Excursion to Rancho Lomitas with Benito Treviño!

This was definately a learning experience and im glad i went. It was very infromative, interesting and fun. Here are some pictures i took of that trip. Enjoy!

Edward Abbey/ The Monkey Wrench Gang

"Abbey insisted, to act as social Critic of ones country and culture, and as such to speak for the voiceless. And so he did, especially in the movement jeremiad with which he launched America's "ecodefense" movement.."

I really like this quote because i feel that is what a true environmentalist would say. I love how he described nature as the "voiceless"- because essentially they truly are. The environment does not speak like humans do, and in turn cannot defend themselves from human harm. Therefore, it is important that someone steps up to defend our environment and preserve it, or else if we keep harming it the way we do we wont have a natural environment for long.

Aldo Leopold/ Sand County Almanac

"Conservation is getting nowhere because it is incompatible with our Abrahamic concept of land. We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect."

"The last word in ignorance is the man who says of an animal or plant: 'What good is it?"


I absolutely love these two quotes from Leopold. I feel these two truly depict his appreciation for nature. What i got from it is that he believe humans abuse nature because they see it as something that is simply there for us to use as much as we want. If we were to see it was something that really belonged to us, or something that we created then that's when humans can truly respect their art. Leopold doest not believe that nature is there for our commodity, it is for our admiration, love, and respect.
The second quote i liked because Leopold is trying to say that everything in nature is important in one way or another in our lives.

John Wesley Powell/ The Exploration of the Colorado and It's Canyons

"On the mountains a few junipers and piñons are found, and cactuses, agave, and yuccas, low, fleshy plants with bayonets and thorns. The landscape of vegetal life is weird-no forests, no meadows, no green hills, no foliage, but clublike stems of plants armed with stilettos. Many of the plants bear gorgeous flowers."


This particular quote made me think of our excursion to Rancho Lomitas with Benito Treviño. This particular landscape is what we saw and studied. It was amazing to learn all the useful purposes all these plants have. I was even more surprised to learn that these plants, most of which are right backyard of my parents house, are really a treasure because of the history they carry. I was excited to know that a lot of these plants are even eatable and can be used for medicinal purposes. The cactus does have a gorgeous flower that grows from it. All this nature, that to some may seem ugly, is actually beautiful because of its survival use.

Maria Melendez/ How Long She'll Last in This World

from In the Early Months of Snowmelt, 1997

"Besides the newborn, I carried new depression around,
sorrow near to me as cord blood, disguised as one of life's
essential fluids. In my teens, I'd hiked the Tetons, practicing
the work scientists do-describing the moss campion
and the class-3 ram, slogging through mud to revegetate
old horse camps. But i was utterly unschooled in the foolish
dialects of heart required to answer another whose needs
had latched completely to mine."

As a new mom i read this part in this poem and completely related to eveything she described. The new depression was not so much a sad feeling, is was more of an overwhelming feeling of a huge responsiblity that lied on my shoulders now. Its big change to get used to. This shift in my life took a while to get adjusted to. Before i had my daughter, life was much more simpler and selfish; everything was about me, and everything i did was for me. And now everything i do, i do it for her, i do and plan everything with her in mind. I agree with Melendez when she describes that she was unschooled in motherhood. Nothing could had ever prepared me for all the challenges of motherhood, even though its difficult at times, it is definately worth everything i do, and it is full of its rewards.

John Muir/ My First Summer in the Sierra

"I was fortunate in getting a fine St. Bernard dog for a companion."

This particular single line reminded me of my dog. Her name is Chilly, and she is a tiny black Chihuahua. Dogs really are companions, and are extremely loyal. Even on my worse days, she can put a smile on my face. I truly believe that dogs are the most loyal animals in the world because even when i may ignore her, she still looks up at me and wags her tail. I feel that their love for their owner is unconditional because essentially we are the ones that take care of them and nurture them.