March 23, 2007

Many individuals go through life possessing an insatiable need to put a stamp on their surroundings. They must make an impact, whether it is verbally, materialistically or socially. This is certainly not groundbreaking insight -- the size of ones corporeal imprint is the scale on which status is measured in our culture.

I want to leave something they will remember me by.

There is another group, a much smaller segment, who strives to accomplish the exact opposite. Nate Hill, a former Hobart lacrosse standout and a current member of the Los Angles Riptide of the MLL, is a member of this sect. His hope is to finish his stay on this planet leaving as little residue from his presence as possible.

He calls it an ecological footprint, and Hill wants his to be as faint as possible. This belief stems from the Native American "Seven Generation Rule," a principle to guide one's stay on earth.

"If it's something affecting seven generations in the future, it shouldn't be practiced no matter what it is," said Hill. "It's kind of stepping as lightly in all areas of life as possible."

Treading quietly is something Hill adheres to ecologically, but when he sees an environmental injustice he's not afraid to put his foot down. Or as the case may be with Hill's recent project, he's not afraid to put his foot up. And up.

And up.

The Riptide's recent acquisition played a lead role in efforts to spare a stand of oak trees on the University of California at Berkeley (UCB) campus from the chainsaws. Instead of picketing or protesting the plan to clear the grove next to UCB's football stadium, Hill acted as a human shield by literally living in the trees.

On a 'round-the-clock basis, the proponents pushing for the retention of the oak grove stood vigil high among the branches. They even held a press conference 15 feet of the ground to outline their protest.

Hill was a key player in the event, for a little while anyway. Last week he was nabbed by campus cops after descending from his perch for a brief visit and was issued what amounts to a `time-out.'

"Six days ago I received a seven-day `Stay Away from UC Property' ticket. When people who are in the trees are caught on the ground, whether they are coming down to see friends or take a shower, the police catch them and give illegal lodging and trespassing citations, along with a `Stay Away,' " said Hill. "I've been under that spell for six days, but tomorrow it's up, so it's back at it."

Hill is no tree-climbing novice. He spent over a month living hundreds of feet up a redwood tree in Northern California in hopes of dissuading loggers from toppling the majestic landmark. One doesn't resort to this type of defiance on a whim or to impress the ladies. You need conviction, something Hill picked up during his childhood.

"It's kind of been integral in my upbringing," said Hill, a native of Hamburg, N.Y. "Since I was 12 I've been a vegetarian -- now I'm primarily vegan -- and that's been a part of me. My parents have always supported open-minded thought and critical thinking. They've always been a place to go to ask questions without a lot of the cultural norms. It started with my vegetarianism and it fit my lifestyle to leave as small an ecological footprint as I could."

The path he beat to Berkeley for the oak-saving venture can be chalked up to luck. While on his way to drop a friend off at the Oakland airport, Hill read about the plans to sacrifice the trees for the sake of an athletic complex expansion and opted to stick around. His love of lacrosse, which he says follows in the same vein as many of his Native American beliefs, made an extended stay in Berkeley an easy choice.

"I decided it was a good fit for me because I could be an activist, and basically 100 yards from the oak grove is the lacrosse field where I was an assistant coach and a place I could shoot around," said Hill. "It was pretty keen to my situation."

Hill's situation is coming to an end shortly. With the Riptide's training camp opening later this month, L.A.'s reserve attackman must make his way to SoCal. In order to get in shape for the start of the season, Hill is using a conditioning technique unique to the environmentalist professional athlete.

"I'm going on a 13 day bike ride from Oakland to Albuquerque for the `Gathering of Nations,' the largest pow-wow in the nation," said Hill, with a little too much excitement for someone about to bike 100 miles a day for nearly two weeks. "The idea is to promote biodiesel and vegetable fuels."

When Hill does arrive at the Riptide camp, he'll have to interact with the players from a broad array of backgrounds and lifestyles not necessarily concurrent with his. He'll undoubtedly watch some teammates consume medium-rare porterhouses and others throwing aluminum cans in the trash. Hill's not a preacher, but if even one or two players gain an awareness of the bigger picture from his experiences, it can't hurt.

"Last year in Rochester (where Hill played three games) the guys were talking about ideas and things I'd been doing," he said. "I was living 300 feet up in the air in a little hammock and that was pretty interesting to a lot of the guys. They found it to be a good concept to defend ancient forests. The guys were supportive of it and were interested in certain aspects, like vegetarianism and things like that."

The start of camp will also mark the end of Hill's exploits in the swaying branches of Berkeley's oaks. Because frequent travel creates an ecological impact he is unwilling to justify, he will be supporting his tree-borne comrades from Los Angeles, where another cause likely awaits. "Everywhere you go there are things to be active and involved in," said Hill.

You may not agree with Hill's tactics or his beliefs, but you have to show at least a grudging admiration to his dedication. He's a man who believes strongly in certain issues and is willing to put his body where his mouth is. It is nearly impossible to check out of this world without leaving an ecological footprint, but Hill is going to give it a shot. If he comes up short, he'll try better next time.

"I'm still a work in progress like we all are, figuring it out every day."

Contact Jac Coyne at jcoyne@uslacrosse.org.