Choices

” . . .how much survives will depend on ourown deliberate choices.  . . ” Ross Douthat

Walking through the open areas of Alton Baker Park with Bill this morning, I was struck by the subtle waves of purple threaded through the grasses, the most expansive display of native camas I have seen, in the park or anywhere else. Camas bulbs were a staple food of local native Americans, who gathered and roasted the bulbs, which have a slightly sweet flavor like pear or sweet potato.

Since we moved here in 2010, camas has moved back into our neighborhood. When the new I5 bridge was built, a series of plaques depicting the various stages of camas growth were set into the concrete of the underpass along our walking trail. A sculpture I call “camas basket” was installed alongside the new overpass. And camas was planted and nurtured in the park.

The choice to preserve this delicate and significant plant seemed a perfect example of what Ross Douthout described in “An Age of Extinction, his recent op ed in the New York Times. We can read about camas online, but its physical survival depends on the work of our hands and allocation of physical space.