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Sylvester Maughan
Professor EllenMae Johnson
Biology 1010
19 July, 2014
Black Rock Island
The first thing I noticed while driving to my favorite secluded spot was the smell of salt
and brine shrimp, not a repulsive smell, but something that brought back memories.
There was a field of grain alongside the dirt road. The stocks were taller than me, and as
the sunlight hit the grain, I thought of how much energy the sun provided and how much C02
and oxygen were cycled in just one day. I thought to myself, Theywedepend on the sun for
energy and life. I realized that particularly as I was driving away and the air around me began to
chill rapidly. As soon as the sun sets, life shuts down. But Im getting ahead of myself.
Chronologically, Im still driving toward the island.
I parked alongside a giant rock about
two miles away from the Salt Palace out by
the Great Salt Lake. The sun was setting
behind the clouds, creating an orange light
that silhouetted the seagulls in the sky. Ive
often wondered how the rock was formed.
My mother told me that it used to not be
accessible because the water level was too high, covering most of it; now however, the lake has
since receded to create somewhat of an island.
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I walked to the south side of the rock and noticed graffiti: a giant purple heart with blue
and white circles inside it, and names of gangs whod tagged the area. This was the first evidence
I saw of human interference with the ecosystem (however small that interference might be). I
looked down while climbing up so as to avoid stepping on any big scary spiders. I reached a spot
on the rock where you can sit on a small ledge and look out over the lake and see the sunset.
The first thing I felt was peace. This is peaceful, I thought. I watched the seagulls
flying in groups only to see one break away and land somewhere else to join another group. I
thought of Gary Larsons book, Theres a Hair in My Dirt! and wondered if the seagulls cawing
was about mating or territory.
The second thing I felt was fear. I looked to my left inside the cavities of the rock and
saw hornets flying around. I thought of something Id heard once, If you dont bother them,
they wont bother you. That isnt always true when it comes to nature. I decided not to take a
chance and climbed down to walk along the beach.
The third thing I felt was loneliness. I had invited a friend to come with me, but when I
got to her house, I found out she forgot and was in Provo. At any rate, my thoughts kept me
company as I walked along the shore. Looking down, I noticed tiny bugs, hundreds of them,
moving away from the weight of my shoe. Brine shrimp? Walking was such a small thing, but I
was interfering with their routines, possibly killing some of their species. I thought of damage I
was doing from simply walking and wondered about how I might be damaging the environment
in other ways. It surprised me that something as small as taking a step was interfering with
hundreds of life forms.
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I saw a puddle where the bugs spawned up ahead, and many would fly above it, land on
the water, and float next to their fellow parasites. Dragonflies joined on rare occasion as did
mosquitoes and some brave flies. They didnt seem to interact (like it shows in our book) so
much as take up space that wasnt yet occupied (filling up tiny niches).
I saw some ants crawling around on the ground and watched the pathway along which
they traveled. I noticed a plant they were gathering dirt from, and thought of how those two
living things interacted; the ants probably made their home at the base of the plant because the
plants root system provided some of their first tunnels.
The sky had turned into a fiery red at this point. I continued walking and almost stepped
on an ant hill. I watched what looked to me like chaos: ants were all moving around the hill in
seemingly random patterns, but Im sure that they knew what they were doing and where they
were supposed to go. I know I was only supposed to observe, not interfere, but I couldnt resist
spitting on the hill for old times sake. They attacked it and recoiled when they nearly got stuck.
More interruption of a natural environment by humankind.
As I drove away, I saw a rabbit hopping onto the road then back into the stalks of grain. It
surprised me because I didnt think rabbits were near the Great Salt Lake. It made me wonder
how many life forms I didnt see.
The sky was purple just before the sun set. I stopped the car and looked out my window
over the lake and the sky. In the words of Joseph Delany, I couldnt tell where the [lake] ended
and the sky began (Delaney). Overall, it was a good trip, but I dont think Ill go back anytime
soon. Too many bugs. But I might: I love sunsets.

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Works Cited
Delaney, Joseph. The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch. Greenwillow Books: New York,
2011. eBook.