PAVING THE WAY:
Some of you may know that I am breaking ground as Sweetwater’s first intern. How exciting! That means that I will be paving the way for those who will be stepping into this position in the future.
READER: So Angela, what does an intern for Sweetwater Research do exactly?
I am glad you asked! It depends on what skills the Lord has gifted the intern! David can use any skillset, truly. For example, I am a scientist; therefore, I am most useful with science things. Right now, David and I are working on a pond restoration project at the Walnut Creek Hunting Club in Proctor, Texas. The 3-acre pond has been used largely to water the cattle on the land. There are a multitude of factors that can cause an imbalance in the pond environment and a herd of cattle can be a big one if not properly managed.
Me (left) receiving my diploma from Dr. F. Dominic Dottavio, the President of Tarleton State University (right) – What. An. Honor. #blessed
{ A Science Second }
Often with cattle, the manure that flows into ponds and streams increases the concentration of phosphorus and nitrogen in the water. Phosphorus and nitrogen are two elements that plants use as nutrients, you may have seen them on your fertilizer bags. Phosphorus and nitrogen in your water may sound like a good idea because it makes plants grow, but it can be dangerous to aquatic life. When available nutrients are high in water bodies, algae can begin to overpopulate. Overpopulation of algae can lead to something known as eutrophication, which reduces the amount of oxygen in the water. No oxygen means no fish. This is no small concern in locations where large numbers of livestock are concentrated, including north-central Texas.
Correcting the manure problem will hopefully lead to a cleaner water body that is nourishing to the fish and vegetation that rely on it, although there are other problems which will also need to be addressed. These corrections will also fulfill one of Mr. Landon Northcutt’s dreams of planting a Hope House building on his property to disciple men through their addictions. The restoration of the pond will allow the guys who come in to Mr. Northcutt’s property to get their hands dirty, find peace through fishing and boating, and to see the work of the Lord in nature. This all starts with research, reading scholarly articles to find various methods of riparian (that means land surrounding a body of water/river) restoration that other ranchers have used to see what has worked and what has not. That step is really important. David and I are currently engaged on this aspect of the research and are preparing materials for the men in the program to put it into action.
An example of how we use science to see what the land does or does not have, is to survey vegetation using the well-established Daubenmire Method. This method allows us to survey the vegetation of the land without examining every individual blade of grass and tree leaf. We get a solid overview of the fruits of the land. It lets us take a good close look, but not THAT close. We recently took kayaks onto the pond with a survey rod and a handheld GPS unit to assess the physical shape of the benthic zone – or the bottom of the pond. The study of the shape of a water body is called a bathymetric survey. I was excited about this field work because it meant we would be on the water most of the day in kayaks. It was so much fun! We arrived at sunrise and finished just before sunset. The light of the rising and setting sun on the pond was beautiful. Field work is my favorite.
A Sweetwater intern is expected to fulfill a variety of duties. The intern will likely get pulled out of their comfort zone. For instance, I have to fundraise to support myself. This is absolutely and completely out of my comfort zone. I am very uncomfortable meeting new people. I have also been instructed to create flyers, shoot videos, and develop a study of Bible passages related to water ministry to include in my blog posts. Thankfully, I love a good challenge and I know that this will make me a better scientist, a more mature Christian, and a more capable communicator. An intern should be excited, malleable, focused, and driven in order to succeed with Sweetwater Research.