Class at the Loins Bridge (Spencer Mottley)

     During our last class at the Lions Bridge, several different topics were discussed. The first thing we 

talked about was the various types of flora and fauna found in the park. Notable flora include tulip trees, 

walnut trees, false garlic, and wild grapes. The later which was utilized by people living in the vicinity

of the park, in past centuries, to make homemade wine. Notable fauna in the park includes various types of

waterfowl, insects such as bees and caterpillars, and also mammals such as deer, squirrels, and otters. 

The second subject that was discussed was the Hungtion family, which was instrumental in bringing the

shipyard and coal piers to Newport News in the late 1800's. They chose Newport News as the place to

offload their coal coming from the mountains around Huntington, West Virginia (named after the family)

because of the area's deep water and proximity to the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean. Apart from

Their contributions to the maritime industry in Newport News, they also made contributions to Mainers

Park, perhaps the most notable of these contributions, was the creation of the artificial lake in the park.

They created this lake primarily for the purpose of providing habitat for waterfowl migrating up and down 

the East Coast. Which, at the time, were being hunted in the region on an industrial scale. The other main

topic we discussed was the statue directly adjacent to the bridge, and specifically what the statue

symbolizes. The top part of the statue, with the man training the horse, symbolizes man's domination over

nature because the man is exerting himself on something "wild" that is the horse. The bottom part of the

statue with the men sitting looking out over the horizon symbolizes the different types of craft. The fine

arts being symbolized by a man with the palette and paint brush, and the trades being symbolized by a

man with a welding hammer and an anvil. After the class, I was left with a question and an answer to that

question. My question was is mainers park is a garden or a wilderness? My answer to that question would

be a garden because, unlike the wilderness, where man is simply a visitor. Here we exert our footprint on

the landscape in noticeable ways, such as by building statues, lakes, trails, plaques, or even by simply

maintaining the park. 

   

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sarah Chapman- Homelessness Countering the Destruction of Home by Kip Redick

Reading Homelessness Countering the Destruction of Home by Kip Redick challenged the way I think about both ecology and spirituality. What struck me most is the idea that “home” is not just a physical structure but an event, a lived relationship. Drawing from Martin Heidegger, Redick describes dwelling as a kind of embodied participation in a community that includes not only humans, but also earth, sky, plants, animals, and even tools. I found myself reflecting on how rarely I actually experience that kind of dwelling. So often, I move through spaces quickly, distracted, or focused on productivity rather than presence. However, as I have continued to take classes with Dr. Redick, I try to be more intentional and aware of nature. The essay made me more aware of how deeply modern technology shapes the way I relate to the world. Through thinkers like Jacques Ellul and Emmanuel Levinas, Redick argues that we have turned the world into “standing reserve”, something to be used efficiently ra...
Read more

Iroquois Creation Story Paper Presentation (Amanda Capper)

 During today's class, one of our classmates shared her essay on the Iroquois creation story. I thought this was actually really interesting, because I had never heard of it before. One thing that struck me as particularly interesting was the main theme of reciprocity and balance. For example, the earth (Gaia) as an independent resource was interesting to me. Through Gaia, other environmental constituents also spring up, such as trees, grasses, dirt, the ocean, the rivers, etc. These features give humanity sustenance, breadth, and life. This is where the reciprocal practices come from. Using these materials and the natural world for our benefit, yes, but there's more to life than just this.  I've always thought that the Native worldview is so much better than our own worldview. I think when we get so involved in ourselves, materialistic and capitalistic culture, we lose sight of what really matters - community and the ecosystem we live in. Its not just about the things we h...
Read more

Kip Redick Introduction

Welcome to the Religion and Ecology blog for 2026. Make sure to start the blog with your name and the subject of the entry (Just as I have done with this post). Blog entries will be considered informal writing assignments and as such will be graded more in relation to content than style. Blog entries will contain questions and answers to questions, as well as reflections which relate to daily classroom discussions, completion of exercises, and reading assignments. Any questions the student has when reading or completing assignments should be written in their blog. Reflections may relate to connections the student makes between discussions in this class and those in other classes, between arguments raised in the readings in this class and those raised in other classes or in informal conversations. Students are encouraged to apply the ideas learned in this class to activities that take place outside of the class. These applications make great reflections. The student s...
Read more