This week, we’re excited to share a special guest blog from volunteer John Foley. Thanks, John!
Growing up in Los Angeles, it was a trek for me to get to the wilderness. Sure, we had beaches, but there was always something that drew me to the open spaces. Now, in Orange County, my family and I have the privilege of living on the edge of Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park with a beautiful view of the coastal sage scrub habitat. After years in the corporate world, I have more time to spend on the trails. I volunteer to lead hikes, restore habitat, pull invasive plants, pick up trash, and work with OC Parks on wildlife monitoring. These activities have afforded me opportunities to capture some amazing photos of native flora and fauna. Photographing the wilderness has been wonderful avenue for me to show my deep respect for this nature preserve.
Creatures big and small have certainly piqued my interest, and so I took Dick Newell’s OC Trackers course to better understand how this delicate ecosystem sustains the native wildlife. While sometimes on hikes or restoration outings I may not see any wildlife, I have learned to spot evidence of their presence. Whether a coyote’s tracks, a gopher’s mound, a scrub jay’s rustling, or a mule deer’s nibble marks on mulefat, these signs remind me that I am a visitor in their home, their habitat. So I take nothing, not a flower, not a rock, not a feather, but I do take trash…oh, and I take pictures, lots of pictures.
And I leave nothing but my footprints.
