Nature in photos: Students showcase photos as part of SIU project

CAIRO, Ill. -- Disposable cameras usually don't take pictures like this.

A black dog is captured in freeze frame, running full tilt toward the lens. Motion is captured -- the dog's legs can be seen propelling the animal forward toward the lens, with just a hint of blur to show the movement is real.

Sean Snyder, 17, of Cairo took this picture as part of a new outreach and research program called "Visions of Nature," sponsored by the Southern Illinois University College of Agriculture Science.

Snyder and his 14-year-old sister Jacinta are two of 32 Southern Illinois students who took part in the new program, and their pictures offer two perspectives of their world. Apparently much of their world revolves around their canine pals.

"I was trying to take a picture of an eagle, but I couldn't find one," said Sean, beaming as he studied his and his sister's photos on display at the Cairo Community Center Monday evening. They were two of the few students who showed up to a reception in their honor, presented by SIU (many more students came to a display earlier this year in Tamms, Ill.).

While it may seem strange to think of family pets as "Visions of Nature," the organizers of the project and exhibit don't think so. The idea, said organizers, was to get the students' views of the world around them, no matter what that world consisted of. Including dogs.

"We asked them simply, 'What do you think of when you think of nature?'" said Eunice Buck, a graduate student at SIU who headed up the project. "There were no wrong answers. We got a lot of pets."

For the "Visions of Nature" project, SIU's agriculture department, which houses its forestry program, recruited 32 students age 12 to 19 from four schools in Alexander and Pulaski counties and armed them all with disposable cameras.

The students were told to go take pictures of their world how they saw it. Each student used an entire role and selected two photos for the exhibition. Students also took part in interviews to glean their thoughts about their environment.

For instance, an Egyptian Middle School student, when asked "What is nature to you?" replied "Everything but man-made stuff."

Another Egyptian student, when asked about the most unattractive part of the environment, said "The rotten smell of garbage on the ground."

Pictures of the decaying buildings so prevalent in Cairo were absent. Instead students chose to focus on peaceful natural scenes -- streams, flowers, trees, pets or beautiful blossoming trees along city streets.

"We were really surprised by the wide array of answers we received," said Buck.

Those answers will be used not only for Buck's own graduate research, but also to provide data to forestry officials and educators in Southern Illinois -- a region with large swaths of natural areas in the Shawnee National Forest.

Dr. Gary Minnish, dean of SIU's agriculture college, said the area has about 280,000 acres of forested land. This project, he said, was a way for the university to connect to the people living in the area and open up new opportunities for children as much as it was for research.

"You may have the next Ansel Adams strolling the streets of Cairo," said Dr. John Russin, assistant dean of the college.

Nancy Herbert, a Cairo art teacher, said many of her students found new experiences through the project.

"I would bet that most of the kids who did this have never taken a picture before in their lives," said Herbert.

If things go right, next year they may get the chance to snap more photographs. Buck said SIU plans to make this program an annual event.

msanders@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182