Stories by Fran Alexander

OPINION | FRAN ALEXANDER: A (wrong) way with words … absolutely "Yeah, no, absolutely" is a response I've yet to translate into a logical answer for anything, but I'm trying. I understand that "yeah" means "yes," and the adver... May 23, 2023

OPINION | FRAN ALEXANDER: Retired naturalist, others dedicate themselves to resuscitating Ozark Chinquapin trees When he was a young boy, Fayetteville mayor Lioneld Jordan and his friends would collect the porcupine-like burrs of the Ozark Chinquapin and hammer the husks with the heels of their shoes to get the ... May 2, 2023

OPINION | FRAN ALEXANDER: Spring is a good time to devote energy to fight the invasion of non-native plants Invasive species: Any species not indigenous to a region, which becomes established and displaces native species.[LINESPACE]About this time each year, some of my friends start to tease me about my obs... April 11, 2023

OPINION | FRAN ALEXANDER: Alliance gears up for renewed battle against Forest Service’s shortsighted management Once upon a time in Arkansas there lived a political cartoonist named George Fisher. Proposals by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for damming (thereby damning) the Buffalo River secured a special pla... March 21, 2023

OPINION | FRAN ALEXANDER: Quarry disruptions difficult to withstand, residents west of Fayetteville say; battle over the future continues What to do when you want to dig dirt or blast rocks, and the neighbors have problems with that? Seemingly, politics to the rescue -- again.Back in 2009, I wrote about the residents just over the count... February 28, 2023

OPINION | FRAN ALEXANDER: Transexual students aren’t the ones to be feared as lawmakers attack When I was a kid, my mother showed no mercy if she construed I was staring at someone who seemed different or who had a disability. She would have taken our former president out behind the barn, likel... February 7, 2023

OPINION | FRAN ALEXANDER: Company seeks permit to spread waste on Washington County fields, raising questions about impact on watershed "From the free-flowing waters of the Buffalo River to the rolling hills of the Ozark Mountains, Arkansas is proud to be the Natural State and enjoy clean air, land, and water.....we must continue... January 17, 2023

OPINION | FRAN ALEXANDER: Giant trees survive thousands of years, but remain vulnerable in today’s climate Charred and hanging in downward cupped positions, like ballerinas expressing sadness or despair, the skeletal arms of the giant sequoias dangle on the hillsides and spread their grief to the stream be... December 27, 2022

OPINION | FRAN ALEXANDER: My mother, the queen — The underappreciated impact of a “royal” housewife My dad called my mother "Madame Queen," not in a teasing, chiding or derogatory way, but more to acknowledge her status in our family unit. There were only three of us, and since I was an on... November 15, 2022

OPINION | FRAN ALEXANDER: The “whackos” aren’t wrong: Earth is showing us the impacts of harsher conditions Once upon a time a frog sitting on a lily pad noticed it was getting larger, in fact doubling in size each day. His floating platform would cover the pond in 30 days, but on the 29th day the frog stil... October 4, 2022

OPINION | FRAN ALEXANDER: Everyone benefits from those dedicated to watching the water One of the great conundrums about humans is our frequent refusal to accept the fact that water runs downhill. We tend to fight its natural progression, which I guess is why civil engineers were invent... September 13, 2022

OPINION | FRAN ALEXANDER: On issues of public policy, being a “squeaky wheel” is a good thing This is a busy week for citizen input on a couple of major Fayetteville decisions. The options here are probably similar to other civic choices being made elsewhere in Arkansas in regard to what peopl... August 23, 2022

OPINION | FRAN ALEXANDER: Book details love, commitment, hope of an Arkansas couple challenged by wife’s long coma Once upon a time, I had a literature professor who said there are only a couple of stories people tell. Writers just move around the characters, locations and events."The quest" is well know... August 2, 2022

OPINION | FRAN ALEXANDER: The battle over controlling women’s bodies has been around a long time I've looked at life from both sides nowFrom win and lose and still somehowIt's life's illusions I recallI really don't know life at all ...-- Joni MitchellThere's been a lot to thi... July 12, 2022

OPINION | FRAN ALEXANDER: Trading trees for solar? Not exactly a bright idea Last week I got what seemed at first to be a very strange phone call. Lease hounds, also called landmen, have traditionally been people in search of mineral rights owners from whom they can lease mine... May 31, 2022

OPINION | FRAN ALEXANDER: Drama of life in the air captures the imagination First it was the screech-scream from overhead that yanked our attention upward. Then, a large bird sliced by us on its way, perhaps, to terrorize smaller critters around the bird feeder or to show off... May 10, 2022

OPINION | FRAN ALEXANDER: Battle for the Buffalo … to be continued? "At some point, they will try again. "-- author Brian Thompson, on future threats to the Buffalo National River.[LINESPACE]It's downright strange how hard it is to protect something that... April 19, 2022

OPINION | FRAN ALEXANDER: Earth Day brings opportunities to make a difference The "start fresh" feeling that spring brings us each year is not completely due to flowers blooming and birds singing. Sometimes we have to do some of the freshening ourselves by airing out ... March 29, 2022

OPINION | FRAN ALEXANDER: Once-prevelant prairie grasses can have a lasting effect on climate changes Flying over our country's mid-section provides a bird's eye view of how we newcomers have reshaped this land in just a few centuries. Looking down, we can see squares and rectangles outlining ... March 8, 2022

OPINION | FRAN ALEXANDER: Omni Center continues its push to make peace, justice the chosen alternatives "We must dare to think 'unthinkable thoughts. We must learn to explore all of the options and possibilities that confront us in a complex and rapidly changing world. We must learn to welcome ... February 15, 2022

OPINION | FRAN ALEXANDER: If it's harming birds, it's also an unhealthy sign for human beings "'Love thy neighbor as thyself' isn't just about Homo sapiens."-- Joe NealThere is great irony in contrasting us with our animal cousins. We human animals are more in control of ... January 25, 2022

FRAN ALEXANDER: Even little local government decisions affect the environment This is one of those "heads-up!" articles to remind us the holidays are now over and it's again time to closely watch the mechanisms and manipulations of those running the circus. For ex... January 4, 2022

OPINION | FRAN ALEXANDER: Northwest Arkansas groups deliver leadership affecting the world we live in But we do not live in the past. ...So we begin the only way we are able.We begin not with what was, but with what is.And like the wind in the grasses, sometimes the next pass we make is one that mends... December 14, 2021

OPINION | FRAN ALEXANDER: Memoir reflects a compassionate life of caregiving through AIDS crisis When I choose from the top of the teetering tower of books in my to-be-read stack, I am rarely reading them in a just-released timely order. Not surprisingly, now that I've finished "All the ... November 23, 2021

OPINION | FRAN ALEXANDER: Take the dinosaur's word for it: Extinction stinks "At least we had an asteroid. What's your excuse?" -- Frankie the dinosaur "So, a dinosaur goes into a room and starts babbling on about extinction," could be a good setup for a joke. How the story ... November 2, 2021

OPINION | FRAN ALEXANDER: Like Thunberg, world's young people act to rescue Earth's climate "You all come to us young people for hope. How dare you? You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words." -- Greta Thunberg, September 2019 Kids and young adults have learned if th... October 12, 2021

OPINION | FRAN ALEXANDER: Northwest Arkansas station stresses the value of giving To be environmentally aware is like being in a rapidly sinking boat with only a thimble for bailing. Sometimes, however, a small ray of hope is tossed our way. While battling our region's ever-increa... September 21, 2021

OPINION | FRAN ALEXANDER: What are you drinking in Northwest Arkansas. "Water is the driving force of all nature." -- Leonardo da Vinci [LINESPACE] Since 2005, the Environmental Protection Agency has declared each August as National Water Quality Month, so perhaps we ... August 10, 2021

FRAN ALEXANDER: Famous poem a shout-out to protect water quality When Samuel Coleridge wrote, "Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink," in his poem, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," he wove the story of a grizzled old sailor wandering the land telling of... July 20, 2021

OPINION | FRAN ALEXANDER: A tree and me It will probably come as no surprise to anyone that I grew up in a tree. Well, not every waking hour, of course, but let's just say if my mother was looking for me, she'd often look up. A few boards n... June 29, 2021

FRAN ALEXANDER: The mighty oaks We assume they'll always be there, that they'll stand by us through thick and thin, that they're the definition of strength. However, this year's freezing weather shocked our mighty companions, the oa... June 8, 2021

FRAN ALEXANDER: Nature's infrastructure "Ecology isn't rocket science; it's much more difficult." -- Steve Carpenter, professor of zoology University of Wisconsin-Madison Nature's infrastructure has been taking some major hits lately, gi... May 18, 2021

FRAN ALEXANDER: Keeping Fayetteville in line "Nothing is safe when the legislature is in session," is a mantra moaned every two years when watching lawmakers slash and burn social and environmental protections. But this year's session has outdon... April 27, 2021

To bird or not to bird Cupping hands into a cold spring and bringing drink up to mouths was as fundamental to the first humans as finding food. As our ancestors and the world changed over hundreds of thousands of years, the... April 6, 2021

FRAN ALEXANDER: The public's say "Public lands in Arkansas are the great equalizer. A place where a millionaire and a poor man can share a cup of coffee, a tree, and a conversation. They're a place where all the gadgets money can buy... March 16, 2021

FRAN ALEXANDER: Mayday, Mayday, MayDay Repeated three times, the urgency of "Mayday" is known as a distress call used in life-threatening emergencies. Derived from the French word "m'aider," it means "help me." Sometimes extraordinary thi... February 23, 2021

FRAN ALEXANDER: Is this soaking in? Have you ever looked out the window and instead of the view you're used to, you're staring at a bulldozer? When you learn it is there to widen your street or channelize the nearby creek or shape new b... February 2, 2021

FRAN ALEXANDER: The undoing We've started a new year and in a few days, we'll have a new president. Political cartoonists usually symbolize each new year as a plump diapered baby and the past year as tired Father Time, draped in... January 12, 2021

FRAN ALEXANDER: What's your name? Maybe it started when a Goodspeed married into our family, or maybe it's just my fascination with names that started my most recent pastime. Or, most likely it was the virus. During these months of co... December 22, 2020

Making plans The best advice for fools is, if you're trapped deep in a hole, stop digging. Of course, that line of action depends totally on recognizing a hole when you're in one. This pandemic is most definitely ... December 1, 2020

FRAN ALEXANDER: Environment is on the ballot It all comes down to this -- who "gets it" and who doesn't? We make the mistake of assuming, of course, that with understanding and education, people will adjust their actions toward that which would ... October 20, 2020

FRAN ALEXANDER: Call of the wilderness Seeing the forest for the trees Arkansas has a crown jewel, a unique place of quality that has no parallel. Oh sure, there are rivers elsewhere as there are forests and caves and cliffs and mountains... September 8, 2020

FRAN ALEXANDER: Catching a wave "We need to care about each other more." -- Greta Thunberg, in Rolling Stone [LINESPACE] Some of us think in pictures more than in words, which is probably why I prefer reading fiction and listenin... August 18, 2020

FRAN ALEXANDER: That certain air Oh what a tangled web we weave When first we practice to deceive. -- Sir Walter Scott Things can get tangled up rapidly when trying to draw parallels between the environmental condition of the plan... July 7, 2020

FRAN ALEXANDER: Into the consciousness "Out damned spot! Out I say!" -- Lady Macbeth in "Macbeth" by William Shakespeare When did all this begin and will it ever end? In the last few years there have been numerous protests and marches lo... June 16, 2020

FRAN ALEXANDER: Essence in the last word As the old joke goes, we need to read the obits each morning to make sure we're not on the page. Yet. For several years I've been fairly consistent about reading these notifications. As fascinating as... May 26, 2020

FRAN ALEXANDER: The way we were We are about to wear out that poor frog. You know the one -- the frog sitting in a pot of water that's slowly coming to a boil, but he doesn't notice the changing temperature until he's cooked. Compar... May 5, 2020

FRAN ALEXANDER: The unwelcome guest And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts ... -- William Shakespeare Buyers' remorse is the fairly common emotion af... April 14, 2020

FRAN ALEXANDER: Of holding and folding If I hear, "We're all in this together" or "existential threat" one more time, I may start screaming offensively. Enough already! What needs to be discussed is what part of being in an ecosystem do we... March 24, 2020

FRAN ALEXANDER: The climate vote "In the absence of a formal structure, the government has resorted to improvisation. " -- Laurie Garrett, Pulitizer Prize-winner science journalist Probably one of the most frustrating things about cl... March 3, 2020