Blog Post 4/25

Final Blog Post

 

My phenology spot, being a local pond and coveted source of biodiversity, can benefit greatly from the lessons and insights of the six paradigms. The limits perspective focuses on the population and its relationship to resource usage. Through a limits paradigm a very important ecological area such as colchester pond should have specific regulations in order to ensure that the rise of population does not harm the local ecological diversity. In order to sustain our growing population more resources will have to be used, and when you put human needs versus the needs of the environment, human needs are often come first. This is why there has to be a community effort to take care of the land and preserve it. In order for the pond to be a sustainable system the current carrying capacity can not be exceeded or else there will be large amounts of ecological damage. Through a markets perspective the most effective way to get things accomplished is through market allocation. By allowing the pond to be privately regulated, it would be possible to keep the pond under better protection through more restrictive rules that aim to preserve the biological integrity of the land. By giving the land monetary value it may also bring better understanding of what the land does for us through ecosystem services. Institutions allow people to collectively develop arrangements and laws that can protect and promote sustainable use of the resources available at colchester pond. Some institutions have already been developed to control resources such as the fish population. Although this is an example of how a formal institution could promote healthy future of the pond. Informal institutions play a large role in how people interact with the pond. By promoting social norms around sustaining the natural world the community will take initiatives to sustain keep the pond as healthy as possible. The political economy perspective gives insight to power relations and who has the most control in society. A promising future for colchester pond will most possible if the local community has enough social and political power to keep the pond clean and sustainable. The community having the most influence on the pond is the best situation because the decisions that affect the pond will also have the greatest influence on the community. A social construction perspective gives insight to how views of the environment have come to light. In order to promote a positive future for the pond there must be a recognition of the beliefs that benefit the pond as well as those that harm it. Through an ethical perspective a future of the pond would be decided on the ethics. Our human value system influences how we interact with colchester pond, by giving us insight on what a bad action to take vs. what a good action to take would be. Extending human ethics to the pond people would have a social incentive to treat the land ethically, like they would treat another person. By supporting and teaching about land ethics in local communities, there would be a movement to preserve and treat Colchester pond like the living ecosystem it is.

My phenology sight is a hotbed of biodiversity of birds and flowers. In order for the ecosystem to function many different groups manage it. Such as the fishing institutions that have been set up that regulate fishing and recreational activities around the pond in order to best preserve the biodiversity. Bees are another example of a group that the pond is dependent on in order to pollinate the various flower species that grow. Colchester pond is also very dependent on the local community that sees value in the land and is committed to its preservation. In order to ensure the best future for the pond and it’s biodiversity there must be a growing ethical connection between the people and the land. By recognizing the services that the pond gives the local community it will become more apparent how important it is to protect it. As well as the organisms that live in the ecosystem.

There is a large community surrounding colchester pond. A small residential community and the ecological community that keeps the pond running, even for our own use. The past signs of timber farming show progression in preservation of the land. Moving to more recreational uses. The local community has laws and regulations that are meant to identify the importance of the pond to the local residents, and have done a good job in doing so.t I feel the most effective way to encourage my new community is through example. By doing activities that promote a healthy pond such as taking responsibility for the pond and cleaning up litter and providing a healthy environment for the natural world that depends on the ponds resources. Hopefully the community would embrace and encourage this and others would follow, creating a new views of the pond and the environment as a whole.

Blog Post #2

Institutions are what hold our society together. An institution is an organization founded to group the general public. In environmental work it is important to be aware of the institutions that affect the area you are working with. Institutions such as rules, laws, and regulations all play a large role in how people interact and behave with the natural world. This is why it is important for us to recognize the institutional roles that are played at our phenology site. Colchester Pond has been a designated for natural purposes, being a hotspot of biodiversity of birds and many native plants. With this in mind there are laws and rules protecting the ecosystem that surrounds the pond. Rule and social norms encourage us to leave as little of a trace on the environment as possible, rules such as no littering, and respecting the wildlife. The pond has been been determined an important birding area, with this comes criteria that must be met in order to protect the important wildlife that lives around the pond.
A markets and political economy perspective is that everything can be quantified into a currency. This of course means our forests and mines can be quantified for the amount of gold or raw material they provide, but also the system resources that are crucial elements to the ecosystem around us. From the absorbent nature of forests to clean pollutants out of the ecosystem or their ability to provide oxygen, necessary for our survival. This is why it could be necessary to be able to bring forth evidence to protect these crucial ecosystems. For instance a vital resource of the pond is recreation. For fishing and bird watching many use this space. This hasn’t always been the case. Old fences and stonewalls surround the pond area, this  points towards early agriculture used to occupy this land. This is evidence of subsistence farming, or even farming for excess and profit. Alos overgrown apple orchards that point to organized agriculture of apple trees.

2/11/16 Blog Update

2/11/16

-My location is Colchester Pond in Winooski, VT. It is about twenty minutes away by car. You can get there by driving north east on route two then, turning onto route two-a until you reach a small dirt road that leads to a parking spot. After exiting the car the pond is right in front of you and it is large. It is a mile in length and covers 182 acres with a two and a half mile. I choose this spot because it is a large beautiful landscape that has a large amount of biodiversity. It is cared about by the community and efforts are made to preserve the land.

 

Screenshot 2016-02-07 at 4.05.47 PM

There is a lot of interplay of nature and culture at Colchester Pond. The pond has already been altered by people by enlarging it for the addition of a dam. It is a large sight of outdoor events as kayakers, canoeists, and fishers. Along with the people visiting the pond, many water birds rely on the pond. Birds such as  Canada goose, mallard, great blue heron, Virginia rail, and the uncommon American bittern. This has made the pond an “Important Birding Area”. Dispersed fences and stone walls indicate that the area around the pond to be used for pastoral land.

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