New Engineering Lawn

I am taking a break from classes, and I find myself sitting on the grassy hillside in the new plaza next to Engineering IV. The wind really rips through here at times, but today is relatively calm. A large expanse of rich green grass extends in front of me, all the way to the parking lot, and a few students are lazily stretched out on the turf. The grass is thick and tall, and will probably need to be cut soon.

I wonder how naturalists like Thoreau feels about landscaping, including hedge trimming and lawn mowing. On one hand, the vegetation is unharmed (presumably), and is taken care of. It is provided the water it needs, and will never be allowed to die. But the whole process of planting the grass in a specified enclosure and maintaining it at a certain state is completely unnatural. Would that bother a naturalist? I would guess that it would not, but my guess is influenced by my opinion.

The trees are another matter. They are currently young and very small. Wooden stakes and rope support the narrow trunk until the tree has grown stronger. A predetermined number of trees were planted in predetermined spots, and they will certainly be trimmed if needed as they grow larger. Would a naturalist look at this and cringe?

This plaza is really quite well designed. The buildings are a balance between extravagance and efficiency. I think no one would deny that this set of buildings is one of the nicer structures on campus. I am trying to imagine what it will look like with enormous trees throughout the plaza. The look and feel would change drastically, and for the better. Beautiful landscaping like this allows some remnant of naturalism to remain, even in the midst of constant new development.