Dear Ranger Rick

Our magazine has a very special group of Ranger Rick Advisors. After the terrible day of September 11, 2001, we asked our advisors if they and their families were safe. (We were worried.) We also asked them if nature was helping them feel protected in these troubled times. Here's what they told us.

I find peace in the trail through a small forest behind my house. I can almost always find deer or dog tracks, and there are many bird nests.

Davis H., Washington

The morning after the tragedy we opened our front door to find an abandoned kitten. We have decided to adopt him. Somehow a little life that needed us provided peace.

Mara N., Texas

My peaceful place is in my woods because I can listen to the birds and watch the squirrels jump from tree to tree.

Dana H., Delaware

I find peace reading the Bible and going out to my pond and watching my tadpoles zoom around. At a nature center, I caught some frogs. After I let them go, they just sat there and let me stroke their backs.

Anna H., Michigan

Watching the sunset helps me deal with bad stuff. And climbing and sitting in trees does too.

Whitney M., California

We go outside and walk around and listen to the birds sing. We also play a lot under our huge apple tree, and this is very peaceful.

Jeremiah R., Missouri

I find peace in nature in a quiet scene with just a soft background noise, like the waves breaking on a beach or the wind blowing over fields. I think that silence can speak to us just as much as words can and can have just as much of a peace-giving effect.

Jessica M., Oregon

SHE'S A WINNER!

Sharon Barry loves to catch insects--on film! She knows about all kinds of animals. She ought to--she helps write the exhibit signs you see if you visit the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

Sharon also wrote a prize-winning story for Ranger Rick. It appeared last September and was all about how different animals keep clean. The prize is the "Trudy Farrand and John Strohm Magazine Writing Award" for 2001 and includes a check for $1,000.

When Sharon's not writing or taking photos, she's busy gardening, painting, or traveling. "I often go places where I can hike, bike, or even kayak," she says. "Maybe I'll use the award money to go somewhere new and exciting."

Want to be a Ranger Rick Advisor? Send us an e-mail, and we'll tell you how to sign up. Write to: Churchman@nwf.org