Attention is an entrance
Several months ago, I was wandering through the Wild Within Woods, hanging “Posted” signs to help add a level of protection to the plants and animals who live here from poaching and irresponsible/unsustainable foraging practices.
This process obviously involved paying close attention to some of the areas where our land borders that of our neighbors… and, hedge witch that I am, I was taking particular note of some of the plants that were growing in different locations, trying to gather clues about the land’s gifts, needs, and history.
As a result, I happened to notice that there were some differences in the nature and character of the northern and southern edges of the woodlot.
One difference was in the apparent attentiveness given to setting the stone border walls between properties.
It was a common practice within the first several generations of European colonizing farmers for them to establish their farms’ boundaries with stone walls, and indeed there are several of such walls crisscrossing in the Wild Within Woods.
(These walls are a part of the land’s memory of colonization, as they were “simply a disposal pile” of the glacier rocks that early European farmers found when establishing their fields. The creation of these fields was a process that resulted in over 70% of the forests of New England being destroyed by the mid-1800s. New England Is Crisscrossed With Thousands of Miles of Stone Walls - Atlas Obscura)
Anyway, I noticed that the stones to the north seemed to have been gathered with more intention as a wall, rather than simply a border, relative to the stones along the southern border of the woods.
But what really drew my attention—for a whole variety of reasons—was the poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans).
Now, don’t get me wrong: I am not a close personal friend of poison ivy. I have a pretty nasty allergic reaction to it, and I always make sure to only go into the woods if I have appropriate clothes and footwear to help me minimize the risk of exposure.
With that said, I confess to also having a bit of an emotional affinity for this plant being. As noted by the University of Maryland Extension, “Poison ivy, Toxicodendron radicans, is a common native plant found in woodlands, fields, pastures, farms, and home landscapes. In natural areas, its berries provide nutritious food for migrating birds” (Poison Ivy | University of Maryland Extension (umd.edu)).
In fact, poison ivy plays an incredibly important role in the ecosystem throughout much of North America:
At least 75 species of birds, particularly gallinaceous birds such as wild turkeys, northern bobwhites, ruffed grouse, and sharp-tailed grouse, eat the fruits and seeds of poison-ivies (e.g., [17,109,124,139,147,171,187,245,279]). Many mammals—including bears, mule deer, white-tailed deer, moose, foxes, woodchucks, muskrats, rabbits, squirrels, woodrats, and mice—consume the leaves, stems, and fruits of poison-ivies (97,124,181,187,194,209,249,255)…. Poison-ivy fruits may be particularly important during winter [17,81] or during poor mast years [61,97] when other fruits are unavailable. (Toxicodendron radicans, T. rydbergii (usda.gov))
Some people may be surprised to learn that, of all the species in all the genuses in all the families in all the orders in all the phylums in the entire animal kingdom, “only primates get an itchy rash from poison ivy, and not even every primate species does so. Some aren’t bothered by it at all. Reptiles, amphibians, insects and other mammals can’t get it either. Nor can birds, many of which eat the berries the plant produces each fall” (BACKYARD AND BEYOND: Wildlife immune to itch from poison ivy (newportri.com)).
In other words, poison ivy is very specific in its toxicity: it is almost exclusively toxic to humans.
As a hedge witch, I consider this to be a very powerful example of plant magic: poison ivy is a living spell that says, in no uncertain terms, it will do all it can to guard the ecosystem from the influence of humans. Poison ivy says that while most beings are enthusiastically welcome, humans need to tread carefully.
Which connects back to my observations about the land: while there certainly is some poison ivy to be found along the southern side of the forest (as is true for basically all forested areas around here that aren’t rigorously tended by humans and herbicides), the poison ivy beings growing along the northern property line rival the Guiness record holder, whose majesty is described at The tallest poison ivy in the world is in Ontario, says Guinness | CBC Radio.
The difference between the two property lines made me wonder whether, at some point in the land’s history, there had been some sort of feud or disagreement between whoever lived here and whoever lived to the north of this land.
It was then that I remembered that I had a printed out copy of the portion of a historic map of Monroe County (Map of Monroe County, New York - Copy 1 | Library of Congress (loc.gov)) that shows the area surrounding the Wild Within Acres.
Based on this map, where we live was once owned by the Root family, including the areas to the south, east, and west of The Wild Within Acres… and by the Locke family to the north.
Obviously, this discovery piqued my interest: a few simple observations about differences between where plants and stones were in one location relative to another was enough to have recognized a clue into the history of the land!
Since then, my wanderings in the forest have been accompanied by some pretty involved introductory stages of research, done with the guidance of some nearby historical groups, records that are available to me through Ancestry.com, and (of course!) the archives of the local libraries.
So far, I have stumbled across information related to where we live and the immediate surrounding areas regarding topics as widespread as:
Possibilities for which varieties of heirloom apples are growing in the woods.
Information regarding the assumptions and goals that guided agricultural practices at the time when this land was first taken from its wild state and brought under colonization/cultivation, as well as information regarding what the local ecosystem was like prior to its agricultural colonization.
Documents related to local activity of the Underground Railroad.
Profoundly divided opinions regarding whether or not chattel slavery should be abolished.
Social isolation and despair, including an instance of fatal self-harm.
Social connection and community, including the ways people came together to help each other in work, leisure, loss, and celebration.
All of these factors related to the post-colonized history of The Wild Within Acres arose from what I saw in the stones, in the plants, and all offer clues for the healing that needs to be done for the land and for our communities.
I love this space where we live, this land where I am honored to get to know the many growing, creeping, crawling, running, swooping, flying, and flowing beings who live here, too. I grieve for how harshly the cleared land has been treated: the difference in the soil between the wooded area and the land that was cleared and monocropped for many years is not subtle, and it is a direct indictment of the ways that agricultural practices that are estranged from respectful reciprocity with the ecosystem are destroying the literal ground we walk upon.
This love for the land is something I feel palpably, physically, deeply. It is the guiding light for all the things that we have done and will do that fall under the business umbrella of farming and agricultural work.
As we navigate this stage of our ongoing evolution as a business, we have worked on writing up a description of this approach to starting and running a farm, and have thus far landed on this:
The Wild Within Acres is a 52-acre sanctuary located outside of Brockport, NY. We are committed to sustainable agricultural land-stewardship practices that reflect our commitment to the holistic well-being of individuals, communities, and the ecosystem as a whole.
Through the intentional cultivation, development, and foraging of edible and medicinal crops; development and sharing of educational materials; and hosting of community events, we strive to provide opportunities for community members to build relational and ecological wellness while gaining knowledge related to different aspects of food, food access, and food justice.
Our goal is for everything we do here to remain grounded in loving, open attention and deep respect for the intergenerational, interspecies context of this space.
Stay tuned for additional posts about what we’re up to here on the farm, as well as the unfolding details related to the history of this land we call The Wild Within Acres.
