Field Study #4

 Date: 10/25/26

Time: 5:41pm - 5:56pm 

Weather: Sunny with a high wind of 9 mph

Temperature: Currently 68° F -- Low 46°F -- High 70°F 

Length of the day: 8:09am - 6:46pm -- Total hours of the day: 10 hours 36 minutes  

Organisms seen: A total of 5 people walking & 2 bikers along the trail, lots of mosquitoes everywhere, piles of leaves all over path & riverbank with a variety of colors, a spider web on information sign along the trail, birds nest on top of a tall tree, and a bracket fungus mushroom growing on a fallen tree in the forest  

Leaves along path & riverbank:

Spider web:

Birds nest:

Mushroom:

Organisms heard: An abundant amount of cars driving down the road (11 in total!), woodpeckers in the distance of the forest, occasionally a few ducks and birds, and like the previous visits; tree crickets & katydids   

Changes since last visit 10/11/26: There was a larger variety of leaf colors since we are in the midst of fall & abundant of more leaves on the ground and beginning the process of decomposing.  Along with the change in season there were a lot of leaves in the river and alongside it, almost "clogging" the water flow. Since there are a lot less leaves on the ground I was able to see a field beyond the river where a month ago was covered by leaves from the trees. 

10/25/26

10/11/26

Field 

Observations: There were still and abundant amount of mosquitoes even though I went at a different time of the day from last visit. Do more mosquitoes come out in the fall or could it just be because there is a dense forest? Another though that I had was that mosquitoes usually come out and dusk, due to the change in season I went to record data an hour before sunset. Could that also be a reason of why so many mosquitoes where out?  

Connection to awe & stewardship: Throughout the previous four field studies I am in awe of the beauty and ability to change seasons. God created a world so intricate that even the trees prepare for winter by losing its leaves. The leaves did not have to change color but that is what creates beauty in nature & what most people love about fall. Being in awe of creation makes me want to be a good steward as well. I have noticed the the water levels and clarity have not been what I expected. I would hope that by being good stewards & by treating the levels of phosphorus in the water we can control & ultimately create a better environment.  

General 30X30 plot panorama: 

Picture facing the river: 

Picture facing the forest:

Original Reaserch:

Economics/ Cost analysis - value of easily accessible natural areas outdoors and the importance of protecting natural areas to the state of Michigan and to me personally. 

Presentation:

Importance of Accessible Natural Areas

Field Study #3

Date: 10/11/26

Time: 10:39am - 10:51am 

Weather: Sunny with a high wind of 8 mph

Temperature: Currently 62° F --Low 53°F -- High 73°F 

Length of the day: 7:52am - 7:07pm -- Total hours of the day: 11 hours 15 minutes  

Organisms seen: Another possible ground burrow of a small mammal (either a squirrel, skunk, or raccoon), large branch barely hanging on to a tree, faint outline of a spider web in the forest, lots of leaves fallen along the path from the changing of the season, and tons of mosquitoes everywhere!

Ground Burrow:

Large Branch: 

Spider Web:

Leaves along path:

Organisms heard: Large amounts of tree crickets and katydids, lots of leaves falling from trees, occasionally some birds chirping, and two cars driving down the road

Changes since last visit 09/26/26: There was quite a lot of more leaves on the ground and different leave colors on the trees since we have begun to enter fall. Along with the change of seasons there was a decrease in organisms seen and heard from last visit. Additionally there was a slight decrease in the water levels leading to some sand bars in the river. 

Observations: Since I went at a different time of day to collect data I wonder if that could also be a cause of less organisms since it was still morning. Could that also be a cause of way more mosquitoes? 

General 30X30 plot panorama:

Picture facing the river:

Picture facing the forest:

 

 

 

 

Intro video to my 30X30 field study location:

 

Sketches:

 Sketch #1:

Sycamore leaf observed in field study #1 

Sketch #2 

Wild blackberry vine observed in field study #2 

Field Study #2

 Date: 09/26/26

Time: 5:11pm - 5:23pm

Weather: Sunny with a high wind of 4 mph

Temperature: Currently 70° F -- Low: 41° F -- High: 71° F 

Length of the day: 7:35am - 7:34pm -- Total hours of the day: 11 hours 59minutes  

Organisms seen: Lost of mosquitoes flying around the area, two people walking along the path and one dog, along with two black squirrels one in a tree and the other on the path, American pokeweed plant, most likely a wild blackberry vine, decay of leaves along the path from being stepped on, and possibly a small ground burrow of a small mammal 

Black Squirrel:

American pokeweed plant:

Blackberry vine:

Decay of leaves:

Ground burrow:

  

Organisms heard: Lots of tree crickets and katydids, squirrels, cars, tractor, and possibly minnows and little fish. 

Changes since last visit 09/05/26: The river has more of an edge to it along with lower levels of water. Relating to the lower levels the water also appears to be clearer. A slight decline of greenery was also observed since the last visit. 

Observations: After learning about the high levels of phosphorus in the soil that runs off into rivers and streams which eventually leads to lakes it makes sense why the river was so high and murky looking the last visit since it rained. 

General 30X30 plot panorama:  

Picture facing the river:

Picture facing the forest:

Original Research:

 Economics/ Cost analysis - value of easily accessible natural areas outdoors and the importance of protecting natural areas to the state of Michigan and to me personally. 

“Associations between Nature Exposure and Health: A Review of the Evidence.” PMC, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8125471/

The article reviews the research behind exposure to nature, revealing generally positive physical and mental health outcomes. The evidence suggests that nature exposure may reduce stress, improve mental well being, lower blood pressure and anxiety along with depressive mood, encourage physical activity and improve sleep. However, the authors emphasize that much of the existing data linking nature to reduced levels of cardiovascular disease and increased physical activity, include inconsistent measures of exposure to nature. Overall, the review concludes that nature appears to play an important role in promoting health and well-being.

“Spending at least 120 minutes a week in nature is associated with good health and wellbeing | Scientific Reports.”

Nature, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-44097-3

    The article explains how there is growing evidence of a positive association between exposure to natural environments and good health and well-being. The authors analyzed research surveying data from nearly 20,000 adults in England. The researchers found that people who spent at least 120 minutes per week in natural environments were significantly more likely to report better health and mental rates.