Author: gburrich

On a warm, spring day, I made my last visit to the Salmon Hole on the Winooski. The intensity of spring changes was obvious in the woods full of bird song and leafing vegetation. It’s odd to think that just a few months ago a blanket of ice and snow covered the rocks along the river and the woods were silent except for the occasional rustle of branches. During my visit, the trees were finally starting to fill out, with some already having leaves and others still left with only buds. On the floor of the forest, vegetation like ferns have fully bloomed. Other signs of spring included the numerous visitors of the park enjoying the lovely weather.

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However, there is much more to this landscape than the plant and wildlife that I often document. Salmon Hole is a great location for viewing the connections between culture and nature. Just across from the river are the old mills of the city of Winooski. They symbolize humans’ reliance on water systems for industry and the livelihoods of the city’s inhabitants. Without the river, the city would have likely never seen the scale and prosperity it has today. The visitors of the park I saw today also symbolize nature and culture intertwining. Salmon hole offers a great location for all kinds of recreation and is valued for its wildness in such a developed area. This spot offers Burlington and Winooski residents a space to interact with nature and form deeper connections with their place which fosters more involvement and dedication to preserving local flora and fauna. I have certainly formed a connection to the landscape over the past year. Watching the seasons come and go has allowed me to consider myself part of my place. I have a better understanding of the park’s dynamics, whether it’s how the river rises and falls, what the tracks of the inhabitants look like, or the sounds of bird calls. Studying how connected human systems are to natural systems these two semesters has also made me realize that all the actions I take part in have an impact on the surrounding ecosystem, even just walking along the trails. I hope to continue my regular visits to the Salmon hole and maintain a strong connection to my landscape.

This week, cities around the globe are celebrating biodiversity and the wildlife in their locations through the City Nature Challenge. To celebrate the occasion and take part in logging species in Burlington on iNaturalist, I visited Centennial Woods. I am so pleased I had a reason to visit this jewel on UVM’s campus because I often find myself taking this park for granted. On Saturday morning, a few friends and I went out to search for exciting species and enjoy the nature Burlington offers. Teaching my friends about tree and bird identification was a blast and I loved being able to share the knowledge I have gathered over the past year. Some species I saw included Lily of the Valley, a beaver, and a garter snake. Seeing native species like the fiddlehead fern throughout the forest was very exciting, as well. The best part of my excursion was seeing the beaver and the wetlands it had created with its dam. Beavers are one of my favorite animals and seeing the incredible impact one animal can have on the landscape is awe-inspiring.

Learning how to use iNaturalist was super simple and seeing the observations coming in made by my peers throughout the city made the whole affair very exciting. I also really appreciated the feature that lets other people identify plants you post because there were a few I was unsure of. After checking out observations in Burlington, I looked at other cities like Washington D.C. and Cape Town, South Africa, which has an impressive amount of observations and is leading the scoreboard. D.C., which is nearby my hometown in Virginia, had some familiar species like honeysuckle, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, and Virginia Wildrye. I went through the most commonly logged species and took note of the birds that were listed such as Eastern Bluebird, American Goldfinch, and Carolina Wren. I checked out Cape Town’s page as well to check out the species that were observed in such a different climate. Some of the most fascinating wildlife listed were the Egyptian Goose, Southern Double-collared Sunbird, and the Cape Dwarf Chameleon. Seeing so many individuals go out and explore wild spaces near them brought me a lot of joy. My experience of searching for species, paying attention to the sounds in the forest, and logging my observations was considerably rewarding.

On this exceptionally less icy excursion to the Winooski spring was in full swing. Not only was a light ting of green evident on the landscape, but many species were active in the park, as well. The vegetation was in different stages of growth with some just small buds and others with full leaves out. Another aspect of the Winooski I noticed was the very low water level because this spring has been especially dry.

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There was a lot of bird activity on the river, as well. Herring gulls, a common type of gull on the shores of Lake Champlain, were very busy on the rocks by the rapids. They were fishing, mating, and fighting. This species arrives in late March or early April and begins to build a nest for egg-laying in late April. While they were the most numerous species on the river, I observed several other bird species including Canada Geese and a black water foul that I have yet to identify. Though the gull calls were the loudest, closer to the forest I heard a few other bird calls. First, I saw a Downy Woodpecker flying through the trees. With the many dead and decaying trees, this patch of forest is ideal for nesting and feeding. I also saw a few American Robins closer to the road in open spaces, which they generally prefer.

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All of these species I observed play important roles in their ecosystem called niches. A great way to represent the relationships between various species is a species interaction diagram. Below are diagrams that demonstrate the relationship between various species at Salmon Hole.

https://extension.psu.edu/do-woodpeckers-damage-your-trees#:~:text=Woodpeckers%20prefer%20dead%20trees%20or,to%20create%20their%20nest%20cavities.

http://val.vtecostudies.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/herring-gull.pdf

March is a time of gradual transformation here in Vermont. The signs of winter slowly releasing its grasp are all around if you look for them. This week, I searched for some indicators of the coming warm months in the city of Burlington. The most visible change was the melting snow on the ground. Above freezing temperatures from the past week have led to most of the snow melting, exposing the barren ground beneath. In colder areas, snowmelt is a huge factor in the water cycle. When temperatures rise above freezing point, a great deal of water that had previously been suck in solid form is freed and enters drainage systems. This can result in flooding, erosion, and an increase in stormwater runoff (which is already an issue in an urban area like Burlington). The Winooski River was already at an elevated water level due to the increase of input from snowmelt.

The other sign of spring I noticed during my walk around the city was buds on the branches of some trees. Though very small, these buds are a sign of the transformation that is soon to come.

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After my walk around Burlington, I also visited Salmon Hole to see how warmer weather is impacting the area. The most noticeable change was the tracks of birds, which weren’t present just two weeks ago when I last visited.

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These tracks were hard to confidently identify, however, the increase in crow activity I have noticed over the past weeks makes me think these may be the prints of the Common Crow. In early spring, crows begin their courting rituals to find mates so this would account for the numerous tracks I saw on the banks of the Winooski.

I also used my recently gained tracking knowledge to identify the tracks of an Eastern Cottontail.

Sources:

“Common Crow.” Common Crow | Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department, Agency of Natural Resources, vtfishandwildlife.com/learn-more/vermont-critters/birds/common-crow#:~:text=Crows%20are%20considered%20year%2Dround,in%20many%20of%20these%20birds.

“Field Guide to March 2021: Vermont Center for Ecostudies.” Vermont Center for Ecostudies | Uniting People & Science for Conservation, 3 Mar. 2021, vtecostudies.org/blog/field-guide-to-march-2021/.

Snowmelt Runoff and the Water Cycle, USGS, www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/snowmelt-runoff-and-water-cycle?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects.

Since my last visit to Salmon Hole on the Winooski, it’s clear that a host of changes have occurred in the landscape. Not only is there about of a foot of snow on the rocks and surrounding forest, but a portion of the river has also frozen over, a stark change from the last time I visited in early November when it was around 60°.

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Aside from the usual rushing of the falls upstream, things have seemed to quiet down, as well. The only other sounds I heard were the calls of crows, who commonly gather to roost during the winter until breeding season begins in the spring. I also noticed many robins towards the beginning of the trail, a sign of the coming warm months. The other sign of wildlife I noticed were several different animal tracks. While it was often hard to decipher between dog prints and wildlife, I saw what appeared to be Grey squirrel tracks throughout the woods.

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I also saw tracks that match those of a raccoon.

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The final sign of wildlife I noticed was a tree that had been bitten down at its trunk. The project, which was likely the work of a beaver, has since been abandoned as the markings appear old.

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Sources:

Eastern cottontail. (n.d.). Retrieved February 07, 2021, from https://vtfishandwildlife.com/learn-more/vermont-critters/mammals/eastern-cottontail

Holland, M., & Kaneko, C. (2019). Naturally curious: A photographic field guide and month-by-month journey through the fields, woods, and marshes of New England. North Pomfret, Vermont.: Trafalgar Square Books.

Levine, L., & Mitchell, M. (2008). Mammal tracks and scat: Life-size tracking guide. East Dummerston, VT: Heartwood Press.

McGowan, K., Dr. (2010, November 9). Frequently asked questions about crows. Retrieved February 07, 2021, from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/crows/crowfaq.htm#:~:text=For%20crows%2C%20roosts%20are%20primarily,roosts%2C%20even%20territorial%20breeding%20crows.

Not surprisingly, Salmon Hole on the Winooski has been a popular fishing spot for Vermonters for decades. It has both warm water and cold water species that make for a wide variety of fish. The most fascinating aspect of this park, however, is the dam that is a few hundred feet from my phenology site. The Winooski One Dam that is visible today was built in the ’90s, however, its history goes back centuries. Ira Allen first constructed a dam near its current location in 1786 as a source of power for his sawmills. The dam experienced many upgrades but was eventually replaced and Winooski One Partnership retrofitted the dam with concrete. Its commercial operations began in 1993, providing hydropower for the area. In recent history, the Burlington Electric Department bought the plant in 2014 and public officials are hopeful that it will further efforts to provide Vermonters with access to renewable energy. This acquisition also means that there can be faster and more efficient adjustments to the plant as environmental regulations progress.

Sources:

Burbank, A. (2014, September 4). Burlington Owns Winooski One Hydro Plant. Burlington Free Press. https://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/local/2014/09/04/burlington-owns-winooski-one-hydro-plant/15088069/

Dams along the Winooski. (2012, April 8). A Window into the Winooski Dam. http://winooskiriveranalysis.blogspot.com/2012/04/dams-along-winooski.html

Salmon Hole on the Winooski River. (n.d.). Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department. https://vtfishandwildlife.com/fish/fishing-opportunities/fishing-chittenden-county/salmon-hole-on-the-winooski-river

Located on the shore of the James River in Richmond, Virginia, Huguenot Flatwater is a beautiful spot for hiking, swimming, and fishing. It is the westernmost section of the James River Park System which is a network of the publicly owned parks in the city along the river. Huguenot Flatwater, along with the other parks on the James, serve as vital riparian buffers. Because most of these parks are in urban parts of the city, they help decrease and filter runoff and stormwater that is abundant due to the amount of impervious surfaces from suburban and urban development. The park also serves as a recreational site. There is a boat ramp that allows easy access to this slow-moving part of the river making it perfect for kayaking, canoeing, and boating.

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Huguenot Flatwater shares many similarities with Salmon Hole on the Winooski. The most obvious being its location on the shore of a river. Proximity to rivers has a large impact on the species that can survive due to flooding, the type of sediment, and erosion. Small shrubs were abundant in both sites because of their flood-resistant qualities. Like Salmon Hole, this location still had green vegetation unlike the rest of Richmond’s natural areas because of its location near water. The two parks are also situated near major roads and a bridge, contributing to noise pollution. A good deal of litter is present in both sites, too, because they are well-visited parks.

The Winooski and the James both have an issue with eutrophication. Upstream agricultural land is a huge contributor of nitrogen and phosphorous to the water that results in deadly algae blooms. Many of the issues that Richmond’s section of the James face is due to upstream actions, so the James River Park System struggles to resolve issues caused by nutrient pollution. The Winooski also runs through agricultural areas that contribute to Lake Champlain’s phosphorous problem.

These two locations also have many differences because of their climates. Virginia is a far more temperate location and Huguenot Flatwater is home to southern species like sycamore trees, black willow, and coastal plain willow. Though I noticed a few overlapping species like maples and red oak trees. Huguenot Flatwater also had more soil and no exposed rock like Salmon Hole so there was more vegetation in general.

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On an unseasonably warm fall day, I made my third trip to the Salmon Hole on the Winooski. Despite this, it seems the colder weather of the past month has finally gotten a hold of Salmon Hole, as the leaves were gone from almost all of the trees. This is a big change compared to my last visit where many of the trees along the bank were still holding on to their foliage. The warm weather drew in many visitors to the usually empty spot. I saw many people walking along the trail down to the river, sitting near the parking lot at the overlook, and relaxing on the rocks.

The particular motivation for this week’s visit is to observe some processes and aspects of the area to create an event map. These types of maps use words, drawings, and symbols to record a set of experiences in the location. In my event map below, I took note of the different parts of this section of the river, changes in the riverside trial, and human marks left on the environment like trash and noise pollution from the cars. Going to my location with creating this event map in mind helped me notice things I might have missed before, such as the stream that the trail crosses and the abundance of fallen trees in the forest.

During my second visit to Salmon Hole, I noticed that, along with the changes in the weather, the area has experienced several transformations as Vermont eases into fall. The leaves of the red oaks and other trees were finally changing colors (Picture 1). The water level of the Winooski also was significantly higher due to rain over the past few days and the end of a dry spell in Burlington. Little wildlife was out and about due to the rain when I was there but I did spot several Chickadees and one Eastern Bluebird. I also noticed a tree trunk with holes and chipped bark that might have been a result of a woodpecker (Picture 2).

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Below is a birdseye view of Salmon Hole on the Winooski. The map shows the surrounding roads, the entrance, and a few of the trails that are alone the shore. It should also be noted that there is a steep drop off to the river by the overlook and a hill that the trail goes down which couldn’t be represented in the drawing.

For the rest of the semester, I will explore all that the Salmon Hole on the Winooski has to offer! From the flora and fauna to its historical significance to the changes it experiences as the seasons change.

When searching for a site to choose for the phenology project, I stumbled upon this lovely location on the Burlington Wildways website. I loved the idea of studying an area on a river, as I grew up going to the river in my hometown, the James River, practically every day. The changes that happen throughout the year there are very familiar to me, so I look forward to watching the seasonal transitions that happen along the Winooski at Salmon Hole. The beautiful views from this spot made the decision that much easier!

This location is also very convenient; just a quick 20 min walk from campus along Colchester Ave. Once you arrive at the parking lot for the park, a quick walk down to the hill leads you to the rocky river bank.