To the editor:

First, I would very much like to thank the Brown County Democrat for the article in the Brown County Almanack. We had seen the article in the paper, but were surprised and happy to see the article in the magazine as well. Thanks for doing such a great job of explaining more about what we do. It is not usually as easy as some people anticipate. But we are glad to have the opportunity to serve the community in this way, to support the birds that support our local agriculture through rodent control.

While the Indiana Raptor Center is not open for tours and educational programs during isolation times, we are still accepting injured and orphaned raptors and have a process to minimize people contact. So if you find something, we can still help. Also, thanks for all the sheets! We are well-stocked now but may have to ask again down the road. Cash donations are helpful now since we are not receiving donations from our programming activities (P.O. Box 1153).

I am very proud of Brown County during this pandemic. We follow the NBC WTHR-13 website and have seen the coronavirus statistics. So far, Brown County is an oasis in an increasingly infected area of the state. Thanks to all of our community citizens for being careful, thoughtful and helpful during this time of uncertainty! Keep up the good work and stay safe!

Some of this is due to how Governor Holcomb has managed the coronavirus in the state. It seems to be a common sense, non-political approach that has helped us all weather the storm. Distancing and closings were done early and without fanfare, and seem to be working well, though, of course, there are still income challenges as a result. The absentee ballot issue is being handled well so that we have an extra opportunity for our protection while exercising our rights. While I did not vote for him, I am grateful to be living under his current leadership.

The biggest problems I have with our state government right now are the plans for forest harvesting, and the need to better fund the employees of the DNR. But that would require another editorial letter, and many other people are already taking on the challenge of those concerns. Thanks to those people.

And speaking of the forests, we all write letters and stage protests and go to rallies and go to Indy to save the trees, but what about saving the architects of those forests? While I think most people in Brown County agree that part of our stewardship is to protect wildlife, I see so many squirrels, turtles, rabbits, birds, possums, deer, frogs, toads, snakes, beavers, groundhogs and raccoons smeared across the pavement or knocked to the side of the road as they go about their own little lives. These are the creatures that help at ground level to transport and bury seeds that start new trees, that carry pollen on fur and feathers to start seed production. These are, in many ways, creators of the forests that we spend so much time defending.

Now I know that sometimes, one of these creatures will cross the road unnecessarily, or turn and go back in the middle, so there are times when impact is unavoidable. And I know that at dusk and in the night, the sight of a barred owl coming up from the side of the road just looks like a small puff of dirt kicked up by a tire. But we all know they are out there, and if we want to fight back against forest destruction, one way is to step up and protect the architects of the forest. They are valuable allies. And I know that horse people have problems with possums, but they eat their weight in ticks, so the rest of us need to help them survive in other places. They protect us from tick-borne diseases!

My thanks also to Leslie Bishop for her columns detailing the lives of all of these creatures, how they relate to us, and how they relate to each other, so that we may know and appreciate them better.

And thanks to Keep Brown County Beautiful for instruction on how trash attracts mice, which attract birds that are then struck by cars, leaving a nest of babies to starve and to upend the balance in the rodent/raptor populations.

Best regards to everyone. See you with your mask on at the P.O., IGA, BP, Speedway or CVS, because that’s about as far as I am going.

Patti Reynolds, president/ executive director, Indiana Raptor Center, Nashville