Final Project

 Rachel Brenk, Thien Ly Nguyen, Savanna Simmank, and Rachel Baniewicz

Dr. Williams

Treks and Texts

02 December 2022

Final Video Presentation 

When choosing how to structure our video and what style to do it in, we decided to keep it simplistic and intimate. We value the thoughtful, deep discussions we had in class, and we wanted to emulate that in our video. To make our answers as heartfelt and unscripted as possible, we wrote down questions and had each other draw them on the spot. Having a question and answer format for our video allowed us to recall the memories made and insights gained from our class readings and discussions. The background music in our video features Big Yellow Taxi – a song we discussed in one of our early classes – which we believe perfectly encapsulates the meaning found throughout the class. 

After filming our video as a team, we recognized a few underlying themes in our video responses. First being the value of this class and its impact on our perspectives. From the way we view our relationship to nature to how we take walks around campus, each discussion continues to grow and stretch our viewpoints on nature. Additionally, we felt collectively a common experience of redefining what nature is to us. We typically define it at face value as the trees and water we see around us. But in reality, it can be the imagination of flying like a bird through inverted perspective or taking walks along the Trinity. Finally, we found as a group that this class continually challenged us to disconnect from our technology and reconnect with nature. Tangibly, we were able to lower our screen times and walk like Thoreau after class which are practices we are grateful to have attained and want to carry with us moving forward. Together, these themes have impacted us not only as students of nature but also citizens of society as we can bring various lenses of nature with us wherever life may take us moving forward.

Our video link:

https://youtu.be/6ke6R2qRPtY

My 10 Best Photos from the Semester

For my favorite ten photos I have selected from the course of the semester, I was trying to pick a variety of times of day, locations, and angles in order to encapture all the places that I have had the privilege of experiencing. These locations vary from all over Fort Worth, San Diego La Jolla, and up in the air on an airplane. I think what has been the best part about selecting these photos is identifying the memories and moments that come with each one of them. The outdoors and nature are beautiful things to capture through a lens but so are the memories and people that come with it. My hope and prayer moving forward is to continue to capture the outdoors, the unknown, the wilderness. If there is one thing I have learned this semester as I mentioned in my last blog post is the power of perspective and through photos, that is one way to capture your perspective, reflect on it, and share it with the world. 

Closing Time

    Looking back on this semester and this course, it has indeed been an adventure from the start. Even from the first class, I remember how our community "clicked" and how it quickly became a class I was looking forward to each week. And although I grew up in nature and outdoor settings, I continually learned something new each week from our discussion. 

    If I could pick one word to encapture what I took away from this course I would have to say perspective. I recall the first day of class when we were looking at a student's laptop case with a sunrise or sunset on it and we briefly discussed and questioned which one it was and although I never realized it, that was the start of my perspective being shifted in this course. 

    One significant way I see my perspective shift is how I value nature. Like great art pieces, the more I learn about the artist and the intentionality behind a piece, the more I appreciate the item itself. And the same goes for nature. We read and discussed so many different lenses this semester on how to view nature and I think what is really cool is by the end how it is up to you to choose which perspective you believe in and will stand by. As a Christian, I continue to remain firm in my belief that God is the creator of all creation and from that stems its value and purpose however, I have greater appreciation and knowledge for the other perspectives we discussed this semester and can think back to them moving forward.

    Another shift in my perspective would have to be how I view my relationship with nature. I truthfully had only thought about it in the sense of ownership and property rather than a friend and community. Now, I feel like it has deepened my respect and gratitude when I am around nature to see it as a friend to take care of and look out for rather than simply pass by. Again, as a Christian, I believe this grows my respect for God as the creator as well as all His hard work and intention He did in order to create a beautiful and harmonious living space for all of His creation. 

    Additionally, I really wrestled with the perspective on accessibility. Walking the fine line and determining what is valuable to society or destructive to nature is hard to determine. On one hand, granting accessbility to people in national parks is a gift and way to experience nature with friends and family. On the other hand, adding roads and paths can harm or take away from nature itself. It is easy for me to say "start the journey here" and focus more on maintaining nature since I have the physical ability to do that. However, it will be interesting to see too if accessbility points to nature are created to remind us that those paths are there in the first place given the quick development and distraction of modern technology and business. Our team did so at the nature center where we recovered the trail with mulch to highlight to new visitors what was once there. I would not be surprised if that was something that would ever increasingly need to be done given future modernization.

    Furthermore, I was challenged in my perspective to think "invertedly" or walk in the shoes of another creature. Relates back to our discussion about how view animals as property or community, but even more so allows us to ask the question, "what if we were an animal?" We do not know the full extent of how animals think or what they feel but I believe this perspective gives us the belief that we can only imagine the nature of animals. For myself, this perspective creates more empathy for the animals and a desire to learn through their ways just as much as they can learn from us. 

    Overall, I am grateful for these perspectives and takeaways I will carry with me moving forward. Like debating whether a picture is a sunrise or sunset, it can only be determined by oneself based on past experiences and current beliefs. I included pictures of sunrises in this post to metaphorically demonstrate this idea of perspective and symbolize as this class comes to a close, there is new adventures continually on the horizon. 

Setting Boundaries

    Throughout the semester a lot of our discussion has revolved around ethics when it comes to nature: ethics regarding accessibility to nature, the value of nature, the destruction or burning of nature, the protesting of nature, etc. And so for one of my final blog posts, I wanted to do a comprehensive walk-through of my local neighborhood to see what "boundaries" or ethical limits are set in order to protect nature and the people within my local community. I thought it would be interesting to consider these elements on a smaller scale compared to what we have talked about in class with state parks. 

    As silly as it sounds, one of the first elements that caught my eye was a speed limit sign. It got me thinking back to our class discussion on accessibility to nature and how we wrestled with what was the fine line between tearing down our natural resources so more people can see it vs. maintaining nature but risking the fact that fewer people can see it. I was thinking about both the physical and symbolic purposes of the signage and how it affects the experience for a "consumer of nature". Obviously, we all know the physical meaning behind a speed limit sign is to slow down the speed of traffic, especially in the context of a neighborhood setting to keep the residence members safe. But symbolically, I have to wonder if it also represents slowing down in the context of nature. Think about a highway for example. Most speed limits on a highway are fairly fast because you are going longer distances and around the highways are normal shops and whatnot so you are not worried about the context. But within a neighborhood at least around mine, there is a lot more creation whether that is people or nature so maybe it symbolizes the slower pace of development. The signage is a boundary within itself when it comes to driving but I also believe it can represent and influence much more than that. I also think back to driving in state parks like Yosemite and the speed limit tends to be fairly slower in those parks as well just to be cautious of people but I also believe in the nature around you.

    The second thing I noticed was the dog stations and trash cans within our neighborhood. These are fairly new additions to our neighborhood and truthfully the dog poop pickup and trash pick up before in our neighborhood was not the best. But studying the placement of these trash cans, it seems that walkers in our neighborhood really have no excuse when it comes to throwing away their trash. I like to think of it from almost like a business perspective. In one of my classes called Services Marketing, we talk about managing customers/ setting boundaries, and one of the ways companies do that is to physically ensure customers can not mess up. For example, if a fast food restaurant like In-N-Out has trays, they make the holes of their trash cans too small so the customer physically can not accidentally throw away the tray. I believe the same encouragement and boundary are set for consumers of nature. Items like trash cans every few feet even those that provide poop bags are really reducing consumer error in this circumstance. But as we have discussed in class, some authors could argue the addition of a trash can is not of nature it may take away from the nature around it. It may be a fine line between purpose and protection. 

    The last element I will touch on is the natural use of hills and canyons. Where I am from in San Diego, there are quite a lot of hills in the neighborhood. But what I love about California, is rather than tearing a mountain down or straight through one, these neighborhoods rather are built on top of the natural structure provided by the hills. I love to stand at the top of one and look out to see all the hills and neighborhoods layered throughout the area. I think it reminds us of the power and strength of mountains which limits builders and developers from completely destroying everything they touch. Rather they are limited to what they can design and how they can design it like homes leveled on a hill. Amazing how even the nature around us can set boundaries to our capabilities and everyday life.

    I enjoyed studying elements of my neighborhood that I truly take for granted each time I am home. Kind of cool to think about it all through the lens of ethics and boundaries based on discussions we have had throughout the semester in class. My hope and prayer are that I continue to bring this lens with me to all new regions I explore. 

The Value of Art

When you look at a new piece of art, what do you see? Do you see the big picture? The brush strokes? The history description next to the painting? I think what is so special when each of us sees a new piece of art or art for the first time is we try to decipher it differently but in a way that generates meaning for us. Maybe you are a history person who loves to hear stories or maybe you are a detail-oriented person that loves to imagine each brush stroke and choice made by the artist. All are fair and no one way is perfect. 

I think we can agree with the authors Stegner and Leopold that looking at nature can offer the same kind of process and ultimate value. I think for myself, I tended to simply look at nature for its outer appearance and beauty because I did not care or feel like I "had the time" to understand it on a deeper level. It was something that was a huge part of my childhood because growing up in California our parents mostly had us outdoors with a treehouse in our backyard, local parks, and the beach during the warmer seasons. But I can really resonate with the point that Leopold made as well that the value I hold for community stemmed more from a perception of nature being a part of my community and childhood rather than a form of ownership or property. So for today's blog, while meditating on this idea, I wanted to share pictures of my home because it has since my childhood been a place I feel most connected and in relationship with nature. 

When we were really little kids our backyard was mostly a grass field with biking sidewalks that weave around the backyard which as you can imagine, set up for a perfect bike competition with my siblings and me from time to time. We also used to have a huge treehouse in the back corner that had swings, a slide, and a sandbox which was the most magical place for a little girl. Sometimes I would take friends to the treehouse and have picnics in the backyard or watch the stars at night which again, offered a sense of peace and community with nature. Once I was in middle school, my parents made the call to have the pool in our backyard and shift to more of a tropical atmosphere. But again, these pictures are so near and dear to my heart because here in this pool we had birthday parties, fourth of July events, bonfires and smores, etc. I love our backyard to this day because it offers a mini slice of peace and paradise for me growing up and still is a space outdoors that I feel in a relationship with. 

I think although the space has evolved or it feels like we are looking at a "new piece of art", I still have been able to find unique value in each because I have had unique experiences with each place. I will forever cherish the original art of trees, grass, and sidewalks but I also feel lucky to have so much love for the pool, palm trees, and bonfire piece of art that followed. I think my encouragement and takeaway from this reflection is that how we define art can vary for each person but what is most important is to find which definition works for you and see how that applies to the nature around you. Nature is such a key and special aspect of creation that I think we would miss living life to the fullest if we didn't acknowledge all aspects of a community that we get to live alongside. 

A Sign of the Times

This past weekend I had the incredible opportunity to spend some time in Nashville, Tenessee visiting some potential grad school options, and while on my trip I was quickly taken back by the beautiful greenery and environment of Nashville. 

The first thing I noticed was the trees with leaves that were changing colors and falling through the wind which being from California was unlike anything I had experienced before, Something I appreciate about both Texas and Nashville is the "sign of the times" or seasons that are so evident through nature. It reminds me of how in the literature context sometimes changing of the seasons can symbolize new life or the ending of one which could be felt and witnessed while walking around this city.

The second thing I noticed is the city has a unique layout in the sense that there are areas with much greenery like parks and college campuses, and then other spaces that are mostly businesses and restaurants. I personally love the intermix of the two aspects of the city because whatever purpose each day will serve you whether that is business or connection with nature, there is a space for everyone to do it. I also think it is telling of the innovation and revitalization of the city. Some aspects they really changed to keep up with the ever-growing city of Nashville and other aspects of the city's history and culture they continue to maintain and preserve through buildings and nature. Makes me wonder what is the fine line or "proper amount" of innovation vs. preservation.

The third thing I noticed is how this city has the layout and structure to support its people spending time outside and in nature. At the college campus, I went to there were plenty of outdoor benches and seating every few feet for students to gather outside in all different numbers and groupings. Furthermore, in a park, I walked by there were also benches and bike paths for people to walk around and really connect with their surroundings. Interesting to think about how even the servicescape can create an inviting time with nature or not depending on what is available. Cool to think about and connect to our experience at the Forth Worth Nature Center and Refuge where they had benches and soon will be adding the viewpoint to see the Bison at their new habitat that we helped clean up and build. That alone creates an inviting space for visitors to explore and stay longer in the nature center. 

The last point I took away with me from this experience and really just the "range" or extent of nature. Being from California and then living in Texas these last four years, it has been incredible to see different plants from palm trees to cacti, etc. And now here in Nashville today just reminds me of amazing and beautiful both new and old creations can be. Through my lens of faith, it was really just a special day to praise God for all that He created with such intention and for the opportunity to be out in a new city exploring. 

My Extended Experience: Rounding up the Bison!

The adventures at the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge had been fairly extensive up until this point but truly none of our prior experiences had prepared us for this extended experience. 

It was a beautiful day on the afternoon of Wednesday, October 26th as we pulled up to park by the bison facility. When we arrived we were met with the other workers at the Nature Center and were led by Daniel who went into extensive detail about what to expect and prepare for that day. I appreciated his transparency from the beginning about how the animals could get injured or he could get injured during our experience because like I said, growing up in California gave me no context from what I was about to experience. 

We then walked through the facility and were given a detailed insight into how the bison would be led through the chute until the last point where they would get vaccinated, maybe stitched, and then released back into their habitat. I appreciated walking through the gates and each section myself because we were truly walking the path of the bison which truthfully gave me insight into maybe what they could be feeling or encountering. Truth be told, I was even a bit anxious walking through the last stretch of the facility where they clamp the bison in and give them their vaccines which later gave me more empathy for what they were experiencing. 

Then we did the rundown of roles and what to do at each gate which is where the magic began to happen. Daniel explained each role at each gate to push or pull and how to stay safe while participating in the experience. I appreciated how together as a team that day we were going to make this event happen but grew to have even more appreciation as the event began and we started rounding up the bison.

First Daniel ran out and gathered about 5 or 6 bison at a time to bring in our "levels" I like to call it where he could slowly use a paddle, get big, and bring the bison closer to our facility. At each level he would clap his paddle loudly, scaring the bison closer and closer to our end and it was interesting to observe how each group of bison entered in differently. In the first group, we witnessed a fight between one of the older bison, Maverick, and one of the other bison who unfortunately then had a deep wound to the neck and had to later get stitched. Another group got pushed all stuck together and ran circles around the facility before being divided up by the gates. And another group that was one of my favorites was you could always tell the baby bison wanted to stay near their mom and not leave her side. Kind of cool to the dynamic of the bison community and how truthfully, their dynamic isn't too dissimilar from ours as people as well. 

Once the bison came into our facility through the last level that is when our team began to work. The first team closed even smaller levels to individually separate the bison which set them up for the rest of the journey that they would be taking on their own. One of the employees, Jennifer, was then in charge of the transition corner gate that moved a bison from the smaller levels around the corner towards "the tub" they called the final leg of the maze. I had the privilege of working with Rachel Baniewicz on the side by Jennifer where once the Bison passed our area we quickly pushed a red gate behind the bison so that they would not backtrack and continue our progress forward. 

After we closed our gate Jennifer would call to Hailey and another volunteer to close their two side gates at the same time, locking the bison into the tub before the last vaccination leg. We found through multiple practices our rhythm as a team on our side where Jennifer would yell "Go!" for Rachel and I to push the gate and "Kessler" for both Hailey and the other volunteer to close their two green gates. I think the coordination of it all was one of my favorite parts because especially growing up and playing team sports I always love how each player has a role to play on the field to continue to make a well-oiled machine and process. Was the best feeling to offer a hand in that process and work with the encouraging people around me. 

Lastly the bison go through the last leg which pushes them down a funnel like tunnel where they get their vaccines and maybe stitches at the end. Was cool to watch that team coordinate the closing of the gates and then help keep the bison still at the end. Another one of my favorite parts was watching the bison getting released into the wild and running back to join their family. It felt like a celebrate of the bison being set free and our teamwork being a success which was a pretty special thing. 

With all that being said, there are three things I want to share that I took away from this extended experience. The first thing I would say is gaining empathy for both animals and nature. According to my beliefs, I believe all creation is designed but one Creator and it was special to honestly connect with other aspects of God's creation and be able to relate with them. I saw the values of community, the feelings of fear and anxiety, and the excitement of being set free which is a pretty incredible thing to connect on. Second thing I took away would be the value of team work and coordination. Was a really incredible thing to watch how we with care and intentionality took our jobs seriously and were able to lead the bison through with ease and care. I really appreciated how understanding and kind the staff at the reserve were as well with our lack of experience and understanding. Lastly, my final takeaway would be making the time to try new things and furthermore not be afraid to try new things. I am very much a creature of habit and this experience being outside of my comfort zone was now one that I will also never forget. Much appreciation for Dr. Williams and the Nature Center employees for coordinating and setting up this experience with us.