Many of the These Trees Were My Friends

 Saving the Bog at Indiana Dunes comes at a price---thousands of trees that have been cut down. According to the experts the trees needed to be cut down because they sucked too much water out of the bog.

The bog is an ecosystem that is not found anywhere else. Rare plants are found here and no where else. The only thing is---bogs aren't made to last forever. This bog is following the progression of all other bogs before it---eventually it dries up and disappears, changing into woodland or meadow land. But after filling in much of our wetlands, we humans feel the need to protect the few remaining on public lands. So here is the dilemma---how to hold back nature's natural progression.

After

Before

And in this case the experts say the trees must go. And so this spring thousands of trees have been chopped down. Trees that previously gave song birds a resting place on migration; where premium bird watching occurred in other springs are gone. Trees that gave wild life hiding places and shelter---deer, muskrat, beaver, and tiny frogs are gone. Trees won't shade this summer's hikes. They're all gone. Sacrificed for a good cause, but mourned nonetheless.

"Many of these trees were my friends" said Treebeard in the Lord of the Rings. We feel the same sorrow.

The Bog