The Sit Spot: Embracing Nature

Recently, I finished up my final week of teaching at the Arkansas Audubon Society's youth ecology camps. For the first two weeks of the camp (Setting: Arkansas' Ouachita Mountains) I am a co-instructor for ornithology (birds...duh) one week and, this year, a co-instructor for aquatic biology the other week. This is the first-year camp for 11-12 year-olds; 50 per week. Also at this location are second-year campers (12 per week), who get invited back for a more rigorous ecology-based curriculum complete with a field trip to visit Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, snorkeling in cold Ouachita springs, gathering/comparing data from north and south facing slopes, and more! These are earlier in the summer season. The camp I just finished, was the AAS's Johnson Advanced Camp. This camp is set in the Ozarks, far north of the first two years' camp. It is also a smaller, elite group of 12 campers who get invited back for their third year. If the second year sounded rigorous, then the third year is downright crazy. At this camp, our days are jam-packed with tree transects (upland and lowland), hiking, bird walks (in the AM), herp walks (in the PM), a five hour wild cave tour, canoeing, camping, more hiking, botany, geology, and the list goes on. Because this is the last camp, we give it a hopeful, more hands-on, citizen science based flair so they can take the knowledge and tools home with them to continue on this great path that they've started. Showing these kids why we and science are so important to land stewardship and conservation is a blessing and provides me with lots of hope for the future of our world.

Just ONE of the enchanting scenes at the first-year camp in the Ouachitas.

In terms of our camp vs. the world, 100 campers per year (not counting those who get invited back) is like a grain of sand on a vast beach. Although, I really believe that 100 more aware people in this world CAN make a difference. That doesn't mean that all of our campers will go on to become ecologists, biologists, naturalists, etc; it just won't happen. But, it's more about awareness than anything and awareness of the natural world is something mostly of the past in our disconnected, "civilized", world. So making more people aware (and at a young age) is pretty important. Young people are who ultimately matter for both the near and far-flung future, but adults need not be lost either!

You can't tell me this isn't about as good as it gets: a COOL, crisp morning smack dab in the middle of an Arkansas summer. This complete with a Bald Eagle on the US's first national river on July 4th; how...American.

The outdoors can be a great place to find yourself...I know, I know cliché, blasé, etcetera (to throw in some French), but it's true! There have been plenty of tough spots in my life where being in nature has acted in a healing way, if not just to be around something else that's so alive! I mean, just look at the photos above, you can't tell me that doesn't stir something primitive deep inside you; some inner longing for natural beauty. Not only is nature healing when you need healing, but it's healing even on a good day; so, rejuvenating, if you will. Which is why, ladies and gentlemen, I introduce to you the Sit Spot.  (Watch your enunciation on that one.) This is about one of the simplest ways to enter into nature and it takes little time. It's great for kids because it gets them out of the droll routine of society; ie. go to school, learn by the book, and take a test that determines your level of intelligence...HA! For adults, it's a great way to rejuvenate your busy brain. Let's face it, daily life wears us out mentally and physically. It is really nice to get back to the basics; being outdoors is a primal need and one that many of us reject.

For our campers, the basic "curriculum" we use for the sit spot is this:
1. Find a quiet place in your backyard, along your favorite trail, etc. Your everyday sit spot should be someplace close, quiet, and easy to get to.
2. Bring a journal. Writing about what you are seeing, hearing, feeling can be beneficial the deeper you get into this idea. Especially for someone with a more scientific mind, like myself, who may want to compare data later.
3. I recommend giving it AT LEAST 30 minutes, but you should fit it to your schedule. Most of us have lives after all.
4. More tips for sitting success: For best results, do this alone. If in a group, then spread out. Some people are loners while some can't be alone. Trust me on this one, it's best alone even if that's not what tickles your fancy.---Leave your worldly troubles behind to either pick up on the way out or to never think about again.---Bring binoculars if you wish. As a hardcore birder I typically leave these behind (*gasp*, they distract me).---Leave technology behind, at least for the sit spot.---Do it while you travel too! A change of scenery is never a bad thing.---Also, this is something cool to do as a family.---Give it a go at night sometime, but be careful.---Be aware of where you are sitting before you sit. You can find some interesting things on a sit spot that would rather your spot of sitting not be on the space they sit (read further).

Besides what I've already mentioned, what can a sit spot do for you? Well, first of all it reconnects us with nature, providing us with a personal connection. If you want to delve deeper into your time outdoors, then utilizing one location can really allow you to get to know the creatures around you and get into the inner workings of Mother Nature. One of my favorite benefits is the time for reflection, almost like meditation. This all may sound a little hippie-dippy (and for men, unmanly) but that's what our society has made of it. Looking back at great men like John Muir, Teddy Roosevelt, and many others who sought solace and reflection in nature, ask yourself: were they "hippy" and "feminine"? You might have even found yourself in a fist fight for thinking such a thing in their presence. It's never a bad thing to sharpen your mind and concentration, which a sit spot does.

The sit spot is what you make of it. A great camp boss once told me "the key to life is adaptability". Maybe think about that during your first sit spot. And by all means, find a nice Umbrella Magnolia like this one!

One of my favorite places for a sit spot is along a stream or river. Everything has to come to water at some point and some REALLY cool stuff can be observed when you slip in unnoticed. Of course, being near water in the summer can have its benefits. Recently I found my sit spot in a creek that was clearly spring-fed. Though temperatures were in the 90s, the stream was so cold for my time in it that I was still cool for quite a while on the hike afterwards. With (and without) campers, I have seen some cool critters on a stream-side sit spot. For example, Louisiana Waterthrushes bobbing their butts up and down an area searching for food and feeding young, the aforementioned Bald Eagle that sat pretty on a foggy Fourth of July morning several years ago, and my personal favorite, a family of mink that played across the river while I looked on in amazement.

One of the obliging mink doing some reflecting itself. (I usually leave the camera behind too).

My sit spots tend to be more on the hardcore side. I enjoy getting to know the life in a certain place through the birds. The longer you are a bird watcher, the more skills you gain in that department, like being able to identify birds by sound without having to see them. Many birders take it no further than this, but if you delve ever deeper, you can know what's going on in the entire forest by simply listening from one spot. On a recent sit spot, I was on a bluff overlooking the Little Red River. It was early morning when the birds should have been very alive, but all was silent down below and on the ridge top behind me. At this time of day, in mid-summer, most birds are noisily marking their territory with song or scolding a Blue Jay or crow that wanders too close; not this morning. From experience, I figured some sort of predator was about and because the treetop singers were silent, I could rule out some sort of predator like a fox or bobcat on the ground. Figuring it was probably a hawk or other raptor I spent the remainder of my sit spot listening. Soon I heard the high-pitched squeal of a Broad-winged Hawk, solidifying my hypothesis.

Cooper's Hawk. A die-hard bird eater and another notorious character for enacting a "zone of silence".

Not long after, the hawk must have slipped away from its perch of terror because the birds started to come alive. Not all at once, but species-by-species; the bravest first. I have observed this "zone of silence" many times since I've been tuned into bird language. Birds aren't always silent around predators though. At camp this year, our group was hiking and came across a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Indigo Buntings and more, low to the ground and raising alarm about something. Being that close to the ground you can rule out a larger predator, so what critter is it that can fit in their small alarm zone? A timber rattlesnake on his own mission to cross a nearby road! The telling language of birds is an interesting one, though probably daunting to someone who hasn't been around birds long. Bird language is a topic for another day, albeit a great example of how to expand your sit spot both mentally and physically.

The offending party, as docile as ever.

Yet another recent sit spot, although technically not, happened during a few minutes I got alone during a night-time activity at camp. This activity was a short night walk WITHOUT a flashlight. Something that is soothing in and of itself. The night was anything but silent. While waiting on the campers to finish, I was deafened by the sound of katydids and other night bugs. The most striking part was the presence of thousands of fireflies. The sheer number I had never actually witnessed. These little lanterns glinting in the dark woods were awe-inspiring. After my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I was amazed at the large area they are able to illuminate with their light bulb butts. This was something of fantasy to most people and how sad that they miss out?!

One more thing...while it seems obvious to most, some may not realize that things will be VERY different during different seasons. Spring and summer are all about life and growth, fall is about letting go of summer's prosperity, and winter is all about survival and trying to beat out death. Sit in or near water somewhere during the summer if you don't like the heat and bundle up in the winter. Either way, go find a rock or some cushy leaves and have at it!

I had to do it. This Six-spotted Tiger Beetle is a woodland gem and a fierce predator for the less than 1/2" of space it takes up. Keep an eye out and maybe you can watch one hunt while you sit. Pretty cool! Other species of tigers can be found in different habitats, though this is the prettiest of the more common ones.

You never really know what to expect when outdoors, even someplace like a sit spot where you are a regular. Being in tune to what's going on in nature is something very special that our ancestors once took great pride in. I think they would be ashamed of today's world in many ways. The sit spot is just one way that aids in gaining a deeper understanding of our natural world, appreciation of which we often lack. So make the family of your past and present proud, while paving the way to a better future. Deepen your awareness of the natural world so something is here for our future generations to enjoy. A reconnection like this is a big step, but a necessary one. When you do it enough, gosh darn it feels good to be primitive for a little while and just pay attention to what is REALLY going on around you, not the bustle of human life! Savor it always!

• The idea of a sit spot, alas, is not my own. I'm a mere messenger. It comes from Coyote Mentoring Wilderness Awareness School, whose book we use often at camp: http://wildernessawareness.org/program/coyote-mentoring/
• If you're into reading about stuff like this, then A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold is an absolute gem and classic for your enjoyment. It's an easy read too.
• For more, John Muir and Henry David Thoreau (among others) also wrote classics that can inspire that nature-lover hidden deep inside you. Although, theirs may be a little more hardcore than Aldo Leopold starting out. 
• Finally, if you want more about bird language, then What the Robin Knows by Jon Young is an excellent choice. I must say, it is what inspired me to dive behind the wall of simply identifying birds by sound.

Enjoy and good sitting,

Mitchell