Perhaps the real world embodiment of The Giving Tree, the tall and benevolent oak not only provides a shaded reprieve for the tired hiker, but is also unparalleled in its ability to grant food, water, shelter, and protection for wildlife. But like many wild things, our mighty oaks are threatened by a rapidly changing world.

Having a healthy respect for the limits of our environment can help instill a strong environmental ethic no matter what career one chooses to pursue. I believe that ultimately these kids’ actions early on in life will lead them to take more of a personal stake in the well-being of their communities, and spread hope for a better future to others.

I remember a sky that turned purple at night instead of black; leaf shadows dappling the concrete from street trees as I walked to school in the morning alongside lanes bustling with cars. Growing up in the city, nature was all around me—and yet it was obscured. It was nothing short of an imaginative act to envision the soil beneath the pavement I walked each day, water beneath the soil. 

Earlier this month, we announced that the Acterra Stewardship program is now an independent, fiscally sponsored project of Acterra: Action for a Healthy Planet. As part of this transition, we want to start broadening our connection to the local community through social media (Instagram and Facebook), as well as this blog. The Eco Roots blog will give a behind-the-scenes look at our work and what inspires us to improve the habitat of California’s native ecosystems.