From the bottom of our hearts, a great big “thank you” to the Sierra Club for this beautiful award! The name of this award, “the Barred Owl” is near and dear to my heart and is a deep reminder of what our work and vision truly means to me. Every night our family sits on our back deck that overlooks a beautiful ecosystem “Lily Pond.” Our property borders San Felasco State Park, which is one of Florida’s precious gems. Fortunately, Haskell and I get to enjoy seeing families of deer with their fawns, hawks, wild turkeys (we’ve seen close to 20 at one time), sand hill cranes, raccoons, alligators, snakes, and so many other wildlife species. I’ve even seen Bobcats. But the experience I enjoy most: every night as we sit on our back deck, I hear the screeching of these amazing, wise and noble creatures. Our home peacefully sits amidst several families of barred owls. Each year, I am a witness to their patterns and connections to their habitat. I watch them raise their young, hunt, and call each other from the tree tops. I often awake in the middle of the night to hear their cries and it has always deeply touched my soul. So much so, that our daughter’s room is full of images of barred owls. We are so fortunate that she can view the wonders of Mother Nature by just looking outside of her window. We feel it’s worth protecting and we hope that Florida’s conservation initiatives continue to grow.

On behalf of mōksa, thank you Sierra Club for all that you do to uphold your mission of “explore, enjoy & protect.” We will always honor the spirit of this award.

Below are a few photos from the Martin home. We hope you enjoy as much as we do….