In Search of Interim Pheasants

It's 10:22 A.M.

The snow is gently falling through the pine boughs as the wind whistles assertively against what appears to be a grey sheet. I lay under the pine, one among many. Dead needles allow their presence to be known down my legs and on my hands. I do not move; I have not moved for over an hour. I hear them, yet do not see them--their cackle challenging the wind in the pines and the woosh of the turbine. Far off are other cackles; occasionally a cow makes its demands publicly. They must know of my being here. Cognizant beings they are; always slipping from one tuft of long grass to the next, barely visible. Their sign surrounds me--scratches, guano, resting beds.


I am here to photograph them. If only I could photograph their sounds or in the least map their movements. All I am left with is the wind, pines, and the rays of sunlight courageous enough to find the brown needled floor. I stay an hour more--situation similar. Maybe tomorrow I say..



Paz

J

An Outdoor Interim

The past few weeks I have been enjoying my interim independent study class for what it is and not so much as for what it was supposed to be. The official title of my owner built course is Animal Photojournalism. What this entails, I soon found out, is photographing anything with a heartbeat on campus. The idea seemed easy enough. What I did not realize was that the actual quest was going to be much more interesting than the goal. The people I was to meet and the places I would find myself were unimaginable to me when I began.

On the very first day that I left Ytterboe with photographic intent I realized just how different things were going to be. Moments after walking out the door I heard a rustling and scratching in the nearby dumpster. Figuring a squirrel was digging in the trash, I quickly set up my camera for a shot. I waited and waited.......and waited; but nothing came out of the dumpster. So, with camera ready, I slowly crept forward, inch by crunchy inch (when you are sneaking up on something every sound has the significance of a cannon shot--or so it seems). I finally arrived at the dumpster only to find that the squirrel in question was stuck in the dumpster!! There was no trash (because of Christmas break--thus no students--thus no trash) for the squirrel to use to jump out on after it had jumped in. It was stuck, not only with itself, but with another dead squirrel that evidently had the same poor luck. The squirrel, to stay alive, had become a cannibal and had eaten parts of the dead squirrel to remain alive.

I knew at this point that I had uncovered a great squirrel scandal here on the squeaky clean St. Olaf Campus. These squirrels, because of their self-imposed dependence on humans for food, were victims of oversight by many. Though over populated, these squirrels deserve some form of civil justice and so, with great delight, I put a long stick in the dumpster for the little furry creature to escape.

After I had put the stick in the dumpster, Phil, the master of custodial arts for the third floor of Ytterboe, had seen what I had done and came out to chat with me. He said that this happens often and that many times the squirrels not only get stuck in the dumpsters, but that their heads often get fatally stuck in the small drainage hole. This especially happens when the dumpsters are empty of trash. If you are walking by a dumpster feel free to poke your nose over the edge and see if any furry friend is in dire need of assistance. It will make your day, trust me.

peace

J

Inclusivity Within Community

This past week was very busy for a self-proclaimed, overcaffeinated environmentalist such as myself. Much time was spent bushwacking through the frozen St. Olaf natural lands in search of animals to take pictures of, as well as the new--to me--Focus The Nation event here on campus. Between those two, I was hopping from biosphere to sociosphere, all the while working up a sweat trying to formulate ways to encourage others to find a connection between the two. The more I listened to speakers during the event and the more I spoke to others about the event, the more I realized that there is a disconnection between not only students to the outdoors, but also students amongst students.

After one session of speakers I was discussing the event with a small group of sophomore students and I implored their thoughts pertaining to how well they thought Focus The Nation was reaching students with its message. They gave the usual "I think this is great that we are doing this on campus.....etc, etc." Except for one girl. She had remained silent, so I asked what she thought. She replied, "Well, this is good and everything, but I feel as though it is the same people going to all these events. It is the same people who are worried about the environment in the first place who are here now. What we need to do is reach out and pull people in from other interest groups."

This really struck home for me, because I had internally voiced these same thoughts. How do you reach people who have no interest in the state of not only their nation, but the world? How do you make them feel the same significance that you do on an issue? The main thought that I conveyed (or atleast I hope I conveyed) to this fine young lady was that what is important is that we seek those around us and engage them in disarming discussions. Ask them questions about what is important to them first and then go back and state that this is important to you. One main thing that needs to come before results is discussion. This needs to occur in government and just as importantly, at the grassroots level. Be inclusive with your thoughts to those around you. See what happens......

peace

J