This month is dominated by Aries and Libra—the polarity of “I am/we are.” This astrology peaks with the Aries Full Moon of October 11. Inside of our relationship dramas, sagas, and desires, our DNA and hormones are humming along, giving us instructions to reproduce the species. And at the same time, there is an epic political battle being waged between men and women involving who controls reproduction. “Anti-government” and “anti-regulation” activists make one exception: the uterus. This standoff is illustrated by two little-known planets that the Full Moon aligns with exactly: Aries Moon conjunct Bienor (the strong man of Greek mythology) and the Libra Sun conjunct Haumea, a Hawaiian fertility goddess. We could look at this another way: who controls creativity? If you don't take over the creative process within yourself, someone is going to do it for you.

You might want to pause and ask yourself what you're trying to prove. There is little you can accomplish by conquering anything or anyone, and plenty of damage you can do. While you seem to be past the emotional restrictions and frustrations that dominated your summer months, it would be unwise to overcompensate in the other direction. Therefore, I suggest you tamp down any competitive feelings and establish harmony with your environment. People around you will be eager to return the favor. If you push the limits in any situation, you're likely to encounter a boundary of some kind; notice if that happens, and revise your approach. You might experiment with things like negotiation, using a more creative method (rather than confrontational), and understating rather than exaggerating.

You may be feeling out of your element, but be gentle with others when you feel inclined to blame them for your feelings. There is an easy solution—which is likely to be the one you think is too “easy”. But that's the whole idea: there is a relatively simple and direct approach to what may seem like a complicated or exaggerated emotional situation. Meanwhile, I suggest you do what you can to keep your emotions in perspective. Ask yourself how important something really is before you make a big deal out of it. Don't look for conflict where there is none to be found. If you look for the common ground you share with others, you're likely to find it, and that in turn is likely to lead to some rewarding episodes of unexpected growth.

If you have an intuitive feeling, follow it. It may be an idea, it may be a caution of some kind; if you think something is worth doing, it probably is. If you have an uneasy feeling about going somewhere, or doing something, I suggest you take that under advisement. You may run into a situation where the decision you want to make ruffles the feathers of someone because it's based on no special information other than what your own inner senses are telling you. Then you'll have to pause and determine whether you want to have the approval of someone for doing what is wrong for you—or whether you want to miss an opportunity that you know is right. You've been here before; you've already decided this one.

This is an unusual time in your professional life, and aspects this month seem ready to demonstrate just how true that statement is. There are many open doors, and the world's prevailing state of strangeness, confusion, and even chaos can work entirely to your advantage. The one thing for which to be mindful is a false lack of confidence. There used to be a concept called false confidence, but that seems to be the prevailing state of affairs on the planet. It's also possible to lack faith in yourself when it's the most obvious thing you should have. The only way to find out if you're really capable of something is to try and see if you can do it. This includes taking concrete steps to improve your income. You have the talent. You also have the guts.

You may encounter a mental block when trying to solve a problem. And, if that happens, I suggest you take a more disciplined approach to your work. There is something to be said for applying yourself to a project every day, even perhaps several at the same time. Many have discovered the benefits of discipline in turning creative energy into something tangible and useful. Energy is the one thing you have right now. Focusing your efforts in a way that may seem businesslike, or “un-artistic”, will help you bring in a new vision, one with which you'll be able to sustain yourself for many years. That's not going to happen automatically. You cannot catch lightning in a bottle, but you can definitely gather your thoughts and get yourself onto a new level of creative potential.

You know best what is good for your health—the key will be listening to yourself, and following your own advice. We all know how diligently people ignore precisely these things; I don't suggest you do that. Remember that the most important dimension of health involves your mind. Meanwhile, you may be in a relationship situation that is causing an unnecessary stir in your life. That's something to watch as well, making sure that you're not engaging a tradeoff of sex for chaos. You have the potential for an extremely interesting sexual journey in these years of your life. It can be something that nourishes you, keeps you young and serves to liberate you. If something is demanding too much time, money, or energy, I suggest you really ask yourself whether it's worth it.

You're likely to show up as the voice of reason and the example of maturity in a close personal situation. This is nothing new, but you may have the feeling that someone has an advantage over you based exclusively on brute strength. That may be true temporarily, but it's not going to last long. You have the advantage of persistence, discipline, and a sense of balance. Make sure you keep your flexibility. The one risk you run is backing yourself into a corner, closing off your options, or taking too hard of a line. You can afford to take a mellow approach to existence, and give any situation a chance to play out in its own way. Remember, no matter how hot under the collar anyone may be, or is trying to make you, time is on your side.

The thing you think is bothering you isn't—but something else is. You seem nervous with how visible you are, and how far out on a limb you have to go to hold things together. It's as if the people who actually hold responsibility don't want to back you up, even though you've been left to do their bidding. If you suspect you've been set up to take the heat for something, you're probably correct about that. The question is, how can you shift responsibility back to where it belongs? The first step will be by taking no heroic measures to set things right. It will take some chutzpah to let things fall apart, but if you stick to your actual responsibilities and don't take on anything extra, the truth will be obvious when the cookie crumbles.

You must not take a shortsighted approach to long-term plans. However, it would seem like something you've been wanting to do for a long time is ready to happen right now. Before you take action, make sure that this opportunity really does match up with the ambitions you've been stating for months or years. Once you set things into motion, they're likely to stay that way, and take on a life of their own. And more people than you will be drawn into the process. It seems you're on the brink of a decision, so be clear about what you need to know in order to make the choice that is right for you. Once you understand that, the next step is to take the leap—or to walk away from the matter entirely. Be sure that your choices are aligned with your motives. Hesitating will no longer work.

I cannot explain your apparent lack of confidence on something that really should be simple—but maybe you can. What I can tell you is that the core issue is emotional (rather than practical). You may have this idea that your identity is not sufficiently stable to take on the kinds of challenges that are being presented to you. But what exactly do you think builds your sense of identity, your confidence or strength to stand up to the challenges and opportunities of existence? That would be direct experience. At a certain point it's necessary to reach beyond what you've done in the past, so that you can do something new, or something that exceeds what you thought were your prior limitations. And when you do that, your ideas about “security” must play second fiddle to the fact of being alive.

Life is not a matter of theory—but the great thing about theory is how manageable it is, compared to what actually happens. What actually happens is different than what you might fear happening (that, too, is a matter of theory). This said, it seems to be time for you to spark up some actual movement in your life, and your next step should be according to some kind of structured plan. I don't mean a 100-page business plan; five or six possible steps thought through carefully and written in your notebook would be adequate. Those are different than what will actually happen, but at this stage I suggest you work with a mix of about 10 percent theory, 85 percent action, and a dash of faith that you're doing the right thing.

By several measures, you're in a phase of reevaluating the events of this very eventful year, and are considering your various plans for the future. This said, there is something that is demanding your attention now. While others are taking a by-the-book approach, presented with this opportunity you seem more inclined to take a chance and do things your own way. Get used to the fact that there is no certainty, even though others around you are acting as if there is. It's precisely the uncertainty factor that is working to your best advantage. You have the gift of flexibility as well, though I will suggest this: you don't have to work as hard as you think to create one particular goal. You need to apply the right thought and the right effort, but no more.

Read Eric Francis daily at PlanetWaves.net.

If you don't have your own black walnut tree, you're sure to find one not far away, covered with bright green tennis ball-sized globes. The first nuts of the year, in August, tend to be empty, but the ones on and under the trees now are mature. Even the husk is fragrant, but beware—this plant is called black walnut because the husk is infused with a brownish-black pigment so potent and permanent that it was commonly used as hair dye.

Black walnuts are delicious toasted and sprinkled on ice cream or on sweet potatoes, used in baked goods, and, my favorite, sprinkled on whipped-cream topped pumpkin pie. I tend to use them sparingly, more like a spice than a food ingredient.

Preparing black walnuts is a bit time-consuming, but their flavor is so powerful that you'll only be using a few per serving, so it won't take long. If you've got a sink in the basement or garage, you might want to set up there. Don a pair of rubber or gardening gloves. Use a vise, hammer, or large pliers to crack the husk, then remove it with your hands and toss it out before it stains anything. Sue Bruck, who's been experimenting with black walnuts this fall, recommends cleaning the nuts under water with a steel or heavy duty brush to get the husk fibers out of the shell ridges. After they're cleaned they are good to crack and eat or to dry and store to eat later (they'll be good up to New Year's if you keep them in a cool place).

If you'd like to grow a domesticated nut-bearing plant, I'd recommend the hazelnut, an ancient source of nutrition, and a delicious one. We planted a tiny hazelnut on Homegrown Mini-Golf five years ago and it's a beautiful, full, seven-foot tall bush bearing nuts every year. Hazelnuts, sometimes called filberts, look kind of like tiny savoy cabbages, wrapped in a cowl of leaves. They have a wonderful umami richness and are great with chocolate (think Nutella) as well as savory foods. Chopped finely or ground in a food processor, they make a crunchy crust on fish or chicken.

This is also the time of year to look out for chestnuts. I've never found a chestnut tree, since most of them died from a blight that swept the county in the early 20th century, but last year my neighbor Cynthia kindly shared some from her tree and they were amazing! If you've never had truly fresh chestnuts, you're in for a real treat. They are kind of like those yummy Lunar New Year cookies that are sold in Chinatown—sweet, fragrant, rich, and almost cakey in texture.

Now, a shoutout on behalf of the people who produce food on a professional level, our local farmers. Many of us have been affected by recent storms and flooding, and that's been awful enough, but few of us have sustained as much destruction as some of the local farms. The storms arrived at the height of the growing season, destroying crops and damaging equipment and terrain with flooding and winds. Many will never forget the sight of hundreds of pumpkins washing down-creek in High Falls and Rosendale. Inspired by a payment check sent to a farm by one of the people who rescued a pumpkin from the swirling water, the Rondout Valley Growers Association has rolled out an effort to raise money for a farm disaster fund. The Paper Pumpkin Project is appearing in farm stands and retail outlets throughout the Rondout Valley—purchase a paper pumpkin with a generous donation, support your local farms, and the farms will be there to support us with fresh, healthy, local food grown by people we know and trust in years to come. There is no better investment.

The final weeks of summer 2011 are likely to stick in the collective memory of Ulster County residents for many years to come. With two unprecedented rainstorms—beginning with Hurricane Irene and culminating (we hope) with the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee—some area residents experienced nearly two feet of rain in a little more than a week. This rain caused unprecedented damage throughout the county, with many areas completely inundated by the runoff.

But it was in the higher elevation areas that things were particularly frightening. The rains pummeled these areas, the sheer volume of water overwhelming the capacity of the numerous small streams and river valleys. Roads and bridges were washed away, utility poles and trees creating piles of debris that in some areas will likely take months to clean up. More importantly, homes and businesses were totally destroyed, with hundreds of residents forced to flee to shelters. Many of these folks are now also left homeless, having lost everything as the fast-moving waters undermined their lives as well as their physical property.

Ulster County Executive Mike Hein has seen much of the devastation firsthand, having toured the county both during and after the storm—in particular those areas that saw the worst of the flooding in the western part of the county. Hein said that the last several weeks of August and September were trying, to say the least, with nature seeming to go out of its way to remind us of its primacy over us mere human beings.

"In those two weeks we had an earthquake [referring to the Virginia-centered quake that rattled our area], we've had a hurricane, and we've seen the remnants of another hurricane," Hein said. "That's a rough two weeks. We've seen the worst natural disaster in the history of Ulster County."

Hein said that geologists have been saying that the flooding is a once-in-400-years event, and that nothing like this exists in any of the records for Ulster County.

The morning that Hurricane Irene struck, Hein said he was traveling to his office in order to begin monitoring the storm situation when a manhole cover on Washington Avenue in Kingston was literally blown into the air in front of him.

"The manhole cover launched about 10 feet into the air, and the geyser blew about 35 feet into the air right in front of me because of the water pressure," Hein said. "It was like a depth charge. That was my introduction to Hurricane Irene."

Hein said that, as the storm unfolded, he had asked the sheriff's office for reports on different areas that were expected to be hit hard. But road conditions made this difficult.

"It quickly became obvious that all the major arteries in Ulster County—Route 28, Route 209, Route 299, Route 32, and the Thruway—were all cut off," Hein said.

Later, Hein and his team made their way up Route 28 from Kingston, where they saw that a number of cars had been swept off the road.

"These cars had literally been tossed around like ragdolls," Hein said.

The vast size of Ulster County, according to Hein, means that its geological makeup is quite varied.

"We have farms and low-lying areas that tend to flood, which lasts much longer [than flashfloods] and cause significant crop damage," Hein said.

But it's the mountainous areas that can really be hit hard when a tremendous amount of rain falls in a short time. As the runoff from the storm accumulates in the gullies, streams, and river valleys at higher elevations, it simply has nowhere to go but down. And, as more rain falls, the volume and speed of this runoff can quickly become a force of nature that is capable of destroying just about anything in its path.

"It was like a bowling alley," Hein said. "You had huge rocks smashing into other huge rocks. I saw a house ripped off its foundation, turned 180 degrees, and then thrown 100 yards downstream. It was the equivalent of Colorado rapids, is probably the best way to describe it. The most frightening part was, there were two adults on the roof and a child."

The weather was so bad that it was too dangerous to fly a chopper in to rescue the family. In the end, members of the Ulster County Dive Team, along with local firefighters, rigged rescue lines and were able to reach the family before their house crumbled into the raging waters.

"The rescuers literally risked their lives to save these people," Hein said. "It's one thing when you read about it in the paper, it's another thing when you see it firsthand."

The Ferrante family has seen its share of flooding. For just over 50 years they've operated Wallkill View Farm from its location right outside New Paltz on Route 299. The farm's close proximity to the Wallkill River means that late winter/early spring floods have become almost a matter of routine, according to Carol Ferrante, who with her husband Peter founded the farm in 1960. But this year's flooding is nothing like what the family has experienced in the past.

"This is the worst we ever had," Ferrante said.

The big problem with this particular flooding event was its timing, according to Ferrante.

"We've never had a flood in August," Ferrante said. "We were in the heart of our picking season on the farm—and this year's crop is totally destroyed."

And it was really two floods after which the Ferrantes had to clean up. The combined losses from these events include corn, pumpkins, tomatoes, peppers, and other late summer vegetables. But this loss is going to carry over into the fall.

"We also lost all the crops for the fall, all the cauliflower, the broccoli, leeks, kale," Ferrante said. "The losses are too numerous."

After the devastation caused by Irene, the whole family pulled together and engaged in a monumental cleanup effort. They were just about ready to reopen for business when the remnants of Lee came through.

"We got it all cleaned up," Ferrante said. "Extended family came down, the kids came home for the [Labor Day] holiday weekend, the grandchildren, everyone helped out. Two days later the second storm hit."

Ferrante said that she stood at her living room window and watched as "acres and acres" of pumpkins simply floated away. She said the feeling of powerlessness she experienced is something she will not soon forget.

The Ferrantes, however, have been resilient in the face of adversity. As of the weekend of September 17, the farm stand has reopened, with the family bringing in vegetables grown at other farms in the local area.

"It's going to take a little while to get over it," Ferrante said. "But we're back, we're open, and we're ready to move on."

Shandaken Shaken

Town of Shandaken Supervisor Robert Stanley had his hands full both during and after the storm. The town is one of those regions with high, mountainous areas crisscrossed with narrow river valleys that received a high concentration of runoff. Stanley says that there is nothing in the record books that compares with what the town has witnessed during and after the storms.

"All the gauges, all the records indicate that this is the worst storm on record here in the Esopus Valley and here in Shandaken," Stanley said. "We were anywhere from five to 10 percent above previous high-water records."

These high waters meant that many bridges and culverts were washed out in the early hours of the storm.

"We lost just about every bridge on Oliverea Road," Stanley said. "Everything except for McKinley Hollow Bridge."

Given the immediacy of the situation, the town had to move quickly to ensure public safety.

"We were in relief mode as soon as Irene hit," Stanley said. "We had several water rescues and several areas that were cut off."

Stanley said that first responders had to take to ATVs in order to reach certain locations, running medical and food supplies to those in need.

"We have an intimate knowledge of the area, so we know where people are located, and how to get to them through the backwoods," Stanley said. "We were able to circumvent the usual thoroughfares."

At the nearby Belleayre Mountain, an emergency shelter was set up. More than 120 adults and 40 children stayed at the lodge the first night of the storm. In the ensuing days, they also helped to provide more than 1,200 hot meals, as well as acting as a distribution center for more than 4,000 Meals-Ready-to-Eat provided by the Red Cross.

Stanley said that one of the good things that came out of the devastation is the large number of volunteers who came out to help their neighbors. The town had previously discussed the possibility of creating a Civilian Emergency Response Team (CERT) in order to have people in place who are ready to volunteer during such disasters. Stanley believes that there is now a good nucleus of people for the CERT proposal to move forward.

For more information on the relief effort, how to get involved, and other information such as bridge and road closures, be sure to visit www.co.ulster.ny.us/recoveryinfo.html. You can also visit Belleayre Mountain's website at belleayre.com. Wallkill View Farms can be accessed and supported at wallkillviewfarmmarket.com.

Each year a garden or farm produces many more seeds than vegetables. These seeds have the potential to become a new plant, bursting with thousands of its own seeds, and so on. This is precisely how plants carry forth their genetics. Those juicy, sweet Cherokee purple tomatoes that you enjoyed popping in your mouth on summer afternoons can be yours all over again next year—if you save the seeds.

In the Hudson Valley, we are fortunate to have access to many heirloom plants to use in our flower and vegetable gardens. Heirloom plants are a good place to start if you are intending to seed save. An heirloom plant is an open pollinator (Mother Nature does the pollination with the help of bees, wind, birds, rain, and other natural sources) that has roots (pun intended) in the region for generations. Some heirlooms go back hundreds of years, being passed down from generation to generation of farmers. There are crops that have been traced to pre-colonial Native America ancestry, and some European heirlooms have been dated back to 400 years. Asian and African heirlooms have been traced even further back.

Heirlooms have many advantages over hybrid commercial plants. Hybrid plants don’t retain the characteristics of the mother plant. They are unpredictable and result in a new plant that is the combination of parent plants. Hybrid plants are artificially cross-pollinated to create specific characteristics, like higher yield or uniform size. These practices aid in the ease of large-scale manufacturing. The hybrid seeds, however, create second-generation hybrids that lack the strong genetic history of heirloom plants, and therefore haven’t built up the same survival skills as heirlooms. They are more prone to insect damage, disease, and just plain old genetic flaws.

Additionally, multinational corporations like Monsanto are purchasing and turning farms around the world into hybrid monocultures that not only don’t produce viable seeds, but also can cross-pollinate and hybridize neighboring heirloom crops. This trend threatens our ability to access true heirloom seeds.

Gardeners and farmers are able to reverse this trend by saving local heirloom seeds and spreading them through the community. Before there were seed companies, seeds were in the hands of the communities rather than institutions. We have the resources in our community to protect our rich history of heirloom varieties.

Not only will returning to our seed saving heritage ensure sustainability of our food supply, it will improve the quality of our local foods! With a little self education, seed savers can begin to hone in on the strongest seeds to save—seeds that have insect and disease resistance, climate hardiness, and amazing flavor. Picking the most beautiful plant of each species will carry forth that plant’s strong genetics for the next generation.

The very best motivation to seed save, however, is not politics or even ethics, it’s a positive motivation. The number one reason to seed save is because you found the perfect plant variety and you love it so much that you just must have it again next year (and the year after that and the year after that!). It could be that zingy hot pepper or abundant and bright calendula, or the perfectly round, bright orange pumpkin that you want for next Halloween. Whatever the calling, you can have that plant again and again by seed preservation. If you got that plant from a seed company, preserving its seed is really the only way to ensure the product is not discontinued, literally.

So where to begin?

You can begin your seed-saving journey with either heirloom seeds from a reputable source (check out Hudson Valley Seed Library at seedlibrary.org for an amazing selection…and join the local seed saving community too), or you can begin with starter plants of the heirloom varieties that you’d like to propagate. Many of our local farms and shops sell heirloom varieties, but you should inquire to be certain. Four Winds Farm in Gardiner, Back to Basics in Kerhonkson, and many of our local farm stands are a great source for heirloom vegetable plants and flowers.

The easiest plants to save are self-pollinated plants. This reduces the chance that plants are cross-pollinated by wind or insects, thus ensuring they stay true to their parent plant characteristics. Some self-pollinating varieties include beans, tomatoes, lettuce, and peas.

There are basically two methods of seed saving: wet and dry. Many seeds can be saved simply by collecting the dry seeds. The dry method of seed saving can be used for plants like beans, broccoli, peas, carrots, onion, and corn. When seeds are ripe they usually turn from white to cream colored or light to dark brown. Allow the seeds in pods to mature and dry on the plant, but don’t wait so long that other animals or birds get to them before you. There are several ways of collecting the seeds. You can pull the plant before it is totally dried and put it in a paper bag to finish its drying process, or pull the seeds from their plants or pods and dry in a single layer, well ventilated.

The wet method of seed saving works for tomatoes, eggplant, cucumbers, melons, and squashes and is just a bit more involved. Pull the vegetables from your nicest plants when they are over-ripe and cut open to scrape out the seeds. These seeds have a gelatinous covering that makes it difficult to properly separate and dry them. To remove this clear, mucus-like substance, soak the seeds and their pulp in water and let ferment for two to four days. A layer of mold may form at the top, or if the fermentation starts bubbling, it’s time to stop the process or your seeds may germinate. At the end of the fermentation, strain the seeds and rinse them well to get rid of the pulp. You can then lay the seeds out on a plate to dry, shaking them daily to make sure they are drying well and aren’t clumping.

Make certain the seeds are completely dry before you store them, or they risk molding or rotting in storage. You can store seeds in a paper envelope. Mark each envelope with the seed variety and year. The longer the seeds are in storage the less vital the resulting plants become, so use your seeds abundantly! Place the envelopes into an airtight container (like a canning jar) to help elongate the life of the seed. Store the seeds in a dark, dry, and cool location for the following year (although some varieties last several years). Then, get to planting your seeds in the spring! A variety of methods are available to you, learn about seed planting in upcoming issues of Country Wisdom News.

Despite all of the politics, economics, and biotechnology controversies around seeds and seed companies, seed saving is just plain old fun! It is so rewarding to actually witness a plant becoming stronger and more acclimated to its unique ecosystem each year. Seed saving can quickly become a hobby that leads to the sustainability efforts of our community in ways we may not even recognize yet. And to think it also saves you money. Remember, spread your good seed!

A mountain lion was struck and killed by a car earlier this summer in the town of Milford, Connecticut. Speculation as to its origin began almost immediately, with most local wildlife experts assuming that it must have been a domesticated cat that had somehow escaped from its handlers.

But that wasn't the case. A DNA sample confirmed that it was part of a genetic family from the Black Hills of South Dakota. After further study, it was learned that the tissue samples from this mountain lion were an identical match to samples of a specific cat that had been tracked through Minnesota and Wisconsin in 2009 and early 2010.

Thus this cat—the biggest of North America's feline predators—had traveled approximately 1,400 miles from its last known location. It managed to somehow avoid being captured or killed as it made its way through countryside full of small towns and big cities, crisscrossed by everything from logging roads to multilane interstate highways. It somehow managed to make it all the way to Connecticut in one piece, despite the fact that civilization, perhaps inadvertently, has imposed these human-made barriers that would make such a journey all but impossible—or so we thought.

Indeed, many of us rarely take the time to think about how much of an impact our modern system of roads and highways has on the world around us. Even those of us who are environmentally conscious often have to drive our cars to get to work, go grocery shopping, or take our kids to school. And throughout the country, from coast to coast, roads and highways carve through the landscape, even through many wilderness areas, thereby creating verdant enclaves surrounded by dangerous barriers made of asphalt and concrete.

But this phenomenon hasn't slipped the attention of John Davis, a lifelong wildlands advocate, triathlete, writer, and conservationist. Davis is keenly aware of the effect this segmentation of our wild areas is having on those species who, because of their feeding or migratory habits, are often forced to cross sections of blacktop that impede them from doing what their instincts are telling them to do, the tragic results of which, as our poor mountain lion can attest, manifest as various types of roadkill.

To bring attention to this issue, Davis—in concert with the Wildlands Network, a Florida-based group working to preserve and create contiguous wild spaces—is in the midst of a more-than 6,000-mile journey that has taken him all the way from the everglades of Florida, zigzagging his way north, until eventually encountering the Shawangunk Ridge, just one of his many stopovers as he makes his way to Quebec, Canada.

This journey, which has been dubbed the "TrekEast" project, is designed to bring attention to the fact that our increasingly fragmented wildlands are having a terrible impact on biodiversity, in particular those creatures that are now cut off from their traditional migratory paths.

In late July, Davis gave a talk at the Mohonk Preserve Visitors Center, where he outlined some of the details of his trip.

"It's a primarily muscle-powered journey, something in the order of 6,000 miles by the end of the year, and I've done about 5,200 miles so far," Davis said.

The trip has seen Davis hike, bike, and kayak his way from Florida, westward along its panhandle and into northern Alabama, back east across Georgia, where he turned north along the coast of the Carolinas, and then headed into the mountainous areas Kentucky, West Virginia, and Maryland, before returning eastward through Pennsylvania. By the time he reaches Canada late this fall, Davis will also add cross-country skiing to his modes of transportation.

Davis spoke about the importance not just of land preservation but of creative ways to connect these preserved lands so that future generations will inherit a land rich in biodiversity. Davis said that the Wildlands Network, despite its size, has done yeoman's work when it comes to advocacy, but that a crucial part of the formula comes from organizations actively engaged in the permanent preservation of wildlands.

"The Wildlands Network is a fairly small group," Davis said. "We have a staff of only about fifteen, and many, many volunteers—and some high-powered conservation biologists on our board of directors...There's a lot of intellectual power in this small organization. But we don't actually do the deals on the ground to protect these places, at least not very often. It's usually groups like the Nature Conservancy, the Open Space Institute, and other land trusts and advocacy groups like Save the Ridge that actually save the habitats necessary to achieve a continental-level connection."

This connection, according to Davis, would see a contiguous corridor developed stretching all the way from Florida, up across the length of the eastern seaboard, and eventually into Canada, thereby helping to preserve, and even restore, the biodiversity in the eastern part of the country. In addition to the east coast corridor, the group is looking to continue this route from the east, along the northern tier of Canada into Alaska, before heading back south into California, and then into Mexico and Central America. Success would mean that it would be possible to travel virtually the entire North American continent without leaving a wildlands area.

Davis did acknowledge potential problems with this notion, both on the micro and macro levels. There are sometimes barriers that are difficult and expensive to surmount. A good example is Route 209, which imposes itself between Minnewaska State Park Preserve on the east side and the Catskill Forest Preserve on the west.

On a larger scale, international borders will continue to be a problem, especially in those areas, such as along the southern border of the US, where border fencing has been, or is being, installed.

"The hope is that we can protect enough connected habitats that the full range of biodiversity can thrive," Davis said.

Bringing back biodiversity would also have a positive effect on areas of human habitation.

"When there are no predators in the area, the deer get lazy," Davis said, adding that an environment with predators means that deer are on guard and don't stay in one place for very long. The alternative is that areas of the forest become so overgrazed that many species of wildflowers, for example, will disappear from the forest floor.

"It can really have a major impact on the plant life in an area," Davis said.

Cara Lee, director of the Shawangunk Ridge Program for the Nature Conservancy, said that although there are more and more lands being protected in our area, its fragmentary nature continues to present challenges.

"We don't want to be an island in a sea of development," Lee said during her introduction of Davis. "That's not good for biodiversity."

For more information about the Wildlands Network, and Davis's journey, please visit twp.org. There you can see interactive maps with details of John's progress and read his personal blog updates.

Clintondale farmer Billiam van Roestenberg is a busy man. In addition to running his Liberty View Farm, which consists of 2,000 apple trees, extensive vegetable gardens, and the usual assortment of chickens, pigs, and goats, he—along with his partner René de Roneque—also publishes a weekly newsletter called Cultivating Communities that goes out to 25,000 recipients. Though Billiam moved to Clintondale from New York City a little over 10 years ago, his farm has blossomed into a regionally, and nationally, recognized endeavor, with Billiam, and one of his chickens, appearing on the Martha Stewart Show. The attention he's received, and the success of the newsletter, are a reflection of the overall philosophy of the farm.

"We've been very enthusiastic from day one about community involvement," Billiam said.

Bringing people together, and having them share their ideas, helps everyone in the community, he believes. He calls this idea "cross-pollination."

"We find that when we cross-pollinate and support one another, we each have our own sphere of influence, and we can really make a great impact," Billiam said.

While he acknowledges that people in the community often compete with one another, putting people's heads together in order to solve problems is ultimately a more fruitful endeavor.

"More often than not, when you collaborate, great things can happen," he noted. "You save time and energy and your sphere of influence grows exponentially. So it's a really powerful, simple thing to do, whether it's with friends or family or your neighborhood."

Interestingly, Billiam didn't set out to publish a widely read newsletter. It instead grew out of his advocacy for gay marriage.

"The newsletter, believe it or not, was an extension of what I did back in 2004 for the weddings in New Paltz," Billiam said.

Billiam recalled that after he had received international attention in February 2004 for being a member of the first gay couple to be married on the East Coast, he began receiving countless emails.

"I was receiving sometimes hundreds of emails a week from people wanting to get involved in the same-sex equality movement," Billiam said, adding that his own activism began when he had to register for the Selective Service.

"I was signing up to go to war, to defend my family and friends, and at the cost of life and limb I would support everyone, and I found that it wasn't reciprocated [by the government]," he said.

This advocacy led him to begin compiling an email list as early as 1990, when the Internet was still in its infancy. Later, after a failed same-sex marriage vote in the state senate in 2009, even more people began to contact him. The newsletter, therefore, is another example of cross-pollination.

"It's 100 percent about promoting different businesses and agro-tourism here in the Hudson Valley. It’s for families and children, and healthy, beautiful things to do," he said. "Shut off your television and get involved in the community."

This community involvement will hopefully pay dividends going forward. Billiam, like many other farmers in the region, was dramatically affected by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee.

"We've had two 500-year, historic storms in the course of two weeks," he said.

Liberty View Farm is located in the "bottom of a soup bowl," as Billiam put it, so runoff tends to affect his area harder than other locations.

"There's all this apple orchard on the hills surrounding us," he said. "So the water came right down on us."

He said that there is a storm control system on his property, but it was simply overwhelmed by the sheer volume.

"Our greenhouse and all of our vegetable produce was one-and-a-half to two-feet underwater," he said. "This includes most of our orchard. The apples got stressed and dropped. So, we lost virtually all our apples, and in essence all our produce."

Billiam said that the storms were unlike anything he'd seen before: "It was truly unbelievable."

Despite this setback, Billiam and René are looking on the bright side. Liberty View Farm has become a highly desired spot to host weddings, Billiam said. So he's been keeping busy with these events. Liberty View is also a B&B, for those who are looking for overnight accommodations in the area.

For more information on the B&B, hosting a wedding, or to sign up for Billiam's newsletter, please visit libertyviewfarm.biz. You can also email Billiam at NaturallyGrownApples@gmail.com.