Perfection is elusive and often impossible , but shooting for perfection is a noble undertaking . Grind the gears in that old stickshift until they run smooth . The children will appreciate it , maybe not now , but when the time comes it will matter . •
FOR SALE
182.4 acres in McPherson County , South Dakota
Beautiful , rural area with abundant wildlife and water . Native grasses and flowers . Bill Antonides ( 605 ) 380-8586
www . land . com / listing / 20928424 /
Page 12 , Dakota Country , September 2024
anything new when there are fun things to play with and screens to watch ? Or the child who doesn ’ t yet have the vocabulary necessary to absorb the language of biologists , agrostologists , ichthyologists , dendrologists and all the other fancy titles ? They have no grasp of the verbiage used by scientists in a myriad of disciplines , which is a surprise to no one .
It may take a lifetime to grasp a subject , and we can hardly expect schoolchildren to know it all at once . To the uneducated novice , a plant is a plant , a bird on the water is a duck , and “ parts is parts .” One can live in a world with no more knowledge of nature than this , but as ignorance is replaced by facts , the world becomes not only brighter , but far more interesting . And whether you believe in climate change or not , it ’ s critical we have those people who see changes occurring in the world . But to see changes in the world , one must first see the world .
It took me over 10 years to get through college , in great part because I worked fulltime , had a family , and took a jaunt overseas with the U . S . Army . College and life experiences taught me a great many facts and figures and how to get by , but my single greatest lesson was how to learn more . I didn ’ t always have a desire to know everything I learned , but much of what I thought was garbage then is golden now .
We don ’ t know what piece of seemingly useless information will suddenly become the most important . And yes , Google can instantly tell us things that would have taken days or weeks to find out back in the days before computers . But you must know the correct questions to ask a search engine , be able to decipher and interpret the answers , check those answers against other sources , and use critical thinking skills to decide if the answers make sense .
And so I take my children , and their children , and their children ’ s children into the field , where all life begins . We start with a plant is a plant , a bird on the water is a duck , and “ parts is parts .” As the kids get older , we use the knowledge we ’ ve gleaned to zero-in on more complete and better answers . All plants are not the same ; how do they differ ? And not every bird on the water is a duck , but if it is a duck , what kind of duck ? How is this one kind of duck different from that other kind of duck ? How are their habitats , behaviors , and lifestyles different ?
All living critters need food , water , shelter and space , and all in a suitable arrangement . What habitat does this kind of duck use compared to the other kind of duck ? Can you see that some kinds of ducks use shallow water , and others go deep ? Did you
Located between Leola and Eureka , about 55 miles northwest of Aberdeen .
The 18x30-ft . cabin is off the grid but has a working well , propane , solar collectors and gas generator . Land mostly in native grasses and flowers . 73 acres in CRP or similar programs , plus about 30 acres of cropland and virgin soil . Also has an 80- plus acre wetland w / islands and coves , plus small wetlands , highly attractive to wildlife .
Serious Enquiries Only Please notice some leap up off the water when they fly , while others take a running start ?
This all means little , perhaps , to someone who ’ s not a duck hunter or bird watcher . However , the overall understanding that our world is full of life that differs in many ways , sometimes huge and sometimes almost imperceptible , is a great awakening .
My hope , my desire , is to impart as much knowledge as I can to my progeny and ensure they seek more knowledge from other sources and their own life experiences . Life is tough enough without being ignorant . The cure for ignorance is education . Take a child afield and teach what you know , and learn together , as best as you are able , what you do not . Did you know that on a hot summer day when cows crowd into a corner of a pasture and trees in the distance appear clouded by a grayish tinge rather than their normal sharp greenery , chances are it ’ s going to rain there within the next 24 hours ? It matters not if the sky is cloudless and blue ; chances are rain is on the way . Cows and trees tell us , and are usually correct . I know this because someone told me , I paid attention , and watched it happen time and again . And I know why it happens , and learned why sometimes even when cattle are not in the corner of the pasture , rain still comes . Someone else passed along that tidbit of information and my neurons were firing that day .
We may be bona fide teachers or parents or grandparents , or just a guy in a field leaning against a shovel , but to children , we ’ re also sources of tidbits of information . Never forget they learn from us whether we know it or not , and whether or not they appear to be paying attention . This alone should keep us on the straight and narrow , but occasionally we all have to re-learn how to drive that darned manual-drive stick-shift .
Perfection is elusive and often impossible , but shooting for perfection is a noble undertaking . Grind the gears in that old stickshift until they run smooth . The children will appreciate it , maybe not now , but when the time comes it will matter . •
Bill Antonides is a retired SD Conservation Officer and a Certified Wildlife Biologist ®. He can be reached by email at billantonides @ abe . midco . net .
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