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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLick Creek Park Natural Resource Usage by Primitive Societies Lick Creek Park Natural Resource Usage by Primitive Societies Travis Metz ANTH 485 Dr. Carlson Background Lick Creek Park is a more recent annexation by the City of College Station. The initial land tract was purchased and annexed just twenty two years ago, in 1987. In 1998, the City adopted a master plan to update and improve the usable facilities within the park. The park's initial purpose was to serve as an industrial park. Located off the east end of Rock Prairie Road, it is situated well away from much of College Station's population. Because it is located further away from an extensive human population, it is able to serve as excellent habitat for a large number of species. After the City bought the land to establish this park, an archaeological survey was conducted, and several artifacts (all Native American) were located and recorded. This tract of land, which totals just over five hundred fifteen acres, has a vast amount of resources within its boundaries. Several distinct ecosystems also exist within the park, and it is this reason that the biodiversity is so high. The ecosystems here include oak savannahs, woodlands, sedge meadows, and bottomland hardwoods. Much of the true oak savannah here has been lost, as a savannah of any type is regulated by fires on a three to five year cycle. Much of the savannah here has given way to woodland, which is characterized not only by trees, but by a dense understory as well. Flora and Fauna A vast number of plants and animals call Lick Creek Park home. It is because the Lick Creek and Alum Creek watershed run through this park to drain into the Navasota River watershed. This provides a substantial amount of available surface water, although these tributaries tend to run very low in periods of little rain. In the flora department, there is actually a rather limited supply of edible plant material. Most of the edible, usable plant material largely comes from the trees within the park, although a few small plants, including the universally - disliked Bull Nettle provide some human benefit. Within the fauna department, there is a myriad of protein providing species, like squirrels, deer, hogs (feral pigs), birds, and fish. These animal species each provide their own unique benefit to both humans and ecosystems, and each of the primitive societies would make use of these animal species in very different ways. There are a number of animals that would hinder the success of a primitive people in this area, as animal predation tends to work unfavorably towards population growth. Coyotes and bobcats would be the primary issue, although feral hogs will readily consume meat as well. In years past, a canine species commonly referred to as the "red wolf" ranged throughout this part of the world, although that species is now all but extinct. Their only real remnant left is the DNA in only a few generations of red wolf /coyote hybrids. Snakes would also be r a detriment to any society, as the majority found here are poisonous and there is not really any natural medicine readily available, should somebody be bitten by one. Primitive Societies There are four primary categories that "primitive" societies fall under. These categories are generally based upon how the respective societies were or are able to consume protein and sustain life. The "primitive" societies that were selected are the hunters and gatherers (foragers), pastoralists, horticulturists, and finally, agrarian or intensive agriculture. Each of these unique society types would fill the anthropologic gap within Lick Creek Park's various ecosystems in very different ways. As such, the natural resources that each of these societies would have been interested in would have been utilized in very individual, and in some cases, highly specialized ways. Hunters and Gatherers (Foragers) Foraging societies were and are known for being experts at utilizing tools to aid in the procurement of foodstuffs. In the coastal Arctic, the harpoon or the net would be favored to aid in catching fish or seals, while more inland a spear or bow - and -arrow setup would be preferable to help kill an elk or caribou. That general theme is applicable to Lick Creek. A foraging society would not only survive, but thrive within this area. The creeks and oxbow lakes are rich in aquatic life, so catching fish would be an important aspect of their day -to -day affairs. The hunting of small and medium size game animals would be another vitally important aspect, as nearly every piece of such an animal would provide for the society (deerskins for clothing or shelter, tendons or sinews for bow strings). On the gathering side of foraging, there is really not much to gather for food. Pecans from pecan trees, seeds from bull nettles (for those brave enough to grab one bare - handed). However, the rather vast amount of both short and tall prairie grasses would help to provide for a number of small crafts as well as twine, which could then be used in the construction of snares or nets to augment the hunters. A hunting and gathering society within Lick Creek Park would most likely be situated closer to a water source, as this would minimize their travel time in bringing water to the village and would allow them to more efficiently catch fish. Also, being down closer to the water is a plus for the hunters, who would be able to make use of ambush tactics on game animals that came in to get water as well. Pastoralists A pastoral society could survive fairly efficiently in Lick Creek Park, though they would have a lower success rate than that of the hunter - gatherers. Pastoralists focus upon the herding of animals, and while this area more than provides for ample grazing and browsing, it is fairly limited in its resource size. The herds would almost certainly be seasonally rotated through the various ecosystems, and this could lead to herd malnourishment in the case of drought or extensive flooding. Additionally, pastoralists might have a tougher time here as the park does not really provide for too extensive an area for pasturing in any one ecosystem, and the resources within that ecosystem could quickly become strained. Even considering the resources that would exist outside park boundaries, in this case, would quickly deplete, especially if the herd consisted of a large number of animals. As far as the pastoralists themselves, they would be able to setup a very ample village or encampment from which they could tend their herds. They would, however, have to make use of domestic dogs or stand watch each night, as several predatory species including bobcats and coyotes, exist throughout this area. Horticulturalists Small -scale agriculture, or horticultural, societies would be fairly hard - pressed to succeed in this area. The soil(s) within the park are not the most accepting for domestication of plants for sustenance until one reaches the sedge meadow or bottomlands, in which case the light necessary for such plant growth is largely cut out due to the extensive canopy coverage of the trees. In the park, horticulturalists would have to function more as gatherers for a greater success rate. As mentioned before, the actual edible plants are few and far between here, so a true horticultural society would likely not find this area particularly hospitable. Intensive Agriculture (Agrarianism) Intensive agriculture societies, much like the horticulturalists, would be pushed to have a successful subsistence without augmenting their fundamental societal basis. Their crop productivity and yields would be marginal even after plowing and tilling in the oak savannah -type ecosystem, and the crops that they did manage to produce would likely be plundered by raccoons, deer and other foragers. Another problem they would face would be that of water. The areas that get enough sunlight for photosynthesis are a marked distance away from any water source, other than precipitation, which is not always reliable. The areas that have reliable amounts of water have minimal sunlight, so some plant breeding, clear cutting or slash- and -burn (swidden) agricultural practices would have to occur to produce either seeds for a crop that could be productive in reduced light conditions, or by altering the surrounding ecosystem to make it more productive for crop growth and development. Unfortunately, there is no real "happy medium" ecosystem within the park or the surrounding area that would be favorable for an agrarian society. The soil tends to be fairly hard until one reaches the flood plain areas, and by then the light has been reduced to the point that the tree canopy knocks out all but a minute percentage of light available for the photosynthetic process. Synopsis Lick Creek Park is a much less people - friendly than one would expect. It is because of this that no one individual society would be perfectly suited to existing here, although some societies do have advantages over others. The best fit for the park and this area would be the hunter - gatherers, or foragers. Granted, they would have had a fairly long walk to acquire stones to build and fashion their tools or weapons, but that society type would likely be best suited to surviving in this environment. An agrarian society certainly has the potential to do very well, but the initial input of labor to make the land productive is extremely demanding and time- consuming. Pastoralist societies would have had a somewhat tougher time, as it would be difficult to maintain a herd in one area and still be able to provide them with water, depending upon the season and weather conditions at that time. It would be possible for some small -scale pastoralist practices, but those would best be served in conjunction with another primary means of subsistence. Horticulturalists would have the roughest time of it, out of the four society types examined. Lack of cooperative soil conditions versus water sources and lighting makes for a difficult time to gather from the native plants, much less domesticate them for small scale productivity. All in all, there is not one single "perfect" society that could thrive here without augmenting their fundamental practices with those of another society type, i.e. forager - horticultural or pastoral- agrarian, etc. The Native Americans that did live in this area were largely hunter - gatherers (foragers) as they were best able to make use of what was already in the environment, with only a small labor input. Lick Creek Park will continue to exist as a fantastic example for both ecologists and anthropologists to study and interpret to better understand not only the deeper workings of nature, but how humans work with, around, and against nature not just in the past, but also in the present and future as well. References Bates, Daniel G. Human Adaptive Strategies: Ecology. Culture. and Politics. 3rd. Edition. Boston: Pearson, 2005. J. Phil Dering, J. Bryan Mason, and Patricia A. Clabaugh, et. al. Prehistoric and historic occupation in central Brazos County, Texas, archaeological investigations of two city parks : Veterans Park and Athletic Complex and Lick Creek Park, College Station, Texas. Archaeology. College Station: Center for Ecological Anthropology, Texas A &M, 2001. Levetin, Estelle and Karen McMahon. Plants & Society 5th. Edition. Boston: McGraw -Hill, 2008. Moran, Emilio F. Human Adaptability: An Introduction to Ecological Anthropology. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 2008. Smith, Courtney A. A regional nature center for College Station Texas : an evaluation of opportunities in Lick Creek Park. Master Thesis. College Station, 2002.