I have read many definitions of what is a conservationist, and written not a few myself, but I suspect that the best one is written not with a pen, but with an axe. It is a matter of what a man thinks about while chopping, or while deciding what to chop. A conservationist is one who is humbly aware that with each stroke he is writing his signature on the face of his land.” —Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac
From harsh winter to hot summers, the transformation of Blunn Creek is endless. The beginnings of January brought gloomy weather and the plants were bare. With many of the leaves already brown from autumn most have either fallen or still hung from the branches. Although the cactus were turning brown but later realizing it was due to the lack of water had a complete transformation towards the end the end of April. With more rain and moisture coming into the area you really got to see the plants flourish. With more water comes a flow in the stream. When I first observed the preserve, the stream was very still. In the months of January and February, the weather was freezing. I was told it was one of the colder winters in Austin. The stream wasn’t moving at all and the preserve as a whole was very quiet. As the days got hotter you could hear the liveliness in the area. From the cars in the street to the animals in the preserve, the sound of spring was in the air. As I walked through counting birds in not only Blunn Creek but also Zilker Park, Pease Park, and McKinney Falls I realized that the population and factors surrounding the area had much to do with animal diversity. Many animals were attracted to the water finding most either on the trees on the water or near the water. The other interesting aspect I considered was the volume of sound in the area. All locations had a major source of sound. Usually major highways but in the case of Blunn Creek, it was enclosed by schools, neighborhoods, and highways. The creek ran in the middle of it all which you could tell by the trash accumulating in certain areas. The amount of people visiting the locations was also a big factor. During winter months, minimal amounts of people visited the parks while in spring months there were people passing through them on an hourly basis and multiple using the parks to their advantage. With so much change come a complete new scenery. In every month you saw more and more changes. Every visit to Blunn Creek I walked up to the overview and there were so many little changes that made it seem so big. The color was a big change. From browns to nothing and then a beautiful green made you really appreciate the beauty Blunn Creek has to offer.
