The sky islands of Appalachia – that phrase from a place miles away captured my imagination as I read Sonia DeYoung’s story on page 52. Her research with the University of Vermont aspires to increase the resilience of red spruce and spruce-fir forests in the Northeast in the face of climate change. A combination of rigorous science and creative models offers hope that we can support diverse and healthy forests similar to what we have today. This research helps the forest industry and forest-based economies plan for a future with unpredictable and more extreme weather patterns. Learning from forests in hard-to-reach places – these southern sky islands – may lead to stronger and more stable forests in the Northeast.
The theme of restoration is threaded throughout this issue. Otters have made a comeback in central and western New York with the help of a public-private partnership to improve water quality and to reintroduce this wetland mammal to historic habitat. In fits and starts, elk have been restored to their old bugling grounds in north central Pennsylvania, with a herd of more than 1,000 holding strong. In restoration of another kind, wildlife rehabilitation centers throughout the region care for injured and sickened raptors. Meghan McCarthy McPhaul takes a closer look at the work of three centers in New England, the reasons why raptor injuries and deaths have increased, and public education efforts to reduce risks to these birds.
Another thread is that of community, which is at the core of every issue of Northern Woodlands. This issue’s “Stewardship Story” comes from Worcester, Massachusetts, where community members supported restoration of a meadow for the benefit of people and wildlife alike. Look for an “online extra” on our website showing volunteers removing Norway maple saplings from this property to enhance wildlife habitat and also to provide materials for a community-based art project with a visiting artist on a college campus. The act of community takes many forms, and persistence – the meadow restoration took more than two decades to complete and requires ongoing maintenance to ensure the property’s wildlife and recreational values.
Resilience and community come together in the book Dawnland Voices: An Anthology of Indigenous Writing from New England; we offer an excerpt in this issue, the introduction to the chapter on Abenaki writers. In a time of great division and environmental degradation, we can learn from the resilience of our region’s Indigenous communities and their efforts to revitalize and celebrate their culture and the places they call home. In the anthology, historic records, creation stories passed on through oral traditions, and letters mix with stories, essays, and poems by established and emerging writers. These voices guide our understanding of contemporary experiences and bring hope for others looking to use art, history, and exploration of place to strengthen a sense of community.
Resilience, community, restoration – these ideals, these actions – have to begin somewhere. On the cover: the young son of one of my classmates at the University of Maine, with his inquisitive look, provides a glimpse at a hopeful future. I know Murray is being raised to be an explorer of northern woodlands, to be a person who knows his landscape – wild and cultured alike. He is learning about the mushrooms that grow where he walks, the waterways that weave throughout his communities, and the wild creatures that inhabit them. He is an expert climber of trees, paddles a canoe, races with sled dogs, and is being imbued with love for the land and all that it offers. I know other children of various ages who are learning to hunt and fish, who cut trees for firewood, and build trails for woodland explorations. All of this, shared from one generation to the next, is key to building a resilient future in our northern region.
And those sky islands? We need those, too, so future generations can look to the woods for sustenance and inspiration.