Moving isn’t easy

We are in transition. Moving from Kona, Hawaii, back to the Pacific Northwest.

It is a years long process.

Hawaii is under siege from invasive species. On our citrus farm, the biggest threat is pigs.

Feral pigs live in the hundreds in these parts. Once we undo their damage, we have to fix the farm in such a way that they can’t repeat their piggy, persistent attacks. We are building fences, barriers, and trying many approaches.

Our neighbors use guns and dogs, but never, have they ever, eradicated the pigs, only created space for more pigs! We also have issues with hunting dogs living on chains, barking, gunfire, and big, big trucks that tear up the road.

They are looking for roots, fruit, grubs, and god knows what. They dig holes in the middle of the night, so it’s hard to keep up with them. A mother hog will give birth in the spring to about a dozen piglets. They are both cute and fascinating. They are smart, but also terrifying when they get bigger.

When I think about the damage done to natural habitats, it’s easy to focus on pollution, carbon, burning of toxins to support our way of life, but it’s often overlooked how our introduction of invasive species of both plants and animals causes great disruption.

If you live somewhere that was once native forest or plains, you may not realize what it once looked like. You won’t hear the birds that once lived there, or spot the native flora and fauna.

We all should take a moment to try to envision what a native landscape, or even sea-scape, is supposed to look like. Remembering how our moving around affects everything helps us reflect on what all our moving actually does in the real world.

That way, we have an inspiration to work on recreating harmony, beauty, and hope for the possibility of a nicer world.