Welcome to the Autumn 2024 issue of From the Ground Up!

Yellowing ferns. Waning daylight. Asters in bloom. Birds and butterflies headed south.

These are the natural signs of autumn in our corner of the world. During this time, we also think about gathering food and gathering together, as we enjoy the fruits of our summer season. In this issue, we bring you a wide range of voices that illustrate integrated approaches to conservation, as we travel from Wildlands off the coast of Maine to a co-op farm in Vermont to a small, determined community in Massachusetts. There’s no better time to reflect on the beauty and challenges facing New England and the role each of us plays in our collective future.

Our cover image, by the painter and photographer Samuel Peter Rolt Triscott (1846–1925), brings us inward, to the deep, wild forest of Monhegan Island. This issue features the tiny Maine island, connecting us with this place and exploring how we relate to nature. Artists have long found Monhegan a source of inspiration. A new book and upcoming art exhibit feature some of the works that have come from that history. Richard Farrell of Monhegan Associates explores our connection with, and disconnection from, the natural world. An interview with naturalist Bryan Pfeiffer reveals his decades-long relationship with the island, from bird observation to peaceful contemplation. David Foster sums all these things up as he describes the unique qualities of the Wildlands of Monhegan.

In the town of Orange, Massachusetts, food and hope run side by side in the beautiful story, by Cathy Stanton, of a partnership between a land trust and a food co-op in a struggling town seeking solid ground. In Vermont, Maddie Kempner offers “a beacon of hope” in her essay Yes Farms, Yes Food.

Bobolinks, those mellifluous birds that grace open pastures and hay meadows, and raise young when they are able, are featured in a story of hay and healthy soil, by Caro Roszell and Brian Donahue.

Conversation is central to our mission, so we’re delighted to share three thoughtful responses from our readers to the important new report featured in our previous issue, Beyond the ‘Illusion of Preservation.’ Bob Perschel highlights the importance of wood as a building material. Zack Porter questions the role of public lands in forest management. And Jamie Sayen reminds us of the long-standing proposals for a vast Maine Wilderness. 

In a more lyrical realm, Bob Perschel brings us into the woods and to the forest floor with his poem Lie Down. And Joe Bruchac calls us to think about how we relate to land with his poem Ndakkina.

In this issue’s Policy Desk, Pat Parenteau, President Emeritus of Vermont Law School, gives us an update on the implications of a recent Supreme Court decision to overturn the Chevron Doctrine that could dramatically impact the ability of governments to manage environmental protections–and many other things. David Foster provides an update on the Massachusetts Climate Forestry Committee report, reactions to it, and implementation of its recommendations. And Alex Redfield highlights policy stories from each of the six New England states in his Policy Chronicle.

As always, we want to hear from you. Our submission guidelines highlight the many ways that you can join the conversation.

With gratitude,
The Editors of From the Ground Up

Brian Donahue, David Foster, Marissa Latshaw (Publisher), Alex Redfield, Liz Thompson (Managing Editor)