Rebuilding the Ark by Carol ………. Pennsylvania
In 1996, many of the plants I had always known as wildflowers suddenly morphed into
native plants. So what had changed? Not the plants themselves, of course, so it had to be
me—the way I thought of them. What or who had prompted that change, and exactly
what was my new perspective?
“Our job is to plant.” …Sara Stein
On her way home to New England, Sara Stein looked out an airplane window and
suddenly saw the forest for the trees. The scene below was unremarkable – a grid of
roads lined with lots. On each lot was a house set amidst a sea of lawn. Where once
there had been woods and fields, there was now only grass. A single species had replaced
hundreds. Monoculture had replaced biodiversity. She realized she might have been
almost anywhere in the United States. Her own sense of place was gone and she
wondered if all the wildlife dependent on those lost species were, too.
Sara Stein felt an urgency to do something. First she made a U-turn with regard to the
management of her own property. Over time she replaced grass with meadow, dug ponds
and restored woodlands. She eradicated invasive species and planted natives. She
planted and planted and planted. She wrote the book, Noah’s Garden, to spread the word,
and then she followed it with the how-to guide, Planting Noah’s Garden. She gave
programs to interested groups across the country.
Sara Stein was a slight woman, nervous and uncomfortable speaking in public. Yet she
forced herself to do it because she believed in her compelling message. When I heard it I
was stunned. My husband and I had just moved into one of those houses surrounded
mainly by lawn. Her words made me think. I could no longer in good conscience
proceed with my plans to plant only to please myself. I had to view our property from a
new perspective – that of all of the life the land was meant to serve.
Since that day biodiversity has been my goal. Each year I have added to the number of
species growing on our land. At first the additions were mainly natives chosen rather
randomly. Now I am more deliberate in my choices, trying to select the plants which
would normally grow together in a natural community with conditions similar to those
which exist on our property. The effects of increased plant diversity are now evident just
outside our door. Our yard is filled with life of all sorts.
Sara Stein is no longer with us, but I continue to celebrate her life as one that made a
difference, and I thank her for enriching mine.