{"id":37329,"date":"2024-02-23t15:31:12","date_gmt":"2024-02-23t15:31:12","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/?p=37329"},"modified":"2024-02-23t15:31:13","modified_gmt":"2024-02-23t15:31:13","slug":"poetry-as-preservation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/poetry-as-preservation\/","title":{"rendered":"poetry as preservation: can art save ecosystems?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

what ecosystem do you inhabit? look around. notice the light coming through, the ground beneath your feet. what lives here? who are you exchanging air with? for field ecologist elliot hendry, these connections are consistently at the forefront of his mind. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

as a recent graduate of the university of wisconsin\u2013madison\u2019s master\u2019s in freshwater and marine sciences program, hendry specializes in connections. his thesis focused on invertebrate communities across spring systems in the madrean sky islands, where he spent many field days. however, hendry wasn\u2019t simply collecting data and making scientific observations. he was forming a relationship with the land. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
elliot hendry collects samples in mogollon rim springs, arizona for his thesis research. (credit: christina selby)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cthere’s nowhere on earth that doesn’t interest me, but i\u2019m particularly drawn to places that feature stark contrasts \u2013 like water in the desert,\u201d hendry said. \u201cimagine this: you’ve been walking through this barren, dry desert landscape, and then you drop down into a canyon. suddenly you see this big long stretch of green. large cottonwoods hang overhead, birds inhabit them, dragonflies buzz about, while thorny shrubs and cacti stand rooted just outside this lush corridor. this riparian ecosystem has been created by the simple emergence of water from rock, at an elevation where this particular community can form\u201d. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

while hendry translates his awe of ecosystems into findings and formatted papers, he also practices eco-poetry. when you google his title, you not only find his background as a field biologist, but a wordpress blog full of poetic musings. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

what is now a flourishing site started as simply taking time to journal. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cwhen it comes to poetry, i don\u2019t have much of a process except to pay attention. that\u2019s the root of it,\u201d hendry said. \u201clistening, tuning in to where you are, what\u2019s going on around you, what\u2019s going on <\/span>within <\/span><\/i>you.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

he said paying attention to your surroundings is a staple when you work in conservation. <\/span>his thesis<\/span><\/a> involved \u201c331 springs..comprising ~40% of the total number of mapped springs in<\/span> arizona\u2019s portion of the sky island ecoregion.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

but not every person\u2019s job demands such attention to detail. taking time to craft an experience with the world around you may be taxing, but hendry argues that it\u2019s vital to get more people involved with preserving nature. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

additionally, he adds that these connections can be made anywhere.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201ceco-poetry surely has an ability to encourage people to care enough about where they are or a place they want to preserve \u2013 wherever they are compelled enough to write a poem,\u201d hendry said. \u201cif we can find practices that encourage us to care about how we interact with \u201cthe other\u201d \u2013 whatever that other is \u2013 we stand a much better chance at preserving things that help us build and maintain those kinds of relationships \u2013 like ecosystems.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

the idea of blending science with individual expression is not new. renowned botanist and author robin wall kimmerer wrote extensively about the power of the names we give to nature, whether those be scientific or cultural. however, the amalgamation of science and art is relatively novel. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201ci think a lot of people in the sciences might not think about, or at least not talk about, translating their work artistically,\u201d hendry said. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

he noted that while there are opportunities to do both, you don\u2019t commonly see scientists making space for creativity in their work. hendry speculated this is a \u201ccautionary measure,\u201d as the pillars of science involve staying objective, while art tends to be more subjective. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201ci think some people shun the sciences for how un-feeling they are, while other people may shun the arts for how subjective they are,\u201d hendry said. \u201ci think they need each other. i certainly need both.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

while this may appear to be a rare perspective, hendry is not the only one working at this intersection. dragonfly researcher ken tennessen has long shared hendry\u2019s passion for paying attention to the environments he works in. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cto me, insects are the most incredible, diverse, and fascinating group of living things,\u201d tennessen said. \u201cdragonflies are my main passion because of their uniqueness, the imagery they cast, and their novel behaviors. they epitomize the natural world\u201d. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
researcher ken tennessen observes an emerald dragonfly in the field at jyme lake. (credit: madelyn anderson)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

tennessen\u2019s work has largely involved documenting dragonfly species, but his experiences also include publishing a book titled <\/span>dragonfly haiku<\/span><\/i>. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cin writing more than just technical papers about them, i feel i can also connect on a more personal and enlightened level by writing poems about dragonflies, especially in the form of haiku,\u201d tennessen said. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

while his work expands into creative writing, tennessen has published over 100 scientific papers on dragonflies. one paper, \u201cdragonfly nymphs of north america\u201d, touches on seven dragonfly families in detail.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

still, there is more to be done. according to <\/span>that research<\/span><\/a>, published in 2019, 50 species remain \u201cinadequately known.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

he is currently working on a second eco-poetry publication, <\/span>after the storm<\/span><\/i>. the work will contain 99 haiku and reference \u201cnot just weather but to all the perils dragonflies as a group have overcome since their origins over 300 million years ago,\u201d according to tennessen. it will also have nine images from a young artist. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cthe poems are divided into three sections: 1) aspects of dragonfly life in their natural environment, i.e., the interactions, challenges, and triumphs; 2) exploring how humans share some of the same issues facing dragonflies, including a little fantasy on my part; 3) delving into the connection humans have with these alluring insects,\u201d tennessen said. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

the relationship between humans and other living beings drives much of tennessen\u2019s creative practice. he shares hendry\u2019s sentiment that it can have the power to inspire environmental stewardship. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201ci glean much about the living world through poetry and feel that maybe i can help others gain a greater appreciation for nature,\u201d tennessen said. \u201cmy aspiration is that with heightened awareness of how vulnerable insects are to human activities, more will be done to protect them and all living things. our survival depends on it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by combining their knowledge of science with their appreciation for art, two ecologists discuss their work on eco-poetry in the hopes of helping others gain a greater appreciation for the natural world around them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21140,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4929,4935,7087,7080],"tags":[],"storyfest_categories":[7085],"class_list":["post-37329","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-biodiversity","category-conservation","category-storyfest","category-storyfest-2024"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\npoetry as preservation: can art save ecosystems? - planet forward<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"by combining their knowledge of science with their appreciation for art, two ecologists discuss their work on eco-poetry.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/poetry-as-preservation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_us\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"poetry as preservation: can art save ecosystems? - planet forward\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"by combining their knowledge of science with their appreciation for art, two ecologists discuss their work on eco-poetry.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/poetry-as-preservation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"planet forward\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/planetforward.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-02-23t15:31:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-02-23t15:31:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/storyfest-entry-badge-2024-4.png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"madelyn anderson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@planet_forward\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@planet_forward\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"madelyn anderson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"article\",\"@id\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/poetry-as-preservation\/#article\",\"ispartof\":{\"@id\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/poetry-as-preservation\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"madelyn anderson\",\"@id\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/#\/schema\/person\/889494ac08fc90933e9e42e61fa092ce\"},\"headline\":\"poetry as preservation: can art save ecosystems?\",\"datepublished\":\"2024-02-23t15:31:12+00:00\",\"datemodified\":\"2024-02-23t15:31:13+00:00\",\"mainentityofpage\":{\"@id\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/poetry-as-preservation\/\"},\"wordcount\":1039,\"commentcount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/poetry-as-preservation\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailurl\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/storyfest-entry-badge-2024-4.png\",\"articlesection\":[\"biodiversity\",\"conservation\",\"storyfest\",\"storyfest 2024\"],\"inlanguage\":\"en-us\",\"potentialaction\":[{\"@type\":\"commentaction\",\"name\":\"comment\",\"target\":[\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/poetry-as-preservation\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"webpage\",\"@id\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/poetry-as-preservation\/\",\"url\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/poetry-as-preservation\/\",\"name\":\"poetry as preservation: can art save ecosystems? - planet forward\",\"ispartof\":{\"@id\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/#website\"},\"primaryimageofpage\":{\"@id\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/poetry-as-preservation\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/poetry-as-preservation\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailurl\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/storyfest-entry-badge-2024-4.png\",\"datepublished\":\"2024-02-23t15:31:12+00:00\",\"datemodified\":\"2024-02-23t15:31:13+00:00\",\"description\":\"by combining their knowledge of science with their appreciation for art, two ecologists discuss their work on eco-poetry.\",\"inlanguage\":\"en-us\",\"potentialaction\":[{\"@type\":\"readaction\",\"target\":[\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/poetry-as-preservation\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"imageobject\",\"inlanguage\":\"en-us\",\"@id\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/poetry-as-preservation\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/storyfest-entry-badge-2024-4.png\",\"contenturl\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/storyfest-entry-badge-2024-4.png\",\"width\":500,\"height\":500},{\"@type\":\"website\",\"@id\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/\",\"name\":\"planet forward\",\"description\":\"inspiring stories to 2022年卡塔尔世界杯官网 \",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialaction\":[{\"@type\":\"searchaction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"entrypoint\",\"urltemplate\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"propertyvaluespecification\",\"valuerequired\":true,\"valuename\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inlanguage\":\"en-us\"},{\"@type\":\"organization\",\"@id\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"planet forward\",\"url\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"imageobject\",\"inlanguage\":\"en-us\",\"@id\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/pf_main_primary_rgb-1-1.png\",\"contenturl\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/pf_main_primary_rgb-1-1.png\",\"width\":1264,\"height\":660,\"caption\":\"planet forward\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameas\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/planetforward.org\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/planet_forward\"]},{\"@type\":\"person\",\"@id\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/#\/schema\/person\/889494ac08fc90933e9e42e61fa092ce\",\"name\":\"madelyn anderson\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"imageobject\",\"inlanguage\":\"en-us\",\"@id\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/85f9073527135c102aea7c77ff492bc4?s=96&d=https%3a%2f%2fplanetforward.org%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2023%2f02%2funtitled-design-1-150x150.png&r=g\",\"contenturl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/85f9073527135c102aea7c77ff492bc4?s=96&d=https%3a%2f%2fplanetforward.org%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2023%2f02%2funtitled-design-1-150x150.png&r=g\",\"caption\":\"madelyn anderson\"},\"url\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/author\/madelyng113\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ yoast seo plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"poetry as preservation: can art save ecosystems? - planet forward","description":"by combining their knowledge of science with their appreciation for art, two ecologists discuss their work on eco-poetry.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/poetry-as-preservation\/","og_locale":"en_us","og_type":"article","og_title":"poetry as preservation: can art save ecosystems? - planet forward","og_description":"by combining their knowledge of science with their appreciation for art, two ecologists discuss their work on eco-poetry.","og_url":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/poetry-as-preservation\/","og_site_name":"planet forward","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/planetforward.org","article_published_time":"2024-02-23t15:31:12+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-02-23t15:31:13+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/storyfest-entry-badge-2024-4.png"}],"author":"madelyn anderson","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@planet_forward","twitter_site":"@planet_forward","twitter_misc":{"written by":"madelyn anderson","est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"article","@id":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/poetry-as-preservation\/#article","ispartof":{"@id":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/poetry-as-preservation\/"},"author":{"name":"madelyn anderson","@id":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/#\/schema\/person\/889494ac08fc90933e9e42e61fa092ce"},"headline":"poetry as preservation: can art save ecosystems?","datepublished":"2024-02-23t15:31:12+00:00","datemodified":"2024-02-23t15:31:13+00:00","mainentityofpage":{"@id":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/poetry-as-preservation\/"},"wordcount":1039,"commentcount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/poetry-as-preservation\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailurl":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/storyfest-entry-badge-2024-4.png","articlesection":["biodiversity","conservation","storyfest","storyfest 2024"],"inlanguage":"en-us","potentialaction":[{"@type":"commentaction","name":"comment","target":["\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/poetry-as-preservation\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"webpage","@id":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/poetry-as-preservation\/","url":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/poetry-as-preservation\/","name":"poetry as preservation: can art save ecosystems? - planet forward","ispartof":{"@id":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/#website"},"primaryimageofpage":{"@id":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/poetry-as-preservation\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/poetry-as-preservation\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailurl":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/storyfest-entry-badge-2024-4.png","datepublished":"2024-02-23t15:31:12+00:00","datemodified":"2024-02-23t15:31:13+00:00","description":"by combining their knowledge of science with their appreciation for art, two ecologists discuss their work on eco-poetry.","inlanguage":"en-us","potentialaction":[{"@type":"readaction","target":["\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/poetry-as-preservation\/"]}]},{"@type":"imageobject","inlanguage":"en-us","@id":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/poetry-as-preservation\/#primaryimage","url":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/storyfest-entry-badge-2024-4.png","contenturl":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/storyfest-entry-badge-2024-4.png","width":500,"height":500},{"@type":"website","@id":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/#website","url":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/","name":"planet forward","description":"inspiring stories to 2022年卡塔尔世界杯官网 ","publisher":{"@id":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/#organization"},"potentialaction":[{"@type":"searchaction","target":{"@type":"entrypoint","urltemplate":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"propertyvaluespecification","valuerequired":true,"valuename":"search_term_string"}}],"inlanguage":"en-us"},{"@type":"organization","@id":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/#organization","name":"planet forward","url":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/","logo":{"@type":"imageobject","inlanguage":"en-us","@id":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/pf_main_primary_rgb-1-1.png","contenturl":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/pf_main_primary_rgb-1-1.png","width":1264,"height":660,"caption":"planet forward"},"image":{"@id":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameas":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/planetforward.org","https:\/\/x.com\/planet_forward"]},{"@type":"person","@id":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/#\/schema\/person\/889494ac08fc90933e9e42e61fa092ce","name":"madelyn anderson","image":{"@type":"imageobject","inlanguage":"en-us","@id":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/85f9073527135c102aea7c77ff492bc4?s=96&d=https%3a%2f%2fplanetforward.org%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2023%2f02%2funtitled-design-1-150x150.png&r=g","contenturl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/85f9073527135c102aea7c77ff492bc4?s=96&d=https%3a%2f%2fplanetforward.org%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2023%2f02%2funtitled-design-1-150x150.png&r=g","caption":"madelyn anderson"},"url":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/author\/madelyng113\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37329"}],"collection":[{"href":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21140"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37329"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37329\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37329"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37329"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37329"},{"taxonomy":"storyfest_categories","embeddable":true,"href":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/storyfest_categories?post=37329"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}