The Refuge

Until there were trees, the newly risen land was a place of rocks and sand, scarred by wind and rain, seared by the unrelieved scorch of the sun. Then there were forests.  Trees clothed the hills, cleansed the air, checked erosion, shaped the continents, and made the land hospitable.  And when man’s earliest ancestors achieved reason and dreams they found the makings of tomorrow on the forest floor, saw the future’s shape in the long shadows if the woodland... Hal Borland, from Our Natural World.

This passage reminds us of the humble origin of The Refuge... the one outside the back door... all begun a half century ago when Helen planted that first tree.  It was during a time of scarred land, and the dredge and fill of native mangrove forests, all in the pursuit of man’s dream. All properties were ocean view.  Man and machine had conquered, and left in their wake of destruction were neatly segmented 120 ‘ x 150’ parcels of scarified land.

Simply put, in the spirit of Helen’s legacy, we continue to plant, water, and help it to grow. 

Nature heals the earth as well as the soul.