 Thomas Lowe Fleischner (naturalist, conservation biologist, retired professor of ecology, and founding director of the Natural History Institute in Prescott AZ) has authored a beautiful and profound collection of essays entitled “Astonished by Beauty: A Field Guide to the Practice of Paying Attention” (Torrey House Press, 2026). Although he largely focuses on his experiences and observations in ecological explorations within the American Southwest and northern Mexico, the profound lessons described here are universally applicable to us all and everywhere. Here is an invitation to pay attention to the natural world—to slow down, experience, and connect with nature through mindful attentiveness. This is a call to live life with care, presence, and respect for the wild beauty surrounding us.
Below, we quote liberally from Fleischner's words, but we strongly encourage you to acquire, savor, and be inspired by “Astonished by Beauty.” Fleischner reminds us that “Natural history is a verb, not a noun—a practice, something we do, not just an inert body of facts.” <Continued . . . Click READ MORE >
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When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.... Conservation, viewed in its entirety, is the slow and laborious unfolding of a new relationship between people and land." There is in fact no distinction between the fate of the land and the fate of the people. When one is abused, the other suffers. From the PresidentSCP President Chuck Roe looked at land conservation along the route of John Muir's "Southern Trek." About ViewpointThis blog offers views of our Board and partners. We invite your viewpoint on the following questions: Archives
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