Haley's Phenology Blog – Salmon Hole Park, Winooski

The Madikwe Game Reserve, which sits in the North of South Africa just below Botswana, is a national park that is home to around 370 different animal species. The reserve was originally used as farming land, but due to its infertile soil being unable to produce crops, it was converted to a national park to supply economic benefits.

The fauna species in Madikwe are managed by the government, so if there is a decline in one species or a spike in another, certain species are introduced to provide balance. Currently, there is a decline in cheetah species so there are three cheetahs which are about to be introduced to the reserve. Madikwe features the ‘Big 5’ which include: buffalo, lions, rhinos, elephants and leopards. It is also a Wild Dog Reserve, so there is a large population of wild dogs in the area. Other fauna species include warthogs, impala, kudu, and wildebeest.

The reserves habitats allow for such high species diversity. Some of the habitats in Madikwe are savannas, plateaus, mountainous areas and seasonal wetlands.  The infertile soils are a limiting factor for the types of plants that can be grown and the plant species generally have very low nutrients. Despite this, there is a wide variety of grass and tree species, many of which have thorns to protect themselves from being eaten by herbivores.

Madikwe is a large tourist destination and supplies many economic benefits for the surrounding area.

Both the Salmon Hole in Winooski and the Madikwe Game Reserve are overwhelmingly beautiful places. However, both of these places display vastly different types of beauty. For me, the Salmon Hole is a very welcoming place in which you can find solace and be at one with the place. Many times at the Salmon Hole, I feel as though there is no difference between myself and the natural community around me. Madikwe, on the other hand, is beautiful because it is an extremely savage environment that is impossible for any human to be a part of. The interactions between the species are not something that a human can feel at one with and is simply something can can be observed rather than truly felt.

I have never seen an animal at the Salmon Hole but have seen many different animals at Madikwe. However, this is because it is intended for people to see the animals. The beauty of the two places does go beyond the animal species and both the plants and habitats are admirable as well. Madikwe is very dry though, whereas the Salmon Hole is based in a river environment so it is very lush and wet. Despite the differences of the two places, they do both provide solace and relaxation to me and I am in awe of both of them.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Madikwe+Game+Reserve/@-24.7604347,26.2755186,17z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x1ebc81795e27ecdd:0xd92190c84cd6ba0b!8m2!3d-24.7604347!4d26.2777073

Below is an event map of the Salmon Hole, which shows different things I have seen while walking through from the start of the Salmon Hole to the edge of the water.

Because the weather hasn’t been changing very much, the Salmon Hole has remained more or less the same with the exception of the leaves changing color and most falling off trees. However, yesterday when I returned to the Salmon Hole, the area which is normally covered by rocks that are covered by a thin layer of dry mud that I assumed had been under water at some point were under water again. Because of the rain, the area where the Salmon Hole starts flowed over and now the area where I used to be able to walk to has become an island and is unreachable:

Growing up, I never wanted to be tucked away

I thought if I wasn’t the center of what I was in, I was nothing

I did not matter if my claims were as beautiful as a pink sunset reflecting off the lake, its colors melted into one beautiful chaos

If I was not the center, I was nothing.

Now I am met with a conflict- the place that I love, the place which occupies my center is tucked away

The salmon hold sits modestly in the hidden sights beyond the trees

It is not the center; not even close

And when I go there, I too am tucked away

My thoughts dissolved like the colors of the pink sunset over the water

And my worries become fluid as the river, drifting farther and farther downstream

I come from a mindset where the center is the only worthy relevance

I know now that is is ok

To be tucked away