Haley's Phenology Blog – Salmon Hole Park, Winooski

I returned to the Salmon Hole today to observe any changes that might have occurred now that it is technically the Fall season. It was actually significantly warmer today than it was when I visited a few weeks ago, as the weather has overall been quite warm, ranging from 60-70ºF while fluctuating a little lower on some days. Although the weather isn’t changing much, the leaves on the trees are changing color and some are falling, though many trees still have most or all leaves on them. I have not seen a coniferous tree at the Salmon Hole, so since all of the trees there are deciduous they will eventually all lose their leaves by the time it is winter. I did notice that there were several more trees that had been cut down since I had last been there. I am not sure why there are trees being cut down because this actually blocks paths for humans to walk through, so that is quite odd.

I wandered closer to the shore line today and noticed that the area close to the water that is covered by smaller rocks are covered with dry mud, which indicates that this area is most likely usually or sometimes underwater.

I tried to find ways that I could analyze the health of the water quality as we did with our last NR1 lab at Potash Brook, but did not have any materials to measure pH, dissolved oxygen and other chemical components. I did pick up a few rocks to try and observe some of the embedded-ness, and noticed that many rocks were fully embedded in moss. I did pick up one rock which had a snail on the bottom of it as well as two organisms that I could not identify.

As I was walking along the shoreline, I noticed that there was an area with a small patch of some sort of algae which could indicate that there is a build up of nutrients in that area causing algae to bloom. From what I can see of the area underwater, it does not look like there are a lot of plants underneath the surface, so I was surprised to find this area.

I did not see any evidence of wildlife today at the Salmon Hole. I tried to look for some fish in the river but did not see any swim by. I could not find any animal tracks in the sand or any squirrels. I did see one bird but I am not sure what species it is.

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To get to the Salmon Hole, the best place to start the journey is to head to Trinity Campus on Colchester Avenue, which is right down the hill from the UVM Medical Center. From there, all you have to do is walk straight down the hill for the next ten minutes and you must look for and eventually take a left on Garret Street. After walking on Garret Street for less than 100 feet, you should then take a left onto Riverside Avenue and keep walking until you see the sign for the Salmon Hole. On the trail, you’ll find the Salmon Hole if you continue going straight down. There is a fork in the road but you can go on either of the trails and they will both take you to the Salmon Hole!

The Salmon Hole features a wide variety of different fish species, some examples being: Atlantic Salmon, Rockbass, Bowfin, Lake Trout and Fall Fish. The Salmon Hole holds both cold and warm water fish, with the greatest diversity being seen during Spring and Fall Seasons. The vegetation consists of mostly woody trees and plants, such as yellow birch, american beech, black cherry and red maple trees.

I spent a significant amount of time in Beijing, China, and found the city to be a place of solace whenever I needed to escape from my daily life. Going out and seeing hundreds of other people and observing them and the places they were in put me in perspective and reminded me that I was in a place much bigger than myself and I was a part of many communities much bigger than myself. Going out and exploring allowed me to disconnect from my situation while reconnecting with myself. Since coming to UVM, I’ve needed to find a new place to rejoice in, and find the Salmon Hole to be a place where I feel comforted and safe. However, I also feel that it’s vital to not only appreciate this place but also to develop my knowledge about it. Thus, this is why I have chosen the Salmon Hole as my phenology location.

I have chosen the Salmon Hole in Winooski as the spot for my phenology blog. Below is a link to a map of it.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/The+Salmon+Hole+on+the+Winooski+River./@44.4844403,-73.1905747,14.61z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x308dc45eb89f2d31!8m2!3d44.4869921!4d-73.1881285