I have chosen the Bald Eagle because its my Dad’s favorite animal. I used to love hearing him call me to run outside and look through his binoculars because he had spotted one perched high on tree branch in the distance. They were rare, I was always amazed to see them. I think a connection can be made between the Bald Eagle populations and Williams mother’s battle with cancer. The Bald Eagle was previous on the endangered species list but they have been removed since, and now have an increasing population. The Eagles have fought back and returned their population to healthy numbers. Williams’ Mom fought cancer and was able to keep surviving. I believe humans could be seen as a disease, plaguing the environment and organisms. William’s mother was able to find refuge in dancing, forgetting she had cancer, and taking things day by day. With out using some of her coping strategies, her life may have been even more difficult than it already was. The environment serves as a refuge for the eagles. As we continue to negatively affect the environment by cutting down trees, polluting the air, and use harmful pesticides we take refuge away from the Eagles, making survival more difficult for them. One of the main reasons Eagles lost much of their population was due to the chemical DDT. Eagles ingested this chemical when they ate contaminated fish. After banning the use of this chemical in the U.S. the Bald Eagle population was able to recover.
Author: bburke
I was impressed with David Kline when he was explaining the dietary advantages that came with his lifestyle. He eats a healthy organic diet which is awesome. I have no idea where most of my food comes from. I have to imagine eating food that you have raised and know is healthy and not covered in chemicals must be rewarding. I was also impressed with the strong immune systems he explained the Amish have. I wanted to try some of the milk he was talking that the man he let try some said tasted like liquid ice cream. I enjoyed hearing him explain how tightly knit his community was. I think that this can be beneficial in many ways and can help one live a long happy life.
I enjoyed reading and discussing the Sassafras chapter. He describes his methods by saying “sassafras prepared in this manner is far superior to the chopped whole root that most herbal supply places offer.” I certainly believe him. One day I would at least like to have my own garden to supply myself with some home grown vegetables.
Right Place Right Time
Bear sightings are very rare around my area. But, over fall break, I was in the right place at the right time. I had just driven across the bridge and entered Paulsbo when I saw something I have never seen before in person. A black bear scampered across the road and into the forest. I was shocked, I slowed down and looked in the woods hoping to catch one last glimpse but the bear had already disappeared. Afterwards I was so excited to tell my friends and family that I was lucky enough to have been there when bear decided to cross the street. After nine years of living here I had finally seen one. I had only ever heard stories and seen Facebook posts about them. I realized that they do actually live close by, which is something I hadn’t spent much time thinking about. I don’t know how they stay so well hidden.
In the Thicket of Thoreau
pg. 213 “I have never felt lonesome, or in the least oppressed by a sense of solitude, but once, and that was a few weeks after I came to the woods, when, for an hour, I doubted if the near neighborhood of man was not essential to a serene and healthy life.”
This passage irritates me because, for the most part, I don’t believe him. In today’s world with our phones and the internet, we are constantly stimulated. There is always another social media feed for me to scroll through or some game to play. For Thoreau, things were different. While I’m sure living alone in the woods provided him with many chores and responsibilities to keep him busy, I challenge the fact that when not reading or writing in his downtime, he had to have gotten bored and lonely at some point. I believe that as humans we need some sort of interaction with one another and that life in pure isolation would lead to insanity. I think this is why he was so infatuated with the Canadian man, he was somewhat desperate for the company of another human being. We need interaction with others to live long and healthy lives as we can help each other in times of need and also with finding happiness. Thoreau later states “to be alone was something unpleasant. But I was at the same time conscious of a slight insanity in my mood and seemed to forsee my recovery” (Thoreau 213). He then writes about how his love for nature helped him overcome these feelings. While I enjoyed reading about how was able to use his appreciation for nature to help him, I think that the slight insanity of his mood came from a lack of human interaction and loneliness.
The Lone Survivor
In my class the Gilded Age, we are learning about how settlers created homes in the U.S. by chopping down trees and creating log cabins, I was thinking about that while I wondered how is this place still here? The border between the farmland and the forest makes this place feel rare. I was impressed that this area has survived for so long given its location. When I was able to ignore the mosquitos and the tree graffiti, I enjoyed surveying the forest.
I am from outside of Seattle and have easy access to lots of forested areas. I’m ashamed to admit that as a junior this was my first time visiting a forest in Ohio. I was curious about what was going to be different. I miss the woods and the outdoors that I have at home when I’m at school and found the trip to Johnson’s Forest refreshing. I took some photos on my phone and my favorite ones are the ones looking up at the canopy of trees with the blue sky peeking through.
I think of nature when…
I think of nature when I’m walking and I see trash on the ground or a beer can crushed on the sidewalk. I think this is because of all the daily news stories I see about the threats of climate change, trash in the ocean, burning rainforests, or whatever other negative impacts humans are having on the world. It makes me wonder if one day I will be reading about how things have gotten better and how we’ve found ways to live more sustainable lives and help the environment. I wonder how long things can continue to get worse.