Monday, June 22, 2020

Recreate Responsibly Campaign



The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted nearly every aspect of our lives and caused a great deal of uncertainty, including how we get outdoors. 

We’ve all been looking for advice on how to get outside, and now we have answers from the Recreate Responsibly Coalition

Following these new guidelines will help avoid further outbreaks and keep our parks, trails, and beaches open to the public. 

As you get back out there, the #RecreateResponsibly guidelines will also help you be prepared in any situation you encounter, such as an unexpected trailhead closure or lack of available restroom facilities. 

Help the #RecreateResponsibly guidelines reach far and wide. Share your commitment to #RecreateResponsibly by using the hashtag on social media. Or use the toolkit available on the website to share the guidelines on your social media channels.

#RecreateResponsibly #LeaveNoTrace #BePrepared

Monday, June 15, 2020

Our History - The Greenwood Massacre


Ninety-nine years ago the first bombs ever dropped on American soil were dropped on the Greenwood neighborhood of Tulsa, Ok. At the time it was the wealthiest black community in the country, also known as “Black Wall Street”.


Greenwood - the most preeminent Black community in the United States at the time and 35 square blocks - was home to 10,000 residents and contained scores of Black-owned businesses, hotels, restaurants, law offices, doctors offices, movie theaters, and more. Following a false, racially infused accusation made by a white woman about a black man in a downtown elevator, many of the nearly 3,200 Klan members in Tulsa and countless more white vigilantes armed themselves with firearms and marched North to Greenwood.

They opened fire in the streets, set businesses and homes ablaze and dropped napalm-style bombs from fertilizer planes flying overhead. 

With the “help” of the national guard and the local police force, they arrested nearly 6,000 black residents and forced them into temporary internment camps in the Brady Theater (now a popular Tulsa music venue) while their thriving community was systematically leveled. Many of those imprisoned were starved, beaten, and killed in the same space the city hosts jubilant concerts in today.


In just a few short days, Greenwood was completely destroyed and nearly every single one of its 10,000 residents were left homeless. While the official death toll from the Americans Red Cross at the time caps the loss of life at 300, some researchers estimate that the true number could rival that of Pearl Harbor and the September 11th attacks.

The Tulsa Race “Massacre” (NOT riot) was one of the greatest terror attacks in the history of this country, and yet it is so frequently missing from the pages of our history books. When it is mentioned, it is given the false label of “riot” - implying that, somehow, the Black community of Greenwood was complicit in the attack. They were not.


This is what whitewashed history does - it allows us to choose not to face the true horrors of our past, thereby absolving us of responsibility to rectifying it.

Regardless of where you live - it’s incumbent upon us (especially white people - who benefit from the same system that allowed this attack to occur, protected its perpetrators from legal action, precluded it’s victims from receiving compensation, and swept it from the view of the masses for generations) to seek out the stories that have been purposefully hidden or misrepresented in order to continue perpetuating false, placated narratives of our country’s past.


Once we know - we need to act. Share your knowledge of our past with others. Learn about implicit biases and check your own consistently.

Look at current events through a lens of systemic racism and call it out. Support Black-owned businesses and businesses run by other communities of color - use your money as a tool to help the right centuries of wrongdoings.


Support organizations like the Greenwood Cultural Center who fight to preserve this history and restore the community of Greenwood.

The story of Greenwood is not an isolated one. We have so much work to do as a country to undo a history of violence and oppression against communities of color — and it all starts with knowing.


Monday, June 08, 2020

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night


Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieve it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

- Dylan Thomas - 

#LifeIsPrecious #AMomentInTime #Mindfulness

Friday, June 05, 2020

Thought For The Day


It is unfortunate that we often forget about the importance of gratitude. It is simply a thankful appreciation for what we receive, from others, and life in general. 

Being grateful is a way to acknowledge the kindness and goodness that exists in the world. I am grateful for my friends, my loved ones, and for being alive.

#LifeIsPrecious #Gratitude #Kindness

Wednesday, June 03, 2020

Emergency Medicine Matters - After Concussion, Return to Normality


The After Concussion, Return to Normality (ACoRN) leaflet is a great new resource which details expected signs of concussion and provides a comprehensive step by step guide of how to manage these signs. 

The resource was designed by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board. However, it can be downloaded and edited to allow healthcare teams across the United Kingdom, and further afield, to put their own logo and department details on the resource, as they wish.

Credit goes to Mark Lilley, Paediatric Major Trauma Coordinator for all their efforts in developing this resource. This will be a valuable resource for many families.

You can download this resource here.
#LifeIsPrecious #FamilyMatters #HomeHealth

Monday, June 01, 2020

Leave No Trace, Leave No Boots


Imagine getting a whiff of these while enjoying a walk in the woods. Did you know that rubber boot soles can take 50 years or more to decompose? Trash left in the woods can stick around for a long time and definitely won’t walk off on its own. 

Do your part by making sure you pack out everything you bring with you. Disposing of your trash properly today can help our backcountry beautiful for the next 50 years and beyond! 

#OnePlanet #EnjoyYourWorld #LeaveNoTrace