A Busy Day

Today was busy from start to finish, but every part of it was enjoyable. We spent most of our afternoon in the field, marking our first plot and determining the species present. What a great experience. In the particular plot that we had picked, we saw an abundance of Witch Hazel and Black Birch. We also so a large proportion of Wintergreen and Lowbush Blueberry. I am wondering if we will find similar results throughout all of our plots. This is going to be a great project. I am already finding that I am better able to identify vegetation that I wasn't able to last week. I also like the fact that we will be using what we find to contribute to the community. The group is great and I think everyone works well together.

I am glad I stuck around tonight for Robin's presentation. It was fabulous. I love how excited she was about what she did and in sharing it with others. I can really sense her passion for what she does. It was so interesting and the slides were beautiful. I would love to have an opportunity to be a part of something like that in the future. What an awesome experience!

Last day for the week tomorrow and hopefully all will go well and we will be able to get a least two plots laid out. I am looking forward to it, and also spending more time with those in my group, what an awesome group of people!

Understanding the Land

I have taken a new interest in the readings we have been assigned within  Reading the Forested Landscape:  A Natural History of New England, by Tom Wessels.  I really think that I am maybe starting to see beyond the baseline meanings of what Wessels is trying to get across, and rather starting to understand the fact that the things he describes really show the relationships between our actions, the activity of nature, and how they all interrelate.  Each thing encountered in nature really does tell a story.  And the story that unfolds is often not what one would expect.  I hope that through reading Wessels, exploring, and gaining more insight through this course, I may be better able to interpret the story being told.  I am hoping to extend this beyond class and into my life ( this is not always easy to do, especially being an impatient person at times).  I guess I will see what what happens!

A day inside.

Though I was disappointed to spend pretty much all of the day inside today, it was necessary in order to really iron out what our project ideas would be. I think after a lot of frustration, deliberation, and discussion, we came up with some very good ideas. The group I am working with is establishing a baseline of plants species on the boundary of the new development located near the Barrington Headwaters. This is an amazing opportunity, because it is not often that you get to do such investigation before any real human impact can occur. I think it will be a great way for us to really see what is there and provide valuable resources to the homeowners and those who may be interested in the change of vegetation in the future.

The readings continue to be interesting and thought provoking, I have found that after completing many of them and reflecting, I often have difficulty really getting my thoughts on to paper. I guess that really the point of such readings is more so our own thoughts, opinions, and feelings, and not necessarily what we put down on paper.

Bravo to all groups who have presented their reading facilitations up to this point, they have all been very insightful, creative, and just fun. I hope that I can have the same effect.

I Like Dirt!

Another exciting day! I don't think I have ever been so excited to go to a class or work in my life! I feel like I have learned more in this short week, than I have in a whole semester. The best part is, that much of what I have learned has actually come from my classmates. I am lucky to have such a wealth of knowledge in them. The reading facilitations on the works of Wessels and the other authors in the packet continue to be excellent. Each person or group that has presented has provided a unique perspective on the readings. I hope that my group will be able to do the same.

While in the field on Thursday, we learned GPS skills, tree coring, and some basic wetland deliniation. I have to say I enjoyed all of the activities, but the wetland activity was what I enjoyed most. There is just something about looking at and feeling dirt that gets me excited. It is interesting that when just initially observing a piece of land, your intuition of whether it is classified as wetland or upland may be wrong. It is always exciting to find out if you were right or not.

The tree coring activity was interesting as well, I am looking forward to doing more of this. It is amazing how much information a tree can provide you with. It is like a living history book. I guess you could say the land itself is a history book as well, all you need to do is learn how to read it properly.

I think we developed a lot of interesting ideas and topics for our final projects and I look forward to the final decisions. I am hoping to do some serious contemplating this weekend, in order to figure out what I would really like. It would probably be in my best interest to pick something totally beyond what I would typically pick. This would give me chance to really focus on something new. I guess we will see what happens!

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend, and I know I can't wait for Monday!

A Day of Poop, Paws, and Pines

The days just keep getting better and better. Today began with expert tracker Dan Gardoqui. What a guy! I was overwhelmed by his skill and knowledge. My new goal is to try to be more like that guy (even 1/100 as good would be acceptable to me). The things he pointed out (such as sap tapping evidence, gastropod slime trails, flying squirrel scat, etc.) was mind boggling, and the best part is now I have many more things to look for. I will try my best to improve my skills when it comes to identifying all the signs that animals leave behind. We all certainly had a great example in Dan. A few other things we found were: a Hermit Thrush fledgling, a couple of wood frogs, a garter snake, a scarab beetle and pupice, a newt, a porcupine nest (with mounds of scat), moose scat, branches with evidence of porcupine feeding, and many other interesting things. I wish we had Dan with us all the time to point out the things that either we did not know existed, or we overlooked. However, I hope we can get to the point where we can discover most of these things on our own. I can't wait for our next excursion into the woods.

I was also grateful that we had the opportunity to hear from Dan Warren, a local farmer. He made some very good points that many of us as non-farmers don't realize. One being the fact that a farmer can still practice sustainable farming and not be considered "organic". He also empasized the importance of wildlife management and the circumstances of not doing so. I personally found this to be important since I come from an area where deer hunting in a lot of cases can be the difference between being well fed or going hungry. So many times as environmentalists, we are quick to point the finger at certain groups before we even consider the other side of an issue or a situation. To truly be strong in what we do and how we present ourselves, we must understand all sides and aspects of an issue before we come to a conclusion. This will only make our arguments stronger.

I sure wish I had remembered my camera this week, I really missed some great opportunities to capture some wonderful images. That will be first on my list of things to bring from Vermont next week.

First Day at Barrington Headwaters

Wow, what a day! It was hot out there. We spent a majority of the day walking along the Barrington Headwaters range road. We began our exploration in scavenger hunt style, which not only caused us to look specifically at each station of the scavenger hunt, but also to notice everything along the way. It was great! There were so many things to notice, and each person saw something different. I really think the best part is that each person brings their own experiences, ideas, and interests. I think I will learn so much from my classmates.

One of the things that I was most interested in today was observing the old building foundations and stone walls. It is amazing to me that this was once a more populated area. There really would not be much evidence of this had the foundations not been there. It just reminds me that we really are part of the land and that even after we have left an area, our impact can be seen. This was also evident in other places, such as an area where past logging activity could be seen. The trees on one side of the road were much larger and mostly pine and hemlock, while on the other side, the trees were much thinner, younger, and mostly birch. Learning to look for differences such as these, will be valuable to understanding the history of forests that one explores. The trees really do tell a story.

Another area we observed was a beaver dam. I am always impressed by the craftsmanship and ingenuity of the beaver. To me they are "ecological architects", able to change the landscape in drastic ways. The fact that something so small can have such a huge impact is a reminder that as more complex beings, our impact can be much greater.

We can all take a lesson from observing the environment around us and ensure that we are stewards of the world we live in.

I look forward to spending more time in the field, observing, exploring, and continuing to learn, understand, and continue to build and alter my relationship with the natural world. After only two days, I can already feel a personal change. I look forward to using the things I learn both in the classroom and in the field to help others better appreciate our natural world.