Here in Steamboat Springs, most are familiar with the Yampa Valley Curse, which holds that once a person has come here, they never leave or if they do, they are inexorably drawn back to stay for good. Some claim they came for the skiing but stayed for the glorious though too-short summers. Then there’s the oft-seen bumper sticker “came for the skiing, stayed for the library” supporting the Bud Werner Memorial Library. 

I am one of those afflicted with the Yampa Valley Curse. It is the powder skiing that first drew me, the summer trail time that I now live for, and something else. There is a spirit of hard work and generosity in this valley. Many folks who’ve come here have given up better paying jobs or a less-demanding winter elsewhere to be here with the opportunity to be outside most of the year: skiing, mountain biking, trail running, paddleboarding, hiking, just to name a few. The generosity is evident in the over 150 non-profits serving residents in the Yampa Valley, which has an estimated population of 25,000. People who live here both full and part-time give their time and money freely: from contributing huge amounts of food to LiftUp during the recent SNAP cuts, to serving Community Thanksgiving Dinners, to turning out in support of events like Integrated Community’s ‘Boat Cruise fundraiser.

This readiness to show up is something I am both grateful for and in awe of. It is something I try not to take for granted. And now I am hopeful that all of this giving really does benefit the giver in a tangible way, even beyond the emotional satisfaction and psychological boost. 

In a study published this past fall, researchers determined that helping others may reduce cognitive aging by 15-20%. Unlike crosswords and Sudoku, volunteering formally or simply lending a hand involve social interaction and physical activity which are correlated with slowing cognitive aging. These brain effects accumulate over time, so as you continue to volunteer, your brain continues to reap the rewards. Interestingly, when study subjects ceased their helping out due to illness or change in life circumstances, cognitive decline increased. 

It is important to note that helping out can be both formal volunteering or informally pitching in - walking a neighbor’s dog or shoveling their walk for example. And the time involved is not huge - two to four hours per week seems to be the ideal amount. If life circumstances change, you can still be engaged in meaningful ways, an example being the Heart of Steamboat Methodist Church’s program to call folks on the phone during Covid. Those conversations helped decrease the isolation and maintain vital connections. 

There is that old saying, “it is better to give than to receive.” In the case of brain health, this would seem to be a truism.

Source/Learn More
​Optimism Daily: Want to keep your brain young? Helping others just a few hours a week may do the trick

​Have you ever experienced a hand meditation? Many years ago, in massage school, we did a hand meditation one night. I worked full-time and went to school at night. Attending the night program at the Boulder College of Massage Therapy meant I’d have my certification in two years. It also meant the folks in my cohort were a tight bunch of people, having been together through thick and thin for all that time.

The night we did the hand meditation still lingers in my memory. We were in a large, carpeted room. The lights were dim, and we sat on round cushions or directly on the floor, spread out so we each had plenty of space. Our instructor, Aaron, led the lesson, starting with simply gazing at our hands, taking in the lines, the quality of the skin, the color of the flesh. We tuned in to how our hands felt: hot or cold, achy or tight, stiff or supple. 

We were then invited to remember all of the things our own hands had done in our lives: wiping a countertop clean, painting a watercolor, folding laundry, strumming a guitar, touching the petal of a rose, dusting snow off a coat, catching a ball, washing our face, stroking our dog behind the ears, hammering a nail to hang a picture, warming the hand of a grandparent, turning the pages of a book, caressing the cheek of a partner, watering a plant, writing a letter, slicing vegetables, pouring coffee, typing an email, playing the piano, holding a child’s hand, lifting a glass of water to our lips.

When we stop to think about it, take a quiet pause to ponder our hands throughout our lives, we realize that they have taken part in every moment. Our hands hold the story of our lives.

*****
In honor of our hands, and in the stark reality of our current flu season, here's a reminder of the simple and effective way to prevent spreading illness: washing with old-fashioned soap and water for 20 seconds is the way to go!
UC Health: Why soap and water work better than hand sanitizer to remove viruses and germs

​Ever notice that when you are having a bad day, or are so overly irritated with your significant other, co-worker, sibling, best friend, etc., a laugh can change the entire day and/or situation? You feel better in your body, the crankiness dissipates, you reconnect with that person, and you feel human again.

Laughter does that. It bonds us, benefitting relationships and our own sense of well-being. It has a host of physical benefits: burns calories, reduces stress, releases endorphins, increases immune system function, and supports our heart health. Having laughter in our lives benefits our mental and emotional health by reducing anxiety, increasing relaxation, and supporting resilience. Wow. If this were a prescription drug we’d be in line now. 

In this article about the benefits of laughter, there is a great list of ideas about how to bring more laughter into your life. Spending time with funny people, doing something silly, and sharing a joke or funny story are some of the suggestions.

Here’s something to get you started: a video of a juggler explaining the benefits of laughter - funny and silly! Maybe taking up juggling might be one of your new hobbies!

I’m lucky to have grown up with some silliness in my own family. Don’t get my mom and dad started with my daughter about the Snallygaster. My Grandmother Martha used to tell slightly smutty jokes with such cool elegance she would have had the queen giggling into her teacup. And my Grandmother Bootsie, with her incredible resilience and a twinkle in her eye, offered me this wisdom gleaned from her lifetime of physical challenges: “Well, you can laugh or you can cry. So you may as well laugh.” 

Originally published July 2022

​It is a strange season here in Steamboat Springs. Following a November with warm days more reminiscent of September, Mother Nature eked out a few inches of snow the first week of December, and then daytime temps returned to the 40’s this week. The white stuff is melting away.

Having lived here in the early 90’s, my recollection is of cold and snowy Thanksgiving week ski area openings. I remember walking to work when the temp was -15’ and wondering if I would survive. (Not only did I live, I got so warm with the ridiculous amount of clothes I swaddled myself in I had to de-layer halfway there.) Since I moved back to Steamboat in 2013 some seasons were better than others, but never a start to the season this dry and warm. I’ve been thinking this is a first. Not so.

In December 1976, things were so bad at ski resorts in Colorado prayer services were being held for snow - daily. Locals in Steamboat headed to mid-mountain, shook snow off the trees onto plastic sheets and moved it to pack the runs. With only 29 inches of snow by early January 1977, the airlines cancelled the winter flights, lodging reservations were cancelled, and Colorado’s state senator was requesting emergency funding from President Ford. 

The Steamboat Ski Area closed that year on February 13. Hundreds of people were out of work. The closure and prior visitor cancellations had a huge impact on the entire town. When enough snow arrived to reopen in early March, even the schools closed to allow students and teachers to ski on what they dubbed “Steamboat Day.”

That 1976-1977 season was the impetus that eventually resulted in Colorado ski areas investing in snowmaking. Snowmaking allows for more consistent early season openings and a consistent base for later in the spring when warmer days begin to melt the snowpack.  

Clearly, this season, although the runs are few, snowmaking has provided the means for the area to open and remain so. The Wild Blue Gondola moves skiers to and from the colder and snowier south summit, avoiding the snowless lower slopes. 

We’ve come a long way since 1977. In both snowmaking and a fancy new gondola there’s a bit of an insurance policy, and with the generosity of this community, people out of work or working limited hours can get some help from LiftUp. 

In the face of our current snowless season, it feels encouraging to remember that we always have abundant years too. It is heartening to look at the story of the ‘76-’77 snow crisis and see how the locals pulled together and overcame the challenge. 

But I also can’t help wondering if these low-snow years will come more frequently than in the past. Something to think about.


Learn More/Source
Steamboat Pilot: Life Before Snowmaking

​Sam Berns’ 2013 TedX Talk, “My Philosophy for a Happy Life,” is on my mind for many reasons.

He was 17 when he spoke, and he lit up the stage with his humor, enthusiasm, descriptions of his challenges, and his approaches to those challenges. Some slices of his life he shared via pictures: he and his closest “goofball” friends, he and his supportive family, a video of him performing with his high school marching band on his specially engineered snare drum, and a snippet of the HBO documentary about him, “Life According to Sam.” 

Sam had a rare genetic disorder called progeria: 
Progeria (pro-JEER-e-uh), also known as Hutchinson-Gilford syndrome, is an extremely rare, progressive genetic disorder that causes children to age rapidly, starting in their first two years of life. Children with progeria generally appear normal at birth. (Mayo Clinic, Feb 1, 2018)

What is remarkable about Sam is not that he had this condition, but how he chose to live his life. In his TedX talk, his approach to a happy life is a description of  how to live life fully, and realistically. Fully because he whole-heartedly pursued his interests and deeply appreciated the friends and family who loved and supported him, realistically because he shared that he sometimes had bad days, and his strategy to move through those difficult times. 

What his talk elicited in me wasn’t so much count-my-blessings-that-I-do-not-have-to-cope-with- progeria-in-my-own-life, but rather the feeling of rising to a challenge. In some ways, Sam handed over the playbook of what to do when life throws this or that at you, how to keep marching towards the end zone, staying in the game because you keep playing, because you keep overcoming, because you are clear about what is meaningful in your life and you have the vision that you can do what you set out to do.

Sam Berns’ Philosophy of a Happy Life:

1. Be Ok with what you ultimately can’t do, because there is so much you CAN do.
2. Surround yourself with people you want to be around.
3. Keep moving forward.
4. Never miss a party if you can help it.

Watch the TedX Talk: Sam Berns - My Philosophy for a Happy Life


Originally published April, 2023

​There’s running trails, and there’s running on Emerald Mountain. 

Yes, Emerald really is that special, for many different reasons.

First off, its history. The first known inhabitants were the Yampa (also Yamparika or Yampatika)  Band of the Ute People, for which Emerald Mountain and Steamboat Springs were summer hunting grounds. The Ute People call themselves Nuuchu, which means “the human” or “the Ute.” The Utes stewarded the land, the plants and the animals in the Rocky Mountains until they were forcibly relocated to reservations in Utah and Southern Colorado, where they aim to continue their traditions, language and ceremonies and ancestral heritage. 

After white settlers arrived, the mountain was known as Quarry Mountain and Onyx Mountain. The quarry itself, as I understand, was instrumental in Carl Howelsen’s staying in Steamboat long enough to hold the first Winter Carnival and to start what is now known as the Winter Sports Club. The Flying Norwegian was ready to move on, but James Crawford made sure that Howelsen, a stone mason by trade, had plenty of work using stone mined from the quarry. There are still buildings on Lincoln in which Howelsen’s work can be seen. At some point in the decades that followed, the mountain became known as Emerald and that is the name that stuck.

Fast-forward to the early 90’s. Gretchen Sehler, a ski instructor and avid mountain biker, had the vision of a network of recreational mountain bike trails on Emerald. As it turned out, Gretchen also had the gumption, persistence, know-how and relationship-building to make that vision a reality. That reality is truly a gift to all of us in the Yampa Valley.

It was Larry Johnson who first introduced the Sehlers to Lyman Orton, who owned much of the land on Emerald Mountain. An enthusiastic biker himself, he was supportive of the trails being built, and sold the land to the City - for the same amount he paid for it, $300,000.

Gretchen and her late husband Marc Sehler took trail building courses through the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) in order to have a solid understanding of how to build a good trail: sustainable and fun to ride. They would design, walk and meticulously flag each trail, following a formula which allows a ratio of grade to flat so that rainwater and meltoff can be absorbed or dispersed naturally, without the use of waterbars. Trails designed this way are built to last, as erosion created by rapidly moving runoff are minimized. As a runner, the bonus of trails built this way is that I’m never climbing or descending straight up or down for a long period of time - there is an undulation that creates a rhythm and relative ease to my effort. 

Gretchen also formed relationships with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and United States Forest Service (USFS), as well as with the City of Steamboat Springs and with Routt County Riders (RCR). The RCR worked closely with the City, who secured grant money needed for the trails project. Though several entities were involved, the glue was Gretchen. She realized the crucial role of relationships, and nurtured them to create win-win outcomes. Sometimes this required serious patience, for example waiting out a change in leadership to move forward, but Gretchen’s tenacity produced results that continue to benefit Routt County residents and visitors.

Gretchen and Marc held volunteer work days to actually build the trails they’d so carefully laid out. Some days, so many folks showed up to help that people were turned away because there were no more tools available. This was truly a community effort from beginning to end.

So maybe that is a part of what I feel when I’m up there trotting around. That sense of local engagement, caring and respect. Gretchen has even overheard kids speaking up to protect “their” trail to an unaware mountain biker: “hey, knock that off, I helped build this trail!” 

What pulls all these factors together and pushes the Emerald experience over the top are the trail monikers and iconic treasures that have popped up over time to mark them. Rather than arbitrarily assigning trail names, Gretchen says the trails earned them - there’s a story behind each name.

• MGM: Mica, Gretchen and Marc. Mica was a dear four-legged friend who spent many hours assisting Gretchen and Marc.
• Eye to Eye: originally a pirated trail, this was rebuilt to be more sustainable. The narrow trail switchbacks onto itself like a side-winder’s S-shaped curves. Passing someone going in the opposite direction, you are both eye to eye.
• Abby’s: Another four-legged family member of Gretchen and Marc’s. Abby always liked to go that way, though Gretchen was saying, “no, this way!” Abby was persistent, and that way became her trail.
• Hudson: Hudson cars were built in from 1909 until 1957. In 1919 Hudson broke the record for the fastest climb up Pike’s Peak. (Detroit Historical Society: Hudson Motors). Just off the trail called Hudson, you’ll find a corroded Hudson shell, probably driven up there and abandoned in the midst of some long-ago revelry. There’s a little car adorning one of the Hudson trail signs.
• Root Canal: this trail makes all the others seem butter-smooth - it is teeming with enough roots to make your teeth rattle. The trail sign has a pair of wind-up “chattering teeth” attached.
• Angry Grouse: grouse aren’t known for planning ahead. They tend to wait until you are right upon them before creating a dramatic getaway - so ridiculously unstrategic it is a wonder they are not extinct. However, they also have tempers. One evening Gretchen was minding her own trail business when a grouse flew at her ankles, pecking away, and wouldn’t ease up on its attack. Gretchen finally gave in and left. Now that was one angry grouse.
• No Mo’ Blues: originally this was another pirated trail, called Blues Bridges. Gretchen and Marc fixed it, and dubbed it No Mo’ Blues to indicate Blues Bridges was no more.
• Orton Trail: honoring Lyman Orton, without whose gift of land this project wouldn’t exist. Orton Trail treats you to a little golden meadow time, and a little time switchbacking through copses of trees. When I’m on my way down after a long run, Orton feels like home.
• Larry’s: honoring Larry Johnson. There is a red-hatted gnome that watches over the Larry’s trail sign, and the gnome is thought to be connected to John Kole, the late owner of One Stop Ski Shop. I’m hoping to learn the full story at some point.
• Wild Rose: so-named for the homestead that once sat on the lower west flank of Emerald.
• Blair Witch: a narrow trail through tight trees reminiscent of the 1999 Blockbuster film, The Blair Witch Project. There’s a spider web adorning the trail sign - perhaps a gift from the Blair Witch herself…
• Beall Trail: named for Ben Beall Senior, Routt County Commissioner from 1993-2000, who arranged the land swap to make that trail possible.
• Morning Gloria: named for Gloria Gossard who also donated a parcel of land to the Emerald trail system. 

*****
Every time I run, lope, walk and stumble around the trails of Emerald, the stories of the people who made this place possible are with me. There is a sense of awe whether I’m gazing at a jaw-dropping vista, deep in the evergreens, breathing in that sharp yet earthy scent, or running on a carpet of golden aspen leaves as the sun lights them up.


Sources
​A very special thanks to Gretchen Sehler, for her vision, her decades of trail work, and her willingness to share some of the stories with me.

Tread of Pioneers: Background on Ute People
City of Steamboat Springs: Indigenous Peoples of Yampa Valley Recognized
Steamboat Pilot: What’s in a Name?

Important note: Hiking Hahns Peak is a unique adventure held in many hearts. At this moment, Hahns Peak is in jeopardy, as it is included in the 14.3 million acres of Colorado public lands (250-300 million acres nationwide) that would be for sale under the current Budget Reconciliation Bill. 
Learn more in this Yampa Valley Bugle article.
See map of lands for sale and take action here.
​
*******
June Jaunt Up Hahns Peak
Early one Thursday morning in late June, my daughter and I turned onto the dirt road directly across the highway from the Columbine General Store. The reviews we’d read didn’t exaggerate about the deeply rutted road. Jolting and jouncing, we at last catapulted over a steep rise and into the small parking area. I was grateful that my SUV earned its title on that trek. Compared with the approach, the trailhead parking was luxurious - a peaceful and empty patch surrounded by evergreens. More importantly, it was flat. 

We headed up the lovely alpine trail, with plenty of gorgeous views - nothing but mountains to the west as far as the eye could see. Once we hit the talus field on the ridge at the top, my acrophobia kicked in. My go-to in these fear-of-height situations is to drop down to a pseudo-crawl and speak words of encouragement to myself. Works well for getting to the top, and is pure hilarity for my daughter - I heard her quietly snickering and turned to see her taking a stealth video of her nutty mom. 

The Hahns Peak Lookout is such a cool structure. The view of Steamboat Lake and the 360’ surrounding mountains was fabulous. It was especially lovely to see Pearl Lake from here. The rest of this summer, while on my Pearl Lake paddles, I’ve gazed at the Hahns Peak Lookout lit up by the sunrise, and think of the fun we had that morning.

Hahns Peak Specs

• Elevation is 10,839’ above sea level (the 1972 US Geological Survey says “about 10,840 feet” and in a Google search several different elevations were listed, which I found both interesting and strange). 
• The mountain is an extinct volcano.
• Was known by trappers back in the day as “Old Baldy.”

A Little History
What is now known as Routt County was the summer hunting grounds for the Indigenous Ute Tribes, and possibly the Cheyenne and Eastern Shoshone as well (Interactive Map Native Land Digital: maps Indigenous territories, treaties, and languages - you can type in your address to determine which Indigenous Peoples originally lived there.)

Eventually trappers, explorers and gold miners made their way to the region. That’s where Joseph Hahn comes in - he found gold in the vicinity of present-day Hahns Peak.

The story is that three men, Hahn, Doyle and Way, were prospecting and winter set in. Way was dispatched to get supplies and return - he left, taking with him all the gold in camp, and was not heard from again. After surviving until April, Doyle and Hahn set out on snowshoes. They made it to the banks of the Muddy Creek on April 30, 1867, near Kremmling. The two men sat down for a rest, and this is where Hahn collapsed and died.  
Steamboat Pilot Article Sidebar: Mysterious Fate of Joseph Hahn
Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection: Hahns Peak Monument to Man Who Perished After Gold Discovery

Hahns Peak Lookout
The Hahns Peak Lookout started as a stone shelter when in 1908 it was commissioned by the Forest Service as a fire lookout. Between 1908 and 1912 people and horses packed up concrete, local stone and timber to construct the building. (Colorado Preservation: Hahns Peak Lookout)

The lookout was decommissioned in the 1940s or 1950s, and fell into disrepair. In 2014 it was listed as one of Colorado Preservation’s “Colorado’s Most Endangered Places.” Between 2014 and 2017 the lookout was restored as part of a joint project with Historic Routt County, USDA Forest Service, Historicorps and Rocky Mountain Youth Corps. (Historic Routt County Hahns Peak Lookout)

Hahns Peak Village
Hahns Peak Village began as a gold mining camp, and had the first post office in Routt County. It is the oldest permanent settlement in Routt County, and served as the county seat from 1877-1912. The schoolhouse, opened in 1912, held its last class in 1943.
Hahns Peak Area Historical Society
Northwest Colorado Cultural Heritage Travel: Hahns Peak


​Originally published August 2023

​The word community is on a lot of lips these days. As our world descends into ever-increasing violence, unkindness, and online siloing, being in proximity with caring people, actual in-person community, is one relevant antidote. Connecting with, reaching out, being there to support - these mean a great deal in the fractured now. 

The etymology of the word community, from Old French, is “the common people” - distinct from rulers or clergy - and “commonness.” I grew up thinking of the word common to mean base or lowly, a bit of a slur. To be uncommonly good at something, to rise above, was the aim. I still believe that working to be a person of quality moral character, that is, someone who cultivates awareness, takes action to support and be kind to others regardless of religion or politics, and learns from and apologizes for their mistakes, is a worthwhile way to live.

But I now take a different perspective on the idea of “the common people;” rather than lowly, the common people are those who put their commonality in front of their differences. If a neighbor knocks on the door because they need food, aid for an injury, or help moving a heavy item, we don’t first assess all the ways in which we differ. We see that they are a person in need, as sometimes we are in need. Basic needs are often a commonality.

Last weekend my daughter ran her first marathon - the Steamboat Marathon. She ran a consistent race, thanks to her disciplined training, and I am beyond proud of her mindset, her strength, and the huge smile on her face right to the finish line. While on the side of the road ready to cheer her on, another woman was also there to cheer on and we struck up a conversation. I didn’t know her, I didn’t know the runners going by, but we cheered and the tired runners gratefully acknowledged the enthusiasm. We had formed a sort of community based on our excitement for them to finish, the understanding that they were in the tough part (hot, tired, ready to be done), and our belief in and encouragement of their accomplishment. 

There are the communities of long-standing. Folks who’ve been coming together for meals, sports, books, games, etc., for months or decades. People who give rides to that test at the hospital, text or call when there’s been a power outage or illness, celebrate the births and graduations of kids and grandkids.

Community can be brief, temporary, lifelong. Right now, maybe it is time to expand the idea of community. By that I don’t mean invite the stranger you see on the street to an intimate family dinner, although that could be interesting. What I mean is, begin to focus on what you have in common with people at the grocery store, on the trail, and yes, even driving. This is not easy. In all three of those situations my go-to is usually a version of “you are in my way and please be gone!” I’m not proud of that, but I’m being honest.

If I focus on the commonality, it looks more like: “hm, looks like they’re just trying to get their groceries and get outta here, same as me,” “well, they are appreciating this beautiful river like I do,” and “we’re both frustrated with all the cars on the road.” Looking at what we have in common is the way to shared humanity. 

To take that further: if I feel surprised and irritated by a large medical bill, I think of the people who literally do not have the funds to pay that bill, or who don’t have health insurance. With rising prices on food items, I can choose other options - but I can still buy food and not everyone is in that position.

Finding commonality, feeling community with people who are not in our normal circles isn’t about feeling guilty or sad, although awareness is heartbreaking. Rather it is about humility, an awareness of what we do have, and a way to keep in mind the compassion and understanding of people who are in dire or different circumstances. There but for the grace of God go I.

From this place we act. Awareness is important, acting on that awareness is non-negotiable. 

To be truly in community we can’t just have all of our feelings and awareness and stay at home. Community is viable and thriving when we jump in. We help the neighbor, honor the get-togethers of our friends and families, and also find a little time to engage by volunteering. Or maybe time is so short we donate $10. If we forget what we have in common and make a mistake, we apologize and repair. We make it right. 

Community is give and take. We find commonality, practice awareness, take action. This is when a community of the common people is a living, breathing thing, when there is a recognition of oneself in others, when we’ve created a net that is strong, even stronger in its mended places, so that it continues to grow and support each one of us for a long time to come.

​When I first started listening to podcast pieces about Chap GPT a couple years ago, I felt one part fascination to nine parts dread. After all, I’d seen the Terminator movies. I knew where this was all heading. AI was about to take over the human world and run it for themselves - we didn’t stand a chance.

AI isn’t all Hollywood evil. It has helpful applications in small businesses, for example, doing the grunt-work of writing things like grant applications, proposals, etc. It can free up those in small businesses for more human-skilled tasks. AI can be used to polish resumes and cover letters, acting as a personal editor to some degree. On a broader scale, AI is used to improve efficiency of energy grids, and can help address the complexities of the climate crisis. When used for the power of good, the promise of AI is a more sustainable future.

On the flip side, AI raises environmental concerns. To name a few: the use of water for building and then cooling the electronic components, the high use of electricity to power AI, the large land area accommodate AI centers, the electronic waste produced as innovation results in obsolete technologies, and the negative impact of mining the metals used in AI. These concerns could be addressed by thoughtful policies - indeed, over 190 countries have agreements regarding ethical use of AI, but environmental concerns are not, at this time at least, included in these agreements. There is also the possibility that AI could be used to generate misinformation about the climate crisis. (UN Environment Programme: AI has an environmental problem. Here’s what the world can do about that.)

What about the implications of AI for writing? From some poking around on Google, the jury is out as to whether or not using AI to generate an essay or other written piece is considered plagiarism. Some state it is unequivocally so, while others take the view that since a specific work is not being directly copied from, using AI is not plagiarism. Consider, though, that AI is digitally sprinting around the internet gathering information from bazillions of human sources for its responses. Those human authors do not receive credit. AI, by lifting those author’s words directly, is certainly plagiarizing from their work, as is the person utilizing AI for their essay, however indirectly.

While it is true that AI has useful and meaningful applications, I continue to be a member of the Chat GPT resistance when it comes to writing. I think much of my resistance stems from the fact that I am a writer. 

One of the most frustrating and ultimately rewarding things about writing is working through the words, sentences, and paragraphs to say what you really want to say. Constantly checking a thesaurus, re-working, deleting and sometimes starting from scratch, are the ways I sift through to the essence of what I’m trying to get across. Mostly, writing is distilling many ideas to the truth.

Is the finished product perfect? No. Would it be more polished if I “ran it through Chat GPT?” Very likely. But here’s the thing. My finished work is written by a human (me) for other humans. AI can not ever write from the truth of human experience because it is not human. If it poses as human, the writing is dishonest. And one of the basic tenets of writing is honesty. It is one human’s truth of experience that resonates with another human. 

AI has real promise. AI has some maturing to do, and some ethical and environmental boundaries to be laid. While all that is going on, I’ll be writing my own words, from my own truth.

Sources/Learn More

• UN Environment Programme: AI has an environmental problem. Here’s what the world can do about that.
• SEH (Short Elliott Hendrickson): Will AI be Net Good or Net Bad in Terms of Sustainability?
• Gravel to Gavel: AI Needs Critical Materials, Fast! But From Where?

This year Earth Day, on April 22nd, celebrated its 55th birthday. To me, Earth Day has always served as a reminder to honor Mother Earth. From the iridescent teal of a magpie’s tail, to the delicate icicles from tree roots to stream, to the epic orange and pink sunset skies silhouetting Emerald Mountain. How lucky I am to regularly see bears and moose and foxes, to hear ospreys and woodpeckers and a literal symphony of birdsong. These are daily and meaningful appreciations. But Earth Day is special. Looking back on its history helps to explain why that is.

Senator Gaylord Nelson was the originator of Earth Day in 1970, but the environment was already on the radar thanks to the 1962 publication of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, a New York Times bestseller. Her book detailed the harmful impact of chemicals on humans, wildlife, waterways and plants, and raised global awareness of these environmental damages, selling 500,000 copies in 24 countries. In 1967, because of Carson’s arguments in Silent Spring, scientists formed the Environmental Defense Fund to ban DDT.

In 1969, a massive oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara garnered major public attention. Senator Nelson wanted to build that attention into a movement protesting air and water pollution.***

Senator Nelson, a Democrat, joined with Republican Representative Pete McCloskey and organizer Denis Hayes to organize nation-wide teach-ins on college campuses. They chose April 22 as it was a weekday between spring break and final exams, hoping to maximize student participation.

The day was dubbed Earth Day, and the idea caught on, morphing from campus teach-ins to a day of protests in parks and streets. 20 million Americans - at the time, 10% of the U.S. population - participated to decry the damage of 150 years of unchecked industry on the environment and human health. This movement was remarkable not only in size, but also in that it drew everyone together under one umbrella: Republicans, Democrats, rich and poor, business and labor leaders, rural and urban dwellers.

Did this massive turnout have an impact? It sure did. By the end of 1970, the Environmental Protection Agency was created, and several crucial laws were passed: the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the Clean Air Act, and the National Environmental Education Act. In 1972, the Clean Water Act was passed.

Earth Day has continued to build on that original vision and massive turnout, and is a global movement. In 2020, for the 50th anniversary, over 1 billion people worldwide participated in Earth Day actions, and 100 million observed the 50th anniversary online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

This year’s Earth Day theme is Our Power, Our Planet, focusing on renewable energy in order to triple clean energy by 2030. To be clear, various forms of energy production have both pros and cons. Learn more with these Earth Day Explainers.


***A little personal context: while earning my BA at UC Santa Barbara, I wrote for The Daily Nexus, the campus paper. In the late eighties, for my very first story, I interviewed one of the founders of GOO, or Get Oil Out, an organization that formed to fight off-shore drilling after the disastrous 1969 spill. 


Sources/Learn More
Earth Day.org:  History of Earth Day, includes a 1970 video with Walter Cronkite!
Heather Cox Richardson, Letters from an American, April 22, 2025 podcast.
Heather Cox Richardson, Letters From an American April 22, 2025 printed version.