When I visited the Salmon Hole on the Winooski River for this post, I became much more aware of the space I was in. I believe this is due to the act of actively mapping and searching for signs of life. When I walked the trails and sat on the rock that stretches out into the rapidly moving water where fishermen waded, I noticed many new things. 

One of these things was that a tree that I had sat under during my past visits to the site had been chewed down by a beaver (7th picture). Beaver’s are rare near my home, and so I was shocked to see this, especially considering the size of the tree. My disbelief was shattered when I saw a track from what I found out was indeed a beaver track (6th picture). Beavers are known to completely manipulate/alter the landscapes they inhabit, and so the organism is very important to this area, although I do not know where the dam is exactly.

Another organism I noticed was very prevalent was American Beech. The forest was filled with small Beech trees. This is common in regional forests due to Beech bark disease. Another organism I noticed was prevalent were termites (5th picture), for there are many fallen trees here, and so they thrive in areas now uninhabitable to other organisms. Other organisms I noticed were Orioles (video), many maple trees (2nd picture), salmon (I saw a fishermen snag one, but it got loose: 3rd-4th picture), and squirrels (nest: 1st picture). All of these organisms play a vital role in this ecosystem whose borders are defined by a road and a river.

As I was mapping, I noticed that most of the leaves had fallen. This changed the topography of the soil because now the forest floor was completely covered in leaves. I also noticed there were some new flowers that I was not able to identify. I also noticed that the soil topography had changed due to erosion, and there were many ditches caused by runoff from the streets above. Making the map influenced this because I was forced to take in every detail of the land and how it might affect the animals I have observed. Overall this visit was a very eye opening experience, and I now feel much more connected to this place.