Lone Ranger

Julia Keats The watercolor painting I created is Theodore Roosevelt on his horse riding in his lonesome in what is now Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Roosevelt’s solitude experience at Elkhorn Ranch started a conservation revolution and shaped his state of mind. Williams highlights a conversation between the superintendent of the park, Valerie, and an executive […]

The Indiana Dunes

Julia Keats For my reflection on Terry Tempest Williams’ essay on Grand Teton National Park, I created a photo collage. During our class discussion on this chapter, we were asked where a place was that made us feel at home. For me, this is the Indiana Dunes. My collage features photos of me at the […]

The Old & The New

Marissa Calabrese A canvas painted with hues bold and bright, Canyons carved by rivers, a testament to might. Under blue heavens, life danced in the heat, each creature dancing in harmony and on beat. But whispers of change began to rise, A shift in the wind and water that won’t rise. Climate’s grip tightened, the […]

Truth vs Perspective

Marissa Calabrese When I envision a military park, I imagine a place primarily frequented by history enthusiasts and individuals with personal connections to the park. It isn’t an image that I typically compare to parks like Yosemite or Yellowstone, where the park is flooded with tourists year round and visitors are consistently overwhelmed by the […]

THE STATION

Mary Clodfelter Terry Tempest Williams writes about Canyonlands National Park in essay 10 of The Hour of Land: A Personal Topography of America’s National Parks , highlighting the importance of writing letters. Terry writes to her neighbors, friends, editors of newspapers, climate activists, the Secretary of Interior, and other writers. Lizzie Allen and I were […]

A Perfect Balance

Marissa Calabrese In Terry Tempest Williams’ essay, “America’s National Parks”, readers are introduced to Terry’s poetic writing style and relevant discussions surrounding experiences and relationships in National Parks. The main lesson I gathered from this first chapter was that a person can fear nature while also being in awe of it. Williams’ stories of being […]

A poem of america’s national parks

Mary Clodfelter For this particular chapter, the first essay of The Hour of Land, I chose to create a poem of excerpts from the entirety of the chapter that spoke to me. There were several statements and phrases that really resonated with me while I was reading, and I wanted to compile these in hopes […]

GOING TO GETTYSBURG

Mary Clodfelter Terry Tempest Williams’ fifth essay of The Hour of Land highlighting Gettysburg National Military Park and the Civil War inspired me to create a playlist of my favorite songs by people of color. Individuals of color were severely underrepresented in every aspect of life during this time, and they are still the center […]

Mounds? Mounds, Everywhere!

Reflection on Terry Tempest Williams “Effigy Mounds National Monument” (2017) essay. In Tennessee there are four state archeological areas and one state archaeological park dedicated to protecting historical mounds within the state. The first one I was introduced to is the Mound Bottom State Archeological Area which is managed by Harpeth River State Park. A […]

partial HISTORY of Alaska

The Bering Land Bridge connected Alaska to Siberia 15,000 years ago. Animals of all shapes, sizes, and species crossed the bridge. Through the cold weather they traveled from Asia to America. This trip, not made by boat but by walking, was made by the first peoples in the Americas – as western science states. The […]