to David Masur just before walking up a long, steep hill out of the valley
It was a really fine walk, and the participants all seemed to enjoy themselves.  Plus, I earned 2-1/2 hours of comp time for working on a Sunday!  However, 50 people is too many for a really satisfying walk; fortunately, Kali helped by herding the stragglers at the rear.

4 comments:

packrat said...

Sounds like a perfectly-wonderful outing, and the comp time makes it all the more worthwhile. Was Kali herding the stragglers with a cattle prod? :)

Anonymous said...

Looks like a really nice day for a walk and for talking about open space and habitat restoration.

Scott said...

Packrat: If Kali had had a cattle prod, it would have worked better. Large groups like these are like herding cats. For anything over 25 people, there ought to be two leaders.

Scott said...

Robin Andrea: It was a quintessentially perfect autumn afternoon. I just wish I had been hiking the Appalachian Trail than leading a group of folks in my own backyard, however well-meaning everyone was.