We are also the environment

I have lots of great conversations with students. In many teacher trainings they talk about these small moments with students and how they add up to a greater relationship. However, what I find to be more interesting is when you can literally hear the gears in their heads turning. When you have said something that makes them make a connection. I had one of those moments last week when a student asked if we should be writing about “how this affects people or the environment.” I responded “Well we are also the environment.”

I wish I could take credit for coining this phrase but I can’t. Its been making the rounds on the internet and Its been rephrased so many times that I don’t know where it came from originally. However, it has me thinking about our relationship with the other species that we interact with around us. No species exists alone, and even the most solitary requires something from someone. So what are we giving, and receiving to those around us?

Female hummingbird, photo by me 2023

The hummingbird comes to my yard and visits my flowers. She is a regular on our block and buzzes from house to house checking her regular haunts. I have a purple trumpet honeysuckle that I planted last year which she loves. As the heat thickened and the summer drags on, the purple bush stopped putting out flowers. I noticed that the humming bird would still come each day, just to check. This is when I decided to put out a feeder, for the end of season.

Within one morning she had found the feeder and began visiting more regularly. With more food came some more competition. A male arrived, his little patch of pink sticking out under his beak. She was not so keen to share and a dispute ensued. As the two fought, a third competitor approached. A second female snuck in to grab a snack while the two chased each other through the tree above. I found myself wondering what drama I had created with this massive addition of resources.

Male ruby throated hummingbird, photo by me 2023

Our most charismatic roommate here in the household is the female squirrel that lives in our oak tree. She has had two generations of children here. Though I can not be certain that she is the same female year to year, I feel that her personality is so distinct I must be able to tell her apart from others. She sits on the low hanging branch and entices my dog Mila to come outside and bark. Her chattering almost a beacon. Mila will hear her from any room in the house and come running outside. I don’t feed this squirrel intentionally but she eats about 20% of my produce from my garden annually. I grew several sunflowers and only one managed to have a decent crop of seeds. One day I came home from work with to a text from my neighbor. It was a grainy photo of the squirrel carrying the whole head of the sunflower back to her nest.

baby squirrels from last year. Photo by me.

The creek in your backyard

One time when I was around 12 I went to the ditch at the end of my street and climbed inside. I walked as far as I could in one direction. At one point I reached a tunnel that seemed to have no end. I could hear water flowing through, it echoed against the walls. There was a slight breeze coming from the inside, it smelled like mold or something dead. Walking below the neighborhood in that ditch was an exciting experience. It felt like I was a submarine captain piloting a ship in between houses, unsuspecting of their residents. At eye level with the foundation of their house I felt secret. I came back to that ditch many times, even though my parents were not fond of me frequenting it. My neighborhood ditch was different from the one you see above. It was completely cement with no plants, no fish or animals to be seen. You can imagine my surprise the first time I found this neighborhood ditch, realizing it was teeming with life.

The place you see in the photo was created out of necessity, but it was created with a lot of foresight. City planners know that drainage ditches must be built in neighborhood developments. However, they often look like the one in the neighborhood I grew up in. Why then, would someone go to the effort of constructing an almost completely natural creek bed? I did some internet searching and found out that there is a teeny tiny clause in the Austin building code that requires all drainage surfaces to be no greater than 45% impervious. This means that water has to be able to seep into the ground, no questions asked. Why on earth would this be important, why am I dedicating a whole blog post to this? This little line in the building code means that nature now has a tiny oasis in an otherwise harsh landscape that is suburbia. There is water in this creek almost all year round. There are fish, frogs, a plethora of other animals that call this place home. This is a space for them in a place we have created for us.

I regularly walk my dog down this road and she will often stop at the creek for a drink or hop in to cool off. For the past few weeks there has been a huge bull frog that sits on the ledge near the bridge. It will “bloop” into the water when we get just close enough for a glimpse. In the early morning you can see the barn swallows diving in to drink water. In the late evening the bats dive in and out of the treeline just above the water to catch bugs. After the week of rain the grass has been plowed over by the water, revealing all manner of creatures. If I were to name a specific goal for this blog it would be to show the average person that there is so much going on right under their nose. Right behind your house there is massive natural beauty and diversity that can be cultivated with a tiny bit of effort. This drainage ditch and the policy that created it, is an example of just that.

Photos taken by me
link to the Austin watershed city code http://austintexas.gov/sites/default/files/files/Planning/Rules/backup13_18.pdf
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The Zebra Mussels are Here...

To tell the story of zebra mussels in Texas is to tell the story of invasive species all over the world. Before recreational boating was affordable and common, species had to be transported across the ocean in shipping vessels. These species usually only took up residence in areas that had international ports. The idea that an unwanted species could take root in a new place was relatively unknown. This was especially hard to understand because botanists were trying to grow various desirable species for agriculture and having a really hard time of it. It is often the small overlooked species that end up doing the most damage.

Native to Southern Russia and Ukraine, the zebra mussel is perhaps the most well known invasive species in the United States. It has just this past year entered into Central Texas waterways and is making its way south towards our most beloved Barton Springs. After its emergence in Lake Travis in 2017, the population has exploded lining the shore of the lake and increasing visibility in the water. Texas Parks and wildlife is scrambling to get the word out to boaters to be extremely careful about drying and draining boats (including kayaks) before they move between waterways.

Humans are exceptionally good at making species go extinct, you could say it is one of our most practiced skills.  It should be pretty easy for us to control these invaders, but we have yet to come up with any really effective ideas.  Some progress has been made on the invasive Lionfish by beginning to serve them in local Florida restaurants. Unfortunately, zebra mussels are very small and they are not recommended for eating.  In their native habitat these mussels have around 70 local species of predators ranging from birds to crustaceans. Here in the United States, scientists have observed only a handful of organisms willing to eat the mussels, none have yet to prove they can control the population.

It feels as if we are on the very edge of a population explosion. We don’t yet know the extent of devastation the zebra mussels could have on the delicate Barton Springs habitat.  We do know that it will not be good for any organisms involved. Imagine the edges of Barton pool lined with mussels, pushing out native species. The floor of Barton creek full of dead and decaying plant matter, suffering from lack of nutrients.  It is a fate that is nearly imminent, we can only do our best to hold it off for now.

Sources for this post

When they arrived to Texas https://www.kxan.com/news/local/travis-county/explosion-in-zebra-mussel-population-worries-lake-travis-divers/1163637643

Lionfish tacos: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/food-restaurants/recipes/87505711-132.html

Local predators: https://wwx.inhs.illinois.edu/resources/inhsreports/nov-dec98/aidebar/

Stephenson Nature Preserve

Located in South Austin, one side of the preserve borders William Cannon just east of Brodie. If you are attempting to enter from William Cannon you will rapidly find out that there is no easy way to get into the nature preserve. The main entrance is inside Longview Neighborhood Park (to the south of William Cannon) and therefore that side of the preserve gets considerably more traffic.

If you enter the preserve through the north side (as I did) you might possibly be the only person there. There is a lot of obvious animal activity in the area. A woodpecker made an appearance and two humming birds rushed by in a hurry. Cardinals were most present on my visit and each turn I took in the woods there seemed to be one fluttering by to get a look at me. There is evidence of deer in the area, and it is not uncommon for one to be seen either in the preserve or dead on the road. The meadows have appeared to recover from motorcycle traffic but it is obvious that there was some recent flooding.

Previously the preserve was open to both mountain biking and motorcycling which caused excessive erosion of the trails. Makeshift jumps were created in the meadows and at one time all resemblance of grass and wildflowers were nowhere to be seen. Currently the preserve is closed to all wheeled traffic and has since recovered remarkably in just a couple of years. Your opinion on the preserve however, may be determined by which side of it you live on.

Residents on the south side have easy access to the trails, all of which seem to be well managed. This side is also home to some local artists who have decorated the trails with metal and wood sculptures. Residents in this neighborhood undertook a daunting task this year of protecting the preserve from re-zoning. Code-Next is underway in the city of Austin and the preserve was due to be rezoned as PUD (planned unit development) instead of a city park. This means that there was a teeny tiny loophole that some administration in the future could build public housing, a school or recreation area on the land. It would have been up to the residents to constantly be vigilant to fight any future developments. Luckily they won their battle and it will be re-zoned as a park instead.

If you live on the north side of the preserve your view is starkly different. The very busy William Cannon has no crosswalks. Residents who live on the opposite side of the street must walk a huge distance to the nearest light to safely cross, or jaywalk over 4 lanes of rush hour traffic. Once you make it to the other side, you may be greeted with turned over shopping carts, trash, and overgrown grass. There is no sign to let you know that the land is open to the public, and no trail markers for entry. The easiest entrance is at the front of Jubilee church, but it is not visible from the street.

The land just adjacent to the Jubilee church on William Cannon is due to be sold.   After contacting the realtor, the land is about 9 acres and is going for around 2.5 million dollars. It is still on the market but there are a few interested buyers. At the moment she did not know what the planned development will be but that it would be "low intensity" due to its location near the park. Part of me is excited that if housing is built, more residents on the north side will see the value of the land and use it. Part of me is skeptical that more residents is really what a preserve needs. The future designation of a park instead of a nature preserve means that (hopefully) more funds will be available for maintenance and repair. 

Whichever side you choose to enter the preserve you will find a relaxing and enjoyable hike. Many thanks to the neighbors who helped keep this preserve protected. As development moves forward on the north side of the preserve lets hope that park use will be one of the major factors in its design. 

Sources for this post

Neely, Christopher "The fate of Stephenson Nature Preserve", 2017, Community Impact, https://bit.ly/2JIgrAK : Accessed Jun 16 2018
Funari, Keely "Stephenson Nature Preserve is here to stay", 2017, Medium, https://bit.ly/2lbMA53 : Accessed Jun 15 2018
Austin Explorer, trail guide, https://bit.ly/2yeAtNO
Code Next, https://www.austintexas.gov/codenext