My name is Charnice Mupinda, and the following information details my observations.
Location: Wesburn Park, 4781 Parkwood Ave, Burnaby, BC V5G 3C6, approximately 1.2 km from the British Columbia Institute of Technology.
Date: August 6th, 2023, at approximately 3:21 pm PST.
Weather: 27°C, precipitation: 0%, humidity: 46%, and wind: 11 km/h.
Season: Summer
Size: Its approximate size is 8.55 acres or 3.46 hectares.
Coordinates: 49°14’31″N 123°0’43″W
Ecosystem: Urban Park bordering dry agriculture/grassland with a small creek. Towards about 188 degrees South is the urban jungle gym and community center. A concrete pathway runs from the park’s North side across the creek towards the play area on the south side. The creek flows in an L shape from the East to the West then sharply down towards the Northwest.
The overall park has a flat topography with a slightly elevated area in the Southeast (gentle slopes) surrounded by wild grass; however, the topography drops in elevation the closer you get to the creek near the Northwest. There the vegetation is lusher, surrounded by ferns and greener grass.
The vegetation at the far center of the park is a mowed lawn/grassland with coniferous trees, wildflowers, and shrubs at the periphery; however, on the far East side of the park is mainly grassland that is not mowed at all and resembles prairies. In this part of the park, I saw mulberry trees with mulberries sprouting, but I also noticed that some of the mulberries had dried out on one side while the berries on the other seemed not to be as dried out at all. The land beneath the trees was more soil and wasn’t completely covered by grass, and seemed dried out due to the heat. This was similar to the trees near the creek, however, the rocks by the banks did have moss on them.
Animals cited include raccoons, squirrels, insects such as snails, and birds. The area is mainly used by people walking their dogs, riding bikes, sitting on benches, playing games and other recreational activities. About 46 degrees NE, there is a big trash can with a lid bolted by chains. A small opening is present to allow people to discard their garbage.
Possible research projects:
- Possible effects of frequent human visits on grass, compare frequently visited areas with less visited?
- How is animal activity affected by the litter and human waste disposed of in the area?
- What variables affect the presence of insects or animals in the area? What are those creatures and why are they in that location?
- Does the distribution of mulberries on the trees change with relation to proximity to the reach of people passing by, or does the difference more apparent due to the available sunlight?
The link below will provide the images taken at the park during my observations.
