Nature Journal #5 - FWNC&R Trip 3

September 26, 2017

               This particular excursion to the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge was really fun. Although it was still fairly hot, my group and I were able to get so much work done while having fun at the same time. We were able to get some more help from the managers out at the refuge, and he’s the one who gave us the confidence to really start cleaning up the trail. There is a long stretch of fence that has been overtaken by privet and creeper vine, along with honey locust trees (I believe). We boldly decided that we would take on one huge part of this fence and take those suckers out. At first, we were gently cutting away at the vines, trying to take off a little at a time. We eventually were encouraged to just start pulling random branches to try to get the whole piece to come down. At one point, Jaclyn started walking up the trail, pulling a long, windy branch over her shoulder, as we all cheered her on. We were also using much better tools, and were told which tools are better for specific species of plants and trees.

Our employee friend and I got to work going underneath this large intertwined chunk of vines and branches. It became a lesson learned afterwards that I should have definitely worn long-sleeved clothing and more bug spray, but we’ll get to that later. The humidity that day was pretty brutal, but all of us took breaks every now and again. We continued our journey in trying to take out this whole chunk against the fence. Luckily, all five group members were there, so we were all working away at our own parts. The refuge employee was explaining that the privet has overtaken many parts of the nature trails because there could be millions of seeds produced by just a small area of privet. The warm climate in Texas also allows the privet to grow nearly all year round. These perfect conditions have become a nuisance for the employees out at the refuge, which is why our groups are helping them a ton by taking that stuff out.

The employee that was helping us told me that I should just take his hand saw and start sawing off a medium sized branch so we could take a large portion out as one piece. Once he taught me the correct technique, I started sawing away at the branch. I must say, I felt super outdoorsy using this old school hand saw. After taking out this large branch, we were able to take down all the vines and leaves that were attached to that one branch, but we had to be careful because of the locust tree, which has gnarly thorns. The guy told us that he had gotten poked by one of the thorns in his palm while he was working, and when he woke up the next day it was so swollen and infected that he had to go to the doctor and get a steroid shot. We should also be aware of oak mites and chiggers out at the refuge. When I woke up the next morning, I was covered with bites that quickly spread. Luckily, my dad has gotten oak mites in Kansas before, so I knew how to handle the situation. Below, you will see a picture of us working away!

Nature Journal #4 - Overton Park

September 19, 2017

               Because of the severe hot weather, unfortunately I was not able to attend class. If I sit out in the sun for too long without any sort of relief, my symptoms can really flare up. However, I was able to read excerpts from Thoreau and Nash, even if I was not able to discuss the author’s concepts with my classmates. What I found most interesting was the readings from Nash. He uses multiple examples to show of timeline of how Americans perspectives’ of nature have changed. One of the examples that I found to be a bit odd but amusing was the story about the lawyer, Estwick Evans. Evans woke up one morning and decided to leave his life behind in New Hampshire and began heading West in order to find his true self in primitivism in a buffalo robe with bearskin trimming, deer moccasins, and in the company of his two beloved dogs. He writes in his journal that he was able to find peace in solitude, and that he felt a spiritual connection to nature. Evans, as Nash states, was one of the first to implore the idea that nature can be positively associated with religion.

               I believe in modern Christianity that a lot of Christians forge a relationship with God through solitude, and most definitely through solitude in nature. This summer, I was able to travel to Switzerland with just my dad. One of the many beautiful places we stayed at was located on Lake Lucerne in Vitznau. Firstly, the Swiss have remarkable cleaning practices. When you are driving on the highway, there is not a single piece of trash on the side of the roads. Swiss society expects you to keep all of your trash in your vehicles so you can take it home and throw it in your own trash bin. This same expectation comes with boating on Lake Lucerne. The lake and its shores are pristine. When it was a hot day out for Swiss standards, I decided to venture out onto the lake on a paddle board. It was a Monday afternoon, so there were virtually no boats out on the lake. The lake was pretty frigid since it is a glacial lake, but the water clarity is almost unrealistic. The water had the most beautiful bluish-green tint, and I could see for hundreds of feet down. Once I paddled away from the hotel shores, the world became quiet, and all I could hear was my paddle swishing through the water, and waves lapping up against my board. In that moment, I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the lake and the mountains surrounding it. I was also just so grateful for the experience and memories I was making with my dad. The amazing part was that I was experiencing the handiwork of the Lord in a personal way. It was a definite spiritual moment for me because the God who created the most picturesque places in the world loves me and wants to have a relationship with me! I think I paddled for at least for 45 more minutes, just sitting in awe. The whole country of Switzerland is so remarkably beautiful, and I cannot wait to go back one day. Maybe Nash should write from the perspective of the Swiss.

Nature Journal #3 - FWNC&R Trip 2

September 12, 2017

               Since I received a migraine from the previous visit to the FWNC&R, I came well-prepared with a cooling neck tie, Gatorade, water, and a hat. Because of my chronic illness, I am fairly sensitive to Texas heat, especially cutting town tree limbs or cutting privet in direct sunlight in the heat of the day. During this visit, I felt we were more prepared and knew what to expect from our volunteer work. The first visit was filled with a lot of confusion and sweat, but this time it was just a lot more sweat. The employees out at the refuge also gave us more direction of what they wanted. For example, they told us that they would like the paths to be cut back two to three feet on both sides so they are able to drive their tractor to mow the grass on the sides of the trail. The hard part about volunteering at the refuge is, personally, I don’t have a ton of upper body strength. It requires a lot of effort to use heavy shears to cut off a decently thick tree limb. Luckily, with the help of the rest of my group and Dr. Williams, we are able to make some headway on our part of the trail.

               One of the head managers also introduced himself to us since he wasn’t there the week prior. He is the kindest man who has expansive knowledge about native Texan trees and plants. His previous job was working as a land manager for private owners looking to boost their chances of landing the biggest buck of the season. Because of his experience, he can easily tell when and where deer have been on the trail. He pointed to some recently eaten privet that a deer had snacked on. Just days after a deer had eaten a little bit off the top of the privet vine, new tiny, bright green leaves were starting to sprout. Privet and creeper vines can grow rapidly and destroy other trees and limbs, as we see on our part of the trail. The manager was saying how it would be in his best interest to potentially just burn all of the underbrush and dead limbs on the trails in order to clear everything out. The privet and creeper vines have completely overtaken parts of the trail as time has passed. Because privet can spread so quickly, it’s also hard for the land managers out at the refuge to keep up with the growing issue. See the cute picture below of my wonderful group members and Dr. Williams!

               At our property in Kansas, my dad also does controlled burns on our land every one to two years. Burning our land to complete black ash ensures that invasive weeds are completely destroyed and the native grassland can continue to live on in its pure beauty. Sometimes this is much easier than taking the spray bottle of Roundup all around the property. Plus, it can be an amazing, contrasting site to see what is usually green or honey colored all turn to black. One of my favorite pictures of all time is a picture of my black Bernedoodle dog, Humphrey, taking a stretch after my dad and him had spent the day burning our property. Humphrey loves to go to Rago—if my dad brings out his truck or puts on his work boots, Humphrey starts to go ballistic. I have also attached a picture of this beloved picture I am speaking of below.

Nature Journal #2 - Botanic Gardens

September 5, 2017

            I was amped to go to the Botanic Gardens for class today because of how beautiful the Botanic Gardens are. The City of Fort Worth makes an incredible effort to ensure that the Gardens are always pristine. I hadn’t been to the Gardens since I was a freshman at TCU, taking headshots for my sorority. I also came prepared and excited to talk about our readings for the week. Sitting in the circle with all of my classmates, with birds chirping in the background and a breeze blowing through the air was ideal. Only at TCU would you be able to find a class and professor who appreciates nature and wants to change up the classroom environment. The Botanic Gardens seem so serene because of their closeness to the heart of Fort Worth. The ability to get away from the hustle and bustle of Texas traffic and college life is so intriguing, especially because people seem to find colorful flowers and green grasses extremely peaceful. I love how anyone can walk around and find a spot to take some deep breaths.

Out of the readings for this week, the Meriwether Lewis writings stood out to me, in particular. His descriptions of the beautiful scenes were spoken so well, especially the scene about the waterfall. On page 102, Lewis says the waterfall is “flying up in jets of sparkling foam.” Although I have only seen smaller waterfalls in person, I do wish to one day go to Niagara falls, or the falls that Lewis was depicting in his journal. Lewis also describes the land in the Western U.S. as being completely covered with elk, buffalo, deer, “woolves,” and antelopes. In Kansas, they are hundreds of miles that are purely covered by just the Great Plains. I wish I could have lived in a period where we probably wouldn’t be able to travel without coming across thousands of buffalo, just seeing it with my own eyes. It’s sad to know that humans are the sole reason for the near extinction of our native animals.

Lewis also speaks a lot about being along a river, which I have a lot of experience doing whilst fly fishing in Colorado. Every year, we go to a ranch in Meeker, Colorado, which is the North West part of Colorado. The ranch covers thousands and thousands of acres of the flat top mountains that haven’t been developed, so when you go a couple miles upriver, you’re embarking into nature’s world. Although the land isn’t covered with herds of buffalo and elk, thousands of acres are privately owned and protected. While walking to a fly fishing beat, you can spot elk herds, deer, bears, moose, chipmunks…you name it. My favorite picnic spots are those where you just plop down a lawn chair and a cooler and have lunch right by the river. Although it gets pretty hot in late July in Colorado, the chilly 55 degree river water cools you down pretty quickly. Going to the Ranch is my go-to get away for clearing my mind and soul. Because the land has been so well taken care of, you are definitely a guest of Mother Nature, not the sole owner of her.