Reader Responses to Treetop Trailblazer

Much as the trees of the forest canopy nourish one another in symbiotic harmony, we as humans require mental and spiritual sustenance to truly thrive. Thank you, Erik, for this inspiring article! Nalini Nadkarni’s deep appreciation for trees offers hope that humanity can embrace its true role—not as a desecrator, but as a guardian of the natural world. Nalini, we both share a profound love for trees. As an artist, I, too, seek to help humanity reconnect with our true brothers and sisters—trees and the nature they embody. I invite you to visit my newly launched website (thebeingoftrees.com) dedicated to this cause.

What an inspiring life Nalini leads! What a beautiful piece of writing and photo-journalism too. Thank you Erik and BAM team for always finding such treats to share with us. I needed this breath of fresh air to remind me how creative and surprising life can be. I love the connection with forest disturbance and Nalini’s fall, what a profound way to experience life. I am glad she is healing and was able to climb again.

I had the privilege of interviewing Nalini Nadkarni in the mid-’80s when I was the writer of a column in Glamour magazine called “Women Right Now,” which highlighted the achievements of female firsts and women with unusual careers. She taught me the meaning of the word epiphyte and talked about her work in the forest canopy of Monteverde, Costa Rica. That interview always stuck with me, especially when she spoke of once taking her young child up into the canopy with her, where he stuffed some epiphytes into his mouth before she could stop him. Thank you for this fascinating piece about the ups and downs of her now long and very accomplished career. I would also like to know, what became of her young epiphyte-eater?

Thank you for your article about Nalini Nadkarni ’76. What amazing strength and courage to survive a 50-foot fall and to continue her work! As a college friend and fellow bio/ecology major, I recall her passion for exploration, adventure, and the natural world. The piece brought me back to one of my best childhood memories, regularly climbing a giant weeping willow and pretending I was a pilot or astronaut, sitting in its cockpit-like top, 70 feet above ground with a view of the entire neighborhood. How many kids get a chance to do this anymore? And I, like Nalini, have noted that climate change has stressed the forest in Western Massachusetts, where I walk daily. We need more innovative, collaborative, and fearless people like her to explore the rooftops of the forests and all the astonishing treasures of the natural world, before it is too late.