I originally became interested in Earth Lodge because of my love of the outdoors, but just a few classes in, I am already realizing that Earth Lodge is about so much more than that. I’ll be the first to admit, I was a bit skeptical at first about taking a walk around the upper end of Westhampton Lake. I have walked around the lake countless times and driven over the spot where Little Westham Creek flows under the road and into the lake too many times to count, and I was certain that there was nothing else I could possibly see on our little escapade. My skepticism combined with the dreary, wet weather last Wednesday made me anything but excited to venture out of the cool sanctity of Atlantic House and into the hot and muggy world at 9:30 in the morning.
The first surprise that peaked my interest, however, was the fact that we would be joined by the introduction to GIS class on our hike; the same class that we will be working closely with towards the end of the semester on our final projects. I was not expecting to be joined by the other class, but it was nice to see some familiar faces (other than Earth Lodgers) in the crowd. Additionally, I was caught off guard by their surprising amount of knowledge on tops that we had just been discussing in our own class. The slight competitive bone in me never makes me a fan of being shown up, but it was interesting to hear from other students and another professor who are just as interested in geography and its larger-scale implications as my fellow Earth Lodgers and I are.
Just being outside and walking around the lake, talking about he fact that the University of Richmond campus only constitutes about 15% of the Little Westham Creek Watershed, I could not help but feel small. This is a feeling that I am often struck by when venturing into territories I’ve yet to explore, but it typically happens when traversing through places much larger. It’s a completely normal way to feel when in big cities and huge national and state parks, but it is always both a bit unsettling and bewildering to feel so small and unaware in a place you call home, as all students at the university do for a good portion of every year. The lake is something we as students, without a doubt, take for granted. We don’t stop to talk or think about Little Westham Creek and Westhampton Lake and all of their complexities, from their properties as part of both the Westham Creek and James River watersheds to their issues with pollution to the myriad of diverse organisms ranging from sponges to snapping turtles that live in this environment. Standing in this environment, bringing these issues to the forefront of conversation, not only made me feel small myself, but made me feel like a part of something much greater. I may be only one tiny player in a long line of well established, varying ecosystems and their inhabitants in this world, but there is so much to learn and so much that we as humans can do to help protect our environment and keep the Earth thriving.
The concept of connectivity is one that has been stressed already this semester, and it was brought to my attention a lot through this tour of the lake and Little Westham Creek. We are all connected, whether we choose to acknowledge it or not, to each other, to our actions, to our mistakes, and to the Earth and our environments at large. It is up to us to study these connections. We must connect with other people (just as we will be connecting with the GIS students) to improve ourselves and our ways of living in order to keep this planet that we take for granted healthy and able to sustain life. We must connect, just as the trickle, by comparison to the James River, of Little Westham Creek connects into that river and joins into its raging and powerful force. We must be this force in the future, and it starts here. It starts in a small environment, and it takes realizing that it’s not so small after all; we are the small dependent creatures. And we must do our best to preserve what we have been given to use. After all, the Earth will endure, as it has for billions of years, but if cannot make the connections, it is we who will persish…..
Who would have thought, all of this from a simple walk around the lake…..
I totally agree that I didn’t expect to learn so much from the lake. I like your style of writing and how you focused on the topic of connectivity. We have to remind ourselves that we’re relatively insignificant but at the same time impact our ecosystem so much.
After reading the other blog posts that were written on this very same topic, it’s come to my attention just how differently all of the people in this community think and write, but with many of the same factors in mind. While I focused last week on the fact that the learning about the lake made me feel small in a way because of how connected it is, I didn’t really delve at all into the environmental impact we have on the lake and it has on us, as many other people in the class did. However, all of their blog posts on that topic have made me want to learn more. That’s the beauty of connections and sharing ideas. It brings to the forefront of your mind ideas and concerns that you yourself have silenced, and reminds you of their importance.