What Is Your Relationship with the Natural Environment?
Everybody interacts with nature. For communities whose way of life depends on hunting, fishing, and gathering, the natural environment is especially important. Think about your daily life and your community. In the box below, write down examples of how you personally interact with nature. For example, consider the following questions:
- How does the weather affect your daily life (and subsistence activities in your community, if applicable) at this time of year? At other times of the year?
- What kinds of plants and animals are found in your area? How do you and members of your community make use of these plants and animals?
- What are some key features of the physical landscape surrounding your community? Does it include ocean, rivers, streams, or lakes? Valleys, mountains, deserts, or tundra? Are there other large or small communities nearby? How does the landscape affect your life?
- What is the importance of rain and snow to plants, animals, and people in your area?
