Field Trip #1 - Campus Trail

This is my third year at FGCU and I am going to be honest in the fact that I have never heard of the nature trail on campus. As we started walking to it I began to question how great it would be only because we were headed to the new freshman dorms. I was under the belief that most of that area had been under construction so I thought that the trail would only be a short walk through a few trees and bushes but I was proven wrong.
The beginning of the trail was very hidden from plain view. Only a small opening in the forest that didn’t go to deep made me even more skeptical. But as we entered the trail I was impressed. The sun was just in the right spot that morning I guess because the way it shown through the trees really set a great atmosphere. As we walked a little further I noticed the burned trees here and there. I know about slash and burn, and how it is used to clear many vines and bushes that clog up the forest. This allows for forest animals to roam the area more freely as well as helping them find prey. New healthy plants and trees are given a chance to grow also. But as Dr. Davis informed us, a fire had happened a few years before I came to college. This shocked me because I never heard anything of it and apparently it seriously threatened the campus.
Around the middle of the trail we ran into very moist ground. I thought it was odd as it had not rained in a couple weeks. I was very interested and a bit amazed at how low we must have been for the water to still be hanging around. The further we traveled the wetter it got eventually turning into mud. I love nature and the woods, but personally I am not a fan of mud. Then again, who really enjoys mud? Other than the mud, I was surprised how much the ecosystem had changed. The beginning of the trail was more of a dry forest where as the middle of the trail was more of a swamp/wetlands area. The trail had two different types of areas in one. That was something I did not expect.
The end of the trail was definitely the best part. It was much more spacious than the narrow at the beginning and middle parts of the trail. I guess though it wouldn’t be considered a “trail” because it was a large relatively circular clearing nearly completely shaded by a large canopy of trees. The clearing allowed for a perfect cooling breeze through the whole area. Everything from the shade of the trees to the breeze to the calming sounds of nature made the hammock hanging on two trees very tempting. It would make the best spot to go relax, and get away from everything.
This trip to the campus trail made me look forward to the following field trips we are going to take. I got to see firsthand a few things. First was how the campus is continuing to keep nature very much its key focus and trying to get students to enjoy it more. Second thing was what colloquium was about. It’s about experiencing and understanding nature both in the world as well as the community. I have enjoyed the class very much so far and have a feeling it will only get better.

Sense of Place

I live in San Carlos park area and for a residential neighborhood it has more nature than most would think. Obviously there are many roads and houses bunched together but not everywhere. There are scattered lots, numbering about 2 a road, of what I guess would be considered small woodland areas. A few tall oaks, pine trees and palm trees are accompanied by thick ground vegetation definitely show that the area is trying to keep nature around.
Along with the plant life, there are a few small canals in the area. One has flowing water with small fish inhabiting it. Rain, other than the other day, has been scarce lately so the canal wasn’t very large judging by the water marks of the rainy season. The other canal seems to have been clogged up for a while. It’s covered completely in grown up allege with only a few broken branches and someone’s old skateboard helmet peaking through the green blanket of allege.
The wildlife in the area seems to be fine with the packets of forests in the neighborhood. Fish, cranes and turtles take up the canal habitat; of course none would come out when I decided to take the pictures. Birds and squirrels with a few wondering turtles can be found outside of the house and neighborhood but most of the wildlife stays hidden in the patches of woods until night. At night I have seen a raccoon, which quickly ran up a tree when it realized I was there, a couple possums and an armadillo. Even saw a family of wild boar off the side of the road a couple streets down.
I’ve never been down to the rivers until a couple of days ago and it was definitely a different experience than just driving by it every day. I really enjoyed how serene it was. Minus the lack of wildlife to watch the area was perfect. Lighted areas mixed in with tree shadowed images on the canal made me sit there a while and enjoy it. The flow of water was also a lot faster than I believed and sounded like it was out of one of those calming CDs. Now I know that if I have a place that I need to go to relax that I can use the canals as a escape.

Incoming Reflection

Initially, I had no idea on what to think about colloquium. From conversations with friends that had previously taken the class I was told to expect a lot of writing, but they never informed me on what we would be writing about. I was unaware that it was a nature focused class, but for me this was a bonus because I have had a strong connection to nature ever sense my childhood.

As a child I spent most of my time outside enjoying nature in all of its aspects. When I lived in North Carolina and Virginia, we lived in a neighborhood so the chances to go out exploring forests and the peaceful side of nature was limited. But I still remained outside most of the time playing catch, playing on a swing set, and all the other things kids do when they are young. I just had to use my imagination when my friends weren’t around, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

My real love of nature didn’t start until my family moved to the panhandle of Florida. We lived way out in the country side, 20 minutes from pretty much anything. So there were plenty of woods, forests, fields and swamps. Outside of the hottest time during the summer, my favorite place was outdoors. Between climbing trees, exploring the swamp in the backyard, and taking my dog out to the woods I couldn’t get enough of it. It really was something special. Just being able to feel free, let me imagination run wild and relaxing was the best feeling.

My only anxiety about this class is being able to translate my feelings into words. I know nature, and I know how great nature can be but putting it into the correct words will seemingly be the only problem. Hopefully I can better understand and communicate how much I enjoy nature through this course.