A Sense of Place - Naturalist Notes

The sun is just breaking over the sugar bush canopy as I head west along the Stream Trail. It’s the last day of August. As I make the walk that I have traversed hundreds of times it strikes me that this place, which was so new to me almost three years ago, is now familiar. What was once just about a pretty stream and trail landscape is now a place I see through the history of guiding school-aged children. This landscape abounds with our stories, the product of years spent engaging students in learning science, social studies, critical thinking, and social-emotional skills. The Land on which I walk speaks. What might the Land be saying?

I think the Land continues to say, “I am you. Protect Us.”

We protect our water and the Land here in many ways. First and foremost, we give thanks and gratitude to the Land. We have created and continue to maintain native, thriving habitats for a diverse array of living things to survive. Alligator flag, for example, is a common aquatic plant that filters the water and gives shelter to smaller fish and other aquatic wildlife. We acknowledge the need to protect our waterways from phosphates commonly found in detergents and herbicides. We limit our use of these products when and wherever possible. The Sugar maple trees that were planted many, many years ago are not just kept healthy for the annual maple syrup season, but on any given day moss could be spotted at the base of a tree (hundreds of species could live and die in that small area), woodpeckers zipping to different tree trunks searching for bugs in its bark or even a wasp nest built high in its canopy.

Twice a year, we have a volunteer cleanup event to promote education, conservation and stewardship of the Land. In April 2021, one group of volunteers tackled trash clean-up and log debris in the stream. If you are interested in stream clean-up, a day is scheduled on Saturday, October 9.

The water we protect is part of a watershed. A watershed is an area of land from which rainfall and snowmelt drains into streams, tributaries, lakes, reservoirs, or other bodies of water to a common outlet. Our stream runs along the west and north side of the property and is considered the headwaters to the Rouge River, so we are a part of the Rouge River Watershed. A watershed is more than just a geological feature. It is a hydrologic system linking all living things within its boundaries. Not only does all plant and animal life depend on water within each watershed, but also the watercourses are conduits that transport water, organisms, nutrients, and other materials within the system. 

Systems work together to create what is known as homeostasis, or a state of balance. On Earth, these systems are the atmosphere, biosphere, cryosphere, geosphere, and hydrosphere.  Winona LaDuke, internationally renowned activist working on issues of sustain development, renewable energy, water rights, and food systems says it best: “We must keep these waters for wild rice, these trees for maple syrup, our lakes for fish, and our land and aquifers for all of our relatives - whether they have fins, roots, wings, or paws.” 

And we will continue to protect and maintain the Land for the generations to come.

Submitted by Cass Arsenault, Lead Naturalist, and Brian Klosterman, August 2021