SaraFari

 I went to the Fort Worth Zoo this past week, and honestly, it was way more fun than I expected. It felt like a little escape from the usual chaos of college life. There’s something about walking around, seeing animals you’ve only read about or seen on TV, that makes you feel like a kid again. The giraffes were easily one of the highlights. They’re so tall it’s kind of unreal seeing them up close. I even got to feed one, which was wild. Their tongues are long and kind of gross in a cool way, but they’re super gentle. Watching them stroll around their area just felt calm and relaxing. They seemed totally unbothered by the crowd, which made it even better. Then I made my way over to the penguins and immediately fell in love. They were hilarious to watch. Some were zooming through the water like little torpedoes, and others were just waddling around doing their own thing. The exhibit was set up really well and had info about different species and where they live. It made me realize ho...

     When we first signed up for this course, we did not expect to come face-to-face with a miniature dinosaur. But that’s exactly what occurred when we met Dog who is the Nature Center’s rescued alligator. Walking into the headquarter building, we were greeted by one of our classmates casually holding the alligator between her arms. You may be wondering why Dog wasn’t aggressively trying to bite everyone’s fingers off. Thankfully, Dog’s mouth was taped shut or else Dr. Williams would probably get a call from TCU Risk Management. Dog’s skin was carefully crafted into a thick coat with a texture resembling a pine cone dipped in concrete. That moment alone redefined the idea of “hands-on-learning.” Our first day at the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge did not conclude after we met Dog. It had simply just begun. Our first class at the nature center was filled with bison feeding, prairie dog observing, and finally tackling the tangles of privet.       B...

At the beginning of the semester, I remember sitting in class wondering why Dr. Williams was showing us these obscure poems and passages from some random man named Edward Abbey. They felt dusty, like old postcards from a desert I’d never stepped foot in. Poems filled with foreign words and out of place thoughts and frustration at the modern world. I didn’t get it. I didn’t see the connection. But now, months later, after working at the nature center and spending time immersed in the quiet rhythms of the land, Abbey’s words have taken root in a different way. His love for wild places, his distrust of development, and his sharp, unapologetic tone all started to echo in my own realizations. I’ve walked the trails with kids, cleaned out habitats, and watched the way people interact with the natural world. Somewhere along the way, I stopped thinking about Abbey as a bitter outsider and started seeing him as someone who deeply cared so much that it hurt him to see nature overlooked or destr...

As Colin, Jenna, and I arrived at the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge, we were greeted by Dr. Williams's weekly candy surprise. As always, my group was the last to arrive; once we got inside the building, we immediately planned which trail would be traveled today. After looking at the trail map. my group decided to hike the "Crosstimbers" trail. Dr. Williams's stated this trail was one of his favorites, and he decided to join us! We began our trail guide with Chris doing his signature introduction, and then we were on our way. Jenna excelled in her role as the videographer as she worked the entire time to record important footage. While on the trail, I spotted an oddly colored fungus. I decided to use "Seek," a plant finder app, to identify what species I encountered. The fungus was termed "Southern Jack-o'-lantern." Southern Jack-o'-lantern As we continued down the trail, we enter into a forest like area surrounded by green trees which...

March 29, 2025 I would not have guessed that a college honors class would consist of a field trip to canoe with our professor, but I enjoyed every moment this past Saturday. Upon arriving to the canoe launch site, Jenna and I buckled up our life jackets, and traveled upstream on our canoe. Jenna was at the stern of the canoe where her main role was steering. I was at the bow where I strongly paddled to keep us moving. Looking to our left, I saw 2 eyes peered above the water glaring at me. Although we were not expecting to see alligators due to the cloudy weather, I had spotted our first one. At first scared, I reminded myself that these creatures are more afraid of us than we are of them. As we paddled a bit further upstream, Chris pointed out the rustling of the bushes on our right, and he suspected they were pigs. Around 30 seconds later, I spot 2 pigs running in the brush. I vaguely heard them "oink" and then they were back in the saturated brush. At this point in the padd...