The key phrase here is “when done well.” Having a positive impact requires intentional actions by designers, managers, and the people using trails. With a little knowledge sharing, everyone involved can understand and boost how trails can contribute to a healthier ecosystem.

Boosting Biodiversity

One of the main challenges we face in the current climate is the loss of biodiversity. As our society has continued to grow and our spaces develop, this negatively impacts the natural areas that are both replaced by and adjacent to cities.

Our noise has scared off wildlife and construction and resource gathering has destroyed habitats. This isn’t just a problem from a simple ethical perspective or for how it affects other species. It’s also a practical problem for humans. We rely upon strong biodiversity to ensure our crops are pollinated, which affects our food and even medical supplies. Not to mention that biodiversity helps with air purification and flood moderation, among many other aspects of life.

There’s certainly an argument that trails in natural areas could disrupt biodiversity. After all, designers are making trails through ecosystems and inviting humans to hike, bike, or even camp there. How a trail is designed makes a difference to whether it positively or negatively affects biodiversity. This can include designers ensuring that they build trails on or close to existing walking areas, rather than developing untouched natural spaces. They can also make plans for the trail routes to lead away from habitats to minimize impact on these areas.

Another way that trails are supporting biodiversity efforts is by giving a forum to citizen science. Hikers on trails can help keep track of changes to the natural environment. Wherever possible, designers should include informational signposting that provides visitors with details of how they can contribute to biodiversity research. For instance, hikers could email a designated address to inform of different bird or insect species that have made their homes in the area. They could also send photographs of potentially invasive species of plants. This gives trail managers and conservationists the tools to collaborate on adjusting the space to support positive biodiversity.

Balancing Recreation and Responsibility

Trails are pathways to adventure amidst people’s daily lives. This makes them incredible and convenient resources of recreation and connection to nature. That said, as with any natural resource, increased visitation can compromise the integrity of the ecosystem.

Part of the solution here is for trail designers and operators to give insights into trail etiquette. Visitors may not be acting irresponsibly due to a lack of care, but rather a lack of information. Designers can fill potential knowledge gaps by:

• Visitors’ center guidance: Larger trails often have visitors’ centers, which can provide immediate access to information. Staff members can provide more nuanced insights by discussing what visitors’ intentions are for their trip and provide advice on any adjustments they can make to help conservation efforts while having fun.
• Signposting: Static signposting throughout the trail can be useful. At the entrance to the trail, often the most effective approach is to list general rules related to behavior on the trails, such as cleaning up litter or avoiding disturbing wildlife. There can also be specific signposts related to the challenges certain animals or plants face. For instance, in areas that see regular deer traffic, signposts could advise hikers to not feed the animals and to stand at a safe distance when photographing them.
• Website information: Particularly for people who haven’t visited the trail before or are coming from further afield, the website is likely to be their first point of call for information. Federally managed trails will usually have pages on the National Park Service or the Bureau of Land Management websites. Privately or locally owned trails can have sites. Trail managers should provide advice here on how to achieve the balance between recreation and responsibility. Text can be great, but videos can be even more engaging.

The approach trail designers take to offering information can certainly depend on the location of the trail and the types of activities visitors are likely to perform. For instance, when the trail is on the coast, a guide to responsible beach camping can help outline ways to have fun while protecting wildlife. Trail information can include tips about climate and weather, teach people how to be mindful of the local ecosystems, and also provide gear recommendations since specific equipment is needed to camp safely in coastal environments. By being informative and not just dictating rules, trail managers encourage responsible behavior on their own trails and other green spaces.

Supporting Mutual Health

Eco-friendliness is increasingly recognized as having a positive impact on wellness. Spending time in green areas—such as trails—the outdoors can help relieve stress and anxiety and also can improve oxygen intake. Trails that prioritize conservation efforts can play a role in maintaining health, especially if people are using them to exercise, such as commuting by bike, trail running, or hiking. With additional planning, there are ways to support the mutual health of both people using trails and the wildlife that call the trails home.

Regular inspections

When left alone, natural areas will often develop an ecosystem that is right and healthy for the wildlife and plant species living within them. However, when trail owners intervene by encouraging human activity, there needs to be a little more attention to the ongoing well-being of the space. This can include checking the integrity of the trail paths for elements that might be dangerous to human visitors. Soil erosion or unstable trees may be hazardous to hikers, which affects how well the trails can promote healthy walking routines.

It’s equally important to reduce the natural and human-made threats to local plants and wildlife. This includes trail managers regularly inspecting for signs of disease, unauthorized hunting, and trail misuse. Partnering with local wildlife and safety agencies is a key part of building a trail in any case, but these stakeholders can also provide guidance and expertise on what to look for here.

Inspections should always be followed by swift action, wherever problems are highlighted. For instance, if the inspections reveal that animals are migrating their nests closer than usual to trail paths, designers may need to arrange seasonal trail detours. This can both keep wildlife safe from unintentional intrusions that might impact their health as well as prevent injuries to humans from animals protecting their young.

Foraging opportunities

One of the key health benefits of nature trails is the potential access to natural food sources for both animals and humans. Trail designers need to make certain that non-native plant life isn’t introduced to the trail area. At the same time, excessive foraging by trail users can have a negative impact. It can put pressure on the ecosystem, taking food sources away from animals that may rely on them. In some instances, reckless foraging can cause plants and soil around the foraged items to become damaged. Less-educated foragers could also run the risk of gathering protected species.

Many trail management organizations have set up hard limits on foraging for certain species of plant and fungus. For instance, on some of the properties run by the National Park Service, small amounts of specific edible mushrooms can be collected each day for personal use. This can be a useful approach, particularly if trail managers have enough staff to enforce these limits. Educating people on why to keep their foraging to a reasonable level is also important.

One approach to this is to set up foraging tours with trail managers and other experts. A good example of this is the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), which holds programs of events throughout the year in wildlife refuges across the country. This is a way to both show visitors what wellness-boosting foods are available to them in the area while also outlining what constitutes fair and mutually healthy behavior.

Wrapping Up

Trails are already a source of natural beauty, but some extra design and management efforts can really make them effective for wildlife conservation. This includes ensuring the spaces support biodiversity and that visitors are educated on rules that balance recreation with responsibility.

Photo Credit

Image Source Pexels

Guest Author Bio
Charlie Fletcher

Charlie Fletcher is a freelance writer from the lovely “city of trees”- Boise, Idaho. Her love of writing pairs with her passion for social activism and search for the truth. When not writing she spends her time doodling and embroidering. And yes, she does love all kinds of potatoes!

Wonder is a state that seems to be slowly drifting away from our daily life. One reason is that in our modern, slightly cynical world, Google makes it easy to quell wonder and replace it with facts and information. Singer Tom Waits, believes we have a “deficit of wonder”. Waits is an infamous internet shunner, proclaiming it has snuffed the wonder out of life by providing us a lazy out. There is no pondering, no debate, no, hmm…only satisfaction that our brain doesn’t have to reach too far. Remember when we traveled to a place and saw it with our eyes for the first time, and not on Google or Youtube? We want to know everything immediately (if not before) and indeed, the world now has “friends” like Google, Siri and Alexa (and now, AI) to provide all of the answers. But nothing too deep. We are satisfied with a rudimentary explanation and often, move on without ever contemplating meaning, associations, connections, consequences. People now writing with AI are spared any middleman research. But isn’t “wondering” through research (however you define that) where actual learning and insight occur? Of course, it’s possible to dig deeper into the internet, but most of us don’t get that far.

With our attention simultaneously fixed and scattered, we have become in some ways as programmed as the AI bots now infiltrating our world. On Instagram, the worlds of art and literature boil everything down to trend and trivia and a list of ten ways to deal with any of life’s problems. The internet has taught us that we don’t have time to wonder.

We most tend to associate wonder with children, because young children are fascinated by just about everything; they have yet to be numbed and jaded into adulthood. Every parent has suffered through the why? period of a four year old. But “why” is a high level inquiry for a four year old. Adults seem to lose this inquiry as we age or as in popular theory these days, we are educated out of it by a system that by and large, doesn’t value in-depth investigation.

There are of course, many times when we need “just the facts”. And Google is ever ready on that front. Wisdom and wonder seem to be relegated to ancient sages and four year olds respectively. But aside from taking part in Buddhist retreats for days at a time, (or unless you have a four-year old) where do people go when they want to find true wisdom these days? There are so many Instagram and YouTube prophets, (even trusted Buddhist teachers have channels) but in an age of super guru-ism, usually that wisdom comes with a price tag.

I am no internet shunner like Waits, but being old-school to some degree, I still look to philosophers, artists and poets for wisdom. But for me nature, hands-down corners the market on wonder because it is so…incredibly…wondrous. Calling David Attenborough! Do I think those woodpeckers are delivering some kind of wisdom on their morning visits? Absolutely. Socrates believed that “wisdom begins with wonder”. The birds’ arrival allows me to stop and be quiet. Simply watching in silence is one of the hallmarks of wonder. Wonder generates questions and if we’re lucky, leads to some kind of invention. All the best thinkers connect the dots or traverse them in order to arrive at something new.

This kind of insight requires some awareness, and giving over a little time. Something no one ever has enough of. Not like four-year olds. I have a clear memory from childhood, of laying in the grass on a summer day watching ants “work” for hours. Nature created a little video for me before video was even a thing.

But now, silent observation (in my observation) has become a radical act. Radical because you don’t need anything special or techy to participate. Just your senses. Even if you are missing one of those, you can still tune into the world. How often do we remember to sit and observe the world? I think artists and writers do this well, because it’s part of our job in a way. Curiosity and wonder are both what motivate me to paint and write. Silent observation rewards us with space to dream, an essential tool for artists and writers. For most people, to sit and do “nothing” seems a waste of time. But in fact, in sitting quietly we are never doing nothing. The bare-naked world is more fascinating than the average person gives it credit for.

The woodpeckers restore my sense of wonder and remind me of the open-ended gift that nature bestows to anyone who would pay attention. While wonder starts a dialog and can lead to a string of discoveries, it doesn’t necessarily need to provide answers. “Inexplicable” is part of wonder’s definition.This can also apply to the way we experience art. For me, there doesn’t need to be a conclusion or to know the artist’s specific meaning, but only to be left visually excited, and with a deeper respect for the mystery of the world and all of the things we will never understand about it.

But I also understand that conclusions make some people feel more secure in their knowledge.

Along with its egalitarian environment, the Insta-art world seems to have also come with a need to dissect all art into a knowable and relatable story: But what is it about? everyone wants to know. Except Tom Waits. He knows that wonder is nature ‘s and art’s superpower. Like Tom, I prefer my art and nature with a side of mystery.

In our Google-fueled age of easy answers, I try to rely on what my poet friend, Helen says when she encourages me to edit a line out of a poem: Let the reader do more work. In other words, let them wonder.

Photo Credit

Photo by Linda Laino – All Rights Reserved

Guest Author Bio
Linda Laino

Linda Laino is an artist and writer who has been making art in one form or another for over 45 years. Holding an MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University, she enjoys playing with words as much as form and color. Since 2012, she has resided in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico where the surreal atmosphere and sensuous colors have wormed their way into her paintings. The last few years have found her making art and writing at residencies around the world, most recently in Maine, Spain and France. Next stop, Greece summer, 2024. Her poems and prose have been published with distinction in small presses and anthologies.

Visit her website: www.lindalaino.com

Ecologist Suzanne Simard from the University of British Columbia has conducted research on the language of Douglas fir and birch trees. She found in her thesis work that there is a fungal underground network that connects communities of trees within a forest. It is similar to the neural network in our brains, with hundreds of connections being made simultaneously. Simard found that the trees conduct resource transfers of vital nutrients such as carbon, trigger defense signaling, and have kin-recognition abilities.

The nutrient exchange shows a mutually beneficial relationship between the two types of trees in her study. The non-photosynthesizing fungi feeds off the carbon produced by the trees. It transfers the nutrients based on environmental factors such as sunlight availability or parasites that may be present. For example, when Douglas firs get too much shade in the summertime, carbon is transferred from the birch trees to the firs. Similarly, the firs transfer carbon and nutrients to the birch trees in the fall when they lose their leaves and lack the ability to photosynthesize and create their own food source.

Simard believes, by exposing that trees have the humanistic quality of communication, it helps others to connect to forests in a deeper sense. Through her research she found that older trees, named “mother trees,” have more connections to other trees in the forest and are more valuable to that ecosystem. Protecting these mother trees helps to reduce air pollution — a rising concern among environmental engineers. It is her hope, as more people understand how valuable old growth trees are to the health of a forest ecosystem, they will become more likely to participate in conservation and preservation efforts.

Simard was interviewed by the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies about her research. She was questioned about using terms like “forest wisdom” in her scientific papers to which she replied, “I have always been very aware of following the scientific method and of being very careful not to go beyond what the data says. But there comes a point when you realize that that sort of traditional scientific method only goes so far and there’s so much more going on in forests than we’re able to actually understand using the traditional scientific techniques.”

We learn so much from nature which we have been wise to mimic, known as biomimicry, in our industrious efforts such as architecture and technological innovations. However, nature is also full of mystery that has yet to been uncovered. There are many inexplicable phenomena that occur in an ecosystem that some believe are better left unknown.

Intuitive healer, Susan Tyler has been keeping company with trees long before Simard began her research. Just like scientific findings are open to interpretation, so are the signals that Tyler receives from the trees. Tyler believes that anyone can communicate with trees if they can create a space within their minds to become available to it. She described her method for anyone to attempt as follows:

“Start by looking at the tree’s energy. Look at the outer edge of the leaves of the trees. Soften your gaze, you will start to see energy spikes as trees are talking to each other. You are looking at it without looking directly at it. Look at the space outside the physical shape you are seeing and you will notice a greyish shape around the tree. All of a sudden you will see a spike. That is them communicating with each other and sharing information.”

Although Tyler knows that the trees are capable of managing themselves, she still receives calls for help from the trees on her property. Most recently, one of her oak trees was being outcompeted by a neighboring blue spruce. It sent out a distress signal. Tyler relocated the oak tree, and now both trees are thriving in their separate spaces. She was surprised by this interaction because she claims that she does not typically get as much information from the oak trees as she does from the evergreens. She says “It could just be me but the evergreens are pretty chatty. They love to be touched and they receive praise very well.”

Tyler and Simard are not the only people to be fascinated with the language of trees. Peter Wohlleben is the author of the book “The Secret Language of Trees: What They Feel and How They Communicate”, a bestseller in 11 different countries. He unveils how the interactions between trees are sophisticated and questions what else trees are communicating about that we fail to understand. He also recognizes the value in aiming to further understand botanical communication.

Learning more about science and how to blend our intuitive knowledge can be a powerful partnering and offer a new way of looking at the botanical world. If you are aiming for a greater understanding of the natural world, communing and communicating with nature can help you to achieve that deeper connection. Open yourself to the trees and listen to what they have to say.

Photo Credits

Photos are is pixabay creative commons

Guest Author Bio
W.M. Chandler

W.M. Chandler is a Colorado native and works best with her head in the clouds. She is an avid researcher and enjoys writing about unfamiliar subjects. She writes passionately about nature and the outdoors, human connections and relationships, nutrition and politics.

Follow her on Twitter

What happened? What was the reason for this feeling of something being different, or out of place?

Humans.

Of course, this single word answer explains little.

There is a legacy to understand first.

“Bahmni” is a small village in the Mahasamund district of India. The village is identified with the Brahmneshwar Nath Mahadev temple, because of which the village is named.

The temple is a pilgrimage for residents of Central India, especially during the Mahashivratri festival. People from nearby areas come to offer water and prayer to Lord Shiva.

Adjacent to the Lord Shiva temple is a kund (water tank), which is filled with water coming from a structure in the shape of a cow’s mouth. Locals call it Go-mukh, meaning “face of the cow”. The water pours through this structure in a thin stream while amazed visitors wonder at how this huge Kund is brimming with water most of the time.

People believe that this water comes from the Ganges.

The Ganges is a sacred river of India, equivalent to a goddess.

But of course to add to the sense of mystery surrounding the temple and its kind, the Ganges does not flow into this region.

The Ganges covers the cities in Northern India and merges with the Bay of Bengal. Central India is untouched by this river and its tributaries.

Despite the regional dissonance though, the kund is used to being affluent with water even during the summer season, when the wells and other bodies of water in the area keep drying.

So how is this mystery explained?

Legends say that this place has an underground source from river Ganges.

One of the ancestors, who discovered this place, submerged his walking stick in Haridwar (a holy pilgrimage site in India and the first city where the river Ganges enters) and days later, his stick was found at Bahmni. So he constructed the Go-mukh to identify the site of Ganges’s water. The original Go-mukh was made of stone and so was the kund.

People also speculate that the water is actually from the Ganges River because this water remains unspoiled for years.

Just like the water from the Ganges.

Yes, one can keep the Ganges’s water for years in an ordinary bottle, without any additives, and still the water will remain pure.

What was different and disappointing this time that I visited Bahmni is that people have constructed a cement tank and are drawing water from the nearby pond.

When I asked why, they told me that during summers the water in the tank dries up and the devotees don’t have an accessible water source to offer to Lord Shiva.

They did not realise that their actions were, in my mind, destroying the essence of the place. Of the temple. The water in the kund is now an ordinary water.

It could have been an important discovery of the past, what we don’t understand even today.

I have lived my childhood around this place, so I feel a deep sadness for it.

But we cannot simply count the number of Nature’s spectacles.

People must act to stop the ignorance of other people.

Photo Credits

Photos courtesy of Nidhi Agrawal – All rights reserved.

Guest Author Bio

Nidhi Agrawal Nidhi Agrawal is a content consultant for Gozo Technologies Pvt Ltd, an organisation for inter-city travel and cab services in India. Nidhi currently lives in Indonesia and loves to explore places, hear stories, and find facts behind them.
Blog / Website: Gozocabs (https://www.gozocabs.com/)

In modern times, lemon balm is considered a calming tonic herb that is commonly used for anxiety and mild depression. It relieves surface tension from the body, stops nervous palpitations and reduces feelings of panic. As a member of the mint family, lemon balm also has an affinity for the stomach. It’s especially useful for stress-related stomach disorders, such as excessive acidity, colicky pains, gas, bloating and similar issues. It’s safe for children, and can be used for any of these issues and more.

Lemon balm makes a nice addition to an herb garden. Its fragrant leaves fill the air with a slightly lemony smell, and its quick-growing nature makes it great for filling in empty areas. Pluck a handful of leaves and you can also make a wonderful bedtime tea. It’s truly a great plant ally to have around. If you haven’t met lemon balm yet, now is the time!

Photo Credits

Photo by Nathan Thompson – all rights reserved

Today, comfrey is considered a premier first-aid herb. It rebuilds tissues, stops hemorrhaging and helps heal wounds, sprains, fractures, bruises and stomach ulcers. The chemical allantoin in comfrey increases cell proliferation, shortening (sometimes significantly) recovery time after injuries and surgeries. Comfrey supports healthy digestion as well, and helps the pancreas regulate blood-sugar levels. The demulcent properties are soothing to the lungs and help control coughs.

A beautiful flowering plant, it can be a great addition to the garden. However, it can also become invasive if not managed. Fortunately, due to their heavy nitrogen content, comfrey leaves make an excellent compost. They’re also used by organic farmers and gardeners to make a compost tea that is highly beneficial as a fertilizer for young seedlings.

As you can see, comfrey is quite the gift. If you have a garden, consider adding comfrey to it, and start reaping the bounty.

Photo Credits

Photo by Nathan Thompson – all rights reserved

A little boy, maybe 4 or 5 years old, asked me about the bees. Then he saw the little star-shaped blue flowers of the borage plant nearby. I bent down and told him, “You can eat these. They are tasty and good for you.” He looked at me kind of wide-eyed and said, “Really?” I plucked a flower, ate it, and said “Yep.” He said, “Give one to my dad” and called his dad over. I told his dad that the flowers have omega fatty acids in them and are nice to add to salads. He thought that was cool, but didn’t eat any. Then I plucked another one and ate it, and the little boy said, “Give one to my mom.” I went over to his mother and told her that her son wanted her to eat one of these flowers. We both kind of laughed and she seemed interested in the garden, but again, didn’t eat the flower, which was fine. I figured it was just part of the experience of teaching about such things. Anyway, I was enjoying eating them, so I ate another. The little boy saw me and stepped over to the plant. Just as his parents were calling him to leave, he plucked a flower and ran off with it.

In the meantime, a little girl and her mother had stepped in front of the calendula. She was a little older than the little boy, maybe 6 or 7 years old. She wanted to know about the flowers. I told her, “If you have a rash or skin problem, you can boil this flower and put it on your skin and it will help it.” The mother turned to her and said, “Oh, this flower is medicine.” The girl looked down at the beautiful orange flowers and smiled. She had watched me eat the borage flowers earlier, and heard me talk about how tasty and good for us they are. Her mother saw the giant lemongrass plant nearby and told her daughter about how her grandmother used to use lemongrass. She spoke about how good it smelled and how it was an important plant for cooking and medicine. She even snapped a piece off and gave it to her daughter to smell.

All of this happened in about 10 minutes. There’s so much work to do to transform the world as we know it, and it can happen right before your eyes. You might even be a part of it, helping to instigate it. Don’t assume that it’s all about grand, dramatic gestures. It can be as simple as a group of people converging at the right place at the right time, with the right set of knowledge, curiosity, and joy for the life springing forth from the land. There is no set formula for creating a revolution, only hearts and minds living openly, one moment at a time.

Photo Credits

Photo by Nathan Thompson – all rights reserved

Passionflower is commonly used as a sleep aid and anxiety reliever. For people with excessive nervous-mind chatter, Passionflower turns the noise off and allows relaxation to come forth. It’s also good for people who are prone to emotional burnout and the associated physical symptoms.

I have found that even just spending time looking at the flowers is calming and soothing. They seem to radiate joy, and their structure is endlessly fascinating. I hope you get a chance to meet the beautiful Passionflower some day!

Photo Credits

Photo by Nathan Thompson – all rights reserved

The name Echinacea comes from the Greek word echinos, which means hedgehog, inspired by the small spikes coming from the centre of the flower. Echinacea has been widely used by indigenous communities, particularly in the North American Plains. The Dakota regularly used it for inflammation. The Kiowa used it for sore throats and colds. The Comanche and Cheyenne both focused on its benefits to the mouth, helping with toothaches and sore gums, among other things. During the 19th century, the Eclectics, particularly John Uri Lloyd and John King, brought Echinacea to mainstream Euro-American medicine. They viewed the plant as having numerous benefits, from being a remedy for snakebites to providing relief from syphilis symptoms. A fair amount of their initial knowledge came from indigenous sources, though acknowledgement of this has been spotty at best. Ultimately, their research made Echinacea one of the most popular U.S. herbal remedies of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Today, Echinacea is again a popular herbal remedy. Its strong, upright stems and flower heads are commonly found in both gardens and the open prairies. Two species in particular are used for their medicinal properties: E. purpurea and E. angustifolia. Coneflowers are not only beautiful to look at, but powerful healers as well.

Photo Credits

Photo by Nathan Thompson – all rights reserved

Catnip is not just for cats though. It makes a nice tasty bedtime tea, and also has a number of healing properties. Catnip has a long history of use in Europe and North America. First written about in the 11th century European herbal De viribus herbarum, Catnip was considered a remedy for insomnia, nervousness, pain, headaches and restlessness. It was given to children to support good digestion and soothe the stomach. Women used it to help regulate their menstrual cycles. It was also used topically to reduce swelling. Seventeenth century English herbalist Nicholas Culpeper prepared a juice from Catnip plants that was used topically. In addition, he added the juice to wine to be taken internally, for bruises. Early 20th century herbalist Maude Grieve reported using the root, but cautioned that it was very stimulating, sometimes to the point of provoking aggression in patients.

The herb also made its way into the herbal systems of many North American indigenous tribes. The Hoh, Delaware and Iroquois all have considered Catnip an excellent children’s remedy due to its overall mildness. Numerous tribes used it for digestive complaints and to promote healthy digestion. The Cherokee also considered it an overall strengthening tonic.

Clearly, cats know a good thing when they see it. I hope you grow to enjoy Catnip as much as your kitties do!

Photo Credits

Photo from Morguefile – some rights reserved