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

-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.

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.

Colchester Pond, Winooski, VT