Students on a water run in 巴勃罗·托拉尔's Environmental Justice summer course at the 荒野野外站 in Ely, 明尼苏达州.
来源:巴勃罗·托拉尔

的 荒野野外站 offers a unique opportunity to explore environmental justice in a setting that challenges 和 reshapes one’s perspective on the world. 当我和同伴们一起冒险进入这片非凡的风景时, I discovered that environmental justice dem和s a profound shift in how we perceive our relationship with the environment 和 each other.

“此时此刻, 我得说那真的很难, 有很多精神上和身体上的压力和疲惫,艾拉说. “但是回顾过去, there’s not just a sense of accomplishment from making it through those rough moments, 但我对自己有了更多的了解. I learned that there was a community out there for me to get me through those hard times. 当我回想起这件事，我感到很高兴.”

卢卡斯说, “的 sense that I had of the WFS is one of inhabitancy: of the past 和 present, 人类和非人类. 这个世界是深刻的，复杂的，密切相关的, 和 the l和scape 和 历史 around the WFS (as well as the people there) is very good at teaching you this. 你开始在日常事物中看到历史:在地衣中, 森林生长模式, 留下的实物:共同的记忆, 被时间重新诠释, 和老鼠, 和你. 这是一个共同创造的世界——你也参与其中. 这里是这样，那里是这样，到处都是这样.”

探索横跨加拿大的巴斯伍德湖海滩露营.
来源:巴勃罗·托拉尔

It was the world surrounding the field station that set the stage for our exploration of environmental justice. 正如巴勃罗所说, the 荒野野外站 has a unique framework with two missions: wilderness education 和 applied field research. “这是一个学生学习和适应自然的地方, 和 each course is designed to introduce students to applied field research methods,他说. 每门课程都包含应用实地研究, 从模拟到动手数据收集, 分析, 和交付. 的 program’s unique framework m和ates wilderness education 和 applied research, 野外适应和学术探索的结合.

Pablo’s course, called Environmental Justice, st和s out as an interdisciplinary powerhouse. 它来自各个领域，如政策、法律、生态、 经济学, 人类学, 历史, 和更多的, fostering an environment where students realize the interconnectedness of knowledge across disciplines, 最终扩展他们的工具来了解世界.

“In terms of academic learning, I felt immensely enriched,” Ella says. ”的对话, 巴勃罗安排讨论的方式, 他如何引导我们到达不同的目的地是很重要的. 它给人一种凝聚力和团队合作的感觉. It’s important as an American citizen to know about American environmental policies 和 the 历史 of environmental policies, 是谁付出了艰苦的劳动来保护我们今天拥有的土地. I also have a better underst和ing of Canadian politics 和 how laws are passed there.”

Lucas shared his thoughts on how this course transformed his underst和ing of environmental justice. 他说，这不仅仅是一个单一的概念或原因. 而是要认识到暴力, 快慢兼备, 对地球和地球上的居民造成的伤害, 特别是土著社区. Environmental justice requires reevaluating the very foundations of our society, 包括我们的价值观念, 伤害, 和人类. 的 field station’s pristine natural surroundings serve as an ideal backdrop for these discussions.

从福尔湖开始为期七天的研究之旅.
来源:巴勃罗·托拉尔

的 荒野野外站 experience taught us to embrace vulnerability 和 uncertainty. Ela recalls, “We each carried canoes for over two miles, sometimes not consecutively. 这会让你的身体精疲力竭. 长途运输, 错误, 岩石, 和 that wall Pablo kept talking about for weeks before we got there. 这是深不可测的. 体力消耗使人筋疲力尽, but it felt like I was finally using my body for a natural form of labor, 像是一种生存劳动. 一部分让人筋疲力尽，但也让人充满力量.”

的 learning aspect of the 荒野野外站 experience was not limited to academic knowledge. We all found ourselves enriched in survival skills, life lessons, 和 underst和ing of ecosystems. “I was kind of scared to take on certain things, especially if they were important. You hesitate to take on certain jobs because you don’t think that you can,艾拉说. “很难把不同的工作分配给不同的人, 但有一种心理障碍是认为你别无选择. We’re stuck here, 和 someone has to do this, 和 it looks like it’s you.”

Reflecting on the unique environment of the Boundary Waters 和 the sense of unity that evolved within the group, Ela emphasizes how we transitioned from being strangers to a tightly-knit family. “几个月过去了，我仍然很难理解, because I genuinely forgot about the fact that we didn’t know each other before,艾拉说. “Having personal relationships with all of you 和 having a healthy, 强大的群体动力是特别的, 和 it’s weird because you would think that you need more than four weeks to get to know people.”

学习洛湖的安全规程.
来源:巴勃罗·托拉尔

Pablo stressed the importance of underst和ing that we are far more resilient than we think. 通过冒险进入未知领域, 我们发展了克服不适的情感技巧, 导致个人, 专业, 以及学术发展. 的 field station’s institutional structure provided us with a safety net. 虽然荒野看起来令人生畏, the program equipped us with the skills needed to navigate challenges, 把不适转化为宝贵的财富.

总之, this program doesn’t just challenge your comfort zone; it sprints past it, leaving you breathless 和 grinning like a caffeine-charged squirrel. 在这里，人与人之间的界限, 自然, 和 knowledge get so blurred you’d think you’re at an existential art show. 你们开始时是陌生人，离开时却是亲密无间的一家人. 大自然的原始之美每天都打在你的脸上, but you’re too busy carrying canoes 和 learning about the environment to mind.

You’ll discover more about different parts of the world from the folks you meet here than you ever did in a geography class. 如果你有幸上了巴勃罗的课, 你可以在简历上加上“Trail Barista”. He’ll teach you the art of brewing espressos, mochas, 和 cappuccinos with nothing but a campfire. 你也会成为保护食物免受熊侵害的专家, 和你’ll realize that squirrels have a Gorp obsession that’s second to none.

当我回顾我在荒野野外站的时光, it’s impossible not to agree with Lucas Kruger’s assessment: This experience is nothing short of “sick” – 和 I mean that in the best way possible.

他们拿着签名的旅行纪念品在行李旁休息.
来源:Abhey Guram ' 24