My husband and I apply Allan Savory’s range
management principles to our small acreage west of Boulder, grazing
horses in early summer (HCN, 9/5/05: Rangland Revival). We move
fences constantly, but the results, after about four years of doing
this, are obvious to us, even in drought conditions. Our grasses
are thicker and healthier than ever, and bare ground is
diminishing. True, we haven’t done a scientific study with
detailed measurements and counts, but with our naked eyes we see
results.
Next, regarding the disposal of cremation ashes
— my feeling is that it is criminal to bury humans in
nonbiodegradable containers (HCN, 9/5/05: The meeting of heaven and
earth). What does “dust to dust” mean, anyway? We are biomass, just
like any other organic form that decomposes and feeds the earth.
How anthropocentric can we get, that we feel so holy that we
deprive the earth of our personal nutrient value? In my view, being
exposed to the elements and eaten by critters is the only truly
honest and loving way to go.
Jennifer
Stewart
Nederland, Colorado
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Grasses to grasses, dust to dust.
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