Santa Rosa Entry 2
“Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other’s eyes for an instant?” Henry David Thoreau, Walden
On the Santa Rosa Island trip we were able to learn from three different facility at CSU Channel Islands. The first Professor I was able to learn from was Matt Furmanski who is an art professor who specializes in sculptures. He was able to show us that the beauty of the island and how it can encourage the creation of art, that the simplicity is what sparks imagination in our minds. What I was able to take away from him was that this beautiful research island can be used in the art field as well. That just by looking at it from a different point it can become something entirely different. Secondly, I had Professor Allison Alvarado who is a field biologist; who is currently working on identifying and implementing mist-netting sites for monitoring birds on the islands. What she taught us was the importance of understanding the species of birds on the island and show they continue to adapt to the ever changing environment. We took time and learned how to identify the different types of birds by color and sound. This exercise made us take the time to look and understand the most beautiful birds on the island. Lastly, we worked with the island keeper Professor Cause Hanna, who took us on the most exciting journey. My group was able to use clam guns and count species along the shoreline. We were able to actively be apart of the island research and had so much fun doing so. We were shown that research is something that can be fun and exciting , it is what you make it. I think the importance of understanding and respecting the island is the one thing I was able to get from each of the Professors. The island is a place that everyone from every field of study can come and get an understanding of what nature has to offer. I think if Cause Hanna and Matt Furmanski came together and did a project that had to do with creating art and honoring the island would be really something interesting. I could imagine using the islands resources to build some type of sculpture or a piece of art. The question we would have to think about is how can we use Santa Rosa Island to create art? We would need to step back from the luxuries of today and go into a time where the land provided all of the resources. This exercise would require us as a whole to embrace the island and all of the beauty it has to offer and create art from what we find within us. Each person would be able to grow and benefit from this exercise, which is why I think it would something we should do.
