The Wondrous Everglades

The Nature of the Everglades by Marjory Stoneman Douglas is a very detailed excerpt about what makes up the everglades. 

"A few springs may feed them, but no melting snow water, no mountain freshets, no upgushing from caverns in ancient rock. Here the rain is everything." (Douglas 112)

I found it interesting the way Marjory describes how in the everglades, the rain is everything. It made me look at the area as a unique place since it is only the way it is because of rain. 

                                             photo by artifacting.com

"Sometimes far up, far away, between all that panoply, there will be a glimpse of outer space as green as ice." (Douglas 115)

I didn't understand the description here by Douglas. However, it made me feel a sense of wonder at nature, as if I was there looking at what Douglas was talking about. 

                               photo by hdwallpapersfactory.com

"It has that quality of dreaming still, neglected and changed as it is, to this very day." (Douglas 118) 

Here Douglas is describing the Caloosahatchee river. Talking about how it is like a dream wandering aimlessly. I like the description. It made me feel a sense of peace. I could hear the water silently and calmly flowing. 

                                                Photo by thegladesresort.com

"[Hurricanes] attack the Glades from [the Gulf of Mexico]. Later still, they become more freakish and unpredictable, like maelstroms of wind gone wild." (Douglas 119) 

Here Douglas talks about the devastating nature of hurricanes which from time to time invade the everglades. The description by Douglas gives me imagery of destruction. It also reminded me that as beautiful as the everglades can be, it is vulnerable to the wrath of nature itself. 

Photo by screensect.net

Blog A Land Remembered Solomon MacIvey

  Solomon MacIvey is an older man with “tired eyes”. (Smith 1) He closely identifies with his family name; he says that none of his ancestors died in a house such as the one he lives in and he won’t either. (Smith 2) He would rather remember things as they were originally than to see them the way they are now. (Smith 3)  

     Solomon misses the old and greener Florida he lived in. At this point in his life he observes keenly the changes that have come to pass since his childhood. He says he "...would rather see things as they once were." (Smith 6) That is the reason why he is going to Punta Rassa to live in the cabin that his dad built. In fact, he wants to invite his half brother Toby Cypress to go with him to hunt, fish, and plant a garden. Solomon is looking to connect with the nature he knew when he was young. 

     Solomon has a strong sense of place with Punta Rassa. It is where his father built a cabin and where he is headed to enjoy his last days. Toby tells Solomon a saying that describes how when an old man is about to die, he goes to the place where he was born and raised, sort of like a place he feels at home in. For Solomon, that's Punta Rassa. Even though he regrets having built as much as he did, Solomon will leave behind preserves for animals and money to go along with it to continue the production of reserves.   

     As Solomon wants to go to his childhood home, I also want to go to my childhood home and enjoy the places I remember. Solomon feels a sense of place with Punta Rassa. I feel a sense of place with the mountains and beaches of Ecuador. I also wish for it to be preserved the way I remember it. 

Photo by www.tripadvisor.com

What's in it for me?

The Land Ethic by Aldo Leopold helped me look at nature from a moral perspective, seeing it as a living organism just like a human being.

Photo by lotr.wikia.com

"Is history taught in this spirit? It will be, once the concept of land as a community really penetrates our intellectual life." (Leopold 62)

Land is a part of our world. Our buildings and communities are built on it. But as far as it being a community, I've never thought of it that way. It probably should be treated as a community however, since it affects us in our every day life. I know that from the land we receive food, nutrients, resources, and life. I like the concept of land as a community.

photo by hilariousstatuses.thoughts.com

"We can be ethical only in relation to something we can see, feel, understand, love, or otherwise have faith in." (Leopold 68)

I think that Leopold is saying in the quote above that people can say right and wrong only to something that can be seen, felt, understood, loved, or otherwise trusted. I think this ties in with the idea of humanity being part of a greater community. If people would see themselves as part of the greater natural community then maybe they would care for it in a more ethical way, not just looking at what could be gained economically but how it will affect it and its health. 

"Land, then, is not merely soil; it is a fountain of energy flowing through a circuit of soils, plants, and animals." (Leopold 69)

This also ties in with humanity being part of a greater community of land. Why? because land is part of a connection of energy that flows through all kinds of organisms; even through us. 

                                               photo by myweb.rollins.edu

"The 'key-log' which must be moved to release the evolutionary process for an ethic is simply this: quit thinking about decent land-use as solely an economic problem." (Leopold 76)

Leopold seems to say that the main obstacle holding people back as a whole from treating land ethically is that it is looked at from a pure economic perspective without any thoughts on if it is right or wrong. Leopold continues by saying that it is right when the community's integrity, beauty, and stability is maintained; otherwise it is not right. (76) I think he is right.    

Natural Therapy

Nature-Deficit Disorder and the Restorative Environment by Richard Louv opened my desire to explore and enjoy the outdoors, especially nature.

  photo by outdoor-health.sportsxfitness.com

"Some states now allow students to earn P.E. credits online." (Louv 2)

I am very surprised that this is a possibility for students now. P.E. was a very fun and refreshing class for me at school. I would get to interact with other kids and enjoy the fresh outdoor air. I imagine that the online classes will still have an outdoor component, no doubt, but having it during school hours was a very fun part of my day and made me look forward to going to school. Also, after P.E. I felt more awake, so that helped me in my studies.

                                                       photo by www.ecomii.com

"But based on accumulating scientific evidence, I believe the concept--or hypothesis--of nature-deficit disorder is appropriate and useful as a layperson's description of one factor that may aggravate attentional difficulties for many children." (Louv 2)

I found it clever that Richard Louv comes up with the name "nature deficit disorder" as a way to describe ADHD. It emphasizes the powerful impact that spending time in the outdoors can have in helping a young kid with ADHD to feel better and perform better.

                                                 the-parenting-magazine.com


"Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle maintains that each hour of TV watched per day by preschoolers increases by 10 percent the likelihood that they will develop concentration problems and other symptoms of attention-deficit disorders by age seven." (Louv 4)

That's a pretty alarming statistic to read about. It just serves as good advice for raising young kids: don't let them sit in front of a TV longer than they are playing outside or even just engaging in an activity that isn't watching TV, such as dancing. The one thing I don't understand is why watching TV could have such an impact on preschoolers. Is it that it takes away from other activities which would help the preschooler do better at social situations as well as paying attention and sitting still in class?

                                                          www.shutterstock.com

"And, as Kuo points out, prescribing "green time" for the treatment of ADHD has other advantages: it's widely accessible, free of side effects, nonstigmatizing, and inexpensive." (Louv 11)

I think that if "green time" were added to the treatment of ADHD it would be a great tool. Just as Louv says, it would be very easy to do as it entails going outside into nature, which isn't hard to find too often. It is also "free of side effects", which is a huge benefit as many drugs used to treat mental illnesses have annoying or debilitating side effects. It also doesn't put any negative labels on the patient as he/she can look at the treatment as just having some fun outside and I imagine sometimes friends or family may be incorporated into the treatment. Finally, it would be inexpensive, as money is not much of a necessity to be able to go into nature and do things such as fish or run. If anything, comparably it would be less expensive than other types of treatments used for treating ADHD.