Journal Entry #1: 2/13 Fort Worth Nature Center

     
Journal Entry #1
2/13 Trip to Fort Worth Nature Center 

       Today marked the first day at the Fort Worth Nature Center and we got to see everything that we had discussed in the classroom come into fruition in real life. My favorite part of the whole day was getting to see all of the animals and wildlife they had on the premises, including the alligator. I honestly never thought I would get to say that I have held an alligator and so I found that really awesome. The bison and prairie dogs were also astonishing and I was shocked as to how close we could get to the bison. While I did find myself questioning the strength of the wire fence that was separating us, I found the experience so cool and was able to snap some good pictures. In addition to seeing the bison, we also got to feed the prairie dogs. We got to walk around and leave a pile of food outside each of the burrows (I will admit I found my self craving some sweet potatoes - one of the foods we left outside the burrows - for a few days after). Learning about how the nature center rescued prairie dogs that were being displaced by new developments was very insightful. I liked how they discussed the different methods of how they have tried to introduce prairie dogs in the past, and which methods work currently. It truly illustrates that they want what is best for the prairie dogs, as they want them to be safe, and also want them to have a comfortable time adapting to the new community. Some of the new burrows that they had dug out for the new prairie dogs were marked by flags in the ground so it would be easy to locate them in the future. The final experience of our day today at the nature center was beginning habitat restoration and working on clearing the fences. I could see how some of the buildup on the fences could make it hard for visitors to see through, thus illustrating the importance of the clean up. I definitely was scared to get in there in start working, but I feel like once I got the hang of how to use the tools and understood some of the strategies for pulling off of the fence, it started to get easier. That is, at least, until my hands and legs started to go numb from the cold temperatures.

Bison!

Prairie dog peeking out of burrow 

Caroline holding Dog (the alligator)

    Overall, I think the day was both similar and different from what I was expecting going into it. I had been looking forward to going to the nature center since starting the class as I was curious to see what the wilderness in Fort Worth had to offer. Being from a state where outdoor exploration is more normalized, I was looking forward to getting a glimpse of that here in Texas. The nature center was a lot larger than I had originally anticipated and I was not expecting so much open land. I also knew that there would be wildlife, but I was not anticipating being able to get as close as we did. I am looking forward to future endeavors at the nature center, getting to see more of what the land has to offer, and officially mastering my habitat restoration tool using skills. Hopefully the next adventure is not as cold!








Comments

  1. williams.dan76March 5, 2025 at 2:25 PM

    Thanks, Ashlyn, for reflecting on our first visit to the Nature Center. I was grateful that it was such a good start, and I am grateful we got up close to the bison and prairie dogs. This was the first time I've seen the prairie dogs since the previous population disappeared around 2012. but the bison are such magnificent, powerful creatures. Seeing them up close made the 19th century's bison all the more powerful slaughter. At one time the bison in North American numbers in the millions, but by the end of the century there were only a few small herds left. Funny, I never worried about the wire fence. I am grateful for your help cutting back the fences.

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