We were struck by the following section of an Associated Press story about how some humans are trying to help amphibians, which ran on page C8 in Thursday’s edition of The Express (if you want to go read the whole thing):

“Catching amphibians may just be a nostalgic childhood memory for most, but for John Bateman it never lost its magic. He believes preserving wetlands and vernal pools is critical not only for the amphibians and the environment, but for the next generation to experience the childlike wonder of discovering these hidden creatures.

“I think that the future generations are absolutely going to be at a loss to not have those experiences that I did as a child, to have that connection with nature,” he said.”

We all have experiences like this — maybe not with frogs and their kin, specifically, but certainly with some other piece of nature.

For some its standing beneath a huge tree in the park and feeling small. For others, watching a butterfly free itself from its chrysalis or seeing lightning bugs flash in yards across the neighborhood.

Maybe you remember catching fish with your grandpa, or the first buck you brought down by yourself.

Or, like the story says, maybe you were a frog-catcher.

Regardless of what your individual story is, we owe it to future generations to ensure that they can have the same experiences with nature that we had — and that our parents, grandparents and so forth had.

We are fortunate enough to be surrounded by mountains and forests, creeks and fields — and we need to not take that for granted.

Land is a finite resource — at least until such time as humanity’s spacefaring dreams come to fruition. Once land is developed, it is very challenging to bring nature back: it is, after all, far easier to destroy than it is to build.

At the same time, we are heavily reliant on outside industry to keep ourselves functioning as a society, we have a fairly limited pool of jobs available. We have written previously about the need for our elected officials to be trying to bring more industry and jobs into the area in an attempt to make Clinton County more resilient in the face of uncertain times.

Balancing these two needs is challenging. It is difficult — though not impossible — to have both business and nature.

We cannot, and should not, develop our region to the point of suburban sprawl so common in many areas.

At the same time, we cannot, and should not, be so afraid of enriching ourselves that we ignore the resources around us that we do have access to.

There are a lot of assets here in Clinton County, including a historic — but still functional — airport, a rail network, and easy access to I-80.

And our cost of living is low compared to most areas, which we would think should make us an attractive area for businesses to open.

At the same time, we have an abundance of parks and trails, and a burgeoning eco-tourism scene as people come into the area for AirBnbs, hunting, hiking, fishing, ATVs and more.

We need both.

And at the heart of it all is that kid: your kid, perhaps, or your neighbor’s, who also needs both — to hold a frog and experience the magic of nature, and also to hold down a job and experience the magic of buying groceries.

That may sound trite or silly.

But for as many memories as we have of poignant encounters with wildlife, we have just as many of our first job, our first car, and whatever questionable nonsense we spent our first paycheck on.

Those are magic, too: our own, human-made magic.

And just like those frogs in their pools, that magic needs protected for future generations, as well.

There are a lot of storm clouds on our horizon.

If you read the paper, you likely have a general idea of what is going on, regardless of whether you agree with all of it, some of it, or none of it.

Consider this.

As of 2023 data, here are some of the biggest employers in Clinton County: KCSD, #3; PASSHE, #4; Walmart, #5; and the Federal Government, #15.

And, for special attention, in healthcare: Terrapin, #16; Bayada, #18; Williamsport Hospital, #20; Lock Haven Rehab & Senior Living, #22; UPMC, #26; Bucktail Medical, #28; and Geisinger, #29.

Again, this is 2023 data, so some of these numbers are likely shuffled around a bit today, but it still gives a good general idea.

Think about how many of these employers are affected by the changes the Trump administration is looking at making.

Make no mistake: this is not a defense of the size of the federal government nor of how healthcare payments work in this country; nor is it a condemnation of President Trump’s policies.

Something doesn’t have to be wrong to be harmful.

If the changes to Medicaid that the House is proposing go through — no guarantee they will, of course, and Trump did specifically tell them not to touch Medicaid — just be aware that seven of our biggest employers will likely be affected. Walmart has already been in the news as struggling with tarrifs, and the various layoffs at the federal government have been well-discussed — as have the struggles with education funding at both the local and collegiate levels.

This is over a third of our top 30 employers.

Too many of our eggs are in these baskets.

And much like the frogs’ eggs, we are concerned that the pool is drying up.