Why sit in front of the television or computer watching other people live full lives? My name is Ben Duffy, I love fishing, and the outdoors, I grew up in Bennington, VT. But, I spent most weekends at my father's house, and he has never been a fan of television, and as a child, I was not allowed to watch it much. I got to watch a couple hours, of Saturday morning cartoons, and that was it. Then it was time to go outside and play, if I was bored, my Dad had lots of stuff I could do; stack wood, mow the lawn, paint the house, etc. Thankfully, he owned 18 acres of woods, in upstate NY, surrounded by a pretty big forested area, and I found lots of ways to have fun out there. So, I grew to love the outdoors, and my father would take me camping, fishing, hiking, and swimming in Vermont State Parks.
Fishing has become one of my favorite pastimes, I spend a lot of time following streams up the mountain from the Winooski river, between Jonesville, and Waterbury, at places like the waterfall (above left), which is where I caught these beautiful brook trout (left). Emerald lake State Park in East Dorset Vt, is where we did most of our camping, and where I started to fish.
Vermont has some wonderful state parks, full of outdoor recreational fun, which I think is one effective way to use the land. I worry that without these natural areas, we will see the health of our planet continue to decay, at more, and more rapid rates. To me, we as human beings, are just one part of the web of life, as we destroy more strands of that web, we destroy our chances of survival. I hope to preserve, and protect as much of our wild areas that are left as possible.
Excellent introductory blog post, Ben.
ReplyDeleteInspired use of our Web 2.0 tools.
You must read Richard Louve's book LAST CHILD IN THE WOODS.
Great start here!
Dr. W