With Nature

Perhaps the most amazing moment I’ve experienced in nature occurred when I was a 6th grader. I went with most of my class to Catalina Island of the coast of California. We stayed at a camp wedged between a cove and the hills. Over the course of five days, we explored the area around us, kayaking in the ocean, and hiking in the underbrush nearby. Perhaps one of the most magical nights we spent in this area was the time all of us decided to go on a “trust walk” in which everyone linked hands and went off through the woods in the darkness, warning those behind us of upcoming obstacles.

While there we spent time studying the wildlife around us, such as the local fish as well as the birds. I had never seen quail so plentiful before. A sizable flock often occupied the small meadow on the Western side of the camp. They were Catalina quail, slightly different from those on the mainland, we were told. Smaller and a littler fatter, they generally stayed near the ground in order to scrounge for food.

Section two makes the case that we are losing speciation at a horrifying rate, and I believe that we must do what we can to counter this loss. We must maintain biodiversity by expanding the amount of protected land that we have already dedicated to natural preserves. The wild is an important natural resource on its own, and should be treated as such.