{"id":20806,"date":"2015-03-01T06:33:19","date_gmt":"2015-03-01T13:33:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=20806"},"modified":"2026-03-21T06:46:59","modified_gmt":"2026-03-21T11:46:59","slug":"i-cant-understand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/03\/01\/i-cant-understand\/","title":{"rendered":"I Can’t Understand…"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"YoungYoung mangrove in early morning light<\/span><\/p>\n

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. \u2013 Aldo Leopold<\/em><\/p>\n

I’m a nature lover and a photographer who sees the natural world not just from behind my camera but with every breath and step that I take.<\/p>\n

I can’t understand those who regard the natural world as worthless except for what they can extract from it while stealing from future generations.<\/p>\n

I can’t understand how those people; who might have children themselves, can pollute the water, land, air, and damage every fiber of the environment just to fatten their checkbooks.<\/p>\n

I can’t understand people like that.<\/p>\n

I don’t want<\/em> to.<\/p>\n

But they need to know that those of us who love nature and respect our natural community are not going to go away and that we won’t stop fighting.<\/p>\n

Not today and certainly not tomorrow.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my flower, shrub, and tree photos.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I’m a nature lover and a photographer who sees the natural world not just from behind my camera but with every breath and step that I take. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":172711,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,704],"tags":[2654,4039,14752,988,6692,4312,173,3421,4258,3980,17290,4017,4193],"class_list":["post-20806","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-florida","category-fort-de-soto-county-park","tag-aldo-leopold","tag-beach","tag-coastal-island","tag-conservation","tag-early-morning-light","tag-environment","tag-gulf-coast","tag-mangrove","tag-mangroves","tag-pinellas-county","tag-rhizophora","tag-sand","tag-young"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/mangrove-florida-mia-mcpherson-1200.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-5pA","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":15739,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/08\/31\/the-land-is-one-organism\/","url_meta":{"origin":20806,"position":0},"title":"The Land Is One Organism","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 31, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Harmony with land is like harmony with a friend; you cannot cherish his right hand and chop off his left.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"That is to say, you cannot love game and hate predators..., Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/coyote-quote-leopold-mia-mcpherson-4935.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/coyote-quote-leopold-mia-mcpherson-4935.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/coyote-quote-leopold-mia-mcpherson-4935.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/coyote-quote-leopold-mia-mcpherson-4935.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":45474,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2017\/03\/11\/i-adore-sandhill-cranes\/","url_meta":{"origin":20806,"position":1},"title":"I Adore Sandhill Cranes","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 11, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Even though I can't see them with my eyes as I write this I can imagine Sandhill Cranes waiting for the first rays of the sun to reach the marshes where they spent the night.","rel":"","context":"In "Bicknell Bottoms Wildlife Management Area"","block_context":{"text":"Bicknell Bottoms Wildlife Management Area","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bicknell-bottoms-wildlife-management-area\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sandhill Crane braking for landing, Bicknell Bottoms Wildlife Management Area, Wayne County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/sandhill-crane-landing-mia-mcpherson-6286.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/sandhill-crane-landing-mia-mcpherson-6286.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/sandhill-crane-landing-mia-mcpherson-6286.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/sandhill-crane-landing-mia-mcpherson-6286.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 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Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/roseate-spoonbill-lagoon-mia-mcpherson-7336.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/roseate-spoonbill-lagoon-mia-mcpherson-7336.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/roseate-spoonbill-lagoon-mia-mcpherson-7336.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/roseate-spoonbill-lagoon-mia-mcpherson-7336.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16051,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/10\/06\/conservation-is-a-state-of-harmony\/","url_meta":{"origin":20806,"position":3},"title":"Conservation Is A State Of Harmony","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 6, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"I would love to say that while I am wandering around exploring the natural wonders we have been gifted with that I can forget about the assaults on the land and the creatures that live there but I can't.","rel":"","context":"In "Conservation"","block_context":{"text":"Conservation","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/conservation\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Utah Juniper - Dead Horse Point, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/utah-juniper-dead-horse-point-mia-mcpherson-1556.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/utah-juniper-dead-horse-point-mia-mcpherson-1556.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/utah-juniper-dead-horse-point-mia-mcpherson-1556.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 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Our numbers are growing and we are an increasing force to be reckoned with.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Snow on Antelope Island, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/antelope-island-snow-leopold-mia-mcpherson-6408.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/antelope-island-snow-leopold-mia-mcpherson-6408.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/antelope-island-snow-leopold-mia-mcpherson-6408.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/antelope-island-snow-leopold-mia-mcpherson-6408.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15693,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/08\/23\/a-white-ibis-and-the-relections-from-mangroves\/","url_meta":{"origin":20806,"position":5},"title":"White Ibis and the reflections from mangroves","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 23, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"These two White Ibis images were taken 19 frames apart and the color of the water changed dramatically as the ibis and I moved north","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"White Ibis with green mangrove reflections, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/white-ibis-feeding-mia-mcpherson-0198.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/white-ibis-feeding-mia-mcpherson-0198.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/white-ibis-feeding-mia-mcpherson-0198.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/white-ibis-feeding-mia-mcpherson-0198.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20806","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20806"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20806\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/172711"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20806"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20806"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20806"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}