Dog, the Bison, and the Lumberjack

 Fort Worth Nature Center Visit One

2/13/2025

Meeting Dog for the first time was unexpected. I walked into the Fort Worth Nature Center building where I see a tiny alligator in the hands of my classmate. Luckily, Dog's mouth was taped shut because I think he would have bit off all of my fingers. I did not expect alligator skin to feel rough and structured. It was almost like a mix of snake and dinosaur skin on a creature. 

The bison encounter was one of a kind. I thought bison were going to look ugly and mean, but they all looked like giant fluffy cows. I asked if I could pet the bison, but I guess they can be aggressive therefore petting is not allowed. We did get to feed the bison which allowed us to see this species up close. There were a bunch of female bison, but only one male. The male had a darker face compared to all the females. I am curious to see what a baby bison looks like! I wish I could adopt one. 

Around half way through our time at the nature center, we began to actually volunteer. I became a professional lumberjack as I worked to saw down small trees interfering with the fence of the prairie dog field. I used my sheers to navigate and cut through the thorny vines intertwined in the fence. Although cold outside, I was sweating by the end of my fence clearance job. Thankfully, Dr. Williams brought candy to give us a boost of motivation and energy. I was devouring Swedish Fish while sawing down trees 4 times my size.

Prairie Dog Sighting