Jane Goodall’s article was a real uplifting one among the doom and gloom stories of destruction and impending extinctions. I found it amazing that a woman who has seen so much destruction could still hold on, hoping for change. Goodall has accomplished major successes by transforming entire communities, the way they feed themselves and fuel their households, and in doing so has not only improved the lives of the locals but created a situation where the environment can begin to heal itself and ultimately have a real chance at saving her beloved chimpanzees. I have never read about Jane Goodall, although I have heard of her name and her studies of the chimpanzee. I always assumed she was a crazy nature lover because I knew she had lived in the jungle with the chimps. I stand corrected, she isn’t just some voice crying out to save the monkeys, she had good ideas on how to implement the change she knew needed to happen.
One story that really spoke to me was the one of Paul Rokich, who spent his own money and time going up a baron mountain sewing grass seed to restore it after the mountains flora had been destroyed by a mining operation. This story stood out to me because it wasn’t the restoration project of a large organization with hundreds of volunteers and resources, it was a single man who wanted to make a difference. When confronted with monumental problems like the over-fishing in our oceans or global warming its easy to stand back watch without getting involved because one feels like their isn’t anything a single person can do to make a difference. Paul Rokich’s incredible self motivation shows us that we, as individuals, can make an impact one mountain at a time.
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