What if undergraduate ecology were taught differently? What if the first objectives were to teach students to fall in love with the land and find a vital reason to make nature study a part of one’s existence? While still introducing major ecological theory, my course and the ecology textbook I am writing emphasize natural history, wilderness medicine, traditional ecological knowledge, animal behavior, wildlife management, conservation, ecological restoration, and activities that promote ecotherapy and reciprocity (healing self by healing Earth). Students have found relevance when the emphasis is on gaining personal wholeness through the practice of nature study.
