Each time I wake up, I feel as if I’m greeted with a new environmental catastrophe. Recently there’s been countless attempts to sell protected lands for drilling and fracking, not to mention the administration’s attempts to get rid of the roadless rule, and the ongoing attack on the Boundary Waters. 

When I feel particularly despondent, I force myself to put on my boots and tromp out into the Natural Lands. After a few (forced) walks, I’ve found there is good news all around if I look up and away from my feet.

Hope in the Prairie

The prairie is one of my favorite places, now covered densely in snow. I like to watch my breath form next to me in my shadow as I walk or see how much ice has formed on Big Pond. The prairie plants which I spent all fall studying lie dormant under the snow, but I know they will come back.

One of my favorite plants in the prairie area is leadplant (Amorpha canescens), a small, shrubby little perennial often mistaken for false indigo. I love it partially because it was one of the first plants I learned to identify, but also because it’s an indication of good soil and a healthy, well kept prairie.

Often hiding amongst taller grasses, leadplant grows up to a meter and can be identified by its small purple flowers and grayish leaves. It’s part of the legume family, which means its root system allows it to take nitrogen from the air and transform it into nitrate and ammonium. Small swellings on the roots called nodules harbor a safe place for bacteria to grow, which can actively “fix” atmospheric nitrogen. Nitrogen is plentiful in Northfield, being expelled from our cars, planes that fly overhead, and even the trains that run through our city. Leadplant quietly takes that greenhouse gas and turns it into something the surrounding plants can use. Its roots are incredibly deep, previously being called “devil’s shoestring” because of how long they were, and it can take many years to develop.

“Tossing Seed” on St. Olaf prairie, circa 1989. Photo Credit: Gene Bakko

Leadplant is an encouraging sight, not only because it actively takes greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere, but because its presence alone means that the prairie is healthy and happy. Although it hurts to see comparative maps of Midwestern prairie loss, leadplant is a reminder that retroactive actions are being taken, and often successfully. The Natural Lands is a relatively new endeavor, having started in the 80s. The leadplant stands there now only because of the restoration work we’ve been doing, and will continue to do. The restored prairie won’t be the same, but that doesn’t mean that it’s gone forever. 

Hope in the Conifers

I’ve always appreciated the quiet and the welcome change of temperature in the summer when I step into the conifer plot. Even the buzz and hum of the Natural Lands itself dims when I return to the dense grove of jack pines and white spruce. Even as I enjoyed it, I knew little of its history and wondered why it was there, as it always felt a little out of place. 

The answer for that question can be found in the 1993 CURI project that took place in the Natural Lands. The foreign aspect of southern Minnesota for a conifer made St. Olaf a spectacular location for a project which aimed to study the effects of a warmer, wetter climate on conifer growth. The project’s results indicate that conifers and boreal forests might be alright, as long as deciduous trees are kept in check. The greatest issue with conifer growth isn’t the longer rainy season or the difference in soil, but that deciduous trees have a strong growing advantage over the conifers. 

Further student research on the plot indicated that after the research completed, the conifers continued to establish their own healthy ecosystem. A student researcher found that the trees were continuing to successfully reproduce in 2021, 3 years after the official research had completely culminated.

Film photo inside Conifer Plot. Photo Credit: Kelby Anderson, ‘24

The conifer plot is proof that some nature will adapt for itself. Those trees are some of the oldest species on the planet, and have seen a few more things than we have. When we talk about “helping” the environment, sometimes it means assisting it in what it might already be doing for itself. Some species will adapt to a warmer climate better than we might expect. 

Hope in the Woodland Pond Forest

Tucked away and marked only by an iron post with a colorful piece of plastic is a hidden gem that my colleague once showed me. The Natural Land’s only American Chestnut (Castanea dentata) stands quietly in solitude. Critically endangered and originally native to the eastern United States, it is the only one of its kind for miles. 

The American Chestnut in the Natural Lands. Photo credit: Olivia Hebblewhite

Once upon a time, the American Chestnut was an incredibly populous tree, numbering at around nearly four billion before colonization. It grew quickly and was known to be remarkably large. Indigenous people harvested and cultivated the nuts, as they were rich in nutrients and calories. Settlers also used the wood to create log cabins and telephone poles, as the wood was very rot-resistant. 

However, this quickly changed. The introduction of a non-native chestnut tree from Asia introduced an airborne blight which entered through wounds in the trunk. It was introduced in the late 1800s and effectively wiped out all standing trees in a 50 year period. 

It was a devastating blow, but it did not completely wipe out the trees. The blight was unable to reach the dense root systems that the American Chestnuts have, and the trunks continue to grow new shoots even to this day. Presently, the American Chestnut Foundation is working on a solution to the blight through genetic modification and breeding.

There’s no way to say for sure, but it’s likely that with its unique location and protection from other trees that it will continue to grow safely. While the American Chestnut may never reach its same spread again, our restoration efforts can provide a safe harbor for one tree as restoration research continues.

Hope in Heath Creek

Heath Creek has always been one of my absolute favorite spots. I love the sharp cold of the water and the buzz of insects. Once, in the winter, I even saw a mink scurry across the ice. It’s always had a special place in my heart.

What I didn’t know for many years was that the old burr oaks were a little older than I thought. On a walk with my coworkers, my boss, Wes Braker, asked us to look closer at one of the oaks. We didn’t really know what to say. 

“Well, it looks like a burr oak,” I said somewhat uselessly, thinking he was looking for an identification. 

He pointed us to the branches, splaying out wider than the surrounding trees and shading us from the October sun. “Those branches mean it was open-grown,” he said with excitement. “This tree is still here from when this spot existed as a prairie, before farmers came here at all.” 

The trees in Heath Creek can be a reminder that the story of old growth removal isn’t set in stone just yet. Yes, actions to halt old growth removal are few and far between, and certainly not enough, but it’s easy to forget that there’s still some out there. They might even be hiding in plain sight, quiet and unnoticed. In fact, behind Ytterboe stands what may be one of the oldest sugar maples in the state, likely not cut down by farmers because it was a good benchmark for where their land ended. Old growth is often characterized as something that’s only on protected lands and is far away from regular life. But it might be right in front of us, too.

Hope in the Future

During our walk at Heath Creek, Wes coaxed us across a log that had fallen across the creek to what I thought was farmland. He told us that the area was under current restoration and pointed out a baby burr oak, teaching us how to count the years it had grown. I looked up at the horizon, where the cornfields met the darkening sky, and I wondered how many other passion projects, restoration efforts, and old, quiet trees keep growing while I scroll through doomsday adjacent headlines. 

Crossing the fallen log to the new restoration.

I feel that cynicism can at times be overvalued in the environmental field. Information on lost water or extinct species are waved around almost as a virtue signal. It feels like my textbooks are saying that we have to care because nobody else does. I have found this message to be neither true or effective. Overwhelming pessimistic statements and upsetting statistics do not encourage people to get involved. It’s hard to think about and even harder to confront in order to take action, and people have this emotional reaction because they care.

I asked one of my professors, Nick Reich, this last semester how he could keep reading these blatantly dystopian and downright depressing articles. I wasn’t really sure if he would reply. He did, and he told me that education itself often helps him feel better about things; if we understand the problem we can find a way to intervene. He said, “clarity, even when it feels hard, can be its own kind of hope. We can’t change what we don’t understand.”

I have really taken that to heart, and I’ve tried to look between the branches of each new problem to see a better reality on the other side. But I think we all need a little more hope. Nothing has inspired me to take more action than learning about successful restorations or local volunteering events. 

I think both need to be held at the same time for effective change. To create restorations and take new actions, we have to know what the problem is. But if we only talk about the problems, no one will know about the restorations. Whether you’re an educator, a student, or somewhere in between, I know you know learning is important. But I also hope we can look up from our boots and see what good news we can find, and let that move us forward to a better future.

ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE

Food Recovery Network

Sign up for their email list by emailing frnleaders@stolaf.edu

Food Recovery Network meets at 8:30 almost every weekday for an hour packaging food from Stav hall. Anybody can sign up! (And to be honest it’s kind of fun to package the food)

Good news! FRN increased the amount of shifts they had when SNAP benefits were taken away, and almost all the shifts were completely filled.

Environmental Coalition

Sign up for their email list by emailing ecorganizers@stolaf.edu 

Environmental Coalition meets weekly from 7 – 8 PM in i forgot the room and works together to make meaningful change on campus.

Good news! EC successfully re-instituted compost bins in Buntrock commons, and put in a “for here” option at the Cage to reduce packaging waste.

STOGrow

StoGrow’s Instagram

StoGrow has open volunteer opportunities in early fall and mid-spring that anyone can join, usually in the mornings.

Good news! STOGrow actually sells their produce to BonApp, both lowering the school’s carbon footprint and funding the program. 

Work for the Natural Lands

Applications and postings likely to come this spring

• Off campus 

Clean River Partners

https://www.cleanriverpartners.org/volunteer

Local volunteer-run collective which protects the Cannon River Watershed’s land and water. Volunteer opportunities include educational outreach, planting seeds, and more.

Community Action Center

https://volunteer.bloomerang.co/web-admin/app/#/join-party?k=p0q78t55a6r08u

Located in Faribault, volunteer opportunities include sorting through good food to divert it from landfill.

Sources

Belin, Laura. “Iowa Wildflower Wednesday: Leadplant.” Bleeding Heartland, 29 July 2020, www.bleedingheartland.com/2020/07/29/iowa-wildflower-wednesday-leadplant/. 

Canadian Pacific Railway, dlab.epfl.ch/wikispeedia/wpcd/wp/c/Canadian_Pacific_Railway.htm#:~:text=In%20the%20CPR’s%20early%20years,Railway%20between%201974%20and%201999. Accessed 20 Dec. 2025. 

Knoell, Carly. “Conifer Tree Growth Patterns in the St. Olaf College Restoration Lands.” Natural Lands Research Papers, 2005, https://wp.stolaf.edu/naturallands/research-papers/browse-by-subject-research-papers-2/. Accessed 2025. 

Lands, Natural. “History of the Natural Lands.” History of the Natural Lands – Natural Lands, wp.stolaf.edu/naturallands/visitor-information-and-rules/history-of-the-natural-lands/. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025. 

“Lead Plant.” Missouri Department of Conservation, mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/lead-plant#:~:text=As%20with%20other%20legumes%2C%20lead,Lead%20Plant%20(Amorpha%20canescens). Accessed 20 Dec. 2025. 

“Leadplant (Amorpha Canesense).” Leadplant (Amorpha Canescens), www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/leadplantx.htm. Accessed 20 Dec. 2025. 

“Network Forests – Old-Growth Forest Network.” Old, www.oldgrowthforest.net/network-forests. Accessed 20 Dec. 2025. 

“The Nitrogen Cycle.” Science Learning Hub, www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/960-the-nitrogen-cycle. Accessed 20 Dec. 2025. 

Pearson, Richard. “St. Olaf’s Nature Preserve.” East View Information Services, Manitou Messenger, Sept. 1997, dlib.eastview.com/browse/doc/44756049/st-olaf-s-nature-preserve?searchFor=%28%28natural+lands%29+OR+%28%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%82%D1%83%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BB+%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B4%D1%81%29%29. “Sources and Solutions: Fossil Fuels.” EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, www.epa.gov/nutrientpollution/sources-and-solutions-fossil-fuels. Accessed 20 Dec. 2025.