The first lens I tried to see the park through was a biological lens. I spent a lot of time around the lagoon watching how the animals interact with the environment and each other. One thing I notices was that there was at least three different kinds of ducks swimming around. There were a few small black ducks, mostly slightly larger ducks with orange beaks, but my favorites were the mallards. Unlike the other types of ducks that mostly stayed in groups, it was not uncommon to see a male and female mallard swimming or walking around together. In fact I observed a fight between two males because one male came too close to the female. Although the park is beautiful, it is still hard to ignore the impact of human influence while observing. The golf course, fake fountains, signs that say “no swimming” and “no fishing” constantly caught my eye. Also it is amazing how much the animals are used to having people around. A pair of mallards walked right next to me as I was sitting on a bench, and a squirrel stood close by waiting to see if I had any food. Later on I walked right next to two cranes that did not move an inch to get away.
The second view I saw the park in was a religious lens. I thought about the piece we read by St. Fancis of Assisi, and how some refer to him as one of the first environmentalist. Religious beliefs are important because it effect how we view and interact with the environment. In most monotheistic religions people view themselves as stewards of the earth. For example Christians believe that God gave us the earth and we can do what we want with it, but we are also responsible for taking care of it. In many ways New Orleans is strong influenced by Catholicism. And looking at the park I could see some of the stewardship thinking. We are responsible to set aside park space, but we still can build walking paths and fountains. The park is still very beautiful and nice, but I thought about how different it would be if we lived in a society that was primarily influenced by Wicca, Hinduism, or Buddhism. Our park would probably be much different.