Author Archives: Nicole Maksymiw

High Water Marks

Posted on by
Reply

Knoebels is a free admission amusement park in Pennsylvania, located nearby much of my family. During my most recent visit, I thought more about an aspect of the park’s history which I had not previously given much thought: the floods. I was reminded of this in class during a discussion about how we, as humans, are not always at the top of the food chain or in control of natural occurrences. We may be totally at the mercy of natural forces, one of which being the incredible force of water.

Dillard’s Flood piece discusses the flood at Tinker Creek caused by Hurricane Agnes, the very storm which first caused floods at Knoebels in 1972. Dillard describes the flood by saying, “Tinker Creek is out of its four-foot banks, way out, and it’s still coming. The high creek doesn’t look like our creek. Our creek splashed transparently over a jumble of rocks; the high creek obliterates everything in flat opacity.” The sheer force of the flooding water overwhelms the creek as the narrator knows it and completely transforms it into a whole different creature. This Hurricane Agnes caused floodwaters to rise and meet 24 out of 25 total rides in the park. Despite this, the park reopened only 9 days later. The area was transformed, like at Tinker Creek, by the sweeping waters.

Knoebels faced additional floods in 1976, 1996, 2004, 2006, and 2011. There are markers around the park to indicate the levels to which the water rose during a particular flood. Signs cover various trees and the side of a covered bridge, showing how much of the park would have been submerged on these occasions. I actually remember the impacts of the 2011 flood, which replaced the 1972 flood as being considered the worst to hit the area. The force of the rushing waters left the workers and attractions powerless, as they swept across this happy place, spreading further and reaching areas never before affected. The small stage for daily shows, where my cousin performed, was carried across the park. The covered bridge was largely submerged. As in 1972, the dedication of the community and staff allowed the park to reopen only 10 days later. It is always shocking to see the high water marks while walking around the park today, knowing how forceful and intense the waters were during the floods. And yet, the park has continued to operate successfully with minimal setbacks.

Out of Touch, Out of Reach

Posted on by
Reply

Many people today lack a strong connection to nature. This may be attributed to being out of touch since childhood, or to not being out of reach of cell phones and other technology. Some pieces discussed in class have led to this idea of being distanced from the natural world.

The Wilderness of Childhood piece addresses the loss of freedom to explore the natural world as a child. This lack of experience causes children to be out of touch with their surroundings from a young age, so that they may not fully appreciate the world in which they live. The author describes taking his daughter for a bike ride and says, “As we wandered the streets of our lovely residential neighborhood at that after-dinner hour that had once represented the peak moment, the magic hour of my own childhood, was that we didn’t encounter a single other child.” The gap between two generations is utterly disappointing, since the children of today often lack such rich relationships with nature and even with their neighbors.

The article Outdoors and Out of Reach explores the effects of heavy use of technology on how people think and behave, as numerous scientists retreat into nature without cell phone access for a few days. The scientists suggest that the addictiveness of this digital stream of information may affect decision-making skills and other intelligent thought processes. This “drumbeat of incoming data” creates a “false sense of urgency that can affects people’s ability to focus.” People are so strongly affected by ideas and information so readily available to them, and the constant usage makes everything seem more urgent and rushed. People survived and got along well before such technology was even available, so the opportunity to step away from it all shows the scientists that not getting information about something immediately, such as a grant, is actually not the end of the world. I wholeheartedly appreciate their conclusion that they, and others, should aspire to be less engrossed in the digital distractions of today and be more engaged.

Both pieces address different ways in which the modern world has evolved away from nature. Children are sheltered indoors, while most people are dependent upon technology to adequately enjoy their days. This does not need to be the case. We should encourage children to enjoy their childhood outdoors, and we should set positive examples for each other to remain engaged and not distracted by trivialities.

Belonging in Nature

Posted on by
Reply

Nature is all around, but to truly define it would mean to acknowledge nature as a singular entity. Nature encompasses all elements of the world, whether entirely natural or wholly manmade. It is the place in which we live and thrive, and so the ideal definition would describe nature as a place to offer belonging, which could be some place uniquely magical for everyone. Such a sentiment to belong in the world in which one lives is incredibly significant.

Whitman would likely agree with nature existing as a place of belonging, as evidenced by his poem There was a Child went Forth. The piece explores a child’s formative encounters with the world, including those with plants and animals, city and country folk, his own parents, and everyday clouds. As Whitman concludes, “these became part of that child who went forth every day, and who now goes, and will always go forth every day.” The child of this poem has gone through life always a part of something, continuously being shaped by his experiences. The interactions with boys both friendly and quarrelsome, with the fresh innocence of the mare’s foal and the cow’s calf, with “the sense of what is real” in affection from his family, and with the horizon’s edge and “the fragrance of salt marsh and shore mud” all left a note-worthy impact. Through these daily, lifelong connections, the child may develop as a member of the world in which he lives. All people have observations and experiences of their own, from which they develop to truly become themselves.

Becoming is a continual process as shown through a child’s consciousness throughout his life. This idea of becoming oneself or one with nature comes from a place unique and magical to each individual being.

Collaborative Nature

Posted on by
Reply

Day One of class and I already found myself enjoying a ramble around campus. The ramble allowed me to view sites that I pass daily with a deeper appreciation, truly experiencing the everyday nature. The Pollinator Garden visit was particularly poignant as my own personal project and as an example of collaborative nature.

Collaborative Nature features elements both natural and constructed that function together in harmony. In this particular example of the Pollinator Garden, the constructed element exists in the fact that the garden itself was a project organized and planted in a particular manner and location. The natural element remains the fact that these plants were all grown from seed and have been thriving in their new outdoor environment.

The intersection of such natural and constructed elements creates a spot of particular beauty for myself and others to enjoy. The picture below illustrates how the garden is flourishing, as it has developed its own strength from seed and from the resilience of its creators.

20150821_123147