Visiting Bagley

On Thursday afternoon, I went to Bagley Nature Center towards UMD. While there, Tim Bates gave me, my classmates and Professor Hatcher a tour of Bagley. It personally reminds me of Hartley Nature Center which was hammered by a massive rainstorm, causing numerous power outages for several days, in July 2016. To me, Bagley sounds like silence or hearing animals and smells like nature and fresh air because the breeze feels good, whether warm or cold. I am so much of a nature person myself because it is safer than any city in general. When I am in the woods being aware of private property signs, I would hear animals chirp, bark and meow.

First of all, I observed a maple sugar bush, which is the diversity of ages. Not only is it in its old growth, it is more than 120 years old. UMD students often take children to see the maple sugar trees and learn about their existence. The sugar maple is declared as the best in Duluth, consisting of yellow sapsuckers. They attract insects and then devour them. The 130-year-old tree has not aged accurately and is the growth of green on bark. When I observed a lot of trees, some of them have been knocked down or cut down due to their massive growth or really nasty windstorms that are rare these days. Nothing happened as I observed because it was a calm, beautiful sundown.

Then I learned about age classifications between humans and animals that are happening today: old and young. The study about life is called biology. Similar to other animals, we humans like interactions ourselves in a safe environment like Bagley. There are invasive species that sneak around Bagley, including squirrels that make holes. They are as wild as they get to be because they are from the wild. I also learned about the American marten, a weasal that eats squirrels. Squirrels run for their lives, while the marten searches for food. There are squirrel nests, where the animals stay warm during the winter.

I observed snow tracks, particularly from snowmobiles and skis, all over Bagley. Deer tracks and footsteps from people are common as well. Although I do not see some evidence, I would observe poop from dogs while they take walks with their owners. In the wintertime, I learned about major frostbites that affect anyone who would spend too long in the below-zero condition. As a result, warming up or amputations are possible methods for frostbites which destroy cells.

I also learned that bears appear in the summertime. One time, I visited a bear center in Ely and have learned about their existence on planet Earth. I have never seen a live bear in my life, but I have seen them in movies and TV shows.

After the tour, I wandered about Bagley, taking a walk with some of my classmates and observing bridges with frozen water below. Not only does water flow in the spring, summer and fall, it freezes in the winter. Anytime I visited nature, I would hear water flow.

Finally, I learned that Bagley is there for current UMD students to take a look at. There is a big pond where I observed some kids playing around, whether in the snow or skating on thin ice. When I was in the Bagley classroom, it personally reminded me of a cabin because I would feel free to warm up.

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