For a supposedly peaceful island, it sure is noisy here.<\/p>\n
Gazebo Island has many visitors, each contributing their own sights and sounds to the landscape. Runners\u2019 feet thump against the wood of the bridges; children and their parents chatter in the gazebo; geese and ducks squabble over the bread crumbs tossed to entice them closer; a lone, ever-patient boy swings his lure into the lake with a plop, although I can\u2019t imagine many fish will be near to take the bait.<\/p>\n
Then there are the multitudes of color, from light green to dark green; yellow bursting through the gaps in leaves; the reddish brown of the pine needles. And perhaps the most disheartening color I\u2019ve seen in a while; the murky green-brown of the lake itself. From the far side of the lake it appears as if a giant had made a mirror for the sky, but up close there is a far different tale to be told. Filled with waste matter from runoff, goose poop, and algae, the lake is not a pleasant sight up close. How much of anything can live in such slow-moving and turgid water has always surprised me. Yet, life goes on for the lake residents; sliders slide, geese attack the innocent, and the occasional fish bubble meanders to the surface. Now that is a small miracle.<\/p>\n
Humans have always considered ourselves the great adapters of the world, but perhaps a better word would be conquerors. In Western culture, at least, we don\u2019t change our habits to each new place we encounter, instead we change the place to suit our habits. In contrast stand the species that managed to survive our more or less hostile take over. The most famous, or infamous, may be the raccoon; rummaging through garbage with ease and terrifying cats galore. But the ones who have likely encountered some of the hardest going have been the water creatures. In almost every metropolitan area there is a polluted river; beyond drinking and general cleanliness standards, interrupted by dams up and down and ripped of riparian zones. But not a single one is unoccupied. Herons still fish, frogs still croak and fish still swim. And that small miracle of adaption is demonstrated in a small scale by Westhampton Lake. It\u2019s easy to see and hear, if you look in the right direction.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
For a supposedly peaceful island, it sure is noisy here. Gazebo Island has many visitors, each contributing their own sights and sounds to the landscape. Runners\u2019 feet thump against the wood of the bridges; children and their parents chatter in … Continue reading