Meet Phil Cantino, one member of our multi-talented, engaged, experienced, and thoroughly brilliant board of directors! An avid birder, Phil is a founding member of Athens Conservancy, and enjoyed a 30-year career as a professor in the Ohio University Department of Environmental and Plant Biology.
Why is spending time outdoors important to you?
Being outdoors in a natural area — especially alone — calms my mind and delights my senses in a way no other experience compares to.
What’s your perfect outdoors-kind-of-day?
I love cool, crisp days when the humidity is low and the air seems to sparkle. Everything looks fresh and beautiful to me on that kind of day, whether I’m walking a forest trail or biking through farmland.
Advice for someone new to exploring nature?
I recommend solo walking; it is hard to focus on nature when you are chatting. Try to take a break from your mind’s clutter. Open your eyes and ears, walk slowly and quietly, and observe the amazing forms and adaptations of other species that live around us.
Cat or dog person?
We have a cat named Gatito, which means kitten or small cat in Spanish, but at this point he is neither. We believe he was feral when he first appeared under our back porch one bitter February night 12 years ago, scrawny and wild-eyed. It was a year before he was tame enough to allow in the house, but he is now affectionate and very attached to us. He has adapted to our requirement that he live entirely indoors for the protection of the birds and small mammals in our yard.
Hidden gem in southeast Ohio?
My current favorite is the Magic Is Real Trail in the Lindy Roosenburg Preserve, which winds through an exceptionally beautiful old oak forest overlooking a stream valley. For those who enjoy exploring off trail, I recommend Hawk Woods, the old-growth portion of Riddle State Nature Preserve, north of Athens Trail near Sells Park.
Why is protecting land around us so important?
The multitude of species whose world we share need a place to live. They — and we — need clean air and water and a stable climate. Preserving natural areas (which in this region are usually forested) provides habitat for other species, protects water quality, and helps combat climate change by protecting large trees and forest soils that are important carbon sinks.