river watching

river watching, originally uploaded by trillium~mama.

On our recent trip to Central Oregon, we stopped at the Metolius River for an afternoon so Andy could fly fish. Ava and I sat under a magnificent ponderosa pine, and breathed in the smells of the river and the forest around it. I once took a class where I had to read a book by Kathleen Dean Moore called Riverwalking. She spoke of our strong connections to rivers, particularly our home river. This is the river that you feel the most connected to-the one that embraces you the moment you near its banks.
My home river is the Metolius River. It is a wild river located in the Metolius Basin. I was blessed to live very near its banks for a time during my childhood. Before living there, my family had been drawn there. My former step father had gone there as a child, and we camped there during my young childhood.
Last term I had to watch a video for a college course on environmental ecology. I was half asleep during the intro of the speaker until I heard her name. It was the author of Riverwalking. She read excerpts from the book about her home river, and taking her daughter there. The book had stirred up emotions years ago when I read it in my early twenties. Now as a mother hearing her read about her home river and her daughter, tears rolled down my face.
Most people have felt a connection to a river. I am thankful to say that mine has been a beautiful wild river. Tragically, our state governor had just ok'ed the building of two mega resorts near the Metolius. This precious resource will soon be ruined for monetary reasons. The fragile wild habitat will be lost due to pollutants and excess vehicle and foot traffic. If you live in Oregon, please write to Governor Kulongoski and tell him you do not approve of the destruction of this precious resource.