By Jeff Osmundson

Greetings friends and members of Skagit Audubon:

As I sat down to ponder what might work for a message this month, lots of ideas kept passing by.  We could talk about climate change, the uneasy state of world politics, diminishing farmland, species in peril…and the list goes on.  We could continue asking about your interest in leading field trips, taking a board position or working on our project to provide hybrid meetings, but you have all been asked before and maybe are even getting tired of it.

I recently listened to a wonderful podcast talking about the Future of Food with Michelin Chef Dan Barber (author of “The Third Plate” and host of “Chef’s Table”).  He was talking about the politics of how America feeds itself.  As I thought about it the topic started to feel a little preachy and I didn’t want to go there just now.

Then I remembered that, as of this writing, the equinox is only a few days away and the official spring kicks off.  Why can’t we decide to just give ourselves a break and enjoy the longer days and occasional hours of sunshine – I promise, they will come eventually.  Most of us joined Skagit Audubon for the opportunities to go birding or hiking with like-minded people.  Maybe we could just grab our binoculars or our hiking sticks and join Joan Melcher’s hiking group or one of the field trips.  We could possibly call an old friend that we have not seen all winter and meet up at Wiley for an afternoon walk.  Who knows, there will probably be some interesting birds migrating in soon.  Some have already started.

As we navigate through the trials of a slowing pandemic, war-torn Europe, climate change and the rest, sometimes we just need to take a break and let ourselves be distracted by where we live.  I know that I can go walking with my binoculars and before I know it, several hours have passed.  In the meantime, I’ve not been bothered about what is going on outside the smallish territory that I can see right in front of me. 

Take a break, you’ve earned it.  Thanks, and happy birding and hiking.  Be safe, wear your mask, get fully vaccinated.

Jeff Osmundson, President