Earth’s eye

A lake is the landscape’s most beautiful and expressive feature.  It is earth’s eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature.

~ Henry David Thoreau, Walden, “The Ponds” (1854)

If you live in northeast Ohio and you’re a fan of Quail Hollow State Park, please read on.

Today’s post was supposed to be easy-going.  A little of this.  A little of that.  Vegetables roasting in the oven.  A stew in the making to warm us up on this brisk day.  That sort of thing.  It started out that way, but then something came to my attention after a visit to the local apple orchard.  An overheard snippet of conversation, a Google search, and my blog post morphed.

Remember this? It was left on the trail at Quail Hollow State Park. A clue, perhaps, or just a bit of found art.

Last summer here in Ohio, H.B. 133 was passed.  H.B. 133 opened Ohio state parks to fracking.  I am working very hard right now not to editorialize, but I suspect my readers know how I feel about fracking.  Quail Hollow State Park, not far from where I live, is slated to be the first park drilled.  Here is the write-up about it from Buckeye Hike:

Quail Hollow is slated to be the first state park to be horizontally drilled and fracked since the passage of HB 133 last summer. HB 133 opened all Ohio State Parks to fracking for the first time in their history. Ironically, though, Quail Hollow will be fracked through a “back-door” eminent domain-type legal loophole called “unitization.” Unitization is now being used by oil and gas companies to force unwilling landowners into leases where doing so could substantially increase company profits. (Yes, profit increase is literally the written-in-law justification for this form of eminent domain). We will likely be joined by hikers from the Sierra Club and the Ohio Environmental Council. The day’s hike may culminate in a press opportunity, given Quail Hollow’s special targeted status. Participation in any press event is, of course, completely optional.

There is a protest hike tomorrow (Sunday) morning at 11:00am.  Hikers are meeting at the visitor’s center in front of the Manor House in the park.

Archway to the herb garden. Quail Hollow State Park.

Having seen the mess they’re creating (just with traffic alone!), I’ll be there.

On one of the trails in Quail Hollow State Park.

I have been wondering lately who is going to pay for the clean-up when these energy companies from Oklahoma and Texas are finished.  The truck traffic alone is ruining some of the roads.

Quail Hollow State Park

The photos from Quail Hollow were taken in July.  I’ve hiked there many times, but those are the most recent photos I have and the easiest for me to find on short notice.  I didn’t hear about the protest hike until this afternoon.  (That’s my own fault for not paying attention to local news lately.)

Quail Hollow

I have a strong desire to rant, but I doubt that will accomplish anything.  I’ll go out later and tell it to the trees.  They’re good listeners, and often have a calming effect.

Today’s view of the pond.

Here at Breezy Acres, many of the leaves have fallen from the trees.  The skies have been mostly gray.  But we’re not California Dreamin’ just yet.  A warm-up is coming soon.

Four crows in the sky

Thanks for visiting.  I apologize for the almost-rant.  I know a lot of my visitors come here to enjoy a little peace and calm.  This latest piece of fracking news has me almost in tears.  It was already much too close to home.  Now it will be surrounding home.  Instead of coming up with more invasive ways to harm Mother Earth, we ought to be finding ways to conserve and use what we already have more efficiently.

We abuse the land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us.  When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.

~ Aldo Leopold, 1949

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