Dear Evy
Thank you for your note.
back and forth:
my name is Evy Briggs. We met in Milwaukee last year at a talk and i gave you a photography book i made called Now and Real, with a few other pics slipped inside.
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I remember you. Thank you for the gifts and for your work. Your work is amazing!
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those pics where of a forest and adjacent property i have been photographing for 4 years, witnessing the changes from prairie restoration and housing development. its a forest i grew up next to and spent most of my time in. it was there i realized my connection with the natural world. it is also where my first favorite tree stood. and i guess thats what has provoked me to write you.
my favorite tree is an old willow who stood on the left side of a main walking bridge in my forest. she had a sign posted to her with big letters saying Boundry from the lake county forest preserve. i didnt know in the begining where our connection stemmed from but i later realized. i first knew her as a full standing tree, she had two trunks from her base; one leaning over the small river branch and the > other over the path. about 12 years ago the tops of her branches where cut off, 5 years ago her half who stood over the river was cut down and from then she started to lean more and more over the path. about 6 months ago she partially uprooted but only because there was a maple tree across the path on the other side of the bridge to catch her. it was amazing. how that young adult maple could hold the weight of her and seeing the relationship they developed or maybe just expanded upon was incredible. i could feel them feeling eachother, i cant really explain it.
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You don't need to explain it--I know what you mean. I had the same experience with the Coyote Tree whom I wrote about in _Language_. You talk about this beautifully.
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but i knew from that point on that at anytime she would be cut down. so everytime i would come by the forest i would check to make sure she was still standing. early this spring the association doing the prairie restoration came in to do some spring cleaning. in that area they had cut off the tops of the last few standing willows and i couldnt believe they > were letting her still stand. i last saw her standing april 29, i touched her like i always do. i went back may 5th to photograph. i had spent most of my time by the pond with the 80-100 year old maple trees. i walked a side path to get to the main path closer toward the bridge when i was startled to see my tree down, the willow tree on the other side of the bridge down and so was the maple across the path who held my boundry tree. it was the hardest day i spent in my forest. ive cried over many things ive seen happen to my forest but this one is the worst. now when you walk to the bidge the area is bare with glaring power lines and telephone lines that are right next to this side/edge of the forest. it feels kinda dead and obtrusive. i just keep witnessing the destruction of the magic of the life living on this land. >
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Yes, that's what civilization has done for 10,000--destroyed life.
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my photographing of this land has been about loving this land, wanting to create awarness in the community, and wanted to protect this place. this land has a lot of historical background in the community and i feel like its being lost in all the changes. im making this project into a photography book hoping that will be the way to reach the community. i moved from Lake Bluff where the forest resides 7 years ago and i feel like i have no way of defending the land. i will be attending an artist residency called Ragdale Residency in Lake Forest just adjacent to the forest. ill be there for 2 weeks in june for the sole purpose of researching and getting a book going. i guess im writing because i need someone to talk to about it. i need advise, encouragement, a little direction as to how to make this project effective. ultimately, i need advise as to how to protect my forest. i just really wanted to write to you about my tree. i thought of you when i saw my tree down and cut into pieces across the path, and her front bark with the deteriorating boundry sign laying under where she stood. i knew you would understand.
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I certainly understand your grief. It's what we must live with every day once we are awake to the devastation. We are called to have more stamina than any human spirit should be asked to find, but find it we must. The best advice I have for you is to look for others. There must be environmentalists in your area who are working on saving the land in some way. Even if they're not as radical as you, on the ground they're doing something. Join forces with whoever you can find and learn whatever they have to offer about organizing. You will most likely find others who share your perspective. Alone, we can do very little. Together, way more is possible. You might also consider joining the Derrick Jensen Discussion Forum. I'm a participant in that community. You will definitely find kindred spirits there. http://forum.derrickjensen.org/
i hope you are well. thank you for being who you are.
Thank you for being who you are!
Derrick