The Living Land

REACH Museum Education Manager

“Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.”
—President John F. Kennedy

It’s Earth Month. Let’s replace the word country in the quote above with ecosystem, and ask ourselves, “How might this change our own behavior as a citizen of the planet?”

“Wait, what even IS an ecosystem?” you might ask. Fair question.

Whether you are aware of it or not, you happen to be part of a complex set of relationships with the living and non-living things around you.

The wind that pushes tumbleweeds along your fence, the grass that craves your breath, the owl that eats the mouse that eats the crumbs off your patio, the bumblebee that pollinates your tomatoes — all are part of your ecosystem.

Our Eastern Washington ecosystem is called shrub-steppe. This arid land is dominated by short vegetation (shrubs) and bunchgrasses (steppe) that are adapted to an average of around eight inches of annual rainfall, extreme temperatures, and impressive wind. Combine that with an enormous river, rich volcanic soil, and nearby mountains, and you have a landscape where humans have thrived since time immemorial.

What your ecosystem can do for you, it turns out, is sustain your life.

But a good relationship is reciprocal. What can you give back to the ecosystem?

We modern humans have a super-sized impact on our ecosystems, and an individual cannot change that fact. But you have some control over your consumption choices and what you plant in your backyard. The insects and other creatures will thank you for cultivating the native plants they need. 

Exploring the permanent exhibit at the REACH Museum “The Living Land” is one of the best ways to understand the local ecosystem that sustains you. The book Northwest Arid Lands: An Introduction to the Columbia Basin Shrub-Steppe is available in the museum store and is the best introduction to this ecosystem you can fit in your backpack.

Once you know someone’s name, you are more likely to care about them and do what it takes to protect them. So take this opportunity to learn about those in your ecosystem! 

They are already doing something for you. You are not alone.