Why Does Don Henley LOVE Massachusetts? Listen
Why DOES Don Henley LOVE Massachusetts? You’re about to find out.
With the return of the Eagles to Boston at the TD Garden on September 11, I had to go back and find my radio chat with Don and share with you his LOVE for our neck of the woods. WOODS, being the key term of endearment.
Back To The Woods
Don’s love for our great state started way before he was born, on July 12, 1817. That day, the father of conservation was born, right up the road in Concord near Walden Pond. His name is Henry David Thoreau. Thoreau’s book Walden, Or Life In The Woods inspired many, (in later years including Henley, and me) to take a closer look at protecting the woods, and not allow future technology and development of land, destroy the quiet of nature, which is truly, a part of us. Some say, it IS us. Many say that would be no Earth Day without Thoreau. Add to that, many credit Thoreau to be the early inspiration to our National Park System, that protects and maintains our national parks.
Walden Pond and Don Henley
In March 1845, a young 28 year old Thoreau began construction of a small 10 foot by 15 foot cabin, on the land owned by Ralph Waldo Emerson in Concord. He wanted to conduct a personal experiment, to purse Walden Pond in a special way. He wanted to see if he could live off the land and understand the simple life. The cost to build it then: $28.12. You can see a replica of the cabin at Walden Pond today, and see the original site it was built on.
Flash forward to the late 1980’s. When Don discovered that the woods around Walden were about to be turned into commercial land, he went to congress. He asked for protection of that land to preserve the history and important message of Thoreau: protect the woods. He was successful in creating The Walden Woods Project in 1990.
From their website:
The Walden Woods Project preserves the land, literature and legacy of Henry David Thoreau. It fosters an ethic of environmental stewardship and social responsibility. The Project achieves this mission through the integration of conservation, education, research and advocacy.
Today, THOUSANDS from across the globe come to Walden each year, to take the hour and a half long walk around the pond to catch a feel of what Thoreau was talking about. Back in September 2016, I was honored to meet Don, and watch him cut the ribbon, on the new, million dollar Walden Woods Center. A must see, right across the street from the pond.
Why does Don Henley LOVE Massachusetts? Let’s listen to Don himself share his amazing vision, thanks to Henry David Thoreau. This chat is from July 2017.