Communal Bunch

Community isn't  just important for these Marbled Godwits,
seen today while visiting Arcata Marsh.  As Doug and Linda
reminded me,  it is also critical for humans as well

If you look up the word community in a dictionary, you are bound to find several standard definitions: a group linked by a common location, a body of people with common history or interests, or joint ownership or participation in a common cause. With the fast pace of our modern society, it is sometimes difficult to find community, although the benefits of sharing a sense of camaraderie with other people have long been documented in psychological research. I learned today in speaking with COASSTers Doug (CA beach floater) and Linda (Dry Lagoon) that the dedicated COASST volunteers in the Arcata/Eureka area of northern California have invested intentional effort in building and nurturing a sense of community among the region’s COASST members. And that effort has made a real difference for many of those involved in the program, adding tremendous value to participation. Hailing from any number of backgrounds and walks of life, these folks have formed a bond around, you guessed it, dead birds, and the beaches where they are found. OK, so it isn’t all about the birds. After spending more time together at locally-organized COASST gatherings, many have found they share other aspects in common as well, even though it is not at all unusual to enjoy a nice round of dead bird stories for dinner conversation! Members like Doug and Linda, along with the dozens of other volunteers in this region of California, have created a unique sense of place, one that is shared, communal, and binding. The American writer Kurt Vonnegut once said that the most daring thing for a person to do with his or her life was to “create stable communities in which the terrible disease of loneliness can be cured.” Way to go northern CA COASSTers for daring to create community!