Statement “Man is an inveterate and incorrigible meddler, never content to leave anything as he finds it, always seeking to alter and – as he sees it – to improve.” Wild nature is all around us, we just need to look more closely. How might we interpret and engage the familiar but ill-defined bastard cousin of what is conventionally labeled “nature” or “wilderness?” Is it possible to consider the unmanaged ecological offspring of human intervention as wild? This everyday version of “nature” is a conglomeration of alien and native species that have managed to remain, or reinsert themselves, in the margins and untended green spaces of our human-altered landscape. Humanities self-appointed domination over and disconnection from this 'wild' nature has led to crises of overwhelming proportions. Documented observations, public interventions, education, and participatory models of DIY environmental programs are employed to help people notice, find value in, and develop positive relationships with the fragments of wild nature we encounter in our daily lives. These projects are managed by me, periodic collaborators, and partly fictional organizations. Through these activities, we can learn about our effects on the non-human elements of the natural environment and how they are evolving to respond to our actions. -Brian D Collier |