Community Portraits
Community Portraits of Orion Society Members Ask Wendee Holtcamp to describe herself, and she will tell you she is a "mosaic"— a scientist who happens to be I'm interested in using existing local...
...It wasn't until he pursued graduate studies at the University of Georgia that his searched-for vision suddenly came into focus...
...Remarkably, she seems to balance these diverse roles with apparent ease, as they complement and enhance one another...
...A class about the plant communities of the Southeast deepened his appreciation for various plant systems and the human impact on their evolution...
...A few years back, Matt spent a summer in Yellowstone and, though he was impressed by the West, he returned home with a renewed appreciation for the lush, green eastern hills...
...She eventually earned her M.S...
...There were plenty of woods for them to nest in, and along with the nuthatches and chickadees, they managed our moth problem...
...He is a graduate student whose roots and commitment are deeply connected to the culture and landscape of the Southeast, Growing up in the mountains of North Carolina, he established what he calls a "natural connection" with the beauty of his home...
...In turn, the land— his workplace, home, and greatest teacher—gives him what he needs as well...
...They caught rain for their water supply and lived without electricity, phone, or plumbing...
...It's hard to educate someone to the beauty of the species that are meant to live here," he says, "but if the native species were gone, we would notice that something important was missing...
...However, he hopes to remain in his beloved Southeast, where he can continue nurturing his natural connection with its landscape...
...She juggles this lively household with maintaining a home office as well as an enthusiastic list of ideas for her freelance career...
...Restoration and reclamation became his passion, fueled by a deep respect for native plants...
...Not long ago, Matt Sprouse picked up his first copy of Orion, a discovery he referred to as "a breath of fresh air...
...So he changed his major to landscape architecture, hoping to combine his dual interests in nature and design...
...Ever since childhood, Matt has loved to draw, and he knew early on that he wanted to be an architect...
...DD...
...As a high school student he was interested in mechanical things, especially motorcycles, which became a passion that lasted into adulthood...
...Community Portraits of Orion Society Members Ask Wendee Holtcamp to describe herself, and she will tell you she is a "mosaic"— a scientist who happens to be I'm interested in using existing local traditions to enhance the success of restoration work...
...Over time he has learned patience, avoiding the impulse to reach for the spray gun at the first sign of insect trouble...
...She is the administrator of the organic certification program of the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York...
...They bought a 90-acre plot that included substantial woodlots as well as fields, thanks to a lumber company that worked the area 100 years earlier and went broke before it could complete the timber harvest...
...Still, he left college unsure of how to create a connection between architecture and nature that goes deeper than technical knowledge and academic understanding...
...a mother, a writer who also designs web sites, and a photographer who has recently begun to sell a few of her pictures...
...But when he engaged in the mainstream study of architecture, he discovered that it often didn't have much to do with nature...
...Mike Kane guesses he must be a real farmer by now, after 20 years of nurturing, coaxing, and cajoling hills and valleys alike into a viable organic farm...
...Shamrock Hill Farm is a delicate place on marginal land that would never be labeled "prime," but Mike has learned to supply what the land needs...
...it needs more of an artistic approach...
...Her own success in this field has evolved quickly with recent articles appearing in ? Magazine, WildBird, Rodale's Scuba Diving, and Science Now...
...Most of all, I tell them they must have humility...
...He laments the problem of invasive exotics that choke out the natural foliage...
...The difficult things are part of life, and out of them comes character...
...A recent 10,000-mile trip with Matt to the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska inspired one book proposal, and another is in the works for a guidebook to writing meaningful and influential environmental articles...
...Matt and his wife, Kim, a high school science teacher, would love to stay in Athens when his studies are complete...
...Far from being a hardship, this way of life provided the seeds for her values today...
...I hope they will think in terms of stewardship rather than control...
...There needs to be a tie to the land in order to develop the land ethic...
...Later she traveled to North Queensland, Australia, to study tropical rainforest ecology...
...But Matt will be looking for an apprenticeship with a professional landscape architect and may need to relocate in order to find the right situation...
...But he eventually grew tired of the stressful nature of that work, and decided along with Pat to try a new career as an organic farmer...
...In retrospect, she sees that many aspects of her character were formed during her early years living with her father in northern Oregon...
...They don't have the boldness of the Rockies," he explains, "but they have a subtle beauty I'm comfortable with...
...She believes that the greatest rewards sometimes come from the most challenging circumstances: "What we care most about in life doesn't always come easy...
...Mike and Pat take their organic farming message into the community...
...He noticed that if he waited, natural patterns would create a balance: "One year we had a gypsy moth infestation...
...in wildlife ecology, and the research from her work on the effects of the fire ant on deer mouse foraging behavior was published in the January 1997 issue of Ecology, Living on three acres on the Luce Bayou in eastern Texas with husband Matt, their two children, Savannah and Samuel, a puppy, and two rabbits, Wendee gives much attention to a healthy lifestyle...
...The next year we noticed an influx of orioles whose nesting pattern coincided exactly with the gypsy moth cycle...
...Although his wife, Patricia, grew up on a farm, Mike was raised in the city of Bingham-ton...
...only real farmers farm the hills...
...He explains: "It tends to defy the scientific...
...During this project he became interested in folklore and local tradition...
...The resulting fields surrounded by wildness are compatible with Mike's vision of what a farm should be—a place that is biologically complex, blending natural systems with what he calls "the unnatural system of farming...
...I'm interested in ways of using existing local traditions to enhance the success of restoration work...
...Mike teaches farming and gardening classes at the local community college, where he passes along the lessons he has learned from the land: "I teach the students to pay attention to the complementary cycles of the land...
...As a pre-med major at Texas ASM, she became interested in the work of an environmental organization on campus...
...He keeps his fields small, making sure there are plenty of hedgerows, and he plants a variety of flowers to attract insects that deter pests...
...The times with dad ultimately had an impact on her career decision...
...New York...
...She is also the creator of many web sites and can be contacted through GreenDesign Communications: http://www.greendzn.corn...
...There's a local saying in upstate New York: "Anyone can farm the valleys...
...Matt's thesis project has been the restoration of a four-and-a-half-acre plot of land that will be used as an environmental education site for schools and as a catalyst for community involvement...
...He had launched a career that included competitive off-road racing and managing national teams...
...The cold showers and rustic conditions reminded me of my roots," she explains, "It was a reconnec-tion that changed my life...
Vol. 2 • June 1998 • No. 3
