Lubbock Local Wildlife: Earth Day, Drought, Clapp Park

Earth Day is fast approaching. April 22. This will be Earth Day's 45th anniversary, so Earth Day and I are close to the same age. This year I have wanted to do something more significant to honor the day. The old brain casted about for the right thing, and then I ran across this article:

Earth Day Pond Cleanup

And Clapp Park came to mind. I love Clapp Park. I love that such a wild and often beautiful place is a two-minute bike ride from my house. (I love Mae Simmons and Aztlán Parks in the same way, but they require a lot more pedaling.) I decided to spend a few hours picking up trash at Clapp to mark and celebrate Earth Day. I am going for the old Think Globally, Act Locally idea this year.

Wednesday was a rough day - lots of rough news about people around us. Sasha and I found ourselves with a shared restlessness, so we decided to walk around Clapp on an Earth-Day scouting run. (Note to self: never go to Clapp without a real camera, the vaguely intelligent phone just does not do it justice.)

We saw lots of cool things and apparently smelled even more. We saw some nice raised-bed gardens inside the arboretum fence. We saw evidence that someone has been using tree branches to lay out protected areas for butterfly gardens and other small nature refuges. We also saw that someone had been working at clearing trash.

On a less positive front, we saw that the two ponds had dried up to almost nothing. We saw lots of trash. Lots of trash. The two remaining spots of water were teeming with overcrowded life - turtles, frogs, fish, and opportunistic birds.

With man-made trash and drought, the place has become a bittersweet place for me, but one worth working for. So, what are your plans for Earth Day?

May every day be Earth Day, and may you be one of those who keep it going.

"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then I want to go where they went." Will Rogers

There is a statue on the Texas Tech campus. The statue is of Will Rogers and his horse. I have walked, driven, or bicycled past that statue hundreds of times, but I know little of Will and his country wit. I do, however, often run across quotes that make me like him all the better.

I had a lot of  time over the weekend to hang out with the dogs: Condo, Sasha, and Maya at our house; Quiz, Chance, and Lacy at Keith and Melissa's. In general, I like dogs better than people.

Bonus dog/Heaven quote for the day:
"Heaven goes by favor. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in." Mark Twain

All of that is to say that there was an article about Lubbock Animal Services and their our approach to animal euthanasia. It's not gory or horrific. It is an article filled with facts and some hope, but it is still an article about killing animals because they exist. Below are links to that article and to a short list of animals available for adoption.

Policy-based euthanasia at city of Lubbock animal shelters decreasing; still too many, officials say

Adoptable Animals at Lubbock Animal Services

May you choose your friends by their virtues.

The Haven - A No-Kill, Non-Profit Animal Shelter

This handsome guy (the one in his beloved dino pj's) is Condo. His racing name was El Conde, but his sleeping-on-the-couch name and thrilled-to-have-a-cookie name is Condo. And he is very much a blessing in our home. He is our good dog. He, of course, is a rescue.

 

If you are looking for a Condo, Fido, Fluffy, Princess, Quiz, Newman, Sinka, Jenna, Pharaoh, or any other blessing for your family this holiday season, well, here is a great opportunity for you - the Haven is having an open house on Saturday.

The Haven Website

 

May your home be blessed with a tail that wags at the sound of your voice!