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Taproot: A Journal of Outdoor Education

Joel Light

Abstract

I have been a Christian and been interested in nature for as long as I can remember. Because these values in my life started at the same time, I see the direct correlation between the two. Growing up on a small hobby farm in Northwest Ohio, I had many opportunities to experience the Creation. From the farm animals that I raised, to the ditches that I explored, to the fields I walked, and the country roads where i searched for signs of wildlife; I was aware of being in and part of the Creation. I was created by the same creator as the natural world around me. I saw how families lived and died dependent on the land. The land was vital to these people and they were innately connected to it. I felt the same connection. Even though I did not have the technical terminology or the biological knowledge to explain it, I knew that the tree in the front yard that I climbed was sharing life with me. I knew that we needed each other to survive even if I did not know the chemical and biological cycles involved. Even before I knew the term "environment" and knew that there was an environmental crises, I had an understanding of how humans can affect the land.

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