Human use of the land
A brief update on the site
Upon returning to this wooded spot what was once a leaf covered patch of land is now a covered with a white carpet of snow about 1-2inches deep. It is very evident that winter is upon us. There are no longer leaves blocking the suns touch to the forest floor, in fact all of the surrounding buildings are now extremely visible unlike before. With this new snow covering of the ground it has been interesting to look at the prints left behind by human and non-human creatures. Tracks i has able to make out where those of a squirrel, human, and domestic dogs.
Human land use
From my time observing the area in and around my phenology spot one of the main ways I’ve noticed how humans use this land is by means of transport short cut. My spot lays on top of the hill looking over a neighborhood and apartment complex which lays below, on the other side of me is the University. Every time I would sit down to observe the area there would be a number of students trudging up the hill to get to central campus. Or v they would be on their way home walking down the slope.
Another use of the land recently made visible to me with the loss of leaves and visibility gain is what seems to be a retention pond that lays at the bottom of the steep slope. Although I could not find any information about this water catchment, it is clearly a man made structure within this natural area.
This small wooden path is also known for its mountain biking trails. It’s characteristic of being a steep, up-and-down trail makes for great mountain biking terrain. There are even some noticeable human made jumps on some sections of the trail.
Finally, what I would say is the most common human use of this land is done by way of leisurely hiking. It is not uncommon to see families, students, and people from the surrounding neighborhood talking strolls through this small wooded area, sitting under trees reading, or simply enjoying being in nature.
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