Friday, June 24th, 2022 – 2:10 pm EST
Weather: high 70s to low 80s, bright sunny day with barely a single cloud in the sky… I would say it is a beautiful day!
The spot I have chose to observe is Pomeroy Park, right across from my house on North Street in Burlington. I really enjoy this spot because it was created in such a dense part of town, with houses stacked and compressed, I am really happy the town managed to fit a small park in the area. Now by no means is this a perfect slice of Mother Nature, there is city noise and, being that it is in the middle of residential Burlington, it is place used by many residents. But that is also part of the reason I really like this spot, it allows me to watch how the population interacts with the park, how they utilize it and enjoy it. This place to me is a medium, in terms of smell I can identify freshly cut grass, but also a regular city smell. I hear many different sounds, the birds chirping are mixed with the sounds of kids playing basketball on the court, the wind blowing through the trees that surround the park mash in with the sounds of people walking by.
Questions:
1.) What type of trees dominate this park?
2.) Are there any birds nests in view?
3.) What was here before?
4.) What is this place most used for?
5.) What variety of wildlife is there?
6.) Are most animal homes up in the trees?
7.) Is the sound of nature more prevalent than city noise or vise versa?
8.) Was this park the city’s idea or the residents’?
9.) When was this park developed?
10.) How is this park maintained?
11.) Were the trees and plants planted or did they make the park around them?
12.) What types of rocks are most popular?
13.) What is the most common flower?
14.) What is the most common bug species?
15.) Are the trees older or younger, in terms of height and width?
16.) Are there any rare wildlife species in the park?
17.) How has pollution impacted the well being of the park?
18.) Does the grass look healthy?
19.) Is there an “open canopy” or is most of the sun blocked by trees?
20.) Has COVID impacted the use of this park?
21.) Who is using this park the most? (kids, parents, college students)
22.) Is this park pet friendly?
23.) How is the overall sanitation of this park?
24.) Which season is this park most popular?
25.) Is there an abundance of dead trees and plants?
Question: 19.) Is there an “open canopy” or is most of the sun blocked by trees? When I was spending some time out at the park today, I wanted to think about this question because sun and shade affects how a park is used. After taking a good look at the park and the positions of the sun, I noticed that there is little to no cover in the middle of the park, which is also where the basketball court is situated, and after feeling the court with my hands I noticed how hot it was from all the direct sunlight. Everywhere else though for the most part was pretty shaded, I had no trouble finding a place to sit with the many benches situated around the park. I think this park offers a really good balance, I could get really good sun access if I was in the right spot, and if I was overheating I could step back into the shade.
Something I would like to follow up on concerns another one of my questions, the overall sanitation. During these first observations, the park overall was very clean, even with construction and the densely populated area this beautiful park is not destroyed by human ignorance. I think that I will be following up every few days to see if any trash is compiling, or if the people around here do a good job keeping this park clean for the most part.