Since the age of two, I have lived in the small town of Woodstock, New York. Woodstock is part of Ulster County in the Hudson Valley, and it is surrounded by the Catskill Mountains which greatly define the landscape of the region. Although Woodstock is quite small, according to USA.com, the Onteora school district is ranked as the 15th largest school district, by land area, in New York State. Meanwhile, my graduating class was only 92 students and the grades below me are only getting smaller. This means that I grew up with a very small and closeknit group of people, so moving to Burlington and attending a school of over 10,000 is a big change.

The topography of the area contributes greatly to my life. The mountains surrounding my home have had such an impact on my life growing up. Some of my greatest memories and experiences came from skiing, hiking, and biking around Woodstock, the Catskills, and the greater Hudson Valley. I find myself to be extremely lucky and grateful to have grown up in this area that I know love and cherish profoundly. One major part of the area is the Ashokan Reservoir. This reservoir provides drinking water to the city of Manhattan as well as other smaller cities and towns along the way. Because of the reservoirs purpose, there are very strict policies related to the protection of the land around in order to ensure that the water quality of the reservoir and the feeding rivers is perfect and safe for consumption. This means that I grew up in an area where most people are very concerned about the environment so I didn’t have to deal with very much pollution and littering. 

Now, for my place. I chose to sit and observe my backyard for this assignment. While observing this place for only 20 minutes, I saw a bunch of squirrels running around gathering food, birds flying from tree to tree, and even a couple of white tail deer just wondering by. I was also able to determine some of the trees in the yard including oak and white pine. This experience was very interesting for me since I have spent countless hours in my backyard throughout my life, but I have never really just sat still and observed what was back there. Sure I have seen a thousand deer feeding on the grass along with turkeys, squirrels, and woodpeckers in the trees, but it really never meant anything special to me until I took the time to just enjoy my place at home and be a part of it.

Since I left home in August, the structural integrity of my place and environment hasn’t changed, but the trees now have little to no leaves and all of the organisms are preparing for the winter season ahead. This place has had a monumental impact on my life and it is something that will never leave me. When it was time to start looking for schools I knew I couldn’t leave the mountains that shaped who I was. I knew that I had to keep skiing and hiking and biking. I knew that I had to keep encountering wildlife daily, and that’s because it’s who I am. This environment, where I grew up and spent all of my time, is who I am, and I can’t change that. Without the experiences I had at home i wouldn’t be who I am today, and I wouldn’t be living the life I love so much right now. And for that, I am eternally grateful.