Who could possibly have written a script for Earth Day 2020 that included living with a pandemic? Author Margaret Atwood might have. But she didn’t. However, as a master of dystopian literature, and student of history, she has offered an important perspective on our current reality.
Margaret Atwood reflected that “this is by no means the worst such episode that the world has ever seen”. Importantly, she offered that moments like these offer a “reset button opportunity” and that “Maybe we should look at the way we’ve been doing things and think of ways of doing them differently.”
Yes, these are challenging times. Yes, there is great hope that life will improve. But there is no crystal ball to predict the “when” and “how it will happen”. For now, we live with a stark reminder of how inhabitants of Mother Earth are connected so intimately. We are all tasked with the responsibility of staying healthy – as individuals, community members, and global citizens. Let’s remember to extend our actions as people who need to be good stewards of the earth’s resources.
In Manitoba, there is much to appreciate in our natural world. That includes our birds. Chimney Swifts continue their northern migration, having now reached Minneapolis, MN. (https://ebird.org/map/chiswi?neg=true&env.minX=&env.minY=&env.maxX=&env.maxY=&zh=false&gp=false&ev=Z&mr=1-12&bmo=1&emo=12&yr=cur)
As we all look forward to our swift’s arrival in the next few weeks, the MCSI Steering Committee continues to discuss the upcoming monitoring season and rethink ways of safely engaging with the birds this year. In early May, we will talk about the 2020 Chimney Swift monitoring season as it is impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. We will factor in the current public health advisories and offer up some options having hit the “reset button”. Stay tuned for news flashes about MCSI monitoring, stewardship, outreach, and science activities planned for this year!
As for my Earth Day, it is time to splash through the floodwaters of the Red River which are marinating our acreage south of Winnipeg. The water levels are nothing dire this year thankfully, just another reminder that Mother Nature should not be taken for granted. Now it’s off to hear the high-flying cranes and dodge the low flying cormorants…hoping that it will be Chimney Swift sightings that fill the sky sooner than later!
— Barb Stewart
