Terrain V01 - Journal - Page 26
24 | Sterling College
Traveling
through a
Watershed
Written By
Farley Brown ‘85, Faculty in Ecology
It is common knowledge that water is critical to sustaining life and, more specifically,
bodies of water are living systems. Rivers
tell the story of a natural course of the water’s energy, from the headwaters to the
depositional zone, where the river meets
the next body of water (often the sea). Fluvial geomorphology is the study of the interaction between land formation and the
river, and how both work to morph the landscape throughout the watershed. Looking
at the fluvial geomorphology and the ecology of a river is like reading a biography; a
reflection of a river’s life.
But rivers often tell us stories of human
history as well. Stories consist of indigenious people’s ways of life and relationships
with the landscape. Stories also include the
colonization and decades of impacts from
European settlement. Historically, people
have left their marks throughout watersheds, ranging from the overuse use of
natural resources; the romanticism of the
landscape; and human use of waterways
as repositories of our waste (“out of sight,
out of mind”).
The Hudson River watershed in New York
reflects the complexity of these issues.
From its headwaters on Mount Marcy in
the High Peaks region of the Adirondacks,
to the depositional zone of the watershed
at the end of Manhattan Island, the Hudson
River travels through an ecologically and
culturally diverse landscape, rich in unique
history. The river has been at the heart of
human settlement throughout New York
and into Canada, serving as a transportation route, a source of natural resources,
and inspiration for artists. It continues to
be a place of wonder, a river that identifies a
region, both culturally and ecologically.
Sterling College students understand the
impact of our presence in a watershed,
how our land uses, no matter how sustainable, impact ecological systems. Traveling
through the Hudson River watershed is a
way for Sterling students to explore a different landscape, one so different from the
ruralness of Craftsbury Common.