Human Relations to Nature at the HJA Experimental Forest (Rob)

Topic: I am studying the Long Term Ecological Reflections program at Andrews Experimental Forest, a humanities project which parallels long-term ecological reseasrch. I will analyze the environmental ideologies present while paying particular attention to how human connections to nature are shaped by the experience of “place.”  

Question: Over the first five years of a 200 year program, what ecological themes and environmental ideologies have emerged from the writing reflections at Andrews in regards to human connections to nature through the experience of "place?"

Sub question 1: How can that connection be defined within the texts? Does it present itself in themes of conservation, preservation, a spiritual connection to the land, or something else? 

Sub question 2: Does this connection speak to a broader truth about the ecological character of the landscape? 

Sub question 3: What does this connection reveal about personal and/or cultural ideologies?

Potential Hypothesis: The texts written within this single forest take on a collective ideology and create a sense of community, and this ideology communicates the presence of a deeper ecological awareness. As this is long term inquiry, one of the themes present in the texts is an attraction to place which translates into a sense of hope for the future--hope for what we'll learn in time about our connection to the land and the preservation of the land.

Conceptual Significance: I want readers to understand how long-term inquiry can affect our relationship to nature and influence our thinking for the future.  I want this project to be something other master’s students can revisit in 10, 50, 100, and even 200 years and examine the evolution of these ideas. Ideally, this could be a multi-thesis, multi-student endeavor which spans the course of the Reflection’s 200 year program. Lastly, there has yet to be an ecocritical thesis, or any thesis, done on these reflections.

Potential Practical Significance: Creative reflections as a means of restoring ecosystem health through restoring human relationships to the land. In other words, I hope readers receive insight into their own ecological perceptions and understand how written inquiry can create positive thinking and promote ecological stewardship.

Methods: I will be using a textual content analysis of most likely all of the writing reflections, looking for what themes are present, how the themes reveal themselves within the text (you know, typical humanities ecocritical stuff...) I'd also like to interview some of the writers if I can. What I'd really like to do is participate in the act of writing itself, to go out there at HJA and go through the writing reflections process, even if I can't make that part of my thesis because then it would technically become a project...damn technicalities. Yep...I'll get back to you on the rest...