Geography: Observation Notes

NOTES FOR THE OBSERVATION REPORT

The main purpose of the field work in this course is for you to get outdoors and look around at nature and the elements of physical geography. It puts the readings and lectures into a real context; our class is too large for field trips, and class time is not budgeted for them, so the Observation Report is your own personal field study.

You should visit your observation site frequently during the semester: at least 6 times, and more often if possible. Go during a variety of weather conditions, and at different times of day. Field trips in the rain or snow are fine if you have adequate protective clothing, and they provide the opportunity to see natural conditions and land-shaping processes that might not occur during warm sunny weather. When the weather is very cold, make shorter visits; when it is warm and sunny, plan longer visits, and bring a picnic meal.

The area to be studied is to be selected by you, and can include park land, forest lands, meadows, streams and lakes and wetlands, farm lands, or even abandoned lands that are gradually returning to nature. It can include public lands, or private lands that you have permission to use, or campus property that is in woods and/or streambanks. The size of the observation area is limited by your ability to study it: in a large park, such as the Ramapo Reservation or Harriman Park, you should select a diverse

array of microsites within an area of not more than about one-half a square mile. In some cases you can arrange a linear series of observation plots that extend along a transect corridor of about a mile in length; this may allow for a greater variety of study plot environments. In other cases the site may be much smaller than that, although it should be larger (and more natural) than a typical suburban backyard. If your backyard does face into deciduous forest land, or includes streambanks and near-natural conditions, then you can do your observations there.

It is strongly recommended that you establish some study plots within your site, to help focus your overall observation process. A half-dozen plots distributed around your observation site can encompass a variety of micro-environments that may exist on your site: different vegetation types, landforms, aspects or slopes, riparian areas, and others. Over the course of the semester, you should return regularly to the plots; on them, gather

information about vegetation, soils, landforms, animals, and other natural features.

Carry a pencil and paper for note-taking - don'yt rely on your memory alone. A camera or a sketch pad is also recommended.

The appropriate U.S.G.S. quadrangle map may be useful, although the differences in scale between it and your study site will limit its usefulness. Therfore you should make your own map of your study site, and this map should be included in the final report. This map should identify the outlines of your site, the location of the major features that you describe in your report, and the location of your study plots. This map will not be judged on the basis of its cartographic skill, but rather on the basis of its content, and on the effort that it reflects. You must identify your study site

clearly, and locate it specifically; if it is not a well-known park or landmark, then identify the adjacent streets and/or streams.

You should observe the landforms, vegetation, soils, micro-climatic variations, wildlife (including birds, insects, mammals, and other creatures), human alterations, and whatever else seems to be significant about the site. You are welcome to use guides such as tree identification books to help you identify the major species on your site. You should bring a small garden trowel during one of your warm-season visits, so that you can dig some holes and check the soil at your plot locations (color, texture, etc). Look for the small and subtle things, such as fungi, mosses, cloud types, or which areas the snow melts first. Draw sketches or take photographs of particularly interesting features that you observe. You will probably be surprised at the amount of variation from one plot to another, for many of the features you examine, depending on its microsite.

Remember that I am especially interested in your observations (through your own eyes); feel free to speculate about the possible reasons for the things that you observe, even if you don't know whether or not the speculations are correct. Also remember that observation may involve more than just the visual sense; it also includes sounds, smells, textures, etc. You will not observe much if you are in a hurry; the key to success is to slow down and allow yourself the time to actively look around. The site may be very different at night than the place we are familiar with in daylight; it may be very different after a week of heavy rain from what it is like after a long dry spell.

Beware of the hazards of a day in the woods: poison ivy, ticks, and sunburn, for example. You are quite likely to encounter poison ivy in your study area, so you should know how to identify and avoid it. If you have doubts, wash thoroughly with brown soap

(such as Fels Naptha) when you get home. Likewise, protect yourself from tickbite by wearing long pants and socks; during higher-risk seasons (late spring and summer), you may want to spray repellent with DEET on clothing covering your ankles (not directly onto your skin.) Use bug spray only if it is really necessary. You may want to relax and take in some sun during warm weather, but protect yourself with a sunblock lotion.

The report is due at our last class meeting, to maximize the length of time available for your observation. Enjoy your field outings, and keep going out into nature with your eyes open, even after finishing this class!