A dear friend of mine and I went to the Split Oak Forest to share our Earth Exchange. The land at Split Oak has been set aside as a preserve for animals who are relocated due to the high demand for land development. There are rare gopher, tortoises, scrub jays and many other endangered plants and other animals that rely on the ancient sand hills of this forest. This land has become wounded by the large scale land developments that get closer to it each day. There are a lot of people standing for this land and against the proposed toll freeway that is planned to be built through these protected lands in the upcoming year. We walked in the preserve for a while and found a sand pine tree near a lake that felt like the place to set up our Earth Exchange. We created a mandala symbolizing the 4 directions and a circle of sand pine cones in the middle. We sang songs to the land and our ancestors. We shared stories and prayers about the land, plants and animals. We laughed and cried as we drew symbols in the sand with our hands. As we lift prayers up for the protection of this sacred land, we are celebrating this beautiful place.