Watershed Texas

I am Erin Brown, a Clear Falls High School senior, interning with Mary Carol Edwards as part of my Biotech Practicum course. While interning I have been inspired by the outside world around me. I have found new ideas for my poetry, art, and science projects (experiment ideas) while in the nursery and wetland at Exploration Green, surrounded by serenity.

A large part of my internship is removal of invasive species. My main job has been record keeping of Islands apple snails, Pomacea maculata, as well as documenting the ever changing wetland of Phases 1A, 1B and 1C of Exploration Green for a time lapse video of its growth.

In my extra time after collection of Island Apple snail egg clutches, I often find myself heading to the nursery and weeding many aquatic invasive species and removing algae from the ponds. A few invasives I remove include Water Clover, Alligator Weed (Alternanthera philoxeroides), and more. I have enjoyed being out in nature slowly collecting Bacopa for Exploration Green.  Everyday I find amazing little wonders. For example, a baby tree frog, rainbow colored dragonflies, Red shouldered hawks, hundreds of Gambusia fish and more.

I recently finished an art piece featuring a charming dragonfly exoskeleton created out of coffee and I am inspired by new many little wonders at the nursery that compel me to recreate those moments through my art.  I have found inspiration here for many new art pieces.I find art to be one of the best ways to education and show people the beauty of the world around them if they don’t see it themselves. As an environmentalist I also plan to create a piece about coral and the mass bleaching events happening all around the world. Texas Community Watershed Partners has given me the chance to gain new knowledge at Exploration Green.