1.)        In terms of resource use, Centennial Woods has gone through much change over time.  From its first encounters with human beings through present-day Burlington, the Woods have changed appearance dramatically.  Additionally, the resources that human beings in the area have demanded from the Woods has changed over time.  All of this history has had a hand in shaping the landscape into its current form today.

About one hundred fifty years ago, Centennial Woods was farmland.  As the years passed, the farm was likely abandoned or transformed into something else.  I have knowledge that the Woods was once an apple farm, as evidenced by some apple trees visible from the path near the entrance of the woods.  These farms reveal that people used the soil there as a resource.  They also likely used the water from Centennial Brook as irrigation for the fields, or at least benefitted from occasional flooding and soil enrichment.

Now, the land is used as a natural area.  The resource is its wildlife and a getaway from the bustle of UVM and Burlington.  Also, UVM students use Centennial Woods for research, so the biology of the Woods can be considered a resource currently in demand.

2.)        Centennial Woods is owned by the University of Vermont and is deemed a natural area, meaning construction is not allowed, among many other restrictions.  These regulations and rules are an example of institutions curbing human behavior in the space.  I believe there have been efforts to remove invasive species from the Woods.  This is an example of institutions regulating natural areas.  In the future, perhaps the university will conduct various studies that alter the landscape, such as experimenting with forest structure.  This human dominance over the forest has continued from the past, into the present, and likely into the future.  The difference may be that now people are much more concerned about the health of the forest and are developing a greater respect for the environment and its functions.

I think the best description I can give of the relationship between nature and culture can be illustrated by a previous post I made about the social-ecological systems present in my phenology spot.  In the post about social-ecological systems, I talk at length about the interactions between human beings and the landscape.  I copy and pasted it below:

I made “wildlife” the focal component of my social-ecological system.  This is because Centennial Woods is wildlife.  The woods are composed of trees, soils, birds, mammals, and water to make up a natural, largely-undeveloped portion of the city of Burlington, Vermont.  Since my phenology spot is located inside of Centennial Woods, and I mentioned that Centennial Woods is wildlife, it makes sense for the most involved aspect of the system to be centralized.  The other components of my social-ecological system include the people of Burlington, trails, students conducting research in the woods, walkers, myself in my spot, anthropogenic noise pollution, and storm water from drains in University Heights in Centennial Brook.  For each of these, I will explain why there is an arrow pointing from one component to another and why the arrow has either a positive or negative connotation to it.

People of Burlington

• negative arrow toward wildlife because Burlington is an urban area whose infrastructure infringes upon the area’s natural areas

Students Doing Research In Woods

• postive and negative arrow going to wildlife because they often step off the path and likely trample vegetation, yet the work they do is often for the benefit of the wildlife in Centennial Woods
• negative arrow toward me in my spot because sometimes when I visit my phenology spot, students are conducting research in the same place or close by which disrupts me physically if I have to move and it makes it tougher to listen for birds

Trails

• positive arrow for people of Burlington, walkers, students doing research, and myself because they provide access to the woods
• negative arrow toward wildlife because the paths fragment the forest habitat and compact the soils

Walkers

• negative arrow toward wildlife because they can be disruptive through talking and may stray off the trail or pollute
• negative arrow toward me because they disrupt wildlife, which is what I am trying to observe

Wildlife

• positive arrow to the people of Burlington for the ecosystem services the natural area provides to the city
• positive arrow to walkers because often times, people walk in the woods in hopes of finding animals and to be surrounded by trees
• positive arrow to me in my spot because wildlife is what gives me material to use in my phenology blog

Noise Pollution

• negative effect on wildlife because the noise drowns out bird calls and the unnatural sounds may stress out some of the animals
• negative arrows to walkers, me in my spot, and students doing research because the noise overpowers the natural sounds of the woods
• positive and negative arrows for the people of Burlington because they benefit from the airplanes, yet also have to deal with the loud noises

Storm Water Draining into Centennial Brook

• negative effect on wildlife because the water probably contains contaminants from vehicles and students who pollute the water that goes into the storm drains
• positive arrow to people of Burlington because the drains are a way of preventing flooding

http://blog.uvm.edu/blangton/2015/10/11/the-link-to-the-embedded-map/

(a map can also be found as my very first post)