We have reached a very bittersweet day, folks.
After 9 months of making observations, taking photos, and enjoying the privilege of Centennial Woods, I have finally made it to my very last post.
Reflecting on these past 9 months, I am able to appreciate Centennial Woods to its full extent as I was able to experience the birth and death of life in the area. While the Winter brought barren trees and muddy paths, the Spring has brought a whole new season of life full of bright colors, chirping birds, and (of course) the smell of nature growing around me.
Today on my visit, I was able to capture images of new life in Centennial Woods with the Spring’s return and used iNaturalist to identify each species that I came across. Some of my favorites included…
I was now able to see the rebirth of life in Centennial Woods and was able to envision the life cycles that the natural world in Burlington experiences.
Below, I have inserted a Species Interaction Diagram pertaining to Centennial Woods and some of its most common species:
After reflecting on Centennial Woods this past 9 months, along with the rest of learning that I have been privileged enough to learn in Rubenstein this past year, I think that it is important to remember the cultural role that nature has with human life. Traditional Indigenous practices, along with current day Indigenous practices, incorporate nature as an entity with which humans live to respect and treat as sacred, and I think that this should stand true today as stewards to the environment. I feel at the beginning of the year that I was nothing more than a human standing in a foreign space, but after these past 9 months I feel that I have been able to become a part of the natural world that surrounds me when I step foot in Centennial Woods. I think that it is important to remember, though, that this land does not belong to me – as it belongs to Indigenous Abenaki people and the natural world that lived and lives here – which means that I will never truly be a part of the land but rather a steward to the land in my pursuit of environmental justice and studies.
Centennial Woods has allowed me to become closer to the natural world that is just down the street from my home, and I am incredibly grateful to have had the privilege to explore this land. I hope to be back in the Fall.
Thank you all for following my journey this past year as I made my way through my first year of college – a year of exploration and reflection. I am hopeful that I will be able to continue on with this journey in the Fall.