The Saunterer

Sigurd Olson on why wilderness matters

 

As Sigurd Olson put it,

    I have found that people go to the wilderness for many things, but the most important of these is perspective. They may think they go for fishing or the scenery or companionship, but in reality it is something far deeper. They go to the wilderness for the good of their souls.

    (Quoted from page 24 of Redrock Wilderness, The Newsletter of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, Spring 2018)
    For a brief biography of Sigurd Olson, click here. For images of or relating to Sigurd Olson, click here.

 

 

Why Alzheimer’s disease is so terrible

    In 1901, Auguste Deter, the first known patient with the disease, told Dr. Alois Alzheimer, “I have lost myself.” David Shenk, reviewing Joseph Jebelli's book on the disease “In Pursuit of Memory” (The Wall Street Journal, November 15, 2017, page A17) explains what this means:

    Over many years, this disease imperceptibly, insidiously attacks an otherwise healthy human being, eating away at normal brain function by ripping out neurons and synapses one by one. It eliminates our understanding of the world around us, the recognition of the people we love, and ultimately our basic sense of who we are. We lose ourselves.

Old Growth Forests: Why the World Needs Them

    We Sauntered upon the following on page 6 of the April 2018 issue of The Highlands Conservancy, the monthly publication of the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, explaining that in importance old-growth forests are so unlike forests that are cut for timber that they should be considered an altogether different thing:

    Old growth forests are important for the ecological role they play. The old-growth stage of a forest’s life is especially important because of its unique structure. Various canopy layers and berry-producing plants are beneficial for many bird species. In a forest that has not been disturbed for hundreds of years some trees will develop hollow cavities, these cavities become important nesting places for animals. In an undisturbed forest some large trees will die and fall, creating yet more habitat: numerous insects, fungi, reptiles and amphibians benefit from the fallen trees. The moisture retained within old-growth  forests benefits lichen and mosses, and the species that live among the mosses and lichens. Old-growth forests are one of the few land uses where topsoil is created instead of destroyed. More carbon and nitrogen are retained in an old-growth forest than in forests of other age classes. For improving water quality and air quality there is nothing better than an old-growth forest.