Bob: Right now at the beginning of the class we are reviewing basic concepts such as types of patches (disturbance patches, corridors, remnant patches, matrix, mosaics, etc.), landform effects on the ecosystem (direct impacts, constrain the flow of materials and energy, regulate the rate and location of disturbance and geomorphological processes, and how people and native species engineer and interact the ecosystem and interact with patches.
The overviews of hills, rivers, and small towns you provided in the last few days show all of these things. Lee Bob wrote: > Lee > > I'm honored. I look forward to hearing your observations on > precisely what patches and dynamics are being illustrated. > > Bob > > Sent from my iPhone > > On Sep 17, 2009, at 3:42 PM, Lee Frelich <[email protected]> wrote: > > >> Bob: >> >> Excellent pictures. Some of them illustrate the dymamics of different >> types of patches are going directly into powerpoint presentations >> for my >> new Landscape Ecology class. >> >> Lee >> >> [email protected] wrote: >> >>> ENTS, >>> >>> Yesterday Monica and I visited a scenic icon of the Connecticut River >>> Valley in Massachusetts - diminutive yet distinctive Mount Sugar >>> Loaf. >>> At 654 feet elevation, Sugar Loaf lies more as a big lump on the land >>> than a real mountain; yet its summit offers surprisingly scenic >>> views. >>> One reason is that the sides of Sugar Loaf include sandstone ledges >>> and cliffs. A 500-foot elevation gain occurs quickly. Another reason >>> for the quality of Sugar Loaf's vistas is that the little peak is >>> situated in the middle of the Connecticut River Valley in a spot that >>> provides views green fields, the Connecticut River against a backdrop >>> of the Holyoke and Mount Tom Ranges, nearby Mt Toby, and the more >>> distant Pelham Hills to the east and the Berkshires to the west. >>> Detractions to the otherwise superb views are the housing >>> developments >>> that increasingly encroach upon the green space that for so long has >>> defined the Valley. Then there are the unsightly profiles of the tall >>> buildings on the UMASS campus. >>> >>> To the State's credit, the top of Sugar Loaf is very attractively >>> maintained by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). >>> Consequently, the little Park is a must see for visitors to the >>> Valley >>> with an eye for the scenic. This point was reinforced near the end of >>> our visit. While at the summit, Monica and I briefly met a lady from >>> New York who had stumbled onto the property, and on impulse, drove to >>> the top of Sugar Loaf to see what it was all about. She was mightily >>> pleased that she had followed her impulse. She was awe struck. >>> Veering >>> off a congested Interstate and adding a quick 500 feet of elevation >>> can change one's perspective. >>> >>> Oh yes, the forests on Sugar Loaf. Well, there isn't much to show >>> off. >>> > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org Send email to [email protected] Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
