The Butternut Waterthread

By Kate Morano

For my presentation, I did an embroidery piece displaying the Butternut Watershed as it is today. You may be wondering why I created the watershed as it is now, and not how it would be in 2040, and that is because I hope the watershed will look the same in twenty years. Nature is an everlasting force; the planet was here long before we were and it will be here long after we are gone. The conservation efforts of groups like the Butternut Valley Alliance make sure of that. That is the message I was trying to send with this piece; that preserving the natural beauty of a place for future generations is the most important thing. We have to understand and appreciate where we are now to know where we are going, and what we can offer the world. 

“September 9, 2018

270 million years ago, all land on Earth was conjoined into one massive supercontinent called Pangaea. Large reptiles ruled this Earth, and mammals were small and nearly nonexistent. 600 million years ago, another supercontinent existed called Pannotia, where multicellular life is only just beginning to evolve. And 750 million years ago, glaciers covered the planet during what is the greatest ice age to have ever occured on Earth.

These vastly different iterations of Earth are tied together by one thing: Nature, a power that surrounds us, penetrates us, and keeps us grounded. Nature is a constant presence in our lives; it is always around us and always changing. It does not need us to survive, but survives in spite of us. Humans worship nature for many different reasons. It is calming, and a way for people to relieve stress, which is why saving it is one of the most discussed topics in the media today. 

There have been five major mass extinctions so far: the End Ordovician, the Late Devonian, the End Permian, the End Triassic, and the End Cretaceous. In the most mild of these extinctions, 75 percent of all species were lost. In the most drastic, 96 percent. The common cause? Climate change. Studies indicate that since the last glacial maximum, temperatures have risen about 40 degrees fahrenheit. The rate of increase of carbon dioxide between 1960 and 1999 was higher than any other 40 year period in the past 2 million years. This has led scientists to believe that we are now approaching the Earth’s sixth mass extinction, and in turn, the end of the current geological epoch, the Holocene.

The realization that Earth will press on without us does not exonerate us from taking action, however. We must strive to save ourselves, and the complex civilizations we have built, but must also keep in mind that humanity is not an affliction on the planet. We are merely a blip in geological time, a single chapter in the vast tome that is the history of the Earth.”

Kyle Meyers
Photo Essay

Bridges play a big role in modem day transportation and because of this we should take good care to maintain them in any way possible. As I see it, I feel we neglected or overlooked this common necessity in our community. I feel we should hold high standards for our line of transportation and in doing so I feel we should work hard to maintain such commonly used items as bridges and roads in our community. 

Bridges play a big role in our watershed because depending on how a bridge is constructed it will hold certain amounts of dirt and debris back and prevent the extent of silt lining our river banks and beds. I feel the use of retaining walls and stone barriers for bridges and embankment can help to prevent the continuation of silt moving into our watershed. 

If you were to drive down Dimmock Hollow rd, located in Morris, NY, you will most likely find yourself driving by a road which is blocked by a pile of gravel. This pile of gravel is doing two things. The first is it prevents the continuation of traffic on this road. Second, it is protecting drivers from the bridge which it lies on. This road is gradually sinking into the sinkhole which is located on the bridge's edge. The overlooking of this bridge by the town is preventing traffic and residents of the homes which are located on this street from being able to easily pass through. The use of this bridge is important to the community and must be dealt with. 

Further down this beautiful and historic road there is a second bridge at the very end which highway 51 passes over. This bridge isn't immaculate but it is much stronger than the bridge which is failing. This old and beautiful structure is made from stone and has a metal tunnel lining the inside. This bridge will stand for years to come. With the help of the community and the towns road department these bridges can be built which can withstand the basic use and stress of everyday traffic which travels over its foundation. The use of stone also acts as a barrier to prevent pollution of silt into our town's creeks and rivers. One river that is affected in particular is the butternut river. This river is lined with silt which causes it to have a brown tint. This traveling of soil down our waterways is taking away fertile dirt which were found on our hills and slopes. This is causing farmers' fields and land to become more rocky and difficult to grow crops on. With the use of stone barriers this problem along with many more are resolved. 

By using stone the community is creating a more reliable and eco-friendly overpass for themselves and generations to come. The gravel pile isn't enough and on its own can be considered a hazard and potentially threat as a scary sinkhole forms at the edge of the road. The metal barrier which lines the bridge's exterior has proven it isn't enough and we must adapt and fix this problem. This isn't right, this isn't safe, and this needs to stop or be fixed before further damage is made.