A little over a year ago, Hornsby Bend bought a 450-acre property, stretching along the Colorado River, from the Platt Family. This is a riparian area whose environment has been severely disrupted from years of overgrazing. The resulting effects include erosion, a lack of vital vegetation and trees along the banks of the river and unhealthy habitat for wildlife. An important part of this beginning phase in the restoration process is proper monitoring of the land and the changes occurring as it begins to heal itself. The first step was to spend time out on the new property, becoming familiar with the land and the different ecosystems that exist.
Plant identifications are vital to understanding the health of an ecosystem.
Photo point monitoring is important to keep an ongoing record the land throughout the restoration efforts. As with any project, a strong starting point is the most important foundation to begin with and build from. I began exploring the land with a camera in an attempt to record the current state of the land and to establish a baseline for the restoration work that would follow. The first step in this monitoring was to establish fixed points on the land to document. As I grew more familiar with the land, I began noticing areas that would be beneficial to watch over time and thus I marked more points.