“Knowledge, Power, Passion” “Knowledge, Power, Passion”
-It was a chant that I performed before every Geography of the James quiz, hoping it would bring me luck from the environmentalist gods.
Other than its use for pre-quiz rituals, “Knowledge, Power, Passion” has resonated in my mind as an effective principle for leaders to live by. A person of influence MUST have knowledge on their subject, motivational power to others, and passion for their cause. Each of these traits are keystones for highly effective leaders. They all work together synergistically.
Besides being one of the most interesting Richmonders I have ever met, Ralph White is a unique example of someone who embodies this trifecta of leaderships skills. His knowledge, power, and passion which he has for the James River is what makes him such an influential environmental leader and activist. It is practically contagious. I think that few people out there demonstrate all three of these effective-leader traits. Ralph White is one of them.
I think that Dr. Forsythe’s model regarding awareness can also be applied to Ralph White. I think the majority of his career as the manager of the James River Park System revolved around him spreading awareness and promoting activism among the James River watershed community. Ralph White, during his 30+ years as the manager of the JRPS, transformed the James from something nobody thought twice about to something everyone knew and cared about. He still continues to give tours and spread awareness to the Richmond community.
Our final projects are allowing us to exercise these principles of Knowledge, Power, and Passion as well as the Awareness Model. I think it is good that we are given this opportunity to reach out to resources and strive to meet certain goals. We have been provided the knowledge, we just need to work on the power and passion.
We have learned so much in our Geography of the James class in a very holistic manner. From basic hydrology to the history of the James as depicted in “In River Time,” we have almost covered it all. What was just simply a pine before is now a Loblolly. What was a sad, drowning branch is now a Snag.
My favorite part of Earth Lodge was our outdoor educational trips. The Fall Break trip in North and South Carolina was absolutely amazing. Climbing to the top of Mount Mitchell’s 6,683 foot peak was surreal. I am extremely afraid of heights but for some reason I felt extremely ecstatic the second we reached the glorious peak. No, I did not yell the clichéd “I’M ON TOP OF THE WORLD!!!” but I was one of those people who were felt like they were “living now” and “conquering their fears.”
We did some pretty intense hiking after that, and I am honestly shocked that nobody was seriously injured. Really, though how did we all do that so well?
South Carolina was wonderful. I am considering making it my home one day. It was really cool to see how much the Columbia River is like our own James. I mean, it is on the fall line! The giant loblolly that we saw/touched/hugged/stared at/took pictures with/tried to name was something that my eyes took a while to process. I see loblollies everywhere but WOW 169 feet tall? Honestly the numbers do not mean anything until you witness the trees there for yourself. It was like we all turned into garden fairies like in “Honey I Shrunk the Kids.” The sight was a very Alice in Wonderland Syndrome experience. I cannot wait to go back to Congaree National Park and show people these majestic trees.
The pipeline walk we took with Ralph White is also one of my favorite activities that we did together. I had no idea that this existed. The best part of the pipeline walk was being able to observe the Great Blue Herons in their “Rookery.” The Rookery was so mystic and undisturbed that it served as the secret gem of the pipeline walk.
Our canoe trip on the James a few weekends ago was a great experience. We learned the benefits of marsh and beheld Thomas and George as they smeared it on their faces. Taylor was a great canoe-captain. He put up with my indecisiveness of which side to paddle on and my persistent eating in the canoe. I really enjoyed our guide, Allen. He kept mentioning the Prothonotary Warbler Project being conducted by VCU’s ecology researchers. I actually attended a seminar last semester at the University of Richmond given by one of the members of their research team. It is so interesting how they are used as indicator species for climate change. I am also jealous that their lab gets to canoe as part of their data collection.
Our lunch-break science experiment on water-quality allowed us to measure certain levels of ammonia, dissolved oxygen, pH, and temperature in the water that we had been canoeing on. What Allen told us about the ammonia was shocking to me. The fact that the methods used by poultry farms can have that much of an impact on the waterways is mind-blowing. I am glad we all have this information now. He went over many cause-and-effects that impact certain water quality levels in the James. Lucky for us, our results came out as “good.”
As we all know, Earth Lodge has been very fun and educational. It has added much to my collection of fond memories at the University of Richmond. Most of these memories involve things that our class did outdoors, and Mary Brickle’s awesome mom. I love being outdoors- along with everyone else in this program; however, our outdoor experiences were beyond awesome. We have learned so much in Earth Lodge and it is all very useful and diverse information. I think that everyone in this program has had something that really stuck to them and meant something to them. I know I can say that for myself at least. It has been a great year.
