Nature on Display
The design of the museum is really fun and clear. It is divided into different parts by themes, such as the butterfly rainforest, land, the frog and so on. For example, this huge mammoth stand in the main hall and it is the first thing that people see when they enter. The special point of this exhibit is that we can find a detailed introduction of the mammoths and mastodons. In other museums, the introduction usually contains the name, history, habits and preferred living environment of the animal. However, in FLMNH, it lists the potential reasons why these animals are in extinction, so I can learn more about the mammoths without searching the information intentionally. This design is small, but it is convenient and popularizes some academic knowledge to the public effectively.
Nature and Ethics
For this part, I went to the butterfly rainforest. This exhibit successfully copied the real nature in tropical rainforest. There were trees, stream, birds and butterflies. It provided people a place to experience the beauty of nature. No one could resist this kind of temptation. When walking on the loop, I was affected by the energy of life and thought about loving, respecting and admiring the land. I saw some other visitors there. Most of them chose to stop and take photos with the butterflies and birds. A little girl was playing with a butterfly. Unfortunately, we have to go to exhibit to do these things which people could easily do outside in the past. The exhibit gave me an opportunity of experiencing the nature in person. Due to this wonderful experience, I have more intentions to do as Leopold suggested and am willing to protect the nature to save the opportunities of touching the nature outside of museums.
Nature and the Human Spirit
As a big fan of scuba diving, the marine part is always my favorite. When going down to the deep blue world, I can connect myself to the nature by seeing and feeling. Even though I grew up in a city surrounded by mountains, I couldn't feel the nature unless I immerse myself into the ocean. A reason why I chose Florida was that Florida is a peninsula and I would have more chances to touch the sea here. In FLMNH, the exhibit of people and the sea shows both marine animals and how Floridians lived with the ocean. Along with introducing the history of coastal fishing, the exhibit asks a question, "what is the future of coastal fishing?" It presents the destruction that human made in the ocean. It states, "Will there be fish in Florida's future? The choice is ours." The museum tells us the mystery and majesty of the ocean by the exhibits. And it warns us that if we do not cherish the nature, the mystery and majesty will disappear. We are part of the nature, not the enemy of the nature. What we need to do is protect it, not destroying it.
