As the spring rain returns and April snow lurks in the forecast, here's another taste of summer. The raw footage above was taken via drone in July 2015 -- just a few months after we took possession of the property -- by a brother's friend and neighbor who happens to be a videographer for public television.
While each snippet he took that day was more exciting to view than the last, this is one of my favorites. As the camera pans down and then gains altitude over the first 30 seconds, the distinction between individual stems of light green Phragmites and dark green cattail (a more desirable) is clearly evident. (More on the cattail story later . . .)
This visual distinction ended up being an incredibly helpful realization from a management perspective as we first delineated vegetative cover over the entire 600-acre site. Once we had the Phrag identified by air, we could compare it to the most recent Google Earth flyover, compare that to our ground-truthing in the field, and then confirm discrete areas that were infested with a monoculture of the noxious reed. I can say with a good deal of confidence that 90%+ of the Phragmites stems that appear in the video above were safely and efficiently sprayed and killed just a couple months after this footage was recorded. Pretty stinkin' awesome. Again, more on that later . . .
This video came to mind this morning for two reasons: (1) it helps provide some visual context of large portions of the West Marsh at least, and (2) I love how it feels like it puts the viewer "in the weeds" -- meaning, "into the details."
It was almost spontaneous, but yesterday marked the day that I introduced this online journal to a broader audience. I stepped beyond family and friends to begin to try to share it with a wider circle (largely via Facebook, LinkedIn, and a couple specific email groups). As we get further "in the weeds" together, I really want to know what you want to read more about. I have lots of ideas, literally dozens and dozens of short stories, I'd like to share with a photo or two and a few words. And I know our time in the field will offer a constant barrage of additional, currently unforeseen and spontaneous opportunities to share.
But I want to get a feel for what you are most interested in. If you have ideas, feel free to include them by clicking "Post a comment" below, or if you are more comfortable, I'm happy to receive feedback via email (see "Contact Us"). Thanks in advance for the suggestions!