One way to open your eyes is to ask yourself, 'What if I had never seen this before? What if I knew I would never see it again?

“One way to open your eyes is to ask yourself, 'What if I had never seen this before? What if I knew I would never see it again?’” Rachel Carson

As I walked onto the campus of The Music Settlement today, I was startled to see a large red-tailed hawk sitting on the rearview mirror of a station wagon parked in our Mistletoe Drive parking lot. It allowed me to get to within about 10 feet of it, then made a casual leap to a low tree limb not 15 feet away. While this sighting was momentarily surprising, it occurred to me that it was far from unusual nowadays. Just yesterday, I saw a similar sized red-tail in my backyard in Cleveland Heights, hopefully taking care of a pesky chipmunk infestation for me. Now, many of the younger folks out there will be thinking to themselves at this point, “so what?” But therein lies the impact of this experience.

When I was young and growing up in the wilds of Western New York (this sounds like the opening to a Gilbert & Sullivan tune…), where there were more woods than houses and more open spaces than congestion, the sight of a hawk of any kind was rare. In truth, aside from skunks, raccoons and squirrels, nature seemed to be in distinct remission, not only in New York but across the country. In particular, there were few raptor-type birds aside from turkey buzzards circling in the sky overhead.

I distinctly remember a period in my 20’s when I began to notice signs of change. I remember vividly the shock of seeing a beaver building a dam in a water retention pond along the Southern Tier Expressway between Erie, Pennsylvania and Jamestown, New York. Zipping by at 60 mph, I would note the progress of its efforts and the change in the environment that ensued. I even stopped along the highway once to get a better look, hoping a highway patrol car didn’t sidle up and ask me what the heck I thought I was doing.

Since that time, I have paid close attention to the comeback of top-of-the-food-chain animals to the northeast, and have seen very encouraging signs. Common sightings of large birds of prey and a larger variety of songbirds, increases in sport fish species in lakes and rivers, and the uptick in bear, bobcat, and beaver populations give testimony to a reversal of a trend that is hard to deny. There is little doubt that efforts for environmental improvement, beginning with the Clean Air Act of 1970, have had a profound impact on our region and the country as a whole. Our area used to be known for high levels of ground and air pollution and biologically dead lakes and rivers, but things have begun to change, and the results are all around us.

Now, I know we have a long way to go environmentally and that, for some, the re-emergence of nature has meant deer eating their shrubs, beavers changing their drainage pathways and, worst of all, the appearance of coyotes in our area. But you can’t possibly argue that a barren, toxic, grey world is preferable. A more fully-populated animal environment in which to live is certainly a wonderful option, reminding us daily of our place in the greater scheme of things, and allowing us those breathtaking moments of observation and interaction which I, as a young person, thought were lost forever.

The campus of The Music Settlement was jumping this past Sunday as we pulled out all the stops to get the season off to a merry start during Holiday CircleFest, a joint effort by many of the institutions of University Circle that offers a free, fun day for families in the Circle. University Circle, Incorporated manages the event, and institutions like The Music Settlement offer programming, activities and experiences for drop-in visitors of all ages and interests who seek to “find themselves in the Circle”.

Here at The Music Settlement, we put together a schedule of programming that went from 1pm to 5:30pm, showcasing the awesome talents and imagination of our teaching staff and some special guests. I want to extend my thanks to all who helped make the day so special for our guest families and friends, including many staff and faculty members who took on new roles for the day - greeting and informing, directing and path finding (always a necessity on our campus). We couldn’t have done it without you!

Have a great week!