OFF THE RECORD
Professor Lauren Simpson:
Advocate for Gardens that Sustain the Web of Life
P
The Houston Lawyer
By Liz Furlow
form a critical link in the chain that will help sustain insects rofessor Lauren Simpson,1 a legal research and writing and thus the web of life. If each of us changes even just part of professor at the University of Houston Law Center, is a our home gardens into wildlife habitat, we can together create wildlife citizen activist with a passion for pollinators. the ‘stepping stones’ that pollinators and other insects need to She first grew interested in wildlife habitats when survive.5 This is something that all of us can do, and it’s thus the she lost her traditional garden landscaping in the droughts following Hurricane Ike. She and her husband, who message of hope that I share in my advocacy.” share an environmentally Her advocacy continfriendly mindset, tried to ues to grow alongside find flowering, droughther gardens. Now, as Protolerant plants that would fessor Simpson speaks support pollinators, but in the community, she few pollinators visited her learns of the impediments gardens. people face to creating She connected with a wildscapes at home. The few naturalist organizachallenges are numerous, tions around Texas—infrom neighbors’ resiscluding Butterfly Enthutance, nuisance laws that siasts of Southeast Texas, may hamper wildscapthe Houston Audubon Soing, and—most significiety, and the Native Plant cantly—deed restrictions Society of Texas’s local requiring non-native planchapters—to learn how tings or traditional landto adapt her gardens to scaping. support wildlife. Through Professor Simpson in her garden. – Photo courtesy of the University of Houston Law Center. But Professor Simpson their mentorship, Professor Simpson learned simple changes believes that lawyers, who are well-suited to understanding the to create a beautiful, wildlife-supportive garden. Now, just five legal paradigms affecting private land use, can make excellent years later, Professor Simpson’s home gardens—which she has advocates for change. As Professor Simpson explains, “We can named Saint Julian’s Crossing Wildlife Habitat—welcome 49 counsel individual homeowners and HOAs to help resolve or species of butterfly, between 25–30 species each of bee and wasp, prevent disputes, while educating about the need for wildlifeand numerous other pollinators and wildlife. supportive decisions. But we can also advocate for statutes, ordiProfessor Simpson’s love for pollinators is founded on more nances, and regulations that support homeowners’ wildscaping than just an appreciation of their beauty. As Professor Simpson efforts.” explains, “Pollinators and other insects need our help now more Professor Simpson is already inspiring the next generation of than ever.” A recent study concluded that wild insects provide lawyers to share her passion. Recognizing the legal well-being annual eco-services in the U.S. equaling almost $60 billion a crisis,6 and the correlation of nature connectedness to well2 3 year. But insects are declining at an alarming rate. “The drivbeing,7 Professor Simpson has begun to infuse the therapeutic qualities of wildlife into her classroom. Every week, for example, ers of this decline are varied and complex,” Professor Simpson she hosts a Monday Nature Moment—a brief mindfulness exstates, “and include things such as climate change, pesticide use, perience focused on nature—wherein students may get closer habitat loss and fragmentation, competition by non-native into nature by holding native prairie grasses and butterfly catersects and plants, disease, and more.”4 pillars, selecting native prairie seeds for their homes, or listen“So here’s the ‘rejoice and be glad moment,’” Professor Simpson says. “Right here, right now, right in our own gardens, we Continued on page 41 32
January/February 2020
thehoustonlawyer.com
