A walk in the woods...

As an Environmental reporting class, we took a walk through the Baars-Firestone area the other day. It really gave me a great perspective of the area that we have been talking about so much during our class time.

What I saw surprised me a little, there was a lot of brush and broken down trees. Tree after tree seems to have been sent through a wood chipper and left in the same spot as mulch. It appeared to me, that the changes coming to the Baars-Firestone area have already started.

We walked by the Eagles nest, which was a spectacular sight. Nearby, we saw the two mating eagles flying high above the trees. The pair of eagles has the perfect area for a nest right now, near water, plenty of food, peaceful place, but their life within the next few year, will be turned upside down. It made me sad to think about it while we were walking on the trails.

The day was beautiful and it was perfect weather for exploring the woods. We encountered quite a few runners on the way, and it made me curious if they knew about the changes coming to the campus, sooner rather than later.

What the master plan has in store for this area is various from of on campus housing. Almost the entire area will have to be torn down to accomplish all aspects of the master plan, which includes Greek housing, married couple housing, and housing for faculty and other student groups. The demolition costs will be very high and the animals will be driven out of their homes.

We did pass by one thing, that I hope will be a permanent fixture on the University campus, the oldest tree (pictured). It is huge and beautiful! The trunk alone is more than 4 feet in diameter.

Overall, the walk in the woods the other day was a good experience for me. It is not something that I would have done on my own, and I would have missed out on all the beauty, that will be gone a few years from now.