Squirrel Death and Modern Anxiety

One of the things that led me to create the Urban Land Scouts was thinking about the point where the DIY elements of sustainability push up against and get in the way of our modern desires and habits. The local and sustainable food movements are some of my favorite examples of this tension.

As modern consumers we can enjoy a wide range of foods almost any time of year. If we seek to cut out some of the hidden costs and destructive elements of those foods-- things like long-distance shipping, inhumane and unsafe labor conditions, and toxic and dangerous agricultural and animal husbandry processes-- we must move towards a more diet that is limited or outlined by our bioregion and seasons. I am interested in the specifics of what such a diet demands and whether or not those elements are reasonable, scalable, and/or efficient.

Work it to Earn it : field books

At our last ULS meeting there were three scouts with completed observation books. Yes! Below are examples from two of those observant scouts, Adan and Jennifer Akerman. In addition to being very nice people and enthusiastic scouts, the Akermans have a neat company called Akertoys. I think you can see some of their design sensibilities in these two examples from their field books. Above is Jennifer's drawing and musings about moss and at right is Adan's close up drawing of a "very straight stem."

If you live in the Knoxville area and haven't been out to one of the workshops at Three Rivers Market, I want to encourage you to join us. If you don't live in Knoxville you can still get started earning your OBSERVATION badge.

Here's how to make a quick small field journal to fill with your observations. Take three sheets of office paper and fold them in half hamburger-style (for the more literal-minded, that's on 5.5" mark on the Y-axis). Cut them in half following the fold so you end up with six sheets each 5.5" x 8.5". Fold each of these in half and nest them together. If you'd like to include the Urban Land Scout pledge and ten core values in your book, you can download and print out this file and print it double-sided.

Next find a sturdy material like poster board, canvas, vinyl, thick paper, etc. and cut a cover slightly larger than the pages (around 6" x 9" should be ample) and fold it in half. Tuck the nest of pages into the cover and stitch or staple the pages and cover together. Waxed dental floss or embroidery floss are both good-- you want something a little thicker than sewing thread.

Once you've finished your book take it (and a pen or pencil) out on a walk and fill it with your drawings and notes. If you're stumped for what to draw or write use the observation words below as prompts. (These vocabulary words are also helpful if you're introducing the ideas of outdoor observation to a young person).

• shape
• scale or size
• texture
• color
• quantity
• location

When you've filled 90-100% of your book you can turn it in (or email photos/scans of it) to me and receive your OBSERVATION badge, the foundation of Urban Land Scouts. 

Join the Urban Land Scouts

From now until May Three Rivers Market will be hosting Urban Land Scout workshops every other Saturday. You can view a complete list of the workshops and activities here. You must pre-register to attend and there is a small fee to cover the cost of materials ($4 for TRM member-owners, $5 for non-members). You can sign up at the store at the Customer Service desk or over the phone (865-525-2069).

While everyone is welcome to join the Urban Land Scouts, these workshops are designed for adults and young adults (5th grade and older). Younger children can attend, but they (and all minors) must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Please contact me (Katie Ries) with questions: k.ries@threeriversmarket.coop.

I look forward to seeing you all at the next workshop. If you don't live in Knoxville and are interested in becoming an Urban Land Scout or starting your own tribe, please be in touch.

Close Encounters of the First Kind

This past Saturday was the first of ten Urban Land Scout workshops at Three Rivers Market. It was a great group of people: some familiar faces as well as new ones. We bound field journals and went for a brief and brisk walk around the neighborhood next to the co-op. After our walk we returned to work in the books noting some of the things we'd seen. Below is an image from my brother's field journal.

I look forward to seeing the books filled in with further observations, sketches, and samples. Our next workshop will center around mapping-- both factual and imaginary. Hope to see you all there.

Unexpected

I love the things that are revealed in winter. And the variety of plants that thrive in it. Like moss and mushrooms. Here's an example of both growing in a Knoxville city park. Every time I see the bright green velvet fuzz of moss in winter I get inspired anew to try to cultivate it for my very own.

Two years ago I found many recipes online for "moss graffiti" and tried to whip some up. The general idea is to blend pieces of moss (and spores) with some yeast (as found in buttermilk or yogurt), liquid (beer or water), and sugar (to feed the yeast?). Moss, it turns out, is not something one can "whip up." After you make and apply the mixture, you will need to tend the site to ensure it doesn't dry out. There is a folk rule that says you can find north by looking to see on which side of trees the moss grows. This is not an accurate or reliable way to find north, but refers to the fact that north-facing sites (or sides of things) will be better shaded and thus more protective for moss, spontaneous or otherwise, and other shade-loving plants.

In the course of my moss experimenting I tried to inoculate a paper letter R and instead grew, almost overnight, this fuzzy gray mold. Surprise! Let 2012 be full of such happy accidents and unexpected forms for all of us. Let us be open to what is more often than what is expected.

Stewardship and Cooperation

This month the Urban Land Scouts are beginning a series of ten meetings at Three Rivers Market, a cooperatively-owned natural foods grocery store in Knoxville, TN (and where I work as the Outreach and Marketing Director). We will be meeting every other week for the next five months to work on earning badges for each of the ten Urban Land Scout values. Three Rivers Market (TRM) and the surrounding area will be a good area to scout about: it sits near the top of one of the hills framing Happy Holler and between an historic old neighborhood and I-275. I am also excited to meet and learn from TRM's community of member-owners, many of whom I expect are already Land Scouts in their own rights.

Our first ULS meeting will be Saturday, January 14th, from 3-5 pm at TRM. There is a small fee to attend: $4 for member-owners of TRM and $5 for non-members. This will cover the cost of materials. You can sign up at TRM's Customer Service desk (on the left as you enter the store). The meetings are open to adults and responsible young adults (5th grade and older).

We will begin on the 14th by binding small field journals similar to the ones we made at Beardsley Farm and the Nashville Food Project. I like this form for a number of reasons: it can be made with minimal and varied materials, is simple to construct, easy to modify, and small enough to fit into most adult-sized back pockets. Most importantly, a sketchbook or field journal like this is a helpful tool in beginning a practice of daily observation and attention, the root of Land Scouting. 

If you live in or near Knoxville, I encourage you to come out and join us. Dress for the weather.

Go Forth

Bright chickweed springs up in early spring and winter.

As Urban Land Scouts, we build on a foundation of profound and active observation. All scouts must begin with this practice and we are wise if we return to it seasonally. The shift in temperature and daylight sends most plants into winter dormancy and allows for a new group of plants to appear. If you have not already earned your first Urban Land Scout badge, this is your call to do so. If you have, consider this a timely refresher.

Here in East Tennessee, and in the urban heat sink of Knoxville, it's not yet bitter cold winter, but all the leaves have fallen. The absence of canopy shade combined with our the semi-mild temperatures of this area has allowed for a winter flush of low-lying annuals, like chickweed and dead nettle, to spring up. Or to be revealed. At left is a photo of some chickweed, a staple of edible foraging, at Ijams Nature Center in South Knoxville. You can recognize it by it's bright green color and pointed heart-shaped leaves. Chickweed will also produce small white flowers although I anticipate these might not make it that far. The toothed leaf in the top half of the picture also grows in abundance at Ijams, but I don't know it. Anyone familiar with this plant?

Here's another pleasant surprise with the absence of deciduous foliage: the punky pink and purple arch of wild raspberry canes.  They are more strikingly colored than this photo represents. Keep an eye for them at the edges of fields and forests and make plans to return to them in the mid to late summer.

If you haven't already, commit to using this season to earning your Observation badge. Wherever you are-- bundle up, take a pen and paper or notebook and walk somewhere you've never been before. Go slowly and take notes. Draw pictures (or take photos to draw pictures from in the warmth of your home) and reflect on your observations. Send in your notes, drawings, or other observations to passage (at) urbanlandscouts (dot) com and earn your first (of many) Urban Land Scout badges.