Title
Emily’s Climate Story
Name
Emily Blank
Place
Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901
How are you sensing climate change?
For my climate story I am writing about the changes that I have noticed while attending college and living in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. I have noticed changes in the migration of the birds within the area. I have seen that many cardinals in particular are staying around the area much longer, and some do not even migrate for winter. When I was doing nature observations, in northeastern Wisconsin, for a class outside next to the Fox River I noticed even on the cold days that I would see a few ducks by the water, and they too typically migrate south for winter. The last week of March when it was warmer outside I observed lots of ducks all across the river, so I am not sure if most ducks even migrated this year. It seems as if they do not know what time of season it is based on the ever changing weather. I also have noticed the Fox River, near the University of Wisconsin- Oshkosh campus, stays frozen shorter and shorter each year. Already by the end of February the river was open and flowing with little ice. Having lived in Oshkosh the past few years I know last year into March the river was still frozen. This shows that all natural processes from animals to water bodies are greatly influenced by the wide range of weather we are now experiencing more often.
How do these changes make you feel?
These noticable changes make me sad for the areas where I know they are feeling the impacts of climate change. I am aware that in Wisconsin we do not feel the effects nearly as much as people living near the coast or in warmer climates, so I am thankful for the little change I feel, but it still makes me nervous for the future. Noticing these little changes so clearly makes me wonder how everyone does not notice these changes, but I suppose it’s all on perspective and what is relevant to each person’s life. The changes I see keep me aware of the ever changing climate and it constantly keeps me thinking about my choices as a consumer. I know individual action does little but I hope my story will help make a bit of an impact on whoever may come across it.
Collection
Citation
Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901
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