I was 8 years old the first time I experienced what I thought to be a truly wild environment. I was in the boundary waters on Basswood. There was a very heavy wind, resulting in around 3 food waves (according to dad), and I was in a canoe with my dad. Now, I don’t know if you know anything about canoeing, but waves that size makes it a very bumpy ride. I seriously thought I was going to die (mind of an 8 year old). I didn’t die; we made it to a campsite and set up camp. I had the privilege of observing nature at its finest. I saw moose, deer, bears, eagles, fish, you name it. The most shocking thing I observed were eagles ripping apart the remains of fish that we had filleted and placed on a rock just across the lake.
This was the first time that I observed what my grandpa likes to call the circle of life. We caught the fish, killed the fish, consumed the fish, and disposed of the remains. The eagles proceeded to consume what was left of them. Now I know this isn’t the best example of the interconnectivity of the organisms coexisting within an ecosystem, but it should work. I witnessed, firsthand, the relationships between predators and prey. As Leopold says, “think like a mountain.” I could not have stated it better. The mountain sees the wolf preying upon deer, deer preying upon grass and seedlings. It knows the importance of each animal in it’s ecosystem. The idea that even the smallest changes to an ecosystem could result in drastic changes. An example of this is selective hunting. If the populations of whitetail deer in Minnesota were not managed how would the environment be altered? How many animals would starve?
Mining is another fantastic example of a drastic change in an environment, which, most likely, has detrimental effects on the inhabitants of the mining area. Leopold challenged the way we make environmental decisions by illustrating the fact that all aspects of a given habitat/environment must be taken into consideration before acting out human wants and needs. I Think that this is a fantastic idea and I pray that I will be able to view things in this fashion until the day that I die.
Save the Trees. :P
I enjoyed your story about the camping trip where you went canoeing in 3 foot waves. I have taken many fishing trips in canoes on smaller lakes and it is very easy to tip a canoe. I actually have tipped one before! I also liked how you related your views from the trip to Leopold's "think like a mountain." You described it perfectly. Even a slight change in the predator/prey relationship could have disastrous effects on not just the ecosystem itself, but humans as well. Very interesting to think about.
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