The Love of All Living Things

Nature nerds are a different breed, man. The amount of information they can retain, across a broad spectrum of topics and interests, is truly impressive. Alexander will never weep, for there is always something new to conquer. Unfortunately, that somewhat violent imagery echoes in a lot of people’s attitude towards nature as well.

Nature nerds also usually love Lord of the Rings. I’m no different— heck, its entirely possible my love of nature started with Tolkien’s excessive description of landscapes and trees. He talks a lot about the call of adventure, and how only through hardship can we truly experience the profound beauty of a soft pillow and a kettle just beginning to sing. J.R.R. also has plenty to say about conservation, including the entirety of his trilogy being an analogue of the victory of green things and freedom over industry and advancement. One of my favorite quotes comes from the first chapter of Return of the King, Minas Tirith. For the uninitiated, Gandalf the Wizard has arrived in the last and greatest kingdom of Men, which stands on the brink of war. Gandalf, and the Steward (essentially the King— just, read the books if you’re that curious) have some pretty fundamental disagreements on how to save the world. And the Steward says that no matter what, he’s concerned with Gondor (that last and greatest kingdom of Men) first, and no matter how noble someone else’s cause, he will always be #GondorFirst, and that as wise as he may be, Gandalf the Wizard is not the King of Men. Gandalf’s response has echoed in my head since the first time I read it twenty two years ago, and its as prescient today as it was when I was 13.

““The rule of no realm is mine, neither of Gondor nor any other, great or small. But all worthy things that are in peril as the world now stands, these are my care. And for my part, I shall not wholly fail of my task, though Gondor should perish, if anything passes through this night that can still grow fair or bear fruit and flower again in days to come. For I also am a steward. Did you not know?”

Can you believe they cut that line from the movie?

One of the hardest things about working in conservation, and science communication generally, is that outcomes can be uncertain and everything requires compromise. I try not to be too black and white in my thinking, or in my appraisal of the thinking of others, especially when it comes to how we save the world. Everything we want to do takes money and time, and the challenge is in deciding how we spend both. Just this week, Vox published an insane article advocating to de-list the Grizzly Bear, but even I must admit the discussion isn’t entirely without merit. How do we save our wild things, wild spaces, and ourselves all at the same time?

We’re in the middle of a mass extinction. Our best guess is that every day 72 species go extinct. Some are charismatic species, like the Northern White Rhino, but many more are invisible, like snails, small birds, and bats. With no one to advocate on their behalf, they slide into the oblivion of history without so much as a footnote. Between pollution, habitat loss, and climate change, every last living thing on this planet is in a fight for its life. And, whether we realize it or not, we are too.

When I started Wild New York, I didn’t know a thing about our Urban Ecosystem. I couldn’t believe that more than 600 different species live in the five boroughs— I left the early research phase both astounded and hopeful. If the largest Urban Landscape in the country could host that kind of biodiversity, it’s not too late for us to change course and save the planet. If we can make enough space to live alongside the natural world, it doesn’t ask too much of us to flourish. That first year, I saw Whales in the New York Harbor, Falcons nesting on Skyscrapers, and walked peacefully in the rain along a Railroad-Turned-Park. I was, and am, continually amazed by what you can see in our city if you stop to look. If you don’t believe me, well, get back to exploring the rest of this website.

But there’s also a strange cruelty amongst some of Mother Nature’s most ardent defenders. The online communities of social media, both the traditional channels and the wildlife oriented pages of iNaturalist and eBird, can be full of know-it-alls and sadists looking for a chance to tout their smarts and lord their superiority over the unwashed masses. I suppose its not a phenomenon unique to Wildlife Photographers and Hobbyists, but I continue to find myself shocked at how virulent folks can be in a space so ripe for compassion and caring. I’ve been trying (unsuccessfully) to wrap my head around it for 5 years, and the best I can do is assume that, for many, its a deeply personal and secretive hobby that allows them some escape from the dire straights of the world. And they will go to appalling lengths to protect that privacy.

Accessibility and the Wild are tough subjects to marry. Someone with a mobility impairment will likely never watch the sunset from the top of Half Dome in Yosemite, or watch the Vultures circle from the peak of Angel’s Landing. But we have made places like Yellowstone National Park incredibly accessible, and the Natural Areas Conservancy in New York City continuously works to make trails more accessible. Some would argue this is to the detriment of our natural spaces— and, technically, they’re right. What are we to do?

The answer, in this writer’s opinion, is: the best we can. As long as we are intentional with our goals, and we’re making progress towards them, I can’t ask for more (I mean, I could, but I won’t). If your goal is to increase public access to a place, that’s going to come with a cost. But so is trying to keep people out and keep spaces wild. You merely have to look to our most recent Congress and the Big Beautiful Bill to see how close we came to selling off our great national inheritance. As long as they exist, conservatives and their billionaire overlords are going to look at wild untouched spaces like a starving cartoon coyote watching BLM lands transform into a steaming turkey leg. We won this time, in part because of public backlash in the name of keeping public lands in public hands.

So now, we arrive back at me. In case this website wasn’t clue enough, my goals are to increase public awareness of and appreciation for all the wild things that also call our city home. Trying to do that in ways that are captivating and motivating isn’t always easy. Every photo on this website is the result of countless hours outside, in all conditions, trudging over miles and miles of our city’s parkland. Is it worth it? Absolutely. Will I ever stop? Absolutely not. I’m not a perfect communicator, or a perfect naturalist. In fact, I think I’ve been pretty open about how much I’ve learned and continued to learn along the way. If there’s one thing that I’ve learned that’s burned into my brain, its that the hardest thing is always to start. Make something, Share something. It’ll never be quite what you wanted, but it will BE. And more often than not, that’s enough to make a difference. People can’t care about what they don’t know about. To quote another venerable genius, Sir David Attenborough,

“People must feel that the natural world is important and valuable and beautiful and wonderful and an amazement and a pleasure.”

For my part, if one person a day learns something about wildlife that helps them fall in love and stand up for them, I have not wholly failed. If we can halt the course of this mass extinction, if anything passes through this night that can grow and bear fruit in the days to come, I will mourn for what might have been. But I will also celebrate what can be. For I am also a Steward. Did you not know?