ADVENTURES IN WILDLIFE: A LITTLE ADVENTURE

By Kameron Bain, Business Development, Plateau Land & Wildlife Management

This will not be my typical article. Due to a busy spring season, I was unable to leave the office for any adventures with my Plateau team. You can imagine this left me in a quandary of what to write about for our summer issue. However, it is amazing how some things work out. Recently I had the opportunity to reflect on adventures in wildlife and what they mean to each of us.

My Nannie, Agnes Moore, passed away in May and she was an amazing lady. After spending the past few weeks remembering how truly remarkable she was, it dawned on me that my adventures in wildlife began long before I moved to Texas and started working at Plateau. Now, my Nannie was not the type of person to hunt or camp or even hike. She was always very fashionable, well pressed, and never went anywhere without her penny loafers. While you may not be surprised to hear that she is no wilderness girl, she did love nature. This was never more evident when I had the chance to live with her for a while after I graduated from college. Together we went on many adventures, but the ones that stand out the most are our day trips to the Connecticut coast. On nice days we would drive down to Long Island Sound and find a nice bench to sit on. We would sit for hours. We would sometimes talk, sometimes enjoy an ice cream cone, and sometimes we would be silent and stare out at the sea and reflect on its beauty. It was simple and peaceful and it was our own little adventure that we shared together.

It has become clear to me that there are varying ways to have adventures in wildlife, and how important it is that these adventures are passed down for generations. Whether you hunt for deer, canoe down a river, hike a mountain, or sit on your porch watching birds, they are your very own unique adventures. You probably learned to hunt from your dad or your granddad, or went on a hike with your mom or grandma, or spent days with your family discovering all the wildlife on your property. Like me, you all probably learned how wonderful nature is from someone you are close to by sharing in these adventures. These lessons are never spoken and sometimes pass us by unnoticed but are so valuable. I'm sure my Nannie never imagined those quiet days spent on that bench in front of the sea would be moments I carry with me always and would lead me to a career I love so much.

After a beautiful long weekend in New England in May to say good-bye, I returned to work with renewed inspiration. I made the connection on a personal level on how important our work, and how life-changing the example we set. Our mission at Plateau is not only to help landowners with their wildlife management valuation to keep their property affordable, but offer assistance, education, and guidance to be better land stewards and preserve a legacy of love for nature. Yes, we install nest boxes and conduct brush control but, at the end of the day, most of us have the same goal: to protect the land for the future so we can carry on our wildlife traditions.

I hope to someday go back to that point on Long Island Sound and share my love and my own personal adventures in wildlife with my nephews or future grandchildren. I was gifted a special legacy by my Nannie that I will pass on to them. A little adventure that will impact their lives as it impacted mine.

Until next season and Seasons, I hope your summer is full of adventures -- big or little.

And thank you Nannie for all of our adventures.