Changes Over Time
Phenologically, my site changed significantly over the course of the school year. I got to watch as it shifted from full summer bloom, to beautiful fall colors, to leafless winter, and back to new growth of spring. It made me a bit emotional to go back to my site one last time and see the new green sprouts. I found myself reflecting on the personal growth that I have experienced since August. From a structural standpoint, my site has not changed that much. All of the same landmarks are there and all of the same species. However, the main change that I noticed was a decrease in human impact. Every time I returned to my site throughout the year there have been different kinds of litter scattered around. There was also a golf bag push cart that was embedded into one of the trees that had been there since my first day here. But when I returned to my site today I didn’t see any litter and the cart had been removed. Yay!
Landmarks
The big landmarks around my site are the bio-retention pond and bike path that border it. My site connects these two landmarks with a small trail.
More specifically within my site, I have several favorite small landmarks. The man-made fire pit started off as something I disliked because of the negative impact it had on the ecosystem within my site. However, I started cleaning it up from time to time and it became a really nice spot for me to sit and enjoy that space with my friends. I never used it as a fire pit but I love sitting there during the day or after my runs and taking time to appreciate the outdoors. There is a also a downed Eastern white pine that has a beautiful exposed root system. I see wildlife rummaging around there from time to time and people have leaned sticks up against it to make it into a bit of a fort. There is also a big Eastern white pine behind the fallen one that is my favorite tree at my site. It is the tallest and I love how it remains ever so consistent throughout the year.
Nature and Culture
I believe there will always be a mutual feedback loop between cultural systems and the environment. A shift in one means a shift in the other because humans and land are intrinsically intertwined. My site is deeply ingrained with UVM’s campus. It exists right next to Redstone campus and feels the impacts of the student population. It is a main connecting point between the pond, the bike path, and the golf course. However, it has become a little nature reserve on campus for UVM students. It is a privilege for us to have access to such beautiful outdoor spaces that under-privileged and under-funded universities might not have access to.
Part of Your Place
I do consider myself to be a part of my place. I have built a relationship with my the land after a year of sitting, observing, documenting, noticing, preserving and appreciating it. As I have said before, land and humans and intertwined. We are both naturally occurring products of the Earth and are connected through natural cycles and systems. Even though I am not rooted to the ground there, I am just as much a part of the land as a bird who flies by and sits on a tree there is.