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Centennial Woods

February Endurance

Posted: March 1st, 2020 by rdrill

Wildlife

Figure 1. Snowshoe Hare Tracks. February 26, 2020.
Figure 2. Red Fox Tracks. February 26, 2020.
Figure 3. Squirrel Tracks. February 26, 2020.

I spotted a snowshoe hare track near my phenology site. During the day the snowshoe hare usually sits quietly under conifer branches or thickets (form) in a sheltered cavity. At night is when they are most active. During the winter they mainly eat buds, twigs, bark, and evergreens. The snowshoe hare has a lot of predators. Bobcats, fishers, Canadian lynx, foxes, coyotes and great horned owls all prey after them. 

I also spotted squirrel tracks and red fox tracks. While I do not think the snowshoe hare and these other two mammals had direct interactions, they definitely could have been feeding on the same plant because all their prints were in the same general direction. All the tracks were pointing in the same direction which was northeast.

Phenology Changes

Figure 4. Site Overview. February 26, 2020.
Figure 5. Bank Erosion. February 26, 2020.

Since my last visit, there has been a lot more erosion in the banks of the stream. The erosion is due to the water flowing through the stream. It has created an indent in the edges at the bottom causing the sides of the banks to slant inward. There are no leaves on any of the tress. I was also able to spot a lot more signs of wildlife then my last visit.

Sources

Holland, M., & Kaneko, C. (2019). Naturally curious: a photographic field guide and month-by-month journey through the fields, woods, and marshes of New England. North Pomfret, Vermont.: Trafalgar Square Books.Web, A. D. (n.d.). Critter Catalog. Retrieved from http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Lepus_americanus/

Figure 5. Field Notes. February 26, 2020.

January Endurance

Posted: January 30th, 2020 by rdrill

Figure 1. Dog Print Measurement, January 28, 2020.

These are dog tracks. I know this because the footprints were diagonal and dogs are diagonal walkers. Another clue was the claw marks. Dog’s claws stick out unlike other types of cats.
Figure 2. Rabbit Print Measurement, January 28, 2020.
These are rabbit footprints. I know this because rabbits are gallopers and the footprints in the snow clearly indicate this.
Figure 3. Barberry Bush, January 28, 2020.
This is a Barberry bush.
Figure 4. American Beech Twig, January 28, 2020.
This is an American Beech Twig.
Figure 5. American Beech Twig Sketch, January 28, 2020.
This is a sketch of an American Beech twig.

There have been only slight changes in my site since my last visit. The stream has definitely gotten wider from the water eroding the sides of it. My site was more quiet than the last time I visited. The only sound I could hear was the current of the water flowing. There were no chirping birds like previous times I had visited.

Sense of Place

Posted: December 5th, 2019 by rdrill

My sense of place is at 5 Orchard Lane in Livingston, NJ. This is the address of my home. Orchard lane is located on a hill, and my house is at the top of a hill. Vegetation and different shrubs border the front of my house. My backyard is long and fenced in, with plenty of room for my dogs to run around. There is a groundhog that lives under the shed, and many squirrels that often come up onto my deck. Ass you drive down the hill from my house, you will eventually get to a dead-end. At the dead-end, there is an entrance to the woods where you can reach walking trails. 

When I am at home, I feel warm. There is a comfort like no other being home, surrounded by the things I know. My house reminds me of my Jewish identity, and I feel most comfortable here. Most of all, my pets make me feel at home: my two yellow labs Ava and Riley, and my cat Scarlett. The love I receive from pets is like no other. My sense of place also has distinct tastes. I am reminded of specific food when I am. The sweet taste of cookies. The sour taste of the fruit. Lastly, the comfort and warmth of my mom’s cooking.

My house has a distinct sound. You can usually hear music or the TV playing, dogs paws shuffling around hardwood floors, and chatting of voices. My friends in my town are also incorporated into my sense of place. There are usually a lot of people in my house because I am always inviting them over. 

There is this one room in my house with lots of windows that are surrounded by short trees and plants. Birds are always visible in this vegetation. Sitting in this room over thanksgiving made me think about my sense of place. I am familiar with these birds, and seeing and listening to them through the windows is something I take for granted. However, I need to appreciate small things like these in my sense of place. As the earth is warming, who knows if those birds will always be there.

My sense of place at home has changed over the years. As I have grown up, I have learned not to take my home for granted. I realize how lucky I am to have a positive image of a sense of place. Since I have been at UVM, my sense of place at my home is Livingston has deepened. I have taken it for granted over the years, but being away for a long time has made me appreciate it differently. I am grateful for my street, my home, and my neighbors. I have realized how lucky I am to live in a place that has not been significantly impacted by climate change. 

This is my home.
This image is from googlemaps.com.

Sense of Place

Posted: November 12th, 2019 by rdrill

My sense of place at my site, in Centennial Woods, has developed. When I first picked my spot, it did not have much meaning to me. I had been to Centennial Woods multiple times before, and I just picked a place that I thought was interesting. However, each time I go back to visit my spot, my connection to it deepens. My spot in centennial now means a lot to me. When I sit on the wooden planks and gaze around me at the moving water, various plants, and soil, I feel at peace. I have grown to know my area well. Each visit, I notice something I had not seen before. The plants have turned yet another shade grayer, becoming less green. More leaves have fallen, leaving the trees naked. The ground was now covered snow. Wildlife was not as visible, which is likely due to the cold weather. The woods felt more still than my last visit.

When I think about my connection to Vermont, I think about my spot. Being surrounded by trees and emerged in the woods has come to define my sense of place in Vermont. Over the years, my sight changed. The stream present here was likely not always here. My sense of place at my sight is likely different than somebody else’s sense of place years ago. As time passes by, landscapes change. Plant and animal species evolve, migrate, and die. If I were to visit my site a year from now, my sense of place and connection would be different. This is because my site would not look the same. The history of my site has evolved and will continue to change. Through my blog and the documentation of my site, in the future, when I come to visit my site, I will be able to see how it changed.

11/12

Mapping and Charismatic Species 11/1/19

Posted: November 1st, 2019 by rdrill

My site was murky and wet on this visit. Since there was a torrential rainstorm yesterday, lots of water was violently flowing in the brook. At my site, I identified four plant species and two animal species. The plants I found were a Norway Maple, Red Oak, dandelions, and grass. I saw a squirrel and chipmunk run through the grass area surrounding the brook. There was a slimy, dark brown, maroon-colored worm trying to make its way into the wet, sappy dirt about two feet from the water. Lastly, I found a little beetle crawling on the dandelion leaves that have a dirt coating. The red Oak and Norway maple trees did not have many leaves left on the tree.

Since my last visit, my site has changed drastically. The big rainstorm last night impacted the area. A lot of erosion was present on the sides of the brook. The decay is likely from the abundance of water present in the stream. The was water a foggy brown colored and had extremely high turbidity. The grass in between the wooden planks and the brook was flattened out. The grass was flat from the water that flooding the area, and the rain beating down on it. I did not hear any birds this time, and the only sound that I was able to identify was the swishing of the water moving down the brook. The temperature has dropped a bit from the last time I visited, likely causing the birds the migrate. The soil also changed. The soil was very saturated and muddy during this visit.

The map I drew allowed me to understand my site better. After drawing the map, I realized that the shape of the brook had lots of curves. I made me more aware of what was around my area. I also now understand where directions north and south are located.

Field Notes
Worm

Introduction to My Place

Posted: October 24th, 2019 by rdrill

I am tracking the phenology of a small area of land by the brook in Centennial Woods. The stream, wooden planks, and green, grassy vegetation present all around the wooden planks and stream define my area. To arrive here, you should enter Centennial Woods from Catamount Drive and walk past the wooden sign on the right. A cleared path will appear, and you should stay on this path and keep to the left. Eventually, there will be wooden planks on the trail. Continue on the path, and you will make your way onto another set of wooden planks with a stream to your right and grassy vegetation about three feet tall on your left. When facing the stream, the water should be flowing in a “U” shape, with a patch of land filling in the middle. I will be mainly observing the land and vegetation bordering this part of the stream.

The greenery in this area was not as green and bright as I remember it being. The last time I was at this location was about a month ago, in late September. At my visit this time, I noticed shades of grey and brown mixed into much of green plants, which I had not seen before. This location is very peaceful and more lively than other areas in Centennial. Water tends to attract more biodiversity making my site an area for activity. While here, you can hear the calming sound of water flowing a foot away from you, birds communicating, and the shuffling of animals present in and around the grassy vegetation. 

Being in this area not only made me feel one with nature and should make others too. On the day I visited, I only saw one other person in the woods. The lack of people around made my connection to this area deeper because it was cool to be the only person observing this place at that time. I felt extraordinarily peaceful, and this moment was special. Overall, my visit to my site was incredibly pleasant.

10/21/19 Field Notes
Field Notes

My Site
My Site on 10/21/19

Hello world!

Posted: October 11th, 2019 by rdrill

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