Nature

nature

Nature

"Gross motor skills are voluntary movements that involve the use of large muscle groups."

happens to every newborn; the sensitive part

How did they find this out?

example of nature, unless their is an abnormality, this is how all babies begin to see 8-16 inches away from their faces

babies do this anywhere in the world, it is just a regular baby thing

Since this happens as soon as a baby is born, it has to be nature since nothing is influencing it's reaction into the world except for the biological makeup of the child.

I would classify this as nature

Vision being poor at birth is innate and not based on external factors

The nature of technical writing is explained in "The nature of technical writing". Technical communication is something we do every day without even noticing. Having strong communication skills is beneficial in all areas of one's life, from personal to professional. From a business standpoint, communication is key to every transaction. Communicating effectively allows others and yourself to understand information at a faster and more accurate rate. A lack of communication skills leads to frequent misunderstandings and frustration.

Technical communication/writing is something that has been around for a very long time. The earliest examples belong to Aristotle and his dictionary of "philosophical terms" and his summary of the "Doctrines of Pythagoras". World War I is considered the "Golden Age" of technical writing due to advances in medicine and aerospace.

Differential susceptibility is a technical term used to describe the ways that different people and different groups have different responses to technology even on the same platform. Similar versions of it can be applied to other areas outside of technology, which is but one target. Other areas include differential well-being and mental health.

It could also be applied to drug addiction as some are more susceptible to becoming addicted to nicotine than others. Which parts of this might be nature, nurture, culture, etc.

I'll need some more research into this idea.

Early modern scholars were forced to admit that the order of knowledge doesn't mirror the order of nature.

Appeal to nature: Assuming that having "natural" immunity is better than having immunity from a vaccine.

According to Hopkins Medicine "New studies show that natural immunity to the coronavirus weakens (wanes) over time,".

Wiley, Elsevier, and Springer Nature are expanding the use of domain blocking to prevent people from accessing services like Sci-Hub.

An example of a figure calming waters in myth.

cross reference: Moses and the parting of the Red Sea

To what dates might we attribute these two texts? Which preceded the other? What sort of potential cultural influences would the original had on the subsequent?

Also cross reference the many deluge/flood stories in ancient literatures including Genesis 6-9, The Epic of Gilgamesh, etc.

Nature Portfolio on Twitter. (n.d.). Twitter. Retrieved 3 November 2021, from https://twitter.com/NaturePortfolio/status/1455668301284130820

Nigg, C., Petersen, E., & MacIntyre, T. (2021). Natural Environments, Psychosocial Health, and Health Behaviors during COVID-19 – A Scoping Review. PsyArXiv. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/a9unf

metaphor

The Flynn effect is the substantial and sustained increase in intelligence test scores over most of the twentieth century.

Research seems to indicate that the effect is environmentally caused: https://www.pnas.org/content/115/26/6674

I'm reminded of Lynne Kelly's use of Indigenous Australian memory techniques which do both of these things at the same time: https://www.lynnekelly.com.au/?p=4794

Another example of encouraging walking to think

Warmerdam, R., Wiersma, H. H., Lanting, P., Dijkema, M. X. L., Vonk, J. M., Boezen, M. H. M., Deelen, P., & Franke, L. (2021). Increased genetic contribution to wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic. PsyArXiv. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/uksxt

Reflections, The United States, Favorite parts, missing, Mexico, Worst parts about being back

Description of how a technology the clock changed the human landscape.

Similar to the way humans might practice terraforming on their natural environment, what should we call the effect our natural environment has on us?

What should we call the effect our technological environment has on us? technoforming?

Evolution certainly indicates that there's likely both short and long-term effects.

Who else has done research into this? Do we have evidence of massive changes with the advent of writing, reading, printing, telegraph, television, social media, or other technologies available?

Any relation to the nature vs nurture debate?

The song's title was mentioned in Sly and the Family Stone's hit song "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again)” (1969).

https://youtu.be/AI-8mKmnupw

https://youtu.be/xdIGp4Ge8yk

https://youtu.be/Nz2JEmKvixE

https://genius.com/Sly-and-the-family-stone-sing-a-simple-song-lyrics

Rosen, M. L., Rodman, A. M., Kasparek, S. W., Mayes, M., Freeman, M. M., Lengua, L., … McLaughlin, K. A., PhD. (2021, March 26). Promoting youth mental health during COVID-19: A Longitudinal Study spanning pre- and post-pandemic. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/n5h8t

Seitz, B. M., Aktipis, A., Buss, D. M., Alcock, J., Bloom, P., Gelfand, M., Harris, S., Lieberman, D., Horowitz, B. N., Pinker, S., Wilson, D. S., & Haselton, M. G. (2020). The pandemic exposes human nature: 10 evolutionary insights. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(45), 27767–27776. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2009787117

Is nature vs nurture really a dichotomy? The question itself has the answer - no. But why? Let's read on...

Hu, C., Zhu, K., Huang, K., Yu, B., Jiang, W., Peng, K., & Wang, F. (2020, November 30). Using Natural Intervention to Promote Subjective Well-being of COVID-19 Essential Workers. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/mc57s

agrees with Hobbes in that laws of nature need an enforcer- just instead says every man has this power

Context

The Zhuangzi is a large collection of tells, anecdotes, parables, allegories, and fables which are often not serious or comical in nature. These anecdotes try to identify and demonstrate the vanity and uncertain human distinctions between some of the next opposites, life and death, good and bad, big and small, but really also highlights human and nature. This tells mean to be part of ancient Chinese Philosophy. Zhuangzi or Master Zhuang he was one of the most significant first interpreters of Daoism. The Daoism is a pseudo religion and philosophical believing that has shape Chinese culture. “Your life has a limit, but knowledge has none. If you use what is limited to pursue what has no limit, you will be in danger. If you understand this and still strive for knowledge, you will be in danger for certain! If you do good, stay away from fame. If you do evil, stay away from punishments. Follow the middle; go by what is constant, and you can stay in once piece, keep yourself alive, look after your parents, and live out your years.” (Zhuangzi n.d.) The Utopia is reference to the perfect place where everything is equal. So for an actual urban development there is not a close relation between city and nature, as nature is only seen a resource or a place to settle, there is more to it, and there is where the Not-Even-Anything Village comes to place. A base principle on Daoism is the self-awareness of nature and we as a part of it, a way to settle an agreement to land and to everything. A Utopia should be work on similar interests to this Chinese idea of the perfect place to live or to build.

Zhuangzi. The Zhuangzi, History of Chinese Philosophy. University of Hawaii, s.f.

CONTEXT: Shuen-fu Lin addresses "the sage", the person with the highest spiritual attainment who was first emulated and thought of in the Wei-Jin movement, following the Han Dynasty. The sage allows the innate tendencies and has all five of the human emotions addressed in the passage, but "...does not act, complies, and does not implement. He eliminates what leads things astray and gets rid of what confuses them." The sage is addressed as exhibiting qualities of both the Daoist way of life and the Confucianist way. The sage is like the image of water that is an unattainable, sage-like, presence and moral conduct, desired by both Daoist and Confucianist beliefs. "Gentlemen" look at water in awe, gazing upon the perfection of its inaction and lack of effort in attaining its intellect, beauty, and respect. The water has of "ziran", or perhaps, is "ziran" that humans are able to express communion with nature and nonpurposive action. This word is also described as spontaneously existing and being "so oneself" -nothing acting behind them. Water does not decide or dwell for too long, it just exists in movement and in detachment which I think human beings desire greatly.

Cai, Zongqi. Chinese Aesthetics: The Ordering of Literature, the Arts, and the Universe in the Six Dynasties. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2004.

RELATE: In 'The Experience of Nature' by Rachel and Stephen Kaplan, human action and thought is addressed as influenced by our setting/environment whether the setting require immediate responsive action or the response take place in a slower, observational method varies. The authors write, "People are particularly aware of information that is visual, that concerns what they see. That does not mean that people interpret the information in visual terms exclusively; rather, visual stimuli are effective in conjuring associated information. The sight of water provides information about potential opportunities which may or may not be visual in themselves" (Kaplan, 4). Reverie from observation that allows self reflection, thought free from distraction, and intuitive action is typically included in our broader categorization of landscape qualities when we discuss as landscape architects. Human reaction to landscape is so much bigger than the texture, color, or even kinesthetic feeling within the place and can be thought of as artwork in addition- prompting development of thought even subconsciously within the the one experiencing.

Kaplan, Rachel, and Stephen Kaplan. The Experience of Nature: A Psychological Perspective. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989.

Koren, M. (2020, April 2). The Pandemic Is Turning the Natural World Upside Down. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2020/04/coronavirus-pandemic-earth-pollution-noise/609316/

This is pretty accurate.

Rice, W. L., Meyer, C., Lawhon, B., Taff, B. D., Mateer, T., Reigner, N., & Newman, P. (2020). The COVID-19 pandemic is changing the way people recreate outdoors: Preliminary report on a national survey of outdoor enthusiasts amid the COVID-19 pandemic [Preprint]. SocArXiv. https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/prnz9

Nature Podcast. (n.d.). Retrieved July 8, 2020, from https://link.chtbl.com/_f_Eq3xb?sf235711885=1

Stavroglou, S. K., Pantelous, A. A., Stanley, H. E., & Zuev, K. M. (2020). Unveiling causal interactions in complex systems. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(14), 7599–7605. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1918269117

Today we walked for the first time from our home to the nearby veggie shop. A great experience of simplicity, minimalism, and nature. Feeling awesomely blessed.

FIX

Aurora Borealis or "northern lights" appear in the Arctic skies, a nighttime phenomenon caused by turbulence in the magnetosphere.

In this revision, the 1831 edition makes Victor far more explicit about the parallels between his own quest for knowledge as power and Walton's expedition. Victor also attributes this insight to the sublime context of their Arctic location. The 1818 edition only suggests Walton will learn from Victor's story.

The region south of Mayence might be more picturesque because of the Kühkopf-Knoblochsaue, now a well-known nature preserve.

In his book De Occulta Philosophia Agrippa suggested that God placed magic in the world to make man capable of transcending the natural sphere and able to influence the superior realms.

Lake Lucerne is a lake in central Switzerland and the fourth largest in the country. Lake Uri, also in Switzerland, is known for its reflective blue waters.

Bounty comes from understanding the words. The Revelation is, firstly, the words (and the spiritual energy they contain).

La métamorphose du narrateur est visible dans ce vers. Le narrateur qui était autrefois critique est maintenant fier de son pays. Il utilise le mot « nous » pour décrire son sentiment d’unité entre lui-même et les gens de son pays. Il se présente aussi comme peu. « ma main petite maintenant dans son poing énorme » Il s’agit d’un changement par rapport à son ton divin au début du poème. Maintenant, c’est son pays qui est plus grand et plus puissant que lui. Il illustre peut-être que, dans l’unité, les gens de son pays sont beaucoup plus forts que lui-même.

Dans une manière biblique, Césaire regarde un arbre et décide de devenir un arbre. Ses pieds deviennent les racines de l’arbre. Il se confond avec la terre, et ainsi, son pays. Il est maintenant enraciné, comme un arbre, et comme son peuple. Il est stagnant, tout comme le trait même qu’il a critiqué son peuple. Son enracinement est toxique. Ou la ville est-elle toxique ? Dans cet extrait, Césaire met également en parallèle la ville et la nature.

L’image de devenir un arbre peut être interprétée comme le désir de Césaire pour l’île de revenir à sa forme « naturelle », sa forme avant qu’elle ne soit colonisée. Césaire compare la « civilisation » (colonialisme) au poison.

Il désire s’identifier avec tous les opprimés de son pays et établir des liens avec eux avec le « secret des grandes communications. » Encore une fois, d’une manière biblique, Césaire se compare à Dieu. Tout comme dans l’Ancien Testament, Césaire contemple toutes les choses qu’il dirait comme « fleuve, […] tornade, […] feuille » et elles apparaîtront, comme s’il était Dieu. Avec ce pouvoir, il désire relâcher une terreur de catastrophes naturelles sur son pays pour qu’il puisse recommencer a nouveau. D’une certaine façon, Césaire ridiculise le catholicisme. C’est la religion des colonisateurs, ses oppresseurs, qu’ils ont imposée à son peuple. À mon avis, Césaire a une sorte de complexe de dieu tout au long de son poème. Pourtant, il se moque aussi du catholicisme en quelque sorte.

Césaire emploie une assonance en [e] dans cet extrait. Il parle encore de la Martinique. En utilisant le champ lexique de la nature et de l’enfer.

Césaire fait constamment référence au paysage de la Martinique, et le poème déborde d’un merveilleux catalogue de noms : rivières, fleurs, arbres. Aussi beau que soit son pays, il est couvert de violence et de sang. En superposant l’image de la belle nature et de la violence horrible, Césaire rend son image encore plus puissante.

Césaire affirme que pour soutenir la poésie, il faut détruire les faussetés du monde. Pour décrire l’impact des mots, il les compare aux aspects mystiques de la nature tels que les marées et les feux de forêt.

This statement reminds me of the unpredictability of nature and of life. We cannot predict what life will bring and we certainly are not all-knowing. Therefore, as Thoreau says, "the wind that blows is all that any body knows."

Thoreau uses description and narration here to paint a picture of the natural world around him, the sounds and imagery. I found it interesting that he compared the cackling of the goose to the "spirit of the fog."

Damn! I want an experience like this

Brief definition of a Japanese Garden.

The nature of power is material as well as social.

gilmanhernandez already linked to the video I was considering, but (according to a cursory search of YouTube at least) videos of turtle sounds are also likely to be videos of turtles mating or attempting to mate, so how 'mournful' they are is perhaps up to interpretation... 😂

Okay, this is is more specific, similar to Wollstonecraft, as curlyQ pointed out.

What's interesting here is Astell's saying that she isn't "exceptional"--by that she seems to mean that she is no different or more outstanding than other women, that she doesn't have some special ability or nature (just the same natural inclinations as others).

This resonates with Wollstonecraft's Rights in her insistence that women are not by nature the 'inferior' sex but are instead bred that way due to poor education. By distancing herself from the term "exceptional", Astell seems to be doing something similar, pointing not to any particularly special nature or natural ability but instead a sound education.

Would the belief in innate, natural qualities be contrary to John Locke's idea of the tabula rasa? I don't know enough of Locke to know whether innate qualities would be part of what's swept off the slate.

is it possible that any idea can have no connection to nature or the natural world?

By nature, humans are selfish. We're always thinking, whether consciously or not, "what's in it for me?" We deem actions that have a potential benefit to us as praiseworthy, while label unbeneficial actions as hurtful.

Cf. Wollstonecraft's Vindication of the Rights of Woman, written about 100 years later, making a similar argument. Specifically, Wollstonecraft argues that women are not naturally inferior or frivolous but have been bred that way through poor education. Taken in comparison to the Enlightenment's exploration of human nature and with a lack of significant progress between 1687 and 1792 (outside of literacy, noted below), it seems clear that "human nature" really means "man's nature."

What is implied about how we know what we know here? What might be some problems with this argument?

What is the contrast in generations RWE sets up here? What is the problem with his generation in the middle of the 19th century?

How does interpretation of the natural order differ depending on one's paradigm?

Perhaps unrelated, but I'm reminded here of a passage from Cormac McCarthy's The Crossing -- "The world has no name, he said. The names of the cerros and the sierras and the deserts exist only on maps. We name them that we do not lose our way. Yet it was because the way was lost to us already that we have made those names. The world cannot be lost. We are the ones. And it is because these names and these are our own naming that they cannot save us. That they cannot find for us the way again" (387).

I like this quote because it makes explicit the real/symbolic distinction that we apply to nature, similar to Siegert's music example. The world simply exists, but we interact with it symbolically, assigning names and numbers to denote physical locations or geographic/geological features.

Doreen Massey has an interesting book that touches on this (Space, Place, and Gender), where she points out that time and space are treated as binaries, where time is typically masculine and dynamic and space is feminine and static. Nature (gendered feminine) is spatial, a place, and therefore not a time ("ahistorical and timeless"). Culture, on the other hand, is temporal, dynamic, masculine. It's a very particular rhetoric which begs the "which one?" question.

(While Massey points out this common way of conceiving of time/space and binaries in general [A vs. Not A], she argues that the concept of space needs to be defined on its own merit, distinct from its binary opposite.)

Is it our human nature to always perform our identity? can we ever separate ourselves from it?

He does a really good job pointing out some of the dangers of effortlessly overcoming fear at the cost of learning courage and struggle at the cost of learning discipline but he doesn't really touch on how in time we might recognize the side effect these biomedical technologies bring and human nature might push back against it. Kind of like with genetically modified foods now all people want is organic food.

He mentioned several times that human nature can be the basis for values and morality, but here he says that human nature is subject to change. In that case It sounds like he believes that the standards of morality and value which are based on human nature should also change and that doesn't sound like very firm ground to stand on.

This is an example of a man vs. nature conflict, because the sea water is making it hard for him to stay above and breathe.

This is a Man vs. Nature conflict because Rainsford is struggling to stay above water after he has fallen into the ocean and the salt water engulfs him making it impossible to breathe.

inaturalist website- really cool place to upload nature pics and correspond in discussions with others about identifying the plant or animal species

Looks like a great project to get involved in! Very collaborative (both in the classroom and in online), plus integrate technology while having students explore nature

using photography in nature (a form of technology) to enhance learning science curriculum

Wow! I had no idea there were so many organizations, apps, and programs to combine technology with nature for a classroom setting! This is really encouraging and I would love to use some of these with my future classes!

int. tech into nature for ages 2nd grade and up

Interesting article- Combining technology with nature in an age that kids desperately need to be outdoors more

It's still very impressive to see.

Bentham's view of "state of nature" aligns nicely with Hobbes. It would be useful to remind students of the way in which the vision of "State of Nature" leads to conclusions regarding what Social Contract should be. I would ask students who Madison might agree with, or at least who he seems to have taken into consideration. ( "If men were perfect . . .")

I found this interesting how the weather changed so quickly after King Edward took over the throne from Queen Victoria. As we know from the start of Chapter 5, the Victorian era was dark and gloomy. Now that it is a new chapter, it goes onto another era in time, when King Edward takes the power. With the rise of a new era, it also is a new birth for a brighter future and the country is becoming more and more modernized, but this is not really the case. This is interesting because how rapid the change is able to take place, showing how fast time is passing. The new era is completely different from the one before, contrasting with the Victorian times, as described by the biographer in this section, everything was brighter and the sky is no longer filled with gloomy cloud, but instead metals. The light serves as a guide for the people to move forward when the women were in aprons, showing how gender roles are changing. On the other hand, we associate light with something positive, but during this time,things were also shrink in size, like the amount of fertilized plants and family sizes.

The writers of this document seem to view education not only as a means of expanding one's knowledge but as a means of improving one's inherent nature from one of evil and corruption to one of goodness and virtue. I find this notion classist and fallacious, as it seems to suggest that those who are not educated (including those who cannot afford education) are inherently worse as people than those who are educated and also that education can fundamentally change who a person is.

This section reminded me of the philosophy of Thomas Hobbes who believed the nature of man is inherently bad and the purpose of government and education is to control man's selfish desires. In my opinion, I side more with John Locke's philosophy that the nature of man is inherently good but society is corrupted by certain negative people. Education's purpose should be to remind people of their virtuous nature and not become distracted by the inequalities and failures of society.

The wrath of winter reflected his sadness

When the snow from winter has almost vanished

How old is this article? David hasn't been there for years...

Sounds cool, and I don't even like the outdoors...

Don't feed the wild animals, please!

The storm tonight is merciful to none--not wise men, nor fools.

Facing the music

funny, literal foreshadowing. This fool ends up in a storm with King Lear.

taking astrology to the other fucking level, my dude. Allows that to determine his destiny. Fuck. Not cool. nature determines your nature determines your destiny

Natural progression of things means we are naturally evil?

Berger uses the term "non consuming use" to define activities in the wilderness that do not have a lasting impact on nature. He talks about how these non consuming acts are practiced by the Native People and some recreational activities. He contrasts this with the idea that commercial industry exploits the wilderness in a way that permanently affects it. An interesting example to look at here is commercial hunting and fishing practices in the North compared to recreational and indigenous ones. Commercial hunting and fishing operations does not have a decorated history in the Arctic. Whaling practices have led to the collapse of the North Atlantic Right whale which was at one point considered to be the most abundant species in the Arctic. As of today "it is arguably the most threatened large cetacean in the Atlantic Ocean, if not the world, with an estimated minimum population size of 313 animals." This dramatic decrease in population is not only seen in whales but also in many common fish species in the area as well. In 1992 there was a moratorium put on cod fishing in Canada because the population was so over harvested that there was only a few schools left in the ocean. Both of these situation brought a lot of economic hard ship to fishing regions in Canada that relied on these populations for work. The irony in this situation comes from how the large scale fishing operations caused a ban for indigenous populations too even for their comparatively miniscule action.

Parsons, E.C.M., J. Patrick Rice, and Laleh Sadeghi. "Awareness of whale conservation status and whaling policy in the US--a preliminary study on American Youth." Anthrozoos 23, no. 2 (2010): 119+. Global Reference on the Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources (accessed May 8, 2017).

Wilderness is a very vague term that get used a lot in this chapter. Berger uses the definition which is “A wilderness, in contrast with those areas where man and his own works dominate the landscape, is hereby recognized as an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.” This definition covers the technical and legal definition of wilderness, but wilderness has many meanings that has changed over time. Before modern technology, the wilderness was a place that was dangerous and unforgiving. Because of this perception of the wild, there was a sense of masculinity to travelling in the through it. Even today this idea manifests in pop culture as shows such a Man vs Wild are still popular that focus on humans overcoming the elements in the wilderness. However, wilderness has a even deeper meaning than that. There has been a spiritual element to the wilderness that has been integral to North American society for centuries. From the Pilgrims to Thomas Cole to Thoreau to John Muir to Bob Marshall to Aldo Leopold, the spiritual aspect of the wild led these men on philosophical movements. John Nagle argues "the spiritual benefit which people receive from a stay in the wilderness is not a tangible item, but it must be an important consideration in legislation of America is truly dedicated to a somewhat idealistic sense of values." This notion has been seen throughout history as there was a clear sense of spirituality recognized when the Wilderness Act of 1964 was passed. Nagle, John Copeland. "The spiritual values of wilderness." Environmental Law, Fall 2005, p. 955+. Global Reference on the Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources, find.galegroup.com/grnr/infomark.do?&source=gale&idigest=6f8f4a3faafd67e66fa023866730b0a1&prodId=GRNR&userGroupName=bucknell_it&tabID=T002&docId=A141802024&type=retrieve&PDFRange=%5B%5D&contentSet=IAC-Documents&version=1.0. Accessed 6 May 2017.

Alberta-British Columbia is a region in south western Canada. This region is where the proposed pipeline would be travelling through to get to the lower parts of Canada and Vancouver as well as the United States. This region is home to foothill forests which are very interesting ecosystem that is only found at this latitude. The foothill forests border the Canadian taiga forests from the north and the temperate forests from the south. This combination makes the foothill forests a very unique community which is known as an ecotone because it works as a buffer in between two other ecosystems. This ecosystem is home to a variety of fauna such as moose, reindeers, snowshoe hares, and beavers. This area is home to the most abundant moose populations in the world. Forests have become increasingly vulnerable to mortality due to the direct and indirect effects of climate change and human activity. "In Western Canada, recent increases in the frequency and severity of natural disturbances in forests, such as wildfires, pest outbreaks, and droughts, have been attributed to a changing climate" Like many other ecosystems in the north, the foothill forests are facing major problems due to climate change. Moose populations are dropping due to new diseases that are prevalent because of the warmer year round temperatures. This phenomenon is being experienced all over the northern part of the United States and southern Canada.

Hajjar, Reem, and Robert A. Kozak. "Exploring public perceptions of forest adaptation strategies in Western Canada: Implications for policy-makers." Forest Policy and Economics 61 (2015): 59+. Global Reference on the Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources (accessed May 6, 2017). http://find.galegroup.com/grnr/infomark.do?&source=gale&idigest=6f8f4a3faafd67e66fa023866730b0a1&prodId=GRNR&userGroupName=bucknell_it&tabID=T002&docId=A437244896&type=retrieve&PDFRange=%5B%5D&contentSet=IAC-Documents&version=1.0.

Similar to the United States, Canada has the Species as Risk act. This act is was published in 2002 and is intended to protect any species that is being threatened in Canada. Many of the species on the list are endangered due to human activity in the area. In February 2017, "Eighteen species were recently added or reclassified under Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act because of threats to their recovery and survival, including habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation; changes to land use and human activity; climate change (variability, unpredictability, severe storms); and invasive species." Many of these species are different types of birds found in Western Canada. The recent increase of human activity in western Canada has led to a lot of habitat loss for these birds as humans continue to cut down forests and pollute the area. However, not just birds are being threatened in Canada. The Collared Pika was recently added to the Species at Risk Act. The collared pika is a small mammal similar to a rabbit that has being endangered due to habitat loss. The situation with the collared pika is an important one because the Canadian distribution takes up about half of its global range. The pika is a good example of what Berger is referring to about species that do not need wilderness habitat but are being pushed to extinction by humans. Canada overall has their hands full with conserving the biodiversity in the country with all of the invasive oil techniques that are being applied. "Canada : Amendments involving 18 species under the Species at Risk Act." Mena Report, February 28, 2017. Global Reference on the Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources (accessed May 6, 2017). http://find.galegroup.com/grnr/infomark.do?&source=gale&idigest=6f8f4a3faafd67e66fa023866730b0a1&prodId=GRNR&userGroupName=bucknell_it&tabID=T004&docId=A483932721&type=retrieve&PDFRange=%5B%5D&contentSet=IAC-Documents&version=1.0.

In this context, Berger is using the Wilderness Act to reference how wilderness is defined. This is a very famous definition for the eloquent way the wilderness is described. "A wilderness, in contrast with those areas where man and his own works dominate the landscape, is hereby recognized as an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.” After many drafts and eight years of work the Wilderness Act was signed in 1964 by President Lyndon B. Johnson. Since the passage of this act there has been much debate about what land is "wilderness" and what should be done with this land. The main reason for the act is to protect these lands from development and industrialization. But another part of the reason was to increase recreational use of this land such as hiking, canoeing and fishing. "Over the decades an obvious contradiction has emerged between preservation and access." The National Forest Service is reluctant to put up signs and other infrastructure in these areas because it goes against the foremost goal of this act. Unfortunately, this is causing safety concerns for recreationists. Overall the Wilderness Act has made over 170,000 square miles into "wilderness" and has protect this land for the last half century. Gourlie, Don. "The Wilderness Act at 50." Environmental Law, Spring 2014, 285+. Global Reference on the Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources (accessed May 6, 2017). http://find.galegroup.com/grnr/infomark.do?&source=gale&idigest=6f8f4a3faafd67e66fa023866730b0a1&prodId=GRNR&userGroupName=bucknell_it&tabID=T002&docId=A375290680&type=retrieve&PDFRange=%5B%5D&contentSet=IAC-Documents&version=1.0.

Sequoia National Park is a large land reserve in southern California which is home to the Sequoia National Forest. This forest is home to five out of the ten largest trees in the world and contains the single largest tree known as the General Sherman Tree. General Sherman stands at a whopping 275ft and a 14ft diameter at the middle of the tree. Sequoia National Park was founded in 1890 and was part of the initial effort to create more national parks to conserve the different habitats and ecosystems in the United States. The mission of the national parks was to bring awareness of the beauty of our environment. National parks were created to have designated areas that were set aside for humans to enjoy in a natural state. This concept still holds true today in parks as research shows "that this wilderness, in contrast to where most visitors live, is highly valued for clean air and water, natural sounds, low density of people, lack of motorized noise, and where evidence of human influence is relatively unnoticeable." Sequoia and other national parks around it are a large source of eco-tourism in the area. Eco-tourism is becoming a more prevalent force in the world today and some countries such as Costa Rica have much of their entire economy built on it.

Watson A, Martin S, Christensen N, Fauth G, Williams D. The Relationship Between Perceptions of Wilderness Character and Attitudes Toward Management Intervention to Adapt Biophysical Resources to a Changing Climate and Nature Restoration at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park](http://insert-your-link-here.com))mber 2015;56(3):653-663. Available from: GreenFILE, Ipswich, MA. Accessed April 25, 2017.

RE: "Nature itself" having a history

Nathaniel's in-class comments last week were very helpful to hear prior to the readings this week. It is particularly helpful to consider the paradox that some folks want to protect the Earth from humans and somehow return it to a point "before humans," as though the Earth exists outside of humans and we are pure agents acting upon it. (Which is where we get things like this video that has been going around Facebook because of Earth Day:) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49w7GHVYoI0

This video pretends the Earth is an agent, but it actually only reflecting human actions back on humans. There is an underlying argument that our relationship to the planet is only the things we do to it and not all the other relationships and existences on and in it.