Narrative in the Woods

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The Progression of Modernity and Importance of Nature

It’s easy to see this photograph and remember fondly the building or creating of something new and exciting. The Nutter Center is a place for gathering, a step for modernization of campus, a place where graduations commence, and shows perform. A place that is all. But what was the place before the Nutter Center came to be? Centuries and even decades before, it was still a place but different type of place. Not a place for events and commencement ceremonies but rather a stable filled with a different type of life. Instead of a parking lot, trails leading to vast forests and fields. What was the Nutter Center before construction? Simply put, a place full of life and an abundance of it. 

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              Wright State University opened in 1964 and although the land was broken and used for a few campus buildings, the 628 acres of fields and woods surrounding the area remain untouched. In the history of the woods by James Runkle, he writes about the history and usage of the Wright State University Woods and how important they are. Runkle describes “The Woods in fact have been used heavily both for teaching and research.” (Runkle 1) Which emphasizes how the environment learning can deeply affect students. The large expanse of wooded area and fields Wright State sits in is a rare commodity for universities. Runkle goes on to describe the history of the woods from the past to present which was 1997, when the article was written. In the year 1990, he writes about a specific piece of land on the Wright State property, “Nutter Center opens. It was built on the site of the former Riding Club horse pasture. Removal of the horses had some impact on the woods, as their trampling helped keep some trails open.” (Runkle 3) Runkle mentions the Riding Club horse pasture yet not in depth, however, the difference between what had been there and what is there now is astronomical.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Wright State University riding club was something treasured and deeply appreciated by students. An issue of The Guardian newspaper from 1983 writes “’There are 45 acres of pasture at the Riding Club’” (Milder 3) The 45 acres of land provided a space for people to gather together and enjoy nature, and life in it. The riding club, the horses, and vastness of the fields and woods surrounding the campus provided students for an opportunity to gather together and truly enjoy the outdoors, and space that Wright State University provided. Why is it important to learn about something so far in the past yet impacted many students? It helps people learn history of place and the impact it had on students, and the drastic change that happens when culture shifts their mindset.

Kenneth L Knight was the director of Intramural and Recreational Sports at the university for over two decades and written about him, it describes “The Riding Club was one of the largest and most popular sport clubs due to the number of bridle trails throughout the undeveloped land on campus and the stable in the area,” (Wright State) The usage of trails on the undeveloped land didn’t just help students enjoy the acres of wood, but helped maintain the woods. So why did the popular Riding club and stables get removed? In the 1987 Guardian newspaper, Kristen Huff writes about it under the headline “The Riding Club temporarily relocated to Brooksville” with the article reading “Following their eviction… The eviction and subsequent move were made necessary when the university sold the land on which the Riding Club was located to the state for construction for State Route 444-A” (Huff 3) While there is nothing new about the state purchasing the land to build a road, why was there no push to keep the stables? Huff continues to write “The allocated funds came from instructional money, Mullhollan [the WSU president] said, but since the club is not considered an instructional organization, they are ineligible for this funding.” (Huff 3) Although there was still a club and there were still horses, no mention of the Riding club happened after this article.

What changes? Who is to choose what is to remember and not remembered? The purchasing of land to build a highway and the Nutter Center is the progression of modernity, which deeply effects the nature that surrounds us. The Wright State University website tells the beginnings of the Nutter center, “In 1986 Ervin J. Nutter, a local businessman, engineer, inventor, and philanthropist, donated 1.5 million to initiate the construction of the facility.” This short introduction to the history tells readers all they need to know about the piece of land that was given to them. Because of progress and the progression toward modernity, something new needs to be built, and something that brings in people without thinking of the consequences. It is hard to imagine what is now a highway and the Nutter Center to be anything but those places, but a few short decades ago it was something arguably more and something that didn’t just have life inside it but produced an abundance of it.

So, what changes for the future? Although we cannot go into the past and change was has been done, there is something to be aware of in the future. The article “Ecological Modernization Around the World: An Introduction” by Arthur P.J. Mol and David A. Sonnenfeld describes the shift in society regarding ecological modernization and how contemporary industrialized societies, like the United States, deal with the environment crisis going on. One cluster they describe is the “Increasing importance of market dynamics and economic agents.” While there is no going back to what was before modern progress, there is a dynamic to how people can move forward to help sustain and preserve the life there currently is. While most people think that the building of things and everything that regards to corrupting and tainting life as we know it, producing and distribution in ethical ways that help our environment exist. As people move forward, we can observe and challenge ourselves to walk around the woods and view it as it is, as it was, and what it will be; a place filled with life and an abundance of different species.

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Work Cited

Arthur P.J. Mol and David A. Sonnenfeld, “Ecological Modernization Around the World: An Introduction” (2000) esf.edu. https://www.esf.edu/es/sonnenfeld/ecomod_intro.htm

Runkle, James, "Personal Perspectives on the Ever-Changing WSU Woods" (2021). Runkle Woods Symposia. 2. https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/woods_symposium/2021/november19/2

Wright State University Student Body (1983). The Guardian, November 8, 1983. : Wright State University

Wright State University Student Body (1987). The Guardian 1987 January 6, 1987. : Wright State University.

Wright State University. “Kenneth L. Knight Award” https://www.wright.edu/student-union/about/student-employee-scholarships-and-awards/kenneth-l-knight-award

Wright State University. “Wright State History” https://www.wright.edu/about/wright-state-history

Wright State University. “Wright State University’s Nutter Center Historical Overview” https://www.nuttercenter.com/arena-information/history