Why I Care & Do What I Do
Reflections by Chuck Dinsmore
When asked to reflect personally on ‘why I care and do what I do’, I might borrow the response “where do I begin?” and select from the varied narratives that have informed my life. Was it an influential childhood environment, an unanticipated educational trajectory, accumulated professional experiences, the many and often anonymous mentors and heroes whom one wishes to emulate? All of the above! Moreover, my cares today draw on thoughts about our children and grandchildren, the legacy we shall leave and how they will remember our stewardship. The question for me then becomes: how could I not care?
Every member of this community cares, in their own way and through their own contributions in support of our ‘commons’, about the clean air we breathe & the clean water that we drink. So for me, it is a distinct privilege to be member of such a dynamic family of conservation-minded individuals at Midcoast Conservancy who care deeply about our common heritage, actively promoting an environment that is healthy in every respect.
Today I hiked to the deck of the south yurt at Hidden Valley Nature Center looking for inspiration; the sun is shining, a breeze rustles the leaves, crickets chirp their chorus and a colorful caterpillar works over a leaf beside my laptop. When I get home, I’ll verify its identity - because I care.
The woods and fields of my childhood in a small Maine village created many opportunities to get up-close and personal with nature, a vast self-contained educational institution that is tuition-free! That has only come into clearer focus for me in hindsight and underscored the need to help preserve such opportunities for present and future generations. Aphorisms like ‘paying it forward’ come to mind but it’s also a deeper sense of obligation to our children and grandchildren to preserve and protect their right to a healthy environment. That’s on my mind, too - because I care.
Some guidance also comes from trying to cull the reflective wisdom on our relationship with natural environments from the works of Henry David Thoreau, John Muir, Theodore Roosevelt, Aldo Leopold and many other environmental leaders. Superimpose that on personal experiences over many decades as a biologist/educator who now enjoys sharing outdoor explorations and observations with ‘children of all ages’. A particular hook for me is sometimes stated as “seeing things for the first time, again” through the eyes of children as they discover the world of nature. Perhaps I can be their guide, and they, mine - because I care.
The question posed actually asks ALL of us to think deeply about our core values with regard to the current state of the environment on which we and all future generations fundamentally depend: “Why do WE care”? A short answer then might be that we care enough, at a significant turning point in human history, to have created Midcoast Conservancy!
(9/27/2019, revised 4/18/2025)
