Schob Nature Preserve Observations

Our time at the Schob Nature Preserve in College Station actually surprised me. In the days prior to the field trip, I had done research on the location (directions, photos, reviews, etc.), and it seemed a bit boring to look at online (of course, everything is until you arrive in person). When I arrived, I was pleasantly surprised to see how lush and wonderfully open it was. The many small trails that surrounded the preserve took you on a mini journey all their own.

Seeing as how it is a nature preserve, it it obvious that there is typically a human presence around most of the time. At the Schob Preserve, a previous human presence was apparent: beautiful frameworks and fun crafted signs nailed onto a tree that told us how far away major cities are next to a small wooden bridge.

Unfortunately, human presence means just that. While most spots noted the gentle touch of our species, some spots reminded us how negligent our fellow man can be. Right off the line of a small pond towards the back brush of the preserve was a hefty sprinkling of litter: water bottles, beer cans, paper trash. All scattered around as if one lone person came and just emptied their garbage bag right onto the ground.

Luckily, that was about the extent of the negative portion of the morning at the preserve. Noticing how natural a lot of the landscape was turned out to be more intriguing than simply relaxing. It seemed every pathway had a different mini phenomenon than the last. One had a leaning tree right across the pathway and one even had just the bottom half of a dead tree still standing straight up as if nothing had ever happened to its cap.

A final peaceful element that one could not help but noticing was the crunching of the gravel under walking feet. It reminds us of our previous nature walks, summer camp, and other fun outdoor adventures we have experienced. Along with this, the layout of the preserve was neat and formulated with its wide open center and its mini pathways on the side, almost like limbs extending from the center. This environment made for a perfect final observation.