On the morning of Thursday, April 17, a member of the City of San Marcos trail crew spotted a mountain lion in a tree along the middle portion of Dante Trail in Purgatory Creek Natural Area. After seeing the person, the mountain lion climbed down from the tree and ran off. It was an exciting experience for both of these lovers of nature, and has since excited the community. I noticed that the Purgatory trails were more crowded than usual the week after the mountain lion sighting, perhaps people in pursuit of wild things. We all have a connection to nature and particularly wildlife. E.O. Wilson—known as the Father of Biodiversity—popularized the term biophilia, which he defined as our (human) innate affinity for other forms of life in nature.[i] Many other scientists and psychologists have expanded the dimensions of our relationship with nature. Richard Louv, in his acclaimed book The Nature Principle, provides multiple lines of evidence on how a “meaningful kinship with other species” enhances our overall wellbeing.[ii] Even scary species such as mountain lions.
A few weeks after the mountain lion sighting, on Mother’s Day, the City of San Marcos reported that four people were attacked by a fox on the same trail system in Purgatory Creek Natural Area. The trails have since been less crowded. The different reactions to these two wildlife experiences can be explained by people’s craving for a convenient nature. That is, they want to be in the presence of wildlife, but don’t want to be attacked by that wildlife. Niiice kitty!
This concept of a convenient nature was revealed to me after one of my studies in an urban wilderness, the same urban wilderness as the recent mountain lion sighting and fox attacks. You can find the full results of this study in the book Human-Nature Interactions: Exploring Nature’s Value Across Landscapes. Our chapter is titled Social Demand for Urban Wilderness in Purgatory, which I published with three of my graduate students: Shadi Maleki, Mike Kraft, and Christina Lopez. Four years ago, we conducted a 22-question survey in Purgatory Creek Natural Area—a 1,200-acre urban wilderness within the city limits of San Marcos, Texas, USA. We asked almost 400 park users about their use, preferences, and perceptions (i.e., social demand) of urban wilderness. More than half of the respondents (56%) said that they visit Purgatory Creek Natural Area one or more times per month. A quarter (25%) said they visit the park weekly. Hiking or running was the most popular activity, enjoyed by 94% of park users. Other common uses of Purgatory Creek Natural Area included dog-walking, social outings, biking, stress release, and nature watching.
Almost all of our survey respondents (96%) agreed that having birds and wildlife in this urban wilderness is important. While we can debate the definition of urban wilderness, it is generally accepted that it provides favorable habitat for wildlife.[iii] An urban wilderness is also perceived as a refuge to find alone time, experience restoration, and recover from the stresses and fatigue associated with an urban lifestyle.[iv] Accordingly, our study found that most respondents wished to experience nature in relative solitude; 82% preferred to see no or only a few people in the natural area during their visit and almost half (44%) would stop visiting this place if it became crowded. Despite a strong consensus on the importance of having wilderness elements in natural areas, our survey results indicated that visitors also preferred certain amenities not well-matched with typical characteristics of a wilderness: trashcans, water fountains, improved signage, bathrooms, better trails, and benches. Overall, our study found that social demand for urban wilderness is a balance between natural amenities and cultural conveniences. While in Purgatory, we want to be cleansed (of urban stresses), but we do not want to suffer too much in the process.
It is hard for me to overstate the value of this urban wilderness to both wildlife and people. We are fortunate to have a place that provides nature-society connections and improves our overall wellbeing. Unfortunately, there are not enough of these valuable places. As far as I know, Purgatory Creek Natural Area is only one of two urban wilderness areas in Texas within city limits. The other is Franklin Mountains State Park and adjacent Castner Range in the City of El Paso. Sometime in the Fall, I will talk more about this urban wilderness, which is also featured in my in-press book: Texas State Parks: Connecting Nature, Society, and History.
Sneak Peek of Next Week
With the summer swim season upon us, many of us will be heading to the beach, lake, or river. When we visit these blue spaces, we relax or recreate, or both. Whether we realize it or not, we develop a relationship with these blue spaces which leads to relational values. I’ll talk about our relational values with blue spaces next week, including the results of several San Marcos River studies on social-ecological systems.
Word of the Week
Seeing that I introduced this complex concept of a social-ecological system, I might as well define it. A social-ecological system is a highly connected organization of biophysical and social actors that interact across multiple scales and share resources.[v] This term expands on the definition of an ecosystem, which is a self-regulating association of living organisms and their nonliving environment. Humans can be one of these living organisms, but their technology, cultural complexities, and high-level decision-making add an extra dimension where conservation must be framed within a social-ecological system. Being connected in this way, humans depend on a functioning ecosystem for their health and must adapt to environmental changes. Legendary conservationist John Muir captured this connection with his observation that “When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe.”
Song of the Week
About a decade ago, Alessia Cara at the age of 18 wrote and recorded her hit song “Wild Things,” which became an anthem for many young people who were not comfortable in pop culture society and just wanted to do their own thing. This song is made beautiful by Cara’s soulful voice, but also her message. At the beginning of the “Wild Things” video, Cara says:
To me, where the wild things are is a place that exists in our minds, the place of liberty and shamelessness. It can take a split second or a lifetime to find it, but once you do, you will be free.
Like most Gen Z-ers, Alessia Cara is concerned about social injustices, which causes stress and mental health issues. Sometimes for our mental health, we need an escape from the stresses of society which only an urban wilderness can provide—where the wild things are.
Below is the acoustic version of “Wild Things” on Spotify and the original version video on YouTube.
[i] Wilson, Edward O. 1984. Biophilia. Harvard University Press.
[ii] Louv, Richard. 2012. The Nature Principle: Reconnecting with Life in a Virtual Age. Algonquin Books.
[iii] Nash, R. 2014. Wilderness and the American mind. Yale University Press.
[iv] Campbell, L. K., et al. 2016. A social assessment of urban parkland: Analyzing park use and meaning to inform management and resilience planning. Environmental Science & Policy, 62, 34–44.
[v] This is a simplified definition of a social-ecological system, which I adapted from the works of Burch and DeLuca (1984), Machlis and colleagues (1997), and Redman and colleagues (2004).