Here at St. Olaf we have a large expanse of natural lands adjacent to the school, about 700 acres. According to the St. Olaf website, most of this land is leased to area farmers. However, not all of it is. For me, the remaining 40 or so acres out behind Mohn and the north side of campus, spreading to the west is where I spend a large part of my "landscape" time. Whenever I can, I run out there. During the fall, I appreciate the subtle yet many color changes of the tall grasses. I rarely make it out during the winter, but if it's not too cold I love running at about 4pm, watching the shadows in the snow and the wonderful colors that the setting sun causes. The spring is one of my favorite times to be out there, watching everything come back to life. I can hear the frogs singing, see the red-winged blackbirds a'flying, and the ducks with their ducklings swimming away.
That the campus has and keeps the natural lands is very important to me. The school could very easily use this land for something else, yet it is kept in a natural state. Sure, that state is maintained through prarie burns and the like, but the intention is there. It's a place where the human touch is removed, and the fact that the school even has an area like this says alot about its view of the environment. There are a few paths wandering about the area, showing that the school encourages walks or runs out there. It is there to be experienced, not cut off from the community. During the winter, cross-country ski tracks are maintained, following the same routes as the paths, showing that even during these harsh months, we can still get out there. Overall, it seems like the college wants us to be in touch with nature, not removed from it.
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