My Sense of Place- Colloquium Post 1

My current “sense of place” is one of displacement and detachment from nature and the natural world around us.  I believe that the reason that I feel displaced is due to the fact that I grew up in a very different environment than the one I live in now. 

The first twenty four years of my life I lived in or around the Canadian Laurentian Mountains which, at the time, was pretty much untouched by developers and commerce.  I grew up with the nature all around me and I am better for it.  To have moose or deer on my front lawn was a common occurrence.  Raccoons, foxes, and porcupines could always be glimpsed while driving down the road.  Summers were spent exploring the woods around me, following the old farmer fences to some great adventure.  I still remember the sound of the trees as their leaves moved within the breeze and how the sun and shadows danced on the forest floor.  I used to spend hours watching the fish in the shallow waters by the edge of the lake hoping for a “the big one” to pass by.

      

I haven’t seen those woods for over fifteen years now and I wonder at times if they still stand.  I have had similar connections with nature with my travels to other states and to South America but I feel far from nature here in Florida.  Maybe it’s because Southwest Florida’s ecosystem is so different from the others that I’m so familiar with or maybe because my access to the untouched portion of Florida is limited to state parks and preserves.  I know that the Everglades are close but they seem so hostile to someone who is unfamiliar with such an environment.  

    

I believe that Colloquium class will be an educational opportunity that will not just reaffirm my love for nature but will also educate me on the dangers that our expanding population has created.   I have been so busy living my life that I had chosen to ignore the issues of environment that seem to be all around us.  I will welcome the chance for a new perspective, a perspective that is once more aware of our natural world and the issues that threaten our future.