学生们在伊利荒野野外站参加巴勃罗·托拉尔的环境正义暑期课程, Minnesota.
Credit: Pablo Toral

The Wilderness Field Station 提供了一个独特的机会，在挑战和重塑人们对世界的看法的环境中探索环境正义. As I ventured into this remarkable landscape alongside my peers, 我发现，环境正义要求我们在如何看待我们与环境以及彼此之间的关系方面发生深刻的转变.

“In the moment, I would say it was really hard, and there was a lot of mental and physical stress and exhaustion,” Ela says. “But looking back on it, 熬过那些艰难时刻不仅仅是一种成就感, but I learned a lot about myself. 我了解到，有一个社区在等着我，让我度过那些艰难的时刻. When I think back about it, I feel joy.”

Lucas says, “我对世界粮食计划署的感觉是一种居住的感觉:过去和现在, of human and inhuman beings. The world is deep and complicated and profoundly relational, WFS周围的景观和历史(以及那里的人)很好地教会了你这一点. You come to see the history in everyday things: in lichens, patterns of forest growth, physical artifacts left behind: shared memories, reinterpreted by time, and mice, and you. It’s a co-created world — something that you also have a hand in. This is true of here, and there, and everywhere, too.”

Exploring a Basswood Lake beach to camp across from Canada.
Credit: Pablo Toral

正是站周围的世界为我们探索环境正义奠定了基础. As Pablo explains, 荒野野外研究站有两个独特的框架:荒野教育和应用野外研究. “It is a place where students learn about and adapt to nature, 每门课程都旨在向学生介绍应用的实地研究方法,” he says. Every course incorporates applied field research, from simulations to hands-on data collection, analysis, and delivery. 该计划的独特框架要求野外教育和应用研究, a blend of wilderness adaptation and academic exploration.

巴勃罗的课程名为《菠菜白菜吧》(Environmental Justice)，是一门跨学科的课程. It draws from various fields, such as policy, law, ecology, economics, anthropology, history, and more, 培养学生认识到跨学科知识相互联系的环境, ultimately expanding their toolkit to understand the world.

“在学术学习方面，我感到非常充实，”艾拉说. “The conversations, the way Pablo orchestrated discussions, and how he navigated us to different destinations is important. It felt cohesive and teamwork-oriented. 作为一名美国公民，了解美国的环境政策和环境政策的历史是很重要的, who put backbreaking labor into protecting the land we have today. 我也对加拿大的政治和法律是如何通过的有了更好的了解.”

卢卡斯分享了他对这门课程如何改变他对环境正义的理解的想法. It’s not just a singular concept or cause, he says. It’s about recognizing the violence, both fast and slow, perpetuated against the Earth and its inhabitants, especially Indigenous communities. 环境正义需要重新评估我们社会的基础, including our notions of value, harm, and humanity. 野外观测站的原始自然环境为这些讨论提供了理想的背景.

Embarking on a seven-day research trip from Fall Lake.
Credit: Pablo Toral

荒野野外站的经历教会了我们拥抱脆弱和不确定性. 埃拉回忆说:“我们每个人都划了两英里多的独木舟，有时不是连续的. It’s an exhausting toll on your body. There were long portages, bugs, rocks, 还有我们到达之前巴勃罗一直在说的那堵墙. It’s unfathomable. The physical exertion was exhausting, 但我感觉我终于可以用我的身体自然分娩了, like a survival type of labor. Part of it was exhausting, but it was also really empowering.”

野外考察站的学习经验并不局限于学术知识. 我们都发现自己丰富了生存技能、生活经验和对生态系统的理解. “我有点害怕接受某些事情，尤其是那些重要的事情. 你在接受某些工作时犹豫不决，因为你认为自己做不到，”埃拉说. “It’s hard to keep delegating different jobs to different people, but there’s that mental hurdle of thinking you don’t have a choice. 我们被困在这里，必须有人来做这件事，看来是你.”

反映了边界水域的独特环境和群体内部形成的团结感, 埃拉强调了我们是如何从陌生人过渡到一个紧密联系的家庭的. “It’s still hard to wrap my head around months afterward, 因为我真的忘记了我们以前并不认识,” Ela says. “与你们所有人建立私人关系，并拥有健康的, strong group dynamic was special, 这很奇怪，因为你会认为你需要超过四周的时间来了解别人.”

Learning safety protocols on Low Lake.
Credit: Pablo Toral

巴勃罗强调了理解这一点的重要性，即我们比自己想象的更有弹性. By venturing into the unknown, we developed emotional skills to work through discomfort, leading to personal, professional, and academic growth. 野外考察站的制度结构为我们提供了一个安全网. While the wilderness seemed daunting, 这个项目让我们掌握了应对挑战所需的技能, turning discomfort into a valuable asset.

In summary, this program doesn’t just challenge your comfort zone; it sprints past it, 让你气喘吁吁，笑得像只咖啡因充沛的松鼠. It’s a place where the lines between humans, nature, 知识变得如此模糊，你会觉得自己在参加一场存在主义艺术展. You start as strangers and leave as a tight-knit family. The raw beauty of nature slaps you in the face daily, 但你忙着划独木舟，忙着学习环境，无暇顾及.

你会从你在这里遇到的人身上发现更多关于世界不同地区的知识，这比你在地理课上学到的要多. And if you’re lucky enough to be in a course led by Pablo, you might just add “Trail Barista” to your resume. 他会教你酿造浓缩咖啡、摩卡和卡布奇诺的艺术，只需要一堆篝火. You’ll also become a pro at keeping your food safe from bears, 你会发现松鼠对人类的痴迷是首屈一指的.

As I look back on my time at the Wilderness Field Station, 我们不可能不同意卢卡斯·克鲁格的评价:这种经历简直就是“病态”——我的意思是尽可能用最好的方式.

Abhey resting at a portage with a signed memento from the trip.
Credit: Abhey Guram’24