What is Ecology of Place?

Ecology of Place is concerned with the values of conservation and preservation people place on their relationship to the earth, its features and its inhabitants.  By knowing a place and naming its constituents we discover our responsibilities and the meanings of its interdependencies. We may undergo the transformation from outside observer to aware partner,  and our informed critical discussions can impact the evolution of society.  Place itself rests in particularity and uniqueness.  As we come to know and understand a particular place, it often becomes so intertwined with our life story, and the life stories of everything that lives there, that we can’t separate ourselves from the place.  A place then becomes part of our voice as we incorporate its story into our lives.

The Ecology of Place collection of readings for composition students contains three units designed to support the University of Oregon Composition Program’s student learning outcomes.