This question has been on my mind lately, ever since my recent early morning visit to Bear Spring Mountain Wildlife Management Area in Walton, New York.
This question has been on my mind lately, ever since my recent early morning visit to Bear Spring Mountain Wildlife Management Area in Walton, New York. I was walking along a trail when I crossed over a bridge. As I did, I heard the telltale rush of falling water, and I knew there was a waterfall below me.
Suddenly it was like I lost control of my body. I had to go photograph that waterfall. I climbed through waist-high, still-soaking undergrowth to get to the stream, then hopped gingerly along rocks to get a clear view. It took me half an hour to get a shot (not even a great shot, in my opinion), and it cost me soaking pants and shoes for the rest of the morning. But by the time I returned to the trail, I was beaming with the joy of seeing this lovely if small cascade.
This attraction to water isn’t unique to me. The water bodies on your land are some of your most valuable real estate. Properties with streams, ponds, or water frontage are consistently valued higher than similar lands without water.
And it’s more than people who are drawn to water. Your ponds and streams support countless plants and animals both on your property and downstream, providing them with the water they need to survive. Many of these species you’ll only see around water bodies. It’s not just the obvious like fish. Many amphibians, birds, and mammals stick close to water not only to drink but also to find food.
But I wasn’t hungry that morning at Bear Spring Mountain, and I had brought water with me. So what made me stop my hike and rush off to photograph a waterfall not much taller than I am?
A quick Internet search gave me several suggestions: because our bodies are 60% water, because we need water to live, and because we evolved from creatures that lived in water.
For me, though, these are mere guesses. They aren’t explanations.
Bestselling author and marine biologist Wallace Nichols offers another idea. In his book Blue Mind, he argues that our minds are hardwired to react positively to water. The gentle movements, the soothing sounds, and the steady yet shifting appearance boot out the clutter of our modern world and replace it with what Nichols calls “soft fascination.”
That still doesn’t explain why our brains are wired that way, but I find it hard to dispute Nichols’ phrase. There’s no doubt I, and many other people, have a fascination with water. If you’re drawn to water like I am—or if you just want to do right by the many creatures who depend on the water on your land—one of the best things you can do is to keep your streams clean. To discover ways you can do that, check out the Activities under the MyWoodlot Goal Care for My Streamside Areas.
