From editor Sara Kyoungah White: One day not long after moving to the house I now live in, I came across a little creek while on a family bike ride. I thought immediately of Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, one of my favorite books. I was excited at the prospect of making daily “pilgrimages” to our neighborhood creek, just like Annie.

But I quickly realized that my interactions with this creek would be different. A bit of research revealed it was the heart of the most polluted watershed in West Michigan, and even touching the water was a biohazard. I learned the sad history behind my neighborhood and city. I learned that the pollution of waterways isn’t rare or unique to us but that it’s a widespread epidemic. And I eventually heard about a local group called Plaster Creek Stewards, based out of Calvin University, that was attempting to sow hope amid the despair.

Dillard’s Tinker Creek is portrayed in her book as a place where she could go and be alone with nature. But in my time beside Plaster Creek, I’ve learned that loving creation—with all its wounds—is not something we can do alone. My hope is that reading about Plaster Creek will spark a faith-filled curiosity about other local creeks and watersheds.