Up Front With Sara Parker Pauley

As the new year rolled in, a winter’s storm blanketed the surrounding landscape and left a winter wonderland in its wake. The nearby bluff was framed in white, revealing an underlying bone structure that showcased its raw beauty, highlighted with stalwart trees and their naked limbs lifting skyward.

Looking out the window at the bluff and the birds frenziedly grabbing for seed at the feeders, I thought of how winter lays us bare, forces us to slow down, shed off what is no longer necessary, and rest awhile. Writer Katherine May opines,

“Once we stop wishing it were summer, winter can be a glorious season … a time for reflection and recuperation, for slow replenishment, for putting your house in order.”

You’ll read in this month’s issue how wildlife winters, from flying squirrels huddling together in tree cavities (Page 10) to bucks shedding antlers to conserve energy through Missouri’s colder months (Page 16).

And there are myriad opportunities to find your own connection to nature in wintertime. From a walk in the fresh snow on a nearby conservation area or an eagle-viewing road trip to perhaps a snow goose hunt or a trout fishing adventure at one of the many urban fishing venues — all are designed for us to breathe in the chilled air and get the blood pumping! So, let’s savor this wintering season, with eyes opened to the mysteries that nature reveals during this special time of year.

Sara Parker Pauley, Director