Who:
Rosemary Wehnes
conservation organizer
Where:
Wauwatosa, WI
The problem with working in the environmental field, is that we often don't take time to get out and enjoy the very thing we are trying so hard to protect. After all, there is always one more door to knock or phone call to make. When one of my Sierra Club friends invited me to attend his summer party, I jumped at the chance to just get outside and enjoy the sights and smells of summer in Wisconsin.
My friend, Leonard, is restoring prairie at his property north of Milwaukee. It was like a breath of fresh air to walk among the spikes of purple liatris, yellow and purple coneflowers, and blue stem. Leonard collects seeds at the end of the summer growing season and shares them with others, extending the beauty of his own special place to sights unseen. In essence, he is painting the Wisconsin landscape in wildflowers. Of course, I packed some postcards for folks to sign to protect the Great Lakes. After all, organizing is about talking one on one. Planting the seeds of environmental awareness in our conversations with friends and family will surely yield bounty, just like the seeds that Leonard collects and shares with others. A prairie in bloom is a wonderful sight.
