Natural History: For the Love of Place

"And it is by the place we've got, and our love for it and our keeping of it, that this world is joined to Heaven." Wendell Berry.

Through the use of story, art, poem, and nature journals, students explore natural history from both a wide-angled view and a more focused lens connected to their own unique hometowns. Course readings include The Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold and primary source writings of great natural historians throughout history. Students will receive guidance in nature journaling with an emphasis on observation rather than art. Students should be prepared to participate actively both in and outside of class. Assignments include weekly observations, written journal entries, reading assignments, and independent research on a chosen topic/species.