August 29, 2017
As I left my home off of Waits Street to go to the Fort Worth
Nature Center and Refuge, I was excited and anxious to get to this new place
and discover what this course is all about. Growing up in Wichita, Kansas and
in a family who loves the outdoors, I have spent a fair amount of time
exploring nature in the outdoors. We have several pieces of land scattered
across the state of Kansas. When I’m home, I love going with my dad and my dog
down to our place we call “Rago.” It is so serene because of the beautiful
lake, the wildlife, the sounds of wind and birds chirping, and seeing my dog
run freely. Kansas and Texas are pretty similar in terms of appearances.
Kansas, however, does have better sunsets, but I may be biased. Whenever I
think of the outdoors though, I always think of the time I have spent with my
dad. He is really the one who has taught me to appreciate the sweetness and
stillness of nature, and is the person who I explore nature with. We have taken
trips to Switzerland, the Grand Canyon, Utah, Colorado, California, Mexico,
Costa Rica, Australia, and other places I cannot even begin to list. I have
been fortunate enough to have a father who wants me to explore all parts of the
world and appreciate how nature can be beautiful in so many different ways. If
whomever is reading this gets the chance, you need to go to Switzerland. It is
perhaps the most beautiful place I have ever seen because of its pristine and
picturesque scenery. Everything you see looks like it was hand-painted by God
Himself. Even though I was daydreaming about Switzerland, I also realized that
I should be paying attention to the highway on the way to the Nature Center and
Refuge, wishing my dad could share in this experience and class with me.
When I
arrived at the NC&R, I was amazed on how much land was actually protected
by the city of Fort Worth. The older roads reminded me of small towns in Kansas
and Colorado, so I immediately felt at home. Once we got to the service center
and received our assignments, I was surprised to learn that we would be doing
some physical labor and up-keeping of the trail we were given. However, I felt
inspired by the kind men who worked at the service center because they were so
passionate about their jobs and had extensive knowledge of the refuge. They
made a PowerPoint just for our class, explaining different elements of what we
would be helping with and a gist of how they wanted us to clean up our assigned
trails. When we got to our trail, I didn’t expect to see all the bison grazing
as we were surveying the trail. They have always been an animal that have
amazed me because of their rough, but pristine beauty. To me, they are also a
symbol of the “Great American West.” It reminded me of how people used to
describe Western Kansas two hundred years ago. Millions of buffalo used to roam
the Great Plains, and is even the state animal of Kansas. Here is a great
website about the Kansas buffalo: https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/buffalo-in-kansas/15602.
I hate to think that humans who were digging for money were the sole reason for
their near extinction, when they are such a beautiful animal. The trail also
had its own sense of beauty. The greenery, trees, and vines gave me a sense of
peace, but also a slight twinge of fear since I knew there would be future
disappointed Nature Center employees. Most of the trail was completely washed
out, and the dead trees were taken over by creeper vines, much of which will
take weeks, if not months, of work to revamp. The day was also hot, and
the Nature Center gave us minimal tools that weren’t in tip top shape. It was
fun, however, to just be outside in the midst of the craziness of August, and
get to know my fellow classmates and Professor. Overall, I am excited to go
back to the Nature Center and continue to explore our trail a little bit more.
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