My place experienced a great deal of change when I went out to visit yesterday, Saturday, November 9th. It had snowed an inch or so the Friday before so the ground was covered in snow in some spots and just muddy in others. As phenological changes have occurred the river in my place has changed before. When I had visited the week before the water levels were high and there was a strong current. At this most recent visit, the water was really low but there was still a strong current. I would have thought that the melting show would have increased the water level but I was wrong about that. Additionally, there was no sign of wildlife including bugs or small mammals.
Below is the same spot a week apart
October 30th 
November 9th
In “November” of Naturally Curious (Holland, 2019) there was a section of lichen on trees. It included that lichen was composed of fungi and algae and when it was wet out the colors were very vibrant. I kept a lookout for this when I was walking to my spot. I did not notice any but I did see a species of branching mushrooms. That typically signifies that the tree is infected with a rot-inducing pathogen and is not healthy.
In terms of my site as a component of a larger piece, this spot of the river is on the outskirts of Centennial Woods. Therefore, the water levels here mimic and control those downstream. Additionally, because this spot is near the roads and UVM buildings the runoff from the street enters near this spot and continues into the rest of the river.
I know the area of Centennial Woods was a designated natural in the late 1900s, around 1980-90 as part of a conservation easement. The Centennial Court deal allowed UVM to expand as long as they create sustainable management plans for Centennial Woods. In that respect, it is amazing how little has changed in Centennial Woods and my spot because it is relatively exempt from human infrastructure aside from the paths that run through.
