By Tim Henson
The area I chose is nearby to Mason Pond and the Mason Pond Parking Deck. It is an area currently undergoing construction as the “Necklace Phase One and Stream Restoration” project by Mason Facilities began earlier this year. This project involves human-environment interaction in the way that humans are physically changing the environment it to befit it to the way that humans on the George Mason Fairfax Campus would interact with this environment. Mason Facilities lists that “Illuminated, paved and mulched pedestrian trails will be constructed in addition to the restoration” (Construction at Mason, 2022). The characteristics of the resource system along the stream are changing, most notably in the way that land area is being cleared to build pathways. The change in area available for trees and plants to grow from the building of impervious surfaces changes the rates of biogeochemical processes taking place in the ecosystem, as impervious surfaces prevent plants and soil from sequestering carbon dioxide or removing pollutants from runoff (Clement et al., 2015). Also, sediments are disturbed during the construction process and will run off into waterways nearby to the area of construction if precautions are not taken. The runoff of excess sediment into waterways can have ecological impacts on vertebrate and invertebrate populations (Jones et al. 2012, Vargas et al. 2021).
Social setting and governance/user characteristics are also at play, as Mason Facilities, Housing and Residence Life, Athletics and Recreation, and hired contractors all play a role in governing the use of university owned land area (Gardens and Landscape FAQ, n.d.). The social setting of this area being on a college campus led to this construction project breaking ground in the first place, as it is for the use of the Mason community. So, what can we do? Well, Mason is aware of its impact on the environment and takes actions to minimize impacts wherever possible. Mason saves and transplants as many trees and plants from construction sites as funding and conditions permit (Gardens and Landscape FAQ, n.d.), and complies with state erosion and sediment control and stormwater management requirements to reduce the discharge of sediments and other pollutants associated with construction activity (Construction Site Stormwater Runoff Control, n.d.). Basically, Mason takes it upon itself to conduct construction in ways that reduce its environmental impact. As the saying goes, you have to break a few eggs to make an omelet. And in this case, you have to cut down a few trees to make a scenic path through the forest.
References
Clement, M. T., Chi, G., & Ho, H. C. (2015). Urbanization and Land-Use Change: A Human Ecology of Deforestation Across the United States, 2001-2006. Sociological Inquiry, 85(4), 628–653. https://doi.org/10.1111/soin.12097
Construction Site Stormwater Runoff Control (n.d.). George Mason University Facilities. https://facilities.gmu.edu/resources/land-development/ms4/mcm4-construction-site-stormwater-runoff-control/
Gardens and Landscape FAQ (n.d.). University Sustainability. https://green.gmu.edu/gardens-landscape-and-stormwater-faq/
Jones, J. I., Murphy, J. F., Collins, A. L., Sear, D. A., Naden, P. S., & Armitage, P. D. (2012). The Impact of Fine Sediment on Macro-Invertebrates. River Research and Applications, 28(8), 1055–1071. https://doi.org/10.1002/rra.1516
Stream restoration on Fairfax Campus will create scenic pathway. (2022). Construction at Mason. https://construction.gmu.edu/news/2022-08/stream-restoration-fairfax-campus-will-create-scenic-pathway
Vargas Soto, J. S., Beirne, C., Whitworth, A., Cruz Diaz, J. C., Flatt, E., Pillco-Huarcaya, R., Olson, E. R., Azofeifa, A., Saborío-R, G., Salom-Pérez, R., Espinoza-Muñoz, D., Hay, L., Whittaker, L., Roldán, C., Bedoya-Arrieta, R., Broadbent, E. N., & Molnár, P. K. (2021). Human disturbance and shifts in vertebrate community composition in a biodiversity hotspot. Conservation Biology, 36(2), 13813. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.13813