A Glimpse in to the Salmon Hole

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The forest surrounding the Winooski River is relatively small in width with a main road only about 200 yards away from the river. This ecosystem harbors many aquatic and terrestrial species but the edge effect plays a crucial role in the lack of biodiversity. When a natural landscape is heavily divided there is substantial decrease in the number of species, population size, reproductive ability, availability of food, and many other factors important for the well-being of an ecosystem. I think the lack of forest interior species in this landscape is proof of the drastic impacts of the edge effect.However, there has been evidence of small mammals like voles, shrew, and fishers living around the Winooski.

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The most evident sign of the progression of spring is the bud growth on the beeches and maples surrounding the riverbed. Although spring has begun on the calendar, the animals that are typically seen around this time of year are still using winter survival methods to deal with the severe and infrequent weather we’ve been experiencing. On my last visit to the Salmon hole I observed these beautiful little blue flowers which I learned are called blue-eyed grass. During my most recent visit a large majority of the forest bed was covered in snow and ice so any flowers that were beginning to bloom either died in the cold or were difficult to identify. I was hoping to encounter a frozen wood frog on my expedition but unfortunately I had difficulty identifying any amphibians.

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There were a large number of song sparrows in the trees adjacent to the entrance of the walking path. The woody shrubs I observed were all covered in a foot of snow so any buds that were growing were likely impacted. I greatly enjoyed the coniferous selection and the crabapple forest.

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James Arnold, a wealthy whaling merchant, donated a large portion of his land to Harvard university for the establishment of an arboretum. Charles Sugent, the first director of the arboretum, collaborated with Fredrick Olmsted to create an alluring and open landscape that harbors large varieties of vegetation. The arboretum is 280 acres of land that contains 14,760 plants from 3,800 botanical and horticultural taxa.

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Biofinder indicates that the salmon hole is a common natural community but it harbors rare plant and animal species in particular areas making the maintenance of this ecosystem of high priority.

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