Natural Setting 2


It’s late August in Aldie, Virginia. The scene is a random plot of woods. Various creeks intersect fallen trees. Foxes, rabbits, squirrels, and especially deer are popular in the area. One mile to the west is Route 15. Three miles to the North is Route 50. Over time, the creeks have changed their path, as evident by the topography of the area. Trees have fallen, wildlife has passed on, grass has grown and been eaten, weeds have overtaken the area, human activity is at a minimum in this land. However, not far away are two very popular highways in the area. An interesting question is: Is one plot of land necessarily more important or more historic just because the presence of humans? Does forestation prevent importance of an area? Or does forestation cause importance of an area? What makes an area more sacred than the next?

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