Document feral hog rooting damage.

How this work is done

A documented method, so this packet comes out the same whoever does it.

Steps

1. 1. From a public trail, confirm no hog is present nearby before approaching to photograph; if a hog is seen or heard, leave the area immediately and do not photograph at close range.
2. 2. Photograph the rooted patch with a tape measure or a known-length object in frame, and pace off or measure its approximate length and width.
3. 3. Note the rooting depth (shallow surface scuffing versus deep overturned soil) and how much ground-layer vegetation is torn versus intact, distinguishing this from a grazed patch: rooting overturns the soil profile from below, grazing removes vegetation from above, and the photo should show that different signature.
4. 4. Record a ranked follow on note naming the site for a ground-repair crew, and state the observation point relative to the park landmark, never a precise coordinate of the rooted concentration itself.

What counts as done

• Photo of the rooted patch with a measured scale reference
• Rooting extent measurement (approximate length and width) and depth/vegetation notes recorded
• Confirmation that this work never trapped, snared, baited, shot, hunted, or used dogs against any hog, built no capture-designed fence, performed no aerial work, and applied no toxicant; that no hog, live or dead, was touched, approached, followed, cornered, or photographed at close range and no carcass was touched; that if a hog was seen or heard nearby the work stopped and the person left the area; that this work was never scheduled at dawn or dusk; that no wallow water or mud was waded into, touched by hand, or sampled; that no precise coordinate of a wallow or rooting concentration was recorded or published; that no organism, wild seed, or plant was collected and no listed species was approached; and that the work stayed within Fort Parker State Park's public grounds, the public road right of way, public building grounds, or a consenting resident's own home and never crossed onto private ranch land.
• Ranked follow on note naming the site for a ground-repair crew
• GPS waypoint of the public trail vantage

Proof is measured against these, not judged by taste.

The standard this serves

Soil Health. Soil health is the discovery, now written into USDA standards, that soil is not dirt but a living body: it breathes, digests, holds water, and can sicken or recover. The tests are wonderfully physical. Time how fast water soaks in. See whether a clod holds together in water or falls apart. Smell for the sweetness of organic matter. Mastery looks like a farmer who can read a handful of ground like a page. This packet is one plot examined by those methods and recorded, one honest page in the story of a piece of land.