Natural lands: ‘holy remnants’ for sanctuary, good health

The first thing I noticed was the sweet, pungent aroma of sunset-colored leaves in autumn. The trees breathing out their moist, oxygen-rich exhalation. Moss-carpeted rocks and soil draped in emerald beauty, giving off their earthy scent.

As we walked with our guides into Blanton Forest Preserve on Pine Mountain near Harlan, my 10-year-old son and I breathed in the air and marveled at the array of life before us.

Blanton Forest is the largest tract of old-growth forest remaining in the commonwealth and is owned by Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission. In 1995, a group of friends discovered the rich biodiversity of these woods and decided to work to protect the land.

This was the start of Kentucky Natural Lands Trust, a statewide nonprofit with the goal to protect Kentucky’s rich biodiversity and ensure a future that will continue to inspire new generations of environmental stewards.

We hiked into the 3,510-acre preserve with three trust members as guides. It was as if we were making a pilgrimage into a holy land; 350-year-old trees arched over us like the vaulted ceiling of a sanctuary. A stream with darting minnows (including some endangered species) flowed down the mountain as we hiked up, its fresh waters reminding me of the source of my own baptism. The congregants were rocks and boulders robed in lichen, spiders weaving their altar linens, and rhododendrons kneeling in prayer — all of them hushed and reverent.

Pine Mountain is home to a mixed mesophytic forest, which means that it is one of the most diverse temperate forests in the world. It’s the largest conservation effort in Kentucky’s history — a 125-mile forested migratory “bridge” stretching from Virginia through Kentucky to Tennessee. The ridge provides a critical refuge and migratory route that runs through a region with extensive resource extraction.

We might say that this land is a “holy remnant” of what God had created. In the Bible, the “remnant” of Israel left from the fall of Jerusalem had a holy purpose — to carry the memories of their people, and to rebuild for the next generation.

Pine Mountain is part of a “holy remnant” of the untouched forests that remain after humans have ravaged the land since the Industrial Revolution. There are nearly 100 species of rare plants and animals known to live on the mountain, some found nowhere else on the planet.

Some may ask, “What good is a forest if we can’t sell what’s in it? Or put up a resort to enjoy the vista? Or clear the land for agriculture?” What people often do not understand is that wildlands represent a wealth of “natural capital.”

The resiliency of local, regional and global communities depends on functioning natural systems that can withstand threats through adaption and change. This is of particular importance in the face of a shifting climate.

For example, Kentucky’s growing season is already changing. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Kentucky is generally one 5-degree Fahrenheit half-zone warmer than the previous map showed from 1990. This warming is being recorded throughout much of the United States.

Keeping natural lands wild not only has a ripple effect on the stabilization of the ecosystem, it is also vital to both economic and human health. Untouched forests are huge carbon sinks, meaning that they absorb the carbon dioxide wreaking havoc on the climate. The longer we protect these lands — and the more lands we protect — the better it will be for everyone, human and other-than-human alike.

Protecting these natural lands is part of our faith, our heritage and our duty as patriotic citizens. Many of these trees are older than me, older than anyone alive, older than this nation.

I was taught to respect my elders. Why should we not extend that respect and love to these chestnut oaks, hickories and hemlocks? Protecting these wild places is what will truly help make America — and Kentucky — great again.

To learn more about Kentucky Natural Lands Trust, visit: http://knlt.org/.

This story was originally published December 8, 2017 at 6:15 PM with the headline "Natural lands: ‘holy remnants’ for sanctuary, good health."