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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

That Special Spot Pick One Place And Get To Know It

Kristi G. Streiffert Special To Outdoors

The “so many miles to hike, so little time” mentality is etched into my brain. I’m compelled to seek out new rivers to notch into the handle of my canoe paddle and rare birds to check off my life list.

But I have another modus operandi, too. Sometimes I immerse myself in just one place.

One summer I staked out a certain tiny parcel of forest and visited it, according to my journal, 42 times in six weeks. When I fell in love with a waterway near my home, I floated the river in my canoe each season (sometimes many times a season) for more than four years.

The places I’ve taken the time to know have revealed secrets that would have remained hidden if I’d merely passed through. Sitting quietly at my forest patch one day, I noticed a chipmunk searching a nearby stump for food. I watched it grab a grasshopper and hold it as I would a hamburger. Starting with the head, the chipmunk munched its way down the grasshopper and even ate the legs, retrieving one that had fallen off. The creature then washed its face by rubbing a paw over each cheek, and cleaned its paws on a mossy log before continuing the incessant search for food.

Hunters who visit the same pond each year looking for waterfowl, cross country skiers puffing along the same trail every Saturday morning, birders stopping by a known eagle roosting site every day after work - these are opportunities for individuals to establish “one place.”

Tom Rogers, a local conservationist of longstanding importance, provides an example of what can happen when someone falls in love with one place.

“When I moved to Spokane from Montana in 1957, I missed the mountains, so I started exploring,” he said. “Dishman Hills was the closest thing I could find.”

Rogers, 82, has spent decades exploring the Dishman Hills and Tower Mountain area, which is atop some of the oldest geological formations in the state. When asked what he’d found of interest, he answered, “We’d be [talking] for two or three days if I listed everything!” He found a few things he never expected, among them a rare flower and a rare shrub, neither of which where known to occur in this area.

To get to know an area intimately, he says, “just get out on the ground and look. But don’t expect to be able to cover the whole spectrum of life; not very many people can do that. Start with one category - plants, birds, reptiles…and get to know that first. Then later pull the whole thing together.”

Finding yourself intimate with one area does raise questions. What is the history of this site? What is its future? What will my part be? For Rogers, putting it all together meant working long and hard to protect the area from development he saw gobbling away at the fringes. The result is Dishman Hills Natural Area, a 518-acre preserve that protects rare plants, at least 52 species of butterflies, and a priceless forest landscape.

Joyce Alonso, president of Spokane Audubon Society, found intimacy with a landscape over 20 years ago when she first began visiting Turnbull Wildlife Refuge.

“Among other times, I usually go Memorial Day, by myself,” she said. “I pack a lunch and spend the day.”

The place has added meaning on Memorial Day because she often visited the refuge with her parents before they died, and she later scattered their ashes there.

“Visiting the area repeatedly over the years, I found I’ve gotten to know the cycle of life,” says Alonso. “When I first started visiting, the area was in a wet cycle. Then came many years of drought. I thought the area was ruined, but since the rains returned this year, I’ve realized that this is just part of the cycle.”

Alonso finds other rewards in having ties to one place. “I now know where certain birds are. There is a place on the refuge I go to see a pygmy owl, and (by imitating its call) I can sometimes call one in quite close.”

She has also found the best places for quiet wildlife observation. “At one of the pools, toward the edge, is a big rock like a tilted table. If you sneak up quietly, you can lie prone on this rock, look over, and see the wildlife without them being aware of your presence.”

Like many who have come to love one place, Alonso has become involved in caring for it. In October she and others volunteered their time to begin restoration work of a riparian area.

“We planted 70 trees along Pine Creek,” says Alonso. “These will be drawing me back on an ongoing basis because I’ll want to see how they are doing.”

Finding a place that draws you back is not hard. Author Lawrence Kilham suggests in his book “On Watching Birds,” that a spot you are going to visit repeatedly should be convenient from home or work; in addition, it should have good vantage points and these should be easy to access.

I would add that the place should appeal to your sense of what makes a landscape inspiring.

That’s it. Just keep going.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: Your own place Five ways to immerse yourself in “One Place” 1. Keep a journal. Record the date, temperature, where you are and why. Write about how you feel about what you are observing. 2. Use your five senses. Taste edible berries. Crush a leaf and smell the oils you’ve released. Close your eyes and count how many bird sounds you can hear. 3. Don’t miss dawn or dusk. 4. Invest in three or four field guides and learn how to use them. 5. Practice silence. Even if you don’t go alone, agree with your companion to spend some silent time. You must sit still or float without paddling to really be silent.

This sidebar appeared with the story: Your own place Five ways to immerse yourself in “One Place” 1. Keep a journal. Record the date, temperature, where you are and why. Write about how you feel about what you are observing. 2. Use your five senses. Taste edible berries. Crush a leaf and smell the oils you’ve released. Close your eyes and count how many bird sounds you can hear. 3. Don’t miss dawn or dusk. 4. Invest in three or four field guides and learn how to use them. 5. Practice silence. Even if you don’t go alone, agree with your companion to spend some silent time. You must sit still or float without paddling to really be silent.