Fin

Thus the end of an inspiring experience.

January 13, 2010 was the first Introductory to Fieldcraft class and I had no idea what to expect. The course listing had described using a field guide and journal to catalog different bird sitings and as well as learning about the region in which I was currently living in. Still, I was a bit unsure for what this class had in store for me, I knew it would be a relatively small group of students and that it would be an honors course. I had chosen to take this course because not only did it seem like it would be fun, I love being outdoors and studying the environment and its creatures. Luckily I knew I would know at least one person in the class, my suite mate Melanie. Overall I figured that I would both enjoy and benefit from this class.

It was the first day of class and I could already tell that our professor was someone special, a lot of students seemed to already know her and many confessed to taking the course solely because she was teaching it; a good sign I thought. We went outside after introductions and began looking for birds. Easy enough stuff I thought, most of these birds I knew from back home; apparently this was not the case for others though. It took me a while to realize that it appeared that I knew these birds better than many others in the class, perhaps that was because I readily spoke out or that others merely did not know; I am still unsure. However, I am one to retain information (especially regarding wildlife) and therefore I thirst for knowledge on anything and everything concerning animals, that is the way I have always been. These attributes are what helped me to already have previous knowledge of the birds that we saw. I was not trying to be a smartalic or show off, I was truly excited that I knew the answers to Dr. Tomlinson's questions.

During the first couple of classes we focused on the basics of a field journal, maps, insight, sketching, etc. The way in which Dr. T had us perceive a map was drastically different from any other way I'd ever imagined before. A map was more than purely a piece of paper that directed someone from one place to another, a map could tell a story, could demonstrate the passage of time, or the impact that one makes on the world. Reading The Mappist helped me to better understand these perceptions of maps and how they can catalog pretty much anything. Dr. T also taught us about giving insight in our journals, telling how we are feeling at the moment, what are senses are telling us and so on. I enjoy that kind of writing because it is very detailed and personal. As far as learning how to draw goes, ya right! Maybe can do a sketch every once in a while but it is not me. For some reason I have the hardest time converting what I see and how I picture it in my head to manually applying it to paper. It is almost pathetic how poorly of a drawer I am, but oh well, that's just something to cross off my list of things I want to do in life...become an artist; I'll pass, thanks. This is not in anyway to condemn Dr. T's teaching abilities, drawing is just not my forte. I did enjoy however attempting to sketch "Bird" the ever changing Styrofoam model.

We then began going to the Lubbock Lake Landmark, a historic site that is deceiving by name. In my opinion, they use that name because they hope that it will one day come true-there will be a lake in Lubbock. Two words: keep. dreaming. While at the Landmark we began learning about the North American Prairie and the plains biome in which Lubbock is situated. Through these lectures I was able to understand why this region is so dry, why trees are so scarce, and why it is an important ecosystem. Personally, the prairie is not my favorite ecosystem; I, like many others, prefer trees to grass and large mammals to small mammals. It is difficult to explain why this is so. Is it because green represents life, or that to live in such an open area is unnerving? I'm not quite sure. However, these lectures enabled me to gain more knowledge about the prairie ecosystem and more respect for it, but I still do not view this region as one of my favorites.

Along with the prairie we also learned about the bodies of water that are a part of this biome. The Yellowhouse Draw is a key component of this ecosystem and the L^3 is located in it. In the 1930s the Draw had numerous springs but when irrigation became terribly popular, the springs began to dry out. The Clovis Point was discovered in the 1930s as well. This arrowhead is extremely important because it is evidence that people lived in this region over the last 5 periods or for the past 12,000 years. That's another reason why the Landmark is important, it is a major archaeological site. The Landmark's mission is to make the land they own as it once used to be before white settlement without disturbing the archaeological sites. It takes true dedication and perseverance to be a member of the L^3 team but they make it seem effortless. With the use of prescribed burning and ridding the land of non-native vegetation, they are slowly allowing the land to become what it once was hundreds of years ago and to reach its full potential.

Weather was another topic that we covered in class and oh what a joy our weather was this past winter! There were very few times in our class that the weather was actually enjoyable; it has only been in these past couple of classes that we have not been freezing to death or been brutally assaulted by the wind. Learning about the weather in West Texas was helpful because now I can predict whether or not straightening my hair would be wise.

Preparing for and actually attending the Lesser Prairie Chicken Festival was quite an experience. As far as preparation goes, getting a tour at the Texas Tech Museum in the Natural Science Research Lab was quite a treat. I truly enjoyed seeing all of the birds and learning about the preservation efforts exerted at the lab. The actual Festival was much more interesting than I had anticipated. All of the movements and calls that the male chickens preformed amazed and astounded me; they are quite a dedicated bunch of birds.

The past few class periods we have been studying and classifying wildflowers at the Landmark. It has been a lot of fun because not only has the weather been relatively nice, the flowers have been beautiful and in full bloom.

I would have to say that the Introductory to Fieldcraft course has been a very enlightening experience for me. In this class I have learned about multiple species of birds and wildflowers and how to identify and classify them. I have also become much more appreciative and aware of the prairie ecosystem and its necessity in the world. Dr. Tomlinson was the perfect professor for this course because she is so knowledgeable and passionate about all that we have learned this year. I would highly recommend this course to anyone passionate about the prairie and birds, especially if Dr. T is teaching it.