Swain is plainly unhappy with the way many Americans treat the natural world, and he is concerned about people losing touch with what the natural world has to offer. When he notes that housing developments are slowly sprawling out toward where he lives, he is not only saddened by the loss of wildlife habitat—he is also sad that people may soon no longer be able to harvest wild blueberries for themselves, thus losing a tangible, physical interaction with nature. He is not so much against development as he is for preservation. He himself chops down trees, but he makes sure that enough trees survive that they still may thrive; meanwhile, he can look forward to enjoying trees in the future, and bushes and other smaller plants have the sunshine they need so that they, too, may Saving Graces 3957 thrive. Thus, the overall effect of...