From Ethan Tapper:
What’s birding’s problem???
As a birder myself, I have such a deep love for birding and birders — one of my very favorite things to do, and some of my favorite people in the world. But when I became a birder, I noticed something funny about birding culture, which is that it was really just a discipline of observation — we observed birds, and nothing else. And even when we were witnessing the decline of bird species due to things like habitat degradation, introduced species and more, everyone would say “oh well.” And it’s not just birding — I find that in nearly every community of folks that enjoy or utilize forests or other ecosystems in some way, we notice things happening that impact the things that we love, but then don’t think it’s up to us to do anything about it.
I come from the world of forestry, which is a discipline of action, and so when birders would tell me about some bird species that was declining or that had been lost, I would say: “What do you wanna do about it?”
We are fortunate to have tools that can solve or help so many of the ecological problems that we face, and if we’re willing take action and to make tough choices — doing things like cutting trees, burning, controlling deer overpopulations, controlling invasive plants, curbing development and habitat fragmentation — we can attenuate and even reverse these changes. And I truly believe that this is the deepest form that a relationship can take — to go beyond noticing, or witnessing, and to a place of stewardship.
My new book The Forest Year: Finding Hope in a World Worth Saving was published on October 6, and is now available as a hardcover, ebook or audiobook wherever books are sold! Please pick up a copy at your local independent bookseller, or you can find some options at EthanTapper.com/forestyear
