Carol Bartels, Ecotherapist, LMFT

02/15/2026

"We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect. "
AldoLeopold

02/10/2026

The price of turning away from ignorance…

01/30/2026

It's always all about connection:
https://www.facebook.com/glassgardensbystacey/posts/pfbid02QPDwjosxPhMfimGiX7kGipGCjXKfQfXPSRnojVsNDKmMuKfVahvoYa2LqzGdJQCpl

-By Kate Forster-

01/26/2026

Maybe what’s killing us is modernity itself.

01/22/2026

a thought worth pondering

12/13/2025

This is the most important infrastructure to invest in. 💚

Nature isn’t a guest in the city. Nature is infrastructure.

Cities have to stop treating it as decoration and start treating it as essential urban infrastructure, just like roads, drainage, and electricity.

When we treat nature as a foundational system, everything shifts:

🌧️ Wetlands become flood infrastructure, absorbing stormwater and protecting neighborhoods.
🌳 Urban forests and tree canopies become cooling networks, reducing heat stress and making streets walkable.
🌿 Green corridors stitch together fragmented ecosystems, supporting biodiversity and offering safer, shaded public spaces.
💧 Restored rivers and riparian zones become natural drainage channels, reducing the burden on engineered systems.
🏘️ Nature-based solutions in informal settlements reduce risk, improve health, and make upgrading more climate-resilient.
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Communities become stewards, co-designing and managing green spaces that strengthen identity and social cohesion.

It’s climate adaptation, public health, risk reduction, and urban equity — all supported by natural systems that work better, cost less over time, and restore life to the city.

10/06/2025

Love music? Love nature? This one’s for you!

Our third FREE Willow Springs Experience of the 2025 Fall Season is: Violins in the Park with Ramon Cabiling.

Join us on Sunday, October 12, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Enjoy a violin concert amidst nature in Willow Springs Park, as music nurtures a deeper, more meaningful connection with ourselves and the space in which we listen.

Please bring chairs and blankets.

Experiences are FREE. Reservations Recommended: WSPExperiences@gmail.com.

Meet in the Willow Springs Park parking lot at 2745 Orange Avenue*

*Contact WSPExperiences@gmail.com for accessibility information.

NOTE: There is no sidewalk leading to Willow Springs Park trails from bus stops. To map out your public transit route, visit https://ridelbt.com/. For ADA-compliant transportation to the park, please schedule a ride at https://ridelbt.com/dial-a-lift/.

09/29/2025

Next week’s Willow Springs Experience is right up our alley! Andrea Bell is an ecotherapist and somatic therapist (though this is not a therapy session) and she has great knowledge of Willow Springs Park and its ecosystem. Hope to see you there!

09/26/2025

For Long Beach locals: Friends of Willow Springs Park is kicking off their Fall season of Experiences, starting with Painting in the Park this Sunday. Hope to you see you there!

09/18/2025

Being grateful for the little things is how we make it through difficult times.

🦗🔮🌻

09/10/2025

It’s all about relationships.

Robin Wall Kimmerer 🌹

05/29/2025

We don’t give other beings in the natural world enough credit.

Meet Rakus, a male Sumatran orangutan who recently caught the attention of the scientific community . He was spotted in Gunung Leuser National Park, Indonesia , with a noticeable wound on his right cheek —likely from a confrontation with another orangutan.
What amazed researchers came afterward: they observed Rakus carefully selecting and using a plant known as akar kuning (Fibraurea tinctoria) . This climbing vine is traditionally used in local medicine for its potential pain-relieving and antibacterial properties .
Rakus chewed the plant’s stems and leaves, extracted the juice , and applied it directly to his wound. He then placed the chewed remains on top of the injury, almost like a natural bandage . He repeated this process for several days , and gradually, the wound started to heal without any visible signs of infection .
After about a month , the wound had fully closed. This behavior, documented by a team of primatologists , is considered one of the first known examples of a wild animal using medicinal plants for self-treatment .
The discovery provides fascinating insights into the intelligence of great apes and how they may instinctively use nature’s resources to care for themselves . It also opens up exciting possibilities for future studies on animal self-medication .
Source: (Rainmaker1973)