As I am writing this, I hear off in the near distance the roar of diesel engines from heavy duty machinery and the crashing of large trees falling to the ground.  In my very first blog post, The Folly of Unchecked Development, I expressed my views on the importance of land conservation.  Well, the inevitable is happening at this moment.  The area that you see in this image, which I have designated as part of my Woodland Gallery, is now being systematically destroyed by land developers.  The big machinery has arrived and has started to build a road to this once unspoiled beauty of nature - the home of foxes and deer over many generations.  The greed of the county, banks, investors, and developers could not be stopped.  I have walked these grounds many times in solitude and I have savored the wonder of wild fern fields, discovered a unique mushroom tree, watched athletic deer leap high over brush, gazed at young fox pups as they pop out of their fox holes in the early evening, and I have approached young fawns bedded down in the early morning.  This exploitation of the wildlife and natural beauty of the land is horrific. Words alone cannot express my sorrow for the loss yet again, of virgin Eastern USA woodland and the domicile for a rich variety of four legged critters and birds of prey.  This transgression upon nature has occurred nearby every residence of ours for the past 40 plus years.  I am afraid that it will never end until it is too late.  Goodbye my Lost Woodland.

See my Woodland Image Gallery here.

D W Orr

Environmentalist, Historic Preservationist, Weimaraner Companion, Blogger, and Photographer

Harford County, Maryland

April 27, 2016
 

Fox Hill