The greatest shifts in the environment are caused by human settlement and interaction. The majority of the United States has been changed in some way by those inhabiting the land, from the initial Native Americans up until present day urbanization. The same is true of the land upon which Camp Lodestar is located. Nestled near the town of Wesleyville, California, this area can be analyzed in order to determine the impact humans have had on the land and why this region has been of interest to the earliest human settlers in addition to modern civilization.
The earliest inhabitants of this area, like inhabitants in all regions, were likely very practical in their settlement selection. The land surrounding Camp Lodestar is rich in wildlife and foliage and was likely the same back when the Miwok Indians inhabited the area. The area is near a river and a pond, which would have provided water sources, fishing, as well as transportation to other settlements along the river. This is likely the same reason for settlements after the Native Americans by early Americans moving West during the early years of American colonization. Good farming land would have also been necessary for settlement and survival. For this reason, it can be assumed that the land surrounding Camp Lodestar had fertile farmlands and a decent climate for agricultural success.
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"Human Environment Interaction: Camp Lodestar".
Because this region of California has more of a Mediterranean climate, it is known to be particularly well suited for agriculture. For that reason, settlers throughout the years would have found the region surrounding Camp Lodestar to be an ideal place to settle. Additionally, this region is higher in elevation which would have made it an ideal location for a settlement as inhabitants would have an aerial view of their surroundings, able to more easily identify individuals intruding on the settlement as well as providing hunting advantages.
Related to the reasons for settlement, the use of the land would have and continues to be largely agricultural and recreational. In the earliest of settlements, this land was likely agriculturally rich with one or more village settlements in the region. These settlements would have taken advantage of the water resources, the potential for agriculture, as well as the abundant wildlife which is ideal for hunting. Today, the land is still used for settlement as the town of Wilseyville is nearby; however, the immediate Camp Lodestar area has been turned into a primarily recreational resort. Currently, the camp is located over 425 acres to include meadows as well as wooded areas (Camp Lodestar 1). The area is used for camping and related recreational activities such as hiking, camping, and swimming.
The majority of permanent inhabitants now live in the nearby town of Wisleyville as well as the larger urban centers of Sacramento and Jackson. During the earliest settlement of this region, the Miwok Indians inhabited the woods in the area illustrating the shift in civilization trends from the earliest settlement to the present day.
While the area has been inhabited since the earliest Native American peoples, there are still many areas that have been untouched since then. For example, the meadows and wooded areas have remained intact and mostly untouched. Instead of building in these areas, they are being used for recreational purposes surrounding Camp Lodestar. These areas are enjoyed by tourists and locals looking to enjoy the natural land which still stands around Camp Lodestar.
An analysis of the land surrounding Camp Lodestar can illustrate the ways in which different groups of people use and change the land around them. In the case of Camp Lodestar, it has not seen a tremendous shift in the land due to its current use as campgrounds which rely on their natural surroundings to add to the camping experience. Due to the distance between Camp Lodestar and major cities, it is likely to remain a rural, natural environment for sometime despite expanding urbanization.
