Nature filled weekend!

Asylum Lake Preserve Map

  First off, welcome to my blog!  As the title describes it is about nature.  I am an Environmental Studies major at  Western Michigan University and I love to be outside!  A class I am taking is ENVS 2260 and its called Field Environmental Ecology.  We take field trips every week and last Friday we went to Asylum Lake Preserve in Kalamazoo.  I had never been there before.  When I got there I just wanted to run around but controlled myself and gathered with my class to go over particulars.  The preserve is an 274 acre section of land that is owned by Western.  It has two lakes, forest sections, prairie sections and savanna sections.  Our class of 16 people walked the paths in the forest and worked on identifying trees.  We only covered a section of the whole preserve and I want to go back and explore it on my own.  My experience was fresh air mixed in with awe of my surroundings.  Usually when I am outside its my backyard which isn't even an acre.  To be in that much space filled with only the trees and the sunlight that filtered through was wonderful.  Once you get in, away from the parking lot, you no longer hear traffic.  the only evidence of human interaction is the remnants of an old mental hospital and some cement paths.  When class ended early I was sad to go, but I am looking forward to going back this Friday.

The cows

  My nature filled weekend did not end there.  Today I went to the Southwest Michigan Harvest Festival in Scotts, Michigan.  I was volunteering and participating in the event.  The festival took place at Tillers International.  Their mission is "to preserve, study, and exchange low capital technologies that increase sustainability and productivity of people in rural communities..."  They farm with human and animal labor without using fossil fuels.    They are all about learning how to make and produce on your own.  The site is a working farm so I saw some farm animals when walking around.  Once I left the cluster of tents I could smell freshness.  Their museum is actually an old barn when they display old farm equipment of every size.  My job as a volunteer was to make sure that people did not touch the artifacts and some of them were very dangerous.  At 2 the guest speaker, Richard Heinber, gave his presentation and I listened to it while keeping an eye on the artifacts.  His speech was about living without fossil fuels and the steps our society needs to take to transition into a post carbon world.  The summary is that we need to start eating locally, using renewable resources, and learning to produce our own food.  Outside of the museum were two goats who kept trying to come in the building and someone from Tillers would then have to gently get them back outside.  Walking back from the museum I stopped and observed the cows.  It was then when it hit me that I was at a farm were people are making a difference.  They were farming without wearing down their animals.  They emphasis learning "old trades".  They have blacksmithing classes, woodworking classes etc.  It was a very enjoyable experience today at the Festival.  I even bought myself a t-shirt that says "Tree Hugging, Dirt Worshiping".  The shirt is made off bamboo, an organic material.  When I left I felt guilty for getting in my car and driving away.  I wish I had a hybrid car, or at least biked everywhere I had to go, but Scotts was to far of a bike ride for me.  I was instilled with the desire to farm, eat locally and learn to live off of nature instead of on top of it.
  One of the booths I had stopped at today was the Michigan Nature Association.  They have at least 50 sanctuaries all over the state of Michigan.  Their mission its to protect and maintain the natural environment of theses areas.  It's something that I really want to be a part of.  I want to be out in nature, experiencing what I want to save and what society needs to save.  They are a volunteer based organization so I signed up to be on the mailing list and hope there is opportunities where I can get involved.  And of course I will share those experiences here!