Another week has passed and I’ve learned a few
things… 2x2 = 4… the sky is blue… grass is green… sometimes water is too… But I
digress.
After a lot of researching, I now have a better
mental map of the political bodies involved with protecting Lake Menomin. While
there is still much to be learned about state, county, and local governments
and nonprofits as well as local farmer’s councils, I at least have a basic
understanding of how the pieces fit together. Probably the hardest lesson I’ve
had to learn so far is that ethnography research starts out slow. It is useless
to jump into interviews if I don’t know the right questions to ask, and it
would be rude to ask someone for a second interview simply because I hadn’t
done my research the first time around. I feel like I’m waiting in limbo as we
wait to get the official permission to start interviewing. Then the real work
will begin as I begin setting up interviews and attending any public meetings
related to the lake. I will
probably be in over my head soon enough, but for right now, it feels like the
calm before the storm.
Over the past week, I have also learned more
about the city of Menomonie. After a lot of wandering, I now know a variety of
feature spots like the farmer’s market, co-op, brass band concert area, music
at the library, and every available practice piano on UW Stout’s campus (I’m still
searching for one that’s in tune). I’ve seen Lake Menomin from a variety of
angles, including beautiful sunsets and not-so-beautiful algae-filled scenes. I
expect to see more of the lake in the upcoming weeks: the good, the bad, and
the algae…
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