Let’s talk Nature and Culture!

Some people like to say that if you spend all your time outdoors, playing in nature, then you have no culture.  But as a friend once responded to that criticism: “We have lots of culture.  We raise fish, that’s aquaculture!  And we grow trees, that’s silviculture!”

But nature and culture also blend in the true meaning of culture—the pursuit of the arts, music, painting, and literature.  November is a great month to emphasize this, because several outstanding examples occurred in nature.

November 1, for example, is the day on which renowned photographer Ansel Adams snapped his most famous photograph—“Moonrise over Hernandez, New Mexico.” (learn more about the photograph here)  That photo is a perfect example of Adams’ quote about his photography:  “Sometimes I do get to place just when God’s ready to have somebody click the shutter.” (learn more about Ansel Adams here).

Ansel Adams

The month ends with the birthday of another lover of nature, Mark Twain, born on November 30.  Mark Twain’s writings are inexorably intertwined with nature, as were most of his life’s adventures.  He reveled in the coming and going of nature’s rhythms, saying, “To one in sympathy with nature, each season, in its turn, seems the loveliest.” (learn more about Mark Twain here).

November 22 is a special day for nature’s music as well.  On the day, Ferde Grofe’s Grand Canyon Suite premiered in 1931.  This musical piece is the apex of Grofe’s many tributes to nature in his compositions.  His inspiration was a camping trip at the canyon when he experienced the slow awakening of the landscape at dawn. (learn about Grofe’s work here). 

Poetry finds its way into November’s recognition with the birthday of William Cullen Bryant on the 3rd in 1794.  Bryant is the ultimate “romantic poet,” finding inspiration in the beauty of nature.  He walked many miles every day, letting nature absorb his senses and thoughts.  His paean To a Waterfowl is generally considered the most beautiful poem ever written. (learn more about Bryant here).

Although not listed in the calendar, November 9th is National Visit an Art Museum Day.  So, if the weather leaves you housebound some day this month, why not head to your local art museum and look for nature there.  You’ll be sure to find it!

This Month in Conservation

September 1
Martha, the last Passenger Pigeon, Died (1914)
September 2
President Roosevelt Dedicated Great Smoky National Park (1940)
September 3
Wilderness Act passed (1964)
September 4
Fort Bragg, Home of Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, Established (1918)
September 5
UNESCO Established First World Heritage Sites (1978)
September 6
Alcide d’Orbigny, French Naturalist, Born (1802)
September 7
Edward Birge, Father of Limnology, born (1851)
September 8
UN Millennium Declaration ratified (2000)
September 9
First “Bug” Found in Computer (1945)
September 10
Henry Hardtner, Father of Southern Forestry, Born (1870)
September 11
World Wildlife Fund Began Operations (1961)
September 12
Canyonlands National Park Established (1964)
September 13
Walter Reed born (1851)
September 14
Marc Reisner, Author of Cadillac Desert (1948)
September 15
Darwin reaches the Galapagos Islands (1835)
September 16
Ed Begley Jr., Environmental Advocate, born (1949)
September 17
Edgar Wayburn, Wilderness Advocate, Born (1906)
September 18
Grey Owl, Pioneering Conservationist in Canada, Born (1888)
September 19
Urmas Tartes, Estonian Nature Photographer, born (1963)
September 20
AAAS Founded (1848)
September 21
Assateague Island National Seashore Created (1965)
September 22
Peace Corps becomes law (1961)
September 23
Rose Selected as U.S. National Flower (1986)
September 24
President Kennedy Dedicated Pinchot Institute (1963)
September 25
Pope Francis Addressed the UN on the Environment (2015)
September 26
Johnny Appleseed Born (1774)
September 27
“Silent Spring” Published (1962)
September 28
National Public Lands Day
September 29
Steinhart Aquarium opens (1923)
September 30
Hoover Dam Dedicated (1935)
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