on belonging

in the 1930s coon valley wisconsin was a flagship site for the ccc’s efforts to stop the negative effects of farming in the u.s. coon valley had been colonized by the norwegians who farmed as if they were still in norway where rains are softer & tamer than the storms of the midwest. soil was washing out of fields & into coon creek. coon creek went from being a deep, cold trout stream to being a wide, warm, & muddy stream. 

the ccc was a group of young men being offered an opportunity by the u.s. government when there were not very many opportunities to be had. they learned conservation & then set out to teach these methods to local farmers around the country.

soon the coon creek watershed was healthy again due to terrace style farming & plantings to hold the soil in place. the frequent flooding slowed.

but poor farming choices continued with mono-cropping & over grazing of pasture lands among other things. 

in 2018, an epic rainstorm washed out three dams & a pump station failed. water from all through the coon creek watershed dumped into the creek & a good chunk of coon valley went underwater.

then the cccwc formed. a conservation group designed to protect the coon creek watershed. 

& in 2021 i moved to coon valley into one of the flood damaged homes. 

my home has been here through it all, having been built in the late 1800s or early 1900s by the town blacksmith (not a norwegian.) my home has seen how many floods? the last one coming into the first story of my house, leaving mud & damage that was still there when i bought it 3 years later.

i have been interested in conservation for as long as i can remember. it started with noticing litter & wanting to do something about it. it went on to become an objection to factory farming. & continued to flourish.

now i find myself drawn to the cccwc group. i attended a few meetings over the summer, but i felt like such a sore thumb to the group that i stopped going. 

then i returned to the group last week.

i still don’t fit in, but now i realize that i don’t have to. i share the same concerns they share. i am as passionate as they are. just because i’m an oddball doesn’t mean i have to live my life alone. i can contribute in my own unique way. 
and i do want to contribute. 

i may never belong…but that doesn’t mean i can’t take part.