We’ve been working to line up these water interviews for months, and it’s a good thing. Suddenly water scarcity is everywhere in the news. Lake Mead and Lake Powell are at historically low levels. The Colorado River was listed as our nation’s most endangered watershed. The original intake pipe to deliver water to Las Vegas was suddenly exposed by lower water levels, as were human … Continue reading Water
John Weisheit grew up with a love for the Colorado River and has worked as a river guide for more than four decades. In the year 2000, John co-founded Living Rivers, an advocacy group that seeks a path to restoring the ecology of the Southwest, balanced with meeting human needs. I interviewed John in the cool shade of his backyard boathouse in Moab, Utah just … Continue reading John Weisheit
Last week after my talk at Easter Lutheran Church, someone asked the question, “How do you take care of yourself?” It’s a good question. We have a strange schedule. A lot of uncertainty in our lives. We spend time with some difficult issues and we encounter stories of pain along the way. If you do it right, you carry some of that with you. What … Continue reading Self-care
Jackie Davis is 12 years old and lives in McKenzie Bridge, Oregon. She likes to catch snakes and salamanders in her yard. She’d like to work in claymation when she grows up. In late summer of 2020, the Holiday Farm wildfire swept through the valley where she lives and they had to evacuate. Her house wasn’t damaged by the fire, but more than 500 other … Continue reading Jackie Juniper Davis
In the midst of life’s storms, what brings you comfort? In the noise of daily life, what delivers calm? When you are feeling uncertain, what returns you to the values that you know are at the core of who you are? For many of us, the past 16 months or so have been unsettling. Uncertain. As we are pushed and pulled by the news of … Continue reading What centers you?
Eugene Joe is a Navajo sand artist who lives near Shiprock, New Mexico. At an early age, Eugene’s grandfather helped him discover his gift of art. His grandfather would send the boy to meditate on a nearby hill and say, “You have a gift that’s inside of you. Go there and find it.” “Your creator gave you a special tool in your life. To find that is to learn … Continue reading Eugene Joe
Amy Cordova sees her work and her life as inseparable. She is a visual artist, writer, and educator based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Amy has been creating art for as long as she can remember and finds the combination of art and nature to be transforming. She sees hope in children and her work calls on adults to wake up to the wonder, beauty, … Continue reading Amy Cordova
Taylor Bond lived the life that he thought was expected of him. He worked as an electrician for 10 years before, he says, he “freaked out,” sold all of his possessions, and bought an RV. Now he lives in Moab, Utah, works for just over minimum wage at a local climbing shop, and climbs rock towers in the desert. “Everybody wants what they can’t have. The … Continue reading Taylor Bond
Brandon Sheehan was born near Venice Beach, California. He says he grew up with sandy toes and salty lips. He studied fire ecology in college and worked for the forest service fighting wildfires. Brandon grew up Jewish, but eventually studied Tibetan Buddhism and was a resident at the Garden of One Thousand Buddhas in Arlee, Montana where he cast statues of the Buddha and helped … Continue reading Brandon Sheehan
Chris Brixey works as a paramedic, a ski patrol, and a wilderness EMT. He says that’s how he puts bread on the table and beer in the fridge. Some of Chris’s earliest and fondest memories are of pulling into a campground with his family and spending time outdoors. He says that a lifetime of satisfying experiences in the mountains have driven him to want more. … Continue reading Chris Brixey
