After discussing the parts of campus we saw as most \u201cnatural\u201d and examined maps of Davidson College from years past in class last week, I initially found difficulty in considering Davidson a \u201cnatural\u201d place. However, this interpretation hinged upon my definition of \u201cnature,\u201d and so I set about trying to define what the word meant to me. After looking up \u201cnature\u201d in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, I found two definitions that emphasized that nature resembles those parts of the world \u201cnot made by people\u201d and that the forces of nature \u201ccontrol what happens in the world\u201d (www.merriam-webster.com). I used these definitions to shape how I perceive both nature and environmental history. In part this perception finds itself within Turner\u2019s Frontier Thesis as the interaction between not only how humans act on the environment but also, and perhaps more importantly, how the environment acts on humans. Using this definition also helped me find what is \u201cnatural\u201d in Davidson College.<\/p>\n
The maps we saw in the Rare Book Room initially struck me by how manipulated the campus had been. It was surprising to learn that nearly every tree on campus was strategically placed. Even our picnic areas have been completely shaped by man. A map of Hobart Park \u2013 the small picnic area behind the football field \u2013 shows that every plant in the park was selected and marked to be planted in a designated area. As discussed in class as well as in several previous blog posts, even the \u201cnature\u201d of the cross country trails has been forged by humans. When juxtaposed with my previous definitions of \u201cnature\u201d places like these are rendered unnatural. In this sense I agree with Chelsea when she says that college students and staff have “tampered” with the definition of \u201cnatural\u201d because the heart of the word is truly being compromised. With this lens Davidson College is holistically an artificial environment.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, I think it is important to remember that this in no way means that nature still does not impart itself upon Davidson\u2019s campus. Nature is very present on campus and we can see it in a variety of ways. On smaller scales, we see this \u2013 as Ian noted \u2013 when squirrels scamper in front of us without fear, and every spring when the campus is raided by a horde of green inchworms descending from the trees. While man may have placed the trees there, nature still comes to exert control over our environment. In a more serious example, our tennis courts \u2013 contrary to the trees and representing one of the most unnatural facilities on campus \u2013 are also being overpowered by nature. Built upon one of the lowest point of Davidson, the tennis courts are warped and cracked as a result of the water that collects underneath the court surface following rain. In years to come these courts will have to be rebuilt or removed. Recently acknowledging this, the College wanted to construct a pond, yet another artificial \u201cnatural\u201d campus feature, where the tennis courts currently stand. Regardless of how we mold this campus, the undeniable truth is that our creations and manipulations will be shaped by the forces of nature, and I think this fact exemplifies where we can find what is natural at Davidson.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
After discussing the parts of campus we saw as most \u201cnatural\u201d and examined maps of Davidson College from years past in class last week, I initially found difficulty in considering Davidson a \u201cnatural\u201d place. However, this interpretation hinged upon my definition of \u201cnature,\u201d and so I set about trying to define what the word meant … <\/p>\n