I have read some works by Cronon before (I can't remember titles off hand) but I have studied his work and the more I read it the more I feel like him and I have the same values, the same beliefs and the same attitudes toward nature. Each time I read something he has written I get a little girly crush on him.
That's supposed to be me after reading some writings from Cronon…
Awkward.
Anyway. Having only lived in Tucson my whole life I would like to think that Tucson and the surrounding areas are in tune with nature and that many residents here appreciate nature more than the average city dweller does. Think about it. Many people have the mountain ranges around Tucson to explore; there are lakes south of us; and various outdoor activities that people can par take in like mountain biking, hunting, skiing, rock climbing, camping and hiking. These are places where people and go and enjoy being outside, within nature and I would like to think that people who live in Tucson take advantage of these opportunities and do not take them for granted.
I remember growing up and visiting Mt. Lemmon all the time. My family and I would go up there nearly every weekend, it was great. I always remember my mom telling me "Don't take anything from the forest because if everyone took something from it there would be nothing left." Basically she was saying to enjoy it but leave it as it is. I still think of that to this day. One day my husband and I were in Sabino Canyon and two little boys had a handful of rocks and sticks that they were planning on taking home. I was interacting with them and I told them that if every visitor took something from Sabino Canyon there would be nothing left!
That didn't go over well with their parents but hey, I tried.
I also think that nature does not have to be hiking, camping, mountain ranges, lakes etc. Take people who live in New York City for example. A huge city. Buildings as tall as can be and gardens few and far between. A trending topic in NYC is rooftop gardens where people can grow their own food, flowers and herbs. Even though this may not come to mind when people think of "nature" or "wilderness" it still being outside and sometimes the only area people in big cities have to go to enjoy fresh air.
First of all I got to say that the first picture is so awesome and really grabs the reader attention. Your blog was incredible and what your mom told you was indeed a life lesson for all of us and I honestly think that every person who has read your blog has been impacted by your mothers words.
ReplyDeletewow, thank you so much! that really made my day. I am glad you enjoyed my post! :)
ReplyDeleteI agree with you--I also like to think that people in Tucson are more in tune with nature than the average resident of a lot of cities. However, for Cronon, enjoying natural areas via hiking, mountain biking, etc., is *not* going to help our society conserve nature in a broad sense. It might help us preserve small pockets of "wilderness," but that is not enough, when we need to learn to harvest natural resources more sustainably, curb anthropogenic global warming, etc. Cronon suggests that folks who *take from nature* explicitly might actually be more likely to live sustainably than those who visit nature to enjoy it. The rest of us hurt the environment just as much or more, but not as explicitly--instead, through a chain of events--so we don't even realize it.
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