Journal #9 Final Observations

 December 3rd 2014
3 PM 39 Degrees Fahrenheit
Marsh Island

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These are a bunch of pictures from my spot looking out from marker 21. Day one to today was a difference of about two months. The first picture is from September 28, and then today, December 3. The most obvious change is the color of everything. At first the pictures are dominated by bright greens and yellows. Today the appearance is very blue, but in reality it's more of a change to white. The trees are pretty bare compared to how they were at the end of summer. Also, the lily pads are gone! It's pretty cool to be a witness to the changing of seasons, and get to see nature react to the coming of winter. At first I could barely see the water because the surface was covered in lily pads, but today I can clearly see the bottom.

Throughout this quarter, my perception has changed immensely. At the beginning I would just take some pictures and walk around, not really “seeing” nature, just looking at it. It took me a few weeks visiting Marsh Island to truly use all of my senses to effectively listen for birds, identify some plants, and realize that it is a living, breathing ecosystem. Every time a new topic was assigned, I felt like I knew the habitat that much better after finding more organisms. I think it was mushroom week when I was hit with a feeling of ignorance because I never noticed all the fungi and lichens that was all around me before that day. Today, being at my site, I am more knowledgeable than most people who take a walk on the trail, and that is a good feeling. When I see birds on the water, I now expect them to be there, and when I walk through Marsh Island I anticipate what plant is around the corner which is kind of nerdy, but it means that I have a much better perception than my first day.

I honestly learned more about the Puget Sound Region in the past ten weeks than I have learned in my whole life. It isn’t because no one told me about it, or that I didn’t watch a video about it; it is because I got to experience it for myself, and it makes my memories much more powerful. I am so fortunate that I got to go on field trips to Mt. Rainier, Yakima Canyon, Union Bay, Ravenna Park, Marsh Island, and everywhere else we went. The diversity in the Puget Sound is incredible, and you have to see it with your own eyes to take it all in. I’m the type of learner who needs to have practical experience, and this class has really helped my gain nature skills to be outside and know what I am looking at. Today I see the Puget Sound as a region with diverse climates, animals, and ecosystems. I think of the mountains which are so different than the wetlands, which are so different than the forests, and so on. Before I kind of lumped everything together, and today I recognize the complexity of this place we call home.

Knowing a place intimately takes a lot of time. I probably visited my site ten times for a couple of hours each time, and I still don’t know the name of every plant I see. I feel like I know Marsh Island pretty closely, but there is still opportunity for more growth. To me, intimately knowing a natural place means that you understand where it has been in the past, you know most of the organisms that live within the ecosystem, and you have concern for the well-being of its future. This project is a very effective way to become familiar with a natural place because week by week, you make new discoveries and grow a stronger connection to the habitat. Knowing my natural spot is a lot different than knowing the whole Puget Sound Region, and I’m sure I know less about the latter. Even though this may be true, I have developed a real appreciation for the Puget Sound Region due in large part to the field trips. You start to appreciate that nature is beautiful all on its own, and people have nothing to offer it. If anything we only gain things from nature; its resources and knowledge about it, and inspiration.