broliver – Page 2 – American Environments to 1893

Warning: Undefined variable $num in /home/shroutdo/public_html/courses/wp-content/plugins/single-categories/single_categories.php on line 126

Warning: Undefined variable $posts_num in /home/shroutdo/public_html/courses/wp-content/plugins/single-categories/single_categories.php on line 127

Part One: The Received Wilderness Idea

The wilderness, as defined by Robert Marshall in his 1930 essay entitled “The Problem of the Wilderness,” is an area without permanent inhabitants, impossible to cross by mechanical means, and so vast that a person attempting to cross it must sleep out. In short, the wilderness is an escape from civilization. The wilderness offers man a setting in which he may appease his appetite for adventure, a desire that Marshall believes is very strong in the majority of mankind. It extends an opportunity for independence and exploration that does not exist in the midst of civilization. The wilderness allows humans to test both their physical limits and their self-sufficiency, while also offering time for personal and insightful thought. In the wilderness, every one of the senses is occupied. Unlike a work of art or a composition of music, the wilderness appeals to all the senses at once. The dynamic experience offered by the wilderness is completely encompassing. When out in the wilderness, sufficiently distanced from human civilization, one cannot help but be enveloped by its beauty and enormity.

Because of this encompassing aspect of nature, according to John Muir in his 1901 essay labeled “Our National Parks,” the wilderness serves as a fountain of life for many people. The wilderness is a necessity, without which many individuals would not be able to survive the monotony of everyday life. Muir asserts that a trip to the wilderness results in an “awakening from…the vice of over-industry and the deadly apathy of luxury (48).” Venturing into the wilderness is like going home; it is a return to one’s roots. Unfortunately, the vast expanse of wilderness that originally existed in North America is quickly diminishing as the land is altered by human civilization. With each expansion of human civilization, forests are cut, prairies are ploughed, and the wilderness is depleted. Without attention to and protection of the remaining wilderness, mankind will soon have no repose from the ties of civilization.

The United States government recognized the need to preserve areas of wilderness and Congress responded by passing “The Wilderness Act of 1964.” In this act, the government defined the wilderness as a place where the earth and the life that inhabits it are not organized according to the desires of man. Instead, nature remains in its original form. The wilderness is not a place that man calls home, but a place for him to visit. The government stipulates that man’s interaction with the wilderness should be largely unnoticeable. This will allow posterity to enjoy the wilderness as it stands now. The character of the wilderness must remain its own in order to ensure that it offers solitude and a primitive appeal to visitors now and forever.

What is considered natural is very hard to pinpoint in this day and age, as very little is left untouched by humans in some manner. As a result, it is much more common to consider gardens, manicured lawns, and arboretums as part of nature, even if they are far from natural. This seems understandable when one compares such human creations to the skyscrapers and interstates that are a staple of American life. Through such a lens, Davidson’s campus appears much more natural. One example of this is the large trees that surround the well located in front of Chambers. The size of those trees indicates that they are of significant age. It is unlikely that they were planted, but rather they are likely the remnants of a forest that may once have existed on Davidson’s campus.

Obviously this is not the case for the majority of trees at Davidson. A thorough inspection of the campus maps reveals a very detailed plan for the exact location and species of every tree located on campus. The school devised a plan for what species of tree would be planted and in what designated area. This realization would have been impossible without the campus maps, and it definitely takes away from the natural appearance of the campus. At the same time, I do not think the natural feel that emanates as one tours Davidson’s campus is completely negated by this realization. Compared to many other colleges and universities in North Carolina, like the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University, Davidson appears very in touch with nature.

This is where it becomes important to differentiate between wilderness and nature. Wilderness, as I see it, is what existed before human interaction or manipulation. Such a definition means that state and national parks are nearly all that remains of the wilderness in present day America. Thus, Davidson’s campus obviously does not qualify as wilderness. The campus maps show that Davidson has been changed and transformed over the years according to human desires. This does not mean, however, that nature is no longer present at Davidson. The trees are still home to squirrels and there are enough woods to house the affectionately named “Commons monster,” several deer, and even the occasional skunk. While all of this is merely a remnant of the once untamed wilderness that existed here long before Davidson was ever founded, it is still nature.

As far as the most unnatural aspect of Davidson’s campus, I have to agree with Ian’s anointing of the artificial turf inside Richardson Stadium. It resembles a cheap doormat more than it does natural grass. The artificial turf is also very painful to fall on. The little black pebbles that Ian mentioned are not easy on the skin if you fall-they destroy your legs and leave something similar to a rug-burn, only worse. The artificial turf is yet another example of the human transformation of Davidson’s campus. Even so, as long as the trees, shrubs, and grass remain, Davidson will always maintain contact with nature.

Author: broliver

Defining Wilderness

The Natural Aspect of Davidson’s Campus