Abstract "Taking Wildness in Hand: Rescuing Species"

In the article "Taking Wildness in Hand: Rescuing Species," Michelle Nijhuis presents the ever so popular topic of global warming and its importance as a serious issue we need to face. Nijhuis writes of Connie Barlow who is a naturalist and writer. Nijhuis writes of Barlows encounter with Torreya State Park in Florida. Nijhuis begins to talk about a tree, the Torreya taxifolia, that was abundant and native to the state but due to global warming no longer grows as much and is slowly beginning to die off. What causes such a thing to happen? According to Nijhuis, a mixture of the changes in temperature, climate, and an over abundance of certain animals have contributed to the fall of this tree. In whole, one might look at this article and think of the small picture, the tree, and fail to realize that the tree is just a small metaphor for what is happening in the world. The changes in climate that the world goes through daily is Nijhuis' central point in referencing the tree. To further support her claim, Nijhuis presents evidence of the change that affects the whole globe.