Village Raw - ISSUE 15

VILLAGE RAW
UPON MEETING A FOX
(OR TWO)
And the launch of the On Local Nature community.
Words by Antje Lang. Photo by Alex Glebov.
I’ve recently discovered that I’ve got some fox friends living in my
garden. They hang out behind some pallet furniture (okay, a stack
of pallets that we intend to make into furniture). I’ve named them
Mags and Harold because I can’t help but personify animals and I
just get a vibe from them. My hope is that they’ll one day impart
some life wisdom to me like the elderly fox from The Lion, the Witch
and the Wardrobe. A girl can dream.
I remember the first time I saw a fox. I was driving at dusk
through rural North Carolina about seven years ago and I saw one
dart into the bushes lining the side of the road as my headlights cut
through the darkness.
It seems funny to me now because it was such a poignant moment
for me - I was so excited to glimpse this creature I’d only ever
seen on TV or at the zoo - but I imagine this sounds incredulous
to readers from the UK where foxes are a common sight. For me,
growing up in downtown Chicago, my most frequent animal sightings
were pigeons, very large rats and once, an errant possum.
True, we had coyotes that walked into Quizno’s and stole subs -
and one that got trapped on an ice block and was rescued from the
middle of Lake Michigan. We had a skunk who proceeded to spray
our dog after she surprised it! We had a bunch of geese that got
very angry when you got too close to their goslings in springtime.
But we never had foxes. Now, living in London, I hear people refer
to them as pests - with a general distaste for an animal I view as
wise and secretive, purely because I grew up with different connotations
about them.
I tell this story about the fox to highlight a point. The way we
view nature and ecosystems - and how we view ourselves in relation
to them - is completely dependent on our circumstances
growing up and the perspectives we shaped as a result. I was lucky
enough to spend part of my youth in Utah - a far cry from the ce-
ment and steel of Chicago - which allowed me to experience the
emotional and physical rawness of getting to the top of something
very high and sitting in open space. That has fundamentally influenced
how I relate to nature and why I’ve chosen to pursue a career
in helping societies prepare for a changing climate. When I see
Mags and Harold now, it stops me in my tracks. I take a moment to
pause and creep silently to get a better look.
Last year, I ran a research project as part of OmVed Gardens entitled
“What Local Looks Like”. I interviewed people locally and internationally
to understand how the global lockdowns had influenced
their relationships with their local environment, nature, community,
and also themselves. Did they come to know any of these things
better or in a different way? Was this change something they liked
and wanted to keep - or would they wish it away if they could?
Over that year many of us didn’t notice as the space we had
during that time was reshaped as the world “opened up” and then
shut down several times over. Ultimately, what we at OmVed realised
is that maybe, really what we need is space to keep thinking
and to keep engaging with these aspects we had been discovering
- all the things that make up local nature to each of us. To that
end, we will shortly be launching a community called “On Local Nature”.
Each month there will be a theme for reflection and in-person
gatherings for those who would like to come and discuss. We
welcome you to join this space and to make space for others, for
your surroundings and for yourself. Who knows, maybe a fox or two
will join too.•
The first in-person meeting will take place in March. For further information check:
www.local-nature.com where you can also register for the newsletter.
26