Nature is at Home

Seeing as our class toured the upper and lower parts of our campus to observe our water sources and outlets, it made sense that my reflection spot go one step further.  There is a small path carved out through the middle of tangled trees behind a shopping center. I take the path down and take in my surroundings.

Before I can even sit, a thundering splash 20ft downstream signals I am not alone here. Under the murky, silt-filled water, there is no telling what is with me. There are also signs that other people come to this spot — litter scattered here and there is evidence of this (non-point sources of pollution!). The large amount of foliage gives me shade and cools the air underneath its canopy. A distant rush of cars can be heard, which constantly reminds me that I am only a short way off from a busy road.

I cannot be totally comfortable in my “reflection” spot. This was a deliberate choice and it is one that William Cronon, who wrote “The Trouble with Wilderness; or, Getting Back to the Wrong Nature,” would agree with.  Cronon observes that urbanized people characterize nature as a far-off place that is disconnected from their daily lives. These people escape their urban lives for sublime “natural” landscapes, and forsake the environments near their homes and places of work because they are “tainted.” Cronon wants people to stop separating where they live from the picturesque areas where they vacation because that train of thought prevents people from helping the environment in their own backyard.

My reflection spot is an urbanized, non-idyllic, yet natural setting. This place is one that I can positively change after observing it through the year. Here, a human can make “home” even more “natural.”

Side note: I am saving my pictures until the final reflection post so they can be presented side-by-side.