On my way up the cliff to watch the sunset, I stopped to look in the pools. There had been rain in the past week which brought more life into these temporal aquatic habitats. Today I could see more than just dead algae, there were dark colored mosquito larvae bobbing from the surface. From there I followed the path to the cave and noticed the amount of litter in the area. I did not see any signs of the birds that I had seen before. The great thing about the greenbelt is that it is divided into many sections and there are many ways to get there. It is important to remember that if it wasn’t for those 1960s protesters who petitioned to save the greenbelt from development, I would not be able to enjoy it today. There are many benefits that we get from the environment which the policy makers lobbied to save. Food, water, fuel, fiber, and genetic resources are just the beginning of the services that nature provides because it is also where we get culture. Nature is an escape from normal life in an urban setting, and it a source of inspiration for artists and the religious. What keeps the greenbelt protected today is Eco tourism which brings people from all over the world to a place where they can experience biodiversity that is completely new and landscapes that are unique.

“Cease being intimidated by the argument that a right action is impossible because it does not yield maximum profits, or that a wrong action is to be condoned because it pays.”
― Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac

Society seems to have disconnect with nature and its appreciation. Getting out of the house is one of the most important things we can do for our health. Studies that experiment with human reactions to image stimuli show that people who look at images of nature produce more dopamine than those who look at pictures of urban developments. This is something that I experienced today. When I’m walking in the green belt, I was conscious of all the sounds. Normal sounds that I take for granted: the sound of wind, water, crickets, leaves crackling. What I observe is the entire Eco-system but also the very small interactions in nature. I can appreciate the sun and the warmth of its rays, bird chirping, and the feeling of the elements on my skin. The river is dried out except for some small pools of water that seem to have some algae growing, but mostly stagnant and dead looking. After peering into the little pools, I trekked up the side of a cliff to watch the sunset. In a small cave I found the perfect place to sit and as I looked around, I noticed a couple of birds that were under the rock that I was sitting on. They moved in and out of the crevice so fast in the harsh light that I couldn’t identify them, but I suspect they are the kind that uses mud to make its nest.

“On motionless wing they emerge from the lifting mists, sweep a final arc of sky, and settle in clangorous descending spirals to their feeding grounds. A new day has begun on the crane marsh.”
― Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac