Ecology Slides

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Rationale of Choosing the Blue Heron Nature Preserve

For my project, my study area will be the Blue Heron Nature Preserve in north Atlanta, Georgia. The nature preserve includes the 3-mile Blueway Trail within 30 acres of the nature preserve; the preserve is made up of meadows, woodlands, wetlands and riparian. They have over 28 plant species and over 35 animal species, so I think it gives a lot of opportunities for investigating and documenting the biodiversity. The nature reserve also promotes certain aspects of each area: the meadows promote reintroduction of pollinators, the woodlands promote proper burning of firewood to reduce tree disease, the wetlands promote the importance of water quality and the riparian promotes runoff education. The are also has over 13 research conservation projects, including a turtle sanctuary, rain garden, Neighborhood Water Watch program and the Field Research Center Native Pollinator Garden. I think the Blue Heron Nature Preserve has a lot of opportunity to be a great source of information for this pro...
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Climate and Weather Information

Drought Monitor:   https://www.drought.gov/states/georgia The first resource I thought would be relevant is a drought monitor, since droughts can increase the chance of wildfires and change the structure of wetlands. NOAA's National Integrated Drought Information System maps out the U.S. Drought Monitor, USDM 1-Week Change Map, Short-Term Multi-Indicator Drought Index and Long-Term Multi-Indicator Drought Index. The map utilizes five classifications for their Drought and Dryness Categories: abnormally dry (D0), moderate drought (D1), severe drought (D2), extreme drought (D3), exceptional drought (D4). Since the Blue Heron Nature Preserve contains Nancy Creek and surrounding wetlands, monitoring droughts is a vital preparedness and mitigation tool.  Precipitation:  https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/past-weather/Atlanta%2C%20Georgia Nancy Creek runs through the Blue Heron Nature Preserve, so monitoring precipitation is also essential. NOAA's National Center for Environmental...
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Reflections

 I ended up learning a lot from Biodiversity Stewardship and researching the Blue Heron Nature Preserve. The Ecology Slides, Dendrology Slides, Classification Refresher and Define Biodiversity assignments allowed me to have a good foundation of biology, since I do not come from a biology background. At first, I was nervous about being behind in class due to my lack of knowledge, but the assignments made sure we all had a very useful and long-lasting understanding. The AI Tools, Mapping Tools and Nonprofit Summary allowed me to take the skills that I learned and apply them in my chosen project, The Blue Heron Nature Preserve. I feel like this class is a great stepping stone to become successful in our college career and I will take everything I learned into my future classes! On a local level, I think that I have the skills to discuss biodiversity, mapping tools and nonprofits to my coworkers! I feel that I will be able to add a new perspective when working on disaster projects at w...
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