Letter to the Editor: Stop and smell the wildflowers

Stop and smell the wildflowers

This time of year is one of the prettiest in Calaveras County. The rolling hills are lush with grass and colorful, fragrant wildflowers. There is a buzz of life springing up all around us! We are so lucky to experience the wonders of this landscape every day, and springtime has a special way of reminding us.

Let’s remember to stop and appreciate it once in a while. Perhaps even engage in some curiosity. Were there lupine blooming on that hill last year? What actually is the name of that little yellow flower I keep seeing? Have I ever smelled it? I urge you to simply appreciate nature in your own way.

Calaveras County is beautiful because so much of it is still open space like rangeland and forests. Wildflowers don’t grow on pavement. If all the rolling hills get turned into subdivisions, they are simply gone. When is the last time you were filled with joy from the smell of a parking lot?

If you can understand my point, you can understand why we have to keep open space as a priority in this county. That’s not to mention all the real benefits open lands provide like water quality, wildlife habitat, carbon sequestration, and, very importantly, economic prosperity. Think tourism, ranching, forestry–all hallmarks of this region, and only possible in undeveloped lands. 

This is why the Calaveras Community Action Project and its primary program, the Calaveras Planning Coalition, advocate for the preservation and protection of open space. We remind our community and government that we can’t just take these natural things for granted or else we may be left wondering where they went, and our lifestyles with them. 

Please visit www.calaverascap.com for more information.

-Austen Thibault

Outreach Coordinator, Calaveras Planning Coalition & Community Action Project

PO Box 935, San Andreas, CA 95249