First
of all, thank you to the Creator for all the life and beauty that he has provided for us.Also thank you to all who are checking out this web site.With the help
from the Creator, and all of you, I am determined to finish my degree, and am dedicating my life to put my education to use
to better the world.Through awareness and education, I believe that things will
improve. I am very interested in conservation and environmental education. I
think that a lot of the problems in the environment and the world today stem from lack of respect. I believe that if people
learned to respect the world around them that respect with other people would come natural. Respecting the environment encourages
consideration and compassion, and discourages selfishness.We should practice
conservation in everything we do and set an example for others to follow.Educate
the children about respect, conservation and the environment. The teachings and values of the Lakota truly express these beliefs
on education, respect, compassion, and consideration.All people should strive
to follow these values remembering that what we have and how we change it, we pass on to future generations.
Buffalo Cow With Calf
Photo by Lee McDowell
"From Wakan
Tanka, the Great Spirit, there came a great unifying life force that flowed in and through all things -- the flowers of the
plains, blowing winds, rocks, trees, birds, animals -- and was the same force that had been breathed into the first man. Thus
all things were kindred, and were brought together by the same Great Mystery." (Chief Luther Standing Bear, Lakota)
The Badlands, South Dakota
Photo by Lee McDowell
"The
Lakota could despise no creature, for all were of one blood, made by the same hand, and filled with the essence of the Great
Mystery. In spirit, the Lakota were humble and meek. 'Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth' -- this was
true for the Lakota, and from the earth they inherited secrets long since forgotten. Their religion was sane, natural, and
human." (Chief Luther Standing Bear, Lakota)
Below are a few paragraphs from a paper that I wrote for my Environmental Science class at OLC. The paper
was titled,
"PROTECTING OURENVIRONMENT SHOULD START WITH
CONSIDERATION"
(Standing
Bear L.) "But the old Lakota was wise. He knew that a man's heart, away from nature, becomes hard; he knew that lack of respect
for growing, living things soon lead to a lack of respect for humans too."When
we are outdoors, no matter where we are or what we are doing, we should reflect on seeing beyond ourselves.We need to educate ourselves and our families and our friends about the consequences of our selfish behaviors
and the injustices we lay on our environment. (Brovsky S.) “Given the imbalanced state of the environment, the time has come for a new perception of
the earth, one that takes into account creatures and things other than ourselves.”We should be concerned about the areas we visit, leaving it as a reflection of who we are, remembering that we are
not the only thing that matters.
On
September 18 2004, I took my girlfriend and her kids on an outing into the hills.I
enjoy my trips into the hills, and especially enjoy being able to educate children about the outdoors.After enjoying a few hours of hiking and a picnic lunch, we decided to take Victoria Lake Road
from Highway 385 to Sheridan Lake Road.I have not taken this road in about twenty-five years, but I can remember taking this road in the early
fall as a child.It was always a nice quiet drive, and we would see a variety
of wildlife, and the fall colors where spectacular.This place was not the same
as I remember growing up.Many things have changed. These changes, caused
by people, are an environmental injustice.We need to protect our environment
by learning to be considerate in the outdoors.Consideration means concern, reflection,
and selflessness.We parked at VictoriaLake overlook.When taking
our trips as a child, this was one of my favorite places.As we got out of the
vehicle, we could hear the blasts of people shooting their guns at one of the popular shooting areas.We walked to the edge to enjoy the view.There was litter
everywhere.We saw empty beverage containers, an old fire pit, home appliances,
cigarette butts, and paper.As we stood at the edge of the cliffs, a group of
about six riders on all terrain vehicles, (ATV’s) sped down into the canyon, roared through the bottom, and raced out
the other side. We should be concerned about the impacts we make when we are outdoors.I
am not anti-gun, and I am not against the use of ATV’s for recreation.I
am against pollution and degradation of our environment.
