When The Creek Runs Out of Water

      We are nature; we can change nature and it can change us.  This is the main thing I've learned from this project.  Doing these observations has really opened my eyes to how disrespectful humans are to our environment, and I think that needs to change. We can only continue with this behavior for so long because eventually the earth will stop being so generous, and what will we do then?  Also, how long will it be until we run out of resources; 25 years or 250?  Just observing this little creek has caused me to want to answer these questions for myself, and that's exactly what I plan to do.  It is entirely possible that the habitat around this creek can be destroyed in the near future, leaving all these animals without a home. 

      Without us realizing it, we are running out of natural resources.  We are destroying the things that keep us alive like forests, for example.  Pretty much every person knows that we need plants and trees to produce oxygen, yet they keep on cutting down trees and forests without replacing these things that we need to live.  We are slowly killing ourselves.  Research shows that some of the elements that we depend on most may not be available in as little as 25 years.  The fact that we are running out of places to find these natural elements is slowly becoming more evident, and there aren't many alternatives (Nuwer).  Although the depletion of our natural elements may not exactly be relevant to my observations, it is relevant to the new view I have on the treatment of our Earth and what we need to do in order to preserve it.  Just this information shows how we don't have a lot of time before we will be forced to make a change to how we live.
      In the past few years, I've noticed that we have not had good winters at all, and that leads to the reduction of the amount of water in things like lakes, ponds, rivers, and creeks.  I've never figured out where the creek leads to because I only am able to see a short piece of it, but I know where the water it contains comes from, and that is the precipitation we get (mostly in the winter).  Another year of not having much precipitation can really hurt this creek and the animals living there.  The NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) says that Global Warming is the main reason why temperatures are rising and the severity of droughts is getting worse.  In the Summer of 2012, more than 80% of the country saw abnormally dry or drought conditions.  This not only drives prices of almost everything up, but more importantly it drives water levels down and can cause panic.  Obviously the creek that I've been observing is not a major water source, but it is being affected by changing environmental conditions. 
     Maybe it seems impossible to draw all these conclusions from simply observing this creek, but I've actually learned a lot from this little hidden place that doesn't even have a name.  So maybe this can change someone's mindset on how we treat our planet, and maybe it won't, but my point of view has been changed and I will definitely be more conscious about how I treat nature and this planet from now on.    

Works Cited
National Resources Defense Council.  "Extreme Weather: Impact of Climate Change".  National
      Resources Defense Council.  15 Jan. 2014.  Web.
Nuwer, Rachel.  "What is the World's Scarcest Material?".  BBC Future.  18 Mar. 2014.  Web.

      

U.C.T.'s: Unidentified Creek Trees

      The title of this post should explain how much luck I've had with trying to identify the trees by the creek.  I wouldn't exactly say that I'm an expert with identifying trees, and many of the trees look so similar that it is hard to tell what kind they are.  Although I have not identified the trees, I have noticed that there are several types of birds that fly from branch to branch, ranging from big crows to small finches, and I've even seen some Starlings, which look like miniature versions of the crows. 
     
      I took this picture when I was first starting my observations, and obviously this was before all the leaves fell off of the trees, and that may be a good thing because the trees are much easier to identify with the leaves on them.  The tree on the left hand side of the picture is what I believe to be a Pinon Pine through some research.  These trees produce nuts that are edible, and birds usually consume them.  This would explain why there are always many birds around this tree.  I have also noticed that the Crows tend to fly up to the very top of this tree and just hang out. 
     This creek is undoubtedly the most beautiful in the winter after it had just snowed.  With winter coming, I am just waiting for it to snow so I can take a picture of it.  The snow covers the path making completely white, and the water flows calmly between the two strips of snow.  The trees all become dusted with snow and it looks like something from a postcard.  Sometimes there are still ducks swimming in the water, even though it's absolutely freezing outside. Maybe the ducks enjoy the scenery as much as I do. 


Works Cited
Skelly, JoAnne.  "Selected Native Trees of Northern Nevada".  University of Nevada Cooperative
      Extension, n.d.  Web.  1 Dec. 2014.

Sanctuary

     You know how people tend to hang out in the same spot every day?  Well ducks tend to do this too.  Every time I walk down the creek doing my observations I see group of ducks sitting in the same exact spot.  Every single time.  It's fascinating how they never go anywhere else; it's like this place where they go is somewhere that they can feel safe.  I actually learned that these ducks, which are called Mallards, tend to live in small ponds or creeks, so this creek is the perfect habitat for them.  I also found that these ducks live in Nevada year-round, therefore they never move anywhere else.  Knowing that fact, I can infer that most of these ducks have only lived around this creek, and they've probably never known life in any other habitat.  This give a sort of explanation for why they always seem to be doing the same things in the same place.

      This picture is almost identical to one that I took before, and that shows how these ducks prefer to be in this spot over anywhere else on this mile-long path. In the summer, this spot might be preferable to them due to the abundance of shade, but in the fall and winter, it seems like they might want to lay in the sun where it is much warmer. 

"That tree they always sit under must be some sort of sanctuary for them." - My Field Notes 11/7/14.


Works Cited

Owen Dick, Gary.  "Mallard".  Field Guide to Birds of North America.  Mitch Waite Group,  n.d. 

        Web.  1 Dec. 2014. 

We Are Nature

     It's amazing to me how humans disrespect nature.  I think we tend to forget that we are nature too, so we shouldn't disrespect the beautiful things that nature has to offer.  It's truly amazing how little effort it actually takes to keep our earth clean and make it a better place, yet people still litter and disrespect the environment that provides everything they need to survive.

     I was walking down the path with my dog the other day when I saw the most bizarre and horrible thing: two guys were hunting ducks, right on this walking path occupied with other people.  At the time, I was the only one who saw it, but it just didn't seem right.  I understand that some people enjoy hunting, and I have absolutely no problem with that, but it just doesn't seem right to be hunting ducks in a residential area like my neighborhood.  

     I interpreted the actions of these guys killing the ducks as an intrusion of their sanctuary.  The ducks that live in my neighborhood at this creek have never had to worry about people killing them, so why should it be okay for these guys to show up and change that?  

     Maybe it seems like I'm overreacting about what I saw, but how would you feel if someone came into your home, a place where you thought you were safe, and hurt you or your family?

One White Duck

     It's amazing, the things you notice when you actually look.  I've lived by this creek for my entire life and I've noticed more in the past week than I ever have.  The way all the trees blend together along the sides of the creek look like its a gateway to the unknown. Thinking about this creek really makes me wonder how long it has been here, and I want to research it, but I don't think I'd find much considering that this creek doesn't even have a name that I know of.

      As I walked one day, I decided to stop and look closely into the water.  I never realized how complex this little, seemingly insignificant, creek actually is.  The way every element in this creek works together makes me think of how this little creek is essentially an ecosystem, and if any element of it was taken out, every other piece of this little puzzle would fall apart.  The minnows feed on the moss growing on rocks, but when I walk up and my shadow is cast over them, they scatter like hundreds of beads rolling across the floor.  It's almost impossible to take a picture of them because I can't get close enough to take it before they dart away in all directions.   

      Sometimes as I walk I see things that don't quite fit in.  It's sad to see trash littering the creek; bottles floating downstream, tricking ducks into thinking they're food.  The worst thing to see is shopping carts that people dump in and around the creek.  I even got a picture of one. 

      The Ducks of the creek are surely not scared of humans.  If anything, humans might be scared of them.  They are so used to humans that they don't even acknowledge them.  Seeing these groups of ducks brings back memories of when I was a child, and my sister, my mom, and I would walk down to the creek and feed the ducks our expired bread.  Maybe we contributed to the ducks' fearless behavior toward humans.  I was trying to walk back home, but a group of ducks was in my way, forcing me to walk around them. 

      All of the ducks in the creek are dark colors. The males are dark with green heads and the females are different shades of brown.  The strange thing is that there is one single white duck, which I have seen in past years and it's very strange to me.  I wonder if this could be the same duck, or maybe one of its children.  Also, if this is the same duck, how long do ducks live and how could there only be one white duck out of the hundreds of darker colored ducks in this creek? I did a little research to find the answer to my question.  I found that the darker, more populous ducks are called Mallards and these are very common in small ponds and creeks, like the one by my house.  Sadly, I was not able to identify the type of bird that the white one is, but I'll keep trying.  

 

Works Cited

Owen Dick, Gary.  "Mallard".  Field Guide to Birds of North America.  Mitch Waite Group,  n.d. 

        Web.  1 Dec. 2014. 

     

The Creek

      For this project I have been observing a creek that runs along a walking path near my house.  There is an abundant amount of wildlife in this area; although, these creatures are taken for granted by almost everyone, myself included.  I have decided to observe this area because it seems to me that I may have the opportunity to learn a lot about a place that is so close to my house, yet I've never truly appreciated it.  There is a possibility that this will be the most boring thing that I could have chosen to observe, but there is also the potential that this place will help me understand and appreciate the gift of nature on a deeper level. 

       So far, nothing too great has happened during my observations, but I have been able to notice a little bit more about my surroundings.  The other day while I was walking down the path, I realized that the ducks, fish, frogs, crawdads, and other animals all have to share the same resources and living environment.  To me, it almost seems like they all live in one big home and they just have to coexist peacefully.  This idea really made me think about how important it is to tolerate and understand others, even when it isn't the easiest thing to do.  These animals don't care that people are stomping all around their house, so why can't humans take a lesson from these animals and simply learn how to tolerate those who are different than them?