greetings loyal phenoloists! welcome to the final installation of my lovely phenology blog. try not to shed too many tears, salinated water is NOT good for the watershed.
Though my site has definitely changed throughout the seasons, I am starting to see signs of the salmon hole which I first visited this fall. The spring foliage is coming into bloom, and the once orange painted canvases of tree canopy are coming in as a bright green. Given the nature of the salmon hole being a river, and playing its role in the water cycle, the water level fluctuated throughout the year, driven my climatic and seasonal changes, along with simple variations in the weather. We’ve gotten a lot of rain, so the water level is fairly high, and the rapids stronger than usual. It is springtime, so I would expect the addition of runoff from melting snow has also contributed to this, bringing along excess pollutants from roadways, parking lots, agricultural sites, and other land areas which it has overpassed.
This place serves an important connection between the human and nonhuman world, as it is utilized by many for recreation, along with being the site of a dam. Many people fish in the area, which is an important aspect of culture in Vermont.
I would consider myself a part of this place because, although I do not gain material resources from it, such as by fishing or foraging, It still provides my community here at UVM with important ecosystem services. For instance, the Winooski One Hydrodam located at this site generates electricity, which helps to fuel the area around which I live. Additionally, I am apart of this place, because every time I visit, I have some sort of impact on the area. This may mean removing a piece of trash when I’m down there, or stepping on a plant along the paths leading around the park.