Further into the abyss-Keith L

This time I went further into the park only seeing that there is more swamp-land. I looked for the mini volcanoes that Tim had found but i couldn't find them but the park makes me feel as if it needs a fan boat and some good ole boys going gator hunting. I don't think that this park really represents what natural Missouri looks like, which is what i believe a park should do. this represents what looks like Mississippi.

Struggle in the Park--Chris

There seems to have been a struggle in the park. Was it the snakes Tim has been seeing? Could it have been a dog or cat from the neighborhood? I don't know, but it looks like a massacre of some blue birds happened at the park. Id there a Sherlock among us? I don't think there will be to much of a case though, no body!

Allergies--Keith L

I Hate allergies..HATE..Went to the park and decided to leave. It was greener and looks better than it did in the winter however, it is still a flood area. I was going to study there in my truck but my allergies are so bad right now. I'm surprised i could keep the camera steady while i was sneezing.
The story i read was something John Steinbeck wrote about how to correctly observe nature. It was interesting and i can see a trend that this section of stories seems to be more deep in thought and reflection than the first half of this semester's stories.

"A Very Warm Mountain"--Tim

Keeping with the Volcano theme this week I read "A Very Warm Mountain" By Ursula K. LE Guin. A Story about the eruption of Mount St Helens. This story caught my eye for two reasons; the first,volcanos are currently in the news and the second reason was I watched the eruption of Mount St Helens while sitting on the tailgate of my fathers truck. Watching an eruption of this magnitude is something that I will never forget.

Volcanos in the park--Tim

I stopped by the park during my lunch break on Thursday, not many people there as usual. Stayed close to the truck while eating my lunch. Then I cleaned up some trash in the main lot; and chased a couple of snakes out of the trickle of water left running out from under the parking lot. I then went to the third parking lot and wandered around the remaining swampy water near the road. I have noticed a few times while at the park that there are little volcanos of mud near the edge of the water. Are they frogs? Are they crawdads? Does anyone know? Curiosity has gotten me,I might have to take a shovel next time.

Aldo Leopold, "Marshland Elegy"--Tim

I read "Marshland Elegy" by Aldo Leopold this week, mainly because the title reminded me of our park. After I started to read about the low hanging fog and the dew the story took me back to the first couple of visits to the park. The story talks alot about cranes, whereas our park is full of Canandian geese. In the end, like our park, the government destroyed it.
I would recommend this to those who enjoy bashing Rabbit Run Park.

All Alone in the Park--Tim

I went to the park this morning. My kids are back in school so I had no company today. I parked in the farthest lot from the entrance. I noticed, as I was driving through that the water had receded quite a bit, at least the parking lot was dry. After parking I immediately went to work filling my trash bag. It is sad to realize how much people dont care about nature, I have been filling trash bags for weeks now and still I have no problem topping of a new bag each week.
While searching near the water line I noticed that someone was careless with fire, probably a cigarette, and had at some point started a small brush fire. The burn mark only covered a small area, but with the dry underbrush and the amount of branches lying around it could have been alot worse.
The ball fields look as though they have been freshly groomed in anticipation of the up-comming little league season. Maybe that will bring more visitors and I wont feel so alone in the park.

Living at the end of time-Keith L

When reading living at the end of time i found myself scratching my head a lot. It is a deep story but rather confusing. Wouldn't really recommend reading it but i wanted read a story out of the Left foot right foot comparison section
Also went to the park and saw two people playing basketball and it was still flooded. Even after not having much rain this place still collects water. Maybe they should put a lake in this place and have a floating outdoor classroom....

Note to Reader--Keith

I read note to reader which is from Seton. He writes on how close we are to animals and uses his stories on real animals to personify the animal and make us feel more empathetic toward them. It is nice short read.
When i went to the park after my Chem. class, it seemed rather nice out as far as the weather goes, or it may have been the double dose of my moms prescription allergy medication. However the park still seemed like a wasteland. Either way the weather is getting nicer but the park does not look as nice as my own backyard.

Creepy Crawlies--Tim

I took my girls to the park again yesterday. They both accepted the Walmart bags without question. This time we decided to leave the parking area and walk the path to the lake. My little one (Kayla) was running around picking up trash, happy to fill her bag. My other daughters(Hannah) focus was not on the trash but on the occasional bee that in her opinion was in full attack mode and out to get her. Several times I had to stop her from running back to the truck, she was not happy. While Hannah was looking to the skies, Kayla noticed that the water was full of frogs and turtles and she wanted to catch them all. After several attempts and some soggy feet she gave up. When we reached the lake Kayla found a snake and Hannah found the end of the trail, "Well, thats it, time to go back!" She exclaimed. When we turned right onto the new path her excitment quikly departed, but after seeing the truck in the distance she knew that the park torture would soon be over. Soon two bags were full, a couple of people who passed said that picking up trash was a great idea, doubt if I will see them with a bag next time, maybe? We continued through the parking lots and filled the final bag. When we got back to the main parking lot we washed our hands in the bathrooms which are finally open. The park is changing and I know it is a little cleaner.

Spring in the Park---Chris

I went to the park today to check things out and was pleasantly surprised to see over twenty kids there playing. Some were playing in the playground, others were just running around playing tag. The ones that got my attention the most reminded me of myself when I was young, they were crawdad fishing and just playing around in the stream. I spent a lot of my time when I was young playing in the local creek or walking down to the river to go fishing. Seeing this and the weather is making me want to get out and go hiking and camp for a couple nights. i may just do that the next three day weekend I can get off from work, that is if I can get my homework done before I go.

Darwin--Keith L

I read The two short articles from Darwin's books and found them to be insightful into looking at the relationship between us and animals and how closely linked we are to them. The writing is a little dry but has lots of knowledge behind it.
When i Went to the park it was greener but I would rather take a walk around our campus than at the park. Our campus is much more green and vibrant.

Darwin--Keith L

Screaming Frogs--Tim

I went by the park last night expecting it to be the same lifeless park I visit every week, but to my surprise there was some activity. One young man was fishing near the middle parking area, not sure he was having any luck. Three other vehicles were parked in the furthest parking lot, however there were no signs of their owners. I suspect they were fishing the larger lake.
I was drawn to the woods by the sound of a loud splash. After trudging through the soggy brush, I stopped to see if I could spot the source of the splash. After standing quietly for several minutes I saw nothing. Suddenly I realized that I was so focused on what I could see that I was missing all the noise around me. The woods had come alive with the sound of frogs, and once I adjusted my focus to the sound, it seemed almost deafining. I couldn't see them but there must be thousands of frogs judging from the sound.
While I was at the park I continued with my earlier pledge to pick up trash. I collected a bag full and deposited it in the trash can before I left.

Slightly greener park---keith

When i went to the park i was hoping that it would be a bit greener for sake of me being able to say something nice about it. It was greener but it doesn't really make the park look like it belongs it will probably just end up looking like an extension to a back yard from the subdivision.

Death in the Open---keith

When i first saw the title to this story it grabbed my attention because i figured it would be dark. When i read it, it was actually rather deep and makes you think a little bit about natures recycling process and how death is natural. I really recommend this to the rest of my group it is a nice little read.

Goose Hunting--Chris

I read an article about the Canadian Goose possibly becoming a game bird again due to the population being so large. That made me want to go and see if the geese at the park were still around. Yep they were still there. They were in the back near the back perking lot. The geese should be safe there, as I found a sign posted at the end of the asphalt trail that goes back near to the lake that said no hunting. I thought the positioning of the sign kinda weird though, I thought it should of been posted at the beginning of the trail. I also thought it odd that the city would even need to post a no hunting sign in a park in the middle of a subdivision. Maybe they had a problem with someone squirrel or rabbit hunting in the woods back there. Well that's all for now, the park is starting to get more interesting now that spring is beginning. I can't wait till the trees get some leaves.

Keith--

So i went back to the park on Monday because it was nice out but the weather did not really change the dull look of the park. If i had to say one nice thing about the park it would be that the trees are nice and straight. I still like Klondike park way more and think that rabbit run park was just a solution to unusable land.

Invitation to the Kids--Tim

Today is the first day of Spring Break for my two daughters: Hannah 10 and Kayla age 7. Both of my girls have bugged me on every sunny day, no matter the temperature outside, to take them to a park so that they could play.
I had a chemistry class this morning and then picked up the girls to run errands, which took us out towards Rabbit Run Park. So I decided without telling them that I would pull into the park and surprise them. My youngest had been to the park with me on one of my previous visits and recognized it right away. Both were extremely excited. Immediately after they jumped out of the truck they asked if they could go play on the playground, I said "Sure,but before you do, you each have to find 3 pieces of trash and place them in that trash can over there." The look on thier faces was of total confusion, cause Daddy never made them do that before. My oldest, I know, wanted to say why? But I think that she realized she could play sooner if she just complied. They both took off in a full run, both in different directions. My oldest came back with the minimum requirement of 3 pieces, deposited them in the trash and then off to the playground. Kayla took her time trying to choose her trash wisely and then came back exclaiming,"Look Daddy, I found five!" Then off to the playground she went.
While they played I wandered around and picked up half a dozen pieces of trash, fulfilling my trash requirement for the week. Hannah soon realized that the bathrooms were locked and told me it was time to go.
I know they both enjoyed the park, and watching them pick up trash like it was a treasure hunt was quite entertaining for me as well. I will probably take them back next week.

Klondike park-Keith L.

I really recommend clicking on the pictures to see them they look a lot better that way. I first stopped by rabbit run park and quickly my head took my to far away escape that resembled a landfill. So I went to a place that i know is one of my favorite parks-(in the top four). i took some pictures and even in the winter months it still has amazing views (other that the power-plant..... ironic that such a nice view is tainted) Even then the park looks infinitely better than rabbit run park. Klondike park is the ideal park. It is away from it all with beautiful scenery and views. In all the other seasons it will look even better. Sorry to dis on rabbit run park so much but in comparison to the parks i am used to, rabbit run is the Chrysler of parks.

Wolf eagle bear:-Keith L.

This weekend i read wolf eagle bear. Go figure it was about a predator and how humans get along with it or not. It was somewhat interesting, it at least was not some pro-liberal agenda about save the animals. It emphasized how bears usually interact with humans. this is not my favorite story thus far but not a bad read.

Trash Day--Tim

Saturday I returned to the park with one goal in mind; pick up some of the trash I had seen the week before. I first collected all the pieces of the car bumper I found last week, Then I took a short walk around the parking lot area and found a Walmart bag clinging to the bark of a tree. I my goal was to fill the Walmart bag, it didnt take very long. I then placed it in the trash can. As I left the park I noticed, or maybe I felt, that the park seemed a little cleaner.
There is still alot of trash out there, but I will be back next week.

"Never Cry Wolf"--Tim

Keeping with the wolf theme, this week I read "Never Cry Wolf" by Farley Mowat. I enjoyed this story which talked of the humorous side of scientific fieldwork and the study of the wolf in it's natural habitat. The story also shows that the wolf is not the menacing beasts that have been written about in other works within the Norton Book of Nature Writing.

This Place is Trashed--Tim

I went to Rabbit Run Park this morning. Initially when I first arrived I noticed a small river flowing through the parking lot, and I thought to myself that I would write my weekly blog about the poorly designed drainage. But then I saw it, lying in the parking lot, I had to have it. Some poor child had lost a book; one of my favorite childhood stories, about the honey hungry bear from the hundred acre wood. I got out of my truck on this "blustery day" (Walt Disney) and picked up the book, "Pooh Can... Can You" By Carol North (1993, Walt Disney). The book was in sad condition, soaked from cover to cover. Surprisingly when I peeled open the pages the book was still legible. I couldn't resist, I read it, cover to cover all 10 pages.
After my short walk through memory lane, I decided to see what other treasures might lay hidden within the flooded swampland. First I came upon a large piece of grey plastic, which after closer inspection I discovered that it was part of a car's plastic bumper. Apparently someone didn't notice the yellow reflective paint on the poles along the narrow road; ouch! Then I started to notice trash everywhere: a Gatorade bottle in the tree, a Taco Bell, NBA series cup, a Camel cigarette pack, 2 tennis balls a Mountain Dew cup and some McDonald's French fries. This park has been seriously neglected.
As I left the park I thought to myself that the right thing to do would have been to pick up all the trash but there was so much. I decided that the next time I go, and each time after that I will make it a point to pick up at least one piece of trash.

Another Visit why not?--Keith

I visited the park this time over the weekend on Saturday when i woke up at one p.m. I didn't take a picture this time because i figured it would look the same as last.....and i was right. I think sometime i will go to Klodike park and take some pictures of that beautiful scenery. To answer a previous comment i am from North west Nebraska. (the area of Ewing, Norfolk, and Chambers) They have the best park i have ever seen in Valentine NE.

Never Cry Wolf--Keith

If you are looking for stories on wolves you do not have to look far in this group. This one is on a scientist studying the wolves in an analytical approach. However he discovers that this approach fails terribly and ends up embarrassing himself in front of the wolves. He learns that wolves are not just a common predator but another creature trying to survive.

Audubon, "Pitting of the Wolves"--Tim

I read John James Audubon's "Pitting of the Wolves". I chose this story mainly because others in my group have read it. Mr Audubon paints an ugly picture of how a man allows revenge to guide his treatment of the wolves. After trapping the wolves in a pit he seemingly goes on a thoughtless rampage torturing the wolves until none are left alive.

Family Day at the Park--Tim

I visited the park on Saturday, I was on my way to Midrivers Mall with my wife and youngest daughter. The weather was cold and miserable as usual and I was unable to entice either of them out of the car. Neither saw any park attractions they wanted to explore further than what they could see from the warm comfort of the car. We saw that most of the water,still covering most of the park, had a slushy layer.The Canadian geese were having an argument on the soccer field, I am not sure what the spat was about, maybe their last formation flight. As we started to drive out of the park, my daughter obviously annoyed by my detour, said, "Daddy , can we go to the mall now?"

Third Eye of the Lizard-Keith

Recently I read the third eye of the lizard. It was an interesting story about a kid shooting lizards, one of the lizards he attempts to shoot has a third eye.I figured with a title like "The Third eye of the Lizard" it would be a bit more bizarre than what it turned out to be. I would recommend this story to others because it is not a bad story but it is not the best short story i have read.

Keith----why?

I decided to go to the park while it was snowing to see if the snow would add a touch of elegance to the land. However, I was disappointed to see that the park was still flooded. I realize now that the designers of the subdivision clearly saw that building houses on this land would be a mistake because of the high water flow in this area. So they called this flood land a park. I would venture into the park more but, I paid good money for my shoes. I also figure that i can save that disappointment for another day. Being from Nebraska I happen to like nature and have seen its beauty when it is mixed with man, the rolling hills of crops as far as the eye can see. So far this park has made me home sick.

Cold Snowy Day at the Park---Chris

I went to the park again today to see if anything has changed since last week. Unfortunately there was no one at the park to entertain me this time! A little snow and cold weather can't be what is keeping people away from here, hopefully it is though. I would hate to see the money spent on building and maintaining this park go to waste. I will come back later in the spring to see if this place picks up some traffic. I imagine they will have some soccer games or softball over the summer since they have the facilities for them. If not, another waste. Well not much to write about this time at the park, no animals or people to make comments about. Just plain quiet, no cars, no birds, nothing. Maybe next week will be better.

Still No Rabbits--Tim

I visited the park last Wednesday, thinking that I would get ahead of the game and post a blog early. Did not happen as planned. Now it is Monday and I am finally getting around to it.
It was a very nice day at the park on Wednesday, however as usual I was the only one out in the cold. During previous visits I noticed that some of the trees had recently been cut down. I originally thought that someone may have been poaching them for firewood, but it appears that the city is weeding out some of the damaged trees. They had cut down several trees and dumped them in the parking lot in small enough pieces for someone to collect,apparently offering them to the public.
I notice a small flock of mallards swimming in the now thawed outfield of one of the baseball diamonds. I sited the first four legged creature, that I have seen in the park;a squirrel racing through the branches of the trees. I know it wasn't a rabbit, but it was encouraging.

Keith--The second coming

When I entered the park this time I sensed a feeling of loneliness. It seemed that the park was not popular in February. This desolate wasteland was uninhabited and this time was not flooded. The park seems to have the qualities of a flood plain. I do not like criticizing a park, but i have seen so many better parks than this one. I hope it looks better in the upcoming months. It also just does not seem like it is the nicest of parks even when it is nice out. I do not believe that this park represents mother nature in a fair light. Parks are not meant to be surrounded by tenants. A park is supposed to be an oasis away from it all.

Faith McNulty, "Mouse"--Tim

This week I read a story about a woman who befriended a mouse. She kept it in a cage on the kitchen counter where the mouse provided endless entertainment and wonder. This was an excellent story and I recommend it to anyone who loves animals.

Still Cold and Wet--Tim

Today I wandered through Rabbit Run Park for the second time. I noticed very few geese as compared to last week, I think most of them were visiting St Charles Community College. I did see a lone Heron searching the edge of the icy water. The water which covered most of the park had retreated,the remaining water was frozen. It is obvious the city doesn't take very good care of this park during the winter months. Still, I look forward to the spring to see Mother natures affects.

Pitting of the wolves-Keith

This week I read pitting of the wolves for my text. The story was rather dark about the intensity of nature and the power of wolves. It was interesting how the author noted that wolves are the only animal we don't hunt. We trap wolves rather than hunt because of how cunning they are.

A River Runs Through It----Chris

I went back to Rabbit Run Park today to see what has happened since the last time. If you remember there was Canadian Geese and a whole lot of flooding from the rain we had. This time when I pulled in I noticed the area that was a lake had all but drained, there were still a few puddles but not many. I then walked around a bit to see what people were doing on a Sunday afternoon in the park. I found two kids playing on the amusement equipment and they seemed to be in their own world, with no parental supervision. They seemed a little young to left there alone, in my opinion. Further up the dead end roadway in the soccer field was a guy flying an electric powered airplane. He seemed pretty good at it. He would do loops, barrel rolls, stall dives, and other tricks. He took that little airplane up so high I could barely see it. I wondered if he would lose signal being that high but apparently not.
After watching the guy fly I wondered were all that water went from the previous week. I walked to were it was going last week and there it was, a creek that was swollen to the point it was now a frozen stream. I think if the area gets any more rain, that park might be in trouble. Maybe that guy will be back, this time with a boat!

Keith Landers....the experience

My journey to rabbit run park was fun and insightful. As I drove into the park it seemed that the park did not belong in this hidden location. I felt that it belonged in the middle of nowhere, where the park could be free and run wild with all of the other nature friends. The fums of this suburbia universe were choking it out. The city of St. Peters had imprisoned this park with the other rednecks living in this suburbia of boxes. The elegance of this park can not be confined to boxes, but it is. This park is now a part of our rotting compost heap of a society.

Wolf, Eagle, Bear: An Alaska Notebook--Chris

I read the essay Wolf, Eagle, Bear: An Alaska Notebook over the weekend. It was an entertaining story about a group of ladies looking to hike and picnic when they discover that a bear was sited near the trail-head they were going. They then go through some stories from people the author knew about how bears react unpredictably in different situations. In the end, they decide to hike a different trail and end up finding evidence of bear in the area, which scares them off to a more "secure" park to have their picnic.

Run, Rabbit, Run - Glenn

My first excursion to Rabbit Run Park wasn't exactly what one would call "successful". I was unable to attune myself with nature due to the freezing cold temperature and light precipitation. So, still wearing my work clothes, I drudged back to my car, muttering something about hibernation and why it sucks. Hopefully my next visit will be more eventful than this one.

Leopold, "Thinking Like a Mountain"--Tim

I Read Aldo Leopold's "Thinking like a Mountain". It was a very interesting look from the mountain's perspective of how human interaction with the outdoors, specifically hunting the wolf to near extinction, ultimately affects the balance of nature. Leading to the destruction of the plant life and the eventual erosion of the mountain.

Wildlife Conservation Area, No Trespassing

I wandered through Rabbit Run Park today in which the city seems to have misplaced their since of environmental friendly land management. I noticed signs posted along the path that read “Wildlife conservation area, No Trespassing”. The city should heed their own warnings and recognize that they have done more to destroy this piece of land then they have done to preserve it. Standing on the path, built upon recycled road waste, as evident by the yellow paint on pieces of the fill, I noticed that the unnatural elevation of the path has caused an interruption in the natural flow of water. Now standing water, in this man made wetland is saturating the root systems of the trees weakening and killing many of them. The lake along the path does provide a temporary safe haven for the migrating Canadian geese, however it too has been lined with broken chunks of mans failed road systems.
Recycling has to become a way of life for everyone. If the city wants to recycle road debris and waste they should use it in the construction of new roads or the repair of old ones. Placing it in a park and calling it beautiful is not responsible recycling. Maybe, the park will be more appealing in the Spring and Summer months when Mother Nature attempts to repair the damage, covering the trees with new leaves and the ground with fresh green foliage disguising most of the underlying evidence of mans intrusion.

First Day at the Park--Chris

I finally had time to stop and check out Rabbit Run Park after the weekend of rain. After I drove through the subdivision, I was surprised to find a nice park in the middle.When I got there, I got out and walked around a little bit to check out things available to do. I couldn't do much, as the park was mostly flooded due to the rain. What i did find though was interesting, the park seems to be a stopping of point for Canadian geese. There were about a hundred of the birds waddling and swimming in the flooded water that was swamping the outfield for the softball field. I also found a nice paved trail that I look forward to coming back with my wife to explore. More to come soon!

day uno - nate

I had never heard of Rabbit Run Park until our first english class. After our first meeting, I decided that I needed to find this place. My first thoughts were, "Dang, this looks like a stoner park or something." I dont believe my thoughts were too far-fetched because a park ranger was over looking the back parking lot, probably trying to bust some kids. He left a few minutes after I pulled in, most likely just to spy from a distance.

I brought my rabbit Samson, mostly for the irony, and tied him to a tree. He seemed to enjoy himself.

I plan on bringing him every chance I get. Hopefully next time the weather will be a bit nicer...