Summer is a time of hope. A time of plenty. A time of sun, of rain, of growth. 

This summer, filled with all of these things, is also filled with a sense of loss and despair. We are in a time of immense political and economic turmoil, and it may take decades to recover. 

Our colleagues are losing jobs in record numbers at the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Environmental Protection Agency, and Americorps. Funding that supports our conservation mission has been frozen or revoked. Migrant farmworkers are being arrested and deported, causing many to fear for their safety. Protection of habitat provided by the Endangered Species Act is being stripped away. Federal aid for the hungry has been cut. Renewable energy supports have been depleted. And we can’t even talk about climate change, or diversity, or equity.

This is a time to double down, to renew our commitment to working together. New Englanders take pride in doing things well, and we can work together to make life better, even as vital programs are being slashed. 

Cooperating as a region, not just as individual states, is even more essential in this difficult time. Let us learn from each other. Let us learn from the stories of success, of innovation, of gumption, of stick-to-itiveness. 

And let us bring our resolve back to the federal government. Let us object to the federal cuts and demand the support, even while we continue to practice the integrated vision of protecting Wildlands, supporting ecological forestry, helping to make local and regional food available to everyone, and working in community toward all these things. 

Feeding ourselves is central to survival. That’s why farmland and food take center stage in this issue. 

Stories are powerful agents of change. In this issue, we hear stories of hope and inventiveness from all the New England states. In Maine, for example, we ask what makes farming work, and learn from Maine Farmland Trust about legal tools for keeping farmland affordable into the future. From Stacy Brenner, “we have to really look at this work as a full ecosystem: land access, business viability, racial equity, climate resilience, and market development.” In Connecticut, Gather New Haven is connecting people who struggle with food insecurity to land in their city, using unique and creative methods, including giving kids a connection to land and letting them get their hands in the dirt. And looking at the big picture, Leah Penniman talks about Seeds and Sovereignty.

Stories of the wild also give us hope this summer. The Magalloway Conservation Initiative is protecting 78,000 acres in Maine, in a truly integrated manner, with Wildlands, managed forest lands, and recreation all in the mix in this remote corner of the state. 

In the wild nature realm, we hear more about wolves, with perspectives from Wyoming and New England. We take a trip into the wild Moose Bog with poet Scudder Parker. And Nohham Cachat-Schilling tells us of the history of beaver in our landscape, from extinct giant beaver to the smaller animals that shape ecosystems today. Letting these creatures do their work—letting them be in their habitat—can give us immense joy, and great hope.

Let’s continue to learn from each other and from the land that has so much to teach us. May your summer be filled with bounty, and as always, please keep your comments coming.

With gratitude,
The Editors of From the Ground Up

Brian Donahue, David Foster, Marissa Latshaw (Publisher), Alex Redfield, and Liz Thompson (Managing Editor)