Cascadia Field Guide: Art, Ecology, Poetry

Bradfield, Elizabeth, CMarie Fuhrman and Derek Sheffield. Editors. Cascadia Field Guide:Art, Ecology, Poetry. Seattle: Mountaineers Books, 2023. Cascadia Field Guide: Art, Ecology, and Poetry is a unique collection as it highlights art on equal part with its mission of ecological advocacy. It is introduced to its reader blazed with cover art that casts a web to those who would pick up its pages to welcome a new way of seeing. To invite poetry, art, and ecology to work together, envisioning and engaging a place that which is Cascadia (15). Here, the grouse, field mice, sturgeon, salmon, hermit crab, and salamander root us into the soil, mountains, and waters as far north as Valdez, Alaska’s shores to the peaks of Mt. Shasta/Ako-Yet, California (13-14). The essayists and poets included in the anthology honor traditional ecological knowledges that both humans and other beings hold within their bodies, their grounded roots. These stories blend art and science. They weave a matrix, and demonstrate a communion of subjects (16). To begin, an introductory analogy explains that Cascadia Field Guide’s open pages are like gentle fingers holding thimbleberries. “Only a loose grasp will allow the berries to retain their integrity. Squeeze too tight, and they’ll go to mush” (18). These bound pages cradle diverse communities, and verbalize human wonder, while cherishing other-than-human relatives whose voice also resides amongst these lines. The voices represented within Cascadia Field Guide are canonic Nature-Writers, as well as this-generation authors. Attention also purposefully acknowledges First Nations, women, and otherwise marginalized peoples’ perspectives within the environment. This solidarity is demonstrated from the beginning through the inclusionary poem, “Cascadia Cento” (11). The preface cento is composed entirely of lines from existing poems within the anthology. Its lines: If I were water, I’d catch in the cup of you / To, “Imagine a land breathing and rolling with blue / Where, “Even now, I cannot detail each way I perceive you /Because the human capacity has limits; whereas, “the animals and the plants” bind together with a “wet – sticky – salty – gritty glue to create community within its folds (11). Each section within Cascadia Field Guide focuses upon a particular biological niche such as Tidewater Glacier, Muskeg, Temperate Rainforests, Eastern Rivers, Shrub-Stepp, Montane, and Human. In these sacred spaces, we learn from each region. The purpose of which is to entice the reader to ponder upon earth, and our relationship to plant species, animals, and our own bipedal-ness within these places. For example, Fireweed (Chamaenerion angustifolium) in the section Tidewater Glacier is described as a bold trailblazer (31). Years after fire or other ecological damage where the soil is churned and gives new birth, magenta spear-like blossoms will appear. Fireweed’s brilliant blood hues remind those who observe her, of the reciprocal relationship her existence represents. The male organ stamens mature first, the female organ pistils develop later; both attract pollinators such as bees or hummingbirds. This dance of attractions enables cross species pollination. Once complete, fireweed’s seeds disperse upon the breeze to find new soils to root and thus continue that reciprocity. Illustrated by Chloey Cavanaugh, Nancy Slavin’s poem “Fireweed” (31-33) speaks of that relationship. Fireweed’s crimson rhizomes appear like a small miracle, “stretched toward the sun” even amongst industrial waste (32) and light upon open air, “millions of angelic seeds” (33). The ecopoem by Aleria Jensen (48-49) "Muskeg Speaks", creates a call to herself as the author, but also to her reader. Her use of repetition calls ceremonial chant:Call me a pause / Call me deer cabbage / Call me the slow churn (48).Then her volta summons with her words a call to action:We're all summoned / to purpose, / mine is to hold space, water (48).She closes by asking her audience an open ended question:You ask what resilience / looks like (49).And she compels her reader to choose for environmental justice, which also implies human justice:You have a choice - / sink or float, / remember (49). Crypotobiotic Soil (also known as Crypotobiotic Crust) is a vulnerable collection of lichens, cyanobacteria, mosses, fungi, and algae. It is found in the Shrub-Stepp and is vitally important to this bio-niche since the crust adds nutrients to the soil. Because of its “anchoring grace” this organism protects the land from erosion (248). Eco-poet and editor of Cascadia Field Guide, CMarie Fuhrman writes “Cryptobiotic Sonnet” (248-249), which sets juxtaposed to Emily Poole’s Clovis Point artwork. Poem and arrowhead point toward the multi-layered surface. In its hidden life below where our feet step, there is proof of ancestors’ influence:An ancient skin which binds together the dead / in layers to hold new lives (249).Line and tool carve memories, reminding the reader of our mortality and connectedness to elders whose company lingers.In the section “Montane” the narrative explains:It is the place dreams go to play…. It is the high place… [that] combines absolute beauty with determination and survival… [so] hike up your favorite trail… then lie back, close your eyes and listen…. Send up prayers for the beings… whose lives are threatened – and while you are at it, thank the stars above (255).Robin Wall Kimmerer is quoted shortly thereafter, explaining that she writes: “names are the way we humans build relationship, not only with each other but with the living world” (279). Jennifer Perrine reiterates the thread of naming in her poem “Forgive Me” (263-265). It makes an interesting reflection on naming, recognizing other beings, and offering up prayer. Told in couplets she states:How many times did I see / before I knew /your name? Even then, how long did it take /before I recognized what a mistake (263)it is to describe you with words given /to us by men /Each likeness falls short, does not praise /How you’re the first to arrive after fire,How often will I /pass through the same stretch and never again /catch – no, be caught by – such exuberance? (264)Perrine speaks of awe and recognizes humanity’s faults in its relationship with nature. She reminds us of resilience, and the cycle of life knowing that mother nature will continue, even if - especially if - humans no longer make that “ survival list”. Therefore, it is Perrine’s call to her reader, to be mindful, to step lightly amongst Beargrass (Xerophyllum tenax), and to leave no trace. Lastly, Vivian Faith Prescott’s poem “Your Emergence” (361-362) resides in the final section of the collection, Humans (Homo sapiens) and is paired with Joe Fedderson’s modern renditions of petroglyphs and pictographs. This poem aptly culminates the anthology, as in the story of first emergences, people appeared last. We, as the youngest beings are toddlers in comparison to matriarch spruce who observe us in their wisdom:“you crawled in dirt…licking soil and stones. It’s then that I knewyou were ready to surface into this world…-salty – gritty – alive (362).In gratitude we are reminded of our youth compared to the aged who have learned traditional ecological knowledges before our birthed existence. The creativity collected within Cascadia Field Guide advocates for the earth where homo sapiens emerged after a perfect world was created. Here we imperfectly play learning to be phoenix like fireweed, to tread lightly on centuries old crust, so that other generations may rise more wisely and consciously than the last. Cascadia Field Guide is an excellent companion upon a road trip, or tucked in a backpack while hiking along montane trails. It provides ecological information about the regions specific to Cascadia, and illustrates those adventures while telling poetic stories.

I've spent my life as a global nomad, but my home base has always been the American Pacific Northwest, a bioregion of Cascadia. I enjoy the beautiful and varied landscapes, and I enjoy learning all I can about it: the beings that live there, the way the flora, fauna, and geography of the region are all interrelated, and the overall health of the region as we experience the increasingly catastrophic impact of climate change. The Cascadia Field Guide was my happy surprise this year. I wanted a guide that provided more than basic descriptions and facts. I wanted a guide that gave me a more complete way of knowing my region and relating to it and the beings that live here. This field guide exceeded every expectation. It is not comprehensive; rather, it is a sampling of what is available in each of thirteen regions of Cascadia(for example, Temperate Rainforest, Outer Shore, Shrub-Steppe, and Muskeg). Each region has an overall introduction, then a more specific introduction to ten beings that live there. Each being is described through prose, art by a local artist, and a poem. This format allows the reader to enjoy a fuller experience of each being. In my case, reading about Ponderosa Pine, Pacific Madrona, and Sitka Spruce took me back to walks with my father, who taught me how to love and appreciate the wonder of these and other trees. Reading about the Ochre Star brought me back to tidepool trips with my mother, who never tired of observing interactions of so much life that was typically overlooked by people who didn't stop to notice. Reading of the knowledge and observations of people indigenous to the region highlighted the interconnectedness of these beings and provided further ways of knowing. My health no longer allows me to take the long hikes through the region that I used to enjoy, but this book brings the wildnerness back to me, and I so appreciate that. I now keep the Cascadia Field Guide in my car, where I can access it on my long drives through the Pacific Northwest- I can read an entire regional section, or skip around to the beings that catch my fancy at any given moment. Doing this has given me a greater appreciation for Cascadia, my home. (Except for the mosquito--- I have to say, in spite of the valiant argument about the usefulness of the mosquito, I am unmoved). I urge people who have a connection to Cascadia, or just enjoy learning about the natural world, to read this book.

This book IS an ecosystem...of heart, belonging, care, relationship, curiosity, reverence and deep knowing of place, a crossroads of art and science that appeals and inspires scientist, poet, and naturalist alike. Read it, savor it, and share it! It's my new go to gift book.

This is a perfect book--poetry, plants, critters, and art all twined together like an ecosystem. It's a delight to read, to savor, to sit with, and marvel over Indigenous culture, ecology, waters, salmon, bears, berries, lichens, and spruce trees. Take this adventure across oceans, rivers, and forests, and join a chorus of diverse voices all singing praises to a place called Cascadia.

I really can’t find a bad thing to say about this book. The poetry and artwork are stunning and the being focused guide sections of this book give me exactly what I’m looking for when I head out into the woods…The fun stuff. And I work in the woods every day! This might honestly be only “guide book” I’ve ever opened more than once. I live in the Pacific Northwest and find myself reading this book over and over but also purchasing this book over and over for my friends who are into the outdoors but aren’t into poetry or more literary works. The fusion of the poetry and art with the close focus on the beings in the book and Cascadia region in general have won even the staunchest poetry protestors over.All to say I can’t recommend this anthology enough!

If you are a huge fan of Pacific Northwest, this book is a must!