Blog

We were on a boat in the dark, headed for the convergence of conservation and culture. The full moon fell slowly behind the mountain, as it has for eons. The deep waters beneath us covered the valley, once home to a timeline of inhabitants, from ancient ferns and mastodons to human settlers. This morning, Lake Jocassee was hosting a boat full of curious Conservation Ornithology students and bobbing around us were the silhouettes of hundreds of loons and gulls. In the dim glow of first light, Dr. Drew Lanham’s easy voice carried the woven story of place over the sound of water gently lapping on the pontoons, while loon hoots were softly exchanged across the lake. As the night turned into morning, we all watched the loons paddle their clumsy feet across the water, then lift heavy bodies high up in the air. Loons circled like gulls above us and then flew off into the sunrise. The wonder and appreciation the students expressed was magical. Jocassee and these loons are now woven into their story of place and their understanding of why we fight for conservation. They are our hope for the future, on the frontlines of a cultural shift from commodity to community.

~Tricia Kyzer, JLT Naturalist Guide