In this picture, I see the daylight water source of Lily Branch located on East Campus.
What I notice in this picture that stuck out to me initially was the size and natural beauty of it! While it is no massive waterfall or something anyone might go hiking for, it is a beautiful pop of nature we are lucky enough to have in one of the busiest places on campus. People may not even recognize what is right in front of them.
This scene makes me think about, and honestly realize, how I spend so much of my time not taking in my surroundings. I have been a student at UGA and lived in Athens for over a year, and I have never noticed this watershed site until I was forced to go searching for it. I even work at the Ramsey Student Center which is directly next to where this picture of Lily Branch was taken and I had no idea it was there! Along with that, I had no idea about the intricate watershed system that I learned about while on my scavenger hunt. There are so many intricate places and structures that go into Lily Branch that I was oblivious to! This East Campus scene also made me realize that when I am not noticing things like this in my environment, it causes me to loose consciousness of how I am treating the environment and watersheds in my area. While I do not treat them “bad”, I have not put in any effort to treat them better. I have been oblivious to the situation and the need on campus for us to care for our watershed.
When I look at this picture, I feel peace. Water has always been a place where I feel calmed whether it be by an ocean, lake, pond, river, and even stream. The gentle movement of the water always allows me to take a step back and clear my mind. This picture also makes me feel motivated to spread awareness about how we can promote healthier watersheds in our area.
I think this picture is about realizing what is right in front of us that we often overlook. It will serve as a reminder for me, and hopefully others in our class, that we should recognize what our environment needs from us so that it can continue to be healthy.