Monday, October 30, 2006
Throwing Stones
The hubby and I went for a walk at the state park yesterday. Fine day for it. There's a creek that runs through the park, and an overlook that's suffering a sandy erosion. At the overlook, the kids started throwing stones down into the creek and we, good parents and environmentalists that we are, told the kids to stop. The hubby told one son that those stones would eventually alter the course of the creek. It seems like such an obvious thing, the fact that human beings automatically change their environment - moving stones from an eroding river bank down into the creek bottom. We feel bad for doing such a thing, but should we? If you're paying attention, you'll discover that nature changes itself. A deer scrapes a tree; branches fall into creeks, damming up the water flow; squirrels leave midden piles; animals crap all over the place, plant roots wend their way through soil. Just the act of us walking through the woods changes the woods. Is nature meant to be static? Or, is it okay to alter the course of the creek by throwing stones?
Labels: husband, nature, park, stones, walk, water, woods
