Hank Lentfer ’91 lives in and writes about Alaska and its wilderness areas.
From the outside, alumni author, Hank Lentfer ’91, is living an American dream. He quits his 9-5 office job, treks through untouched Alaskan wilderness, fells trees and mills them to build his own cabin, and gains prominence in conservation circles as he serves on boards and travels to Washington DC to defend his home state from environmental destruction.
Yet, Lentfer’s 2011 book, Faith of Cranes: Finding Hope and Family in Alaska really isn’t a celebration of personal liberation or a bland reporting of an idyllic life in Alaska’s wilderness. Rather, it’s a story about the author’s journey through despair. Despair in the face of unrelenting “progress”. Despair in the face of habitat loss. Despair and frustration with the interminable political process failing to protect the earth’s wild lands.
In his latest book, Faith of Cranes, Lentfer describes his journey into fatherhood and his evolving perspectives on hope and conservation.
Lentfer’s story will resonate with many Greeners working in environmental or social justice fields. How does one maintain hope and optimism when the challenges are so many? Lentfer describes his effort to “keep his despair in check” and connects the birth of his daughter with a shift in his thinking that enables him to stop worrying so much about the future. He writes,
“I now believe even the extinction of cranes cannot render efforts at conservation irrelevant any more than the death of a soldier can strip meaning from calls for peace….”
What do you think? Join the conversation by responding to the following question posed by Hank Lentfer in Faith of Cranes:
“If every step of one’s way is along a path of caring, does it matter what the future brings?”
Hello, my mother, who died in 1982, comes from Seattle and so do many dear members of my family. My son is an alumni of Evergreen College from 2009. This blog might be a way for me to connect with people, issues and my own personal roots. Although I’ve been away for many years, I love my country and especially the Pacific Northwest and Puget Sound, where my family used to go when we were children. Recently I found a petition about the octopus in the sound waters (I think) that is endangered. And it troubles me to read about the depletion of salmon in the area. Through this blog I would like to express some of my thoughts, worries and hopes. Thank you, from a concerned Ex-pat, for providing me with this chance to keep up with the EVERGREEN idea! I wouldn’t mind communicating with anyone who is interested in Nachhaltige Forestry – German style!
Hi Rose,
Thank you for your lovely response. We’re glad to hear that this blog is something that you can connect to. If you have any interest in sharing a bit more about Nachhaltige Forestry I’d be excited to work with you, Perhaps it can make its way on to the blog?
First of all, I think it’s wonderful that alumni have their own blog! What a great way for individuals in disparate fields to continue to support each other.
Since traveling after my BA, I’ve certainly had opportunities to ruminate on questions like the one above: “If every step of one’s way is along a path of caring, does it matter what the future brings?” In essence, every path takes a chance on a direction- it may be a direction which doesn’t yield desirable results for years. But interwoven by other paths, we may find each other along our way. Whether following clues toward conservation efforts, or toward encouraging young peoples’ development through the arts, each of us finds the support, tools, and relevant ideas needed to change our world as we go. We’re adding building blocks onto the previous foundations of knowledge, so the word “future” really implies an impossible leap forward on the avenue of time. In fact, there is no future. Rather, we are here and the time for change is now.
I like the title of this alumnus’s book, and hope to obtain a copy. Family members of mine are living in Alaska, and I think there is not a more real microcosm of the conflicting interests of our time than that wilderness- starting with the struggle over the conservation and extraction of natural nonrenewable energy. I hope that this Evergreen author continues to write. The insights of such a journey are precious for all of our learning. Best of luck in finding new ideas on the path ahead 🙂